"It's a depressing time." 

That's how Jim Riggleman describes being fired as a major league manager.  In a session with Internet writers Saturday, I asked Riggleman to comment on the recent dismissal of Dave Trembley from the Baltimore Orioles.  Riggleman can relate better than most.  While with the Chicago Cubs, Riggleman was fired by the same general manager who did the deed with Trembley, Andy MacPhail.  

"I've got a lot of empathy for Dave," Riggleman shared.  A baseball lifer like Riggleman or Trembley works hard to become a major league manager, finally gets an opportunity, and knows what is needed to improve a ballclub.  "These jobs are so precious because there are so few of them," Riggleman said.  But the inevitable frustration kicks in when, as Riggleman explained, "you know the things coming out of your mouth are the right things, but you're not getting the results."  Thus, the elusive but often embraced desire for "a different voice."  

It doesn't matter that the ballclub was assembled by someone else.  Too many looses, and you'll be gone. "It's understood going in," Riggleman added.  But it doesn't make it any easier to accept when the dreaded meeting occurs with the general manager.  Hopefully, Mike Rizzo and Riggleman won't be having the same conversation anytime soon.

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* I also asked Drew Storen whether he, as a rookie, had received any razzing from the veteran players.  "No, not anything too bad.  I have to carry the backpack out to the bullpen.  But that's about it."  Then Josh Willingham arrived in the press room, took over the microphone, and told Storen to "get out."  Perhaps the razzing has only begun.

* Does Willingham mind being taken out of games late for defensive purposes?  After all, the defensive gap between Willingham and the normal sub, Willie Harris, has closed quite a bit.  The Harris-Willingham UZR/150 ratings (left field only):  2009:  +13.6 (Harris) vs. -7.6 (Willingham).  2010: +6.1 vs. +0.9.  (Thanks to FanGraphs.)  So I put the question to Willingham.  His reply:  "Not at all.  Willie is a faster guy.  So it's fine with me."  Sounds like Riggleman's voice is still being heard. 

      

Okay, how many of you really thought the Nats would have a winning record by now?  Certainly not me.  But I'll take it.  So what are we to make of the first couple weeks of the season?  Here are some somewhat random impressions from my visits to the ballpark.  

-- The Nats should just give Livo a lifetime contract.  The guy will be pitching until he's 40, and then some. 

-- How about that stabilizing force Marquis was supposed to be?  Oh, the plan is to develop young pitchers.  That's right.  I get confused.  In our season ticket package, our next games are Friday and Sunday.  Marquis is scheduled to start on Friday.  When I mentioned this to my son, he said: "Sunday looks like a great day for baseball."

-- If Ray Knight wore the silver Elvis wig, would anyone know the difference?  Kudos to Ray, though, for signing autographs before the MASN pre-game show.  You can tell the guy just lives for being at the ballpark.

-- Zim looks like, well, Zim.  Worth the price of admission all by himself. 

-- Josh Willingham is a better defender than most people give him credit for.  Our seats are in left field, right behind Josh, and he has made some darn athletic plays out there.  

-- I have sold all of my Phillies tickets on StubHub.  Do I need to explain?

-- What's up with the Nats radio signal?  Do you know what Charlie Slowes sounds like on AM 1500 heading to Ashburn, Va.?  Neither do I.  All static, all the time.  At blogger day last summer, I asked Stan Kasten about getting a better radio signal.  And he replied that it's "a really complicated issue" -- gosh, I hadn't heard those words before -- with the need to send signals in so many different directions.  Um, geography 101: When there is a team in Baltimore and a team in Washington, most Washington fans will reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Point the signal that way, and you'll be doing better.

-- Okay, I don't want to end on a negative (this time).  So whoever thought of having day games for both Saturdays and Sundays in April and May, my hat's off to you.  Sure beats the heck out of last year's nighttime freeze.  

Anyway, two weeks into the season, the Nats are hanging in there.  Let's see what the next couple weeks have in store for us.    

      

Well, at least it wasn't boring.  

Up 6-2 in the 9th inning, surely Mike MacDougal could close this one out without much drama?  Uh, no.  He quickly allowed 3 runs.  With the tying and winning runs in scoring position, Jeff Francoeur scorched a ball up the middle.  The ball knocked the glove off MacDougal, who recovered but then tossed the ball lollypop-style to 1B.  Francoeur made it close, but was out by a step.  Game over.  

As Francoeur told the New York Times, "No glove and we win the game."  Pesky things, gloves.  Still, a bit too much excitement for a couple teams well out of the playoff race.  Read the gamers in the Post, Times, MLB and AP. 

The 9th inning aside, the Nats played a good game here.  J.D. Martin turned in an ok start (5.1 innings, 2 runs).  Josh Bard (1-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and Josh Willingham (2-4, 1 HR, 1RBI) had big hits.  The two connected on a double-play to prevent a Met run.  And Willingham prevented another with a nice catch.

