#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Reaching baseball's October pinnacle

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Reaching baseball's October pinnacle
One of the few positive points about living in pandemic hell is that the Nationals continue to be world champions. And the way things are going, they may get an extended stretch atop the baseball world. In this week's collections of "Nationals Classics" on MASN, we're happy to revisit some October baseball, specifically the four World Series games in which the Nats prevailed over the Astros, all of them coming at Houston's Minute Maid Park. So much for home field advantage, right? There...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: 11th-inning heroics and a World Series triumph

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: 11th-inning heroics and a World Series triumph
In years to come, our grandchildren will ask us about 2020. Political and societal turmoil raging against a backdrop of global pandemic will certainly give future historians much to analyze. When all the books are written, at least a few will dwell on the effects of the prolonged suspension of sporting events, both on fans and on the sports themselves. In the case of baseball, the coronavirus shutdown brought to a rapid boil the labor conflict that had been expected to simmer for another year....
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: A nailbiter, a decisive blast and the start of something big

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: A nailbiter, a decisive blast and the start of something big
One of the great things about baseball is that the game offers something for everyone, an aspect on full display in this week's collection of "Orioles Classics" on MASN. If you prefer pitchers' duels over slugfests, we've got a good one for you from 2017, a night when the Orioles and Blue Jays matched zeros into extra innings before someone broke through. Of course, some people prefer lots of offense, and few players produced it like 2016 American League home run champ Mark Trumbo, whose...
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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": It just wasn't in the cards for St. Louis

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": It just wasn't in the cards for St. Louis
What with the coronavirus and all, you might feel squeamish about leafing through Father's Day cards wherever you usually go to get that sort of thing. But do at least give dad a call this Sunday. If you still (or again) live with dad, you'll want to spend the day together sharing some great baseball memories as you watch "Nationals Classics" on MASN. Who knows? Maybe you attended one or more of these games together, perhaps the one against the Yankees on Father's Day 2006. Ryan Zimmerman...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Postseason bonanza

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Postseason bonanza
Looking ahead to the coming week's "Orioles Classics," I couldn't help but think of Jim Mora's most famous moment. Mora, then head coach of the Indianapolis (grr!) Colts, spoke with reporters following a 2001 loss that dropped the team to 4-6. One of those reporters asked Mora about the Colts' chances at making the National Football League playoffs that season, triggering the coach's now legendary reaction. "Playoffs? Don't talk about ... playoffs?" Mora screeched incredulously, his...
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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": A wild introduction to postseason run

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": A wild introduction to postseason run
There's no way around it. We miss baseball. We miss everything about a trip to South Capitol Street to see the Nationals play. The way the warm June breezes buffet the upper deck. The taste of a Ben's Chili Bowl half smoke when you bite into it. The taste of a cold, refreshing Budweiser. The roar of the crowd. We don't know when baseball will return, but until the owners and players can come to some sort of agreement, MASN has plenty of "Nationals Classics" to help you get your diamond...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Hello, goodbye and everything in between

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Hello, goodbye and everything in between
One of the great things about highlighting rebroadcasts of games from a team with a tradition that stretches back to 1954 is the variety of choices you get in the film library. This week's collection of "Orioles Classics" on MASN stretches all the way back to 1987 and a day when a trio from the same family made headlines. It includes the last game at Memorial Stadium in 1991 and the first game at Camden Yards in 1992. And it includes some memorable moments from the 2012 season that saw the...
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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Strap in for some Strasburg

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Strap in for some Strasburg
Was any postseason retrospective ever more aptly titled than "Improbable"? The look back at the Nationals' 2019 playoff run re-aired on MASN recently, reminding us just how odds-defying the team's climb to the top was. Battling back to a playoff berth after teetering on the edge of oblivion in May, the Nats then had to come back against a dominant closer to win the wild card, survive two elimination games in the National League Division Series - coming back from a three-run deficit late in...
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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Pitching and offense are on display

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Pitching and offense are on display
This week's selection of "Nationals Classics" on MASN fits into one two categories: those games dominated by stellar pitching and those featuring lots of offense. Pitching and hitting are the game's cornerstones. Put them together and you've got a winning combination. Good pitching can usually trump good hitting, and this week's "Nationals Classics" wraps with a trio of the best mound efforts ever seen in D.C. (or anywhere else, for that matter). On Wednesday, you can settle into your...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Ripken's run and retirement

