Jim Bowden Knows When To Hold 'Em

So the big story of yesterday's trade deadline, as tends to be the case, turned out to be what not happened: Washington Nationals general manager Jim Bowden hung on to impending free agent Alfonso Soriano rather than flipping for prospects, or cash, or beans, or whatever. Because the Natinoals aren't going anywhere this season, many felt it was only logical for Bowden to send him off. Bowden disagreed.

So how are the Nationals fans handling Bowden's non-move?

• Capitol Punishment: "Look at it as a reserve price auction. Let's say that you're selling an engagement ring because your fiancee hated your leather pants, and there was an ugly incident where she was beating and scratching you in front of a cop. When you're selling it on Ebay, you're probably going to set a reserve price. You don't want some schlub like Billy Beane coming in and paying $1.75 for a ring you just laid several thousand rubles for."

• Chris' Sports Blog: "I can't say this enough: Alfonso Soriano still being a National is mind-boggling. As I wrote earlier today, Bowden's ego got in the way of the team. He has to be fired at the end of the year and Stan Kasten needs to hire a general manager with the sense to build a team the right way; with young players. It won't put butts in the seat next year but grass doesn't grow right away either. It's a process. The only process Jim Bowden believes in is his own ability to turn water into wine."

• Ball Wonk: "Someone will overpay for Soriano's talent, and despite his nice-guy talk Fonzie doesn't seem likely to take a pay cut to stay with the Nationals ... you've gotta figure his minimum is going to be $15 per year on a long-term contract. $75 mil and five years is probably his opening bid, and since we're not a young second-place team looking to take over the division, even that's probably too rich for Washington's blood. Which leaves Nationals fans having to hope either that Fonzie suffers a late-season slump that lowers his price into the range we can afford or that the Yankees and other potential free-agent bidders suffer late-season collapses so that the first-round draft pick we get for losing Fonzie is a good one. "

And fans at District Of Baseball are taking a wait and see attitude. We just hope, as always, that Bowden didn't go out and "celebrate" his non-trade.