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Kenny

Dugout Fight?

The news has recently come out about a scuffle between outfielder Elijah Dukes and manager Manny Acta. The Washington Times' Nationals beat writer Mark Zuckerman even went as far as calling for Dukes to be cut. Although a slightly unprofessional comment by Mr. Zuckerman, this move has been brought up by fans who are tired of Dukes' off-field issues. But wait... this is the only issue we know about since Dukes came to the Nats. It seems as though after Milledge's home run last night, he and Dukes began to celebrate with what seemed to be a previously thought out celebration sequence. Acta yelled at him, and a bit of a verbal argument started. It didn't seem as though any punches were thrown. If Dukes were to be cut, what would happen with our outfield? Right now, we have Dukes-Milledge-Peña out there. Once Kearns comes back, I'm guessing that Peña will sit down. And if any problems transpire with Dukes, then after Justin Maxwell gets off the DL in the minors, he might be called up to replace him.

It's good to see Manny Acta getting on top of the unprofessionalism. If he keeps doing that, maybe this team will finally buckle down and get going. And speaking of unprofessionalism, why is Zuckerman writing as a fan rather than an unbiased reporter? Maybe Acta should give him a talking to as well.

Sweet Victory

When you're at your lowest performance, in a funk, it's tough to pull out of it. It's tough to put bad showings behind you. So when the Nationals fell behind tonight 4-1, it was easy to say this team was finished. But not all was done, and the Nats, thanks to a huge seventh inning and a huge contribution by a lot of players, stormed back to knock off the Pittsburgh Pirates, IN PITTSBURGH, by the score of 7-6.

Ronnie Belliard came off the DL today and had a FANTASTIC game. Three hits in four at bats, including TWO home runs. Two home runs that showed everyone the Nationals can be an offensive minded team. Two home runs, that when joined by three others, proved to be the difference. How about Elijah Dukes, Cristian Guzman, Lastings Milledge, and Jesus Flores continuing to swing hot bats? Milledge and Flores had two of the other home runs tonight (Dmitri Young had the one not yet mentioned). Guzman had another two-hit night and so did Dukes. Just a few of the folks who continue to step up in the face of all the injured players.

The lineup simply hasn't been the same without Johnson, Zimmerman, and Kearns in it. Young and Boone - I love having you both in the lineup, but you have been struggling late and Johnson was really performing quite well this season. Kory Casto just isn't the same as Zimmerman. And let's face it - Wily Mo Pena is just flat out bad. A slugger who only has ONE home run as of tonight. A 298 pound Dmitri Young has more than that. Pena has been pitiful. Also, the bullpen suffers without Chad Cordero. When he is back, Luis Ayala and Saúl Rivera will have less pressure on them. So will Jon Rauch. Or will Jon Rauch be the closer? That's a question for another day.

Until these guys all get back off the disabled list, for now let's enjoy Curly W #26, and let's give a tribute to Ronnie Belliard, who really stepped it up tonight. Maybe he's the spark this team needs to get back on track. We'll see tomorrow.

Another Loss

The pain just keeps coming. Day after day the Nationals continue to botch their chances. Yesterday seemed different. In the bottom of the eighth inning, somehow the Nationals managed to load up the bases with two outs. Felipe Lopez up. He's been in a slump lately; isn't this the perfect time for him to break out of it? A hard hit to right center - this should score someone! But the right fielder was shading towards center and made the easy out. The rally was done and the Nationals, hoping for a curly W, instead managed to get "curly L" number 40. Another new pitcher, this time another one who was immediately sent down to the minors. The future is bright though and with a bit of refining I feel confident that one day these new pitchers can take over. When Perez and Redding are finished, maybe Mock and Clippard can take over and do a good job. 

Lastings Milledge continues to swing a hot bat, and so does Elijah Dukes. In fact, Milledge hit a home run the other day. The rest of the offense is struggling. But, we've heard good news in the past week or so. Chad Cordero is throwing again. Ronnie Belliard was called up from the minors - hopefully to sit Lopez down on the bench. Zimmerman was evaluated yesterday and Kearns says he has never felt better. Lo Duca was throwing the other day, but with Flores playing so well, who knows where he will end up? When you have eight players on the DL, it is tough to win. Maybe Belliard will provide that spark in the dugout that this team needs to get on track.

Another thing I want to bring up is my earlier prediction of 85 wins for the Nats this season. I originally thought that these guys would come out with a strong offense. But again, I must say, EIGHT players (FIVE of which were starters) on the disabled list is a tough thing to swallow. I do believe this team will get better when these players return from the DL. When they return is another question. Tonight maybe we can turn over a new leaf for this team. It enters a nine-game road trip, with series against the Pirates, Mariners, and Twins. If the Nationals can scrape a winning record on this trip, that would be huge momentum for the return home.

One last comment I have is about attendance at the ballpark, which has been really good. The average attendance at Nationals Park has OUTPACED THE FIRST PLACE DIAMONDBACKS. The team enjoyed an attendance of over 30,000 fans again yesterday even with the triple digit heat overwhelming the area. So, Mr. Peter Angelos, what was that about no Nationals fans? Have you gotten your ass on the Green Line by the ballpark before game time? Because believe me, those people on the Metro aren't just riding to work. They're going to see the best baseball team Washington has to offer.

Back on the Running Trail

First day back running. Started at 9 am or shortly after and got in 2.4 miles. Tomorrow at 8 am I run again and we'll see how day two goes. Quick post I know but I have to get to bed.

The Notorious Nats

Something is wrong with the Nationals. Something has been wrong from day one, and it continues until today. It's called a lack of run support, and it's been turning regular average everyday pitchers on opposing teams into all stars. Something's gotta change, and I know what. Let's see if the organization decides to do it. You'll see what I mean if or when it happens.

Another Excellent Story... Again!

Time and time again, swimmers on this swim team continue to step up and perform past their level. A young five year old swimmer, known for holding onto walls and sometimes not listening, completed his first full lap of freestyle yesterday. After that, he never touched the wall except for at the end of the pool until the end of practice. A huge step that he made yesterday that he may not have known was so huge. High fives all around and yet another sign that the next generation of swimmers is READY AND WILLING to accept the torch. They are ready to go ahead when a huge class of swimmers graduates at the end of this summer. More new rookie swimmers continue to come to the team too in the middle age group which is an even better sign. A huge shout-out from the younger group that they too are competent swimmers. If this great progress continues - could this be the sign of things to come in the future?

Also, a very exciting yet unnerving note about the weather the other day. They are investigating the possible tornado in Huntington (which is not far from me at all). More tornadoes have been mentioned in the investigation of this recent June 4th outbreak. An outbreak that does not surprise me after recent readings. Especially that Mike Tidwell book. It was very scary experiencing something like that. Seeing the VERY LOW dark clouds rushing overhead with a green backdrop. Then noticing that the sky was indeed spinning. Running into the back room with the power flickering after the storm hit. A very disturbing couple of minutes that I hope are not repeated, but I will not be surprised if they are. Excessive heat watch for the weekend and Monday. Heat wave #1, here we come! Will we scrape the 100 degree mark?