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Bowden contacts Larkin about return
By Ken Wright
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
July 19, 2005

With shortstop Cristian Guzman continuing to struggle offensively with a batting average below baseball's ignominious Mendoza Line, Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden is considering a radical solution.
Before last night's game against the Colorado Rockies at RFK Stadium, Bowden said he had called Nationals special assistant Barry Larkin to try and persuade the 12-time All-Star to come out of retirement and play for the rest of the season. Larkin, 41, ended a spectacular 19-year playing career with the Cincinnati Reds last winter.
Bowden, the Reds' former GM, has summoned Larkin twice this season to work with Guzman at the plate, but it hasn't helped. The shortstop is batting .190, more than points below Larkin's career average.
"I wouldn't keep calling if I didn't think there was a chance [to lure Larkin out of retirement]," Bowden said. "Would I like to see him put [a uniform] on and help us out the last two or three months? Yeah."
Meanwhile, manager Frank Robinson kept Guzman in the lineup last night in his customary eighth spot in the order. The switch-hitting Guzman went 0-for-3 and now is 0-for-15 since returning Thursday after missing 10 games with a strained left hamstring.
Following Sunday's 5-3 loss at Milwaukee, Robinson contemplated replacing Guzman with utilityman Jamey Carroll, who is hitting .246, but ultimately decided against making a change immediately.
"He's in the big leagues, he's playing," Robinson said.
The Nationals made Guzman their most expensive free agent acquisition with a four-year, $16.8 million deal that lured him from the Minnesota Twins. The Nationals believe the 27-year-old, who averaged .266 over his first seven seasons, is their long-term answer at shortstop, but nobody in the organization can figure out why his hitting has fallen off so dramatically.
"We have to solve Guzman," Bowden said. "Solving it isn't going to be trading him. ... Solving him means we've got to get his bat going somehow. It's going to be magnified when you lose. When you win, you can carry him because of his defense."

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:They need to come home for a stretch to regain their winning ways.

NOTE: Yes, I am aware that I'm quoting myself. Thank you very much.

I guess I was way off with my previous comment. Last night I had the privilege of attending the Nats-Rockies contest at RFK. I had the best seats I've ever had to any sporting event in my life, along the first base line (albeit behind the Rockies dugout), and I was ready to welcome our team back home to good ol' RFK.

Unfortunately, everyone else in the stadium missed the memo on how to "root, root, root" for the home team. When we were needed to rally from a 5-4 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, where was the home team advantage????!!! On its way home. SO many people left at the end of the 6th with the score 4-2, Rockies.

Maybe it was the sweltering heat, but it seemed that despite there being an announced 30K+ in "attendance" at the game, the stadium was lifeless. It reminded me of FedEx, after the Skins go 3-and-out for the first time in a game.

We waited 30 years for baseball to return. It had been a couple weeks since the Nats were back home, and they come back to find a fan base to lazy to care. That was pathetic.

I think... THINK... we're still leading the division, but we need to get out of our funk pronto, and the fans need to help the team out.

Oh yeah, to get an idea of how dissapointing the crowd at the game was last night, not ONCE did the bleacher seats bounce, as they did earlier this season. Sad. So sad.

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:They need to come home for a stretch to regain their winning ways.

NOTE: Yes, I am aware that I'm quoting myself. Thank you very much.

I guess I was way off with my previous comment. Last night I had the privilege of attending the Nats-Rockies contest at RFK. I had the best seats I've ever had to any sporting event in my life, along the first base line (albeit behind the Rockies dugout), and I was ready to welcome our team back home to good ol' RFK.

Unfortunately, everyone else in the stadium missed the memo on how to "root, root, root" for the home team. When we were needed to rally from a 5-4 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, where was the home team advantage????!!! On its way home. SO many people left at the end of the 6th with the score 4-2, Rockies.

Maybe it was the sweltering heat, but it seemed that despite there being an announced 30K+ in "attendance" at the game, the stadium was lifeless. It reminded me of FedEx, after the Skins go 3-and-out for the first time in a game.

We waited 30 years for baseball to return. It had been a couple weeks since the Nats were back home, and they come back to find a fan base to lazy to care. That was pathetic.

I think... THINK... we're still leading the division, but we need to get out of our funk pronto, and the fans need to help the team out.

Oh yeah, to get an idea of how dissapointing the crowd at the game was last night, not ONCE did the bleacher seats bounce, as they did earlier this season. Sad. So sad.

