From Brian in Alexandria, VA:
When are the rest of the Nationals minor leaguers scheduled to arrive in Viera?
Mark Zuckerman:
There are already 42 guys working out at the Nats' accelerated minor-league camp, but the rest of the farmhands will be joining them soon. Minor-league pitchers and catchers report March 4, with position players arriving two days later. Minor-league games begin March 17. If you're planning to come down to Florida, it's worth a stop over at the Carl Barger Complex to see the kids. Remember, you'll be seeing plenty of them in Washington in short order (maybe even before 2007 is up).

From Tina in Tysons Corner, VA:
Bowden called Ronnie Belliard an 'asset' when the Nats acquired him, meaning a property the team could trade later in the season. Seems likely the nats would trade away some of the veteran players -- Belliard, Young, Lee -- if they perform in the first half of the season. But what about Cordero, who would have the most trade value of all?
Mark Zuckerman:
You're correct in assuming the Ronnie Belliards, Dmitri Youngs and Travis Lees are likely to be dealt before July 31 if they play well in Washington. That's one reason why Jim Bowden signed them in the first place. He's said on more than one occasion that good teams aren't just built in the offseason, they're built in July at the trading deadline. Now, would Chad Cordero fall into that category? Certainly there was interest in Chief this winter, especially from the Red Sox. And certainly there could continue to be interest in a quality closer like him come summer. But Bowden's going to have to absolutely be blown away by a trade offer to deal him. He asked Boston for uber-pitching prospect Craig Hanson over the winter and was quickly shot down. That's the type of player the Nats need to get in return, though.

From JammingEcono in Arlington, VA:
Mark, what's Nook Logan looking like with the bat? Is he improving at all under Mitchell Paige's tutelage?
A: Logan is spending considerable time working with Nats hitting coach Mitchell Page, especially from the left side of the plate (where he's had trouble in the past). It's hard to say whether he's making any strides yet, because we haven't seen him in actual game situations. But it bears close watching this spring. I've been a little surprised the way Manny Acta has basically named Nook his starting center fielder despite the lack of a track record. Obviously, Logan is tremendous with the glove, and that has value in itself. But he's never proven he can hit consistently in the big leagues. If he struggles this spring, would the Nats look elsewhere?

From Carroll in Arlington, VA:
2 questions: How is Nick Johnson doing? Does Zim still have that silly moustache and goatee!
Mark Zuckerman:
All things considered, Nick's doing OK. But he's still got a long way to go before he's ready to play major-league baseball. His primary goal right now is as simple as being able to begin jogging, and he hasn't done that yet. I sat in the dugout and talked with him for a while yesterday, and it was obvious how much he wishes he could be out there with his teammates. (He also wishes he could be playing golf in the afternoons.)

Zimmerman, meanwhile, has kind of a scraggly beard going on this spring. Perhaps once it comes in completely, it'll look OK. Right now, I have to say I'm not a big fan.

From Derek on Capitol Hill:
What's the working relationship with the other beat reporters like? Do you guys have canned insults for the Post reporters, and they for you? or a weekly poker game in viera or something? do any of the beat reporters down there have a playstation?
Mark Zuckerman:
Ah, now we're getting down to the nitty gritty. This is the stuff real fans want to know about! The relationship between all the beat guys is very good. We spend so much time together that we know each other better than many of our co-workers from our actual newspapers (not to mention our family members in some cases). There's some good-natured ribbing that goes on between us, from Barry Svrluga's obsession with Duke basketball to Bill "Rocket" Ladson's obsession with the movie "Ray" to our own Ken Wright's obsession with ... well, anything that gets in his way and prevents him from working. But it's all in good fun. Sorry, but no poker games or Playstation fans in the group.

From Miss Chatter in D.C.:
Do you know if the former PA announcer sat and scored games while announcing in order to be clear when defensive replacements were made/lineup changes occurred? I'm not picking on him - just curious if you were able to observe him.
Mark Zuckerman:
Oh, we were able to observe him up close and personal. He sat right down the row from us in the press box, and with his booming voice, it was impossible to ignore his every word. There's been plenty written and said about him elsewhere, and I don't want to pile on, but let's just say he was not very versed in baseball as a whole. That probably came across from the mispronunciations to the missed defensive changes, etc. The guy who has been hired to replace him (he filled in a few times last season) seemed to do a better job and have a better understanding of baseball.

From Brian in Mount Vernon, VA:
Any word on who gets the first crack in LF once the games begin? Is the time going to be split equitably between the three primary competitors?
Mark Zuckerman:
Ryan Church will get the first crack. Like Nook Logan in CF, Manny Acta has said repeatedly that Church is the left fielder. How long he is remains to be seen, though I suspect we'll be seeing plenty of Ryan through the first couple weeks of games. Alex Escobar, one of the fallback options, is still recovering from his dislocated shoulder and won't be able to play the field until March 15 or so. Chris Snelling will also get some time, and Kory Casto (who will also be playing some third base to spell Ryan Zimmerman) will also show up in LF from time to time.

