i yield the floor. the presiding officer: the senator from new jersey. mr. lautenberg: madam president, i commend the secretary from texas for her commemoration of this spectacular day when americans went to the moon this time. and one of them was a fellow named buzz aldrin who lived in the town of montclair, new jersey, a town that i inhabited. mrs. hutchison: i thank the senator from new jersey because, of course, buzz aldrin is going to be at that commemoration tomorrow and has been one of the leaders in trying make sure that america does not flag in its enthusiasm and commitment to space exploration and all that it will bring us. so i thank you for remembering buzz aldrin as well, because he was a great astronaut and one of the leaders still today for that very important mission.

mr. lautenberg: it looked, i say to the senator from texas -- it looked like it was a fairly simple mission. but now, as we study it more thoroughly and realize what conditions were like there and the very soil, dust that existed was threatening to humanity, to the person, to the machinery, to the ship that took them there, to the spaceship that took them there. it was a remarkable thing, and i join the distinguished senator from texas in this tribute. mrs. hutchison: madam president, well-said. i thank the senator from new jersey. mr. lautenberg: thank you. madam president, this past friday, five policemen from a city in new jersey -- jersey city -- were shot by a single

gunman. on wednesday -- the previous wednesday -- only a few hundred feet from the steps of this senate, a gunman fired an assault weapon at capitol policemen, and despite -- at this point in time, after all of that mayhem last week, we see the prospect for more gun violence offered by the senator from south dakota. he's offered an amendment that would gut state public safety laws and make it easier to carry concealed weapons across state lines, regardless of the laws of that state. currently, 48 states do allow some sort of concealed carried

weapons. the standards vary from state to state based on each state's law enforcement needs and challenges. but under this new idea, this amendment would permit a concealed carry permit from one state to simply override the rules in other states. if i get a permit in state "a" i can go to state "b," "c," "d" wherever i want to. and i don't think that in any way it matters how many guns one carries. understand this thoroughly, that despite your state's law on availability of concealed guns, congress would override it.

congress says, no, no, we want the federal government to tell you what to do. that's really unusual because i think the presenter of this amendment is more often a states' rights person. but now he would like congress to be able to override states' laws and make your own state follow this mandate. and it would deprive your state from making its own decisions on the issue. your constituents would not be able to say, we don't want this to happen. in fact, this amendment would allow some people to carry concealed assault weapons, multifiring -- multishell firing weapons in states where those assault weapons are not even permitted. madam president, the amendment before us is more about the right of states to make their own decisions about how they

keep their families in their states safe from gun violence. this amendment would allow almost anyone anywhere to carry a concealed firearm regardless of that state's law. strangers coming into town, carrying a hidden weapon, have an "open sesame" opportunity to go anywhere they darn please into a town, into a school, into a sporting event, into a shopping mall, anywhere they would like to go regardless of what those states' laws are, because under this amendment, it's clear -- again, if you've got a license from -- a permit from a state from the far west and you want to carry it to the eastern part of our country, you can do so. just take away the public safety laws in that state and essentially erase the fact that

they are now on the logs. the amendment declares the state governments -- the amendment declares to state governments that you don't know how to take care of yourselves. the gun lobby in washington is the best place to go to find out what you should or can do. and we can't tolerate such an insult. here are some of the state concealed weapon permits that would be wiped out by the that amendment. 18 states prohibit alcohol abusers from receiving carry permits, including south carolina, by the way, and under the thune amendment -- or, south dakota, forgive me. under the thune amendment, these 18 states would have to allow alcohol abusers from other states to carry their weapon into their state, a weapon into their state. 24 states prohibit those convicted of certain misdemeanor

crimes from getting permits, including pennsylvania, which does not allow those convicted of impersonating a police officer to carry concealed weapons. under this amendment, those prohibitions would be violated. 19 states require those seeking concealed carry permits to complete gun safety programs. under this amendment, those states would have to allow untrained, untested gun users from other states to carry concealed firearms. this is an outrage. the proponents of this amendment claim they're respecting each state's concealed carry laws. simply not true. not only does the thune amendment override a state's concealed weapons law, it also overrides state laws restricting the type of guns that can be supposed in that state, such as

assault weapons. think about that. the type of guns that are restricted in the state would -- that rule would be obviated and you would have to permit the licensed gun owner from a far different state to come in. madam president, i have a letter here from 400 mayors who arare opposed to the thune amendment. over 450 mayors write -- wrote to the congress and said, "vote no, vote no on the thune amendment," including mayors -- 106 from pennsylvania, 51 from florida, 50 from ohio, 13 from wisconsin -- the list goes on. from louisiana, from missouri, from south carolina, from virtually -- from almost every state in the country that has its own gun laws.

they've written and say, don't do this. mayors from all across the country oppose this amendment, including, as we saw here, 106 from pennsylvania and so forth. and as these mayors explained in their letter, each state fute have the ability to decide -- fought to have the ability to decide whether to accept concealed carry permits issued by another state. and i ask unanimous consent that this letter be included in the "congressional record." the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lautenberg: thank you. t-as the mayors make clear -- as the mayors make clear, the thune amendment savages the rights of states to make their own laws. but unfortunately this dangerous amendment doesn't end there. it would unleash total havoc by suddenly letting dangerous and unstable people carry weapons into other states and across state lines.

supporters of this amendment claim that only law-abiding citizens get their hands on concealed weapons permits. that's not true. over the two-year period from may 2007 to april 2009 -- a two-year period -- concealed carry permit holders killed seven law enforcement officers with guns. in fact, the "florida sun sentinel" did an investigation of concealed carry permit holders in florida and it found that florida granted concealed and carried weapons to more than 1,400 people who pled guilty for no contest to a gun. 216 people -- think of these numbers -- people without standing warrants -- allowed to carry a gun. 120 people with active domestic violence injunctions, and six

registered sex offenders. madam president, i worked very hard some years ago -- goes back to 1996 -- to get a rule issuing gun permits that would say to those convicted of a misdemeanor, spousal abuse, should be unable to get gun permits. it was scoffed at by some here, who were here at the time, who said, oh, no, this isn't going to matter. it's nothing too -- too serious and why bother? i'm pleased to tell you that with supreme court affirmation about six weeks ago saying that the law on spousal abusers, prohibition for getting gun permitpermits stood and we had 0 of these people were denied gun

permits. so when i look at these things, it raises questions. while a sphait lik state like fs to correct this, should every other state be allowed to allow offenders to carry guns? i don't want it in my state, i'll tell you that. madam president, this is a reckless amendment that would force states from coast to coast to comply with the laws. a few months ago in alabama a person holding a concealed carried license went on a murderous rampage that lasted almost a full hour and spanned two communities. first he shot and killed his mother at their home in ca. -- at coff eflt e county, alabama. once there, he shot and murdered

10 innocent people. i can't forget that, including two young mothers, a father, and an 18-month-old child. it was later discovered in this killer had qualified -- had been issued a concealed weapons permit from the coffee county shire riffs department. a few weeks after his murderous rampage in alabama, mr. mcclea mcclendon -- there wa premeditated murder spree in new york. the gunman drove his car to binghamton, new york, and the man burst through the front entrance with two handguns and a bagful of ammunition. in what would become the worst mass shooting since virginia tec, the assailant opened fire killing one receptionist and

wounding another. he then entered a classroom where he sprayed gunfire killing 12 more innocent people and wounding seven others. the gunman then committed suicide. the killer was no stranger to guns. he was a firearms enthusiast and even though he had been convicted of a misdemeanor, he held a license to carry concealed wessmentconcealed wea. the day after, two police officers arrived at a house in pittsburgh to quell a domestic conflict between a man and his mother when the two officers entered, they were ambushed and killed. the assailant was carrying three arms and wearing a bulletproof vest and murdered the policeman with an ak-47. minutes later the gunman shot and killed a third officer who arrived at the scene. the attacker held the police at bay for four hours before surrendering.