Change of heart?

Barry Larkin, the special assistant to the general manager, told MLB.com on Wednesday afternoon that he is thinking about making a comeback and playing for the Nationals. This news comes a week after he told MLB.com that he didn't have the heart to play the game.

According to a baseball source, Larkin would be the everyday shortstop, and Guzman would remain on the bench and be a late-inning replacement on defense.

Larkin, 40, is currently in Virginia Beach, Va., coaching a basketball team in a tournament, and will not make a decision until the tournament is over, on Tuesday.

Larkin admitted that he is not in baseball shape and has not seen live pitching since last September, when he was with the Reds.

"I will never say never," Larkin said on Wednesday. "I take batting practice as a habit, but I have to see how far along I am in terms of being in shape. I have to start doing physical exercises."

The Nationals are in desperate need of a backup infielder after Junior Spivey fractured his right radius during batting practice two days before the All-Star Break. Since then, according to the source, Bowden has pleaded with Larkin to come back, but Larkin has resisted, wanting to spend more time with his family and help the Nationals in the front office.

Also according to the source, Larkin's wife, Lisa, will make the final decision as to whether or nor Larkin will un-retire.

``It's 99.9 percent I'm not going to pitch no more'' this season, Hernandez said. ``I'm done, I think, so let's see what happens. ... I'll go to sleep and I'm going to make a decision tonight.''

His knee, drained on May 16, has been a nagging problem all year. The right-hander (12-4, 3.44 ERA) said it's not bothering him enough to affect his pitching and he wasn't told to have the knee worked on.

``It's not the doctors. It's me. I'm the doctor. I don't need it, but I'm going to'' have an operation, he said.

Pressed for an explanation, Hernandez said: ``I'm tired of something. ... I'll tell you when the season's over. I'm mad.''

Nationals manager Frank Robinson said he didn't want to say much without hearing directly from Hernandez.

``I have no idea who he's mad at,'' Robinson said.

Jake wrote:Horrible news:

I heard on NBC 4 that Livan chose to have season ending surgery after his loss tonight. It's time for John Patterson to step up and become our best starter.

Man, things are looking down for us right now. We REALLY need star pitching now.

Gibbs' Hog wrote:[-(

Sounds like the Nats got a "Kwame" on their team.

Redskins1974 wrote:

Gibbs' Hog wrote:[-(

Sounds like the Nats got a "Kwame" on their team.

Yeah but Kwame was never an MVP of the World Series. Hopefully he was just fuming after a loss and there's nothing much to it.

It sounded like this "anger" has been building up for some time. He's a Latin ball player, so perhaps the accent may have led to some rather loose interpretation of what he really meant to say. I hope.

Otherwise, it looks like the Nats might implode over the second half of the season.

Either way... baseball is back in DC!!

'I feel good today'
Livan clarifies comments about possible knee surgery
Posted: Thursday July 21, 2005 8:20PM; Updated: Thursday July 21, 2005 8:22PM


Livan Hernandez said he would have knee surgery after the season, not during the middle of a pennant race.


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Once he calmed down, Livan Hernandez wanted to make a few things clear Thursday: He won't have knee surgery until after the season, he will keep taking the mound every five days, even in pain, and he would never quit on his club.

A day after saying during a rambling postgame interview session that he was thinking about having an operation, the Washington Nationals' ace unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at reporters in the RFK Stadium home clubhouse before Thursday night's game against Houston.

The gist of his several-minute outburst Thursday was that his comments about being "99.9 percent" sure he might have season-ending surgery and "I'm done, I think" after Wednesday's 3-2 defeat against the NL-worst Colorado Rockies came in the heat of the moment and weren't reported accurately.

Minutes later, he sat on a stool in front of his corner locker to explain himself.

"You don't know how I feel last night. You don't know I got a bad leg. You don't know I don't sleep last night because my knee hurt. That was the problem," Hernandez said Thursday.

"I'm pitching with my knee more than 17 starts like that. I never quit. Somebody else maybe quit. But not me," he added. "I'm going to make every start now. I don't got no problem. I feel, last night, not good. ... My knee looked like it want to explode last night."

He said he plans to have surgery after the season, "because I want to feel right next year."

The All-Star right-hander, 12-4 with a 3.44 ERA, is the unquestioned No. 1 pitcher in the NL East leader's rotation, eating up innings and keeping the team in nearly every game he's on the mound. But he's been bothered most of the season by a balky right knee, which was drained May 16 after an MRI exam. Still, he hasn't missed a turn, and in one stretch won 11 straight decisions.

