TUESDAY, JULY 27, 2010


KLMNO BASEBALL


S


D5 Rizzo tries to look into


the Nationals’ future Team staff works on plans for everything from next month to 2013


by Adam Kilgore On the wall inside his office, Washing-


ton Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo can see the future. Or at least sev- eral versions of what it might be. Hang- ing there is a dry-erase board etched with four baseball diamonds, a player’s name at each position. Each diamond is drawn under a different heading: 2013. 2012. 2011. One Month From Now. “You have to really have a long-term


JARED WICKERHAM/GETTY IMAGES Mike Leake, 22, has not spent a day in the minors and has been a boon to the Reds with a 7-2 mark and a 3.57 ERA.


Reds loading up in the arms race Trying to stay in the playoff picture, Cincinnati boasts a surplus of pitching


gery.


by Dave Sheinin in cincinnati


30. “Weeping,” it says, “may O


n a shelf above Dusty Baker’s desk at Great American Ballpark is a framed Bible verse, from Psalms last


through the night, but joy comes with the morning.” Asked about it one recent afternoon, before Baker’s Cincinnati Reds took the field, he smiled and said: “That’s what it’s like after tough losses. Dang, that’s appropriate.” Appropriate, indeed. The Reds have been leading the majors in tough losses lately. They limped into the all-star break with a sweep at the hands of the Philadelphia Phillies. All three losses were of the walk-off variety, two of them by 1-0 margins. Two more shutouts have followed since the break — pushing the Reds’ league-leading total this season to 12.


And while the Reds are a solid 6-5 since the break, they have watched helplessly as their division rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, have gone on their long-awaited hot streak, passing the Reds in the National League Central standings and threatening to put even more distance between them. But a more metaphorical reading of


Baker’s pet Bible verse might be in or- der. Perhaps “morning” doesn’t refer, literally, to the sun’s rising after a loss — but to the redemptive power of a re- inforced pitching staff, which the Reds are preparing to unveil. Cincinnati’s starting rotation is al- ready formidable. It includes perennial warhorse Bronson Arroyo (10-6, 4.21 ERA); rookie of the year candidate Mike Leake (7-2, 3.57); fellow rookie Travis Wood (a 2.76 ERA and a near-perfect game in five starts so far); the occa- sionally brilliant Johnny Cueto (10-2, 3.18); and former ace Edinson Volquez, who has made only two starts since re- turning from reconstructive elbow sur-


But look at what’s coming: Homer


Bailey, the Reds’ talented 24-year-old, is one or two more rehab starts away from returning from a bout of shoulder in- flammation. Veteran Aaron Harang (back spasms) is perhaps a month away from a return. And down in Class AAA Louisville, Aroldis Chapman, the al- ready-legendary 22-year-old Cuban left- hander, is throwing 102-mph fastballs out of the bullpen now, having been converted to a reliever in recent weeks. Where are the Reds going to put them all? Good question. “No clue. I mean, no clue,” Baker said when the question was put to him. “We’ve got quality there. So it’s like, hey, man, let it ride. Some kind of way, it seems to work itself out.” In preparing to test the limits of one of baseball’s most enduring clichés — “You can never have too much pitching” — the Reds are at least aware of the un- comfortable situation that could ensue. But even those pitchers who don’t have guaranteed spots claim they aren’t wor- ried about it. “In the past, we’ve always been


scrambling to see who can fill in spots and get us by to give us a chance to win,” Harang said. “This is definitely some- thing good. It puts [the front office and coaching staff] in a hard spot to try to figure out what to do. There’s going to be a lot of mind-crunching going on.” The 32-year-old Harang, the Reds’ opening day starter this year, is likely to get at least a cursory chance to reclaim a rotation spot once he returns — less because of his recent track record (an 18-38 record and 4.63 ERA since 2008) than because he is earning $12.5 million this year. Bailey, on the other hand, may wind up in the Reds’ bullpen — some- thing he says he is fine with. “The biggest thing that has made this team successful so far is there are no in- dividuals,” Bailey said. “It’s a different attitude around here now.”


