Counting Down to Red Sox & Opening Day

The first hour of the Nationals game on MLB.com was unavailable due to audio technical difficulties, but the part of the game I was able to listen to was dominated by one terrible word: Bergmann. Though I couldn't see his pitches, it sounded like he was getting manhandled by the Marlins (A sound I am way too familiar with as a Nats fan...). It was a case when stats lie: he only gave up two runs, both of which were unearned. But, in relief of starter Garrett Mock, Bergmann gave up five hits in 1/3 of an inning. Mock took the brunt on his ERA, but it was Bergmann's shoddy work that really stood out for me. He couldn't even retire Chris Volstad, a career .123 hitter. It sounded ugly, and it made me glad I couldn't watch it on MLB.tv. Ah, only four more days until the Nats are back at Nats Park for the Red Sox exhibition and only six days until Opening Day. The bullpen may explode, but everything will be right with my world again...

Yesterday was a Quality TV Sports Day

Wow, what a Sunday for the Washington Sports Guy! With the wife working and the weather nasty, I knew that I was in for a long day of sports on the telly. 2 NCAA tournament games, Caps/Flames, and spring training action on MLB Network. Oh, and I also had to listen to the out of town radio broadcasts for the Nats and O's.

Well, the O's game was cancelled, so I could concentrate solely on the Nats, though I knew I'd have to stop listening when the Michigan St/Tennessee started. Not a problem, as the Nats raced to a 9-2 lead before the game started, so I turned on CBS with a clean conscience. And what a game it turned out to be! I walked over to my neighborhood watering hole (Lucky's, right in the heart of the Franconia/Kingstowne area) and watched both the tournament and the Caps game on super huge screens. Fortunately for us, the audio was tuned to the basketball game, as the Caps were horrid to start the game. The Flames were a step faster in every aspect of the first period, and that's what ultimately did the Caps in. Still, the Devils loss clinched 1st in the East. Yes! Anyway, gotta go...Talk to you later!

NL Felker Live Blog

About to get started...Get ready to be wowed!

1st draft pick was Roy Halladay, followed up by Aroldis Chapman and Edwin Jackson. No surprise, considering the players available.

Draft is moving along smoothly. No arguments...

Now, Eric Dyson's Reign of Terror!!!

1 - Christopher Withrow
Julio Teheran
Simon Castro
Arodys Vizcaino
Jiovanni Mier
Brett Jackson
Jaff Decker
Jordan Lyles
Drew Storen
Phillippe Aumont
Andrew Cashner
Thomas Neal
Jay Jackson
Christian Bethancourt
Edward Selcedo
Domingo Santana
Vincent Belnome

Wave Two!

Ramon Troncoso
Dan Meyer
Arthur Rhodes
Takashi Saito
Rafael Betancourt
Trever Miller
Matt Capps
Matt Lindstrom

Jordan Zimmermann
Tim Stauffer
Chris Narveson
Matt Maloney

Gregg Zaun
Chris Snyder

Jeff Clement

Luis Castillo
David Eckstein

Tony Gwynn
Lastings Milledge
Ruben Tejeda

Oliver Perez
Kyle McClellan
Billy Buckner
Antonio Bastardo
Wade LeBlanc
Fernando Nieve
Edgar Renteria

Goalkeeping...

I just learned that Semyon Varlamov will be in goal tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Also, Coach Boudreau wants a '60 minute effort' from the netminder. Yeah, like he's going to give less, Coach... I really hope Varlamov puts together a couple of fine efforts before the playoffs. Knowing that the Caps have the best offense in the NHL is not enough...To also know that we have two quality goaltenders in tow as well would cement my belief that Washington will win it's first Stanley Cup this year. As for tonight's game, Varly will be facing off against Manny Legace, who left a game last Saturday with a lower body injury. I'm predicting some offensive fireworks tonight! I only hope Varley can stop the shots that make it through to him. Talk to you later...

Washington Sports Guy Succumbs to Temptation

As most of you know, last night was a biggie in Washington sports. Anytime the Caps and Penguins face off, it's a big deal, but this game was particularly huge since the Caps had the chance to sweep the season series with the defending Stanley Cup champs. So, I was leaving work around 6:00 with the intention of watching the game in glorious HD. However, my Twitter obsession lead me to check my list one more time before I left. Lo and behold, BDK from the Junkies and Fox 5 had an extra pass for an advanced screening of Hot Tub Time Machine, which was screening at 7:30 at Mazza Gallerie. I debated for a minute, but my love of freebies and goofy movies overpowered my desire for pizza, beer, and pucks. I headed down to Mazza, met BDK (really cool guy, by the way) and saw the movie for free. As expected, Hot Tub Time Machine had lots of hilarious moments, but my favorite was the running arm joke with Crispin Glover (Trust me: you'll love it!). Immediately after the screening, I raced out of the theater and headed to Chadwick's to watch the remainder of the game. I got there just as the Penguins tied the score at 3. However, to watch the overtime period and the shootout winner by Knuble made me feel like a winner at fitting everything in. Great night last night! Talk to you all later...

By the way, for those looking for a low level shock, Jake Arrieta was sent to minor league camp this morning by the O's... Oh, and there's no broadcast for the Nats game tonight against the Tigers. Sucks!

Big Sports Day in D.C.

Wow, what a day for sports in the D.C. area! Right now, Maryland is up on Duke by 2 at halftime (after leading my double digits earlier in the half), but that's not the half of what's been going on. The Caps addressed their depth needs with a number of trades, including Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, and Eric Belanger (Oh, and an injured Milan Jurcina). The Orioles played their first spring training game of the season and it became the Josh Bell show, who homered from both sides of the plate. Finally, the Hokies beat the Wolfpack, hopefully improving their resume for a tournament berth. Oh, and the Wiz are losing to the Bucks right now, but...Look over here! Anyway, I'll be back with more after the Terps game...