Nationals' Q&A
Thursday, May 4, 2006; Page E01
Q: What's next?
The 29 other owners must approve the sale; that vote likely will take place during a meeting May 17-18 in New York. If approved -- these votes tend to be unanimous rubber stamps -- the Lerner group would probably take over in June.
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VIDEO | Nationals Spring Training ON THE FIELD Jesus Flores' two-run, ninth-inning double gives the Nationals a 4-3 win over the Marlins. Notebook: The Nationals trade left-handed reliever Ray King, the most veteran member of their pitching staff, to the Brewers for a player to be named. Boswell: The statistics show a return to normalcy in baseball and the end of the Steroid Era. Minor Leagues: Justin Maxwell has come out of the slump he was in after straining an oblique muscle by sneezing and is now hitting .423 with 24 homers. NATIONALS REPORTBy the Numbers89: Errors for the Nationals through Monday. Through 138 games a year ago, they had 113 errors. Personnel Dept.OF Ryan Langerhans hit his first homer of a 14-game stint with Class AAA Columbus on Monday, just before he was called up. "I felt a lot more comfortable," he said. "My approach was a lot better." Langerhans will be used primarily as a defensive replacement. ... The club activated LHP Micah Bowie, who hadn't pitched in the majors since June because of a hip injury. ... The club announced that Centerplate would replace Aramark as the concessionaire at the new ballpark in 2008. Quotable"He certainly was a good influence on our young pitchers, had a lot to do with some of their developments. Our clubhouse was a better place with Ray King a part of it." -- GM Jim Bowden NATIONALS JOURNALBarry Svrluga provides the latest news on the Nationals. MULTIMEDIA Podcasts: Postgame audio from Barry Svrluga and video from Washington Post Live. Slideshow: A crowd of 40,389 pack into RFK Stadium to open up the 2007 baseball season. Photos: Manny Acta returns home. Webcam: Check back daily and follow the progress of construction on the stadium. |
Q: What will happen to front-office personnel?
Team President Tony Tavares is definitely out; Stan Kasten, a partner in the Lerner group, will assume that title and role. No word yet on the fate of GM Jim Bowden.
Q: What about Manager Frank Robinson?
The new owners have not tipped their hand regarding Robinson, but whoever Kasten chooses as GM -- be it Bowden or someone else -- will have significant input.
Q: Are the new owners likely to spend some money this year to strengthen the roster?
Doubtful. The philosophy seems to be that the team needs to build itself from the ground up, and that means revamping a moribund farm system. That may mean that some veteran players could be traded during the season for prospects.