it was later learned that the killer had been arrested for a domestic -- for domestic abuse against his girlfriend but held a concealed weapons permit. madam president, we have to face up to this. this amendment would let more brutal people carry concealed weapons legally and not just in their own town or in their own states, but in other states and across state lines. this amendment would open the floodgate -- floodgates for gun trafficking. a gun dealer who sells firearms to criminals would be free to travel across the country with a car full of loaded weapons as long as the driver had a concealed weapons permit from some other state. the fact is if the police were to discover the pile of guns in the trafficker's trunk, the

police could do nothing about it. the prospect of this scenario is no exaggeration. last year a report showed that one-third of firearms sold on the black market come from states with weak gun safety laws. the thune amendment would simply exacerbate this problem and make it easier for gun traffickers to supply known criminals, including terrorists, with weapons. madam president, the scourge of gun violence, gun deaths is a menace that this chamber must take seriously. think about it. all of us here representing a state -- all of us, two per state -- and we're being told by one of our members that what we ought to do is let the federal government decide how we care for our people. decide, the federal government, how safe our streets ought to

be, decide, the federal government, to ignore or obviate laws we have on our books and say we're going to override your books. we know best. well, we don't -- those in other states whr-rbgs it's illinois or -- whether it's illinois or san francisco or houston, texas, they don't know better about what we ought to do in new jersey than we do about them. and we shouldn't allow this to take place. look at the toll gun violence takes on our most innocent and defenseless in our country. every single day eight children die because of gun violence while another 48 kids are shot, they, however, manage to survive their gun injuries. think about it, over 50 kids shot each and every day. it's a tragedy in america. madam president, the thune amendment would place our communities in danger, in

further danger than we already have in lots of places. and that's why law enforcement leaders, the very people who put their lives on the line to combat criminals and keep their families safe, are against the thune amendment. i have a letter from the international association of the chiefs of police opposing this amendment. the letter explains that the police chiefs urge congress -- and here i quote -- "to act quickly to take all necessary steps to defeat this dangerous and unacceptable legislation. the association of police chiefs, if anybody ought to know what's good for their communities, it should be the chief of police in that town. i ask unanimous consent that this letter be included in the "congressional record" directly following my remarks. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. lautenberg: it's no wonder that when police departments are in charge of issuing concealed

weapons permits, they're very conservative about whom they allow to have these permits. nevertheless, the amendment from senator thune would defer to the weakest -- would defer to the weakest concealed permit laws. so now untrained, amateur gun owners will be free to carry a hidden firearm in other states and across state lines. do we want to really completely disregard state law enforcement officers' decisions, or do we really want criminals wandering our streets with pistols in their backpacks or on -- carrying on their side? or do we really want to permit unstable drivers stuck in a rush hour with guns in the front

seats of their cars? i don't. these are critical questions, and they should be resolved by an -- they shouldn't be resolved by an amendment tacked on to a defense authorization bill. defense. we've got our oerldz, and the toll keeps rising -- we've got our soldiers and the toll keeps rising in afghanistan. by no means is iraq a safe place to be. and they shouldn't have to be further jeopardizes to have their health threatened. we see what conditions are like. we see reports from the workmen. and this bill ought to be moved along just on the defense authorization. on thursday the judiciary committee is going to hold hearings on senator thune's proposal. that hearing will give everyone a fair opportunity to get all the facts, hear from both sides of the issue, and learn from the testimony of experts. the hearing will include law

enforcement officers testifying against this legislation. they deserve to have their voices heard, and we shouldn't shortcut the legislative process and the vital work of the judiciary committee. before i close, i want to make one thing crystal clear. this amendment has nothing to do with individuals' rights to protect themselves in their own homes. a concealed weapons permit is a separate and special privilege. it lets gun owners hide their firearms in a jacket or bag as they travel. whether they're riding in a bus, a car or walking down the street, they can have that weapon. why in our world is it necessary

to make sure that those who want to carry a scheduled weapon can go any place they want with this women? you know what happens. we read about fights occurring, cafes all the time. just allows people who come in here with weapons and see what happens after alcohol or too much celebration? bad, bad idea, and we shouldn't allow it. states and local communities must be allowed to choose who has earned this privilege based on what's in the best interest of that particular state or community. unfortunately, this amendment takes the power away from the local community, away from the state capitals and leaves the decision about what's in the public interest to the gun lobby and the politics here in town.

lobbyists, in many cases. madam president, the thune amendment poses extreme danger to our country, and it lately nullifies state laws and states' rights in favor of a radical agenda. so i strongly urge my colleagues to vote "no." on the thune amendment. i recently was traveling with my wife out west, and we were interested in seeing a particular baseball team play. we know that the owners -- we know the owners of the team, and the hotel had a gun show. by the way, i carried a gun. it wasn't concealed. i did it in a uniform. and i loved that weapon, but it had a mission. it had a mission to kill somebody else before they killed

me. that's not what we typically see. in this case, we're in this -- at the hotel gun show, and people were buying ammunition for their purpose. but everything -- and there was lots of activity. lots of ammunition was being put in the back of cars. the state law in that case permitted it. there couldn't be any objection. the state decided what was best for its citizens and its communities, and they did just that. and i don't have -- i don't agree with that, but i can't object. if that state wants to do it that way, they're entitled to do it that way. and whom i from the state of new jersey to tell them how they

should conduct themselves in those moments? i have no right to do that. so here we are, we are faced with an amendment that says nobody in the state knows what's better for their phaoepl than does the gun lobby, the n.r.a., the gun manufacturers. we agree with that, and i hope that we'll show the american people that we care enough about them and respect their intelligence, respect the fact that they have their own structure in their states to take care of the needs as they see them. and we don't want to see intruders carrying guns, coming into those states. not mine, not yours, not anybody's. it doesn't pass the test that's required within that state's jurisdiction before they go around town with their weapons.

madam president, i note the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll. quorum call:

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quorum call:# quorum call: tastes like.

triple hops brewed. great pilsner taste. miller lite. taste greatness.

the postseason. today is all about theut of s >> hello, everybody. it d welcome back to studio b and th set of "sports nation.".o. you can catch us monday through friday at 4:00 on espn2, huge day in sports reality shows. terrell owens' vh1 1 show tonight starts tonight and neveg to be outdone, shaq is getting a show on abc called "shaq th versus." it's shaq versus all athletes in their sports. shaq versus ben roethlisberger,. shaq very vs. michael phelps, md shaq versus oscar de la hoy

qlaa.the what's the better snow warp? >> shaq's funny. y shaq's been funny in videos. even when he's goofy, he'se funny, likable, a uniter, not a divider. the thing about t.o. is i'm okay with obnoxious. simon cowell is obnoxious. i'm okay. he's sincere about that. t i have a feeling this t.o. reality show, he's going to try to convince me he's swell for an hour>>.andsome you implode in great locker rooms like the eagles. you implode at 50 locker rooms like the 49ers and the cowboys.i you're a lot of things.? don't try to sell me on your ivst swell and a great guy. be who you are and live with ite and i've got a bad vibe aboutndo t.o.'s show.ou >> we already know what t.o.'s show is because his publicists,g they've already told us he's a a southern gentleman who is honest and shy. skydi you can't be that two differenta people. it's close to one. i can't >> ron artist has issues. i love artest. rodman had them. love rodman.t. simon cowell, bill o'reilly.

i don't care who you are. be who you are. you be obnoxious. but don't give me one thing andq sell another. sports nation, which is the better reality show to i watch. t.o. or shaq.wind you voted? >> shaq easily. h >> i say shaq, i'll watch both. sports nation voted 77% for the big guy. >> shaq is big and goofy and that's always fun.s is jhat's it for "sports nation" now.usd we'll be here monday through friday at 4:00 on espn 2.he is >> shaq, one of the mantra's ofo my life, shaqtastick. >> i like that. >> it was 40 years ago tonight at 10:56 eastern time that man first walked on the moon. that man, neil armstrong, earned his undergraduate degree at purdue in 1955. >> linda, you got me laughing. >> don't blame steve, my fault.

