"I check out those standings. It's pretty cool," reliever Chad Cordero said. "We're not 'the worst team in baseball' anymore.

Minnesota Twins (29-29) vs. Washington Nationals (24-36)

If there’s such a thing as a true Washington Nationals fan, it can’t be an easy task. Whether it’s the steady diet of Christian Guzman, the fact Jim Bowden is the GM, or the prospect of having your ticket prices jacked up despite the lack of quality product on the field , there’s plenty to gripe about in the Nation’s capital. I guess it's all a matter of perspective when an organization chooses to suck now in order to build something better for the long-haul.

In Stan We Trust
In 2007 the National’s presented to their fans a radical plan to reinvigorate a franchise and when we say radical, we mean radical. Writes Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post :

To find out the truth, the Nats slashed the budget and scrounged the depths of the game for cheap players with any glimmer of talent, then devoted this season to what amounts to six months of open tryouts. The risk: a joke team that might alienate fans. The reward: discovering diamonds, at almost no cost, that a blank-slate franchise never could unearth except with such a radical plan.

The silver lining in all this, despite the presence of Jim Bowden, the lead architect is Stan Kasten. Kasten was Ted Turner’s right-hand man and left Atlanta with a strong legacy of achievement. Because the plan is a work in progress, this week, just for fun, we’ll put Kasten ‘On the Grill’ From the same article, here are a few of Kasten's achievements:

Among Kasten's legacies in Atlanta was trading for (and later trading away) NBA all-star Dominique Wilkins,hiring Braves General Manager John Schuerholz, signing pitcher Greg Maddux and overseeing the construction of both Philips Arena, a gleaming glass edifice that is considered one of the most innovative basketball and hockey venues in the country, and Turner Field, the Braves' ballpark, which evolved from the Olympic Stadium that served as the centerpiece of the 1996 Atlanta Games.

If there is a knock on Kasten in Atlanta, it is that he won just one championship -- the Braves' 1995.

The Lerner Group
Kasten, who was bidding separately to own the Nationals, in the end, brought himself and his minority partners into Lerner Group which was headed by 80 year old hall-of-fame businesman Theodore "Ted" Lerner who had been itching to bring baseball back to Washington D.C. for a long time.

Ted Lerner has been trying to get into the MLB ownership game for more than 30 years (he showed interest or bid on the Orioles and Giants in recent years). As he was quoted in the Washington Post, “After the heartbreak of seeing our Senators leave the city twice, I never thought that I’d ever see big league baseball return to D.C. in my lifetime,” Lerner said. “Now that it is back, I am deeply committed to assuring that it remains here, is played in a first-class facility which people can enjoy, and is operated in a way that brings the community a common source of pride and joy that serves as a community bond. I hope this will be a lasting legacy I can leave to my family and to the community where I was born and raised.”

The team is essentially run my Kasten, Lerner's son and son-in-law. It should be noted that Kasten and The Lerner's are no Zygi Wilf, and that's a good thing for the fan's in DC. These guys, guided by the steady hand of Kasten know what they are doing and back it up with conviction. Peel back the onion on Kasten’s grand plan, and you quickly realize that it’s more than just a snappy catchphrase. This interview from the Biz of Baseball encapsulates Kasten’s core strategy in his own words:

Kasten: It's not a secret formula. It's something that has been proven many, many times in different contexts. You have to build from the ground up in baseball, it's very much a development sport, unlike basketball. In baseball you really need to focus on scouting, player development and minor leagues. All those things require time and money, and we're absolutely determined and dedicated to do it that way. Those that would provide not just money, but the time. And time is even more important than money, in many cases. These owners want to build long term success; they understand that it will take a little while longer to build it that way, but when we finally turn the corner, the success we have will be much longer lasting.

Evidence of the Kasten and the Lerner Ownership group, can be found in a draft “war room” which is stocked with high-profile, experienced talent evalatuors. Here’s an article actually penned by Bowden from the Examiner Online. Here's how Kasten describes his slow-growth approach:

"I know you don't understand the concept that 'Money once spent is gone forever,' " Kasten said, "but it is true, nonetheless. If you waste millions now then you don't have it later when it can help win a pennant."

