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David Huzzard: The Nats have been here before

October 11, 2012, 5:19am

On the afternoon of July 21, Nats fans gathered and sulked in mass. The night before, the Nationals had blown a nine-run lead with their best pitcher on the mound. Nats fans watched helplessly as pitcher after pitcher was terrorized by Braves hitters and what felt like a safe and comfy cushion disappeared. It all went away when Michael Bourn tripled to bring in the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Danny Espinosa would tie it with a homer in the bottom of the ninth, but in the end, the...

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Zach Wilt: Power of the 'pen

October 09, 2012, 6:02am

Orioles

If the Orioles are going to be playing baseball next week, they're going to have to out-pitch the New York Yankees in the remaining two or three games of the American League Division Series. Despite the $116 million difference in the two team's payrolls, I'm confident that the Birds have the advantage when it comes to their arsenal of arms. Jim Johnson picked a tough time to have an off night, but the good news is that his rough outing was just that night. The Orioles' closer was charged...

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Ted Leavengood: Nats' first playoff win a Tilt-a-Whirl ride

October 07, 2012, 5:22pm

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: Nats' first playoff win a Tilt-a-Whirl ride

In the postseason, the highs are higher, the lows are lower. Like Tom Boswell said in his Sunday morning column, the playoffs are the "myocardial infarction games," a Tilt-a-Whirl ride that seesaws the emotions up, down and all around. True to form, when Jayson Werth came to bat in the first inning of the first playoff game ever in Nationals history, the hearts of the collective fan base were beating about 200 strokes per minute. Then Ian Desmond got the first base hit in the second inning...

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Matthew Taylor: Postseason probably means an improbable hero or two

October 05, 2012, 6:16am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Postseason probably means an improbable hero or two

The 2012 Orioles, a roster filled with odds-defying heroes, are a perfect match for postseason baseball, which rewards unlikely stars by elevating their clutch performances from enjoyable to unforgettable. Player names that, years later, you can't remember become ones you'll never forget. Taylor Teagarden has recorded three walk-off hits this season, including a game-winning, two-run homer in his second at-bat with the Orioles. I can envision O's fans years from now talking about "that...

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Marty Niland: The folly of baseball's new playoff system

October 05, 2012, 5:20am

Nationals

Marty Niland: The folly of baseball's new playoff system

First the good news: By virtue of the best record in baseball, the Nationals have the home field advantage in a best-of-five series against Friday's wild card winner. Now the bad news: By virtue of the best record in baseball, the Nationals have the home field advantage in a best-of-five series against Friday's wild card winner. How's that? The half-baked playoff system that Major League Baseball came up with this year means the Nats will take to the road for two games in either Atlanta...

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James Baker: It's not over

October 04, 2012, 8:01am

Orioles

The Orioles finished Game 162 with a 4-1 loss at the hands of a scrappy, prideful, Tampa Bay Rays team. But for the first time in more than a decade, the season is not over. As a result of the their loss and the Yankees' win, the Orioles are the second wild card team and must fly to Arlington, Texas, to face the suddenly mortal Texas Rangers. The 2012 season will go down in Baltimore lore as one of the most amazing spectacles. The Orioles finished with the best record in one-run-games in the...

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David Huzzard: Welcome to the land of small sample sizes

October 04, 2012, 5:36am

Nationals

David Huzzard: Welcome to the land of small sample sizes

October baseball is different, but not in the way most think. This isn't about the added pressure, how much brighter the spotlight is, or how some players can dig deep and find a special clutch ability they lacked all regular season. This isn't about the age old clichÃƒÂ©s. As The Boss will tell you on the commercials, October is the land of hope and dreams, but it is also the land of small sample sizes. There are a few weaknesses with the Nationals that can be exploited. First off,...

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Rachel Levitin: Savor Nats' success because it's been a long wait

October 03, 2012, 5:52am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Savor Nats' success because it's been a long wait

Here it is, Nats fans - today is last the day of the 2012 regular season. Your Nationals secured their first-ever National League East division title and hold the best record in baseball. Can anyone honestly say this is what they thought would happen this season? After Monday night's clinch of the NL East title, outfielder Jayson Werth mentioned that his decision to play baseball for Washington was motivated by the desire to play for a team that had a chance to win for a long time. "And it...

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Neal Shaffer: A burden, lifted

October 02, 2012, 6:12pm

Orioles

What do sports mean to a city, after all? Of what value is a team? What do we really gain from having handsomely compensated athletes organize themselves in uniform to play games in a city most of them don't call home? In a word, it's community. From economic impact to camaraderie, everyone can find their own favorite reason why sports matter. Regardless of which one you favor, a team is one of the few things that still has the power to impart a real sense of "us." Rooting can be a...

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Stephen Walker: A lifetime of waiting ends in rejoicing

October 02, 2012, 6:40am

Nationals

Stephen Walker: A lifetime of waiting ends in rejoicing

To those born after 1971, this is how it was supposed to be in Washington all along. Enjoy it to the fullest. To those who remember the Senators, the sadness of September 30, 1971 is now gone. Forever. Let it go. Let peace wash over you. Rest in peace, Robert E. Short and all those who allowed the National Pastime to depart the nation's capital. The Washington Nationals are the 2012 National League East Division Champions. Say it again and again until joy fills your heart. No one, no...

