Welcome to my blog on MASNsports.com!
Welcome to Manny Acta's first blog on MASNsports.com:
Don't miss your chance to submit your questions for Manny using the comment box below; then check back each week for his answers to your questions and for news and thoughts on the Nats straight from the dugout. Also coming soon is Manny's first monthly video blog in both English and Spanish and only on MASNsports.com!
Hi Everyone,
Thanks to MASN and CAA, I'm going to be doing something that, to be honest with you... I've never done before.
This is going to be new to me, and I hope I can help a lot of you understand the game a little better and what we go through during spring training and the regular season.
We had our Opening Day (didn't go as expected), but we are very excited about 2009. For the first time in three years, we are going to have a line-up and the depth to battle offensively day in and day out. Dunn gives us a presence that was needed here and he will be able to take some pressure off Zimm's shoulders. He brings the track record and respectability of a legit clean-up hitter.
Our pitching, despite being young, has a chance to be good. Granted we still don't have the dominant #1 and #2, that most teams need to go all the way in October, but I'd rather have young guys (some already with MLB experience) than have older guys patching up our rotation. All of them have the desire to get better and stick together, and if we can get at least three of these guys to become consistent starters in the big leagues, then we'll be fine. You can always go get a #1 in the free agent market or find him in the draft... LOL! I know what some of you guys are already thinking... Let's wait until we're closer to June to talk about it.
Even though we didn't play good D on Opening Day, I'm expecting us to play well defensively; having Nick healthy and Hernandez at 2B will give us a solid right side. Zimm and Guzzy do a good job on the left side, so we won't be giving that many extra outs away.
Ok... for someone new to blogging, I think this is pretty long already... So send your questions and I will do my best to answer them!
Take care Amigos and thanks for your support,
-MA
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Categories (click for archive)MASNblogs | Manny Acta |
Hi Mannyger Acta! Welcome to the Natosphere :-)
Great to see you online, Manny. Yeah, so we got blown out in the opener, so what. You guys keep scoring 6 runs per game and we're going to win a few. You've seen the best that Florida has, now go get 'em tonight. Go Nats!
Hi Manny! Welcome to the Natosphere. Lots of critics out there after opening day, but know that you have lots of supporters. I am behind you and the boys all the way. Go Nats!
Go Nats!
Go Nats!
Hey, Skip. Keep this up. Hearing from you consistently throughout the season will make for smarter fans and observers, which hopefully means less headaches for you, in turn.
Jonathan
Hey Manny! Thanks for giving us a chance to see the team through your eyes. I hope that you can guide this team with all of your experience to their potential. I know that we can contend with the best. GO NATS!
Welcome, Manny!
Looking forward to an exciting season.
Hope to get a chance to see you at Potomac again this year. Maybe I'll get the nerve to say "hello".
You have a great bullpen coach up there this season!
Go Nats!
Hey Manny!
Thanks for starting this blog!
Hola Manny,
Como estas? It is great that you are doing this! Fans love staying in touch with people and really hearing feedback from the inside and the real thing. Even though your team has not started the best, I am sure it will pick up! I have faith in you all and you all work very hard! Bueno, quiero escribir algo a ud. Puedes mandarme un email donde te puedo escribir?
Gracias, cuidate!!!
-Pam
So Manny,
What's the plan to turn this abysmal start around? The powerhouse offense doesn't seems to be anything but and the starting pitching has been horrible.
When are you going to ditch the Buddhist Monk routine and start holding these guys responsible? They obviously don't fear any sort of repercussion for bad play and no team in the MLB seems to fear any of them.
Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas. Good luck turning this around.
Manny, it's great to see you online! You are a great asset to the team and the city. The local media still doesn't give you and the Nats enough attention, so it's great to know I'll be able to turn here for your insights.
Manny, why not try Dukes in center, instead of watching Milledge keep misplaying balls over his head? And, why not pinch-hit with Willingham instead of Bard?
Manny,
Very excited about the season. However, it was very disappointing to read about Lastings Milledge being late to the team meeting on Sunday.
Fining him was okay, but I feel benching him would have sent a more powerful message to him and the entire team. You can't take the spots off a leopard....the guys a knucklehead...perhaps you could get Elijah Duke's monitor to shadow Milledge also.
Hi Manny,
This is such a great resource, thanks for doing this. Hang tough on this first week or so, I find it quite funny the dramatic way people react at the start of a season when its such a small sample size, just magnified because of the calendar.
Anyway, I do have a question.
Can you help me understand the rationale of batting Zimm 3rd instead of 5th or even 6th?
I'd love to see Nick Johnson batting 3rd with his high OBP in front of Dunn. This would also give Zimm more of a chance to find a groove without the pressure of batting 3rd, ala David Wright's first couple of years with the Mets. Obviously you don't have Delgado and Beltran that make that decision easy.
