In my latest for MASNSports.com, I take a look at the Washington Nationals upcoming schedule, where after they complete the ongoing series with the New York Mets, they host the World Series champion San Francisco Giants before setting out on a 10-day, nine-game road trip against Philly, Florida and Atlanta.

It would be a brutal test regardless, but made even more daunting by the fact the team is still without their best player, Ryan Zimmerman, who just yesterday started light baseball activities.  He'll need a rehab stint once he's comfortable taking batting practice, so he's still at least a week to ten days away.

The Nats really need their best players to start playing well, and that includes free agent signees Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche.  Both were supposed to be "impact players", but neither are hitting higher than .240 right now.  Add the shocking number of outfield errors by Werth (he committed his third last night), and it's been a recipe for disaster.

Please click through at the link above and read the rest of the story.

My story today on MASNSports.com follows up on the quotes from Mike Rizzo Monday night, when he went on 106.7 The Fan and answered questions about the Washington Nationals roster construction this season, specifically about the bench players he acquired.

Rick Ankiel, Jerry Hairston, Laynce Nix, Matt Stairs and Alex Cora are all veterans that Rizzo said, "know their roles and have exceed at the role of being a bench player." 

But production should still count for something, and if you take the trouble to look at the stats you can decide for yourself if the players Rizzo chose are an upgrade over what they had last year, or let go, or traded this spring.  Every spring training battle this year the winner was older and someone signed this off-season.  I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing, but it's a thing.

Rizzo also points to these players as mentors "to teach these good young prospect players how to be major leaguers."  The Nats have only four position players on the roster 26 or younger: Ryan Zimmerman (26), Ian Desmond (25), Danny Espinosa (24 in two weeks) and Wilson Ramos (23).  Does this team need an individual mentor for each of them?

Rizzo also said that none of thoes players will "take one at-bat away from a prospect," which is true I guess if the team no longer considers Roger Bernadina a prospect, despite just entering the prime productive years of his career.  Bryce Harper, Chris Marrero, Derek Norris and others still need a full season (or more) in the minors, so they aren't losing at bats.

P.S.  Please also read FJB's post this morning on the very same topic.  It's good to see he's finding the time to add his particular opinion and voice back into the discussion.

My second post for MASNSports.com is up this morning, and in it I discuss the right arm of the franchise, Stephen Strasburg, and his new challenge of recovery and rehabilitation from the dreaded "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery.

Strasburg's full recovery won't be for another year, but if he can follow the map that fellow TJ survivor Jordan Zimmermann laid out last summer, we could see the phenom pitch for the Nationals in September.  Even one or two starts, after a summer of rehab in the low minors, would be a bonus, and add a glimmer of hope for 2012.

Please check out the full post at MASNSports.com.

As reported by The Washington Post's Adam Kilgore and Nats Insider Mark Zuckerman, according to a team spokeman Rob Dibble will no longer broadcast Washington Nationals games. The spokeman said the decision was "permanent."

Dibble has made news twice in the last month.

First, he made inappropriate comments about two women sitting in the President's Club talking during the game. Dibble suggested they were talking about shopping, rather than the game, and that their husbands shouldn't bring them to the game next time

"Those ladies right behind there, they haven’t stopped talking the whole game. They have some conversation going on. Right here [circling offenders with telestrator]. There must be a sale tomorrow going on here or something….Their husbands are going 'Man, don’t bring your wife next time.'”

Dibble issued an apology via his blog on MASN several days later, then on a broadcast the following day.

More recently, on his XM show, Dibble called into question Stephen Strasburg's fortitude after the pitcher was removed from the game with an elbow injury, only later to reveal the future of the franchise needed to have ligament replacement surgery. 

"So for me, a little bit has to be put back on Strasburg here. Ok, you throw a pitch, it bothers your arm, and you immediately call out the manager and the trainer? Suck it up, kid. This is your profession. You chose to be a baseball player. You can't have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder, sore elbow."

