The Nationals will retain general manager Jim Bowden when the team is officially sold to a group headed by Theodore Lerner, incoming team president Stan Kasten announced Friday. Kasten said he had admired Bowden before the Lerners were granted team ownership, and that Bowden's performance in Washington, including a highly regarded draft, was a reaffirmation of those beliefs. "I came in believing this was the course I was going to take," Kasten said.