From Brent in Gaithersburg:
So, what's it like down there? Do you ever see any of the Nats out on the town? Get to share a beer with any of the players off the clock?
Mark Zuckerman:
Viera is a charming place ... if you find strip malls, chain restaurants and miles and miles of empty swampland charming. No, actually there are some decent places to hang out at night once you find them. For dinner, there's always Bonefish Willy's, Pineda Crossing or Charlie and Jake's. And I'm told there's a beach within walking distance of my hotel (not that I've come close to having time to see it with my own eyes). Every once in a while, we'll run into Nats players having dinner or drinks, but we generally keep to ourselves. Nod and say hello to them, and vice versa, but they don't want to think we're spying on them at night, and we don't want to make them uncomfortable.

From John in Washington, DC:
Hey Mark, thanks for hosting the chat. What should we take from Manny Acta setting a rotation for the intrasquad and first 3 Grapefruit League games? Should those 7 pitchers be considered the front-runners to make the 25-man roster?
Mark Zuckerman:
It was obviously interesting to find out from Manny who will be starting these first few games. And it's fun to extrapolate that stuff out and try to guess who's going to be in the Opening Day rotation. But we have to be careful not to read too much into it. So much can change between now and April 2, and the rotation is set up right to be flexible so changes can be made down the road. This much we know: John Patterson, who starts Saturday against the Orioles, is in line to pitch Opening Day. Shawn Hill, who starts Friday against the Dodgers, is highly thought of and appears to be a solid choice as long as he's healthy. Tim Redding has experience and is well-liked by Acta. Matt Chico is turning a lot of heads at camp. But Jerome Williams, Joel Hanrahan, Beltran Perez, Jason Simontacchi and Colby Lewis will have plenty of opportunities to make their cases for jobs.

From Roxie in Arlington:
Who do you predict will be the Nats' star player this season? Any word what Frank Robinson is doing these days?
Mark Zuckerman:
Star? On this team? There's really only one legitimate choice: Ryan Zimmerman. He nearly won Rookie of the Year, improved as the season went on, has a limitless future and is clearly the face of the franchise for the next decade. Everyone else pales in comparison. That said, there are some other guys on the roster who I could see blossoming into a star, either this season or down the road. John Patterson, when he's on, is as dominating as any pitcher in baseball. Chad Cordero is proving he wasn't a one-hit wonder and can be a top-flight closer for a long time. Nick Johnson, before he broke his leg last September, was turning in an outstanding season and fulfilling people's predictions that he could someday be a batting champion. Austin Kearns has potential, now it's time to see if he can rise to the star level. And down in the minor leagues are guys named Chico, Casto, Gonzalez, Marrero, Willems and Zinicola, who all could prove to be better than anyone else already in the big leagues. But we're going to have to be patient with them.

From Bill in Laurel, MD:
do you think there is any chance the nationals could still add some other major leaguers this spring, either by trade or signing some guy who hasn't signed yet? or if someone from another team is released sometime during the spring?
Mark Zuckerman:
I wouldn't put anything past Jim Bowden, who's never been afraid to sign a guy or pull off a trade days before his club breaks camp. But there's not a whole lot out there. I suppose if the Nationals' starting pitching is so wretched this spring that something must be done, he could cave in and pay a guy like Mark Redman $3 million-plus to come in. But Bowden would have to be pretty desperate. Trades, however, are always a possibility with this GM.

From Rachel in Fairfax, VA:
What is the biggest difference between spring training last year and this year? How is Manny Acta's managing style different from Frank Robinson's (from what you've seen so far)?
A: I'd say the biggest difference is the hustle and enthusiasm we're seeing from players and coaches alike. It also seems to be developing into a pretty close-knit clubhouse, with guys of all types sitting down to eat lunch together, no loud music blaring and smiles all around. Acta does some things the same as Frank did, but there are plenty of new things he's doing. This morning, Manny conducted a situational fielding drill with the entire team. And he was the one holding the fungo bat and putting the ball into play. We didn't see that the last two years here.

From Miss Chatter in D.C.:
Hi again, Mark! Any idea when first cuts will be made?
Mark Zuckerman:
No official word on first cuts yet, but they won't be far off (probably not long after the games begin). There will, however, be a boatload of guys reassigned to minor-league camp, because the Nats have to start paring this thing down soon. Can't find at-bats and innings for 72 guys on a regular basis, unless every game goes 17 innings. And believe me, no one wants to sit through that!

And with that, it's time to say goodbye for now. Thanks as always for all your questions, and sorry to those we couldn't get to. If you still haven't gotten enough, check back in Thursday at 2 p.m. when my boisterous colleague Thom Loverro takes the reins for his own live chat. So long!