For those who were going to be at spring training and had planned to watch the space shuttle launch originally scheduled for March 15, I know the postponment is a disappointment. But there is still another unmanned rocket launch scheduled while the Nats are in Viera, according to Space.com.

An Atlas 5 rocket to boost a clutch of seven satellites -- among them the Orbital Express demonstration vehicle, under the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program 1 mission -- is scheduled to fly from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, 9:37-11:42 p.m. on March 8.

One Melbourne resident told me the rocket launches are actually more spectacular than the space shuttle, though that seems hard to believe. I would recommend if you are down there March 8, take the time to look for this launch. As I posted before, here are the best places to watch it:

- The top of the bridge of the 528 causeway
- Cocoa Beach shoreline and Cherie Down Park on A1A
- Jetty Park farther east on 528
- The Rotary Riverfront Park and Space View Park on U.S. 1.

Of course, they also lost. Such is the Catch-22 of the intrasquad game. But at least we had a winner today. The home team beat the visitors, 6-2, in 10 innings. Why 10 innings? Because diminutive left-hander Arnie Munoz needed to get some work in, so Manny Acta let the game continue into extra innings even though it was over after nine. They don't exactly take a strict interpretation of the baseball rulebook here.

Anyways, some highlights from the affair, though it should be noted that I spent the second half of the game inside the Nats' clubhouse talking to players who had already departed, so any accounts from the fifth inning on came second-hand...

-- Solid work by starters Tim Redding (2ip, 1er) and Jerome Williams (2ip, 0er) but the pitching star was Jason Simontacchi, who retired all six batters he faced and needed only 15 pitches to do it.

-- Cristian Guzman continued his hot streak at the plate, with two singles. He went 3-for-5 in these two intrasquad games, and the confidence flowing from him is obvious.

-- The power-hitting star of the day was ... Nook Logan?! Yep, the slap-hitting center fielder, who struggled in three at-bats Tuesday, launched a 3-run homer off Anastacio Martinez from the left side of the plate. That prompted hitting coach Mitchell Page to utter the line of the day: "Watch out guys -- Nook Logan: 40-40!" Yeah, I don't think so.

-- Ryan Church had two hits, including a double off the wall. Tony Blanco (remember him?) hit a solo homer. Mike Bacsik managed to pitch two scoreless innings despite giving up five hits.

-- Travis Lee was held out with a strained oblique muscle. Not considered serious.

Back to a brief workout day tomorrow, then the Grapefruit League kicks off Friday against the Dodgers in beautiful Vero Beach.

I interviewed general manager Jim Bowden recently and wrote about it. There were a few noteworthy items from Bowden that didn't make it into my column because of space limitations. Here are some of them:

"Every time we go compete for a guy in the Dominican or Venezuela or Japan, anywhere you want to go, we can play financially with anybody right now, which is half the battle.

"All our emphasis will be on development and scouting until we start getting the stream the way we want it and next year we move into our new stadium. So our major league payroll will be more competitive. Hopefully, the combination will all come together.

"The (major league payroll) budget was a lot lower this year than before. But that was a baseball decision. We certainly could have gone out and spent, let's say $9 million, on three pitcher who would do a better job of keeping us in games or gone and got one Gil Meche for $10 million a year.

"But we said, how is that investment going to get us a world championship? How do we get that if we do it that way? If you take the three $3 million guys, at the end of the year, you don't get a draft pick, because you can't offer them arbitration because they would get $8 million or $9 million.

"You saw that last year. At the trading deadline, teams that want to win, they don't want second-division starting pitchers, so you can't trade them. That piece doesn't get you anything. That doesn't work long term. Then, you win a few more games and get a worse draft pick, so I don't know if that is worth it.

"You spend that same $9 million or $10 million and sign 15 top young players to help build a championship club. That is how we are going to win. It is a philosophical decision of how to spend the money.

"We could have spent the money on a higher payroll, but we want to compete with any team in baseball in going after that best young talent in the world. We want to be big market, and we are big market right now. We are going to be able to sign all of our draft picks. We will be able to compete for another Smiley Gonzalez. We can compete with anybody in that arena right now, with our budget."

The most noteworthy statement Bowden made here is that the Nats will be able to sign all their draft picks. It will be interesting to see if they can indeed accomplish that.
The 2008 draft will be even more interesting, because Bowden will probably have the number one pick in the draft.

The Nationals and the Nationals have taken the field for today's intrasquad finale, and there's a tangible buzz in the air. After yesterday's 4-4 tie, someone's got to win to claim the coveted J.J Davis Memorial Trophy. (OK, there's no J.J. Davis trophy, I just felt like mentioning the name of the mammoth outfielder who dazzled everyone in camp two years ago and won a spot on the Opening Day roster, only to going something like 1-for-27 in the regular season and get dumped. At last check, J.J. was in the Rockies' farm system ... as a pitcher.)

Anyways, we've got Jerome Williams pitching for the home team, and Tim Redding on the hill for the visitors. Both guys are obviously in the running for rotation spots, so this would be a good time to make a first impression...

