Baseball

The Washington Nationals made their spring training debut last week, the first time a professional baseball team has represented Washington, D.C., since Sept. 30, 1971.

Washington Post sports columnist Thomas Boswell was online Friday, March 11 at 11 a.m. ET to take your questions and comments on the team, Major League Baseball and his recent columns.

The transcript follows.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

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Silver Spring, Md.: Tom,

It is a joy to finally read your columns on Washington's home team. Will we get to see the Nat's opener on April 4 on TV here or will we have to go to a bar in Philly and order a cheesesteak? Your description of Angelos' actions in these negotiations as a crib death strategy, trying to kill the Nats in infancy, sounds just right. How long will MLB put up with his deliberate foot dragging?

Tom Boswell: I'll be amazed (and so will almost everybody else in baseball) if the Nationals don't have a TV deal in place before Opening Day. At some point the "best interests" of baseball become an issue. The commissioner and 29 of 30 owners have backed the Nationals coming to Washington. They did it knowing of Angelos strong opposition and the possibility of legal action. They are way past the point where they can back down. Also, commissioners worry a great deal about handing down the "powers of the office" intact.

So, you won't have to go to Philly. What is bothersome -- very bothersome -- is that nobody with the Nationals/Washington's interests at heart are involved in the "negotiations." It's a little late to scream after the fact if the Orioles come away with what seems like an unfair deal. I suspect that baseball will do somewhat better than we suspect on this issue. They are thinking about the long-term health of both franchises and can clearly see -- now that ticket sales are so strong -- that they need to make sure the Washington franchise also has a fair chance to show its "jewel" status.

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Ashburn, Va.: So who's going to be the better team this year, the O's or the Nats?

Tom Boswell: The Orioles certainly SHOULD be better, now shouldn't they?

I'm encouraged by what I saw of both teams in Florida. Of course everybody is cheerful in March. But the Nats aren't nuts when they talk about 80+ wins (Frank Robinson dared to say "more than 83" which is REALLY aggressive) and the Orioles can dream of approaching 90. They should have had a winning record last year. That, however, is "with the breaks."

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Viera, Fla.: Boz,

Who are the leading Nats in Total Average (the stat you created)?

Tom Boswell: Brad Wilkerson and Jose Guillen are genuinely excellent Total Average players. The gap between Castilla's TA in Colorado and in every other (sea level) ballpark is astronomical -- really hard to believe, even acknowledging that everybody hits better in Denver. The Nationals, from a TA perspective, have a perfectly ccredibleheart of the order in Vidro, Guillen and Wilkerson. They need one more .800+ OPS guy to show up and to find a leadoff man. Chavez is still scary in that spot.

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Washington, D.C.: Hi Tom,

I am not sure if you are able to answer this question, but I am not sure whom to ask. Will the Nats be selling their D.C. hats? I have looked all over the city and cannot find them. Those are, by far, the best hats they have.

Thanks

Tom Boswell: The Nationals know what they've got in the "D.C." hat. It was a hit the first time the players saw it. (That's the one my son wants. So that must be the 18-year-old vote.) You'll get a chance.

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Washington, D.C.: Who's throwing the first pitch on opening day? Is it true President Bush might do the honors?

Thanks.

Tom Boswell: Universally assumed that the President will throw out the first pitch. I was at a W.H. function last year with others in baseball and he was a strong D.C. supporter.

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Washington, D.C.: Thank you for all of the great articles. I was not here when the Senators played and would like to know how the hot weather in July and August typically affected the players stamina.

Tom Boswell: D.C. baseball in RFK is seriously hot in July and August but, obviously, no worse than Baltimore and not nearly as bad at Atlanta and St. Louis. It's just what ballplayers call "good baseball weather."

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Heading down to Viera: A friend and I are heading down to Viera Beach to catch the O's and Dodgers games on Sunday and Monday. We've followed Barry's (and now Dave's) amusing, and frankly at times pathetic, descriptions of life in Viera Beach but we were hoping that you could help us out a bit more. Do players go to a certain bar after the games are over? What else is there to see when we're not sitting in Space Coast Stadium?

Thanks Boz!

P.S. We're going to skip Panera.