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Ripken's run and retirement
Having to hunker down at home while waiting for the new/novel coronavirus (what are they calling it this week, anyway?) to wane has been tough on all of us. But think about what it might have been like for Cal Ripken Jr. had the pandemic hit our shores during his playing days. The Iron Man carved out a place for himself among the legends of baseball by just showing up to work every single day. He couldn't have kept himself in the lineup had he not produced, of course, but by declining to take...
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Given state of things, virtual ring ceremony makes sense

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...
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Nationals to hold virtual ring ceremony Sunday on MASN

Nationals to hold virtual ring ceremony Sunday on MASN
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...
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MASN to air "Kolko & Friends" at 7 p.m. on May 19

MASN to air "Kolko & Friends" at 7 p.m. on May 19
If you're among those who are missing Nationals baseball - and since the game is the sole focus of our website, we're guessing that's pretty much all of you are - MASN has a brief respite from the coronavirus gloom and doom. "Kolko & Friends," presented by Budweiser and featuring "Nats Xtra" host Dan Kolko, will air tonight at 7 p.m. on MASN. Additionally, "Kolko & Friends" will stream on Facebook Live, YouTube and nationals.com. So if you're away from your television this...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something for everyone

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something for everyone
One of the great things about a baseball game is that different people can watch the same contest and be entertained in multiple ways. All depends on what part of the game you like the most. With that in mind, this week's list of "Orioles Classics" on MASN contains a little something for everyone. You like offense? Well, we've got bunches of home runs and crooked numbers. How about games in which the Orioles slugged six, seven and five round-trippers? You like history? Then the final game...
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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Starting with a midweek doubleheader

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Starting with a midweek doubleheader
While taking nothing for granted in a COVID-ravaged world, we can reasonably assume that the sight of Spring Training 2.0 and a shortened - but certainly sweet - 2020 season on the horizon is not a mirage. With the target window now in the Independence Day/All-Star break vicinity, we can almost smell the hot dogs and the horsehide. In the meantime, we'll tide ourselves over with Nationals baseball from seasons past. Not a bad deal, really, considering that many of those seasons produced...
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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Worth the wait for late heroics

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Worth the wait for late heroics
When you watch a baseball game - whether in person or from the comfort of your basement recliner - there's a certain end game at play. Simply put, you want your team to win. You don't really care how they do it, as long as they have more runs than the other guys at the end of the game. Sometimes it takes nine innings, sometimes more. Sometimes it's a stellar pitching performance that does the trick, other times it's a fortuitous piece of offense that's the catalyst. Sometimes, weird things...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Extras! Extras! Read all about it!

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Extras! Extras! Read all about it!
If you can get up at (or stay up until) 4 a.m., you can now watch live baseball. It's on the tube at that hour because it's coming to you live from South Korea, where COVID-19 precautions have eased up enough to permit the Korea Baseball Organization to play ball, albeit without fans in the stands. It's a little surreal, watching players you don't know in ad-emblazoned batting helmets and umpires in surgical masks, all rattling around in an empty ballpark at a time of day when the vast...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: More memories from yesteryear

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: More memories from yesteryear
For many years, Mother's Day and baseball were irrevocably intertwined in my life. The first baseball game I ever attended was on Mother's Day 1966, the day Frank Robinson hit a home run out of Memorial Stadium, making him the only player to ever accomplish that feat. Of course, we didn't know it until the next day, when my dad read it in the morning paper. After my dad passed in 1985, mom and I would usually spend Mother's Day at a ballpark. She particularly loved the intimacy of Harry...
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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Slugfests and nailbiters

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Slugfests and nailbiters
Guess you'll just have send your mother a card this year. If she's like my mom, she'd probably prefer that you take her to see a ballgame, but sadly, that's not an option this Mother's Day. The good news is that if you happen to be living under the same roof during the Great COVID-19 Shutdown of 2020, you and mom can park yourselves in front of the TV on Sunday (or any other day this week) and enjoy Nationals baseball together. True, we can only bring you the exploits of seasons past, but...
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"Orioles Classics" #TBT: The first title, Jones' last game as an Oriole

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: The first title, Jones' last game as an Oriole
If the 2020 season had started on schedule, we might have had several postponements already anyhow, given the wet weather we've had this April. But as those of us who suffer from hay fever are especially aware, those April showers bring May flowers. We here at MASN would, of course, like nothing better than to be bringing you live Orioles baseball, but as we all continue to hunker down to fend off the coronavirus as best we can, it looks as though we may have a May without it this year. That...
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