>> while in west lafayette, no armstrong earned his masters. but the athletic teams were bad while he was. there he was good as the commander of apollo 11. he had the honor of being the first human to walk on the moon. the design of the cabin is the only reason armstrong got to go first. had the hatch opened to the left, buzz aldrin might have had the honors. >> i was glued to the television set along with everybody else, but i think that t critical thing is the context in which it came. 1969 was an unsettled year, as had been 1968. we had gone through. we were in the depths of vietnam. we had gone lou the assassination of bobby kennedy and martin luther king in the previous year. and the country was just in a sort of foul mood and when

something like this happened that was sort of the epitome of the can-do of the american spirit and it made you believe that we could do anything and that perhaps the really rough times of 1968 and early '69 were behind us. >> you have to understand, people my age have grown up in the era of sputnik and the cold war, it was always the u.s.s.r. versus the united states, and the soviets were always there. we're going to put man on the moon. and it happened. it was so astounding to those of us who probably never thought it possible. >> 1969, what a year for sports. you had super bowl iii, joe namath with the guarantee, and his jets delivered. one of the first great upsets of the century. in the tv era. 1969, also kareem abdul-jabbar's last year at u.c.l.a. and his bruins went 88-2 under john wooden. three years of el jublty, three

national titles. the lakers lost to the celtics in a game seven nba finals, for boston it was its 11th title in a 13-year stretch. bill russell went out as a champion as player/coach. and the miracle mets, the lovable losers for a long time. black cats run on to a field, and all of a sudden they're the world series champs over the baltimore orioles. cheaper to live back then. but deficit wasn't as bad as it is now. average cost of a house, about the same it is now. >> not really. >> a gallon of gas has gone up. cost of a car has gone up. number one song is as bad now as it was back then. how can that be the song when there were the wate ls wrapping up, the stone, hate ashbury. >> moody blues. >> simon and garfunkel. zager and evans at the top of the chart. >> well done. >> in the spirit of the 40th anniversary, this segment continues. we've got the best space names

starting with the great warren moon, appall low an on the ono out of the great specific northwest. kenny skywalker. gale sayers, the kansas comet. >> h.c., that's all that's in the way of tom watson shaking up the golf course, but the 18th did not go. tom watson lost the four-whole playoff and the broap on the stewart cink, a loss that left the 59-year-old watson severely disappointed. >> it would have been a hell of a story, wouldn't it?e very it would have been a hell of a story. it wasn't to be.dha and yet it's a great disappointment. wouldn't it tears at your gut as it always has tora torn at my gut. you're going to ask me what do i take from this week. well, i take from this week just a lot of warmth, a lot of

spirituality. this would have been a great memory. now it's going to be like jack. i'll never remember what the hell club i hit any time during the whole tournament. [laughter] >> speaking of near misses, no b.u. miami of ohio for some reason, but you have this. the cardinals less than a minute from their first title until big ben hits san to be owe holmes 27-23 steelers. kenny perry trying to win his first major at the masters. would have been the oldest to do it. he bogeyed 17 and 18 to win to the eventual winner, angel cabrera in playoff. cornell had a chance. but syracuse scored a goal in the last seconds to force o.t. and then the orange went on the win it in extra time. after leading brazil 2-0 at the half, the u.s. allows three second-half goals to the brazilians in the confed finals. brazil has lost to the u.s. only

once all i'm. in match for the age, andy roddick battedled roger federer for the longest set in men's finals history losing 16-14 in the fifth. roddick denied his first wimbledon title. and then, of course, yesterday from watson missing that eight footer on 18 that would have won the open championship. at 59 watts had almost found light new england a bottle, but as he said, it was not meant to be. authorities in tennessee say steve mcnair had a blood-alcohol level of twice the legal limit when he was shot to death by his girlfriend, sahel kazemi. authorities also said kazemi had trace amounts of marijuana in her system. police said mcnair was likely asleep when he was shot twice in the head and twice in the chest. >> top stories coming up. steve nash going back the phoenix. we'll give you the details of the deal. plus our "aircheck" sellingment, as well. there's something big happening at pizza hut.

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 >> well, the chicago cubs a out of town. the new york mets now move in for a big three-game series here at nationals park. they have lost three of four. the nats tonight try to end a five-game slide by new yorking off the new york mets. the mets come in in the midst of a stretch where they've lost 3 of 4, but the nats in a stretch, also of a big stretch of 25 game in 25 days. ryan zimmerman won't start tonight in this game because there are so many games coming along. 25 in 25 days. this logic the fourth game of that stretch and scott olsen is on the dl for 15 days.

we'll talk about all that and more on nats extra free game. johnny holliday and the former new york met ray knight, who hit .298 in '86 and was the comeback player of the year, the mvp of the world series. wouldn't it be nice to take care of your former club and get them out of here? >> it sure would, johnny. it's time we start doing that stuff. you hate to see scotty olson go down. that will give someone else an opportunity, though. big fans here tonight. a lot of people are walking in, and there should be a lot of excitement. >> and a chance for martin to get his first major league start. the chicago series, ray, they did almost everything right while the nationals still trying to get in sync on a consistency base. >> we had 27 hits, they scored 26 runs. they had a lot of base hits with runners in scoring position. every time they put runners on, somebody came through with a

base hit. fukudome had a big series, we just didn't hit well, but we just didn't do anything offensively. from it's just the same thing over and over again, johnny. i did see riggleman do some things differently. he started johnson on a hit and run and dunn a line drive to left. i liked that. we started runners on first and second. strike them out or throw them out. i didn't necessarily like that. but in the 1st inning it's difficult to start runners, because you get a line drive and end up with a triple play. that just shows you jim is trying to get something started. sometimes when your offense isn't doing anything, you become very creative. he was with tony la russa. there is nobody more creative than tony at starting runners, doing those type things. >> down to debbi taylor down to the field. she has a very special guest. he started yesterday, and debbie with garrett mock. >> reporter: and garrett did start yet. garrett, not particularly the

kind of outing you wanted but you move forward and look ahead to facing the padres this weekend. >> yeah. i mean it's one of those things where i felt great early in the game, many and you know, everybody that watched it and saw what happened, no point in digging it up. but it's something that even though failure is the best teacher, you know, it's uncomfortable to go through. for me, i made some mistakes, i learned from it. and as far as outings, whether it's the best or worst i've ever had, there's always something to be gained to take to the next start. >> reporter: garrett you were doing very well, and also this season making the transition. you were a starter, then a reliever, and back to being a starter. what were you doing right to make you an effective starter? >> i simplified a lot of things. just my approach to going after hitters is very simple. i didn't try to trick anybody. i trusted the defense to make plays, and they did, and you

know, i mean there's a lot of situations where a run could have scored but it didn't. so it made my numbers look better but really the whole team was involved for the month that i was there starting. >> reporter: one of your teammates down there in syracuse, jd martin is starting tonight for the first time for the nationals. tell us a little bit about him. >> he's a pretty good looking dude. he's taken. anybody that sees him on the screen is going to think that, so i had to get that out. no j.d. is -- i mean of course being a teammate and being teammates again, i couldn't be happier for him, and i know that he's had a long time coming for this day. so i'm thrilled to death for him. he has been throwing well the whole year, so i'm really excited for him and excited to watch him pitch. >> they tell me he is the type of pitcher that doesn't really throw very hard, but manages to throw strikes and get people out. that's what it's all about, isn't it? yeah. that's pitching. that's what he does.

and he doesn't try to trick anybody, either, but he keeps things very simple, he hits his spot. he moves the ball around both sides of the plate, and just keeps guys off balance. and it's just a fun thing to watch. he has a quick tempo and when he is on, the defense isn't going to get tired out there. they're going to be running and n. and out of the dugout. he will have some real quick innings. >> reporter: garrett, baseball can be such a grind. but what is it like for you and your family, your wife emily, your 19 month old, hudson, basically follow you wherever you go. >> yeah. sometimes by choice, too. they actually surprise me, they surprised me the night before i started, they showed up and i had no idea they were going to be here so i was thrilled to death. it's tough, but you learn how to pack and learn how to be very mobile. so i think the worst part about it is the beating that my vehicle has taken, but no, it's great to have them with me. and she's been really supportive, and it's a blessing. >> reporter: garrett mock, thank you very much for joining

us live. now back to johnny and ray with a very special guest. >> talk about a special guest. doesn't get must better than this. congress woman eleanor holmes norton is with us, and she has the honor tonight of yelling out the traditional play ball to the fans. we were kidding you run down the aisle, jump over the dugout and yell it out. great to have you was. >> it's terrific to be out here with my winning hometown team. i've come to bring them luck. >> i hope so. i think she will do that, too. >> you may be just what the doctor ordered. congress woman, i was looking down here. all the things you've done is mind boggling. seven subcommittees, the district of columbia, trying to get recognition for voter representation. when did you start feeling at a young age that you wanted to do public service? >> well, i grew up in the district, when the senators were the hometown team, so you see -- >> oh, ok.

