The Nationals Report

Finally we're back. Spring Training just started getting really old and tedious so we said we'd had enough and we decided we weren't going to post until real baseball was being played. That, sirs and ma'ams, is tonight

I know live-blogging a game is about the most absurd thing ever but I'm going to do it anyways as this is a very important night for the Nats. (This is going to be the most thorough live blog of a game you'll ever see in your life) My compatriot Jon somehow swindled his way into the stadium tonight so no doubt you will have images tomorrow.

7:50 - SBF from Nats320 is on the big screen...jealous...maybe a little

7:54 - Baseball Tonight is still on so I'm watching pieces of a glacier fall into the sea in Alaska on Discovery HD Theater

7:56 - Roll credits on the ice...#@$% I just realized I have no beer, I guess wine it is...I'm a loser

7:59 - SE Austalian Shiraz it is...it doesn't even have a date...WOOOOO PLAY BALL!

8:01 - This pre-game schtick sucks. How about talking about the Nationals. They are playing tonight after all. Nope, its still all about the Yankees, Mets, and Red Sox...and Dmitri

8:03 - John Miller is looking older every single year, and he just admitted it!

8:04 - With all due respect to Joe Morgan, Chipper Jones is no Manny nor Ortiz...Texiera is the real deal though

8:06 - Yet another story about how horrible of a person Lastings Milledge was last year. I'd expect nothing less from the worldwide leader in sports

8:10 - I'm not a fan of operatic interpretations of the national anthem. There just seems to be a lack of emotion behind it. Which is ironic because that's the whole point of opera. I dunno, just doesn't get my blood pumping.

8:11 - How boss would it be to be sitting behind Colin Powell

8:13 - HAHA THE PRESIDENT IS GETTING THE BUSINESS FROM THE CROWD!!! AND ITS A BALL AND THE NATIONALS ARE SCREWED FOR ANOTHER YEAR!

8:15 - Girl scout cookies are amazing

8:16 - Way to take the field as a team...

8:20 - What the hell is "breaking stuff" to me that means he should throw at batters and go postal in the dugout...I don't think that's what ESPN meant...

8:22 - Odalis Perez needs to tuck the tag of his shirt in, its very unprofessional...and he K's Kelly Johnson nice start

8:23 - From now on I will only post at the end of each half of the inning, unless something hilarious happens

8:29 - Yunel Escobar hangs tough and draws a walk. Joe Morgan is incensed at Odalis but that was just a good at bat by Yunel. He fouled off some tough pitches. Chipper is out on the first pitch...wow, there's no space down that right line. Perez is trying to blow it by Texieria and the ball is riding up. Oooooh that 4th pitch looked good. Perez sits him down. Texiera can go suck on one because that was a strike sir. Next up...GUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZ

8:31 - Sorry Baseball Tonight...that wasn't funny. Although taking Ravi's "In the mouth" out of context, it could be hilarious

8:32 - GUUUUUUUUUUZ! 'Nuff said

8:33 - Wow the Braves are hapless...

8:42 - Joe Morgan telling it like it is. I think Milledge is awesome for slapping hands with fans! Ouch! that was a good pitch, and Milledge is caught. Zimmerman picks his spots and goes down swinging. Tim Hudson is good. I'm looking for a patented Nick Johnson double...and I get it! HA NJ is nasty. Jon chimes in via txt that Johnson's slide was ugly. I don't care as long as he doesn't injure himself

8:43 - Kearns laces a single through the right side of the infield and Johnson scores from second. Good to see NJ holding nothing back

8:45 - Nick Johnson looks old and Jon Miller doesn't know where he is

8:47 - Blow-Duca is battling...Lastings is piling the seeds into his mouth and LoDuca chops to third. Game on!

8:50 - Zimm's first throw of the season was high...ugh

8:52 - Power Kearns guns another one down. Man should have to register that arm...Belliard gobbles up the grounder and the inning is over

8:56 - Dukes pops out...Belliard grounds out...Odalis Perez has an awful swing, you can tell he's from the AL...and he strikes out

9:03 - Dubya is in the booth and he's straight cheesin'. Look at his posture, he's lounge-nasty. And Perez picks off Johnson. Nice move

9:09 - Guz pops out (the Nats need some stronger bats)...Zimm grounds out to end the inning (he might have made it if he hadn't stumbled)

9:10 - Evidently the leader of the free world doesn't really have that much to do on Sunday night so he's just going to spend some more time in the booth.

