Washington Post sports columnist Thomas Boswell was online Friday, July 25 at 3 p.m. ET to take your questions about baseball and his latest columns.

The transcript follows.

Discussion Archives

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Tom Boswell: Good afternoon. I wanted to start with a question.

Here are the won-lost records of five pitchers. Four are in the Hall of Fame. The fifth is active now and currently leads the major leagues in wins. yet he's frequently mentioned as NOT a future HOFer. Why not?

Hint: He's won six Gold Gloves.

No, it's not a hard question. Just an interesting one.

Juan Marichal 243-142 .631. Career: 101 games over .500.

Carl Hubbell 253-154 .622. Career: 99 games over .500.

Bob Feller 266-162 .621. Career: 104 games over .500.

Jim Palmer 263-152 .638. Career 116 games over .500.

Mystery Man 263-150 .637. Career 113 games over .500.

There is also a number, generated by Baseball-Reference.com, called "Neutralized ERA." It attempts to adjust every pitcher's career ERA as if he pitched in a "normal" era when the average team scored 715 runs (4.42-a-game).

The Neutralized ERAs of our stars are:

Marichal 2.89 adjusted to 3.22.

Hubbell 2.98 adjusted to 2.92.

Feller 3.25 adjusted to 3.23.

Palmer 2.86 adjusted 3.21.

Mystery Man in a home run era: 3.69 adjusted to 3.25!

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Baltimore: Tom: Any thoughts on the death of Chuck Stobbs, whose obit is in the Post today? It was a poignant story, given that Stobbs said he should have gone to college rather than sign a baseball contract, because his big dream in life was to play in the Rose Bowl. (He was a great high school football player). He is sort of the mirror image of Don Larsen. Both were decent big league pitchers remembered for one thing: Larsen for the perfect game in the '56 series and Stobbs for giving up that mammoth home run to Mantle at Griffith Stadium.

washingtonpost.com: Chuck Stobbs; Senators Pitcher in 1950s (Post, July 25)

Tom Boswell: Stobbs was a boyhood hero of mine. I haven't seen the obit yet. I remember the Rabbitt's Foot night that was held at Griffith Stadium to bring him good luck when he had (from memory) lost 13 games in a row, despite pitching well.

The way things are going, the current Nats may need to hold a Four-Leaf Clover Night and a Fingers-Crossed Day, too.

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Bob Carpenter Fan Club: Last year, you, Len Shapiro and Marc Fisher spoke out strongly against the firing of Bob Carpenter. I personally love his play-by-play, and his professionalism is breath-taking as he works beside Sutton, who was behind his firing. (Don't know if I could do it.) Do you think the team should keep Bob? Do you think they will? They're supposed to let him know by August 1st.

Tom Boswell: I'm not aware of any Aug 1 deadline. I enjoy Carpenter and Sutton. They're at least MLB quality. Most important, they don't grate on my nerves and damage the game for me. They are certainly not the reason for any lack of viewers. I suggested a new mike check to Sutton recently: "Testing, testing...1, 2, 3...8,999, 9,000...Okay, Bob. We got 'em all."

Kasten really likes Sutton. Carpenter may not have a local "champion."

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Fairfax: Why did the Nats pay $16 million to a guy who only plays adequate defense, at best, at short and has only had half a good season at the plate? Do they really think this is the real Christian Guzman and not the guy who has been terrible since the moment Bowden last signed him to a deal for too much money?

Tom Boswell: The Guzman signing may be the best thing the Nats have done this year. Sometimes a player is fundamentally changed in mid-career. Guzman's eye surgery has let him see the ball clearly for the first time in his life. (I had the same surgery and, within a month, had 20-15 vission __better than 20-19 when I was a teenager. You can't believe the4 difference until you experience it.)

The last two seasons combined, Guzman has hit .312 with 188 hits, 33 doubles, 9 triples, 7 homers, 48 rbi and (only) 32 walks in 603 at bats.

I think that's who he is now. And, assuming he stays healthy as he did for years in Minnesota, I think the Nats STOLE HIM VERY CHEAPLY.

As for fielding, his career fielding percentage is .971 compared to the league average for SS's of .973. And, by the various "range factor" methods, his range at short __throughout his career, and now, too__ is average or, at worst, slightly below average.

Believe me, you very seldom get a chance to get a .300-hitting switch-hitting shortstop who can bat No. 2 and play a passable shortstop __and get him for just two years at $8-million-a-year. In '11, if the Nats have high aspirations, they can try to do better.