>> and frankly, when i was a kid, the district didn't have any home rules, i mean no mayor, no council, and certainly no member of congress. so as a little girl, you didn't say i want to grow up and be a member of the united states house of representatives. so you grew up to make things more equal. i want to grow up to be in the civil rights movement. and it looks like we did pretty well, except we didn't get even voting rights for the district. it does have its own mayor and a city council, but 200 years now, you would think we would have equality in town which is third per capita, ask the income taxes it pays to support that building that i just came from, the capital of the united states, coming. any day now. >> i bet. >> and you're the driving force to continue the fight for something like that, too. >> you know, i must have come out of my mother's womb fighting, because i enjoy representing the district in the congress, and you have to fight to do that.

nothing comes easy to this city. you would think it would. look how loveable, liveable city, all of that. you see all these people coming in to see our team. they don't care if they win or lose. but we want them to win! and yet, there's a sense of proprietor ship. this is really ours, something of a colony. we're trying to get that mentality off of the congress and we're getting there. especially as the congress has become more mature and understood its place in the world. you can't have a capital city that can't have rights and the people elsewhere, people think you don't mean it when you want democracy around the world. >> well, we thank you for coming out to join us here on our set. we'll be listening for that traditional play ball that you'll deliver in a few minutes. >> always a pleasure. >> thank you, congress woman. my pleasure. >> congress woman eleanor holmes norton. great to have her with us tonight. she'll be giving out the play

ball call in just a couple minutes. when we come back, danny espinoza from potomac nationals. ♪ ♪ tell me who's watching. (announcer) it's right here. it's easy. ♪ i always feel like somebody's watching me. ♪ it's the money you could be saving with geico.

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for $29.99 after mail-in rebate.  >> a look at the new york m lineup. jeff francoeur acquired from atlanta in that ryan church deal back on july 10th. made his debut with the mets against the reds. a two-run single his first at bat as a member of the mets. a clutch hitter in 2006. 139 two-out rbi's. 19 so far this season. he is struggling on the road only hitting .188. an gel pagan will be in center field and daniel murphy will be the starting first base. david wright at third, francoeur in right. jeremy reed in left field, alex cora at shortstop, brian schneider the former national will be catching and livan hernandez on the mound. for the nationals, jim riggleman still looking for that elusive first win. adam dunn has set a new nats record for single season home

runs by a lefty. 24 yesterday, to go along with 64 rbi's. 2-4 against the cubs. he has walked seven out of the last six games, and is tied for first in the national league in walks. more began leads for the nationals. belliard in second base batting second. johnson at first, adam dunn at left, guzman at his familiar spot at shortstop. right field austin kearns and willie harris taking zimmerman's spotted a third. zimmerman a night off. josh bard behind the plate catching. and j.d. martin called up, gets his first major league start tonight against the new york mets. happy to have you with us. johnny holliday and ray knight, joined by danny espinoza, the tremendous shortstop for the potomac nationals. it's great to have you with us, especially on a night off when you could be doing something else. great to have you up here. you guys are playing well. >> yeah. season is going great. a lot of good guys on the team. >> danny, you starter out

hitting .328. hitting overall .270, the difference in vermont and potomac? >> well, in vermont there's a lot of velocity, just like in potomac. the difference is that now that we're in high a, they can throw the fastball where they want to and they can throw the secondary stuff for a strike. >> how much did playing for the usa help you in the world games a couple years ago? >> it helped me a lot. i got to play against very good talent. we got to play against the cuba world classic team, which was a lot of fun. had a great time, played against the brazil national team. i mean a lot of talent. >> everybody that i talk to says you're just exceptionally defensively. you've always played shortstop. we talked earlier, evan longoria played third base out at long beach state with you. have they talked to you about shortstop being your position? have they talked to you about second base or are you flip- flopping or are you primarily a shortstop here in the big leagues? >> they have nor'easter said anything really. the first time i went to spring

training, they had me work at second and short. i haven't worked at third yet, but they've constantly worked me at short so i'm guessing that's where they'd like me to be. >> danny, what makes long beach state such a great school to go to, especially producing shortstops like yourself, gomez, bobby crosby, among some of them. >> well, i'd say it's mike weathers, the head coach. it's not about having the best college team with him, it's about getting us ready for professional baseball. he does a great job. he is hard on us but teaches us a lot. and especially at shortstop, the biggest thing for him is defense. he wants all of his defenders to be best defenders in the league. >> how about the adjustment from the aluminum bats to the wooden bats? >> well, you know, i don't think it was that big of a jump, tell you the truth. >> too much is made of that? >> i think so sometimes. i think sometimes with a wood bat, you can find a more comfortable bat, because you can find of -- kind of -- with

metal they're all the same model. with a wood bat you can find something that fits your style and you might hit better. >> you've switch hit your whole life? >> my entire life. my dad started me when i was a little kid. >> what is the biggest adjustment out of college when you go to the pros, it's a whole different game, isn't it? >> it is. i would say the biggest adjustment is just watching my body. just making sure that i don't get tired, i'm not trying to throw the ball hard all the time. and i just got to take care of myself so i can last for the full season >> the attitude, we're losing up here the nationals, coming up through the minor league system. the attitude that you guys have it doesn't affect you at all, right? you winning on that ball club and you know you'll be a part of the solution in turning this thing around. but the overall thing, spring training, the feel of being in the washington nationals organization. >> what does it feel like? >> yeah. >> it's great. i'm very honored to be, you know, part of the nationals. i get to be with a bunch of

great guys at potomac, and with that team, we all want to win. it's a bunch of guys that want to win. there is not very many selfish guys on that team, and we've done a very good job of sticking together. we all get along great, and we go, you know, wherever we go, the teams know we will have a tough time beating them. >> the nationals tonight have the night off, potomac is at lynchburg for three then salem and then back home >> yes, sir. >> great to have you was. we wish you nothing but continued success. >> thank you very much. >> thank you so much, buddy. >> you're strong, boy. strong hands. >> hitting .386 in a come back year, >>? we'll be back in just a moment. the mets are in the town for three. danny espinoza potomac nationals is our guest. thank you, danny, very much. - it's on. - it is totally on. jimmy, it's on. it's on. oh, yeah, it's on. pilot: affirmative, it's on.

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 >> nats extra pre-game show masn brought to you by corona and corona light. kick back and relax with a nice cold corona and lime. relax and do so responsibly.

it has been some year for rookie pitchers in this nationals club. look and see what happened a couple years ago, no rookies got a start as pitchers. of course the 2006, '07, '08, and '09, 53 starts by rookies. wow. >> johnny, that's a part of building. >> and very productive, some of them. >> and as a as a matter of backing these men up against each other, you see that graphic there, 48, 46, you're just seeing, really, the reeping of the sowing of getting prospects here that can pitch in the big leagues. what we're doing now is accumulating 10, 12 real solid major league arms. what this will show in the future is just like with martin getting a start. debt whiler getting starts. we will have pieces to trade and big trades, that will make a difference in making this club a contender, whether a shortstop with tremendous range or somebody in the order that

makes contact. you will be able to make the deals because of the depth of your pitching in the minor league. nothing trades easier than young pitching. everybody wants young pitching, and we have a lot of young pitching. >> is the biggest adjustment they have to make the fact that if you make a bad pitch you have to forget about it. the pressures on a rookie have to be unbelievable. and then worry about you can't let something hang, go over to the next day. >> it's even deeper than that, johnny. you have to forget about the pitch, but the feeling that you belong in the big leagues. it's the overall picture. >> at a young age. >> rookie league, a ball, double-a, triple-a. each one of those leagues you have to feel that you belong there. the guys that are successful reach that plateau or feeling that i belong here. once you do that, then the league won't overwhelm you. one pitch won't overwhelm you. one bad outing isn't going to overwhelm you. garrett mock i think will be an arm. i think he -- an example. i think he believes he belongs

in the big leagues. i know he has the stuff to compete up here. he has a bad outing. i think he will come back and the single most important thing is not forgetting yesterday's pitch or outing, but remembering all the positive things that have happened in your career to get you here. the players that were in your classification that were really good that have made it good in the big leagues and you know you match up against them. there's a lot of factors that allow them to feel that they belong here in the big leagues. >> a guy who has paid his dues, mike rizzo said to j.d. martin, work hard and we'll get you up here pitching in the big leagues. tonight he has a golden opportunity to get some headlines around the country and snap this five-game slide. he joins craig and jordan zimmerman as rookies to start. he will get the start tonight. >> he has had a long, hard road. he had an operation in 2:03. missed '05 and '06. we a wired him as a minor league free agent.

the first round pick from cleveland. a highly touted young guy. fun loving guy. he pitched so good down there with a lot of strikes. you see the amazing thing is he has only walked 10 people in 88 innings. he pitches the contact but also tells you he knows how to make pitches. when he gets to the 2-2 count. instead of a bullet to the outfield, he sinks it, slides it, curve it to a part of the strike zone that hitters can't get to. >> the thing you like about j.d. is he a s. a guy that could have probably cashed it in a couple years ago when he had the arm problems. overcame that and that's why everybody is pulling for him to come through tonight big time >> three years he has missed because of injuries. you have to be tough. because that rehab is unbelievely strenuous and tough on you. you are talking about dedication. when you have to be in that gym and to those doctors and physical therapists every day, it is a tough thing to do one time. john smoltz is a great example. four times he has been on the

disabled list, and he's got that kind of fort attitude to be a great -- fortitude to be a great pitcher. this kid may be the same way. >> talk about tough customers to face, the nationals face one of the best in livan hernandez. although he's last his last four. >> two of the last he's given up seven and six runs. he is fun to watch. throws the ball from 55 miles an hour to about 83. all over the place. he is just a master out there. >> livan hernandez 2-7 against the nationals. 1-2 in this ballpark. i guess the box on him is the same -- book on him is the same on any pitcher. get him early, right? >> i think so. if he has command he will be tough. >> time for the stay in the game hold of the day brought to you by our good friends at just for men hair color. pedro feliciano among the mets leaders in holds with 16. bobby parnell has 14. sean green with 10.

brian stokes also has three. the new york mets leaders in holds. and just as those relievers have kept their team in the game, you, too, can stay in the game with just for men hair color. the mets have lost three of four tonight. the nationals trying to stop a five game slide. let's see if they can do it. we'll we will be back with more right after these messages. 

