Amid Headaches, Nationals Offer a Bit of Relief

The success enjoyed by the Washington Nationals on and off the field was one of the big stories of the past baseball season. Frank Robinson's team contended for a National League wild-card berth until the final weeks of the season, with attendance reaching 2.7 million and appealing stars like Chad Cordero, Nick Johnson, Livan Hernandez, John Patterson, Jose Guillen, Brian Schneider and Ryan Zimmerman emerging almost weekly.

But hopes of building on those achievements went awry in an endless series of twists and turns involving the D.C. Council wrangling over a stadium lease that has been revised more than the Law of the Sea Treaty. City officials sent another revision on Friday to the council that includes guarantees of a cap against going over the $535 million authorized to build the stadium. Another vote by the council is scheduled for Feb 7. Meanwhile, frustrated ownership groups cool their heels like teenagers waiting for word on college admissions as season ticket renewals sputtered at 80 percent while potential customers generally were ignored.

"There has been a negative pall over the team during the entire offseason because of the stadium lease negotiations," team president Tony Tavares said.

In the hot stove department, starting pitcher Esteban Loaiza left town for Oakland while another fan favorite, Brad Wilkerson, was traded to Texas for slugging second baseman Alfonso Soriano. The only problem with Soriano is that he's a second baseman on a team with an excellent second baseman (Jose Vidro) and Alfonso doesn't want to change positions. So I wouldn't be surprised if Soriano is traded before ever playing a day in Washington.

But enough with the negativity and long faces of so many, including my friend, WRC-4's Tom Sherwood, every time Mayor Anthony A. Williams sends another lease proposal up to Linda Cropp's band of merry council pranksters.

About three weeks from the start of spring training, here's what good about the Nationals:

· The team's infield could be improved with Vidro and Johnson healthier, Zimmerman's continued maturation and the likelihood Cristian Guzman couldn't possibly hit worse than he did last year.

· The pitching staff might get another starter if GM Jim Bowden makes a good deal for Soriano.

· While some purists say Sammy Sosa is done, his addition would be a lift to a team in need of some sizzle. I like Sammy Sosa; he was a great player who had a lousy season in '05 for the Orioles. But what the heck, sign him to a $500,000 contract with incentives, and if it doesn't work he can join the Redskins' coaching staff.