Between now and then, Guzman will be a big plus. Fans should appreciate that he probaqbly could have gotten the same money for more years if he'd gone free agent. He feels guilty about his awful '05 season and subsequent injuries. When was the last time a MLBer felt guilty about not earning all of his previous contract! Guzamn is a nice guy whose self-confidence isn't terribly high. He's comfortable here and fans should, imo, appreciate that he plays every day and gives what he has __which, the last two years, has been quite a bit.

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Arlington, Va.: I think that the Mystery Moose is pretty much destined to be the answer to the question "Who is the best pitcher NOT in the hall" ... formerly known as Jack Morris.

Lost of good numbers, and a few great ones. But no Cy Youngs, no 20-win seasons, never had that one year when he just dominated everyone, never had the one postseason where he put a team on his back and carried them (a la Schilling)

He's really darn close, but not good enough in too many people's minds

Tom Boswell: Yup, it's our old friend Mike Muissina. And you cite all his difficulties.

Until I came up with these numbers, I didn't think he belonged in Cooperstown. I've changed my mind __or very close. His W-L record and games-over-.500 are vastly better than the few pitchers (Katt and John) who have 280-some wins but are not in the Hall.

It maqy take a while, but I think Moose will get there. I didn't yesterday.

And, the way he's pitching this year, who says he's finished yet? Look how long Maddux has gone on and on.

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Baltimore, Maryland: I've long had this theory that Lenny Webster's passed ball on an intentional walk in the 1997 ALCS would cost Mussina the HOF. As you ably demonstrate, Mussina has the overall numbers to support a HOF candidacy. What he lacks is the signature playoff performance to cement his stature as one of the leading pitchers of his era. As you will recall, Mussina was absolutely lights-out in the 1997 playoffs, and was at the peak of his career. Had the Orioles beaten Cleveland in the ALCS, Mussina would have had the perfect stage in the World Series against the Marlins to demonstrate his excellence. Let's say Mussina had won two games in an Orioles WS victory in 1997; then we wouldn't be having this discussion. But Webster did miss the ball; the O's did go on to lose; and Mussina's opportunity slipped past him.

Of all the words of mice and men....

Tom Boswell: Nice post.

Mussina has also been eficient, but unlucky in post-seasaon. A 3.42 ERA with 145 K's and only 33 walks in 140 innings. But an 8-9 record.

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Downtown DC: Tom, where's the golf chat? You've written more columns this Summer about golf than about baseball, by far. What gives?

Tom Boswell: Wait until you see all the Olympic columns from China!

Actually, I've written several times as many baseball columns as golf. But, come on, which are you going to remember for the rest of your life: The '08 Nats or Orioles or Tiger Woods "Broken Leg Open."

If the Cubs meet the Red Sox in October __and if "your" team isn't in the Series and you have a pulse you want to see that__ we won't remember anything else from this baseball season. The TV ratings will be so high the Presidential candidates may be forgotten. (Oh, I just realized, Obama is from Chicago. Hmmmm.)

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Arlington, Va.: Re: Guzman. Also, the market for SS is terribly thin right now. I challenge someone to find two free agent SS who are demonstrably better than Guzman. While $8M per is a lot of cash, two years gives the Nats flexibility to go another direction if someone else DOES become available.

Tom Boswell: Exactly.

Now, on to Cordero...

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Ellicott City, Md: Mr. Boswell,

Is Jim Bowden really serious about not offering Chad Cordero a contract? The young man brought so much excitement to Washington in 2005 and did a darn good job in 2006 and 2007, too. Then, the Nats ran him out there this year when he was hurt. He's one of the few "faces" we Nats fans have to call our own.

This is shameful treatment! These are the kind of crass moves that alienate the fan base, such as it is.

Can Stan Kasten undo Bowden's ridiculous, cruel move? What's your opinion?

Tom Boswell: The handling of the news about Cordero was the definition of "Bush League." Just brutally cruel and uncalled for. The Nationals should be ashamed. I don't mean "sorry." I mean ashamed.

I don't know (yet) whether this is simply a Bowden blunder or whether Kasten and the Lerners should hang their heads, too.

OF COURSE, the Nats were NOT going to tender Cordero after he had labrum surgery that USUALLY __ie., more often than not__ ends a pitcher's career. By tendering, they would be assuring Cordero of a minimum of $4.8M in '09, even though he might not pitch the whole year.