Tom Boswell: My advice is stay in the Cocoa Beach area even if you drive 25-30 minutes each way. BIG difference in the beauty factor on the beach and in Viera (none). Plenty of golf. Also, the food in Cocoa HAS to be better than Viera. Lord knows where the ballplayers go. I'll have to find out last time down.

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Baltimore, Md.: Hey, Tom. Looking forward to coming down the Parkway to some Nats games.

My question: am I crazy to dream that the O's can contend for a wild card? I just have a feeling ...

Tom Boswell: You're not crazy is either the Yanks or Red Sox blow a tire. And, almost every year, one of the two or three "best" teams on paper is a huge disappointment. The key to the Orioles is probably Ray Miller. One of the great pitching coaches of the last 30 years. Was simply not suited to being a manager. Now, he's delighted to be back in the game in the role where he's great. The O's led the A.L. in ERA the last six weeks last year. The first-year impact of such improved instruction in the biggest part of the game -- when it is also the Orioles weakness -- shouldn't be underestimated. Also, his staff loves him.

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Baltimore, Md.: So Congress is now issuing subpoenas to Raffy Palmiero based on the "word" of Jose Canseco? And Barry Bonds isn't called? How in the world did the House decide who it was going to call?

Tom Boswell: Maybe the Committee feared that Bonds would be as disrespectful to Congress as he was at his press conference in Arizona. ("You guys ALL lie.") How many times can you get "grandstanding politicians" in one paragraph. Barry might have had the gall to go for that record, too.

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Spring Valley, Washington, D.C.: What are your early assessments of Nats & O's spring training?

With few exceptions (Bedard & Riley for the O's, Armas for the Nats), the starting pitching for both has looked pretty good. Additionally, Newhan & Gibbons have looked good, too.

Any word on Termel Sledge? Bowden seems trade happy & I'd hate to see him go.

Tom Boswell: All that matters in those spring games is the performance of KEY players -- especially pitchers -- about whole there are serious questions. On Thursday, Livan Hernandez, who is just a gorgeous control pitcher to watch work, went five storng innings. So, right there, you can assume the Nationals ace is in his usual form. Also, Tomo Ohka -- the least-known important Nat -- had a pitching line of 3-1-0-0-0-3 against the Indians on Thursday. Ohka was 13-8 and 10-12 in '02 and '03. Hurt most of last year by a line drive but NOT an injury to his pitching arm. His combined ERA in 81 starts the last three years is 3.71. That is very solid these days. If he's healthy, and he seems to be, he's a dozen-game winner who works 200 innings.

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Baltimore, Md.: Tom,

What have you heard about the new Washington Stadium? I heard they're trying to move away from the Camden Yards-Retro type design. What would you like to see?

Tom Boswell: I talked to one of the builders of the Phillies new park recently. He said that the TASTE of those who decide on the final ballpark design is enormously important. The new Detroit park is a horror. Almost nothing is more important than the quality of the design of the new park. If nothing else I'm in position to scream bloody murder if I think it stinks.

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Washington, D.C.: Tom-

You may be shocked to know that 13 of the 30 teams have rotations with four or more 12+ winners. (Including four in the NL East!) With all the interdivisional games, do you think being in a pitching heavy division helps the Nats, or hurts the Nats?

Also, the D.C. Batting Practice hats were at the RFK team store in lot four when I was there yesterday.

Thanks for the great work!

Tom Boswell: I am shocked to know it. Rats! Yes, the N.L. East is going to be tough. But it also means that the visiting team "attractions" in RFK will be very strong this year. Long-term, the only thing that matters about this season is Washington's RESPONSE to the Nationals. If the turnstiles spin, all the other problems -- like anti-stadium D.C. Council members -- fade away. It's double-edged. The competition will be tough and that hurts the W-L record. But every time you turn around the Mets, with Pedro and Beltran, or the Braves or the Phillies will be in town. That's a huge boost for the gate.

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Lost Springs, Wyo.: You and Buster Olney are my favorite baseball writers. Will moving to the NL cramp Pedro's predatory pitching style? Surely opposing managers and pitchers will not tolerate Pedro throwing chin music as often as he did in the AL.

Tom Boswell: Watching Pedro bat should be fun. Bet that Don Zimmer is watching!

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Arlington, Va.: I haven't been to the new ballpark in Detroit. What makes it a horror?

