Fouled-Off Bunts: Coming Soon To A TV Near You Edition

NBC4 reports that the MASN Mess is nearing a settlement. They're having a big souiree on Friday, and Peter Angelos apparently has agreed to put some money into escrow to resolve the issue. Angelos has to be feeling nervous. Not only is having to dole out $20 million bucks to the Nats, he's facing the prospect of not having an outlet for his team next season when the Orioles move from Comcast SportsNet.

Jim Williams had a recent column in the Examiner talking about a quid pro quo with MLB that would result in Comcast getting some National baseball coverage as part of a settlement. Federal Baseball discusses it, and takes a few hacks at some of the more *ahem* logically challenged portions of it.

Robert Fick will be heading to Triple-A in the last stages of his rehab assignment. He comes off the DL next Wednesday. Who leaves town? A pitcher? LeCroy? Ward? Frank has recently praised LeCroy's pitch-calling, so that might be an indication that he's going to stick around.

Pitching, pitching, pitching! The Nationals scraped the bottom of the barrel, signing Nelson Figueroa from the Long Island Ducks.

I can't remember if I mentioned this and I'm too lazy to scroll down, but Cristian Guzman's surgery went fine. The next time we see him, his contract will be half over.

Ken Rosenthal sez that the Nats are likely to be sellers.

Judging from the stated goals of incoming team president Stan Kasten — build from the ground up, achieve long-term success — the Nationals likely will use every method available to replenish their depleted farm system.

The team holds four of the top 70 picks in the June amateur draft, including Nos. 15 and No. 20. It could add perhaps another half-dozen players through trades — and Soriano, 30, is their most marketable talent.

The preferred option for the Nats might be to sign Soriano long-term, ensuring that he remains part of their core of 30-and-under players

OMG has the must-read o' the day, an interesting look at whether there is something to Ryan Church being a girly pansy who can't play in pain like manly men like Jose Guillen. He reads between the lines and plays "What-if?" The comments are excellent, too.

The Farm Authority suffered through a terrible double-header at Potomac, watching two of our top pitching prospects do their best Livan Hernandez impersonation.

Federal Baseball links to a database of minor league split stats compiled by one of the other blogs on his multi-national consortium.

Brian Schneider will be signing autographs at the DC ESPNZone on 5/26. Chuck Slowes will be there too, so if you see him, please yell at him, and tell him to give us the freakin' score update more than once an inning.

Here's a website that makes my heart go pitter-pat!