Fouled-Off Bunts: What's The Frequency Kasten? Edition

The Nats signed for another year with Washington Post Radio. The deal includes a post-game call-in show. Hooboy. I can't wait to hear the drooling fanboys talk about how we're losing because Jamey Carroll isn't around, and how beautiful Don Blasingame looked when he pivoted on a DP. Stan, if you're reading this (and Lord knows why a high-powered executive would waste his time reading the drooling rants of a fat guy in front of a keyboard), please don't let Phil Wood near the mic. He might have the institutional knowledge of Washington Baseball, but yeaargh! If the radio show is nothing but manchild callers trying to restore their youthful glory by yammering about how wonderful it was to lose 95 games a year in a stadium that wasn't nearly as full as they seem to recall, I'm going to... I dunno. Something. Maybe I won't listen. So there!

A bunch of crap happened with the whole garages for the fat cat VIPs that you and I'll never see. JDLand, as always, has the scoop and pertinent links. The new and interesting wrinkle:

Jack Evans mentioned that aboveground garages are now being planned for the 300 south side parking spaces, which Clark Construction says can be done for $1.6 million. If this is true, that they're now dispensing with the idea of a grand southern-side plaza (where hardly anyone will be arriving from anyway) then they should have just put 10-story garages right there and had all the parking on the south side. I imagine this is still not a finished discussion

Stanton back for a third time? Ugh. At least Acta's smart enough to not have the bastard intentionally walk every other batter he sees. (The sign/trade Stanton thing would work a whole lot better if we could package up the chaff we're trading for and trade it for something useful)

Ibid Manny must've read my memo. Mitchell Page is back. You did see what I had to say about Guzman, right?

Frank might not know how to manage his way out of a paper bag, but he does know talent. And he does speak highly of Acta.

Somewhat related, but in a discussion about how accurate readers of Baseball Prospectus were with picking the standings, one of the most fervent, hard-headed statheads, MGL has a few comments about Frank. This guy, whose motto is "if it can't be counted, it doesn't exist", thinks that the team was better than it played last year: "I did not consider the impact of who I consider the worst manager in baseball. Maybe he cost them 3-4 wins." If Frank's puzzling moves are leading a numero-crat to gag on bile, maybe there's something there.

SorianoWatch06: Phillies and the Orioles!? Cubs still in it. (Watch for the typical Angelos playbook. He waits til the contract is all but signed before loudly announcing an offer significantly below the rumors floating out there. Then a week or two later he loudly bitches about the Yankees, even though the Yankees weren't the player who signed the guy he 'wanted'.)

There's no gambling in baseball unless you're a former part-time birddog scout with the Nats/Mets. This'll kill his hall chances.

Want a house near the stadium? Better buy a lottery ticket.

Hot Blogger Action!
--K-Fed laments a major oversight in the recent MLB Awards voting. More important (and serious!), is this excellent look at Manny Acta and how, while he might be the right man for the job now, we shouldn't expect him to be hoisting too many pennants in the future.

--NFA notes some more minor minor-league signings.

--OMG seems worried about the Nats complete disinterest in Free Agency. Have you heard their name connected with anyone? (even the Royals are talking moves! -- and they even signed minor league free agents!)

--Nats 320 covered the Acta press conference and gives a full rundown.

--The Beltway Boys continues its quest to free the world from the tyranny of Austin Kearns. (I'll have to respectfully -- you didn't think I could do that, did you? -- disagree with him on that one.) And he sings the praises of Acta.