Tom Boswell: It's vast. No intimacy. No offense. And it's just dreary. The outside of the park is dramatic -- the big tigers with huge baseballs in their mouths actually work. Then you walk in the park and say, "Oh, my Lord. With all detroit's baseball tradition, they did THIS?" That an almost universal response, unfortunately.

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Washington, D.C.: Tom -- Your sheer joy in the return of baseball to D.C. comes through in every column. They're a pleasure to read.
My question: Major League Baseball made it abundantly clear in its stadium negotiations with the city that its objective was to maximize the value of the franchise. So how can it justify the a television deal with Angelos that is reportedly being discussed (a 60-40 split for Baltimore)? In this day and age, there is no factor more significant to franchise value than TV money. Is the old boys network really willing to give this kind of financial concession to Angelos, or could this be what's holding up the deal? Isn't it time they called Angelos' bluff?

Tom Boswell: That question would make a good answer!

Jerry Reinsdorf, for one, is not happy and, according to the grapevine, is in the call-his-bluff camp.

Peter has no rights in this matter of "indemnification." However, baseball realizes that it will probably be relocating a franchise to Norther New Jersey someday. That would get close to the territory of THREE teams -- Yankees, Mets and Phils. So, baseball wants to set a "gentleman's agreement" precedent of how to handle such legally-mythical but old-boy-fraternity real problems. Hey, it's a monopoly. They all look out for each other. It's like the "what are the rules in a knife fight" line in Butch Cassidy. The answer; There are no rules in a knife fight. And that's what they're having now.

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Arlington, Va.: If you buy the Nationals, do you change the team's name? Why or why not?

Tom Boswell: For once the public's reaction to the name will almost certainly carry the day. Nationals seems to be doing well. I'm surprised. My instinct was that "Senators" would eventually carry the day with ease with Nats as a nickname. There will be a STRONG motive for any new team owner to change EITHER the uniform design or the team name. But there's no need to change both. The fans will "vote" on this and it will be noted.

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Boswell in California: If you were to live up to your name, and follow one baseball player around for great quotes and observations, who would Dr. Johnson be? Bill Lee seems to be the best choice, from the past. Maybe Pedro Martinez?

Tom Boswell: Wow!

Over the years, in no particular order, Earl Weaver, Joe Torre, Gene Mauch, Whitey Herzog and Sparky among managers. Not many got along with Mauch, but I did.

Among players, Pedro is a character. But there are so many. One of the absolute core appeals of baseball is that it is SO conversational. The players have an enormous amount of time to kill -- in the minors, on planes, before games. So, if you aren't a story teller, you're lost and a sense of humor is essential. That is why you see so many entertaining baseball stories -- versus the other major sports -- or at least you SHOULD.

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Arlington, Va.: Hi. Just got back from a week in Phoenix. First time for me to visit spring training there. I've been to Florida's spring training before (both coasts). Phoenix area is an entirely different feel. I think I like the Cactus League better. Do you think there's much of a difference in the two or is spring training just spring training regardless of the location, Florida or Arizona?

Tom Boswell: I like Florida better. I like the humidity, the heat. It FEELS like baseball. And there is nothing like the march madness that surrounds whatever foolishness the Yankees have going at Legends Field. You HAVE to see that park if you're a lifelong fan. Self-adulation to the max, but still great. Makes the Dodgers park at Vero, with all the streets named after players, look modest!

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New York: MLB's apologists in the press are now out in force to complain about "grandstanding politicians" getting late into the game. Are there any other kind? So what. Time for a public flogging of Buddy, Fehr and Sosa and McGwire, if necessary. Too bad Bonds wasn't included.

Tom Boswell: This is probably going to be one of THE stories in baseball in '05 and one of the most ambiguous. I'm still feeling my way through all the issues and, frankly, since I'm talking to people on both sides who are trying to work this out, I think they are genuinely concerned by the issues that are raised. Just because you don't WANT to create a witch-hunt doesn't mean that you don't end up with one.

This selective retroaction persecution of individual players in a sport where EVERY FORCE was working to get players to juice seems over-the-top to me. It would be closer to reality to hold a hearing and give plaques to the players who were able to RESIST getting juiced when virtually everybody was either pushing them toward it or was indifferent if they did.