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Zach Wilt: Who's writing this script?

October 02, 2012, 6:03am

Orioles

If Hollywood was smart - six "Fast and the Furious" movies are strong evidence to the contrary - there would be a movie about the Orioles' season out by Opening Day 2013. This season is the perfect script and in a lot of ways, like most O's fans, I feel like I'm playing a minor character in it. Like when my brother-in-law and sister-in-law helped me purchase postseason tickets just days before giving birth to their first child. Or when my dad and I were on MASN reaching for Nate...

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Ted Leavengood: A tale of two seasons

October 01, 2012, 5:47am

Nationals

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times. The Washington Nationals have ascended the heights. They have one of the best records in the game. But the pitching staff that was masterful in the first five months of the season, had the wheels come off as the Cardinals scored 26 runs over the past three days. Ross Detwiler and Edwin Jackson -- both pitchers with some history in St. Louis--looked as bad as any two Washington pitchers have all season long. In less than four innings, they...

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Domenic Vadala: 2012 The Afterglow

October 01, 2012, 5:25am

Orioles

While arguably the most important games of the 2012 Orioles' regular season are still ahead, at this point I feel it's worth taking a look back at where we've been. It goes without saying that 2012 will go down as the best Orioles season in a generation, especially with a playoff spot in hand. This was a team that was supposed to lose 100 games. Instead, they're going to win 90+ and go to the postseason. This was a team that supposedly had no chance to do anything more than fail. Instead...

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Matthew Taylor: Charm City fantasy has become a reality

September 28, 2012, 6:08am

Orioles

Matthew Taylor: Charm City fantasy has become a reality

Two years ago, with Buck Showalter new in town and leading a late-season Orioles resurgence that saw the team go 34-23 in its final 57 games, then-Baltimore Sun writer Kevin Van Valkenburg outlined what he termed "a Charm City fantasy" - two winning professional sports teams playing in Baltimore in September. "The Orioles' late-season stretch of stellar baseball has been such a welcome surprise that it has allowed fans to fantasize about a scenario that hasn't occurred in more than three...

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Marty Niland: Cy Young for Gonzalez? Not a clear-cut choice

September 28, 2012, 5:45am

Nationals

Marty Niland: Cy Young for Gonzalez? Not a clear-cut choice

Several interesting discussions about the National League Cy Young Award broke out Thursday among some Facebook friends, as Mets fans congratulated RA Dickey on winning his 20th game of the season. Posters and commenters began comparing Dickey and Gio Gonzalez, the only other 20-game winner in the majors this season, and speculating on which pitcher would win. So who does deserve to win the award as the league's top pitcher, Gonzalez or Dickey? Gonzalez won his 21st game Thursday night by...

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David Huzzard: Power up the middle

September 27, 2012, 7:01am

Nationals

There is an old saying in baseball about building teams with defense up the middle and power at the corners. Anyone watching the Washington Nationals can see that they have built a team full of capable defenders. The Nationals' infield is the best in the game, getting not just defense up the middle and power at the corners, but receiving power up the middle and defense at the corners. While Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche offer Gold Glove play on a nightly basis, the real added strength of the...

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Rachel Levitin: Playoff baseball is a bonding experience unlike any other

September 26, 2012, 5:07am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Playoff baseball is a bonding experience unlike any other

The first thing I wanted to do when I heard the Nationals had clinched their first playoff berth was call my dad. I was standing at a bus stop in Arlington with Twitter feeding me a constant live stream of updates from friends, media members and baseball fans. I'll even admit to getting a little misty-eyed. That's why I wanted to call my dad. He's the one who taught me how to love baseball. To my dad and me, baseball was a bonding experience. While I don't know exactly why we chose...

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Neal Shaffer: What if the Orioles miss the playoffs?

September 26, 2012, 4:55am

Orioles

Today I come to raise a spectre. Not because I want to. Certainly not because anyone else wants me to (you surely don't). I do so, simply, because I must. To wit: What if the Orioles miss the playoffs? With seven games left the black and orange remain in a strong position. Despite two consecutive losses to the Blue Jays, they're still in this thing. The division title might be slipping away but the wild card is very much an option. The numbers, however, are not comfortable. A lot can and...

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Zach Wilt: Qualifying the Orioles' 'luck'

September 25, 2012, 4:55am

Orioles

Growing up, my dad always had old sayings that he would use to help teach me a life lesson. They were always simple, thought-provoking sentiments about whatever struggles I happened to be facing at the time, and many of them stick with me today. One such saying has particularly been of interest to me throughout the last five months. As I have watched the Baltimore Orioles go from 69 wins in 2011 to 88 wins (and counting) in 2012, I can't help but hear my dad saying, "You make your own...

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Ted Leavengood: The teapot tempest over turnout

September 24, 2012, 5:32am

Nationals

Ted Leavengood: The teapot tempest over turnout

On Saturday, Nationals Park was awash in an unbroken sea of red jerseys and caps as 40,000 loyal fans came to enjoy baseball played in remarkably clear, crisp autumn weather. Much has been written about the disappointing attendance at Nationals games. Too much has been said about the preponderance of Philadelphia fans who overrun the loyal Washington rooters when their team is in town. Too many have said this is a football town and always will be. Put that teapot away, the tempest fugit. (From...