-- Top 1st: Bernie Castro bounces a leadoff single up the middle, then gets gunned down trying to steal second. Nice throw by rookie catcher Jesus Flores, who has turned some heads this spring. Ronnie Belliard beats out a bouncer to short (could have been an error on Josh Wilson). Alex Escobar and cleanup hitter Robert Fick (yes, cleanup) both fly out to right.

-- Bot 1st: Tim Redding walks Felipe Lopez on four pitches. Not the start Redding was looking for, though he did proceed to pick Lopez off first. Cristian Guzman lines a hard single to right, his second in three at-bats the last two days, then tags up on Ryan Zimmerman's fly to the warning track in center field. Nice start for Guzie, that can only help his confidence. Austin Kearns strikes out looking at a fastball. 0-0 after one.

-- Top 2nd: Darnell McDonald singles to left. Jerome Williams plunks Chris Snelling in the foot. D'Angelo Jimenez and Frank Diaz both fly out to center. Juan Brito grounds into an inning-ending forceout. That'll do it for Williams. He goes two innings, giving up no runs on three hits while hitting a batter.

-- Bot 2nd: Redding hangs a curveball and Ryan Church crushes it off the right-center fence for a double. Larry Broadway sends a broken-bat single to left. Josh Wilson lofts a fly ball to left, deep enough to score Church with the game's first run. Redding and second baseman Felipe Lopez team up to make a nice play on Nook Logan's drag bunt, and Jesus Flores flies out to left to end the inning. Redding's final line: two innings, three hits, one run, a walk and a strikeout. After two, it's the Home team 1, the Visiting team 0.

-- Top 3rd: Jason Simontacchi comes on in relief and coasts through a 1-2-3 inning. Castro pops out. Belliard grounds out. Escobar fouls out. Nice job by Simontacchi.

-- Bot 3rd: Lefty Mike Bacsik now pitching for the visitors. Felipe Lopez leads off with a double to left, Guzman beats out a grounder to third for his third hit in four intrasquad at-bats. Zimmerman fouls out and Kearns strikes out for the second time today before Church lines a base hit to right. Lopez rounds third and is easily thrown out by Frank Diaz. Still 1-0 Home team after three.

-- Top 4th: Simontacchi in control. Gets Fick and McDonald to fly out and Chris Snelling to pop up. Very efficient work from the journeyman right-hander, who would make for a great story if he makes this team. Six batters faced today, six outs recorded.

-- Bot 4th: Bacsik still pitching. Broadway lines out to center. Wilson and Logan each drop Texas Leaguers in front of center fielder Darnell McDonald for base hits. Bacsik strikes out Flores. Tony Womack, pinch-hitting for Lopez, flies out to right for the third out. So after four innings here at Space Coast Stadium, it's Home Team: 1, Visiting Team 0, with a swarm of reserves about to enter the game and make everyone's scoresheets unreadable.

That's going to have to do it for now. I've got to head down to the clubhouse and talk to the starting pitchers before they leave the park. I'll give a postgame update later on, though there's no way to give all the play-by-play details...

Intrasquad game No. 1 is in the books, and here's all you need to know: Manny Acta is undefeated as a major-league manager. Then again, he's also winless. Yep, your final score was Nationals 4, Nationals 4. Turns out there are ties in baseball.

Here's a few (very unofficial) stat lines from the game...

-- Joel Hanrahan: 2ip, 2h, 1r, 1er, 1bb, 1k
-- Beltran Perez: 2ip, 3h, 3r, 2er, 1bb, 1k, 1hr
-- Matt Chico: 2ip, 3h, 2r, 2er, 1k, 1hr
-- Jason Bergmann: 2ip, 2h, 1r, 1er, 1bb, 3k
-- Ryan Zimmerman: 1-for-2, 2B, web gem
-- Nook Logan: 0-for-3, k
-- Brian Schneider: 1-for-2, 2B
-- Michael Restovich: solo HR
-- Ronnie Belliard: 1-for-3, 2-run HR
-- Cristian Guzman: 1-for-2, k

That's all for now. Jerome Williams vs. Tim Redding tomorrow. Can't wait.

They say pitchers are supposed to be ahead of hitters this early in spring training. The Nationals are trying to prove otherwise. With four innings in the books of today's intrasquad game, the Nationals lead the Nationals, 4-3. There have been 10 total hits, three walks, two homers and four doubles.

There have, however, been a couple of defensive gems from both teams' third basemen. Ryan Zimmerman made a leaping grab of of a Jorge Toca liner to his left. And Kory Casto snagged a hard hopper to his left and gunned down Michael Restovich.

Jason Bergmann has completed two innings of relief. Bergmann (who moonlights as a darn-good webcam interviewer) cruised through a 1-2-3 third, striking out Nook Logan and Austin Kearns before running into some trouble in the fourth in the form of a Brian Schneider double, a Larry Broadway walk and a Chris Snelling RBI single.

Beltran Perez got beat up pretty good, serving up the two-run homer to Ronnie Belliard and then allowing an unearned run in the fourth (thanks in part to Restovich dropping a fly ball).

Most of the starters will be coming out soon, replaced by the swarth of backups spilling out of the first-base dugout. I'm heading down to the clubhouse to talk to the now-departed starting pitchers, but I'll try to file an update following the game. Cause I know how much everyone back home is dying to know the final score of this tilt.

