Going Deep with The Nats

The Washington Nationals have now been around for a long time. They went through a dark period of horrid performances and have now been in the contenders club for 7 years. Before they came to Washington, the Nats were the Montreal Expos, and I understand for many DC area fans that the Montreal history isn’t relevant, and I am totally fine with that. There are a small group of fans though who still live and die with the Nats whose fandom originated with the Expos, some of them still live in Quebec, some in the Toronto area and a few of us are scattered in different areas in the US. Continue reading →

Exaggerated Defensive Shifts date back to Ted Williams. Game 2 1946 World Series, Oct. 7 Sportsman’s Park, St. Louis.

(Last of a two-part series)

Any business proprietor will tell you that facing continual challenges is a central element of operation.  Baseball is hardly immune.  The current hurdles staring at the corporate Major League Baseball afterguard are not insurmountable by any stretch.  But, they won’t vanish of their own volition.  The industry has to make some moves if it wants to avoid the dreaded fate of being “Overtaken by Events.”   Last week we addressed the central issue of the current baseball product; the pace and amount of action has decreased.  Seemingly every sportswriter has taken multiple stabs at solving the issue.  Few have applied systematic problem-solving.  The result is a wall with lots of splotches and stains, but little pasta has actually stuck.  Let’s approach this from a different perspective. Continue reading →

The collective bargaining agreement (CBA) mandated that there would be a $197 million tax cap for the competitive balance tax (CBT) during the 2018 season, and when the dust settled for the Washington Nationals, they did not get below the CBT limit after trading Brandon Kintzler, the DFA of Shawn Kelley, and the waiver-claims and trades of Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez and Ryan Madson and the waiver claim of Matt Adams. In the end, according to our sources the team’s final payroll was $204,953,657 which was $7,953,657 dollars above the CBT limit which resulted in a 30% tax penalty ($2,386,097) that the Nationals had to pay according to the Associated Press via ESPN.  The penalty payment is due on January 21, 2019. Also per the AP, the Nationals had the second highest payroll in 2018 only trailing the Boston Red Sox. Continue reading →

Modern weddings are a mix of tradition and personal touches that allow couples to showcase who they are as individuals and who they are together. When one local lifelong Nationals fan wed her husband, she knew her special day would not be complete without incorporating her favorite baseball team — the Washington Nationals. From the bachelorette party to pre-wedding time with her bridesmaids, the Nats were front and center as she prepared to start her life with her husband. Continue reading →