If Robinson thinks Soriano is a lead-off hitter, Soriano's doing the team a favor by not taking the field.

He does expand the strike zone doen't he?

Likewise, if anybody thins Soriano's offense is acceptable for a leadoff hitter, they should be glad Soriano's not playing.
And I think Soriano (and his agent) know this. I believe they are playing this "I'm not playing left" game because they know that there is a huge difference, monetarily, between a second baseman who hits 260/15/70 with a 300 OBP and a left fielder with those same numbers. And Soriano will be a free agent after this season, of course. I wonder how Vidro feels?

Sorry, above where it says "leadoff hitter" substitute "left fielder". My brain got ahead of me...

...either way, it's a nightmare for a team that needs no distractions. It's gonna be hard enough for DC to win even if everything breaks right...and this contributes to the idea that the Nats don't know exactly what they're doing in their decision making process...the initial pursuit and acquisition of Soriano, in this case.

g

soriano is making an ass of himself.

he hasn't hit worth spit out of arlington for 2 years and he can't catch a cold - who don't know that (except bowden)

and how dumb can you be to trade for a sulky **** like that who has said he will only play where he wants to play

talk about clubhouse cancer

When you make Jose Guillen sound like a calm, rational fellow, you know you're doing something seriously wrong. Soriano's behavior is childish, and I wish Jim Bowden was out of baseball for trading Wilkerson for this malcontent.

The Nats really don't need to be in any hurry to trade Soriano, because (if they can get MLB to consider him ineligible) they won't have to pay for him.

This could get really interesting (or infuriating if you're a Nats fan!).

How come Bowden didn't check with Soriano or his agent before the trade to see how he'd feel about a move to 2B?

Niles: Read about it in the Washington papers this week. Bowden is hardly innocent in this. He acquired Soriano KNOWING that the 2nd baseman was not going to switch to the outfield. It's a debacle. I'm going to write about this soon.

So, this is the Nationals trading away Wilkerson (a proven player) for somebody who they knew wouldn't go to the outfield, which isn't a negotionable option. And now they may decline to pay him or use him.

I don't know which party is more irritating, Bowden or Soriano. But I'm leaning towards Bowden.

Everyone's to blame in the Soriano saga, according to me.