 >> welcome back to national park. the upcoming schedule, the next five game the mets are here against. also wednesday at masn and masn hd on wednesday. the cardinals and nats have a makeup game thursday and an diego here for a big weekend series. nats extra pregame starting 30 minutes before the games you see on your screen. >> tough break for scott olsen, >>, ray on the 15-day dl.

retroactive back to july 11. and hope this is something he can overcome and be productive with this club. >> yeah, johnny. i think it may be something that will take a while. a labrum is very similar to the cartilage in your knee. it protects your hip, and any time you get sprained in that, generally it's an arthroscopic type of procedure. and james andrews is the best at that. i don't see him being back in season if that is the case. >> scott was pitching, he is 25 years old as every nationals fan nos. era was a little over 6 in 11 starts. he's the guy he went out even when he was hurt and pitched earlier in the season. >> he did. i'm not sure he wasn't having problems all season long. started out with 88 miles an hour, and i saw him in florida the last three years at 93, sometimes 94. he came back throwing 90, 91 but never really reached the fastball potential.

>> we witch scott olsen well. wish scott olsen well. the fans coming into nationals park and we hope it will be a good game. bob carpetter and rob dibble just up ahead two beers! you got it!

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 >> both the nationals and m are struggling for different reasons. tonight you got to believe there is a chance to get going in the right direction. who will set the tone for the series and turn opportunity into success in game 1? 

 >> bob: cloudy night at ballpark as we embark on a new week of nationals baseball. the mets are in for three, new york struggling with injuries and other issues, and things not going well for the new yorkers, as well. bob carpenter, rob dibble. let's talk about another young pitcher. tenth rookie, eighth rookie pitch forethe nationals and the third to make his major league debut, it's j.d. martin tonight. >> rob: he certainly has the credentials. he's thrown close to 800 innings in the minors but he is one more rookies that the nationals will sending up against an interdivision foe. let's start with some of the rookies we've seen so far. eight in total have started for the washington nationals. george zimmerman seems to be the best guy, best stuff. martis showed he is 22 years old. knees to mature a little more on the farm. craig staple men.

love him. loved him. he needs to work a little more on sequencing. look at garrett mock. went back down to the minor leagues, game back as a starter. excellent tough. martin comes up. the minor league record 30 games over 500. since 2001 and now with the nationals, 750 innings. he has the credentials, now you have to go out in your opportunity at the major league level and see what you got. >> bob: for the mets, jerry manuel, unfortunately with all the injuries -- fortunately with all the injuries has one right guy he can hit on. david is hitting .322. on base percentage 411. he is mr. wright for the mets. ♪

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it's wendy's. and hopefully, this will be way better than the series against the cubs. as the battered and beleaguered mets come in, they are five games under 500, nine back of the phillies. they are hitting .266, though. the third best batting average in the national league. brought jeff francoeur from atlanta for ryan church and so far the trade pretty much a wash for both clubs. francoeur is hitting .280 in six games with the mets, and he's driven in nearly a run per game. patting .25 phos overall. here he is. a town called ridge crest, california in the mojave desert east of l.a., j.d. told me, his folks are here tonight. i know debbi taylor is trying to make some connections there and j.d. martin is a 26-year-old rookie in his ninth professional season. rob, it's taken him a while and a long road to get here. >> rob: it has. it's been a long road. he's had some injuries but he

was the number one pick with the cleveland indians back in 2001. he has the credentials and the pedigree. 2005 had the tommy john but he is back and three times for the lineup is all we really need. haven't been getting that many great starts out of these young guys. let's see if the 26-year-old with his major league debut tonight can make the most of it. >> nationals defensively, some changes tonight. ryan zimmerman has the night off. so does josh willingham. starting third for willie harris, one in right for austin kearns. jim riggleman said today austin kearns can still help this ball club. they will give him a start now and then to see if he can do so. under way at 7:06. cloudy skies, threat of rain. 75 degrees, and j.d. martin's first major league pitch a strike. so is his second one, and it's 0-2. >> you saw by the walk to strikeouts, he is going to throw a lot of strikes. a sinker, cutter, great change- up, and great curve ball. so he has two excellent out

pitches. hopefully he can get over the nerves and butter flies and the parents being here and just go out and face a bater in the beleaguered met lineup. >> whoa. there are four batters in the mets lineup tonight that haven't hit a home run. their 52 homers, the few northwest the major leagues. >> and a 1-2. >> bob: half swing. you hope it goes foul. but it doesn't. [ cheers and applause ] . >> bob: and it's a hit for angel pagan. it just hugged the grass all the way down. >> rob: well, an excuse me swing right there, it hits the dirt and goes fair. all willie harris can do is sit there and catch it. pagan has excellent speed so you have to watch him. he is a slap guy. >> bob: he's stolen six bases in six attempts. the one hitter the nats seem to

have a lot of trouble with here, with gary sheffield out of the lineup tonight is luis castillo. sheffield nursing a bit of a sore hamstring, had a cramp over the weekend chasing a ball in the gap. castillo at .290. he has always been a good ground ball and line drive hitter. >> there's only two guys that have five home runs each, and that would be wright and murphy. other than that, and francoeur. excuse me. you challenge everybody else. they slap it, whatever. you just have to go after them. no walks to these fast guys. >> bob: yeah. castillo lays one down. martin's got it. quick exchange. played it well. castillo made a play out of it. and it's a one out. they'll give him a sacrifice, even though he was bunting for a hit. all right. most rookie starters in the major leagues, and it's kind of

surprising that a staff that has a roy halladay on it would be there with the nats with 6. >> they've had a ton of injuries up in toronto, also, though. a lot of their good starters are injured. >> bob: interesting that the only team on that list at or near the top of the division the angels. and the mets will take the lead. daniel murphy with his 30th rbi. a one-out double for him. so that little ball that stayed fair pays off for new york. murphy went up first pitch swinging. rob, i was about to ask you, when batters at the major league level are seeing a pitcher for the first time, would they take a couple pitches, but murphy obviously didn't. >> rob: there was the cutter right there. and i don't know, because he's got such good out pitches, you don't want to let him get to them. they've probably been warned don't let him goat to the 12 to 6 curve ball, don't let him get

to his change-up. so murphy swung at that first pitch cut fastball and he ripped it down the line. >> bob: david wright. i think one of the reasons the mets got jeff francoeur was to give wright some protection in the lineup. there are often times, when ryan church would bat before david wright, but francoeur is a five, six, seven-type hitter. used to be more of a 5-type hitter a couple years ago, but he has slumped so badly that he is the guy hitting behind david wright who is still batting seven best in the league at .322. 3-0. maybe the nats don't want anything to do with wright here. first base open, top of the 1st. well, david wright's batting average nearly 40 points higher on base percentages up, home runs down and the rbi's, are way down. he has a whole lot in this

lineup around him right now to help him out with all these injuries. and he calls it a strike. 11-year veteran behind the plate. doug innings at first, ryan knight at third. a swing and a foul tip. and held on by bard, battling back from a 3-0 count to get a strikeout. >> rob: obviously they weren't pitching around david wright. maybe a little bit of nerves, and i like it. martin comes right back. three consecutive fastballs right down broadway and wright takes a seat next to jerry