Ryan Zimmerman?  He just keeps cruising along.  No Web Gem tonight.  But he notched his 30th HR of the year and his 96th RBI.  Going into next year, safe to say that the Nats like their 3-4-5 hitters (Zim, Adam Dunn, Willingham).  Now if they could only fix the rest of the team.

      

Sigh.  Another Nats game.  Another Nats loss.  9-6 to the Marlins.  Well, at least the weather was nice. 

This one had its moments.  The power hitters -- Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham -- provided a lot of power (7/13, 1 HR, 4 RBIs).  And the Nats could have scored a lot more had not they left a stunning 23 runners on base.  Josh Bard alone left 10 men on!  But the real undoing was a terrible outing by Garrett Mock, who lasted only 3 innings and gave up 6 runs.

Read the gamers from the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Miami Herald.

Last night aside, Mock has been one of the brighter spots for the Nats since the All-Star break, when he was converted to a starter.  He has suffered endurance problems.  But he pitched well in August (3-2, 3.31 ERA), offering hope to a rotation felled by injury (Zimmermann, Stammen) or poor performance (pick 'em).  

If he can make last night an aberration and finish strong, then Mock will stake his claim to the 2010 starting rotation.  If not, then it might be back to the revolving door of AAA.  One of the things to watch for in this last month of the season.

      

So, you do battle with the toughest agent in baseball.  People tell you that the future of the franchise hinges on you closing the deal.  Then you not only snag the agent's player, you do it with a lower-than-expected contract offer.  

And your title still reads, "acting."  Gimme a break.  

On the job only since March, Mike Rizzo has cleaned up Jim Bowden's mess faster than Mr. Clean. Transformed a dysfunctional line-up into one where 1-5 is now about as good as it gets.  Pulled off the trade of the year. Got rid of bad apples, head cases and hideous performers.  Brought in a new coaching staff.  Piece-by-piece replaced the entire bullpen which had 20 blown saves before the All-Star break and just 2 since then.   

Rizzo slammed the door on decisions that Bowden liked to leave open.  Adam Dunn belongs at 1B.  Good-bye Nick Johnson.  Josh Willingham belongs as a starting corner outfielder.  Good-bye Austin Kearns.  Elijah Dukes better fulfill his potential soon.  Hello AAA assignment.  

The net effect of these and other moves?  The Nats have gone from being on pace to dislodge the 1962 Mets as the team with the worst record ever to, now, a respectable team with a winning record since the All-Star break.

That change has occurred, to a large degree, because Rizzo has never acted like an interim GM. Instead, he has seized the opportunity to reshape the team while tolerating the embarrassment of a public search for the job he is currently performing, complete with rumors that he is not the front-runner.  

Both classy and effective.  That's been Mike Rizzo as the Nats GM.  And he deserves the permanent job.

Update -- Yahoo Sports is reporting that Rizzo will not get the job.

      

Eighteen months without Jordan Zimmermann really complicates plans for 2010 and, perhaps, beyond.  

Here's why.

After the offensive explosion of recent weeks, you could look at 1-5 in the lineup and say, "Okay, maybe these guys can be the foundation of a good team."  Morgan, Guzman, Zim, Dunn and Willingham are seasoned veterans who have produced good results at the major league level.  Toss in two prospects with promise in the sixth and seventh holes (Dukes and Flores), add a defensive second baseman (please!), and this line-up looks pretty good.  

In fact, with a run-producing machine like that, all you need is an okay starting rotation.  (Leave aside the bullpen for now.)  Lannan (mostly proven), J-Zim (promising), Strasburg (really promising), a proven veteran (add), and one of the prospects we've been seeing recently.  What do you get:  A rotation that's light on experience but high on potential.  Enough maybe to say, with that line-up, "Okay."

Now, take J-Zim out until 2011.  Things change.  A lot.  The rotation leans too heavily on unproven pitchers. But more importantly, the line-up we think is impressive now might not be so impressive in 2011.  Before the season even begins, Dunn and Guzman can leave via free agency.  Willingham will be one year behind.  And all of these 30-ish players will be two years older, with Guzman the most worrisome there.  

All of which makes you wonder:  Do the Nats blow up the line-up and rebuild?  Or do they keep the line-up largely in place (read: extend Dunn and Willingham, find another SS by 2011) and hope for competence out of the starting rotation in 2010? 

That was a tough question before J-Zim went down.  It's an even tougher one now.  

      

During the current winning steak, the only weakness has been starting pitching.  But last night, Garrett Mock finally broke through -- going 6 innings and allowing just 2 runs -- as the Nats played a flawless game to defeat the D-Backs, 5-2.  The game extended the Nats winning streak to 7 games, and gave the Nats yet another series.  Since the All-Star Break, the Nats have gone 13-11 in games and 4-1-2 in series.  

On Adam Dunn bobble head night, it was Josh Willingham who provided the big hit, a 2-run HR that erased an early deficit.  Nyjer Morgan continued to impress, chasing down several balls that were seemingly uncatchable. Zim added a few twirls of his own to prevent base hits.  Mock pitched well, and Sean Burnett was lights out with 2 scoreless innings of relief.  The Rizzo trade for Morgan and Burnett is looking better with each passing day.

