[Rocketfan]

For the record, i believe the Washington Nationals are in the top 5 for worst organizations in sports.....



Washington Nationals outfielder Elijah Dukes was fined $500 and benched for being late to Saturday's home game against Florida.

But he won't pay the fine himself. The Great Falls Little League, where he was speaking prior to the game, says it will pay it for him after a fundraising effort, according to the Washington Post.

"The point is, this guy gave back to our community, and now he's in a hard spot. We need to help him," said Jim Mraz, the Great Falls LL president, according to the Post. "It's not a question of whether this guy can afford the 500 bucks. We're just trying to send a message to our kids: He was here for us. Now we've got to be there for him."

On Saturday, Nationals acting general manager Mike Rizzo and manager Manny Acta decided to fine and bench Dukes because Dukes was late and the appearance was not sponsored by the Nationals. They warned Dukes that if he was late again, he could be sent to the minor leagues.

"We are going to change the culture here, regardless of how well a guy is playing," Acta said, according to MLB.com. "It was a bizarre situation, because he was doing something that we encourage our players to do. He was out in the community doing something for some Little League program and he just showed up late for work.

"He was very remorseful about it. He felt bad, but we have to lay down the law. Regardless of who is out there, we are still losing ballgames. We have to change the culture somehow."

[TDDance234]

Acta is going to be toast real soon if he keeps this up. What kind of message does this send to the rest of the team? Do charity work, setup by the Nationals themselves, and show up a few minutes late because of it...and we'll fine you.

[olldflame]

Acta is going to be toast real soon if he keeps this up. What kind of message does this send to the rest of the team? Do charity work, setup by the Nationals themselves, and show up a few minutes late because of it...and we'll fine you.

This was NOT set up by the team. That's a lot of the problem. If it had been, they would have had a "minder" there, and you can bet they would have wrapped things up in time for Dukes to be at the ball park when he was supposed to be. He wasn't actually late for the game, he just wasn't there early enough.

On the other hand, the whole thing could have obviously been handled better. I understand the good intentions of the team wanting to establish discipline and a winning culture, but I think it is possible to do that and retain a certain degree of flexibility.

They can't pay his fine for him. The team will deduct it from his check. The money from fines is used for charitable causes, and I believe that's where the money from the little leaguers will go, which is the only reason the team would even accept it.

[adam42381]

I would definitely say that this isn't the precedent you want to set. I know he's wanting to "change the culture", but seriously, you have to pick your battles. Go after the guys who are habitually late and not performing. There are very few bright spots on the Nationals right now and Dukes is one of them. I know he's had a ton of issues in the past, but they should have let this one slide.

[TDDance234]

I could have swore I read the Nationals set this whole thing up. Either way, it's ridiculous.

[Ed Dantes]

Totally agree with Adam. Dukes is a player with a troubled past -- when he's taking strides to make himself a better person, you doon't take a shot at that.

If I was the manager / acting GM (the Nats has no GM after Bowden left), I would apologize to Dukes, apologize to the Little League, offer to speak for free at its next gathering, repay them the $500, and give them an added bonus of a few grand to pay for new uniforms / facility upgrades / et cetera. Maybe even a 'half price night for Great Falls Little League' participants at Nationals Park.

I would also stress the need for players to be on time, and tell them that, if there is any reason they cannot make it to practice on-time, they need to call. They should have a handler with them at all events, anyways...

By the way, who wants to bet that the reason Dukes was late, was because the owners (re: baseball) and management decided to build a park in downtown DC, which, as anyone who has driven around the beltway knows... can be difficult and time-consuming to navigate.

[sweetnahmah1]

didn't their jerseys say "natinals" the other day?

i heard they were all over it on pti.

[Ed Dantes]

didn't their jerseys say "natinals" the other day?

i heard they were all over it on pti.

Heaven bless Paul Lukas and the guys at uniwatchblog.com.