coronavirus

Nationals' rings combine glitz with key mantras of 2019

May 24, 2020, 7:44pm

They won't get to try them on for real until some undetermined date, but the Nationals finally got a chance to see what their World Series rings look like during Sunday night's virtual presentation. What do they look like? Like a million bucks. (Note: They're not actually worth $1 million.) Created by Jostens, the Nats' rings include 170 round diamonds, 31 custom-cut rubies, 24 princess-cut rubies and 32 custom-cut genuine sapphires, bringing the total gem weight to 23.2 carats. The...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus davey martinez mark lerner mark zuckerman mike rizzo nationals nationals pastime virtual ring ceremony world series featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Six dates that were actually more important than May 24, 2019

May 23, 2020, 8:46pm

Nationals

Six dates that were actually more important than May 24, 2019

Well, it's May 24. And as everybody knows, May 24 is the most important day in Nationals history. Or something like that. Look, there's nothing wrong with noting the low point of a most improbable season. It serves as an obvious demarcation point that separates the wretched first portion of the 2019 campaign from the glorious five months that followed. And as has been said over and over since then, there really aren't many other teams in major league history that came back from such an...

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez anthony rendon coronavirus davey martinez gerardo parra kurt suzuki mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nationals change virtual ring ceremony at players' request

May 23, 2020, 8:35am

Nationals

After consulting with players who expressed a strong desire to wait to receive their World Series rings until they could all gather in person, the Nationals announced they will no longer hold their originally planned virtual ring ceremony Sunday night. The Nationals still will televise a show at 7 p.m. Sunday night on MASN in which the ring design is revealed and a handful of key players are interviewed, but they won't hand out the rings to players until a future date when everyone is gathered...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime virtual ring ceremony world series featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Friday morning Nats Q&A

May 21, 2020, 7:13pm

Nationals

Are we possibly only a few weeks away from baseball? If Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association can come to an agreement - and if society at large is ready for it - we could see "Spring Training 2.0" begin roughly three weeks from now, then the regular season begin the first week of July. In the meantime, the Nationals are all set to hold their virtual ring ceremony on Sunday at 7 p.m. on MASN, a surprise development that has caught some folks off guard this week. It's not the...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime q&a featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

What if the Nats never acquired Alfonso Soriano?

May 20, 2020, 9:08pm

Nationals

What if the Nats never acquired Alfonso Soriano?

All this time off has given us plenty of opportunity to look back and fondly remember events of the past 15 years. Great games that were won. Great players that made an impact. Big decisions that had long-lasting ramifications for the future of the organization. But what if some of those big moments didn't happen? What if one of those decisions wasn't made the same way? What impact would that have had on the Nationals in the long term? I've thought of several possible moves that could've...

Comments

Tags:

alfonso soriano coronavirus jim bowden jordan zimmermann mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime what if featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Flores doing his teaching from Puerto Rico

May 21, 2020, 2:27pm

Orioles

Flores doing his teaching from Puerto Rico

Pitchers who are confined to their homes during the pandemic are challenged to find a mound and perhaps a willing partner to provide a target. Hitters are relegated to batting cages, if they have one built or access to a facility that's open, in order to stay sharp. What's an infielder to do? JosÃ© Flores, who replaced Bobby Dickerson as Orioles third base coach and infield instructor prior to the 2019 season, is trying to teach and encourage from Puerto Rico. He doesn't know whether...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus jose flores orioles renato nunez featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Given state of things, virtual ring ceremony makes sense

May 19, 2020, 9:21pm

Nationals

Given state of things, virtual ring ceremony makes sense

The Nationals had made it known they would not raise their championship banner or hand out World Series rings in an empty ballpark. No fans? No formal celebration of the franchise's first title. "I think as far as raising the banner and the distribution of rings, we're going to wait for our fan base to be involved to do those types of things," general manager Mike Rizzo said last month during an interview with MLB Network Radio. "Those are once-in-a-lifetime things to do, and our fan base...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman masn nationals nationals pastime virtual ring ceremony world series featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Limited clarity to a proposed 2020 season

May 19, 2020, 2:05pm

Orioles

Limited clarity to a proposed 2020 season

The shortages caused by the coronavirus pandemic haven't impacted the number of questions about baseball's attempts to play in 2020. Spring training locations appear to be solved, with teams expected to work out in their home ballparks rather than the camp facilities. The Orioles won't have all those fields and bullpen mounds at their disposal, so they'll need to get creative while conducting their drills. If they could train at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, they should be able to train...

Comments

Tags:

austin hays coronavirus keegan akin orioles ryan mountcastle featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Nationals to hold virtual ring ceremony Sunday on MASN

May 19, 2020, 4:01pm

Nationals

The Nationals announced this evening they will hold a virtual ring ceremony and present players and staff members with their long-awaited World Series championship rings Sunday night, a concession to the reality of the world during the coronavirus pandemic. With the 2020 Major League Baseball season on hold and fans unlikely to be in attendance if and when games do begin this summer, the Nationals decided to mail out their championship rings to be opened in unison Sunday night on a group Zoom...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark lerner mark zuckerman masn nationals nationals pastime virtual ring ceremony world series featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Some of the reasons to play a season

May 18, 2020, 3:47pm

Orioles

Upon seeing some elements of the 67 pages of health protocols to have a 2020 major league season, some readers here indicated why bother. Too much to try and overcome and it's not worth it. They must have thought, do players really need to sit and locker six feet apart? Do they need to throw baseballs out of play after several players touch them? Do they really need to stay in hotels and not go out on the road and do they really need to skip showering at the ballparks? What about no more...

Comments

Tags:

orioles steve melewski coronavirus featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3

Would Nationals train and play in D.C. or West Palm Beach?

