I originally wrote this open letter to Ted Lerner in the middle of May. I am posting this letter again because I saw it repeated in Thomas Boswell's column today and I am glad it is getting some traction! There is a serious problem. The Nats are on pace to be near the record for the worst mark in the history of baseball.  I am still surprised that Stan Kasten refuses to take a flyer on 43 year old Tom Glavine who was released by the Braves this week. Am I the only person who thinks Tom Glavine could be a mentor, a leader to this young pitching staff? He sure could put fannies in the seats. However, Stan Kasten told me that the Nats won't make a bid to get Glavine. Go Figure! I did see an article in the Washington Post about the Nationals TV ratings being up, but that means 12,000 viewers which is still the lowest in baseball. This letter written a couple of weeks ago is still accurate and while I am cautiously optimistic about the future of this ball club, the Nats are teetering on the brink of disaster! What folows is the original open letter.

Dear Mr. Lerner,

Please get Manny Acta some real pitchers! It's a tragedy to see the Nats score runs every game only to battle out of a 3- or 4-run deficit. It's unbearable to watch. You are a businessman. You now have an offensive product that is somewhat fun to watch and if there was any pitching to offer a fair chance at winning, I would bet you'd be able to sell some tickets.

Ryan Zimmerman had to wait seemingly forever to get a long-term deal out of you. What? Are you serious about this team? All he did was hit safely in 30 consecutive games and he's batting .366. He deserves a chance to win every night. When I went on the air Friday night before the start of this 11-game home stand, the Nationals were only six-and-a-half games behind the first-place Mets. There was some guarded optimisim.

The first three batters in your lineup are all batting better than .325, with your cleanup hitter batting .295 and a threat to hit a homerun every at-bat. Please, give them some support! When you bought this team, you gave this town hope and excitement. Now you have an empty ball park filled with empty promises. Manny Acta is not the problem. Pitching is the problem and the Blame is yours!

BRING BASEBALL BACK TO WASHINGTON!

A filly won the Preakness for the first time since 1924. Does that year sound familiar? Washington won the World Series in 1924. If a girl can win after 85 years, can you?