Playing It Safe With Strasburg

It is a little scary, but hopefully just playing it extremely safe. The Nationals have put phenom Stephen Strasburg on the 15-Day DL. He should miss 2 or 3 more starts, though I would not be surprised if Rizzo shuts him down for the year. I don't mind playing this situation extremely safe considering who it is and the number of arms we will have coming back within a month. Jordan Zimmermann will be back in two weeks. Scott Olsen is pitching as I type. Wang and Marquis will come back at some point, as will John Lannan and Luis Atilano. So shutting him down and playing it safe is not a bad idea. Our attendance will drop back to where it normally would be, but as long as Stephen is good to go in the spring, everything will be alright.

More on Dunn

A Blog on Washingtonpost.com has the following post. I don't know why we would want to trade this guy. I love him.

Adam Dunn still staying relaxed as decision nears

On Monday night, Adam Dunn felt curious about what might happen between now and the trade deadline. All along, Dunn has stayed out of the business side of his situation. But he called his agent Monday night, and while they spoke he could quell the temptation to wonder.

"He was like, 'Oh, now you want to know, huh?' " Dunn said this afternoon. "I said, 'You're right, I don't.' Now I do want to know. It's [ticking] me off. It's kind of like when you're having a kid. You kind of want to know, you kind of want to see what happens."

After Dunn bent Monday night, he didn't break. Dunn remains at the center of constant trade rumors, but with a decision nearing he is still ignoring the talk, even telling those involved he doesn't want to know. Dunn has purposefully kept himself in the dark about what his future holds, a future that will be decided within the next five days.

"It's very easy for me to block it out," Dunn said. "I understand it's my career, but the options are pretty good. I stay where I want to stay, or I go and probably get a chance to play for a World Series, definitely in a pennant race. That's two pretty awesome options. I'm in a win-win situation."

Dunn allowed that he's frustrated with the lack of a conclusion. "If you'd asked me three months ago if I thought we would have a deal worked out, absolutely," Dunn said. "But again, that's the business side where I don't even want to get involved in. I don't know what's going to happen."

Regardless of the result, though, Dunn will not harbor ill feelings towards the Nationals, he said. His representatives have been talking with the Nationals since the spring, and, contrary to what a team source told the Post, Dunn said his representatives have not tried to set any kind of deadline for contract-extension negotiations to be completed. His feelings toward the team, he said, have not changed throughout the process.

"It's business," Dunn said. "I'm not going to sit there tomorrow if I get traded and say, 'God, I hate Mike [Rizzo] and Stan [Kasten]. I can't stand them. I hate 'em all.' I'll probably end up talking to them for a long time. I really enjoy them. It's not going to affect me either way.

"I don't know how to put it, man. I really don't have a feeling, because I've done everything I can, expressed everything I wanted to express. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Whatever. It's fine.

"I've done everything I can. I've told them how I feel. Both sides know how I feel. And you've got the business side, which I don't want to be a part. If I wanted to be a part of that, I would have been an agent."

While Dunn believes he will benefit from either signing an extension or being traded, his preference remains to stay in Washington. Dunn believes the Nationals, despite their 42-57 record, are close to contention. The appeal of staying, for Dunn, lies in helping transform a perpetual loser into a winning organization.

"That's the reason why I wanted to come here," Dunn said. "I could have went somewhere that was already winning. Who cares? So what? I want to turn something around and be part of something special.

"The goal is to win, man, and we're not winning here. But I wouldn't be doing all this if I didn't think we were going to be really good, really soon. If that's the case, 'Okay, I want out of here.' I don't. I know where we're fixing to get. I know next year how much better we're going to be. I've already been stuck here with 100 losses. I want to win 100 here."

T.O Update

Seems that the Bengals got their man. T.O, Ochocinco and Carson Palmer. Should be fun to watch, I guess.

Would You Take T.O?

That is the question on the minds of many teams heading into NFL training camp. Would you want your team to take a risk on Terrell Owens for a year? It really depends on your current wide receiver corp and the willingness of your QB to play with him. While he is rumored to only be going to the Bengals at this point, let's take a look around the league to see who should be looking at this all-timer.

- The Cincinnati Bengals- The leaders in the clubhouse, both of their stars want TO to put on the stripes. If you have Carson Palmer's approval, then you should go ahead and make the move. The Bengals' window isn't open for that long.

- The Washington Redskins- I know. Donovan McNabb is our QB. But look at our wideouts. A possibly suspended Santana Moss. Devin Thomas. Malcolm Kelly. 3 over-the-hill running backs. They need some kind of playmaker, and that could be TO. Look for the Skins to draft RB or WR this upcoming year, by the way.

