By Rand Paul
Obama acts as though we no longer have a Constitution
The moment Gio Gonzalez walked off the mound in the seventh inning Sunday afternoon, he figured his day was probably done. So it was that Washington Nationals manager Davey Johnson pulled his left-hander in the hope of adding some offense, and watched the game devolve into a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs over the final two innings.
"I met a guy today who had been through 49 surgeries," said Chad Tracy. "I've been through four of five myself, just to imagine a guy going through almost 50 surgeries, to see he was still a driven, confident, leader of a man really touched me."
Talented but inconsistent Henry Rodriguez will be in the bullpen to open the season for the Washington Nationals. He can be maddening but it is still too early to give up on him.
White cinder block walls lead the way. Past the security guard in need of a cup of coffee just after 8 a.m. on a cool March morning. Through the makeshift clubhouse kitchen at Space Coast Stadium where three plug-in griddles serve up pancakes and eggs with toppings stored in plastic containers.
One day after manager Davey Johnson worried that Henry Rodriguez was dealing with some inflammation in his right elbow, Rodriguez traveled with the Washington Nationals to Kissimmee and was scheduled to face the Houston Astros on Monday.
Still young enough that this is just his fourth spring training, Storen finally has made the important distinction between what he's trying to do and what the results mean.
With MLB Players' Association representatives in town for their annual meeting with the team, the topic of how to continue to clean up the game arose, as it has at spring training sites across the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.
It didn't take Mattheus long to look around the Nationals' clubhouse this spring and realize that, of the relievers on the team's 40-man roster, there is precisely one who throws with his left hand: Zach Duke.
After that October night, though, after a few days of unwinding and perspective, Storen did what he always does. He sat, and he watched, and he began the healing process. In his mind, at least, he began making himself better for the next time he stands on that mound.
Davey Johnson says he's going to retire when the Washington Nationals' 2013 season comes to an end. As Johnson met the media for the first time this spring training, it was clear he's in no rush to change a thing.
Gio Gonzalez arrived at spring training with the Washington Nationals on Tuesday and maintained he has not used performance-enhancing drugs.
They'll report to Viera, Fla., in two more weeks and begin the process of finding their place on the 2013 incarnation of the Nationals, one in which they'll try to find space for three closers.
Until last week, the Washington Nationals were set to decamp next month to the master-planned communities and chain restaurants of Viera, Fla., for spring training with a startling absence of dramatics. Enter Rafael Soriano.
Reliever Rafael Soriano and the Washington Nationals reached agreement pending a physical on a $28 million, two-year contract that includes $14 million in deferred money, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Rafael Soriano and the Washington Nationals have agreed to terms on a two-year, $28 million deal that includes a vesting option for 2015 if the former Yankees closer finishes 120 games in the next two seasons, a source confirmed Tuesday afternoon.
And a few stalls down, Drew Storen stood in front of his locker, his right arm encased in ice, trying to explain how he felt he'd cost Gonzalez a hard-earned victory.
"After Gio throws a great start, to go out there and have that beat you, it's tough," Storen said. "You gotta get the first guy out. That's the main thing. ... You do that, you have no problems."
