Fouled-Off Bunts: No Progress Edition

Well, the Reinsdorf/Council meeting is over. Nothing doing.

Frank Robinson is likely to return next season. Sans his crony coaches.

If McCraw and Rodriguez don't come back, I'd hope he'd be a better manager. Perhaps the change in environment and his comfort zone will push him to become better.

From the same article, Hector Carrasco is reportedly close to signing with a west-coast team. When I looked at the roster construction yesterday, it's pretty clear that Carrasco isn't THAT essential to next year -- even if his contribution is important.

If someone's offering him a two or three year deal for more than a million a season, let him walk, take the first-round draft pick, then sign another arm.

In mediocre pitcher news, the Rockies have expressed interest in Tony Armas. I pity their fans! Of course, he'd have a few familiar faces. Former Nats Zach Day and Sunny Kim already make their homes in Colorado.

Bill Ladson has a nice profile of Brendan Harris, who has a good chance of being a solid bat off the bench next season.

I liked this part best:

Harris was promoted to the big leagues on May 22, but didn't stay long -- just eight days -- even though he went 3-for-9 and hit one of two pinch-hit homers the Nationals had during the season. To this day, Harris is baffled by the demotion, because Jose Vidro was still on disabled list and the Nationals needed a second baseman to replace him.

"I was taken off guard because Vidro wasn't close to coming back," Harris said. "He didn't come back until the All-Star break. I felt pretty good about the games I played in. I started to get comfortable.

"To throw more salt on the wound, they traded for Junior Spivey a week or two later. I could have been as productive. But at the time, they were in the race and, I guess, they wanted to go with a more veteran guy."

Harris went back to Triple-A New Orleans and didn't receive another callup. After returning to New Orleans, some in the organization felt his attitude wasn't the best. According to one source, he often threw his helmet when he didn't succeed at the plate

I like how he's aware and confident of where he should be, and what his role should be. (Even if the team didn't know it at the time.)

And I love the *shocking* revelation that he threw his helmet! No wonder he didn't get the callup. That kind of behavior is inexcusable! /sarcasm (just to be clear!)

If the team's focusing on something like that, then they're looking at the WRONG things. (Meanwhile a nearly homicidial right fielder who's unable to throw or hit because of his torn labrum hobbles around the outfield, and a wife-beating first baseman is given a few games to sink the lineup.) At least they didn't throw their helmets. Wait, actually, Guillen did a few times. Hmmm...

Working off that story, our friends at OMG! have a few thoughts about Brendan and how important his emergence this fall has been.

A poster at Baseball Primer claims that Nats Assistant GM Tony Siegle is being considered as Ned Colletti's replacement in SF. Good for him. But bad for us if he leaves, and if Bodes goes, too. GM Boone? OY!