Point being - it just seems that Zimm is in the 3-hole by default. I understand the 'protection' theory, but other than that, I see no legitimate rationale for Zimm batting there.
Keep up the hard work and go Nats!
Best,
Ryan
Welcome! I look forward to reading more! Go Nats.
Hello Manny, 2 down 160 more 2 play. Lets see D.Crbrera get this thing turned around for us today. Well you are giving a great way to get inside your head so I will ask you. Can you tell us why you went with Kearns in RF over Dukes?
@Scott, Kearns outperformed all other outfielders in spring training, and Dukes couldn't hit the ball. You can't say you're having an open competition and then put the worst performer above the top performer on your depth chart.
Thanks Skip, it's good to know that we'll be hearing things from the dugout as the season progresses.
Manny,
PORFAVOR tell Cabrera that I am proud of him getting out there to bat, which is something he is not used to. No one is perfect and especially not at new things.....do not get discouraged/embarassed/intimidated! He is trying his best and I think it is actually cute! If I could somehow..sometime....I would just give him un gran abrazo and tell him how admirable he is!
Manny,
Great to see Millage was not in center today. It is frustrating to watch him run in semi-circles while the ball goes over his head! Any hope Dukes (Harris?) can play center more regularly? The young pitching staff might appreciate it.
It was super fun to see The Amazing Willy Harris lead off last season. Any chance we could see that some more this season? Oh and you just got to let him play regularly against the Mets after what he did last season! Love the web gems!
Also please tell Kasten not to trade Nick Johnson! Nick is the best all round regular on the team as long as he can play. With the contract up this year, I think he will find a way to be healthy. Dunn's First base during the WBC was, to put it kindly, not very good.
Thanks for reading,
The biggest nats fan in Memphis
Brian Jones
"Go Nats"
Hey Manny,
In spite of the disappointing start to the season, I am looking forward to a competitive season from our team this season. I like our hitting already this year. And I know the pitching will be better. I was happy to see Daniel Cabrera pitching inside today and keeping the Marlins on their heels.
My question is regarding Lastings Milledge. Throughout spring training his position in CF was the one outfield position not up for grabs. Grissom says he just needs more "practice, practice, practice". Isn't that what the minors are for? How can you justify Milledge "practicing" in CF when you have an excellent center fielder in Elijah Dukes? It seems to me the team would be better served sending him to AAA to learn the position and perhaps to learn to bat lead off.
I am a big fan of yours actually but I'm mystified with the love affair with Milledge. And I even like Milledge; I'd like him better as a backup of in left or right.
Thanks. GO NATS!
Thanks for taking questions. I'm looking forward to reading the answers of many of the questions above. Here's mine:
Do you plan to have Dunn bunt toward 3rd occasionally to keep the opposing teams from shifting?
Hello Manny! Good to see you have a blog and I shall read it with much interest. Despite a disappointing start with the Marlins, this team configuration has me excited for a year that shows a lot of promise. You have such optimism and that must carry over to the players. We're young, we'll make mistakes, but we're getting there. I am a Washington fan from the Senators days (my late Dad used to take me to the games; good memories there!) and I am so glad we have a team that we can cheer for! You and the team have a lifetime fan here! As for questions, I have seen some home plate officiating that has left me speechless! Just in these first 3 games alone, the strike zone seems to change with the wind and from inning to inning. Any comments or opinions on that? Thanks and best of luck and good play this year.
There must be something wrong with this, or somebody would be doing it, but it seems like a good idea to me.
why not have the worst hitting pitchers bunt every time they get an at bat?
seems to me that the defense of a bunt play has a higher degree of difficulty, thus making the chance of offensive success higher. a strikeout, popup, routine ground ball does not seem to be as challenging as the split-second execution required for defensing a bunt. this also seems like a chance to have pitchers improve their bunting skills for use in real bunt situations.
thank you
Manny, your blog rules!
why not have the worst hitting pitchers bunt every time they get an at bat?
But bunts are most successful when they're not expected, true? That's why I loved that game last year, can't remember against who, when 3 out of 4 hitters in the middle of the order all bunted. IIRC, all 3 got on base. That's using bunts as a surprise!
Manny thanks for blogging. I like the June joke, haha! That should be an exciting day. I have a question...why is speed more important than good baserunning at the top of the lineup? I'd like to see Nick batting leadoff. Thanks again and take care amigo.
Hey Manny, looking froward to Monday! Any idea who is throwing out the first pitch?
Thanks for blogging, Skip! Looking forward to watching our Nats on tv and at the park this year.
Good luck Manny. Please play Dukes in center field. Trade
Milledge.