According to a MASN spokeman, Dibble requested "a few days off" after the incident, citing the demands of a seven-month season workload.  He has not returned to the broadcast booth since.

The source said there was no permanent replacement as of yet, and studio co-host Ray Knight would continue as the color analyst at least through the end of the current road trip with play-by-play man Bob Carpenter.

 

Dibble is a polarizing figure, with his "know it all, meathead ex-jock" schtick.  The Nats and MASN knew exactly what they were getting when they hired the former "Nasty Boy" of the late 1980's and early 1990's Cincinnati Reds.  But in the end, his mouth finally wrote a check his butt couldn't cash. 

 

He made irresponsible comments about the Golden Goose, and for that the organization could do nothing but terminate the relationship.  The only thing now is to wait for his XM show in the morning, for he's sure to leave a trail of fire now that word of his dismissal is public and there are no more ramifications to his employment.

Embattled MASN announcer Rob Dibble will be missing from the broadcast team for a couple of days, according to MASN spokesman Todd Webster.

"At his request, Rob Dibble is taking a few days off, to which he - or any MASN employee - is entitled, during the course of a seven-month season."

Dibble has been in the news twice in the past two weeks, first for making comments on a MASN broadcast regarding two women chatting during a game in the President's Club seats behind homeplate, then on his Sirius/XM radio show this past Monday, when he suggested that Stephen Strasburg needed to toughen up and pitch through the discomfort in his pitching elbow that he experienced in Saturday night's game in Philadelphia.

"So for me, a little bit has to be put back on Strasburg here. Ok, you throw a pitch, it bothers your arm, and you immediately call out the manager and the trainer? Suck it up, kid. This is your profession. You chose to be a baseball player. You can't have the cavalry come in and save your butt every time you feel a little stiff shoulder, sore elbow."

Dibble made his comments before the results of Strasburg's first MRI, which revealed enough that the team ordered a second test, an MRI with a dye injection.  That test will be performed tomorrow by team doctors.

No definitive news from MASN when Dibble will resume his duties.

Just got the following press release from MASN, advertising Stephen Strasburg's next minor league start.

MASN to Televise Strasburg's Next Triple-A Start

Prospect takes on Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on May 29th

(Washington D.C.) -- MASN will televise Stephen Strasburg's next expected start at Triple-A Syracuse, the network announced today. The Nationals prospect will take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on Saturday, May 29th. MASN will air the game on tape delay following Nats Xtra at approximately 12:00 a.m.

It will re-air on Sunday evening at 7:30 p.m. MASN has televised each of his four previous starts for Syracuse.

The highly touted prospect is 3-0 for Syracuse with a 0.39 ERA and 27 strike outs in just over 23 innings of work.

So I guess there will be another Triple-A start.

The Nationals need a starter for Saturday's game, the spot vacated by Scott Olsen going on the 15-day DL with shoulder soreness.  If the Nats wanted to give the start to Strasburg, it would have been on his day to pitch.

Apparently though, the team's broadcast partner is fairly certain that Strasburg will remain in Syracuse to make his scheduled start for the Chiefs.

So much for specualtion.  Sorry San Diego, you don't get to host St. Stephen's first major league start.

As it stands, if the team gives Strasburg an extra day of rest, he could pitch the opening game of a six-game homestand on Friday, June 4 against Cincinnati, and throw again versus Pittsburgh on a Wednesday or Thursday night.

Nice time of year for a couple sell-outs.

"I can't fault the defense for any of those balls hit tonight." --Rob Dibble, June 16, 2009.

THE RESULT: Anderson Hernandez hit a three-run home run against C.C. Sabathia to give the Washington Nationals a 3-2 lead, but two misplayed balls in the seventh inning by center fielder Elijah Dukes led to a two-run rally by, and eventual loss to, the New York Yankees, 5-3, before more than 44,000 at New Yankee Stadium.