Yes, there is baseball being played at Space Coast Stadium today. It's the Nationals against ... the Nationals. Otherwise known as an intrasquad game. Here's some highlights from the proceedings so far...

-- Joel Hanrahan started for the home team, made it through the first inning unscathed, then walked Abraham Nunez and served up an RBI double to George Lombard in the second before departing.

-- Matt Chico started for the visitors and got roughed up a bit. Ryan Zimmerman tagged him for an RBI double off the center-field wall in the first, then Michael Restovich absolutely crushed a pitch to left for a solo homer in the second.

-- Beltran Perez relieved Hanrahan and was immediately greeted with a bunt single by Tony Womack and a line-drive, two-run homer by Ronnie Belliard.

So for those of you keeping score at home (and please tell me that no one is), the visitors are up 3-2 in this tightly contested matchup, with plenty more action to come. Jason Bergmann has come on to pitch the bottom of the third. Stay tuned for more updates from this barnburner.

Good morning Nats fans.

Thom Loverro will be on the Sports Reporters program this afternoon on SportsTalk 980-AM from 5 to 7 p.m.

You know there will be some Nationals chatter. ... so if you want to call in to the show, the number is (301) 230-0980.

Apparently, last Tuesday's inaugural live chat was so popular, we're bringing it back a day early this week! Join us at 2 p.m. today for Round 2 and come armed with questions galore for your trusty Nats beat writer. You can also submit questions in advance, in case you aren't planning to be glued to your computer at precisely 2 p.m. (but really, do you have anything better to do?).

See you this afternoon...

In all the delusional analysis that says the Nationals won't be that bad this season, one area that is being overlooked is the trade -- as in the entire right side of the infield might be gone for the final two months of the season. (What is all this VORP stuff, anyway? Isn't that the character Tim Conway played in those golf videos?)

Let's say Larry Broadway doesn't measure up to expectations, and the Nats have to go with either Travis Lee or Dmitri Young. Let's say both are productive to some extent.
Do you think they will be here after July 31?

And then let's say Cristian Guzman never sees the light of day at shortstop this season (he wasn't throwing on Sunday in infield drills). Let's say the Nats have to go with Plan B: move Felipe Lopez back to short and play Ronnie Belliard every day. If Belliard does what is expected offensively -- he is productive, to some extent -- do you think he will be here after July 31?

The goal of this team is to get as many young players, particularly pitchers, as possible in the farm system. That goal drove the Nats to make their deals at the trading deadline in 2006, and it will surely do the same again this year. General manager Jim Bowden has said that small-market teams get better in July -- and right now the Nats are being operated as if they are a small-market team -- and he also referred to Belliard when they signed him as an "asset."

So, there is a good chance those players, if they have any value, won't be on this team for the final two months of the season. There is a good chance that an offense already depleted by the loss of Nick Johnson (who also may not see the light of day on the field this year) and the departure of Alfonso Soriano takes further hits from the trade of any productive players with value and a one-year contract.

And then, of course, there is closer Chad Cordero. But he may not make it to the start of the season in a Nationals uniform.

This is known as the WUNY analysis, as in Wait Until Next Year.

Here you go, seamheads: Manny Acta revealed his starting rotation for the first few days of spring-training games. Around here, that qualifies as major breaking news.

Tuesday (intrasquad game): Joel Hanrahan vs. Matt Chico, with Beltran Perez, Jason Bergmann, Bill Hall, Winston Abreu and Emiliano Fruto among those pitching in relief.

Wednesday (intrasquad game): Jerome Williams vs. Tim Redding, with Jason Simontacchi, Colby Lewis, Mike Bacsik, Chris Booker, Mike Hinckley and Levale Speigner among those coming out of the bullpen.

Friday (Grapefruit League opener vs. Dodgers): Shawn Hill starting, followed by Chris Michalak and others.

Saturday (vs. Orioles): John Patterson starting.

So, if you want to have some fun and start extrapolating things out on a five-day schedule, your Opening Day rotation might look something like this...

April 2: John Patterson
April 3: Matt Chico/Joel Hanrahan/Beltran Perez
April 4: Jerome Williams/Tim Redding
April 5: Jason Simontacchi/Colby Lewis
April 6: Shawn Hill/Chris Michalak

Not that there's a chance anything could change between now and then...

The days are starting to drag here in Viera. There's not much left to gather from the morning workouts, and guys are starting to pine for the games to get started. Unfortunately, we're still six days from the Grapefruit League opener against the Dodgers, so we're stuck with fielding drills, baserunning drills and live BP for now.

The Nationals will play intrasquad games Tuesday and Wednesday, so that will at least give the coaching staff and front office (not to mention the media) a chance to start evaluating guys in game situations. But those are still very controlled situations, with pitchers in particular trying to work on specific things, not just get hitters out.

I'm sure everyone wants to know who will be pitching when, but Manny Acta doesn't want to reveal his rotation schedule just yet. There's still a few variables that could shake things up. We do know that John Patterson will start March 3 against the Orioles, which puts him on schedule to pitch Opening Day. Word is that Shawn Hill will get the nod for the exhibition opener against L.A., though that's not official.