"I feel good today. Not 100 percent, but I feel much better, and I'm not going to miss a start," Hernandez said.

"Everybody in the clubhouse knows me very well," he said later. "And everybody knows that I go on the mound every five days with my knee. ... I'm not the kind of guy [who is] going to complain too much."

General manager Jim Bowden and manager Frank Robinson both chalked up Hernandez's comments Wednesday to a player being disappointed by a loss and, more generally, the club's recent poor play.

"I talked to him. He feels good today. The knee feels good. And I don't see any reason why he's not going to be out there every fifth day till the end, no matter what happens to the knee," Bowden said.

"When you're going through losing streaks like we're going through right now, and some tough times, we all get frustrated and it comes out different ways."

Speaking before Hernandez arrived at the ballpark, Robinson said he hadn't talked to his pitcher about it and didn't necessarily plan to.

"He was a little frustrated, a little upset. It probably all kind of came out," Robinson said.

"We're all human beings. We're not going to be perfect for 162 games out of a season. We all have to let off a little steam when we're frustrated. And we're all a little frustrated right now by the way we're playing."

On Wednesday against Colorado, Hernandez tied a modern major league record by hitting four batters, and he allowed a two-run homer in the sixth inning to let a lead slip away. It was the first time in 2005 that he's lost consecutive decisions.

"Hey, it's not the last game I'm going to lose. It's not the problem," he said. "The problem is that I don't feel good."

Bowden hopes the whole episode is done with.

"The guy's a gamer and a winner, period," Bowden said. "To me, that chapter is behind us. Let's shut it and go forward."

Redskins1974 wrote:Good news on Livan to follow up Jake's post:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2005/b ... index.html

'I feel good today'
Livan clarifies comments about possible knee surgery
Posted: Thursday July 21, 2005 8:20PM; Updated: Thursday July 21, 2005 8:22PM


Livan Hernandez said he would have knee surgery after the season, not during the middle of a pennant race.


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Once he calmed down, Livan Hernandez wanted to make a few things clear Thursday: He won't have knee surgery until after the season, he will keep taking the mound every five days, even in pain, and he would never quit on his club.

A day after saying during a rambling postgame interview session that he was thinking about having an operation, the Washington Nationals' ace unleashed a profanity-laced tirade at reporters in the RFK Stadium home clubhouse before Thursday night's game against Houston.

The gist of his several-minute outburst Thursday was that his comments about being "99.9 percent" sure he might have season-ending surgery and "I'm done, I think" after Wednesday's 3-2 defeat against the NL-worst Colorado Rockies came in the heat of the moment and weren't reported accurately.

Minutes later, he sat on a stool in front of his corner locker to explain himself.

"You don't know how I feel last night. You don't know I got a bad leg. You don't know I don't sleep last night because my knee hurt. That was the problem," Hernandez said Thursday.

"I'm pitching with my knee more than 17 starts like that. I never quit. Somebody else maybe quit. But not me," he added. "I'm going to make every start now. I don't got no problem. I feel, last night, not good. ... My knee looked like it want to explode last night."

He said he plans to have surgery after the season, "because I want to feel right next year."

The All-Star right-hander, 12-4 with a 3.44 ERA, is the unquestioned No. 1 pitcher in the NL East leader's rotation, eating up innings and keeping the team in nearly every game he's on the mound. But he's been bothered most of the season by a balky right knee, which was drained May 16 after an MRI exam. Still, he hasn't missed a turn, and in one stretch won 11 straight decisions.

"I feel good today. Not 100 percent, but I feel much better, and I'm not going to miss a start," Hernandez said.

"Everybody in the clubhouse knows me very well," he said later. "And everybody knows that I go on the mound every five days with my knee. ... I'm not the kind of guy [who is] going to complain too much."

General manager Jim Bowden and manager Frank Robinson both chalked up Hernandez's comments Wednesday to a player being disappointed by a loss and, more generally, the club's recent poor play.

"I talked to him. He feels good today. The knee feels good. And I don't see any reason why he's not going to be out there every fifth day till the end, no matter what happens to the knee," Bowden said.

"When you're going through losing streaks like we're going through right now, and some tough times, we all get frustrated and it comes out different ways."

Speaking before Hernandez arrived at the ballpark, Robinson said he hadn't talked to his pitcher about it and didn't necessarily plan to.

