Revisiting trades can be brutal for some teams. Right now, the Nationals seem to have a very bright future ahead of them. However, they could be better now. In this case, when they were the Montreal Expos, the Nationals made a terrible trade. They acquired Bartolo Colon in 2002. Washington (or Montreal at the time) traded Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore, and Brandon Phillips to get Colon’s services. That off-season, Montreal traded him anyway. So they parted with three all-star caliber players to get Colon for half a season. Just imagine if that trade had not been done.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

It has been a busy off-season for the Washington Redskins, which is centered on the acquisition of Donovan McNabb. Some think that McNabb will lead the Redskins to new heights, but it is difficult to think this is true because he will not have too much to work with. From a coaching perspective, Mike Shanahan is at the top. The offensive line is garbage, and the wide receiving core is past their prime.

But Redskins fans are hoping that their running backs will produce. On paper, a running back trio comprised of Clinton Portis, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker looks good. But in reality, it is not. After some productive seasons, Willie Parker does not provide too much. And, injuries always come into question. With Larry Johnson, the risk has essentially no reward to lead to. He only averaged 3.3 yards per carry last year, and is absolutely a team distraction. Portis is a good player, but is coming off of a bad injury, and is aging a little bit, in terms of running-back standards.

The Redskins will certainly be a better team this year. At the very least, Donovan McNabb will provide a spark. But in reality, he has big names to hand off the ball to. That doesn’t mean those players will produce.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Stephen Strasburg is set to make his Major League Baseball debut on June 8th against the Pittsburgh Pirates. So far, Strasburg has a 3-1 record with a 1.27 ERA in five Triple-A starts. Everyone seems so incredibly certain that Strasburg will dominate on the Major League level. While it is possible, it is not a guarantee. If his ERA in his first start is above a 3.00, will people assume that he will not instantly dominate? And if he does do well, it will not automatically bring success. Mark Prior dominated the Pirates in his first ever start, with ten strikeouts; and look at him now.

The Nationals need something to cheer about. They have not had a winning season in an extremely long time, and have not had a superstar since Vladimir Guerrero bolted from the Montreal days. Stephen Strasburg could be the franchise’s savior. But then again, he may not be.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Yesterday, the Washington Nationals announced that their prized pitcher, Stephen Strasburg, will debut on June 8 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The debut of Strasburg has been a hot topic in the DC area for several weeks. It had been speculated by many that Strasburg would debut for the Nationals on June 4 against the Reds. Due to the speculation of Strasburg’s June 4 arrival, the game was sold out. In recent days, when it became clear that the phenom would not be starting on June 4, many fans became outraged at theperceived cash grab by the frugal club. When the announcement of Strasburg’s first start was made yesterday, fans seemed to forgive the franchise, as the June 8 fixture against the Pirates sold out in less than two hours.

It goes without saying that Stephen Strasburg will arrive in DC with massive expectations. Just a few weeks ago, former star pitcher Curt Schilling said that Strasburg will “immediately potentially be the best pitcher in the game. He’s that polished.” The Washington Nationals need Strasburg to succeed. While they are an improving team with a seemingly bright future, there just is not much buzz around them both in the DC Metro area or in the baseball world. If Strasburg comes to the club and lives up to expectations, it will be a much needed boost to a previously floundering franchise.

While many people did not believe that the Orioles were playoff contenders this season, most thought they would at least be an improved team. It was believed that their young core should be one season close to competing for a playoff spot, but by the early looks of things, this does not appear to be the case. The Orioles have sputtered out of the gate, with an American League worst 2-12 record, and their early struggles have brought manager Dave Trembley’s immediate future into question. Trembley is my early pick for first manager to get fired and as of now it would be a shock if he made it to Memorial Day.

To be blunt, the Orioles should be playing better baseball. They have a lineup full of good hitters, highlighted by Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis, and Adam Jones, and a core of decent starting pitchers with Brian Matusz and Kevin Millwood. Much of their early season struggles can be blamed on their inability to hit with runners in scoring position and struggles in the bullpen, most notably Mike Gonzalez whose ERA is a shade below 20. There is enough talent on the roster to salvage the season and play competitive games into the summer, but if they do not turn it around soon, one has to wonder if Dave Trembley will be in charge.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network

ESPN.com is reporting that Donovan McNabb is lobbying for the Redskins to sign free agent reciever Terrell Owens. This report is somewhat suprising as McNabb and Owens had a rather rocky ending to their time together in Philly. Although McNabb and Owens barely spoke to one another by the end of the 2005 season, the duo had a great deal of sucess during their brief stint in Philadelphia. In Owens’ first season as an Eagle, the team reached the Super Bowl and Owens and McNabb each had arguably their best season as a pro, despite Owens missing the final two games of the season due to a broken ankle.

Owens and McNabb reportedly talked about reuniting during a filming of the Spike TV show “Pros V. Joes” in the early spring. While the move would bring on a ton of media attention and scrutiny, the Redskins undoubtedly need a big play wide reciever. The Redskins ranked towards the bottom of the NFL in touchdowns from wide recievers. Even though Devin Thomas started to come into his own towards the end of last season, the Redskins could surely use another big wide reciever. If they were to sign Owens, a trio of Santana Moss, Devin Thomas and Owens is an upgrade over the reciving corp of recent years.

by Josh Weiner at the Sports Fan Blog Network