The silver lining in a season full of injuries and tough losses
Another Baseball season has flown by! This was not just another season though for the Washington Nationals. It was a season unlike any other, full of injuries and tough losses.
But it was also a season of optimism for the future. I would wager almost every dollar that Ray Knight has, that the 2009 season will be a marked improvement over the present campaign.
If some of the key players like Ryan Zimmerman, Jesus Flores, Lasting's Milledge, Elijah Dukes and Christian Guzman can stay healthy and give the Nats 150 solid games, all should be well.
Toss in a solid starting pitching staff built around John Lannan and Colin Ballester along with another year of experience for a young bull pen that will only get better with time, and we all have hopes for the future.
When you take a look at the total picture, I believe every Nats fan feels the same as I do: we have a ballclub in the nation's capital and a ballclub that has a terrific manager in Manny Acta; a front office led by Team President Stan Kasten and Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden.
Under Stan and Jim's leadership and vision, things will turn around, as no one hates losing more than those two.
The Lerner family is committed to making their franchise not only a winning one at the box office, but also one that every area baseball fan can be proud of.
It will happen, and it may be sooner than we all think.
Thanks for the support you've shown to me and my partner Ray Knight, as well as for Bob Carpenter, Don Sutton and Debbie Taylor. Hosting Nats Xtra is an honor for both Ray and I, and we look forward to meeting and greeting you next season.
Before you know it, it will be time for Spring Training in Viera, where every ballclub starts from scratch.
And while I'm at it, a big tip of the hat to all the folks at MASN who Ray and I work with on our shows. Without their help and solid professionalism, we would not be able to do our jobs--they are simply the best.
Dear Johnny,
I had a great time watching you guys and enjoyed the season. Hope your off season is well. Now you will be busy with the Treps. Hope that goes well. I enjoyed the games on masn and feel bad for Manny and how hard he worked. He was very nice to me. I was crying yesterday. Good luck next season.
Rachel