Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader spent a little time last night watching the Home Run Derby. He was rooting for the National League players (because your Maximum Leader is a National League type of guy). Even though he rooted for the National League players, he sort of hoped that Ryan Howard didn’t win. Howard is on your Maximum Leader’s fantasy team and the winner of the Home Run Derby always seems to develop a hitch in their swing that takes a few weeks to work out after the All Star Break…

Ultimately, your Maximum Leader fell asleep and didn’t see the conclusion of the Home Run Derby… This could be due to consuming one of his takes on the “Cuba Libre” at the beginning of the Derby. (Your Maximum Leader’s take on the “Cuba Libre” is this: 1 part lime juice. 1 part rum. 1/2 part 151 rum. Add lime juice and rums to large Tiki mug and stir. Then add Diet Coke to just below rim of Tiki Mug. Stir again. Add ice. Then drink.

Did your Maximum Leader mention that the shot glass he uses to measure his liquor is not a standard sized one? Nope. It is much bigger. One day he vows to measure the actual capacity of his shotglass. But for now it remains a mystery…

Anyhoo…

Of course, the big baseball news for your Maximum Leader was the firing of Nationals manager Manny Acta. Your Maximum Leader agrees in part with Robbo. Acta is a talented young manager and will have a long and productive baseball career. With the right group of players Manny Acta will soar. Alas, the Washington Nationals are not the right bunch of players for Acta - or pretty much any manager.

The “Natinls” are a crappy team. Your Maximum Leader would “blow up” the team now, before the trade deadline, and try and build something better. The only position players he wouldn’t deal are Ryan Zimmerman, Nyjer Morgan and possibly Adam Dunn. The only pitchers he wouldn’t deal are Lannan and Zimmermann. Everyone else is on the table. Indeed he’d likely get rid of the whole bullpen again and try some call-ups and acquisitions of dudes who play ball that are out there. At this point they could hardly do worse with the bullpen than they are now.

Your Maximum Leader agrees with Thomas Boswell who has written time and time again that the Nationals cannot afford another season (by which we mean the 2010 season) being this atrocious. All but the most hardcore fans are staying away. Hell… Your Maximum Leader is guilty of this himself. He hasn’t been to ONE game yet this season. Last season by July he’d been to at least three games - and possibly 4 or 5. He watches nearly every night on TV. But it is hard to summon up the will to make the drive to town and shuck out the bucks to see a game when you know the outcome. (Your Maximum Leader just realized that he’s been to one Pittsburgh Pirates game this year, but no Nationals games. Sad. Very sad.) If the Nats remain bad they will curse themselves to being a sad footnote in the Washington area consciousness. They could rule the summer if they put a decent product on the field. That is a decent product… Not even contending… Just decent…

Did you chance to see the piece on ESPN Page 2 about the Nationals? The page entitled “Do the Nationals deserve your scorn?” Well… Of course they do right now. The hope is that they will not deserve the scorn next year.

If your Maximum Leader could make a suggestion to the Mayor of Natstown (aka: Stan Kasten) and the Rulers of Nationals Nation (aka: Ted and Mark Lerner). Make Mike Rizzo the GM of the team. That is a start. Take away the interim title and give him the room he needs to start being a leader. After that, start looking for a real manager. We need a strong skipper to give the team a kick in the nuts and get them motivated. (NB: Give everyone a kick in the nuts except Willie Harris. He’s already taken one to the nuts and doesn’t deserve a second. Willie can get a knock on the head.) Then start making deals to address the manifest needs of the team. Your Maximum Leader suggests some work on the bullpen again…

Damn. It is hard to be a Nats fan you know…

Oh yeah… One more thing… You finally got the road uniform right with the cursive script “Washington” on the front. Now ditch those mis-matched fonts and glittery abominations we wear at home (which sometimes read “Natinals”) in favor of the cursive script. We like the curly “W” so lets make it match…

Let’s go Nats!

Carry on.