Wood, 23, would seem to be the top candidate to be bumped when Harang returns, given his limited experience. Still, the Reds may be hesitant to turn away from a pitcher who, on July 10, in just his third big league start, carried a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Phillies. And then there is Leake. After becom- ing the first pitcher in 21 years to make the big leagues without spending a day in the minors, the 22-year-old right- hander has been a remarkably steady presence in the Reds’ rotation all sea- son, only twice failing to pitch at least six innings in a game and at one point delivering eight straight “quality” starts (at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs). “He seems so comfortable — but not in an arrogant, you-can-kiss-my-butt kind of way,” said Reds all-star first baseman Joey Votto. “More like, ‘I’m just enjoying myself — good game, bad game, whatever.’ He doesn’t get down, doesn’t get too high. He’s the same guy every time. That says a lot for a 22-year- old.” However, the Reds don’t want to


push Leake much beyond 170 innings this season, and he’s already at 121, which means the Reds could skip one or more of his starts in the coming weeks — right around the time Harang elbows his way back into the rotation picture. The Reds have long since stopped


having to answer questions about whether they are legitimate contenders. The only question now is whether they can hold off the Cardinals — or, barring that, seize the NL wild card. Either way, it would represent the franchise’s first postseason appearance in 15 years. Thanks to one of the deepest pitching


staffs in the league — plus, the NL’s highest-scoring offense and a soft schedule down the stretch — come Oc- tober it finally might be morning in Cin- cinnati.


sheinind@washpost.com


plan,” Rizzo said. “You have to map out where you’re going to be. I’ve got lineups and holes that I need to fill. That’s kind of how I prepare.” Those lineups could be shaped this week more than any other in Rizzo’s 18- month tenure running the Nationals. At his first trade deadline as full-fledged GM, operating with a gaggle of new scouts and front office members, Rizzo will have a chance to alter the immediate and long-term future of the franchise. Already, Rizzo has reshaped the Na- tionals’ international department, over- hauled the roster, drafted and signed Stephen Strasburg and assembled a new front-office team. With another poten- tially momentous week ahead, Rizzo has solidified his standing. “Mike has definitely met or exceeded


my expectations,” team president Stan Kasten said. “He is a dyed-in-the-wool, old-time scout who has worked very hard to step into the 21st century. I think he’s a pretty good mix of old school and new school. He’s been growing every day in capabilities, but everyone does as they get experience.”


Rizzo feels the same now as he did last


year at the end of July. “I took, pretty much, ownership of it last year,” Rizzo said. “I never really thought about it.” Last year’s only major move came about a month before the deadline, when Rizzo acquired Nyjer Morgan and Sean Bur- nett from the Pittsburgh Pirates. The most important decision Rizzo


makes this time, of course, will be what to do with Adam Dunn. He has become one of the most sought-after prizes of the trade deadline, and Rizzo’s stated preference remains signing Dunn to a contract extension. There are clear signs, though, that Rizzo wants to know what he could fetch for Dunn in a trade. Over the all-star break, one Nationals employee said, representatives for Dunn approached Rizzo with a request. Dunn’s side wanted to strike a contract exten- sion, and soon, and they wanted a dead- line set to hasten talks. Rizzo responded without ambivalence. The negotiation would be on the team’s terms. No dead- lines. If Dunn’s side tried to set one, Riz- zo told Dunn’s agent, then the Nationals would trade him.