Also, keep this in mind: Because there's so many guys in the running for rotation spots, the Nats will have starters pitching out of the bullpen for at least the first week of games. So don't draw too many conclusions if, say, Jerome Williams enters in the fourth inning some day in relief of Joel Hanrahan. Doesn't mean Hanrahan has a leg up on Williams, only that there are too many starting pitchers and not enough games to go around.

But that's still a week away. Until then, we'll just have to slog our way through these last few workout days and make rash and uneducated evaluations of pitchers based on their live BP sessions.

With that disclaimer thrown out there, Hill, Matt Chico, Ryan Wagner, Jon Rauch and Levale Speigner have all stood out to this reporter and his amateur eye, and all have been mentioned by at least one Nats player, coach or front-office official as particularly impressive to date.

But check back again in a week to see if that's still the case...

Many fans (including my editor) have been asking how the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network plans to show both Orioles and Nationals games this season. After all, they point out, the two teams will usually play at the same time.

Here's what will happen:

Each cable or satellite provider will use a second channel, dubbed "MASN2," to show one game or the other. In many instances, the second channel will actually be an existing channel like C-SPAN 2 or a public access channel, and MASN2 will simply pre-empt the programming on those stations to show the games.

The MASN overflow will differ depending on your cable or satellite provider and where you live. The full list can be found by following the "MASN on Your TV" link at www.masn.tv. The only provider that has not yet indicated where MASN2 will be located is Verizon.

Investigators for former Senate Majority Leader, Boston Red Sox owner and New York Times business partner George Mitchell are in Florida and Arizona questioning players in the continuing probe into steroids use in baseball.

The Mitchell probe has been overlooked in some corners, ridiculed in others, but it will turn out to be significant. I believe it is the tool baseball commissioner Cadillac Bud Selig will use to either ignore or asterisk the career home run record if and when Barry Bonds breaks it, and may even go as far as using it to suspend Bonds, and let the players union be in the position of defending him -- if he is not indicted first (the chances are not as good that Bonds will be idicted, though, since there is a new federal prosecutor in San Francisco).

The Mitchell report will be the equivalent of the Dowd report that gave commissioner Bart Giamatti the leverage he needed to drop the hammer on Pete Rose. There was no equivalent of a "positive test" in that report, but anyone who read it knew Rose had bet on baseball.

I came to this conclusion after watching Selig and Hank Aaron at the World Series last year, as Aaron presented the Hank Aaron Award to Ryan Howard and Derek Jeter. Aaron went out of his way to praise both Howard and Jeter as role models for their behavior off the field -- more than any other previous such Aaron award ceremony. And Selig is very, very close to Aaron, and went out of his way to call Aaron's 755 career home run mark "the most cherished record" in sports. Now ESPN refers to it as such. And Aaron made it clear to me more than a year ago at a party at the Japanese embassy in Washington that he had no intention of being part of anything connected with the record. He said it then, and has continued to say it, as if he was confident he simply would not have to.

As far as these weak arguments about the lack of a positive test -- a sad argument when it comes from journalists -- it is ridiculous if you take the time to read the book "Game of Shadows." Mitchell could slap a cover on that and have enough to go to the commissioner. Reporters who still defend Bonds are essentially saying they believe him over their colleagues at the San Francisco Chronicle who wrote the book.

The same goes for Mark McGwire. I cringe when I see reporters claim they will vote for McGwire for the Hall of Fame because there is no proof he used steroids. In March 2005, the sports investigative team for the New York Daily News revealed that, according to FBI sources, McGwire's name came up several times during "Operation Equine," a steroids investigation that led to 70 trafficking convictions in the early 1990s. Two dealers caught in the probe told the Daily News that they knew someone who supplied McGwire and Jose Canseco with steroids. They even printed the steroid cocktail FBI informants say Mark McGwire took: 1/2 cc of testosterone cypionate every three days; 1 cc of testosterone enanthate per week, and 1/4 cc of equipoise and winstrol v every three days, injected into the rear, one shot for one cheek, one shot for the other.

There was no response from McGwire about the story, ever, and that federal probe is most likely the reason McGwire refused to answer questions before a Senate committee in March 2005.

If any writer says there is no proof on McGwire, then they must believe the Daily News was wrong. And if any writer says there is no proof on Bonds, then they must believe the Chronicle reporters who wrote "Game of Shadows" are wrong.

Obviously Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds don't think so, or else they would have said so, don't you think?

When you've got 72 players, plus 18 coaches/instructors in uniform for spring training, you're going to have to use just about every available two-digit number in the known universe. So it is for the Nationals, who have more uniformed personnel this spring than any club in baseball.

Longtime clubhouse manager Mike Wallace has issued everything from 00 (Tony Womack) to 89 (batting practice pitcher Jose "Cabeza" Martinez), with only a couple of unused numbers in between and plenty of duplicates. There are two No. 1's (Jose Macias and Jose Cardenal), two No. 8's (Chris Snelling and Bob Boone), two No. 9's (Bernie Castro and Bobby Williams), two No. 10's (Ronnie Belliard and Brandon Harper), two No. 11's (Ryan Zimmerman and Barry Larkin), two No. 16's (Travis Lee and John Stearns), two No. 19's (Ryan Church and Tim Foli), two No. 27's (Jose Rijo and Rick Aponte), two No. 28's (Jerry Morales and Cesar Cedeno), two No. 33's (Larry Broadway and Ralph Dickenson) and even two No. 52's (Saul Rivera and Spin Williams).