manuel. >> bob: jeff francoeur is hitting .252. and i mentioned gary sheffield a few moments ago. we have been told he is going to at least attempting to be back in the lineup tomorrow night against john lannan. >> that was beautiful. there is the big curve ball. 12-6. >> bob: francoeur one of the more puzzling players in the national league right now. coming off a .239 '08, when he hit only 11 home runs and drove in 71. he had driven in 105 runs the previous year with atlanta. and he's a local atlanta kid, out of lilburn. but the braves are like that. you don't produce, you are gone. >> rob: i was told by a scout that he would not change his way of -- his approach at the plate, and they tried for years to get him to change, he

wouldn't, and that was a reason they let him go. >> bob: the braves have drafted lots of local players in recent years, including francoeur, brian mccann and others. but that's the atlanta way. they have been that way for a long time. you don't produce, you're gone. we'll get somebody in here who will. and ryan church or francoeur straight up. >> rob: i like jeff an awful lot, but if you're struggling and still won't listen to advice, they aren't going to put up with that at this level. you have to have some flexibility when you are not hitting the way you're supposed to be hitting. >> bob: 1-2 pitch. out of play. i did have a chance to look at the radar a few minutes ago. there is weather out to the west of us, but if you drew a straight line from nationals park to the southwest, the radar was actually pretty clear. so hopefully, enough time to

get a ball game in tonight. we've had a sprinkle or two. 1-2 to francoeur. out of play right side. this is another one of those hitters who at times is like alfonso soriano, who we saw over the weekend. get him to two strikes, you don't have to throw him a strike to get him out. he is very aggressive. and at times in his career, he's put the first pitch in play more than 50% of the time. jeremy reed is next. breaking ball. you hang one. he'll make you pay for it. [ cheers and applause ] . >> bob: and francoeur with his 41st rbi, rob, considering the kind of hitter he is, that's a real bad pitch. >> rob: well, when it is a trick pitch, and what i mean by that is it's got a certain rotation that is recognizable by hitters, and francoeur is good enough there that he

recognizes the 12-6 rotation on that curve ball. you saw him stay at home and then just drive it down the left field line. so same thing we talked about with george zimmerman the other day. you must be careful throwing too many of the same pitch to a fastball hitter at this level. >> bob: that ball is fast hit. ronnie belliard in the outfield grass throws out jeremy. two for the mets. geico's been saving people money on car insurance for over 70 years.

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 >> bob: well, we have a cam out there with johnny and ray hang out before and after the games here at nationals park. bottom 1st, nats are hitting .262, fifth in the league, only one point under what the mets are hitting. adam dunn, shrugging percentage is up there, fourth best in the national league since the end of june, his 24 home runs, and he hit one yesterday, a nationals record since coming here in '05 for a left handed batter. livan hernandez was here back then, in the process of going 15-10 for the nats in 35 starts. he's only won one ball game, rob, since he dropped that complete game on washington back in new york, and then beat the nats here on june 7th. he beat craig stammen that day,

went seven shut-out innings and only four hits. the nats haven't been able to solve livan hernandez at all this year. here is craig stammen, victimized that day. let's see if nyjer morgan can get something going. he drives it to left but hanging up for jeremy reed, one out. morgan had a good series against the cubs, livan hernandez and rob has our pnc scouting report. >> rob: three. he has three wins in 15 other starts that didn't come against the washington nationals. right handed hitters are hitting .337 off of him this year and he is the fred sanford of major league pitchers. he is a juncture. junk ball extraordinary. he will drop it all the way down to 65 miles an hour tonight. >> bob: i can hear the theme song in my head right now, sonned for & son [ humming ] . >> bob: thank you, rob. 1-0 to ronnie belliard.

>> rob: my favorite by was rollo. hey, lamont, come in talking to him all kinds of stuff. >> bob: ronnie belliard has been talking some stuff. 5-16 over his last four starts. he's had a few more at bats the last two weeks, and has been able to drop in some hits. trying to get the batting average over that .200 mark. ryan zimmerman out of the lineup tonight getting a night off. a ripple effect with johnson 3rd, dunn 4th, as adam usually is, but somebody had to hit 2nd. i'm a little surprised jim riggleman didn't hit guzman second, a left handed batter, but maybe that's why. he knew ronnie belliard would line up with hard to left field for washington's first base hit. >> rob: oh, he knew livan was his kind of guy. i just told you, right-handed hitters hitting .337 off livan. takes away his big change-up. >> bob: so why doesn't guzman

bat right-handed tonight? >> rob: because guzman catches one of those change-ups on the other half he will hit a home run. >> bob: you look to the outfield with jeff francoeur out there and that great arm of his. alex cora, luis castillo up the middle. young daniel murphy across from david wright and our old buddy brian schneider behind the plate. too bad nyjer morgan couldn't get on. now livan is good at holding runners but he is slow to the plate and so are his pitches. the nats could have had a good running opportunity and maybe another time or two tonight they will. johnson hitting .305. there is a runner going and then coming back. that was interesting. belliard started. stopped, and then he heard the contact by nick johnson and started again, until he realized it was a foul ball. >> rob: jim riggleman likes this type of game, the false starts, the delayed steal with nick johnson did the other day

to perfection. three shuffles off the base, and then you take off for second. nobody really expects it. nobody is covering the base and right there ronnie belliard, he wants everybody in the house to say going to screw up livan hernandez. >> bob: 1-1 count. nick takes a fastball. outside, 2-1. nick johnson has hit safely now in 12 of his last 14 games. so that rough stretch he went through about 10 days before the all star break is obviously over. 4th in the league in on-base percentage and 7th in walks. target outside half. and livan had nick reaching. and that is safe at second! [ cheers and applause ] . >> rob: man. >> bob: as murphy pulls him off the bag. that will be an error on daniel murphy. his 8th of the year. with a two-run lead he had an easy out at first base but close to take a risky route.

>> rob: well, and you don't have a fast runner in nick johnson. you have to recognize this the first baseman. a good throw to second. at least get one. especially the lead runner right here. forget the assuming a double play, and now he put his pitcher in a little pickle. >> bob: tying run is on base and here is adam dunn. they are going to play behind nick johnson at first. so nick will be able to have a big lead. they do not have a shift on here. the mets are one of the few teams against the nats who leave the shortstop on the left field side of second base. and he reaches and hits a double play ball. livan had him reaching out and rolling over a ball. just like nick johnson did. the nats are gone in the bottom of the 1est and the -- bottom

of the 1st and the mets lead 2- 0. speed of 590 mph... almost as fast as you. nothing's gonna hold you down. grab your bag . it's on™west so our low fares stay low. ( ding ) book now at southwest.com.

tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 including who i trust to look after my money." tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "the dust might be settling... tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 that's great, but i'm not." tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "i guess i'm just done with doing nothing, you know?" tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "oh, i'm not thinking about moving my money. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i am moving it."  >> reporter: welcome back t nationals mark. the mets on top 2-0 in the top of the 2nd. j.d. martin on the hill for the nationals making his major league debut, and he has such a large clan of fans. his number one fan sitting right next to me his dad john. what a thrill is this for you and your family? >> it certainly is a thrill. we're just glad to be here and able to get out here from north las vegas, and to be here to

enjoy this with j.d. it's been a long time coming. >> reporter: it was very interesting to me that you told me you were here just last week getting a tour of nationals park because you do some contracting for the department of defense. i bet you never thought you would be here a week later watching your son. >> i actually told the chef who gave me the tour, he let us in and we got to look at the field. the nationals were on the road and we looked at the field and i said i hope to be back here real soon. and i actually went and knocked on the window. i saw the chef at the president's lounge there, and he gave me -- i told him, he remembered him and congratulated us for being here tonight. that was very nice. >> reporter: it has been such a long road for your son. a lot of people probably don't understand all the hard work he went through. nine years as a professional. tommy john surgery. what made him get back to the big league? >> he's just persistent. that's all he has ever wanted to do. he even said if his arm ever went out he would go back to first base and start playing

that. he did that in high school and loves the game, and his brother and j.d. grew up as pitchers, and i was a pitcher, and as a single parent, that's all i could teach them is how to pitch and make sure they got their school work done and raise those kids in baseball, what i knew best. and he's just continuing the whole joy of baseball. >> reporter: your son kevin al played with him in the indians farm system. is it a thrill for him to be here as well? >> kin so excited. snin have y fingernails left here after tonight. but he is very excited. they are really close brothers, and grew up together, kevin and j.d -- j.d. idollizes kevin, and has always been behind him in the outfield when he was pitching and they together played a long, on time together and love each other. >> reporter: john, thank you so much. we look forward to talking to you again. >> thank you and all the national fans, thank them. >> reporter: bob, back up to