And so Rizzo is readying to decide on Dunn and several other potential deals. This week, the scouting staff Rizzo as- sembled this offseason will convene in Washington and prepare for the trade deadline. Each professional scout is re- sponsible for six or seven teams, includ-


SCOREBOARD GOLF PGA


FedExCup Leaders Through Sunday


Rank Name Pts


1. Ernie Els............................................................. 1,751 2. Steve Stricker .................................................. 1,575 3. Justin Rose........................................................ 1,542 4. Phil Mickelson.................................................. 1,541 5. Jim Furyk........................................................... 1,479 6. Tim Clark........................................................... 1,370 7. Matt Kuchar...................................................... 1,243 8. Ben Crane.......................................................... 1,222 9. Anthony Kim..................................................... 1,215 10. Dustin Johnson .............................................. 1,193 11. Robert Allenby............................................... 1,169 12. Jeff Overton.................................................... 1,136 13. Bubba Watson ............................................... 1,124 14. Camilo Villegas.............................................. 1,121 15. Rickie Fowler.................................................. 1,100 16. Carl Pettersson.............................................. 1,081 17. Luke Donald.................................................... 1,067 18. Bo Van Pelt ..................................................... 1,061 19. J.B. Holmes ..................................................... 1,028 20. Zach Johnson .....................................................976 21. Hunter Mahan....................................................950 22. Bill Haas ..............................................................949 23. Ricky Barnes.......................................................946 24. Jason Bohn..........................................................922 25. Retief Goosen.....................................................883 26. Paul Casey..........................................................882 27. Nick Watney.......................................................878 28. K.J. Choi...............................................................872 29. Jason Day............................................................865 30. Rory McIlroy.......................................................850


LPGA


Money Leaders Through Sunday


Rank Name Money


1. Jiyai Shin..................................................$1,167,941 2. Suzann Pettersen..................................$1,045,392 3. Ai Miyazato.............................................$1,024,840 4. Na Yeon Choi ..........................................$1,018,322 5. Cristie Kerr..................................................$978,133 6. Song-Hee Kim.............................................$847,027 7. Yani Tseng...................................................$712,878 8. Paula Creamer ...........................................$655,901 9. Inbee Park...................................................$543,342 10. Sun Young Yoo.........................................$520,154 11. Morgan Pressel........................................$500,198 12. In-Kyung Kim............................................$493,660 13. Angela Stanford.......................................$464,274 14. Amy Yang..................................................$414,242 15. Karrie Webb..............................................$390,866


TENNIS ATP Farmers Classic


At Los Angeles Tennis Stadium at UCLA Purse: $700,000; Surface: Hard-Outdoor Singles; First Round


Rainer Schuettler, Germany, def. Horacio Ze- ballos (7), Argentina, 6-3, 3-0, retired; Ernests Gul- bis (5), Latvia, def. Lukas Lacko, Slovakia, 7-5, 7-5.


1. Rafael Nadal ........................................... $5,506,278 2. Roger Federer......................................... $2,887,135 3. Robin Soderling ..................................... $1,920,028 4. Tomas Berdych...................................... $1,709,841 5. Andy Murray........................................... $1,696,422 6. Novak Djokovic ...................................... $1,507,962 7. Andy Roddick ......................................... $1,422,033 8. Fernando Verdasco............................... $1,333,544 9. David Ferrer............................................ $1,247,432 10. Jurgen Melzer....................................... $1,242,520 11. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.............................. $1,018,920 12. Ivan Ljubicic.......................................... $923,099 13. Sam Querrey......................................... $915,742 14. Nicolas Almagro .................................. $902,936 15. Marin Cilic............................................. $894,523 16. Mikhail Youzhny.................................. $892,475 17. John Isner.............................................. $764,698 18. Nenad Zimonjic.................................... $669,031 19. Daniel Nestor........................................ $652,076 20. Albert Montanes.................................. $629,039 21. Juan Carlos Ferrero............................. $588,299 22. Philipp Petzschner.............................. $583,694 23. Nikolay Davydenko............................. $556,816 24. Bob Bryan.............................................. $540,484 24. Mike Bryan............................................ $540,484 26. Thomaz Bellucci .................................. $528,926 27. Ernests Gulbis ...................................... $509,279 28. Stanislas Wawrinka............................ $507,646 29. Juan Monaco ........................................ $502,006 30. Michael Llodra ..................................... $496,441


ATP Money Leaders Through Sunday


WTA Bank of the West Classic


At The Taube Family Tennis Center In Stanford, California


Purse: $700,000; Surface: Hard-Outdoor Singles; First Round


Agnieszka Radwanska (3), Poland, def. Cha- nelle Scheepers, South Africa, 7-5, 4-6, 6-3; Olga Govortsova, Belarus, def. Alla Kudryavtseva, Rus- sia, 6-1, 6-1.