That's not the issue. They blabbed about it on the radio and Cordero learned about it from his father who learned about it from a friend. After all that Cordero has done for the Nats, and the way he may have damaged his career by trying to pitch hurt this spring, this is TACKY, TACKY, TACKY. You wait until after the season. You tell Cordero first. Even though he knows the lay of the land. They just threw him under the bus for no reason.

At least the Nats, and their management, is now completely out of excuses for not improving the team in '09. They just subtracted Cordero's $6.2M salary. Lo Duca ($5M) and Lopez ($4.9M) are free agents and won't be back, especially now that Bonifacio is the second baseman of the future. Rauch subtracts a couple of million more. And the Guzman signing only adds back about $3.8M more.

So, at the moment, the Nats "projected" roster for '09 would barely have a $40M payroll __29th out of 30 in baseball and pathetic for a team with a new stadium.

Mark Teixeira grew up in Annapolis. You'd have to overpay to have any chance to get him because a star doesn't want to go to a last-place team. You're talking about $20M X 5-or-6 years. But he's only 28.

There's no reason not to be a serious player in that game even if he turns you down. This isn't Soriano two years ago. This is three seasons further down the road in DC, a middle-of-the-order bat who didn't have his best year this season and a team which has been a huge disaapointment (partly through bad injury luck) this year.

Granted, Cordero is a favorite of mine. But I think the Nats front office has been writing him out of their plans for a long time. Bowden is a "fool for tools." He loves 265-pound outfielders and "potential" closers like Hanrahan that thrown 97 (though sometimes hit the backstop on the fly). Cordero wasn't his type. Getting him out of the closer role eventually has almost seemed like a Nationals "problem to be solved someday."

Well, they certainly solved it. After the way he's been treated, I assume there are 29 teams with whom Cordero would rather play if he someday makes a successful comeback.

If the Nats face Cordero for high stakes someday __unlikely, granted__ who will you be pulling for? I'd say that would be a tough call.

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Two suggestions: For my fellow Nats fans

1. Please stop complaining about re-signing the only non-pitcher that's performing this season (Guzman)

and

2. The Lerners spending money on a player (Guzman). Let's hope there is some more money spent on the team this winter.

Tom Boswell: Exactly.

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Penn Quarter: As for borderline HoF pitchers, does Blyleven ever get in? What about Jim Kaat? They didn't pitch in the steroid era, but they each was a pretty unique talent. From where I sit, both are at least as deserving Moose.

Tom Boswell: It's the games over .500 which is so important.

Mussina has pitched for good teams. (But not great teams.) But what distinguishes him is that he has been a spectacularly consistent winner.

I'm sure we'll return to this in future. His fine season this year __learning to succeed with only remnants of his former fastball__ has moved Moose up.

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Cordero's condition: Bos, several times Chico Harlan, the new beat writer, has stated that Cordero reported to camp out of shape this year. Since he wasn't here then, I'm assuming he's getting that info from a reporter who was (you?) or the team. Do you agree with that assessment and is that part of the reason why Cordero struggled this year or got hurt?

Tom Boswell: The Nats have always wanted Cordero to lose weight. And they don't make it a secret. Chad has sometimes said that he'd prefer to drop some pounds, too. But he saved 47 games at that weight. That's not the issue.

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Arlington, Va.: Is there anything better for baseball nuts than Baseball Reference? I love to just start browsing through the site. Small things like the ability to see trades and to get box scores for almost every game ever....

Man I love that site.

Tom Boswell: I've been addicted for a long time.

Just checked there: Cordero has made $11.5M in his career. Good. At least, if he doesn't make it back, he got a payday and qualified for a pension. Talk about sad words. Hope he beats the odds. The percentage of pitchers who return from labrum surgery has improved in recent years from awful to merely poor.

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RE: Chuck Stobbs:"So the guy hit a home run, so what?" he said in 1993. "Somebody just sent me a blank piece of paper and asked me to fill out my recollections of that homer. I sent it back blank."

Chuck Stobbs in 1993 commenting on the Mantle homer...just a great comment

Tom Boswell: Love it.

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Rick Dot Felt: GUZMAN SIGNING -- I think this was more of the Lerner ownership group trying to show the fans they're not cheap and will re-sign guys who produce. Guzman was the lone All-Star rep for the Nats, so to me, it seems like a statement signing more than anything. Kasten/Bowden know better than to do something like that. I hope anyway. Since when are we giving out $8mil/yr to below average defensive short stops, barely hitting above .300, stealing at less than a 70% success rate, and a "modest-at-best" OBP?

Tom Boswell: Every Lerner signing so far has been at bargain prices __Belliard, Dmitri Young, Guzman.

