After the storm Nook finds a home

After the now imfamous Mitchell report named Nook Logan as one of those who allegedly violated Major League Baseball's steroid policy, finding a job with a major league team became very difficult. That coupled with the fact that pro baseball has become little more than a 162 game home rune derby with virtually no base stealing, defense or good strong fundamentals to speak of.

Nevertheless, since signing with the Long Island Ducks in New York Nook is in great form indeed. He is currently hitting .308 and leads the Ducks with 22 stolen bases thus far this season. Great job Nook and congragulations for weathering that terrible storm.

For Logan, right side is right side

BY TODD JACOBSON

WASHINGTON--Nook Logan wasn't a left-handed hitter until the Detroit Tigers turned him into one during his first full season of professional baseball seven years ago, and even after countless hours in the batting cage, he never quite adapted to switch-hitting.

Now, Logan is giving up hitting left-handed altogether.


Logan said yesterday that he would bat solely from the right side of the plate, giving up a seven-year-old experiment designed to take advantage of Logan's track-star speed. He didn't rule out going back to switch-hitting in the future, but for the next few months, he'll focus on hitting right-handed.


"I'm not saying it's going to be automatic success," Logan said. "But it's something to think about, something to work on. If I'm better right-handed, I think it'll be better for my career."


Logan has long been more comfortable from the right side of the plate and his career numbers bear that out.


He is a career .266 hitter, with a .244 average in 430 at-bats from the left side of the plate and a .317 average in 186 at-bats from the right side. His only two professional home runs have come batting right-handed.


Logan had struggled hitting left-handed for the past few weeks because of an injury to his right shoulder, and he approached Nationals manager Manny Acta several days ago with the idea.


Acta's only concern was Logan's adjustment returning to hitting right-handed against right-handed pitchers--hitting curve balls could be especially tough, Acta said--but Logan wasn't concerned.


"Why not just go hit righties right-handed?" Logan said. "I don't think it'll be as tough as everybody's making it out to be. I did it all my life. If I get some at-bats under my belt I think I'll be fine.


The move was spurred in part by Acta's decision several days ago to platoon Logan in center field with left-handed hitting Ryan Langerhans.


"I felt I gave him enough at-bats and gave him the benefit of the doubt," Acta said. "We made the decision. His numbers against left-handed pitchers are much better than against right-handers."


Langerhans is hitting .160 this season, but he's hitting .125 against lefties and .158 against righties.

Logan mired in hitting slump

Nook Logan creates excitement on the bases, but in the past week he hasn't been getting there as often.

Logan, the Nationals center fielder, has seen his average fall from above .300 to its current .262. Manager Manny Acta said that it's important to keep expectations realistic.

"He's hitting eighth. I'm not asking him to go out there and compete for the batting title or anything," Acta said. "I just want him to be himself and create some things for us -- get up there to .270 or .280 and create some havoc on the bases."

Logan's speed is his biggest asset. It's enabled him to play solid defense in the huge outfield at RFK Stadium, as well as run out bunts and steal bases.

Hitting coach Lenny Harris thinks that speed is the key to Logan breaking out of his slump. Instead of getting under the ball, Harris would like to see Logan consistently put the ball on the ground, allowing him to use his speed.

"He has some good games and bad games. He hasn't put four or five in a row together yet," Harris said. "Once he learns how to keep the ball on the ground and go from there, I think he'll be a good leadoff guy someday."

Logan is a switch-hitter who has historically batted better right-handed, but his numbers have evened out this season.

Also a factor is the team's recent acquisition of outfielder Ryan Langerhans, who the Nationals picked up while Logan was out with a hyperextended left foot during the first month of the season. Langerhans has been used as a utility outfielder, and boasts the same defensive speed that Logan does.

Though Langerhans has subbed in occasionally, Acta has remained loyal to Logan both with playing time and vocal support.

"We don't play him every single day, but he is our center fielder," the manager said. "We want to give [Langerhans] some at-bats, keep him sharp, and also let Nook know that there's somebody else here that can play center in case we need to."

Logan is Nats' hero

By Corey Masisak
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
May 21, 2007