In fact, there are only two unused numbers from 00 through 65. One of them is 42, which has been retired throughout major league baseball in honor of Jackie Robinson. The other, interestingly, is 20: Frank Robinson's old number.

No, the Nationals haven't officially retired Frank's number, nor are there plans to do so (especially given the nasty spat between the two sides at the moment). But perhaps Wallace, in a show of respect for one of the game's all-time greats and the first manager in Nationals history, has decided to unofficially retire No. 20, at least for the time being. Classy move by "Wally." It just wouldn't look right to see anyone else wearing that number this season.

Another day, another full-squad workout in the books. How many more of these til the games start? Here's a few tidbits from the day so far...

-- John Patterson threw to live hitters for the first time since his forearm injury shelved him last July and came away very encouraged. Patterson threw all his pitches and said everything felt good. He's scheduled to do two more of these live BP sessions before making his Grapefruit League debut March 3 (which, incidentally, puts Patterson in line to start Opening Day against the Marlins).

-- Scary moment of the day came when Ryan Zimmerman smoked a liner back up the middle and caught batting practice pitcher Pablo Reyes on the face. Reyes went to the hospital for stitches but is going to be OK.

-- Manny Acta said the Nats will hold two intrasquad games Tuesday and Wednesday in advance of Friday's exhibition opener. This will give the staff some added opportunities to see the bevy of pitchers in camp in actual game conditions.

-- Team president Stan Kasten is in town and spoke to the players before the morning workout, emphasizing the organization's bright future and encouraging everyone with the team to be active in the community this season.

-- Reliever Jason Bergmann and I swapped roles for a few minutes, with Bergmann interviewing me on camera (and doing a nice job, I might add). Look for it on our website sometime soon.

It is interesting to watch the drama taking place across the state at Legends Field in Tampa between Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Then again, it wouldn't be spring training for the Yankees without the circus that comes with it.
I don't think it will end well for A-Rod in New York. He has clearly now given the fans sides to take with his declaration that he and Jeter are no longer friends, and that tension exists between the two.
If it is between Jeter and A-Rod for Yankee fans, it's no contest. Derek Jeter is a Yankee. A-Rod is not.
When A-Rod looks back on his career, one big regret he may have is riding the Scott Boras train to his historic 10-year, $252 million contract. Money can't buy you love, and A-Rod may have been better off following in the footsteps of his idol, Cal Ripken. Ripken's agent was Baltimore's Ron Shapiro, someone with vision to see beyond the wallet and look at not just the player, but the person and the life he wants to lead and legacy he wants to leave.
If A-Rod had perhaps aligned himself with Shapiro, he might find himself today as the treasured icon of a town, in addition to having money and fame. Instead he is the pariah of New York.

Who says these Nationals aren't worth a dang?

Yesterday, I was sitting in the bleachers watching the Nationals stretch before practice began when two female fans started a conversation with each other. One fan, who lives in the area, said she brings balls each year for the players to sign and auctions them for charity.

"You don't want the minor leaguers because they are not worth anything," the fan said to the Boston-based fan.

She then added: "There's just a few I circled and will try to get. We made $430 from their autographs last year."

This just in: Chad Cordero won his arbitration case against the Nationals and will earn $4.15 million this season. Cordero was in Arizona yesterday to present his case against GM Jim Bowden and the club (who offered $3.65 million) and apparently presented a more convincing argument to the three-member panel.

Cordero, who made $525,000 last year, is the first Nationals player to beat Bowden in three arbitration cases. The club previously beat Alfonso Soriano and John Patterson.

The settlement of Cordero's case leaves Ryan Zimmerman as the only player on Washington's 40-man roster who has not signed a contract yet. Zimmerman, who is only in his second major-league season and doesn't have much leeway in contract negotiations, will likely make somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000.

Today's workout featured the first time pitchers threw live to hitters, and while there's only so much you can read from these things, one thing did stand out: Matt Chico was baffling guys with his breaking ball. Saw more swings and misses when he was on the mound than anyone else. And there was very little solid contact made off his fastball, too, lots of pitches fouled off. Of course, that doesn't necessarily tell you how a guy's going to look once he gets into an actual game. But remember this: During live BP, the hitter knows what the pitcher's about to throw. So if guys couldn't touch Chico's breaking ball when they knew it was coming, how are they going to do when they have no idea what's on the way?

If you are coming to Viera in the next few days to watch the Nats in spring training, there is a chance for you to pick up a little pocket change to subsidize your trip.

Buy a box full of magnifying glasses and sell them to fans as they enter the Carl Barger workout complex. They'll need them to read the official 2007 Nationals Spring Training Roster handed out to fans as they come in because of all the names on it: 93 players and coaches.

Nationals team doctor Ben Shaffer took a look at the MRI of Cristian Guzman's shoulder today and says everything looks structurally sound. The labrum tear that sidelined Guzman all of last season has healed, and the shortstop should be cleared to participate fully in workouts within another day or two. (He did not throw or swing the bat today because of the injection he received as part of the MRI.)