you. >> bob: thank you, debbi taylor. a great baseball family. john martin, young j.d., his brother kevin. he was so proud of the fact that he had been in the cleveland organization with his brother. and here is brian schneider hitting only .225. seven of his last 12 hits have gone for extra bases. four doubles in all three of his home runs this year. that's aeakingball that will have him looking at the letterone ball two strikes. ro bob, you know, if martin has trouble with this lineup, it's a real good gauge of where he is, as far as is he a major leaguer. because this is close to a minor league lineup as the mets could throw out there at him. all the injuries that they have right now. a lot of these guys are back up and even backups to the backup that are in the game tonight. >> bob: his first major league inning, 21 pitches, 16 strikes, and five first pitch strikes to

six hitters. maybe too many balls were over the middle of the plate. the breaking ball that he hung to francoeur certainly was. if he takes that pitch and puts it in the dirt or a foot outside, francoeur probably strikes out. he needs a ground ball right now to keep the ball down and he misses 2-2. >> rob: the key to his success is get ahead expel quickly, because he doesn't -- early and quickly, because he doesn't have overpowering stuff. 25 put the indians back in double-a ball. that's why he was let go and the nationals picked him up. obviously, they didn't see enough over a six-year period to think he should stay in their organization. does not have overpowering stuff, but he has excellent control and command. so against this team, you have to be challenging them, and then putting them away at least with ground balls and some strikeouts tonight. >> bob: 2-2 pitch. close, but ball 3. >> rob: check out his delivery

right here. he has a great balance point. the separation on the hands. everything looks very nice. doesn't throw across his body. >> bob: with the runner going and a bouncer. that will mean only one play for ronnie belliard at first. down to second goes cora. that's the first out. let's talk about the walking wounded. the m.a.s.h. unit known as the new york mets. carlos delgado with his hip. carlos beltran with that knee. he tried to play through that deep bone bruise and was able to do it for a while. they think it will be a while for jose reyes and that calf muscle and the other worthy of note, john maine is flowing off ground now, and j.j.putz is the only reliever with any safe. >> rob: nieve is not on there, either. >> bob: they put him on there today. >> rob: nieve is on the dl.

an extra guy to throw out there on that. >> bob: wow. here is livan, 4-29 this year. and a .229 career hit were 75 rbi's. he's always been able to hack. >> rob: they were hoping that government healthcare, public healthcare would come a little early. >> bob: and that little chopper fielded by the pitcher. on to nick johnson for the second out. grand slam flex plan we have been telling you about it. it will be in effect for a while. pick four games, get a fifth one free, five different plans to choose from. pick your plan, your games, your seats and get a free game.

202-675-nats or nationals.com/grandslam. top of the order now, and angel pagan whose little checked swing roller was an unfortunate break for martin and the nats. rolled right down the third baseline inside the bag. after a sacrifice he scored on a daniel murphy double. murphy cored when francoeur doubled. and the mets lead 2-0 out hitting the nats 4-1. a little bit up and in. 1-1. >> rob: pretty good pitch. >> bob: yeah, it was. cubs are under way at philadelphia. ted lilly, rodrigo lopez tonight and the phillys have a 6 and a half game lead in the east. and a good one at the letters. >> rob: good cutters. a back door cutter. like mariano rivera, just not

quite as hard. but great command. and he has to stay on the edge. he can't like you said, get too much of the plate. then he is very hittable. >> bob: second base is alex cora, good speed there. led off the inning with a base hit. angel pagan is a 27-year-old switch hitting outfielder from puerto rico. our eye in the sky up here next to us. >> rob: draw a straight line right there. on the other side. perfectly. >> bob: well hit to center. ball in front of morgan, and unless he makes a great throw -- >> rob: and he did. >> bob: which he does! [ cheers and applause ] . >> bob: but the tag is missed, the mets will lead 3-0. [ crowd booing ] . >> bob: cora came flying by josh hard, who does not argue. that indicates to me josh didn't feel any contact with

the glove. that was well made by nyjer morgan, who nearly registered his 11th assist. >> rob: an excellent throw by nyjer morgan. one hop, right to bard. yeah. and cora with a beautiful slide. watch him get around bard and then throw hit has hand up on the plate. wow. that's a nice slide. alex cora. >> bob: everybody played that well the center fielder, the catcher and the base runner. now luis castillo bats after sacrificing his first time. five hits by the mets in their first 10 batters against j.d. martin. 2-0. >> rob: look at this play at the plate. he is going to go around, and

there you see right at the end, he is going to smack his hand on the plate. >> bob: calling himself safe. >> rob: i think the umpire needs a little bit of help. >> bob: 2-1 to castillo who has driven in 19 runs this year. and it looks like 20. [ cheers and applause ] . >> bob: this will be no contest at home plate. it will be second on the throw for castillo and the mets lead 4-0. >> rob: well, with two outs, this throw has to go to the cutoff man. the run is going to score easily. and nyjer trying and hoping to make a great play, but still,

you allow the speedy castillo to walk the second base, and another hit and it's another run. >> bob: that's why pitchers back up home plate. the runner slid right into the arm of josh bard, as he was trying to extend to pick up the throw. good base running by castillo. >> rob: there's some things that can help you win ball games. you never know. you may come back. if castillo scores and you lose 5-4, you look back to this inning and say well, that's when you probably should have hit the cutoff man. those little things that the nationals need to tighten up on defense. two outs, know where you're throwing the ball. >> bob: daniel murphy -- yeah. he had no shot at home. >> rob: with two outs the runner is running on contact. and it would have been a close play any way you look at it. with two outs he has two or three more steps on him. >> bob: daniel murphy got the

big hit of the 1st inning, doubling down the right field line with one out to get the mets on the board. j.d. martin a week ago was pitching in the triple-a all star game. it was up in portland, oregon. that's a long way to go to pitch one inning. he was happy to do that. he has been an all star the last two years. 2008 with the indians last year, akron of the double-a eastern league. >> rob: well, and it's just one more time we can tell the listeners that the major leagues is a totally different

animal. no matter how much talent evaluators at the lower level think you have, this is a -- just beaten-up mets team that has lost 16 of 20 games. and they're pounding our guy. and i get tired of people saying well, this guy did great in the minor leagues and this guy did this. it doesn't matter. until you prove it up here, what you did the last four or five years of your life down there doesn't matter. >> bob: that's what got you here. then you prove yourself all over again. >> rob: everybody says, and i believe it -- [ cheers and applause ] . >> bob: that's another base hit by murphy. and the mets lead 5-0. >> rob: it's easy to get here. it's hard to stay. >> bob: two outs in the 2nd,

and 49 pitches. >> rob: well, murphy got jammed on his first double. now he gets jammed and gets a single to left. >> bob: five runs on seven hits. >> rob: you look back and say if nyjer morgan hits the cutoff guy it would be first and third right now, instead of 5-0. >> bob: david wright drills one to center. morgan's there. that thing was really hit hard. and two long innings for j.d. martin to start his career. 5-0 new york.

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 >> bob: bottom of the 2nd, nats had a long road back, and it's very, very early. and tonight's lineup against livan hernandez, nyjer morgan has already made an out. ronnie belliard has a hit. here's how the rest of them have looked. guzman, kearns and harris in the bottom of the second. cristian guzman is 8 for his last 57. first time in memory that i can recall him batting 5th. he's batted 1st, 2nd, and 6th. >> rob: you read his stats at 6th. i think riggleman heard you and said we can't put him 6th, but we'll try him 5. about what? a buck 70 in the 6 hole? >> bob: 143. >> rob: oh, 143. >> bob: easy fly ball for pagan.

kearns will be next. austin this year hitting only a buck 99. well documented all of his problems, but some thing he is able to do constantly is get on base. he has been on base 34 of 38 games he has started this year. and if memory serves me correctly, in the 6th inning of a 9-4 win over houston on monday, may fourth, he was hit on the hands by a pitch. by felipe paulino, and his season hasn't been the same since. at that time, he was hitting .250. he had driven in this 13th run of the year that night. and now two months later, he has 16 rbi's.

it just seemed like when austin came back after a couple of days off, after getting drilled, the timing was gone. and two quick outs, alex cora takes care of that. >> rob: i can agree and disagree with you. i mean he still holds his hands against his chest, and your first movement is to get your hands away from your chest, go back, and then try to catch up to the ball. and he is late a lot. so you know, we talk about jeff francoeur, austin kearns is not making a lot of adjustments and still hitting under .200. >> bob: here is willie harris hitting .241. 0 for his last 8. and dr. hernandez dissects the outside corner. willie .286 over his last 21 games with his playing time has really been reduced upon the arrival of nyjer morgan two and a half weeks ago.