LOCAL GOLF


Herndon Centennial — Chris Voloshin won the low gross and Mark Toia won the low net in the HGC Club Championhip event. Mount Vernon — In the championship flight, Drew Smith defeated Eric Stone 8 and 7 in the 36-hole fi- nal of the Men’s Club Championship event. In the first flight, John Appel defeated Bill Johnson 1 up. In the second flight, Jay Sluyter defeated Damon Hinshaw 3 and 2. In the third flight Ed Prokop de- feated Lou Haley 19 holes. In the fourth flight, John Kelly defeated Bill Casano 19 holes.


1. Serena Williams..................................... $4,266,011 2. Venus Williams ...................................... $2,223,556 3. Francesca Schiavone............................ $1,830,946 4. Jelena Jankovic...................................... $1,590,908 5. Sam Stosur.............................................. $1,504,745 6. Justine Henin.......................................... $1,401,960 7. Vera Zvonareva ..................................... $1,248,558 8. Aravane Rezai ........................................ $1,160,086 9. Kim Clijsters ........................................... $1,032,348 10. Caroline Wozniacki.................................$957,977 11. Li Na............................................................$828,478 12. Nadia Petrova ..........................................$814,037 13. Flavia Pennetta........................................$788,161 14. Elena Dementieva ...................................$758,358 15. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez...............$731,188 16. Shahar Peer..............................................$676,824 17. Zheng Jie ...................................................$672,451 18. Agnieszka Radwanska...........................$656,987 19. Yaroslava Shvedova...............................$613,293 20. Victoria Azarenka....................................$612,714


WTA Money Leaders Through July 25


NFL PRESEASON


Sunday, Aug. 8: Cincinnati vs. Dallas in Canton, 8 Thursday, Aug. 12


Carolina at Baltimore, 8 (ESPN) New Orleans at New England, 7:30 Oakland at Dallas, 9 Friday, Aug. 13


Buffalo at Washington, 7:30 Jacksonville at Philadelphia, 7:30 Kansas City at Atlanta, 8 Saturday, Aug. 14


Tampa Bay at Miami, 7 Detroit at Pittsburgh, 7:30 Cleveland at Green Bay, 8 Houston at Arizona, 8 Minnesota at St. Louis, 8 Chicago at San Diego, 9 Tennessee at Seattle, 10 Sunday, Aug. 15


San Francisco at Indianapolis, 1 Denver at Cincinnati, 7 Monday, Aug. 16


New York Giants at New York Jets, 8 (ESPN) Thursday, Aug. 19


Indianapolis vs. Buffalo in Toronto, 7:30 New England at Atlanta, 8 (FOX) Friday, Aug. 20


Philadelphia at Cincinnati, 8 (FOX) Saturday, Aug. 21


Baltimore at Washington, 7 Pittsburgh at New York Giants, 7 Kansas City at Tampa Bay, 7:30 Miami at Jacksonville, 7:30 St. Louis at Cleveland, 7:30 Houston at New Orleans, 8 New York Jets at Carolina, 8 Oakland at Chicago, 8:30 Dallas at San Diego, 9 Detroit at Denver, 9 Green Bay at Seattle, 10 Sunday, Aug. 22


Minnesota at San Francisco, 8 (NBC) Monday, Aug. 23


Arizona at Tennessee, 8 (ESPN) Thursday, Aug. 26


St. Louis at New England, 7:30 Indianapolis at Green Bay, 8 (ESPN) Friday, Aug. 27


Washington at New York Jets, 7 Atlanta at Miami, 7


Philadelphia at Kansas City, 8 San Diego at New Orleans, 8 (CBS) Saturday, Aug. 28