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Alexandria, Va.: Tom, any idea of when they are releasing opening day tickets? I know season ticket folks will have first crack, but any clue how much the tickets will be?

Tom Boswell: No idea. I've been so busy I haven't even gotten Opening Day tickets myself. My family may be the Uecker seats.

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Ashburn, Va.: Never having had a local team to cheer on, I'm afraid my knowledge of the game is a bit lacking. I know enough that I can watch a game and understand what's going on, but I don't know all the finer details. Are there any books you would recommend that explain the strategy of the game, and what all these stats you throw around mean? When you say something like "Ohka -- the least-known important Nat -- had a pitching line of 3-1-0-0-0-3 against the Indians on Thursday" I just scratch my head and say "huh?".

Tom Boswell: Man, are you in trouble!

My father worked at the Library of Congress for 35 years+. When I was a kid, maybe 10-12, he took me back in the off-limits-to-the-public stacks to the baseball section in the summer and said, "Here is every baseball book ever written. Don't go blind."

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Alexandria, Va.: How bad is the Nats farm system? I was surprised to hear it was weak; I figured the Expos losing players like Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson or Larry Walker would have helped stock the farm system.

Tom Boswell: It's rated VERY low by Baseball America. However, in baseball it only matters if a FEW of your prospects become stars. The odds favor the better farm system, but it doesn't always work that way.

For the Nationals, watch Ryan Church, the outfielder who had a monster year in AAA. Slugs, hit over .340, walks. They are even giving him a shot to leadoff and play centerfield in split-squad games the last couple of days in hopes he can break through. Everybody is fascinated by the 19-year-old shortstop Ian Desmond who broke up the first Nats-Orioles game with the three-run tie-breaking triple off B.J. Ryan. Everybody loves his glove. That seems a given. Can he hit? When people start talking about 19-year-olds, I listen. Almost all of the really great ones make a huge impression on the old hands immediately. (I'm not saying Desmond is in this category.) The first time I saw Ripken in spring training, I knew. (So did everybody else, too. What a beast.)

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Alexandria, Va.: What do you think the best seats are in RFK Stadium?

Tom Boswell: Anywhere in the first 10 row2s of the upper deck between the foul lines is probably a better seat than most people think. And the first half-dozen row ABOVE the "upper reserved" were seats I loved in high school and college.

In the lower bowl, DON'T get back too far under the overhang. You can't see the fly balls. It's much better to get a supposedly "inferior" upper deck seat that gives you a panoramic sense of the whole game even though it isn't "in the lower deck behind third base."

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Silver Spring, Md.: Who will be the "face" of the Nationals this season?

Tom Boswell: This team may not have Hall of Famers, but it has characters.

I watched Livan Hernandez warm up last week and he hit the catcher's glove with low-away fastballs eight straight times without the catcher moving his glove even ONE INCH. This guy is big time and has that Cuban charisma. I've always loved the Cuban baseball tradition.

Brad Wilkerson is Huck Finn. Red hair. Mid-American. Plays like a madman but a good guy off the field and a team player. (Batted leadoff last year even though other players might have said, "I hit 32 homers. Gimme some RBI chances.")

Brian Schneider is a fabulous defensive catcher, a smart guy and has a ton of local D.C. connection. He was running through all his relatives a couple of weeks ago and he talked about two uncles who were in construction. "Brian, they just fixed the leak in my basement," I said. "they're so good it takes about a year to get 'em. You have to BEG for the Pastrana Brothers."

There are SEVERAL other candidates, too.

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Washington, D.C.: How are the Nats' ticket sales going, in comparison to other teams around the league?

Tom Boswell: Last I heard in Florida it looked like 23,000 equivalent season tickets so far and the entire lower-bowl of RFK sold out fore every game of '05.

And that is BEFORE a single ticket has been put on sale for INDIVIDUAL games. That's just season-ticket packages of at least 20 games. There are tons of games that are going to be 40K plus just because the opponent is such a big draw.

In short, nobody can guess. But these aren't your grandfather's Nats. And attendance isn't going to bare ANY resemblance to '71 or ANY previous year in Washington baseball attendance. Whatever the old Senators record was, it will probably be gone by the All-Star break.

In fact, it may ALREADY be broken on pre-season sales. Gotta look that up!

That's all for today. Tons of good questions. Thanks. Until next week, cheers!

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