Technorati Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Hisanori Takahashi, Koji Uehara

Millwood, who is six-to-seven innings in the book and pretty stingy on allowing runs. I watched his start for the Texas Rangers against the Orioles this past July, and the Birds couldn’t get a ball beyond the dirt against him. The vision is that he can allow an Orioles offense to get out in front rather than play from behind, and since no one pegs him as the ace for the next five years, there’s not a lot of pressure on him or the Orioles for the pick up.

Besides, they only lost Chris Ray.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Kevin Millwood

First, Strasburg was scratched from a start in Fall league with a strained neck. Not too big of a deal for most athletes, but for pitchers, the slightest discomfort in neck and shoulder could impact velocity and movement on pitches.

And now he has an injured knee, which may or may not affect how he plants or pushes off from the mound.

Maybe it’s an exaggeration, but in a baseball town synonymous with failure, panic is to be expected.

Technorati Tags: Stephen Strasburg, Washington Nationals

In a season of repeated failure, Ryan Zimmerman played up to expectations and in the midst of laughs from home and opposing fans. In turn, his defense has earned him his first N.L. Gold Glove.

At the hot corner, Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman completed one of the most well-rounded individual seasons in baseball by winning his first Gold Glove, Zimmerman, who made his first All-Star team and batted .292 with 33 home runs and 106 RBIs, also led all NL third basemen in assists, total chances, total outs recorded and games started.

With Adam Jones getting his first A.L. Gold Glove yesterday, the Baltimore-Washington area now leads the MLB in adequately catching bones thrown our way. Not that Jones and Zimmerman didn’t earn them, but hey, everybody knows we have nothing to cheer about baseball-wise outside of their glory.

Technorati Tags: Ryan Zimmerman, Washington Nationals

Maybe I’m not the best baseball mind to be speaking on this, but it seems to me that a guy like Bobby Valentine, regarded for controversy as much as he is for success, wouldn’t be the best fit for a team regarded for failure as much as it is for losing.

As such, I fully expect the Nats to announce his hiring sometime this week; thus cementing another entertaining year of baseball in the District, and significantly hampering Bobby Valentino’s dream of breaking into an MLB front office.

Technorati Tags: Bobby Valentine, Washington Nationals

For what the Baltimore-Washington area provides in culture, mild weather and pretty girls, it certainly balances out with the way it inflicts injuries on its professional athletes.

How many Washington Wizards are hurt? Chris Horton is going on IR, and will likely be followed by most of the offensive line? When is Ovechkin coming back?

Will Haloti Ngata really come back against the Browns? Would things have been different with a healthy Koji Uehara?

It’s interesting; our towns can attract all-star caliber talent, but our teams apparently can’t hire a trainer or a capable witchdoctor to stave off the inevitable hamstring pull, strained shoulder, or fatigue in the case of Albert Haynesworth. If a team could go one season without several significant injuries, particularly the Wizards, it would be a sight to behold.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Capitals, Washington Redskins, Washington Wizards

At least there is one spot in Charm City baseball culture not soiled by the dampened rag that passed as the Baltimore Orioles regular season; Adam Jones got his first gold glove.

So during a week where could’ve-been-Orioles were accepting their own Gold Gloves to accompany a World Series win, and shouldn’t-have-been Orioles were having their complexion called into question, it’s good to know that a current Oriole can get some respect for admirable play in the outfield.

Technorati Tags: Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles

In a way, it’s like watching the dude you went to high school with that always had something smart to say walk across the stage at graduation. You spent most of your time convincing yourself not to punch him in the mouth, but you remember the times where he actually said something funny.

That’s how I feel about the Orioles declining the option on Melvin Mora. He was productive over his time in Baltimore, but he never grew on me as someone who was a team leader or wanted to put the struggling franchise on his back. Not that he was obligated to; but it would’ve been nice to have a tenured Oriole step forward instead of the fairly middlin’ free agents they’ve brought in over the last few years.

His play was worthy of such a responsibility, and maybe it was because he, like many Orioles fans, became disenchanted with the direction of the franchise post Cal Ripken. Still, he was a good player who put in some good time with the organization. Here’s hoping his personality is missed more than his offense next season.

Technorati Tags: Baltimore Orioles, Melvin Mora

A Dominican Republic tribunal has ordered the Washington Nationals to pay US$40,000 in damages to a scout who was fired after signing a prospect who lied about his age.

Jose Baez, the Nationals’ former director of operations in the Dominican Republic, sued the team for what he said was an unjustified firing. The court issued its order last week.

Only the Washington Nationals could fail at firing a person who, in part, deserved to be terminated. But it does beg the question; do they really have to observe the judgment of a Dominican tribunal?

Technorati Tags: Washington Nationals

Either the Washington Nationals are very dumb, the Cleveland Indians are very smart, or they meet somewhere in the midst of Manny Acta’s warm smile and calming personality.

Acta is the new manager of the Cleveland Indians, which is a job that is dangerously close to being as hopeless as the Nationals’ gig. Fortunately, Acta can tap some former faces to restore the club to glory; namely, Willie Mays Hayes, who should come on board for the low if you can find his location in the Middle East.

Technorati Tags: Cleveland Indians, Manny Acta, Washington Nationals