Following a Johnny Damon single, Mark Teixeira lofted a fly by to the wall in center field. Dukes got back in plenty of time to make the catch, but took an awkward jump and missed the ball, as Damon scored and Teixeira cruised into second base.

Ron Villone (L, 3-4, 1.83) struck out Alex Rodriguez for the first out. But Dukes then misjudged a line drive off the bat of Robinson Cano that eluded his glove by mere inches, instead going for a tie-breaking double.

Both plays, despite the MASN broadcast crew trying to explain away otherwise, were perfectly make-able plays for a quality center fielder.

Ryan Zimmerman made several nice plays in the field. But the one he did not, a throwing error in the third on a Damon ground ball, cost Nats starter Shairon Martis an unearned run. Damon scored when a line drive from Cano ate up Nick Johnson at first, another misplay that did not go as an error but could have.

Martis went six innings, pitching out of trouble seemingly at every turn. He gave up two runs--one earned--on four hits and five walks. He struck out only one batter, but managed to escape damage and left the game with a lead.

THE TAKEAWAY: It's no wonder that people have an unrealistic impression of this team. There's been a lot of debate recently about the broadcasters covering the Nationals team about how "honest" they are and "calling it like it is", and maybe I caught them on a bad night.

But I tried to ignore the "we's" and "us's" and actually listened to what they had to say tonight, and it was mostly covering up a poor defensive performance. Both Rob Dibble and Ray Knight made excuses for Dukes' misplays, Dibble going so far as to call the Yankee Stadium lighting "the brightest lights at night [he's] ever seen."

Please. I guess if the broadcasters are railing against middle relievers not getting outs or whining about umpires making bad calls, they are "honest". But what I heard tonight were excuses.

THE GOOD: Anderson Hernandez. 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, his first of the season and second of his career. If A-Hern is hitting a homer at New Yankee Stadium, you know it plays short.

THE BAD: Mike MacDougal. Called on to keep the game at a one-run deficit in the eighth inning, and Mariano Rivera looming large in the bullpen, he did not do his job. Two walks and a hit in a third of an inning lead to an insurance run and knife in the back.

THE UGLY: The defense. The Nats had only one scored error tonight, but like most of the season, it hardly tells the story. Three of the Yankees runs were a direct result of poor fielding.

A bad team can mitigate the damage playing good defense, but this team shoots itself in the foot on a nightly basis, and no amount of fielding practice can make a bad defensive player better. By the time you reach the majors, you're either a good fielder or a bad one.

If you have one or two poor fielders on your team, you can hide them for the most part. But this team is full of bad--and out of position--fielders.

Watching the game, the difference in defensive play was startling.

NEXT GAME: Tomorrow against these same Yankees at 7:05 pm. John Lannan (3-5, 3.51) versus Chien-Ming Wang (0-4, 14.34) No, that ERA is NOT a typo.

MASN announced today that between their coverage of the Nats and Orioles this season, they'll have a game on in HD every day of the season. That can only be considered good news to the HD viewing public. In addition, they are partnering with DC 50 to simulcast Sunaday afternoon games over-the-air, while still broadcasting the games on cable, something previous over-the-air partners were not able to accomodate.

The Nationals play 105 games on MASN HD, 95 games on MASN and 67 games on MASN2, with the big MASN HD launch on April 1.

MASN spokesperson Todd Webster also stressed the new pre- and post-game shows from the stadium and expanded coverage of the team on MASNSports.com.

Here are highights from the press release today:

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - MASN, the local leader in live sports entertainment and the television home of the Nationals and Orioles, announced its 2009 baseball schedule which includes 210 high-definition game broadcasts.

With expanded high def coverage, the network will televise at least one game in HD every day throughout the season. Each team will have more than 100 games on MASN's new dedicated HD channel, MASN HD, which launches on April 1st.

The Nationals will have 95 live games on MASN and an additional 67 on MASN2. Washington DC-area viewers will also be able to watch 20 selected Sunday afternoon games on MASN's new over-the-air partner, DC50. The new multiyear partnership with DC50 allows WDCW to simulcast 20 Sunday afternoon Nationals games over-the-air.

