Fouled-Off Bunts: Hitman Edition

The WaPo sends in the hitman. Les Carpenter emerges from his column on Cristian Guzman with blood on his hands.

He doesn't rip him like a NY or Boston paper would, but he does ask some of the questions that we've all wondered, and even points out how his lack of offense has resulted in some brutal defense lately.

MLB is setting a $450 target sale price for the team. MLB would then be free to choose from among whichever groups hit the target price.

Of note, it claims that MLB will probably force Stan Kasten on whichever group wins the team. MLB also targets owner selection for sometime in the next month, with ratification in October.

The Expos first manager, Gene Mauch, died yesterday. Mauch was the ultimate small-ball manager, but he did it at a time when run scoring was down, and the strategy actually made sense.

He's third in manager wins with the franchise. Mike's Baseball Rants has an interesting look at his career.

On a related note, it's a shame that the team isn't honoring, or at least preserving, the Montreal connection. Mike Stanton is wearing the number retired for Tim Raines, which was retired just last season.

Nasty Nats tries to decode the mixed messages that Jim Bowden is sending and how it may have sent the offense (and the team) into its current funk.

Nats Blog has two interesting posts. One is their look at the stadium design article from yesterday. The other amplifies a Distinguished Senators post and points out some of the problems with Charlie and Dave.

Nationals Farm Authority thinks he's figured out who Bowden's Mystery Man is. He's not quite as impressed as Bodes thinks he should be.