Opening Day Like Its 2008 Or Something

Eek it is the end of the month. Lets see, Spring Training 2017 has started and right now with 3 games under their belt the Nats are 1-2 .333 as are the Braves and Marlins, the Mets and Phillies are both at 2-2 .500 so nobody in the division is doing that poorly or that great with the Spring Training only about 4 days old.

OK so Nats Opening Day 2017 this year is 03 April home vs. The Marlins. If I had planed things out I should have shown a Josh Willingham, Nick Johnson or Ivan Rodriguez card. But I didn't so I won't I will show a couple of Opening Day Cards I scanned a while back but haven't posted yet ...til now.

Opening Day 2008 (Oh Wow I didn't even think about this) was on 30 March vs. The Atlanta Braves and was the first regular season game at Nationals Park in SE DC.The Nats won 3-2 with a Walk-Off homer by Ryan Zimmerman. The Opening Day Roster was:

1. Cristian Guzman SS
2. Lastings Milledge CF
3. Ryan Zimmerman 3B
4. Nick Johnson 1B
5. Austin Kearns RF
6. Elijah Dukes LF
7. Ronnie Belliard 2B
8. Paul Lo Duka C
9. Odalis Perez P (LH)

The Nats came in last place in the NL East that year, their usual spot for several frustrating years, with a 59-102  .366 record. Fortunately the Nationals have been doing much better in recent years.

OK so the two cards I'm a-gonna-show are of two players who have been long gone from the Nats. For one of the two players 2008 would mark his last MLB appearance and for the other 2008 was spent in the minors having made his Major League Debut in Sept of 2007.

DMITRI YOUNG

 2008 Topps Opening Day 117 Dmitri Young Nationals

ROSS DETWILER

 2008 Topps Opening Day 200 Ross Detwiler RC Nationals

Trade Rumor: John Lannan on Trade Block?

 John Lannon 05 March 2012 - Getty Images

Since last weeks news about Left-Handed Starter John Lannon being optioned down to the minors it looks like a few other teams are interested in him if the Nats put him up for trade: Detroit Tigers among six teams interested in Washington Nationals' John Lannan. The other teams that have shown an interest in John are: The Orioles, Cubs, Red Sox and Astros. I only count 5 teams there, the article and the connected quotes I've seen list the Tigers twice weird.

The Nationals have sent him down to the Minors and replaced him as the fifth man in the starting rotation with Ross Detwiler. Detwiler was the winning pitcher (and the first starter to get a win this season the previous wins were by the bullpen) in the 10 April game vs. The Mets. The Nats won 6-2 it was New York's first loss of the season.

Lannan's initial reaction was to request to be traded just one day after being sent down to the Minors. The Nats don't want to trade him just yet supposedly. Even though Lannan being traded is just rumor apparently the Nats are talking seriously with the teams that are interested in him.

Related articles:
John Lannan Drawing Interest from Chicago Cubs - The Cubbies would trade Marlon Byrd. Byrd was on the Nationals 2005-2006.
Cubs interested in Nationals lefty John Lannan - 
Washington Nationals' Ross Detwiler vs The Mets; John Lannan Trade Chatter - 

National Players Mentioned in this Post:
Marlon Byrd
Ross Detwiler
John Lannan