Guzman did tell reporters earlier that he's still not feeling 100 percent and said he has tendinitis in the shoulder. Shaffer said that's not uncommon for players coming off this surgery and is not a major concern.

So at least for now, Cristian Guzman is your starting shortstop again.

Hi everyone,

We're going to be holding our first live chat of the spring at 2 p.m. EST today, so make sure to tune in. I'll be answering all your questions about the Nats, baseball in general and life in Viera, in real time. But if you just can't contain your excitement until this afternoon, feel free to send in your questions in advance. Just go to the main Nats Home Plate site and click on the live chat icon in the upper left-hand corner to submit your queries. Then check back at 2 p.m. to see if it's been answered.

See you all this afternoon!

Outside Space Coast Stadium, there are parked several golf carts designated for certain people. One is for Manny Acta, though I have yet to see the new Nats manager use it. Another is for general manager Jim Bowden. And one is reserved for the Lerners, though I have yet to see any of the big bosses down here.

Frank Robinson used to have his own golf cart, and that is a big missing part of spring training this year. After every workout in the weeks before the games start, Robinson would sit in the cart and sign autographs, talk with fans and have photos taken with every single fan who wanted one until everyone had been taken care of.

Anyone who wanted one could be assured of getting an autograph from a Hall of Famer, one of the elite players in the history of the game.

Spring training is a different scene this year, in many ways. In 2005, the first year, there was the novelty factor and some name players, like Jose Guillen, Jose Vidro and others. Last year there was Alfonso Soriano, the star power he brought to Viera and the circus that surrounded the question of whether he would play second base or the outfield.

This year, there are more than a few voids.

Let's get the most important thing out of the way first: It's finally warming up here. Not quite shorts and flip-flops weather yet, but I suspect it will be within a few days. I still had to wear a fleece pullover at this morning's workout, but by lunchtime I was able to shed it. Hey, we'll take whatever progress we can get. ...

As far as actual baseball matters are concerned, here's some quick hits from today ...

Position players have all reported, aside from newly signed infielder Ronnie Belliard (who should be here in the next day or two). Guys took physicals today, setting the stage for the first full-squad workout of camp tomorrow morning. Manny Acta plans to hold a meeting with everyone before they take the field, and it's safe to say he'll be using his excellent motivational speaking traits to pump his guys up. Manny has been giving us a taste of this since we all arrived last week, and I've got to admit, he's really good at inspiring people. I have no idea what kind of manager he'll be once he gets in the dugout, but he's coming across as a future Hall of Famer in the clubhouse. ...

No complaints about the position players joining the workout tomorrow. Five straight days of pitchers and catchers gets pretty dull. We're ready to see 72 guys in uniform and on the field at the same time already. ...

The 42 players invited to the Nationals' accelerated development program (basically, their top minor-league prospects) have arrived as well and will begin working out tomorrow. Included in the group are such potential future major leaguers as shortstop Esmailyn Gonzalez, outfielder/first baseman Chris Marrero and pitchers Collin Balester and Zech Zinicola. We'll try to get to some of their individual stories soon. ...

That's all for now. Oh, be sure to tune in tomorrow at 2 p.m. for our first attempt at a live chat. You send me questions, I give you instant answers. You'll be able to find a link on "Nats Home Plate."

There is a smoking ban in bars and restaurants here in Florida, though a limited one, which has forced me to seek out a civilized place to smoke cigars. If you are a cigar aficionado and coming to spring training, there is one called "Ashes" not too far from the spring training complex on Wickham Road.

Jose Rijo was so appreciative of that information that he gave me four of his own "Jose Rijo" brand, handmade cigars from the Dominican Republic. Now, that's my kind of special assistant to the general manager.

I awoke the other morning to the sound of a jackhammer breaking through tile and concrete. My buddy Larry is having a new bathtub installed.

One of the plumbers notices a Nats media guide and says, "Who is the Nationals fan? Because I know Felipe Lopez."

I confessed that I was the Nats fan. The plumber went on to say that he coached against Lopez in high school here in Florida.

"His dad would fill up three plastic trash cans with baseballs and just hit him grounders all day," he says.

When Lopez reported yesterday, I asked him about the plumber.

"That must have been in AAU," Lopez says.

I also saw the liftoff of the Delta II rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral at 6:01 p.m. on Saturday night, and it was a dream come true for me.

I grew up as a young boy with the Mercury astronauts -- I went to the ticker-tape parade for John Glenn in New York, when there were heroes and they got such celebrations -- and I have always dreamed of seeing a rocket launch in person, even an unmanned one like this one.

I watched it from on top of the bridge of the 528 causeway, just a few miles from Cape Canaveral. I pulled over at the top of the bridge, like dozens of other motorists, put down the top on my convertible, lit up a cigar and watched this glorious spectacle -- the brightest light I have ever seen, followed by a trail of smoke.

It was one of those moments when it seems like the world is still full of possibilities.

There will be a launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, scheduled for 6:43 a.m. on March 15. And there is also a launch scheduled for March 8 of an Atlas 5 rocket.

If you are down here for spring training, here is a list of some places where you can get a great view, besides the top of the bridge of the 528 causeway: Cocoa Beach shoreline and Cherie Down Park on A1A, Jetty Park farther east on 528, and the Rotary Riverfront Park and Space View Park on U.S. 1.