- The Seattle Seahawks- They have a lot of injuries, apparently. TJ Whose-your-mamma is dinged up, Golden Tate is young, Deion Branch is no good. Why not take a stab on TO?

- The Oakland Raiders- Need I say more? Jason Campbell would love having a consistent WR on his team for once.

- The New England Patriots- Revitalized the career of one malcontent WR in Randy Moss. I bet that they could do the same for TO.

- The Cleveland Browns, The Tennessee Titans, The Jacksonville Jaguars, The Denver Broncos, The Chicago Bears, The Detroit Lions, and The St. Louis Rams- Name the top 3 receivers on each team... I rest my case.

Obviously, there will be a question of how happy TO will be with whatever team he ends up with. But at 36, maybe he is finally starting to mature and think about his legacy. I am sure he would rather give it 2 or 3 more years, win a championship and walk into the sunset as the #2 receiver all time, statistically. If he can swallow his pride and his anger for that time, and turn himself into a real team player, then why not take a chance on him?

A Dunn Deal? Hopefully Not!

The White Soxs really want Adam Dunn. Like, really want him. They have said that they are willing to offer anyone and everyone in their minor league system for him. I don't care. We might end up with Edwin Jackson if we do a three way deal. Still, as good as he could be, I don't care. Adam Dunn needs to stay on the Nationals. He is what we need- a consistent power hitter. Never mind the fact that he has also been hitting around 40 points higher on his career batting average since he came to DC.

The face of our franchise, Ryan Zimmerman, wants him there. Stephen Strasburg has said he wants him there. He needs to stay. Which is why it is good that Mike Rizzo is asking for a huge amount in order to trade him. On league GM said they were asking for the same as what it would take to trade Ryan Howard. Is Dunn Ryan Howard? No. Close, but no. But for the Nats, he is just as valuable (or more) as Howard is in Philly. He is a great locker room guy. He hits for power. The fans love him. AND HE WANTS TO PLAY IN DC! Can't ask for much more.

The middle of our lineup can be exceptional in two years if we keep him. Imagine a 3-4-5-6 of Zimmerman, Dunn, Josh Willingham and Bryce Harper in his first year. We could put up enough runs to actually support our solid young pitching. Keeping Dunn is not just the right thing to do. It is what the Nats have to do.

Vacation

Ah, nice. Relaxing. Wonderful. That is what my vacation has been already, and it is less than 24 hours old. I will blog plenty, don't you worry. But right now, I am going to the pool and leaving you with this from ESPN Insider that I will comment on later:

Amidst the interest drawn from the Detroit Tigers, among other clubs, the Washington Nationals could be in talks with two other clubs about a three-team trade that would send Adam Dunn to the Chicago White Sox and right-hander Edwin Jackson to Washington, reports ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

The Nationals, however, maintain that they prefer to sign Dunn to an extension and will only deal the slugger should those attempts fail.

The Diamondbacks would receive young pitching in the deal to help replenish their rotation candidates going forward.

We have to believe it's possible the Nationals would receive more than just Jackson in return for Dunn, though since Dunn is a rental and Jackson is not, the exchange may be deemed somewhat equal in value.

- Jason A. Churchill

Finals

I know, I have been slacking off lately in my blogging. But it is for the sake of my scholarly pursuits, so please forgive me. I will be done with a final this week, then have a week at the beach where I will have nothing to do but laze about and blog for you, my adoring 7 fans. So, until then (unless I find random free time) I will bid you adieu.

Oh, and how nasty is Strasburg? Seriously!

RIP George Steinbrenner

Just a brief note on the passing of Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Many people hated him for what they feel was monopolizing the game of baseball. I do not agree with them. If he were the owner of my team, doing what he did, I would have loved it. The Yankees were always in a position to win. There is no rule against spending a ton of your own money on free agents. He did it, and sometimes it worked. Other times it didn't. The truth is that any fan really wants an owner that is as committed to winning as The Boss was, even if they are afraid to admit it.

Quick one on LeBron

Sorry LeBron defenders, but I don't think he did everything in his power to win Cleveland a title. You never saw Jordan "quit" in a game. Don't see Kobe do it from what I can remember. There were times, this year in the playoffs especially, when LeBron seemed more than happy to let his season end and move on. That is not what winners do, and that isn't what the Cavs paid you top dollar to do.

So now LeBron is the most expensive #2 man in the NBA. That is Wade's team and Wade's town. Who is taking the last shot? Won't be LeBron. It will be Wade. I'm calling the fight. Kobe v LeBron is over, cause LeBron just threw in the towel. Kobe wins by submission cause he is the man on his team. He made them get rid of Shaq so he could be the man. LeBron is now Scottie Pippen. Amazing player. Not the man.

Finally, with one move, LeBron James made Kobe Bryant everyone's favorite player, cause the Lakers can beat this Heat team.