In The News

GQ Magazine named Stephen Strasburg as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful People in Washington, DC (after the President & Vice President). He was the only sports figure to make the list. Come on! I'm a Strasburg fan, and I'm not a Georgetown basketball fan, but hey! John Thompson III didn't make the list, but Strasburg did?

Several of last year's Chiefs are on Washington's 40-man roster: Yunkesky Maya, Atahualpa Severino, Jhonatan Solano, Steve Lombardozzi, Chris Marrero to name a few.

My most favorite and least favorite players are both non-roster invitees to spring training: Carlos Maldonado & Corey Brown.

And finally, the local paper reported last week that the county is contemplating selling the stadium to the team. My first question: does that mean the ushers will no longer be county union employees?

Brett Axe interviewed John Simone about this story and other upcoming changes, including the probability of a new scoreboard by opening day! YES!

Double-digit countdown to opening day.

I can't wait.

Shame On Me: An Apology

In my last post, I shared that Zech Zincola (I still love that name!) has been suspended for 50 games for using an illegal substance. I stated that it was performance enhancing drug use.

MY BAD.

After over 30 years of hanging with journalists and other news types, I know I should have dug a little deeper before posting something as serious as drug abuse. On the other hand, I am not a journalist, nor have I ever claimed to be a journalist. I'm probably not even a pundit. I'm just a fan. A crackpot theorist.  But I shouldn't have written that he was using illegal performance-enhancing drugs without checking and verifying. Lesson learned.

ZECH: I APOLOGIZE.

And thank you to Anonymous who pointed out to me that Zech wasn't using illegal performance-enhancing drugs, but had tried some synthetic marijuana then was tested.

A second time.

"I got done playing winter ball and I decided to have a little fun," Zinicola told MLB.com. "I tried out this synthetic marijuana. I tried it a few times ... and I got drug tested. It's pretty much what it is. I take responsibility for it. There is no excuse."

Same here. Not about the synthetic marijuana (of which I have never heard) but the "responsibility" part. The "no excuse" part.

Zech, next time you're in Syracuse, I owe you a beer.

Fool Me Twice

Zech Zinicola.

Isn't that a great name? I love good names. In fact, Zech was the Chief's entry in Minor League Baseball's Best Name contest this year. Naturally I voted for him.

And he has beautiful eyes. His picture doesn't do his eyes justice. When I spoke to him on autograph day, I was completely taken by his eyes. I'm going to use those eyes in a book.

Well, Zech's been in the news this week. He's earned himself a 50-game suspension after a second violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program for a drug of abuse.

A second violation.

I can understand wanting something so badly that you'll do almost anything to achieve it. I empathize with feeling frustrated when all the hard work one has put into something still isn't enough to make it to the big leagues (literally & figuratively).  We all make mistakes. To err is human, and all that. What I don't understand is making the same mistake twice.

If you were caught using an illegal substance once, wouldn't you feel a little . . . worried you might be on the radar for additional random testing? If I were in charge of testing, that's how I would think.

Zech: I hope this is a wake-up call for you. There are better ways to achieve your career goal -- your dreams -- than cheating your way to the top. And performance enhancing drugs are cheating.

Vacation Defined

According to Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language: vacation 1. a period of suspension of work, study, or other activity, usually used for rest, recreation, or travel; recess or holiday; 3. freedom or release from duty, business, or activity; 5. to take or have a vacation.

Travel isn't something TV Stevie and I do. Oh, we took the Chromos to Niagara Falls overnight a couple of times when they were young. In 2006, we drove to Columbus, Ohio for a film festival and took the Chromos with us. We ended up going to a couple of Clippers games -- they were still the NY Yankees' Triple A team, and it was the final year in that stadium, so our timing was good. And the year Y-Chromo had his college freshman orientation, TV Stevie and I stayed on Long Island and visited friends in Manhattan while Y oriented.

We are not vacationers in the common sense of the word.

Our Syracuse Chiefs season tickets are our vacation. Every night when a home game is scheduled, we leave behind our regular world and escape to Section 207. We eat out -- usually a hot dog and lemonade, but sometimes chicken tenders and fries (we split the platter), or even a bowl of chili on really cold nights. And if my day has been particularly challenging, there's Dinosaur and a beer. I'm not cooking, I'm not washing dishes: I'm on vacation.

Reality slips away as I watch the game. In her book, SAFE AT HOME, Alyssa Milano says, "...unlike hockey or basketball, where you have to focus every second in case you miss something, watching a baseball game is a leisurely, slow-paced affair . . . " She goes on to say, "The place that restores me is the ballpark."

Isn't the point of a vacation to escape life for a while and simply relax? Isn't a vacation supposed to be restorative? By definition, baseball is vacation for this fan. My vacation season lasts from early April to around Labor Day. I am blessed.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

T

The Nats traded Tommy Milone and Brad Peacock to Oakland.

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Gifts

Chris Marrero is out until at least the All-Star Break. Guess we'll have to get used to a new 1st baseman.

And there's a lot of talk about Brad Peacock and Tommy Milone joining Strasburg in the Nats' pitching rotation. How cool is that?

Colin Ballester is gone -- a gift for The Maven.

Jesus Flores was tendered a contract with the Nats.

Seth Bynum has signed for another season with Syracuse.

In fact, Seth and Brad Peacock will be in Syracuse for the Hot Stove event in February. There's a gift idea: tickets to the Hot Stove.  Former Chief Carlos Delgado and new manager Tony Beasley will be there, too.

The Chiefs are promoting the Ladies of Summer ticket package as a holiday gift idea. And it's a good one, if you don't go to a lot of games. Personally, I think season ticket holders who happen to be female should also get one of the Ladies of Summer coffee mugs.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

Matt Antonelli

Brief update:

The MLB Winter Meetings are over. The Nats lost Brad Meyer in the Rule 5 Draft. They also didn't sign the starter or center fielder for whom they were looking. Rumor has it Bryce Harper will start the season with the Nats, bypassing Triple A altogether.

Dang. I'd like to see him at least once.


In other "news", several weeks ago, I contacted Matt Antonelli, who has an interesting blog, and asked him if he'd answer some questions for me. I'm writing baseball fiction now, and need to know day-in-the-life kind of stuff. Matt graciously agreed to my request. Then life happened to him: he got engaged; he signed with Baltimore; needed his team physical, and so on. He finally answered my list of questions this week. I wasn't worried. He's had a lot on his plate, and he was doing me a huge favor. Great answers. His sense of humor came through very clearly. He's a great guy and he'll be missed in Syracuse for sure.