From Barry Prophet in Reston:
What was the atmosphere like in San Francisco last night when Bonds finally broke the record? How did it compare to other sporting events you've covered?
Mark Zuckerman:
Wow, I have to say it was really something. Like a lot of people there, I really didn't know what to expect. But when Bonds absolutely crushed that ball to the deepest part of the park, the whole place exploded. Just a total sensory overload as I tried to watch every single thing going on -- Bonds, the crowd, the Nats -- and then a truly stunning moment when Hank Aaron appeared on the video board. Where does it rank among sporting events I've covered? Well, it's up there, but I don't think anything will ever top the 2001 World Series, both the emotional games at Yankee Stadium and the thrilling Game 7 in Arizona.

From Sec. 526 @ RFK in Silver Spring:
On some recent online colums and blogs, I've been reading rather disparaging comments about Jim Bowden's veracity as a Nats general manager, especially how he overvalues his players during trade talks. Is this an industry-wide view of Bowden and does that prevent any teams from wanting to deal with the Nats?
Mark Zuckerman:
Certainly there is a perception around the game that Bowden asks for too much in trade talks, though he would dispute that to some extent. Thing is, wouldn't you rather have a GM who asks for too much than one who asks for too little? Would you prefer he had traded Chad Cordero for anything less than a top prospect or two? And no, I don't think the perception prevents him from making deals with other teams. If a GM thinks he's got a good trade in the works, he'll make the deal no matter what he thinks of Bowden.

From Jim Storey in Sarasota, Fla.:
Hey Mark, do you think the Nationals will make a trade before the August 31 deadline to help us not only the rest of this year but also for the future?
Mark Zuckerman:
I think Bowden will make lots of phone calls and listen to lots of offers over the next three weeks. But I also think it's going to be tougher to strike a waiver/trade deal this year than it was a year ago, because the Nats don't have a lot of players who can clear waivers. Livan Hernandez, Marlon Anderson and Daryle Ward were all logical candidates last summer. There's little chance of Cordero or Rauch passing through this time around. One possibility, though: Ray King, who has quietly pitched pretty well for the last two months and has postseason experience.

From Rachel in Fairfax:
With all of the "bad blood" between Frank Robinson and Nationals' management, not to mention his personal feelings about Barry Bonds, do you think it was awkward or uncomfortable for him to be in San Francisco with them this week? Were you able to talk to him at all about this?
Mark Zuckerman:
Talked briefly with Frank about the whole thing, though we were just chatting and not on the record. Yes, he has some personal feelings about Bonds and steroids in general (and he's not exactly a fan of certain members of the Nats front office). But he rightly understood his job last night was to represent the commissioner and MLB, and he did what he should have done. He even spoke a few minutes with Jim Bowden the other night, and was very happy to see his old players, coaches and others from the Nats.

From Tom in Fairfax Station:
When are the Nats going to ditch Chad Cordero and get a real closer? As of today (Aug 8), Chad has blown about 25% of his save opportunities. If he had converted those 8 opportunities, the Nats would be tied with the Braves for 2nd place and only 3.5 games behind the Mets.
Mark Zuckerman:
I think you're being a bit harsh on Cordero. How many closers have zero blown saves this season? Also, four of those eight blown saves came in the first month of the season, so he's been quite effective for the last three-plus months. That said, there are some who just don't believe Chad is closer material, including some in the Nats organization. I don't see a change being made, though, not unless he really slumps or someone else really steps up to threaten his job.

From misschatter in Falls Church:
So how cosmic was it that your regular beat caught up to you on special assignment (Bonds watch)? Did your press box seat improve over what it would have been had the opposing team been someone other than the Nats? How exciting was it to be there to cover it (and I assume more comfy being wholly familiar with the Giants' opponent!)?
Mark Zuckerman:
Wow, I try not to brag about these kinds of things, but I have to say I was quite prescient (is that the right word?) about this whole matter. I just had a sense all along Bonds was going to break the record this week against the Nats. My press box seat could not have been better. Because I cover the visiting team, I and my beatwriting cohorts Barry Svrluga and Bill Ladson were literally in the first row directly behind the plate of what is already a really low, close press box. Had some other team been in town instead, I would have been back in the second row and down the line a little ways. I truly feel blessed to have been able to be there in that situation last night.