But Do the Bloggers Buy The Plan?
Predictably, the plan, and Boswell's interpretation of it has its vocal skeptics and suprisingly those nayayers are the Nats Bloggers. In a rare show of candor, a WashPost staffer consolidates those beefs for anyone interested. It's also interesting how badly attendance has suffered as they try and implement "the plan."

The bottom line is that while it is way to early to evaluate the plan, the Nats are still not a very good team but they no longer appear to be on a course to be historically bad either. One of the funnier things I read was this headline from May 29th regarding the National's performance to date was this Onion-esque headline which I believe was actually an AP story: Suprising Nationals are not so terrible after all

Nuggets
1.) Not only have the Nat's dumped alcohol in the clubhouse, the Colonel is no longer welcome either.

2.) Nats starter Mike Bacsik spent his offseason in 2005 as an intern with Dallas sports talk radio station 1310 The Ticket in Dallas. He purports to be an NBA expert - a claim you might dispute after reading his various takes.

3.) Speaking of the the little things. Nat's manager Manny Acta, known for his relentless optimism, has been trying to set a tone in regard to hustle. Anyone who thinks this approach will work long term, let's see a show of hands.

Have Your Cakes and Eat Them Too
Unfortunately it's been a hellish week here - our main sewer line collapsed last week - and until yesterday I had two eleven feet deep holes in the front yard, a smashed up basement floor and about 6 guys with shovels and a big digging machine outside. On top of that the line ran beneath and 80 year-old Red Oak - and the fix put the tree in some serious peril, making my wife cry everytime she thought of losing the tree. On top of that, my daughter's birthday party is Saturday and I've been busy getting ready for a 6-girl backyard campout, complete with s'mores, outdoor movies, and a cookout, so this week's OTG feels a little more like Christian Guzman's sub-par rehab efforts than some of the more robust entries by the guest bloggers.

Anyway - this recipe is dedicated to my better half. An east-coaster, who grew up a scant 90 miles or so from DC. Whenever we go back to her home, if we get a chance to sneak off for a meal alone I can pretty much guarantee you, she'll be having the crabcakes.

This is a pretty simple and traditional crabcake recipe and instead of the traditional pan-frying technique, these are done on the grill on a fish grid, which is essentially, like a cookie sheet with a bunch of holes. There are fancier recipes with more exotic ingredients, and I don't see why other variations couldn't be handled in the same way.

One of the keys to making sure the cakes hold together, is chilling them for an hour or more in a cold fridge. Also if you don't have a fish grid, a pizza pan with holes or if they are chilled enough and if you are brave and the grill is very clean, you could attempt at your own risk to cook them on the grate. (You could also fashion a low-budget one with tin foil. One technique I use when I cook fish sometimes is to wet a rag with oil and use my tongs to wipe the grate with oil to prevent sticking. Anyway.

I like to serve these as an appetizer, but with a nice salad and maybe a potato or your vegetable of choice, it's sturdy enough fare for a main course.

Makes 4 cakes.

1 lb of crabmeat (use Lump or Backfin, don’t use “special” or claw), carefully separated of any shell

2 slices of white bread, crusts removed and cut into small bits

mix together:
1 egg
1 heaping tblspn mayo
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp Old Bay
2- dashes Worcestershire Sause

Gently add the crabmeat, bread and egg mix together, form into four patties and place in fridge for one hour to an hour and a half.

Prepare medium-hot charcoal fire (approximately 375)

Place fish grid on top of grill in standard direct position

Oil Fish grid with spray or wipe with an oiled paper towel or rag

Place patties on fish grid, grill direct for approximately 10 minutes, then flip and grill another 7 or 8 minutes (leave them on the first side longer so that they will flip without falling apart). They should be golden brown and a little crisp on the outside. Serve with lemon wedges and homemade cocktail sauce:

2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon horseradish
3-4 drops of tabasco sauce
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

Combine all the ingredients. If you want a little bit hotter, add more tabasco sauce.

I don't think you can find it here, but I don't mind a cold Yuengling Lager with my Crabcakes. But I'll leave to BrianS, E-6 or maybe Will or another one of the fine readers of this online magazine to provide the perfect pairing.

Have a great weekend.

PS - I'll be North of Border next week on a special mission, so if anyone desires to pinch hit for OTG drop a note in the comments, otherwise, we'll be back to regular programming in a couple of weeks.