For seven innings Erik Bedard baffled the Washington Nationals while Micah Bowie and Billy Traber -- stretched beyond their usual pitch limits -- kept the Baltimore Orioles close.
Then Bedard was lifted, Washington battered a beleaguered Baltimore bullpen and the Nationals ended up with an improbable victory to complete an improbable homestand.
On the ninth pitch of his confrontation with Danys Baez in the eighth inning, Nook Logan bounced a single through the right side of the infield to score a pair of runs and send the Nationals to a 4-3 win in front of 29,281 at RFK Stadium.
"It was a situation with the bases loaded where he couldn't use his breaking stuff with the tying run on third and he didn't want it to get away, so I was just looking for a ball I could handle," Logan said. "I did some things I like to do -- get on base, run and make stuff happen for the team."
Ryan Zimmerman started the three-run, eighth-inning rally with a one-out double to right-center field off submarine specialist Chad Bradford. The right-handed Baez came in to face lefty Ryan Langerhans, who singled in Zimmerman.
Baez hit Austin Kearns before Ronnie Belliard's soft fly ball fell in shallow right beyond the outstretched glove of second baseman Brian Roberts to load the bases. Jesus Flores bounced to third, and Melvin Mora threw home for the second out to set up Logan's theatrics.
"It makes me very happy for him," Nationals manager Manny Acta said. "He got hurt on Opening Day and lost a month, and then he comes back and the first day in Milwaukee he hurts his shoulder swinging the bat. Now we have [Ryan] Langerhans, who took some playing time away from him.
"It is good. It is up to him to go out there and prove to everybody that he means business and he can become the player we envisioned with him."
Logan also was responsible for the team's first run. He reached first on a bunt single in the third inning. After Bowie struck out trying to sacrifice him to second, Logan took matters into his own hands. He stole second and swiped third on consecutive pitches.
Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo brought the infield in, and Felipe Lopez singled past a diving Roberts to score Logan.
"That's the kind of thing we envision with [Logan]," Acta said. "I said in spring training that I would love for this kid to work himself into a top of the lineup-type of guy because he has the skills to do that."
That was all the Nationals could muster against Bedard, who was dominant from the outset. He tied his career high with 12 strikeouts, including punching out the side on three occasions. He did it in a variety of ways, from getting Ryan Zimmerman on three straight fastballs to pinch-hitter Dmitri Young on three consecutive breaking balls.
While his fastball never topped 92 mph according to the radar gun at RFK, his mixture of pitches was, at times, devastating. Flores struck out in the third inning, falling to one knee trying to catch up to a high fastball.
Bedard also did some damage at the plate, notching his first two career hits and his first RBI.
"We were very happy [to see Bedard leave]," Acta said. "He's tough. It was a tough matchup for us. We don't have that great offensive ball club, and he is a strikeout guy."
Bowie started for the first time since Sept. 29, 1999, and had little trouble for three innings. Once he passed the 50-pitch mark, he began to tire, and the Orioles took a 2-1 lead in the fourth with a run-scoring single from Jay Payton and a sacrifice fly from Melvin Mora.
Billy Traber replaced him, and Traber's ability to work out of jams in the fifth and sixth innings proved to be critical. The Orioles had runners on second and third with one out in the fifth and second and third with nobody out in the sixth but managed just one run -- when Bedard blooped a hit into shallow left with two outs in the sixth.
When the Nationals defeated the Braves on Thursday afternoon, they assured themselves of a winning homestand. But after a pair of one-run losses to Baltimore, finishing it at 7-3 with a come-from-behind win probably felt a lot better than ending a 6-4 homestand by being swept.
"It goes from being a pretty good homestand to being a really good homestand," Langerhans said. "It gives us a little momentum going on the road now."

60 seconds with Nationals center fielder Nook Logan on Mother's Day

By Joe Capozzi
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 13, 2007

Joe Capozzi sat down for a one-minute interview with Nationals center fielder Nook Logan, who's part of a Mother's Day set of baseball cards with his mom, Mickey.

What was it like seeing both you and your mom together on a baseball card?

So special. I know it was a dream for me to get up here to the big leagues, and I dreamed
through her, and she dreamed through me and all her kids. With her being on it with me, my other brothers are all excited about it.

How much of an influence has your mother been on you?

It's crazy knowing all the things we went through growing up to get here. She was behind me all the way. She's still there pushing me every day, the same way she was behind me when I was in Little League. She's still there and it's a blessing that she'll be with me on Mother's Day. It's so special, I can't explain it.

How did your mom come up with your unusual first name?

She started calling me that when I was 3 months. Before she had me, mom's friend had a daughter and she called her 'Nuk-Nuk' after the pacifier brand. And when mom had me, she called me 'nook' with two 'O's' instead of 'n-u-k' like the pacifier.

So the correct pronunciation is 'nook,' like it rhymes with 'look,' right?

Good job! It's a catchy name if people say it right. A lot of people say 'nuke' and I ignore it. If I hear a guy say 'Nook,' I point to him like 'I appreciate it.'

Did you collect baseball cards as a kid?

I did, but I wasn't serious. I played cards with them. Put them in our bike spokes. We did all that. I'll save this one, though. I hope she gets a couple of them, too. It's cool. A lot of mothers will be getting flowers. She gets to be on a collector's item.

Will that card jump in value on eBay one day soon?

I don't know about that. I wouldn't like my mom to be on eBay!

Nook Returns

Nook Logan returned to centerfield after a prolonged stay on the DL. His night was pretty uneventful as he was hitless, although he was robbed of a hit by a great Ricky Weeks throw Nook had basically beat out.

"Instead of sitting back letting things happen, I was trying to make things happen," Logan said. "Tomorrow, hopefully I'll be settled in, got one game under my belt. . . . I was swinging the bat decent when I was rehabbing or whatever. I wanted to bring it here as quickly as possible, but it don't work that way.

Nationals place center fielder Nook Logan on 15-day disabled list

The Washington Nationals today placed center fielder Nook Logan on the 15-Day Disabled List (left foot strain). Nationals Vice President and General Manager Jim Bowden made the announcement.

X-rays of the injury were returned negative. Logan also had an MRI, which confirmed the left foot strain. Logan is expected to miss 2-3 weeks.