Fouled-Off Bunts: Testify Brother Angelos Edition

Peter C. Montgomery Angelos will have his charioteers (winged monkeys perhaps?) haul his corpulent carcass up from the sewers of Baltimore this Friday to testify before Tom Davis' Gov't Reform Committee as to why he should control the Nationals television rights and.... ah, who am I kidding? He's not going to talk about that. He's just going to use it as a soapbox for ripping Comcast.

Sez the pig-faced one: "Certainly, we want the Nationals games on. They've been offered to Comcast repeatedly," he said. "The only holdup is the recalcitrance of Comcast to do so. Cox [Communications] has done it. DirecTV has done it." Translation: I want the cash!

The Sun's article does create your interesting journalism quandary o' the day though. Can someone explain this sentence to me? "Some Washington fans have blamed Angelos and Major League Baseball for collaborating on setting up a regional sports network that - at least so far - has been unable to persuade cable giant Comcast to include the network."

"Some Washington fans..."? Wouldn't EVERYONE contend that seeing as how that's actually what happened? Those are facts, right? Or am I, like Tom Boswell, deluded by my homerism? Maybe the reporter's from Dundalk.

If you're sick in the head, you'll be able to watch the hearing here.

The Washington Times weighs in and says something or other about it. The only thing that's clear is that they hate everything except mass weddings.

The Nats want instant replay. Tavares is for it, and Bowden had pushed it repeatedly previously. Lost in all this debate, is that, even if there was instant replay, the Nationals most likely would not have had this call reversed because NO ONE SAW THE PLAY. Had someone argued the call at the time, maybe they'd have a legit beef. But for now it seems like pointless whining, and I really hope it's not the beginning of excuse-making season -- otherwise it's going to be a REALLY long season.

Focus on the real problems, like the ones the Times lays out.

NFA has a report from the Potomac Nationals' media day. Their pitching looks good, and they seem really excited about the majors/minors double-header at RFK this season.

Distinguished Senators takes issue with the Jim Bowden interview and MLB.com Beat Writer Mailbag.

He says that Bowden seems resigned to failure, and that the team is kicking Ryan Church's cold body while it's already floating in the gutter.

Spilt Milk Watch:
Brad Wilkerson, 3-4; homer; stolen base; (1 strikeout, which means he sucks, right?)
Juan Rivera, 2-4; homer; 3 RBI

Ooooh! Better (?) food!

At the home opener Tuesday, fans will find Red Hot & Blue barbecue as the local flavor (now that Olde Heurich Brewing Co., the maker of Foggy Bottom beer, has gone out of business). Also new: paninis, signature hot dogs from other major league ballparks, Boardwalk Fries and Papa John's pizza. And the Diamond Club restaurant will offer items "themed to match" visiting teams, such as Philadelphia cheese steaks when the Phillies come to town. First: corned beef for the New York Mets.

But here's the windup and the pitch: How about those long food lines of last year? David Freireich of Aramark, the venue's vendor, says lines should move faster with the addition of two kitchens (with grills) on the upper levels and more concession stands.