If you miss any of these, you can probably see your share of rocket shots at Space Coast Stadium this spring, courtesy of the Nationals pitching fantasy camp.

A handful of fans showed up at the Carl Barger complex to brave the cold winds and watch the Nationals pitchers and catchers. One of them, a young boy wearing a University of Miami jacket, was excited about one of the young pitchers he was watching.

So as catcher Brian Schneider walked by, the boy said to him, "Is that really Billy Wagner?"

Schneider burst his bubble: "No, it's Ryan Wagner."

About 20 minutes later, a woman standing by the fence asked me, "Is that Billy Wagner?"

"No, it's Ryan Wagner," I answered. "They can't afford Billy Wagner."

This illustrates the anonymity of this army of pitchers the Nats have brought to camp. Years from now, kids who get autographs here this spring will look at the names and wonder, "Who the heck was that?"

Except, of course, that kid with the Miami jersey. If he gets Ryan Wagner's autograph, he'll remember him for who he was not - Billy Wagner.

One more thing: The highlight of my first full day here in vivid Viera was meeting Miss Chatter.

The Nationals came to terms this morning on a non-guaranteed, minor-league contract with infielder Ronnie Belliard, a move that provides the club some insurance if shortstop Cristian Guzman is unhealthy or unproductive this spring.

Belliard, 31, hit a combined .272 with 13 homers and 67 RBI with Cleveland and St. Louis last season and was the Cardinals' starting second baseman during their World Series title run. But he remained unsigned this winter, perhaps in part because of recent revelations that he is involved (though not charged) in a federal extortion case, which is still pending.

Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, though, has stated his willingness to give people second chances, and Belliard would appear to fit that description. The career .272 hitter is expected to report to Viera in the next couple days and will participate in big-league camp. If he makes the Opening Day roster, he'll earn $750,000.

Based on Guzman's track record and attempted return from a torn labrum in his right shoulder, there could be a spot for Belliard in Washington. Guzman reported to camp today and said his shoulder is still not 100 percent, though he believes he'll be ready to start playing in spring-training games. If he's not healthy, the Nationals could move Felipe Lopez back to shortstop and plug Belliard in at second base.

"We don't know how Cristian is going to bounce back," Bowden said. "Certainly if he doesn't bounce back -- which we expect him too -- but if he doesn't bounce back, we have the flexibility that Felipe could go back to shortstop and Ronnie could play second. Ronnie is a pretty proven right-handed bat off the bench, which is something we need."

Saw my first-ever rocket launch this evening, and I must admit, it was pretty impressive. NASA blasted a Delta II rocket from nearby Cape Canaveral into outer space at 6:01 p.m., with five THEMIS satellites onboard. The satellites will investigate what causes auroras (known to you and I as the Northern Lights) to develop near the North Pole.

But enough scientific mumbo-jumbo. Let's talk about the launch itself. A couple other reporters and I, still finishing up our articles at the ballpark, ventured out to the top row of the third-base stands to get a good look at the proceedings, but we really didn't know what we'd be able to see. After all, the Kennedy Space Center is good 20-25 miles from Space Coast Stadium in Viera, so it wasn't like we were right on top of it.

Let me tell you, though: Even from 20 miles away, a rocket launch is an impressive sight. As soon as the Delta II took off, I immediately spotted it to our northeast. A blazing bright light shot up from the horizon, followed by a white trail of smoke. The rocket went straight up, then appeared to veer more toward the east, making the smoke trail curve. We were able to follow it for what seemed like at least two or three minutes, the continuous white trail never dissipating, before it began to fade away into the upper reaches of the atmosphere.

A quick check of NASA's launch blog revealed that this thing was traveling at 14,000 mph and had reached an altitude of 80 miles within the first five minutes. Think about that for a moment and let those numbers sink in. A typical airline jet takes almost a half-hour to reach its cruising altitude of 35,000 feet. The Delta II rocket needed only five minutes to climb to 422,400 feet and reached its initial orbit in outer space within 11 minutes! (OK, I admit it: I'm a bit of an astronomy geek. Have been since I was a little kid. Try not to hold that against me.)

Anyways, the THEMIS launch was only a precursor to the bigger NASA event of the spring: next month's launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, due to take place at 6:43 a.m. on March 15. And since my hotel happens to be in Cocoa Beach, only about five miles from the Kennedy Space Center, I am already making plans to wake up early, head outside and watch what I can only imagine is going to be an awe-inspiring sight.

So this is at least the third franchise that Frank Robinson has left with bitter feelings. It took years for him and the Cincinnati Reds to patch things up after they traded him before the 1966 season. He came back there for a ceremony to retire his number in 1998.

He left the Orioles front office after the 1995 season and still is estranged from that organization. And now he has begged off the Nationals offer of a day to honor him this season, further embarrassing the Lerner/Kasten regime.

No one has yet truly revealed what happened here, but there has to be so much more to the story. Stan Kasten is smart enough not to have purposely mishandled the departure of Robinson, so there have to be reasons why they waited until the end of the season to officially let Robinson know he wasn't coming back, when it was obvious to most by August that he would not be returning as manager. And there have to be reasons why the new ownership couldn't find a meaningful position for Robinson that would have both pleased him and served their needs.

