by Andrew Lang
by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears
by Stan4Nats
Here is a fantastic group of photos from Gerry Gleckel which gives you a look at several Nats up close.
Under the watchful eye of Nick Johnson, the Nats 1st baseman rotated in a group of Ryan Zimmerman, Tyler Moore, and Clint Robinson. Nick was giving pointers on positioning and angles to the bag. Clint Robinson was looking much better out there getting down on groundballs.
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Why Turner should start over Espinosa:
by: Alex Ross, age 7, Gaithersburg, MD
I really think that Trea Turner should start over Danny Espinosa.
Hope Springs Eternal is something I’ve written about in Spring Training for years. Hope Springs Eternal was originally a poem of a different meaning, and it’s been a title of books. To me, the eternal meaning of the years as they go by forever never changes what’s in our hearts, and each year you have the new seasons and every Spring we find new hope. If we lose our hope, then we lose our dreams. This year starts those new dreams, and the games are played on the field of dreams.
Hope will come in different sizes and shapes……..
Photo by Laura Peebles
Hope will come from within, and be placed upon those who can look up and beyond, and those on the roster who must stay healthy, and beat the expectations.
Spring Training Feb. 23, 1016
“I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean”—Lee Ann Womak, I Hope You Dance
Spring Training, Viera, Feb. 22, 2016
There’s nothing as beautiful as a sunrise over a beach . . . except a sunset over a ballgame.—ME
Yep, got up and took a jog on the beach before heading out. Watched the willets and sanderlings dibbing for their breakfast, and had a stare-down with a couple of terns who didn’t want to get up when I approached. I agree with A-Rod: running in the sand is a great way to disguise how slow you are.
But I digress. On to the fields, where although we arrived later than yesterday, so did the P & C. Susan at the gate informed me that in the DJ (and earlier) eras, the players could either walk over, or take a van that deposited them at the gate (then there was a “string course” to get them to the field without too much fan interference). MW had made them take the van or the golf carts over, so now that seems to be the routine for the players—although Dusty walked over, with one coach, while we were talking. Could have gotten him to sign my hat, but I already have that.
The camp seems more relaxed than last year. It’s not just one thing: it’s a sum of several little things (the timing of the drills, the air horn being more of a suggestion than an order, the amount of laughter between the players and coaches, Dusty teasing a few players, one of the coaches walking in singing “It’s a beautiful day for a ball game.”)
Pap did not get a separate ride over today. He seemed in high spirits greeting his teammates. Dusty did spend some time talking with him during the calisthenics portion of the workout.
The team didn’t do the stretch that led to the Papelbon pretzel yesterday, so you’ll have to settle for this:
Had a chance to chat with Michael Barrett, the minor league catching coordinator. He’s not related to Aaron: they compared genealogies and they didn’t match up. Michael will be traveling to all the minor league teams.
First time writer here giving this a try. This might not be a popular topic as many Nats fans have dug in deep with their stances on Papelbon.
I am thinking that the Papelbon Issue should now be a non-topic or should be a non-issue, but I can’t get over how many people are still upset. The stories about Papelbon continued on Sunday afternoon in an article by Tom Bowell (click here) and this time he will be judged on his choice of music and his political t-shirt. Papelbon has met with the media, apologized, made it clear he would not be taking anymore questions on the matter and everyone on the team has now moved on to more important things like trying to win the NL East, but it probably won’t stop the media from continuing to hold on to this as this is click-bait material if you can come up with anything controversial.
Photo by Laura Peebles
It all starts under a full moon in Viera: Pap apologizes, everyone reports in TBSOTL, Dusty manages. Who knows where it will lead? Stay tuned….
To understand how a Bryce Harper ‘social media’ bat became the motivation behind a dedicated article on TalkNats is to understand that this is less about a baseball bat and more about Bryce Harper “the person”, and certainly to put everything about Bryce Harper into perspective from the beginning.
The making of Bryce Harper started at birth with an incredible genetic make-up that was nurtured by his family at an early age. His family unit has shaped him as a child and into a man. Bryce’s father, Ron Harper, was a union card-holder in the Reinforcing Ironworkers Local 416, and Bryce’s mom Sheri has always been the glue that holds the Harper family together. At 3 years old, Bryce was playing T-Ball on his older brothers team, and followed his brother to play with him on teams that challenged Bryce at every level until Bryce began playing better than boys years older than him. This continued until Bryce was the best amateur in the USA winning the Golden Spikes award.
Ron and Sheri Harper attending a practice. Photo by Andrew Lang
Bryce had his father Ron Harper who was role model as well as his personal instructor and BP pitcher, and 
together they made Bryce into a player who became an amateur baseball player known in the travel baseball circuit nationwide even before Bryce graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16 year old.
When Bryce Harper accepted his NL MVP trophy in January during that blizzard that shut down NYC, Bryce gave his acceptance speech and thanked the Lerners, his teammates and then broke down with some tears as he thanked his family and in particular his father:
“My pops sacrificed everything to help me fulfill my dream. Countless hours of BP. Groundballs. … The thing I loved the most, on the hot summer days, that we’d always get Slurpees and have fun. No matter what. That or our strawberry shakes. He always made it fun no matter what. If he could get up at three a.m. in the blazing heat or freezing cold, then I would give anything in this world to thank him every single day and tell him how much I love him. I appreciate you Pops.”
A quick look at what Viera looked like today for the 1st workout of pitchers and catchers.
Trea Turner was an early arrival.
The golf carts were ready early to transport players.
Here is a very happy Dusty Baker:
From Spring Training we have photos from Gerry Gleckel in Nats camp in Viera Florida.
Tomorrow begins the first workouts for pitchers and catchers as the pitchers will be lined up side-by-side on these mounds.
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