9:14 - Chipper lines one out...this is going to be a hitters park no doubt...

9:20 - Texiera grounds out...the wine is kicking in and I'm missing whole AB's. I need to settle down. Zimmerman has a sitter...someone pops out and the inning is over

9:25 - Teddy didn't win because he didn't want to.

9:27 - Hudson makes a nice jumping grab...Blo Duca grounds out and the side is retired. Still up 2-1 I'm happy

9:29 - Joe...his name is Dmitri, not Delmon

9:30 - John, John, John, you obviously haven't seen Guz play the glove...it wasn't the field

9:36 - Kotsay flies out to Dukes...Johnson ends yet another inning and Dukes is up next

9:41 - Dukes grounds weekly to third (lame! Tim Hudson has really settled in)..Belliard and Mackowiak ground out and the inning is over. I'm really surprised Acta is bringing out the hook so early on Perez. The only problem he had in the 5th inning was a Guzman error. I really don't get this. I know our bullpen is good but they're going to be overworked this season as they were last year. Only use em when you need em.

9:45 - Harris in for Dukes. John Miller thinks Dukes got injured but again, ESPN didn't cover a single damn Nats game last year so he doesn't know that Manny substitutes more than any other manager in the league. He's already playing for the 2-1 win. Which means Chief is going to make us all have a heart attack again...especially in this park

9:47 - Jon suspected pitch count for for Perez...70 pitches...I don't think so. But River retires the side quickly, perhaps thats why I don't manage a big league team

9:49 - Round-up pump-n-go, sounds like an Elliot Spitzer story...BA-ZING!!!!

9:53 - Guz grounds out...Milledge grounds out...and Hudson is being Hudson...Gammons reports that Dukes experienced hamstring tightness and that it was a precautionary move. I like that they're bring cautious...Zimm grounds out and its not looking good for the offense. I will re-iterate that Tim Hudson is pitching. Remember when the A's let him go because Billy Beane is cheap, that was a bad idea..

9:?? - McCann flies out to Kearns (btw Kearns looks hungry this year, I'm tipping him to have a breakout year)...another flyout and the inning is over.

10:08 - I missed an entire inning...grrr

10:11 - Ray King is fat

10:11 - Seriously this is setting up for a typical Nats/Cordero cardiac finish. I'm not looking forward to this

10:14 - I love the MLB media machine. They're blowing so much smoke up the Lerner's butts they're going to need nicotine patches to come back from reality

10:15 - Ray King basically comes in and does his job and he's being lifted. Good job. I'm pouring my final glass in anticipation for the Cordero train wreck this is sure to come.

10:20 - Weird play down the third base line for Zimm...Escobar is retired...and Cordero will face Jones and Texiera...oh no

10:26 - Uh oh, there's a Mike Hampton sighting, that can't be good news for anyone...some Nat grounded out (I remember now! it was Willie Harris!) and the Braves are changing pitchers

10:30 - FOUR EYES!!!!! (As he get as out...) Flop off the bench to pinch hit...and he K's looking...that was rediculous... how can he possibly be pissed that he's not in the starting lineup...the man is horrendous at the plate. He looked like he was pouting up there! I'm done with him. Too bad he'll be worth nothing in a trade.

10:32 - Here comes squeaky bum time as my favorite English soccer manager (Sir Alex Ferguson) would call it. I'm glad Rauch has come in to get this done...and he grabs the liner...that man is a pimp and should be able to make love to any woman he wants. (except my girlfriend)

10:34 - And Texiera tattoos a ball off the wall. I think everyone thought it was out...on further review it was a pretty good pitch, turns out Texiera is just a really good hitter.

10:36 - My sphincter is sooooo tight

10:36 - After all that Blo Duca completely screws up the game. I knew we got him for some reason. Standard Nats.

10:45 - BAAAAANG ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM go the fireworks! Ryan Zimmerman lines one out to end the game. Literally I think the same fan who caught Jones' home run caught Zimm's

10:48 - Seriously, I don't think there could be a better way to open a stadium than having Ryan Zimmerman hit a walk off home run. I'm not exactly sure what holiday it is today but I'm sure someone is celebrating somewhere because Z-man jack-a-lacked one. I'm glad we played in Nationals Park today because that was a double off the wall in RFK. Then again so was Jones'

That's all for tonight, I need to sleep this Shiraz off. Good start to a great season

P.S. Jon Rauch got the win tonight which I guess should be obvious since he led the team in wins last season