Marlins change name in 2012 (sort of)

 Just a quickie. Next season the Florida Marlins will become the Miami Marlins. Technically the name changes on 11 November.

I wonder could this be their new logo?

It's Almost like 2005 all over again!

The Washington Nationals finished the 2011 MLB season in a pretty good state. Since moving to DC and becoming the Nationals the Ex-Montreal Expos have never had a winning season. In their inaugural season of 2005 the team was at an even .500 with 81 wins 81 losses. The franchise's last winning season was 2003 when they went 83-79 and were in 4th place in their division. The year before 2002 they had the same winning record 83-79 but landed second place. You have to go back to 1969 with the Washington Senators (the franchise that would become the Texas Rangers in 1972) to have a winning season in Washington Baseball they went 86-76 finishing in 4th place.

Since being in DC the team has usually finished in last place (5th in the NL East) well 2011 the Nats had their second best season of 80-81 just one game under .500. They had a rained out home game with the Los Angeles Dodgers so they could have been 81-81 the way they had been going this season, or they could have been 80-82 two games under .500. Oh and they finished 2011 in 3rd place just 3 games over the NY Mets and 8 over the Florida Marlins (who will be the Miami Marlins next season, actually their name will change this November 11). They were .500 in the division at 36-36 and had a winning Home record with 44-36

So 2012 should be a pretty good season for the Nats. Watch out National League East the Nats are beginning to be contenders and not pretenders.

Back To Classic Pinstripes.

I should have posted this a week or two ago, but didn't get around to writing it until now.

Anyway... Nick Johnson who at one time was the first baseman for my beloved Washington Nationals was traded to the Florida Marlins during the 2009 season. I first blogged about that on 31 July in my NO Nats NOT NICK! post.


Nick began his Major League Career with the New York Yankees in 2001. Around the time I wasn't really paying much attention to baseball let alone the "Damn Yankees".

Well then in 2003 at the end of the season he was traded to the Montreal Expos, it was around this time that I was beginning to get back into paying attention to baseball, a little before the talks about getting an MLB team back into DC started. Nick was with The Expos when they made the transition to become the Washington Nationals. Once the Expos/Nationals were established in DC I immediately followed them, since I had been a Senators fan from way back. Nick when he was healthy with the Nats was one of the best at finding a way to get on base. His On Base percentage is exceptional. I got used to seeing number 24 on first base for DC. That was until around the middle of this past 2009 season when the Nationals traded him to the Florida Marlins just before the deadline for mid-season trades. The Marlins switched his number to 20.

Well now Nick has traded in his "fishstripes" for the classic pinstripes of the Yankees. He signed a one-year contract 23 December, 2009 with the Yankees for a cool $5.5 Mil. Well he's back to his roots, I'm not too thrilled with the team he is on now, but I will still sort of keep track of his career (at least through baseball cards LOL). Well it looks like both numbers 20 and 24 are already taken on the Yankees Roster so I don't know what number he'll end up with.

What's Wrong With This Picture?

NICK JOHNSON

Nick started out his MLB career as a DAMN YANKEE, then was traded to the Montreal Expos and they became the Washington Nationals when the team moved to DC for the 2005 Season.

OK so what is wrong with the following picture?


Well old familiar #24 is now #20 and is back in pinstripes, excuse me now in fishstripes with the Florida Marlins. I was really annoyed when the trade happened, but I'm not too upset anymore. I've always sort of liked the Marlins except when they play the Nationals.

NO NATS! NOT NICK!

Yeah Nick's Grimace in this pic just about shows how much I liked today's Mid-Season Trade Deadline Trade.

The WASHINGTON NATIONALS announced a Mid-Season Dead-Line Trade with the Florida Marlins. The Nats just traded one of my all-time fave NATS, who was part of the Original 2005 Season Nationals who were the Montreal Expos, First Baseman Nick Johnson (The last Expo who was still with the Nats) for pitcher Aaron Thompson from Florida's Minor League System Oh and some cash considerations. The biggest sucky part of this is we won't see Thompson in DC for at least a year, maybe two since he's still Minor League.


I haven't been this annoyed at a trade the Nationals made since the Church & Schneider for Milledge trade with the Mets during the winter of '07 just before the 2008 Season. Chruch is now with the Atlanta Braves (after a recent trade a few weeks ago) and Milledge is with the Pittsburgh Pirates from another recent trade. I think Schneider is still with the Mets, thank goodness.


I wasn't even annoyed when the Nats traded away their closer Chad "The Chief" Cordero (another fave of mine), who was their last real closer they've had for sometime.

I know there had been rumors of trading away Nick for sometime, probably even when he was out due to that collision with Austin Kearns in 2006 vs. the Mets in New York that broke his leg.


The Nats are saying they would have gotten rid of Nick at the end of this season anyway. Say What?

OK so how long will the rest of my Fave Nats remain Nats? Ryan Zimmerman, Austin Kearns, Jesus Flores, Will Nieves, Josh Willingham, Jordan Zimmerman even Adam Dunn and the new kid Nijer Morgan. Well at least Nick looks pretty good in pinstripes. After all he did start as a Damn Yankee.

Baseball Returning

Ahhh Baseball is returning to the training camps in Florida. Spring is around the corner. The Washington Nationals will be opening up a new stadium this season. I may not see the opener but I am seeing an early April Game against the Florida Marlins via work for only $15 (via the corporate discount of someone from our company convincing someone in accounting to spring for a huge block of tickets.)

However since the trade back in November, one of my fave players:

Catcher: Brian Schneider

Will be in New York, Ugh, playing for the Mets and will look more like this:

So I guess it's time to say:

PLAY BALL!

Washington Nationals. 100 Losses? NO WAY!

63-77
Yes! My Nationals are in 4th place above the Florida Marlins and seem to be solidly there (Hopefully). Now there is NO WAY they will lose 100 (regular season) games this season, like the "quote" experts "unquote" were predicting. If they lose all of the remaining games 99 losses will be the worst they can do. Somehow I don't think they will lose 22 straight. They should get at least another 10 "Curly W's". They probably will still be under .500 but at least they aren't as bad as the doomsayers were saying (they would be) at the beginning of the season.