Quartet taking charge for Nats

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VIERA, Fla. -- There were times last year when Brian Schneider, Ryan Zimmerman, Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez wanted to speak up about problems in the Washington Nationals clubhouse but didn't.

Their reasons varied. Zimmerman was a rookie, and rookies just don't do that sort of thing. Kearns and Lopez were newcomers, acquired in midseason from Cincinnati, and didn't yet feel comfortable enough. Schneider was something of a veteran with the franchise but still was outranked by several teammates with more service time, so he kept quiet.

"When you've got older guys, sometimes you go to speak and someone else shuts you down," Schneider said. "Now I feel better. I'm starting to get more experienced and older, and it's time for me to step up into that role."

He'll have help this year. Manager Manny Acta decided this winter to appoint a four-member "committee" of leaders in the Washington clubhouse -- Schneider, Zimmerman, Kearns and Lopez -- hoping this quartet can grow together and form the sort of internal police force this club so desperately needs.

"This is a perfect opportunity for these guys," Acta said. "They've been in the big leagues just about the same time, four or five years. And right now we lack those guys that we had in the past. ... It's time for those guys to take care of that clubhouse and take care of this team."

Acta said this yesterday morning, only a few minutes before those four joined 67 others in taking to the field for the Nationals' first full-squad workout. With so many players in camp, there are plenty of opportunities for problems to arise.

That's where Schneider, Zimmerman, Kearns and Lopez come in. If any of them sees or hears something he doesn't like, it's now his job to take care of things.

"I don't see too many problems right now, but if there is, you have to be one of those people who steps in and stops it right away," Schneider said. "I'm very comfortable doing it. I look forward to it."

When Jose Vidro was traded to Seattle in December, Schneider became the senior player on the Washington roster, having made his debut with the Montreal Expos in 2000. But with less than six years of major league service time, the 30-year-old catcher isn't exactly a time-tested veteran.

But on this young team, service time practically counts double, so Schneider seemed a natural choice for clubhouse leader. Acta certainly thought so, even as far back as October when he and Schneider traveled to Japan together as part of a touring American all-star team.