I'm taking my last final exam tonight and then packing up my stuff and heading home tomorrow. Sorry, but I won't be blogging again until tomorrow.

What an outing today! In the first game I actually got to watch on TV for quite a while, Redding pitched what was for the most part a gem. While he tailed off a bit after I stopped watching, he threw 6 and 1/3 innings and allowed 6 hits, 1 run (on an Adam Laroche HR) and struck out 5 Pirates against 0 walks. He tossed 96 pitches, 64 of which were strikes. He and Lo Duca were definitely on the same page (trust me, Carpenter and Sutton let us know about once per batter), and his fastball, off-speed stuff and breaking pitches were all "on" today. Maybe this is the pitcher Redding was once supposed to be (look at 2000 and 2001). Whatever it is, He could very likely be starting for a contender if he keeps this up, with a low-ish ERA and a salary of only $1 million.

Here's my first installment of the UTROTD! Let me first say that this IS NOT A REAL TRADE and is COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED.

The Detroit Tigers trade UTIL Brandon Inge to the Houston Astros for SP Felipe Paulino and SP Bud Norris

Why it makes sense for the Tigers:
At this point in time, Inge is turning into a big headache. The Tigers have a handful of players that can play multiple positions (Sheffield, Cabrera, Guillen, etc.) so the loss of his utility wouldn't hurt them that much. They could use an heir to Pudge, and while James Skelton is a decent prospect, he's still years away. It also wouldn't hurt to dump Inge's $6 mil/year or so salary. Adding arms never hurts, even though Paulino is on the DL right now. We did see an injured top prospect traded in Humberto Sanchez in the Gary Sheffield trade, so it can be done.

Why it makes sense for the Astros:
They need someone to take over at either 3B (for Ty Wiggington/Geoff Blum) or CF (for Michael Bourn/Darin Erstad/Jose Cruz Jr.), as both positions are basically black holes offensively for the Astros. If they mortgaged their entire future to get Valverde and Tejada, they might as well pick up another piece that could fit in at either position as well as spell Towles behind the plate when needed.

Why this probably won't get done:
The Tigers don't really have another guy to back up Pudge at this point.  The Astros will probably hold out from trading and end up being sellers. The Tigers are probably afraid of guys who throw 100+ and look to turn into relievers (see Zumaya, Joel).

First off, I find it incredibly ironic that one of the NFL's most respected players, Marvin Harrison, is in some trouble. Even though things are pointing at this time toward the fact that he's not responsible, I still find it hard to believe that he could have even gotten himself in that position in the first place.

The Nats got creamed yesterday and pulled out a close one today, both against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

John Lannan got roughed up in last night's 11-4 loss, allowing 6 runs (5 earned) in only 3 innings. If he continues his 2:1 ratio of quality starts to complete implosions, he should be safe on the Nats' staff. His 3:2 K:BB ratio is a bit frightening at this point (although it's better than last year's atrocity of 10 K to 17 BB). At least he's getting a chance unlike last year where guys like Levale Speigner and Jerome Williams got way too many starts.

Matt Chico pitched almost as bad today, giving up 5 runs (4 earned) in 4 and 1/3 innings. Unlike Lannan, however, Chico has only one quality start for the entire year (which makes this headline, "Nats turn to Chico for a quality start" incredibly ironic. That's like my girlfriend turning to me for fashion advice). If Michael O'Connor can bounce back from his poor performance last night (4 runs allowed in 3 and 2/3 innings in mopup work), I can see him taking over Chico's spot in the rotation while Chico trades spots in Columbus with Chris Schroder, who is wreaking havoc on AAA, with 18 K and only 1 run allowed in 10 and 1/3 innings pitched.

Don't look now, but Joel Hanrahan is bouncing back from a bad start to the year. In his last 7 and 1/3 innings (including today), he's allowed only 2 runs with 13 strikeouts and only 3 walks. It's also funny that Bill Ladson of MLB.com wrote this in the midst of Hanrahan's hottest stretch of the season. The guy's only 26 years old, and has a ton of potential (that he was light years away from last year). He's still adjusting to life in the bullpen, as this is his first year there. The team is using him mostly in blowouts (as the team is 1-12 when he pitches, only 5 games of which the winner was within 3 runs of the loser), but keep an eye on him in your fantasy leagues anyways (if anyone already has their grips on him, they must REALLY be hurting for K's) and look to pick him up if he keeps this stretch of solid, strikeout-filled pitching up.

One last Nats note:  Jonah Keri of ESPN's Page 2 wrote this column while sipping on some ice cold Haterade. Inside, he names the Nats as one of five "failure dynasties" (along with Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Kansas City). It's interesting, because these teams are all somewhat on the up. The Rays rebuilt their farm system and are finally looking to reap the benefits this year with a finish around .500. The Orioles started hot and guys like Adam Jones and Matt Weiters show a ton of promise. Pittsburgh has some chips to move at the deadline, including Xavier Nady, and could come away with some prize prospects to make up for some bad drafting in the early 21st century. Kansas City is a bit of a disappointment this year (thats what you get for relying too much on Jose Guillen!!) but has some guys with unlimited potential like Alex Gordon and Billy Butler, not to mention some of their pitching prospects. The Nats are on the up as well, completely rebuilding their farm system with some guys they've gotten through the draft (Marrero, Willems, Smoker, Detwiler, Burgess, McGreary, etc.) and through trades (Martis, Mock). The problem is, what if none of these guys plan out (not just for the Nats, but for any team)? Then you're stuck in the perrenial rut of the "failure dynasty." While I hate to admit it, unless the Nats prove something in the next few years, they might need more than a big FA signing and a new-ish stadium to get butts in seats. The one thing I disagree with: Keri says the Nats won't have a winning season until 2012. I think that they should be able to hit .500 by 2010.

Congratulations! You've stumbled upon my new blog. Since I'm a student and have very little credibility when it comes to sports (just a foaming-at-the-mouth passion), you're just going to have to trust me at first.

I'll be blogging mostly about the Nats, Caps and Redskins. I will also claim the Cubs as my own, as they were the baseball team I was raised on. I will periodically drop notes on other teams and players, but my main focus will be DC area sports teams (minus the Wizards, because I know absolutely nothing about basketball).

Some of the things I'm going to try and do on a daily basis are:

1) Come up with an unsubstantiated trade rumor of the day, every day, usually for the Nationals or Cubs. I will look through their team needs (or wants, or surpluses) and find a team that matches up and try and come up with a trade partner. While I am no GM, I don't think I'll be too far off with anything.

2) Post a roundup of my sports thoughts of the day. It may be short like 1-2 items, or it may be long. I'll discuss all I can here. 

One last note-If the main site ever adds a college sports part, I'll write a ton about Virginia Tech, because I'm a student. If not, I'll try and keep it in my roundups rather than full stories, but if you want it, you've got it.