"He was a little frustrated, a little upset. It probably all kind of came out," Robinson said.

"We're all human beings. We're not going to be perfect for 162 games out of a season. We all have to let off a little steam when we're frustrated. And we're all a little frustrated right now by the way we're playing."

On Wednesday against Colorado, Hernandez tied a modern major league record by hitting four batters, and he allowed a two-run homer in the sixth inning to let a lead slip away. It was the first time in 2005 that he's lost consecutive decisions.

"Hey, it's not the last game I'm going to lose. It's not the problem," he said. "The problem is that I don't feel good."

Bowden hopes the whole episode is done with.

"The guy's a gamer and a winner, period," Bowden said. "To me, that chapter is behind us. Let's shut it and go forward."

Redskins Rule wrote:And just for the record I think we have a serious shot at the penant race too!

Jake wrote:

Redskins Rule wrote:And just for the record I think we have a serious shot at the penant race too!

Not if we keep playing like we have been for the past 3 weeks.

We are 4-11 in our last 15 games. They need to get their stuff together.

Redskins Rule wrote:

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:

REDEEMEDSKIN wrote:They need to come home for a stretch to regain their winning ways.

NOTE: Yes, I am aware that I'm quoting myself. Thank you very much.

I guess I was way off with my previous comment. Last night I had the privilege of attending the Nats-Rockies contest at RFK. I had the best seats I've ever had to any sporting event in my life, along the first base line (albeit behind the Rockies dugout), and I was ready to welcome our team back home to good ol' RFK.

Unfortunately, everyone else in the stadium missed the memo on how to "root, root, root" for the home team. When we were needed to rally from a 5-4 deficit in the bottom of the ninth, where was the home team advantage????!!! On its way home. SO many people left at the end of the 6th with the score 4-2, Rockies.

Maybe it was the sweltering heat, but it seemed that despite there being an announced 30K+ in "attendance" at the game, the stadium was lifeless. It reminded me of FedEx, after the Skins go 3-and-out for the first time in a game.

We waited 30 years for baseball to return. It had been a couple weeks since the Nats were back home, and they come back to find a fan base to lazy to care. That was pathetic.

I think... THINK... we're still leading the division, but we need to get out of our funk pronto, and the fans need to help the team out.

Oh yeah, to get an idea of how dissapointing the crowd at the game was last night, not ONCE did the bleacher seats bounce, as they did earlier this season. Sad. So sad.

Hey Redeemed......I was at that game too. I was in section 202. I didn't like that game as much as some other games that I've been too. I mean, our defense commited three errors that led to three runs. I didn't see any fans leaving the stadium after the 6th inning though. Even with our defense commiting some costly errors we all stayed until the end of the game. In fact, NOONE around me left after the 6th inning. Leaving that early is just stupid. We all know the Nationals score the majority of their runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings so why leave early?

And for the record the seats behind the 3rd base dugout did bounce. They always bounce them during the 7th inning stretch. Maybe you were just getting yourself a beer or a hot dog during that time and missed it. In the future I would recomend staying in your seat........I had some tourists sitting in front of me for that game. They didn't know baseball very well. They were asking me what PH meant what SB meant and little stuff like that. When they saw the seats bounce they asked me what it meant. I responded, "It means its time to get some more runs.........."

We lost, but I still had a good time at the game. I'm sorry you didn't. Like Redskins1974 said you should go again some other time this week you will have a much better time.

Cursed by the Casual Fan?
Superstitious Nats Devotees Pin Losses on Fair-Weather Element in the Stands

By David A. Fahrenthold
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, July 22, 2005; Page B01

When the bandwagoners first showed up -- yapping on their cell phones, getting up for snacks during crucial at-bats and leaving two innings early to beat the traffic-- the old-timers among Washington Nationals fans tried to accept them.

These new fans had only adopted the Nationals in June, when word spread that the team had won 10 games in a row and climbed to the top of its division.

True, many of the fans didn't know the center fielder's name. But the old guard -- the season ticket-holding, Internet message-board-posting fans who had kept up with every game since all the way back in April -- was willing to forgive. Winning will do that.

But now after 11 losses in the team's last 15 games, puncturing the good times that had been associated with major league baseball's return to Washington, the tolerance has melted like cotton candy in a rain delay.

Some among the old guard have started to wonder whether the newbies are giving the Nats bad karma.

For more on why the team is losing, click here.