I was standing outside the clubhouse at spring training when I ran into one of the friendliest players I've met this season.

Keep an eye out for Garrett Mock. He's a pitcher who was acquired by the Nationals along with fellow pitcher Matt Chico for Livan Hernandez in the trade two years back. He's been in the Nats' system, but nursed some injuries and finally feels like this is his season to make a good impression.

What caught my attention was the camouflage hat and hunting shirt he was wearing and the belt buckle that read "Texas." But he struck up a conversation about how unbelievable it is just to be at spring training -- that the food they have is amazing and that the way the Nats organization treats them is like gold.

It was refreshing to hear him talk that way in a clubhouse with a lot of guys who are definitely appreciative, but don't quite have the wonderment attitude any longer. I read that he was the first person to go up to Elijah Dukes, the Nats new outfielder, in person and introduce himself, welcoming him to the club -- classy.

Another pitcher who left an impact was John Lannan. Last season, he got the unexpected chance to come up here with the Nats from the minors with a handful of games, and he made the most of it. Because of that, he is looking at a chance to earn one of the five starting spots.



I had my camera in hand when I saw John, and he knew it was the same one he has so he showed me how to do a cool effect on the camera with color. He told me that at the end of last season, he went to Spain and traveled across Europe a bit to clear his mind. I think that's awesome.

He also let me take a picture of the shirt he bought when he was over there that he happened to be wearing ... in English, it means, "Where is .... my beer, my tapas, my ham?"



I'm also attaching a picture of my photographer, Jimmy Mathis. Jimmy's wife, Christy, knows that he is possibly the most patient man in the world, and on this trip he was great ... even when we were accidentally locked out of our edit room with minutes to spare, Jimmy remained cool, calm and collected and really worked his butt off to make sure things were right.

He is my NASCAR buddy and, now, a spring training guru ...

-- Lindsay