Nats Xtra, MASN's exclusive pre and post game show, will also air on DC50 immediately before and after each game. Pre and post-game shows, Nats Xtra and O's Xtra, will be be hosted on location from the ballpark for every home game of both clubs.

In addition, MASN will introduce other production enhancements for the 2009 season, including new cameras that will bring fans closer to the action. The network will utilize an X-Mo camera, a new high-speed HD camera, that shoots more than 300 frames per second for crystal clear replays of the biggest moments on the field.

"The best local source for coverage of the national pastime, MASN will again bring every available game of both the Nationals and Orioles into millions of households throughout our seven-state region," said MASN spokesman Todd Webster. "MASN's production enhancements, high speed camera, and in-game features will bring a whole new look to the broadcasts in 2009 as MASN offers HD every day. With the best talent team in baseball, special in-game features, and a 210 game HD package, MASN provides unmatched access to the Nationals and Orioles."

MASN-Nats Spring Training games:

Friday, March 6, 1:00 p.m. - Nationals @ Orioles

Wednesday, March 18, 7:00 p.m. - Marlins @ Nationals

Wednesday, March 25, 7:00 p.m. - Braves @ Nationals

Saturday, April 4, 6:00 p.m. - Orioles @ Nationals (HD)

MASN just announced that they have hired Rob Dibble to replace Don Sutton on the tv broadcasts.

Here are the highlights from the release:

MASN has named Rob Dibble as the new color commentator for the Washington Nationals. He will join play-by-play man Bob Carpenter in the booth beginning with the 2009 season under a multi-year contract with MASN.

A 2-time All Star and MVP of the 1990 NLCS with the Cincinnati Reds, Dibble was part of the "Nasty Boys" bullpen which helped Cincinnati win the 1990 World Series. His broadcasting career includes stints at ESPN, Fox, and FoxSports.com.

"I'm excited to join MASN in covering one of the great new franchises in baseball, and I'm honored to be part of the MASN and Nationals' families. I will try to bring my experience as a pitcher, a ballplayer, and a broadcaster to the booth and bring fans a deeper understanding of what's happening on the field," said Dibble. "I've never been shy about sharing my opinion, so fans will know where I'm coming from."

Glad I have seasons tickets so I'll miss half the games on tv. Nowhere in the press release did they mention Dib's Emmy-winning stint on "The Best Damn Sports Show, Period."

Anyone else surprised it was a former Red that they hired? Didn't think so.

I was going to go through the trouble of doing this, but Nationals Journal beat me to it. They have a recap of the recent MASN press release announcing the Nats' schedule on TV. Basically, it's easier to watch the Nats this season (physically anyway, emotionally may be another story).

It's good news for the 9,000 or so that actually watch the Nats on tv. Just click on the link above for the highlights of the package.

RESULT: Nats lose to Giants 3-2, swept four game series.

GOOD: Dmitri Young. Meathook returns! 2-for-4 in his return from "viral illness". Anything to spark this moribund offense. Guz had another two hits and the bullpen threw 4.2 shutout innings.

BAD: Bob Carpenter. When Wily Mo Pena turned and out into a routine fly ball from Jose Molina into an RBI double, chasing Tyler Clippard in his Nats debut, not once did Bob call the play for what it was. Don Sutton volunteered that it looked like a play could have been made on the ball. But neither had a single critical word for Pena.

UGLY: Wily Mo Pena. No other left fielder in the league would have let that ball fall. Period. It was a lazy fly ball and Pena just couldn't get to it. Not only is he costing this team with his bat, he's costing them runs in the field. Why does he still play? Call up Bernadina. It's embarrassing.

NEXT GAME: Tuesday at Pittsburgh. Tim Redding (6-3, 4.15) versus Paul Maholm (4-5, 4.48).