New York Giants at Baltimore, 7:30 Cleveland at Detroit, 5:30 Cincinnati at Buffalo, 6:30 Jacksonville at Tampa Bay, 7:30 Seattle at Minnesota, 8 Tennessee at Carolina, 8 Dallas at Houston, 8 (CBS) Arizona at Chicago, 8:30 San Francisco at Oakland, 9 Sunday, Aug. 29


Pittsburgh at Denver, 8 (FOX) Thursday, Sept. 2


Washington at Arizona, 10 Baltimore at St. Louis, 8 Buffalo at Detroit, 7 Cincinnati at Indianapolis, 7 New England at New York Giants, 7 Atlanta at Jacksonville, 7:30 Carolina at Pittsburgh, 7:30 New York Jets at Philadelphia, 7:30 Chicago at Cleveland, 8 Denver at Minnesota, 8 Green Bay at Kansas City, 8 Miami at Dallas, 8


New Orleans at Tennessee, 8 Tampa Bay at Houston, 8 San Diego at San Francisco, 10 Seattle at Oakland, 10


Team Team SOCCER MLS Eastern Conference W L T Pts GF GA


Columbus ................... 10 3 4 34 25 13 New York .................... 8 6 2 26 18 19 Toronto FC .................. 6 5 5 23 19 18 Chicago ....................... 4 5 5 17 18 19 Kansas City ................ 4 8 4 16 13 20 Philadelphia ............... 4 8 2 14 18 26 New England .............. 4 9 2 14 15 26 D.C. United .................. 3 11 3 12 12 28


Western Conference Team W L T Pts GF GA


Los Angeles ................ 12 2 4 40 29 10 Real Salt Lake ............ 9 4 4 31 29 14 Dallas ........................... 6 2 8 26 20 14 San Jose ...................... 6 4 5 23 20 18 Colorado ..................... 6 5 5 23 18 16 Seattle ......................... 6 8 4 22 20 25 Houston ....................... 5 8 4 19 21 25 Chivas USA ................. 4 9 3 15 18 22


Sunday’s result


Seattle FC 2, Colorado 1 Wednesday’s game


Manchester United at MLS All-Stars, 8:30 Saturday’s games


D.C. United at Real Salt Lake, 9 New England at Philadelphia, 3:30 Dallas at Colorado, 4


Toronto FC at Kansas City, 8:30 New York at Houston, 8:30 Seattle FC at San Jose, 10 Columbus at Chivas USA, 10:30


AUTO RACING NASCAR


Sprint Cup Leaders Through Sunday Points


1. Kevin Harvick ................................................. 2,920. 2. Jeff Gordon ......................................................2,736. 3. Denny Hamlin.................................................. 2,660. 4. Jimmie Johnson .............................................. 2,659. 5. Kurt Busch ........................................................2,658. 6. Kyle Busch .......................................................2,630. 7. Jeff Burton .......................................................2,615. 8. Matt Kenseth ...................................................2,573. 9. Tony Stewart................................................... 2,544. 10. Carl Edwards .................................................2,496. 11. Greg Biffle...................................................... 2,462. 12. Clint Bowyer...................................................2,446. 13. Mark Martin ..................................................2,384. 14. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ........................................2,353. 15. Ryan Newman............................................... 2,299. 16. Jamie McMurray ..........................................2,295. 17. Kasey Kahne ..................................................2,290. 18. David Reutimann ..........................................2,269. 19. Joey Logano ...................................................2,241. 20. Martin Truex Jr. ............................................2,145.