To build a contedner they will have to make at least one significantgly ABOVE MARKET major free agent signing, just like the Tigers did. You have to get the ball rolling. Then they'll have to pay market rates after that. Will they?

Bowden, like all GM's, can't wait to spend money. GMs want to win as soon as possible. They're not as big fall guys as managers. But they are next in line for decapitation. Kasten will, probably, eventually be caught in the middle. The day will come when he's going to have to open his mouth (wide) and speak loudly.

I keep telling myself, "The Lerners spent appropriately on the ballpark. They spent appropriately on the minor leagues. They haven't 'missed' an obviously good use of money...yet."

But with their current payroll structure __good Lord, Peter Angelos $25M payment for the Nats local TV rights almost pays for the whole team budget in '09 as currently constituted__ there is no excuse not to add talent.

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Burke, Va: How long do you think a team can carry four catchers and only three outfielders on its active roster before you'd have to label that franchise officially dysfunctional?

Tom Boswell: Estrada is now gone. Milledge is back.

With Zimmerman, Kearns and Milledge back in the lineup, the Nats almost resemble their early-season lineup projections. Well, except that all their leftfielders and first baseman are gone.

Oh, sorry. They have no bullpen. Except Saul Rivera. Hope Hanrahan works out. Good kid. If he doesn't, can Rivera set up, close and do his old job __work the 7th__ on the same nights?

Finally, about Emilio Bonifacio. Guess what: He has a TOOL. No wonder the Nats are infatuiated with him. He may be the fastest guy in baseball. Or close. (They've been talking about wanting him since spring training.) Of course, he has no power, doesn't walk and made over 20 errors three times in the minors. His minor-league OPS in more than 2,500 at bats is slightly under .700. So, I'd project him at perhaps .650 in the majors. In other words, worse, at least statistically, than Lopez or Belliard as an offensive player. He can steal bases. But can he steal first base?

The comparison is to Luis Castillo. Can he be that good?

And if he does become as useful as Castillo, is he worth Rauch, who was durable and getting better as he reache3d his prime. I liked the Guzman signing a lot. Bonifacio has defensive range __about three assist a game, which is well above average. But a quality team can only afford ONE player with NO power and NO walks. Time will tell. I'm dubious. Looks like the Nats didn't think they could __or would be allowed to go high enough__ to sign Orlando Hudson. So, they took the guy who was trapped in the D'back system behind Hudson.

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Arlington, Va.: Mr. Boswell;

The team stinks, owners are making huge public relation gaffes, GM continues to air business decisions on a Redskins Sports Talkie, the general media continues to take pot-shots (deserved or undeserved) at anything that resembles a Nats failure and only 9000 poor souls are tuning in. Tell me, as a full season ticket holder (for the past 4 years) when can we expect this version of the Titanic to right itself and change course?

Tom Boswell: Believe it or not, the Nats have been so bad this year that next season will seem like a major improvement. IF the Nats rebuild their bullpen and add at least one major free agent.

Lineup: Flores, Nick Johnson (?), Bonifacio, Guzman, Zimmerman, Dukes, Milledge, Kearns. Bench: Belliard, Young, etc. Not too shabby.

Rotation: Redding, Lannan, Balester, Hill (?), (Boom Boom) Bergmann and perhaps Perez or Mock or Clippard. Plenty of teams have worse choices __like the Orioles.

Bullpen: Hanrahan, Rivera, Ayala. Uh oh.

"The Date" for the Nats __internally__ has always been '10 to be a winning team. Which, in the NL, is a wildcard contender.

So, if you're one of the 30,000, don't jump off the roof.

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Mystery Man: Andy Pettite?

Tom Boswell: Andy is 212-120. Maybe he's the next Moose.

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Washington, DC: Do you think if the Orioles and Nationals combined teams and farm systems, they'd have enough talent to compete at the major league level and fill a ballpark?

Tom Boswell: I wish I could save some of these end-of-the-world posts for a year or two.

The O's 6-foot-5 switch-hitting catcher from Georgia Tech, Matt Weiters, is putting up the kind of Major Star stats in the minors that the Nats can only wish they had from anybody at any level.

Both teams are probably going to do just fine over time. The Nats have a Top 10 farmn system, a lot of (pretty good but probably not great) young pitchers and a payroll so ridiculously low that their fans will, eventually, force them to buy two or three additional front line players. It's going to be hard to keep this franchise under .500 in a couple of years. Unless they keep damaging their reputation with stunts like kicking Cordero when he's down.

Can we chat from China? We'll find out. Over and out.

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