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"Uncle Slam" unveiled at Potomac May 2, 2005 Uncle Slam was unveiled Saturday night at the “Pfitz” in Price William County, Va. Uncle Slam is the new mascot of the newly named Potomac Nationals, the former Potomac Cannons (former single A affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds). In a shrewd marketing move, Arthur Silber, owner of the Cannons, aligned his team with the Washington Nationals, which makes so much sense because his team plays in a stadium on the outskirts of D.C. Uncle Slam is a blue bug like creature who wears a big red, white and blue striped top hat and a Nationals Jersey. He replaces Bigshot, a huge bug-like creature who shot things from his cylindrical snout. I am not sure if Uncle Slam shoots anything since he doesn’t have a snout, but he is very animated to say the least. Arthur Silber is a unique owner. He routinely dresses in uniform to meet and greet the fans at the gate before the game. He also coaches first base during the game and is introduced as the games oldest first base coach! The Nationals program invites fans to come to the games to live their dreams. Mr. Silber points out that he “knows about dreams”; he owns a baseball team. I have to hand it to him, from the fans perspective I think he tries hard to please. The food at the concession stands is reasonably priced, as are the tickets. I sat in the left field grandstand for $7. That night, the Nats played the Orioles Carolina League affiliate, the Frederick Keys. This year the Keys roster is stocked with several of the Orioles number 1 draft picks of years gone by, the most recent being Adam Loewen, who is starting his second professional season after being diagnosed with a partial tear of the labrum in his pitching shoulder at the end of last season. I watched Loewen pitch last year in Hagerstown, and it is apparent why he was a number one pick. His stuff is that electric. Right now control seems to be an issue for him. However, as many old pitching coaches point out, pitchers need to pitch to fine tune their control. Loewen needs to stay healthy and get some innings. Other first round picks include Richard Stahl, one of the Orioles first round picks in 1999. Stahl is another lefty who has faced his share of setbacks due to the injury bug. Last season, he finished his first pain-free professional season and, in order to build innings, pitched in the Arizona Fall League. At 6-7, 222, Stahl is one of the tallest players in the game now. Billed as a top of the order starter when he was drafted out of high school, Stahl is finally finding professional success. Currently, he is pitching to a 2.31 ERA over 23.1 innings, striking out 25 batters while walking only 8. Opponents are batting .198 against him. Another first rounder playing for the Keys is Nick Markakis, who was viewed by some on draft day as a pitcher; however, he is playing outfield in the Orioles system. Markakis is batting .269 and lashed a torrid double to the opposite field against the Nats, while making a sparkling running, leaping catch in center to steal a hit from a Nationals batter. Lastly, the 2001 number one pick, Bryan Bass, is on the Keys roster as a third baseman, making the transition from shortstop. Bass is playing his first year of high A ball. The game was shortened by rain, and the Nationals won by a score of 1-0. It was a battle of lefties, as the Keys sent Zach Dixon to the mound to face former A’s farm hand Brett Price. Dixon was plagued by poor control and gave up the only run of the game as a result of a walk and a wild pitch. Josh Whitesell walked, advanced to second on Dixon's wild pitch and later scored. Dixon went 3.1 innings walking 5 batters. Price fared better for the Nats, shutting down the Keys with a nasty fastball. He went five innings, allowing three hits and striking out four Keys. --- John
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