Money


PRO BASKETBALL WNBA


Eastern Conference W L Pct GB


Indiana ................................. 15 7 .682 — Atlanta ................................. 15 9 .625 1 Washington ......................... 13 8 .619 1A Connecticut ........................ 12 10 .545 3 Chicago ................................ 12 12 .500 4 New York ............................. 11 11 .500 4


Western Conference Team W L Pct GB


ySeattle ................................ 20 2 .909 — Phoenix ................................ 10 12 .455 10 San Antonio ......................... 8 14 .364 12 Minnesota ........................... 7 14 .333 12A Los Angeles ......................... 7 16 .304 13A Tulsa ..................................... 4 19 .174 16A


y-clinched playoff spot Sunday’s results


Atlanta 82, New York 75 Seattle 75, Tulsa 59


Monday


No games scheduled Tuesday’s games


Washington at Connecticut, 7:30 Atlanta at Tulsa, 1:30 Chicago at Indiana, 7 San Antonio at New York, 7:30 Los Angeles at Minnesota, 8 Phoenix at Seattle, 9:30


1. Jamie McMurray .................................. $4,687,502. 2. Kurt Busch.............................................. $4,628,322. 3. Jimmie Johnson .....................................$4,408,193. 4. Kevin Harvick ........................................$4,306,470. 5. Kyle Busch...............................................$3,792,817. 6. Jeff Gordon..............................................$3,595,042. 7. Denny Hamlin ........................................$3,498,233. 8. Matt Kenseth .........................................$3,307,517. 9. Kasey Kahne ..........................................$3,299,607. 10. Tony Stewart .......................................$3,208,357. 11. Jeff Burton.............................................. 3,176,307. 12. David Reutimann................................ $3,162,218. 13. Dale Earnhardt Jr. ...............................$3,155,253. 14. Carl Edwards........................................$3,138,541. 15. Greg Biffle ............................................$3,058,162. 16. Joey Logano .........................................$3,007,293. 17. Ryan Newman .....................................$2,982,052. 18. Juan Pablo Montoya ..........................$2,978,237. 19. Clint Bowyer........................................ $2,778,329. 20. A J Allmendinger .................................$2,764,493.


Nationwide Leaders Through Saturday Points


1. Brad Keselowski ......................................... 3,189. 2. Carl Edwards ............................................... 2,984. 3. Justin Allgaier ............................................. 2,691. 4. Kyle Busch .................................................... 2,681. 5. Paul Menard................................................. 2,505. 6. Kevin Harvick............................................... 2,434. 7. Steve Wallace .............................................. 2,338. 8. Brendan Gaughan ...................................... 2,277. 9. Trevor Bayne................................................ 2,205.


10. Jason Leffler ................................................ 2,161. 11. Reed Sorenson ............................................ 2,112. 12. Joey Logano ................................................. 2,108. 13. Brian Scott ................................................... 2,103. 14. Michael Annett ............................................ 2,079. 15. Tony Raines ................................................. 2,041. 16. Mike Bliss...................................................... 1,825. 17. Mike Wallace ............................................... 1,816. 18. Kenny Wallace............................................. 1,804. 19. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. .................................... 1,678. 20. Eric McClure................................................. 1,644. 21. Joe Nemechek.............................................. 1,634. 22. Michael McDowell ..................................... 1,582. 23. Colin Braun................................................... 1,536. 24. Jason Keller .................................................. 1,501. 25. Greg Biffle..................................................... 1,368. 26. Scott Lagasse Jr. ......................................... 1,328. 27. Josh Wise...................................................... 1,310. 28. Shelby Howard............................................ 1,191.


TRANSACTIONS Major League Baseball


Minnesota Twins —Recalled C Jose Morales from Rochester (IL).


Pittsburgh Pirates —Promoted LHP Corey Ham- man from Altoona (EL) to Indianapolis (IL).


NBA


Chicago Bulls —Signed F/C Kurt Thomas. New Jersey Nets —Named Bobby Marks assistant general manager.


NBA Development League


Rio Grande Valley Vipers —Promoted vice presi- dent of operations Bert Garcia to president, vice president of corporate sales Nora Cano to exec- utive vice president, director of business devel- opment Shu Muthyala to vice president of ticket sales, director of group sales Nicole Zagata to di- rector of premium seating, director of community relations Liana Cisneros to group sales manager and intern Analee Flores to sponsorship fulfill- ment liaison.


WNBA


Minnesota Lynx —Acquired G Alexis Hornbuckle from Tulsa for G Rashanda McCants.