11 walks and five steals during that time. as willie's been getting on base. no he didn't says hunter wendellstat. just as brian schneider was getting ready to appeal. >> rob: if the home plate umpire says no, he didn't, he doesn't have to allow the appeal. it's only if he's not certain. >> bob: that's 3-2. the phillies have three early against the cubs. boy, they are rolling, aren't they? >> rob: yeah. >> bob: 8 in a row and what? 13 of 14 for the phils? and the nats have a two-out base runner with willie harris. first walk issued by livan

hernandez. josh bard coming up. what's notable? the domination of livan hernandez against his former teammates. the production of nyjer morgan in 16 games. and the nats hitting well this month, after a paltry june. >> rob: livan had a bad couple of starts in this month. 15 earned runs in eight innings pitched. >> bob: four innings last time, 11 hits, eight runs by the dodgers. three runs before that, 10 hits, seven runs by the phillies. somebody's hitting him. josh bard, but it's foul. the other east teams tonight, the braves are hosting the

giants behind hansen 4-0. and the marlins are at san diego early tonight. >> rob: and that's sanchez's first start since the no hitter. >> bob: oh, what a good swing by bard. now if that ball gets away from reed harris has a chance. but that has to hold him with two outs. their only hope was that ball would keep slicing away from jeremy reed. it will be second and third, two outs. and the first major league at bat for j.d. martin. >> rob: right here, josh bard, out, touches livan hernandez. second and third with two outs. big spot right here for j.d. martin. he can really help his own cause and get himself back into this ball game with a base hit. not like livan hernandez is going to overmatch him.

>> bob: yeah. or overpower him. so this will be interesting. but he's got great swing back action on that fastball. when he was here, livan would throw that ball right at the hip of a left handed batter and catch the inside corner once they hopped back. dad hoping for a base hit and an rbi here. breaking ball, 0-2. by the way, scott olsen is expected to be on the d.l. for a while. the word labrum came up today. that's close was a slider

misses, 2-2. >> rob: old livan thought he had him. >> bob: livan thought he had him struck out. so this might not be just a one- shot deal for martin. >> bob: and a breaking ball, a half swing. livan just flips it over and the nats are gone in the 2nd, two hits in the game and three runners stranded. boss: come on in, i had some other things you can tell people about geico - great claims service and a 97% customer satisfaction rate. show people really trust us. gecko: yeah right, that makes sense. boss: trust is key when talking about geico. you gotta feel it. why don't you and i practice that with a little exercise where i fall backwards and you catch me. gecko: uh no sir, honestly... uh...i don't think...uh... boss: no, no. we can do this. gecko: oh dear. vo: geico. fifteen minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

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 >> bob: back here at nation park, it's all mets. 3 in the 2nd after 2 in the 1st. and debbi taylor, as we continue to look ahead, you've got some more for us. >> reporter: definitely, bob. and danny espinoza, a member of the poe toe maple mack nationals. you were in the futures game. what was that like? git was awesome. i got to play from a lot of my friends. the team from the usa team a few years ago, brett wallace and pedro alvarez, i was really happy to see all those i goes. >> reporter: what it's been like for you in season in potomac. you skipped low a and right to high a. >> it's been tough. it's a pretty tough league. i mean i wish i was doing better. i've made a lot of adjustments this year. it's my first full season. i'm trying to keep my body in the right shape and so far it's gone pretty well. >> reporter: what do you think you need to learn to get to the next level? >> i need to work on my

hitting. hitting the most. i think my defense has been where i want it. if i keep working on my hitting and it gets better as i go on, it will be all right. >> reporter: thank you for joining us. a night off for potomac and a bunch of the potomac nationals players are here. >> bob: danny espinoza, a shortstop from long beach state. he is only 22, third rounder last year. and with the vermont lake monsters in '08 he hit .328. that was not a long stint. just 19 games, but 64 at bats he got a taste of it. now he is at what we consider accelerated or high a ball down in potomac. good luck to danny. 6', 190. he is a switch hitting shortstop. time for j.d. martin to put a zero on the board here for the first time. way inside to jeff francoeur. he had francoeur 1-2 and gave

him a breaking ball over the plate on which jeff doubled. and made it 2 on 0. 2-2 pitch here. and there is francoeur. anything that he can see, he is going to swing at on two strikes. he's not a disciplined hitter. >> rob: and martin would show me something right here if he came back with a big curve ball. >> bob: fastball away. 88 on that one. but if you throw the curve ball, vary it or get it off the plate away. >> rob: yeah. throw it with conviction. it's such a good pitch. don't worry about it. another cutter, didn't cut. what makes a major league pitcher tough mentally is even if a guy beats you on a pitch, come back and throw it again. how do you think livan hernandez has stayed up here

for so long. >> bob: up the middle. if you throw this guy strikes he'll get hits off you all night long. francoeur's 2-2. jeremy reed coming up. >> rob: he throws him another cutter right here, a little bit off of it and francoeur just takes it right back up the middle. >> bob: here is jeremy reed who bounced to the second baseman belliard the first time. >> rob: best two pitches are his curve ball and the change- up. if you're not going to throw them up here, you can't pitch up here. you have to be able to throw your out pitches when you are ahead in the count and put people away. >> bob: tyler clippard up early.

and evidently the phillies not very impressed with the cubs. raul ibanez's 25th, carlos ruiz's 4th. 5-0 2nd inning in philly. >> bob: remember lily has a bad knee, though. maybe he is not 100%. >> bob: he's given up five hits already. and a double play ball. ronnie belliard. [ cheers and applause ] . >> bob: guzman, and just what j.d. martin needed there. [ cheers and applause ] . >> bob: bases empty, two outs. that play had good rhythm to it with the middle infielders. >> rob: he is a ground ball pitcher, gets the ground ball right here by jeremy reed, tailor made for 6-3. >> bob: alex cora will be next. 50 pitches in the first two

innings. that will help. willie harris on the grassed a third. cora is a good bunter, good runner on the left side of that box. off speed just missed. nick johnson will take care of that one on a couple of hots and there is that first zero that j.d. martin needed so badly. the double play helped that with the lead off single. pa announcer: final boarding call... all passengers... each with an average speed of 590 mph... almost as fast as you. nothing's gonna hold you down.

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 >> bob: bottom of the 3rd inning, top of the order for the nationals. down 5-0 early. nyjer morgan was a terror against the cubs. he was 9-16 in the series. with four stolen bases. he scored 4 runs and he was the one nat, rob dibble, who sustained offense all weekend long. >> rob: mike rizzo did a great job exchanging lastings millage and joel hannahan for this man. nyjer morgan has been nothing but excitement and extraordinary in the field. excellent out of the pen. so any time you can trade a guy that was in the minor leagues and another guy that was

struggling for two players like this, he's done a great job. >> bob: livan always fields his position well. he seems effortless when he throws the ball, so he always comes up in square, very good fielding position. >> rob: he's not trying to throw the ball too hard, so he is standing there flat-footed like an infielder in softball. >> bob: exactly. >> rob: right there. boom. perfect fielding position. snow cones it. checks it out. says hey. i know you. really help yourself, though, at this level if you can field your position. >> bob: ronnie belliard a base hit. >> rob: greg maddux had what? 18 gold gloves? i'm sure a lot of that defense helped him win 350 plus games. >> bob: that was not a replay.

that was the next hitter. come out sunday, july 25th, be one of the first 20,000 fans to enter the nats gate and get a free eco friendly tote back presented by harris teeter. it has a curly w on it. and the nats face the padres. go on line nationals.com, get your red on. that is a variation of the green bags they give out at your neighborhood harris teeters store. i was actually toting mine down to the store last night. that will be a nice gift. nick johnson reached on the error. first time up. by daniel murphy. who threw to second, pulled cora off the bag on a slow- rolling grounder. >> rob: still very early in the game, going to try to peck away

at this 5-run lead. >> bob: and by the way, game times on sundays, 1:35. we had a typo, sorry. i know we'd much prefer to fly to milwaukee after a day game. on the corner. nick's gone. so are the nats. four straight for hernandez. three come backers, and a strikeout. he doesn't need any infielders right now. to look after my money." tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "the dust might be settling... tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 that's great, but i'm not." tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "i guess i'm just done with doing nothing, you know?" tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 "oh, i'm not thinking about moving my money. tdd#: 1-800-345-2550 i am moving it."