May 18, 2020, 8:40pm

Nationals

There are so many questions that must be answered before baseball returns, but let's attempt today to tackle one of the most pertinent questions facing the Nationals: Where would they hold the resumption of spring training, and then where would they play their season? Based on Major League Baseball's official proposal to the MLB Players Association, it looks like the answer is: In Washington, as long as it's safe to do so, and as long as local authorities say it's OK. Those are some pretty...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman mlb nationals nationals park nationals pastime spring training west palm beach featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Cobb left waiting for rematch with Twins

May 15, 2020, 7:02am

Orioles

Cobb left waiting for rematch with Twins

The Orioles are supposed to be in Minnesota today to start a three-game series. They're supposed to be putting last year's failings behind them. In a big pile that could bury them if it toppled. Three games against the Twins at Camden Yards produced three losses. Three games at Target Field produced three losses. All of them coming in April, with a series win against the White Sox nestled in between. Alex Cobb made only three starts in 2019 and the last two came against the Twins before the...

Comments

Tags:

alex cobb coronavirus orioles featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

State of the Nats roster: Rotation

May 17, 2020, 7:59pm

Nationals

We continue today a periodic look at the state of the Nationals roster at the point spring training was suspended and project how things may look whenever baseball is played again. Up next is the starting rotation ... The Nationals have one of the best rotations in baseball. That much we've known all along. But is it possible this group might prove even more valuable if given an opportunity to pitch in 2020? There's reason to believe so, if Major League Baseball's current proposal for...

Comments

Tags:

anibal sanchez austin voth coronavirus erick fedde joe ross mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime patrick corbin state of the roster stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Tales from the clubhouse: Magnus' moment

May 16, 2020, 9:30pm

Nationals

Tales from the clubhouse: Magnus' moment

If baseball resumes in 2020, it will almost certainly do so with restricted access to the clubhouse, only essential personnel allowed through those sacred doors. That'll be a big change from the way it's been for a long time. And it'll ruin the possibility of any ridiculous stories like this one from happening again ... Players often invite guests into the clubhouse before or after games. Their children or another relative. A close friend. Maybe even a furry friend. It doesn't happen all...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus jayson werth magnus mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime tales from the clubhouse featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Manfred details plan for testing, quarantining players

May 14, 2020, 9:23pm

Nationals

Manfred details plan for testing, quarantining players

While the fight over compensation for a potential 2020 season draws most of the headlines, the matter of health and safety appears to be taking priority in early negotiations between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association. There are countless issues that must be worked out before a season can officially begin, but the question on most players' minds right now is a simple one: What happens if somebody tests positive for the coronavirus? MLB hadn't publicly said much of anything...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime rob manfred tony clark featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Nationals trivia quiz: Uniform numbers

May 13, 2020, 8:57pm

Nationals

It's time for another round of Nats trivia! If you didn't play along in our three previous installments, be sure to check out the quizzes on opening days, the postseason and club highs and lows. This quiz is all about uniform numbers. How well do you know your Nationals based not on names or stats but the number on the back of their jerseys? This will test both your simple and your deep-cut knowledge. Just to make one thing clear: Unless otherwise stated, all questions refer only to numbers...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus howie kendrick mark zuckerman max scherzer nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman stephen strasburg trivia featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Mountcastle's workouts, season safety discussed, plus other notes

May 14, 2020, 3:38pm

Orioles

Mountcastle's workouts, season safety discussed, plus other notes

When you are pro baseball player that lives in Florida, you can probably often find other pro players to work out with and train with. That is true for Orioles prospect Ryan Mountcastle, who lives near Orlando. In an interview yesterday, he told me he is spending his days right now working out, playing ball and hanging out by the pool. Sounds like a pretty good day, right? So when Mountcastle looks to take part in some baseball activities these days, he is doing that with other accomplished...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus orioles ryan mountcastle steve melewski featured_sidebar rob manfred scott boras frontstory_orioles3

Spring shutdown left players like Wynns uncertain of status

May 13, 2020, 7:28am

Orioles

Spring shutdown left players like Wynns uncertain of status

The spring training shutdown did more than stop the workouts and exhibition games. It also led to the shredding of mock rosters, destroying all of the hard work put into choosing the 26 players who would head north for opening day. If there is a 2020 season, it's going to come with an expansion that might allow teams to carry 30 players and a hefty taxi squad. Those camp competitions that held our interest seem so insignificant under these revisions. The idea of carrying a third catcher seemed...

Comments

Tags:

austin wynns brandon hyde bryan holaday chance sisco coronavirus orioles pedro severino taylor davis trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Wynns imparts wisdom and advice to young players via Zoom

May 13, 2020, 6:05am

Orioles

Wynns imparts wisdom and advice to young players via Zoom

The Zoom conference calls have allowed Orioles catcher Austin Wynns to feel more connected to his family, friends and teammates. The club set up a promotion where he could speak with Birdland Members deprived of a season. The images on his screen have been personal in some ways and linked more to his profession on others days. But they touch his heart just the same. Wynns spent last Friday night talking baseball in a manner he hadn't experienced. A catcher-turned-lecturer of sorts, the virtual...

Comments

Tags:

austin wynns coronavirus fieldhouse pirates orioles jimmy richardson featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

State of the Nats roster: Catchers (plus ticket refund info)

May 12, 2020, 8:46pm

Nationals

State of the Nats roster: Catchers (plus ticket refund info)

We continue today a periodic look at the state of the Nationals roster at the point spring training was suspended and project how things may look whenever baseball is played again. Up next is the catching corps ... As a whole, Nationals catchers were among the most productive in the majors last season. They totaled 28 homers (seventh-most in baseball), 100 RBIs (third-most) and a .743 OPS that represented a 119-point upgrade from the 2018 season. The club has every reason to believe this group...