From jpsfanandproudofit from state of confusion:
Mark, Your article on John Patterson's return from Toronto was very brief. However, Howard Fendrich of the AP wrote a much longer article with expanded quotes from Jim Bowden - favorable to Patterson - and a quote from Manny Acta, which appeared in many small newspapers around the country. In this area we look to our hometown newspapers, the Times and the Post, to give us complete coverage of our hometown team, the Nationals. It seem that we are not getting the full coverage we deserve - and pay for. Didn't you and the other area writers have access to the same information that the AP writer did? How come we did not get the full story? And please don't tell me space limitations - you could have put it in your online blog. Now having said that, could you tell us if Patterson has gone to Viera yet, and will you keep us posted on his progress? Thanks.
Mark Zuckerman:
Honestly, I thought I gave the Patterson story the space it merited, which was a fairly lengthy lead item in my daily notebook. I also included Bowden's quote in which he expressed his sympathy for Patterson. Howard, a very good writer who I am friends with, decided to include more detail. ... Regarding John's rehab, I believe he is now in Viera and beginning the process that he hopes will have him back on a major-league mound in September. I will, however, be sure to ask around for some updates and then pass them on to everyone.

From Brian in Alexandria:
With the August 15th deadline to sign 2007 draft picks looming, have the Nationals given any indication of what signings they have recently made to sign international players? Jim Bowden mentioned at one point that they could use the money budgeted for Josh Smoker and/or Jack McGeary to sign international players.
Mark Zuckerman:
Haven't heard anything from the Nats about international signings in a while. They did announce a handful of signings of lower-profile players from the Dominican a few weeks ago, but nothing on par with last summer's Esmailyn Gonzalez deal. My hunch is that Bowden was using the threat of diverting draft signing money to sign foreign players as a ploy to pressure Smoker and McGeary into signing. Evidently, that hasn't worked yet. I still believe, though, that the Nats will sign at least one of those two top draft picks before next week's deadline.

From Paul in PEI, Canada:
What do you think the impact of the new stadium will be on a few of the Nats' players currently hitting lots of doubles but fewer homers such as Church, Kearns and Young? Will the new park turn some of those warning track fly outs into homers? More significantly, will it change their mindset given that RFK dimensions seem to have gotten into some of their heads?
Mark Zuckerman:
That's a really interesting question, and one we won't truly know the answer to until the new park opens next year. Obviously, the fences (particularly in the gaps) will be shorter than at RFK, and that should lead to more home runs. Whether that takes away doubles, I'm not sure. There could be other quirks in the outfield wall that help turn singles/outs at RFK into doubles at the new place. I do believe that many players will be happy to move into the new park for both offensive (and personal comfort) reasons.

From Lloyd in Fredericksburg:
Now that Bonds has broken the record, what direction do the Giants move? They're truly a terrible team that is old and expensive.
Mark Zuckerman:
It's been lost among all the Bonds hoopla, but man are the Giants a bad team! It's one thing to be young and bad, but they're old and bad, and they face a long rebuilding process. Look for that to start happening next year, with GM Brian Sabean trying to build his team around young stud pitchers Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain and free-agent-bust-to-date Barry Zito.

From Judson Drennen in Washington:
NOW THAT THE LERNERS HAVE OWNED THE TEAM A YEAR AND BOWDENS BEEN HERE TWO YEARS: CAN THEY GIVE A REPORT ON HOW BAD MLB #$%^*@ THE EXPOS ONCE TOP NOTCH FARM SYSTEM? THE NATS FARM SYSTEMS RATED AT THE BOTTOM OF MOST ALL PUBLICATIONS AND THIS ONLY COULD HAVE HAPPENED ON MLB'S WATCH WHEN THEY "SHARED" OWNERSHIP THAT YEAR.
Mark Zuckerman:
First of all, please do not SUMBIT QUESTIONS THAT ARE IN ALL CAPS. IT MAKES IT VERY DIFFICULT TO READ AND COMES ACROSS LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING!!! But anyways, the Nats have not been shy in talking about how their farm system was cleaned out during MLB's reign of terror. That's the primary reason why the organization has had to undergo such a massive overhaul. But I don't think there was any sinister reason for MLB to do it. Former GM Omar Minaya had every reason to believe his team was going to be contracted, so he traded away a bunch of prospects (who sadly turned into absolute studs) in exchange for players who tried to help the Expos win immediately. In hindsight, that didn't exactly work out so well.

From Screecher in Washington:
Hey Mark, So how is it for Brian Schneider, being immortalized forever in the photos and highlight videos standing behind Bonds as he knocks out #756?
Mark Zuckerman:
Asked Brian about that after the game last night, and he had some great things to say about it. He's a baseball history buff, and he absolutely understood the significance of the moment. He just wanted to soak it all in from, as he put it, "the best seat in the house." (Yes, even better than my press box seat). Look for more Bonds reaction from Schneider and the rest of the Nats in a story I'm working on for tomorrow's paper.

And with that, we will wrap things up for this week. Thanks to everyone for a strong showing of good questions today. Keep 'em coming next week when we reconvene from back home at RFK. Until then...