The Worst Franchise in Major League Baseball

Ah yes, the Washington Nationals are the WORST franchise in baseball....

Little Leaguers Pay MLBers Fine

Center fielder Elijah Dukes was fined $500 after arriving late to Nationals Park on Saturday because he was attending a Little League function. The league will pay the fine. ... "The next day we're reading the paper, and we're hearing he was [fined and] benched," said Leslie McClain, mother of 11-year-old Luke. "We were just really horrified by that, so our first thought was we want to raise the money in the community to pay that fine. We just think it's appalling." And so began the story of what is surely the most unusual fundraiser in the history of the Great Falls Little League. It started with a flurry of e-mails between incredulous parents and league organizers, and will end later this week when Mraz delivers exactly $501--the extra $1 covering any "administrative expenses," he said -- to the Nationals for the purpose of paying off Dukes's fine. Every dollar they get above that mark will be donated to a Southeast D.C. Little League in Dukes's name. ... Dukes was paid $500 for the appearance, according to Mraz, and his primary duties were to sign autographs, pose for photos and stand at home plate slapping five with the 500 or so Little Leaguers who paraded past. "He did all 500 of those with a smile," Mraz said. "He didn't cheat anybody."-- Washington Post