NFL


Chicago Bears —Signed QB Mike Teel to a two- year contract. Cleveland Browns —Signed RB Montario Hard- esty to a multiyear contract. San Francisco 49ers—Released WR Jared Perry.


Canadian Football League


Hamilton Tiger-Cats —Announced the retirement of S Sandy Beveridge.


NHL


Nashville Predators —Signed D Ryan Parent to a two-year contract. Tampa Bay Lightning —Named Tod Leiweke chief executive officer. Vancouver Canucks —Signed F Mason Raymond to a two-year contract.


MLS


Chicago Fire —Traded M Justin Mapp to Philadel- phia for allocation money. New England Revolution —Waived M Michael Vi- deira.


Colleges


Alabama —Named Kevin Dunn assistant volley- ball coach. Bowling Green —Named Jermaine Truax director of compliance and certification. College Of Charleston —Named Mike Barroqueiro women’s interim soccer coach. Connecticut College —Named Chris O’Brien men’s and women’s tennis coach and men’s and women’s assistant squash coach. James Madison —Extended the contracts of wom- en’s lacrosse coach Shelley Klaes-Bawcombe through 2015 and women’s soccer coach Dave Lombardo, cross country coach Dave Rinker and director of track and field and cross country Bill Walton through 2014. Northwestern State —Named Darren Back wom- en’s assistant soccer coach. Susquehanna —Announced the resignation of di- rector of athletic communications Robert Healy III. Named Katie Meier director of athletics com- munications. Syracuse —Named Justin Moore women’s rowing coach.


Mark Maske’s NFL News Feed at washingtonpost.com


NATIONALS ON DECK


VS. BRAVES Tuesday, 7:05 (MASN) Wednesday, 7:05 (MASN) Thursday, 12:35 (MASN)


VS. PHILLIES Friday, 7:05 (MASN) Saturday, 7:05 (MASN) Sunday, 1:35 (MASN, WDCW Channel 50)


AT DIAMONDBACKS Monday, 9:40 (MASN) Aug. 3, 9:40 (MASN2) Aug. 4, 9:40 (MASN2) Aug. 5, 9:40 (MASN2)


RADIO: WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)


ing all of the minor league affiliates. The scouts will break down the teams, major and minor league, that they’ve seen. A few scouts have mentioned in passing they are not sure what Rizzo will do or is thinking; this week, Rizzo said, he will inform them of his plans so they can hone their focus. Every Nationals scout and new front-


office employee, in order to make edu- cated evaluations, has spent time this year learning their own minor league system. As one scout explained this spring, “It’s that old line where the GM asks you, ‘Is he better than what we’ve got?’ And you’re thinking, ‘I don’t know what we’ve got.’ ”


Still young in his tenure, Rizzo has es- tablished himself in baseball circles. His decades as a scout and scouting director made him a well-known and well-re- garded fixture inside the game. His time as general manager — when “you’re kind of the CEO of the franchise,” Rizzo said — hasn’t changed that. Rizzo, by most accounts, has improved relations be- tween the Nationals and the rest of the league since the resignation of Jim Bow- den.


“I think people like him,” said agent


Matt Sosnick, who represents Nationals Josh Willingham and Scott Olsen. “And regardless of where people’s loyalties are, it’s much easier and much more sat- isfying to work with someone you be- lieve is a good, honest guy. “He gets fired up about stuff. He’s an intense guy, but intense in a different way than Jim is intense. At the end of the day, he has control over his emotions. He’s bright. It seems like there’s a rhyme and reason to what he’s doing. That kind of predictably makes it a lot easier doing business with the team.” Said Kasten: “In the world of baseball and how it operates and the people who are successful in it, I think Mike has a high respectability. That’s really helped us as a franchise in terms of reputation, credibility, finally having a measure of respect that maybe we hadn’t had be- fore. He has been able to put together something that has really changed the perception inside baseball.” In the coming days, he could make a more localized change. Rizzo has the power to make the walls of his office could look very, very different by this time next week.


kilgorea@washpost.com


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60