Radio Daze

42,346.8-time Emmy Winner Jim Williams reports that the Nats are close to signing a multi-year deal to stay on 1500 AM. Under the deal, the Nats would buy airtime, but retain the right to sell advertising. It's similar to the arrangement they've had the last few years. Hopefully next time, their ad sales dept will do a better job selling commercials so we don't have to listen to those same three stupid Nats ads over and over and over and over again.

One interesting note from the column... he points out that the Nats will receive around $50 million from TV broadcasts (local and national) alone. Keep that in mind when they're putting a $70 million payroll out there next year.

Meister Williams also laments the loss of Bob Carpenter:

In the ironic category, Dave Maffei of the San Diego-based daily North County Times recently ranked the best local broadcasting teams in baseball. Coming in second behind Los Angeles Dodgers legend Vin Scully? The Nats' team of Bob Carpenter and Don Sutton, whom he called “outstanding.” Shame they won't be together in 2008, as it was announced Carpenter will not be back.

One catch. Here's that article by the esteemed Dr. Melfi. Although the Nationals are listed second, there's no indication that they're ranked second on the list, as Williams contends. While Dr. Melfi does use the superlatives Williams describes, read through the entire list. In Melfi's world, all TV announcers are from Lake Wobegon, and nobody's below average. So take that for what it's worth (not much).

He also drops a bomb, intimating that Chip Caray is being connected with the Nats job.

Ordinarily, this would have me worried, but since it's Jim Williams reporting it, I fully expect that the next time I hear from Chip, it'll be through the speaker at the drive-in window.