We just don't know what those reasons are. So the Lerners and Kasten let themselves twist in the wind and take a beating.

Maybe they are taking the high road. Who knows? Robinson doesn't have a history of being the easiest personality to deal, but, ultimately, for the good of the franchise, there should have been a way to work all of this out.

But you know what? No matter how it went down, Frank Robinson gets a pass as far as I'm concerned. He's Frank Robinson, baseball royalty, and I am stunned at the lack of respect by some Nationals fans on the net for this man. It's one thing to be critical, but to read some of the comments of people who couldn't get a sniff of the greatness that was Frank Robinson -- breaking into baseball just nine years after Jackie Robinson and playing in a racially-charged city like Cincinnati -- is absurd.

And as far as his skills as a manager, he got a team in Montreal with no owner, with the threat of contraction, playing their home games before crowds of 9,000, to go 83-79 in two straight seasons, with one of those years traveling to Puerto Rico to a quarter of their home games in a horrible facility. If there was ever a reason to quit, those teams had a laundry list of them. And his leadership driving the 1989 "Why Not" Orioles to an 87-75 record and within the final weekend of winning the AL East, with a pitching staff led by Jeff Ballard and Bob Milacki, was the best managing job in Baltimore since Earl Weaver's glory days, and remains so.

One more thing. A bad and battered Nationals team managed by Robinson won 71 games last season. The Florida Marlins Joe Girardi, the National League Manager of the Year, won 78 games -- just seven more games -- with a team that allowed 100 less runs than Washington. Take Dontrelle Willis and put him in the Nationals rotation, and then put Ramon Ortiz on the mound for the Marlins. See how your manager of the year does then.

So if you feel the need to ridicule Frank Robinson, you might want to check your soul. It's missing.

OK, I know this complaint will fall on deaf ears back in D.C., which I'm told has been under six feet of ice for the last week, but it's cold here in Viera. Really cold. Like, 40 degrees. With a steady wind.

That may not sound so bad for you northerners, but it's pretty rare for these parts at this time of year. I've spent mid-February days at past spring trainings wearing shorts, flip-flops and a thick layer of SPF-45 sunblock. Today I'm wearing a long-sleeve T-shirt underneath a fleece pullover underneath a windbreaker, and I'm still shivering. Who knew I needed to bring my down parka with me?

The weather is such a concern down here that Manny Acta pushed this morning's workout back an hour to make things a little easier on his pitching staff. The last thing anyone wants is a pitcher coming up lame because he couldn't get loose. Sounds like it'll be the same scenario tomorrow, though things are finally supposed to start warming up next week.

And with that, I promise not to complain anymore about the weather. At least for today...

Disheartening news for Nats fans: Nick Johnson arrived at spring training today, and it's clear the popular first baseman still has a long way to go before returning from his broken right leg.

Johnson still walks with a slight limp, he hasn't been able to begin jogging or come close to participating in any baseball-related activities and he says he's now targeting June for his return to the lineup. (Team doctors aren't setting any timetable for a return until Johnson completes his rehab.)

A June return may even be too optimistic. To the untrained eye, Johnson doesn't look anywhere close to ready, and during his impromptu press conference with reporters earlier this afternoon, he was asked if there's a chance he won't play at all in 2007. Johnson said he's not thinking in those terms, but the mere fact that possibility is now being raised should indicate it's not out of the question.

On the bright side, Johnson was in great spirits, cracking jokes in his usual deadpan manner and shaking hands with every well-wisher who came up to say hi. He actually looks decent, not much different than pre-injury (though he says he's gained 15 pounds).

But anyone who was holding out hope for a quick recovery is getting a hard dose of reality today.

It will be interesting if the Nationals and Chad Cordero don't reach a contract deal and wind up going to arbitration. After all, the closer's numbers went from 47 saves in 2005 to 29 last year -- through no fault of his own.
Unlike 2005, last year's Nationals were not nearly in as many competitive games, so there were fewer save opportunities. Would the Nats case against paying Cordero include pointing out his drop in saves? And then would Cordero's defense be that the team stunk too bad to save anything?
They won't be much better this season, and Cordero could wind up with less than 29 -- unless, of course, he winds up in a Red Sox uniform before the start of the season. Is there any doubt that would double his 2007 save total?

One year after refusing (initially) to play left field for the Nationals, Alfonso Soriano says he's willing to try out center field with the Cubs. But it's obvious the $136 million man still isn't a big fan of his position switch.

From the Chicago Tribune:

Alfonso Soriano showed up at camp early, which manager Lou Piniella said "sends a really good message" to the rest of the team. Piniella will start Soriano in center field but wouldn't commit to him playing there at the start of the season because he wants to see how he fares. He's worried a poor defensive spring in center could affect Soriano's performance at the plate.

"I don't feel like I'm a very good outfielder," Soriano said. "I have to make a lot of adjustments. I don't feel 100 percent, though I feel comfortable. I know I have to do a lot of work."

Soriano played left field with the Nationals last year and hopes the move to center will be easier than his move from second base to left.

"I know it won't be as difficult as last year, my first time [in the outfield]," he said. "If they need me in one position, that's best for me. But you never know if someone gets hurt. Who knows?"