Of course you had to leave it in the car

Interest for former Pirates closer Matt Capps is, "Enormous," according to his agent Paul Kinzer. Capps, 26, was non-tendered by the Pirates after a rough 2009 that saw him grab 27 saves despite a 5.80 ERA and a .324 batting average against. It seams however that many teams, including the Nationals, are willing to overlook his 2009 season, and offer the solid 2006-08 bullpen hand a chance to either set up or close.Capps in:2006 - 80.2 ip, 56k/12bb, .266 BAA, 3.79 ERA, 1 sv2007 - 79 ip, 64k/16bb, .220 BAA, 2.28 ERA, 18 sv2008 - 53.2 ip, 39k/5bb, .234 BAA, 3.01 ERA, 21 sv2009 - 54.1 ip, 46k/17bb, 3.24 BAA, 5.80 ERA, 27 svAccording to MLBTradeRumors29">various reports, it appears the Nationals are among 13 other teams with interest in Capps. Including; the Orioles, Yankees, Tigers, Angels, Mets, Phillies, Cardinals, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, Cubs, Rockies, Marlins and Rangers.According to Bruce Levine of ESPNChicago , Matt Capps would prefer to go to the Cubs, but most importantly, he'd want a multi-year deal:"The perception that the Cubs have a leg up in signing recently released bullpen pitcher Matt Capps could be just that, a perception. Although the former Pirates closer would love to pitch for the Cubs, upwards of 12 teams have contacted Capps' agent, Paul Kinzer, to discuss parameters of a deal."Analysis: If the Nats want to land Capps they're going to have to pay the, "Washington Premium." That would be the extra-bit thrown into a contract to get a player to come to the worst team in baseball. For example they almost had Mark Texiera last season by offering more money than anyone else, until the Yankees matched it, and this offseason saw a lot of interest in Ivan Rodriguez, however the Nationals were the only ones willing to go out and give him a second year on the contract.So that is what Washington will have to do if they want to land Capps, offer him a solid deal more than the $3.4 million Pittsburgh did, and possibly as many as three years.

Capps has also expressed interest in being a closer, and he would certainly have that opportunity with the Nats.Its a possible risk that the Nationals could take, but it may not be the wisest. The Nationals do need help in the bullpen, but to be honest is it worth dropping money on a closer when the team isn't going to be all-that competitive in 2010 I don't think so. Paying for closers is almost never worth it, which has been demonstrated time after time. It's one of the bigger principles of Moneyball, closers are cheaper to develop than to attain.The Nationals may be better off waiting until Drew Storen is Major League ready, and the Nationals are ready to win games for him to close. This article is also featured on The Nats Blog. Writer's note : Thanks to a Bleacher Report/NBA , Best Buy, HP and Windows partnership, I interviewed Hall of Fame guard Clyde Drexler two weeks ago at a Houston-area Best Buy. His answer to my dreaded retirement questions inspired me to write a column , comparing the ease with which he called it quits to another Texas great, David Robinson. Here is the full transcript of my 16-minute conversation with Drexler. Clyde Drexler : My memory is not what it used to be. Robert Kleeman: You still have a lot to contribute. CD : (Chuckles) RK: Let’s talk about technology the focus of today’s event.

Did you ever imagine sitting on the bench, you would one day buy a phone and use it to Twitter and check Facebook CD : I had no idea I remember back in the 80s, I had a car, had a car phone. Of course, you had to leave it in the car. But that was cutting-edge technology That would be so archaic, Neanderthal now Actually that was 1995. I knew technology was just going to get better. Besides, I travel a lot, I think I was going to Japan a lot in the 80s and 90s, and the average school child 8-9 years of age had a cell phone in their little uniform, cell phone pocket and everything. Back then, cell phones were not that universal in the States, so you got to see what it was going to become I’ve always paid attention to technology. It is changing the way we live for the better. RK: Now you have sports leagues, the NBA, crafting rules about Twitter use. CD : Sports leagues will keep up with the latest technology because that’s the way to reach the fanbase.

And for a guy of his age to be that big on technology is very uncommon. But when you have leaders who love technology, everyone else has to follow suit. RK: How has the Internet changed the way we watch and critique sports It ‘s great that you can go online, watch a game, chat with folks about it, but it’s also increased athlete scrutiny. CD : Tiger Woods runs into a fire hydrant, and his windows are broken out with a four-iron. (Laughs) That’s hysterical. The people involved may not think that’s funny, and they would like to have their privacy obviously, but when things like that happen, I think that it’s a lot of scrutiny, but at the same time people love you. They want to know everything about you, and it’s a great opportunity to do just that. So twittering and all that stuff, they’re ways for the average man to keep up with players, participants, other fans who love the game, and a way to share ideas and talk about what happened. As fans we love to talk about what we saw. And if everybody has the same opinion then that’s pretty cool, but quite often you find people, things that happen in the game. It’s not rocket science, everyone knows what’s happening. So fans are very knowledgeable, and I think it’s good feedback for players and coaches. RK: In the Jordan era when the Internet was still in its infancy, athletes were not subject to the same scrutiny that LeBron James and Kobe Bryant are now. CD : We didn’t have as much media scrutiny; neither did the group a decade before we started Now, you have to watch everything you do You know, we got in trouble, but no one ever heard about it These guys, they get in trouble and the whole world knows. Now, your personal life is an open book, so you have to be aware of that. Ask me, which generation would I have liked to play in (Laughs) The generation with less scrutiny, obviously. RK: Was there a moment as a youngster when you knew basketball was your calling CD : There’s never a moment when you figure out, hey, this is going to be the one. As a youngster, you just do things you love to do, and if you love it enough, you’ll get better at it. My goal was to be good enough, so I could get a college scholarship and a great education.