Perhaps most impressively, the bats put up 5 runs against Dan Haren, who had the fourth-best ERA in the National League (2.38).  It's one thing to beat beatable pitchers.  But in this streak, the Nats have gotten the best of two elite pitchers: Haren and Josh Johnson (10-2, 2.98 ERA) of the Florida Marlins.  

That's making a statement.

Read the gamers for the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Arizona Republic.

      

Who are these guys?

Fall way behind early.  Come roaring back to take the lead.  Hold on for the win. 

Didn't we just see that Thursday?  Well, it happened again on Friday, as the Nats, down 5-0, staged their second consecutive comeback win, this time against the D-Backs, 7-6.  The victory extends the winning streak to six and gives the Nats a winning record since the All-Star Break (12-11).  

Once again, Zim (1/3) powered the comeback with his fourth HR in four games.  Dukes (1/3) continued his transformation into an RBI machine, this time with three.  But it was Willingham (3/4) who delivered the clutch, go-ahead hit in the seventh.  Josh has produced All-Star stats this year: .309/.420./589, making his acquisition Jim Bowden's last (only?) brilliant move. 

Once again, though, the starting pitching faltered, with Balester going just 4.1 innings, which has been the rotation's average during the streak.  In other words, the bullpen really needs a break.  But it might not get it tonight, given the match-up between Dan Haren (11-6, 2.38 ERA) and Garret Mock (0-4, 6.75 ERA).

Still, six in a row.  I'll take that.

Read about in the Post, Times, MLB, AP and Arizona Republic.  

      

I come home from vacation and see that the Nats have changed personnel a bit.  Nick Johnson, gone.  We'll miss him, but it makes sense.  Joe Beimel, gone.  Loved the hair, but makes even more sense.  But wait, who is this general manager declaring, "We are not tearing this thing down to the foundation and re-building...this is a team that is not far away from being a good, solid baseball team"?

Huh?  I feel like the AFLAC duck shaking his head to Yogi Berra's nonsense.  And I'm wondering: has Jim Bowden taken over the body and mind of Mike Rizzo?

Not far away?  To believe that, you have to think that the team is set in the reconfigured outfield (Willingham, Morgan, Dukes), corner infielders (Zim, Dunn) and catcher (Flores), and that a couple of the young arms (pick 'em) will stick in the rotation with Lannan.  You just have to solve for middle infield, adjust a couple contracts (Dunn, Willingham) to stay around a while longer, and sign Strasburg.  

What's wrong with this view?  It assumes a Bowden-like belief that prospects (any of the pitchers) and projects (Dukes) are poised to fulfill their potential tomorrow...that Dunn doesn't give away more runs at 1B than he creates at the bat, and he extends his contract beyond next year...that Jesus Flores can actually play a full season without getting injured...and that the Lerners will pay a draft pick the most money ever.

That's a lot of if's.  And you haven't even addressed 2B and SS.  

Now, it's possible that all these things will come true.  As a fan, I sure hope they do.  But I'd rather wait for some evidence of that before declaring that the Nats are ready to challenge the Phillies.  

As I've written before, I think Rizzo should be the permanent GM.  His early prediction of looming bullpen disasters and his trades like that for Nyjer Morgan have been spot on.  And he has demonstrated a level-headedness not found in predecessor and some of his current bosses.  But when quotes like "not far away" come from Rizzo, I begin to think it has been Mike, rather than me, who's been spending too much time in the sun.

      

When you're 3-13, most teams will shake things up a bit.  And the Nationals have given GM Mike Rizzo plenty of material to work with.  Sending Lastings Milledge to AAA and blowing up the bullpen apparently haven't been enough change.  So what is his next move?

1 -- Bench Elijah Dukes?  Three bozo plays in a week.  When he learns that sunglasses don't work on top of his cap, he can return to the line-up.  In the meantime, Justin Maxwell is not likely to misplace his shades.

2 -- Send Saul Rivera to AAA?  For real, this time.  

3 -- DFA Daniel Cabrera?  Strasburg can't get here fast enough. 

4 -- Give Cristian Guzman a personal faith healer (and whatever else it takes) so he can play every game?  Alberto Gonzalez committing five errors in eight games and Alex Cintron hitting .000 are not exactly my idea of "getting it done."

5 -- Trade (pick one or more): Ronnie Belliard, Willie Harris, Nick Johnson, Austin Kearns, Josh Willingham?  Relief pitching and middle infield defense seem to be the biggest needs.  My guess (and it's just that): Willingham and Belliard go first.  By the trade deadline, more could follow. 

6 -- Fire Manny Acta?  Not something I favor, but it's hard to change the culture without changing people at the top.  And Stan Kasten is not about to fire himself.  

So, those are among the possibilities.  Which one do you believe is the most likely?