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That time I won the Presidents Race at RFK Stadium

May 28, 2020, 9:40pm

It's been a particularly tough week, with far too much negative news in both the baseball and larger world. So let's try to end it on a lighter note, with a personal anecdote. About the time I ran in the Presidents Race. It's Aug. 17, 2006, and the fourth-inning Presidents Race is still a new event during Nationals games. First conceived as an animated race on the scoreboard, it became live action in July of that summer, after the Lerner family officially gained control of the organization...

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Scherzer shoots down MLB plan as clock ticks down for deal

May 27, 2020, 9:19pm

Nationals

Scherzer shoots down MLB plan as clock ticks down for deal

If you didn't realize how far apart Major League Baseball owners and players were in their negotiations over pay cuts for the proposed 2020 season, Max Scherzer served up a harsh reminder late Wednesday night that the chasm right now is vast. The Nationals ace and member of the MLB Players Association's eight-person executive subcommittee said the union has no intention of accepting any more salary reductions beyond what was already agreed to in late March. And he put the onus on owners to...

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Reduced pay, but no layoffs, for Nationals employees

May 26, 2020, 9:21pm

Nationals

While Major League Baseball and its players continue to spar over how to restructure salaries for the 2020 season, club employees around the sport are beginning to learn they won't be paid in full this year. The Nationals joined the list Tuesday, informing all full-time team employees they will see their salaries and work hours reduced by a modest amount. According to a source familiar with the club's decision, all full-timers in both the baseball and business sides of the organization will...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Pitching and offense are on display

May 26, 2020, 6:36am

Nationals

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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State of the Nats roster: Bullpen

May 25, 2020, 8:34pm

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 bullpen... Team officials are always going to speak optimistically about their roster during spring training. If you can't be positive in February and March, what hope do you have? But the optimism the Nationals displayed in West Palm Beach over their bolstered bullpen was genuine. They legitimately...

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Nationals' rings combine glitz with key mantras of 2019

May 24, 2020, 7:44pm

Nationals

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...

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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...

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Jostens creates 2019 World Series Championship Ring for Nationals

May 24, 2020, 3:42pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals and Jostens, the leading provider of custom, hand-crafted fine jewelry for professional sports teams, today unveiled the 2019 Washington Nationals World Series Championship Ring. "The journey the Nationals took to become World Series Champions for the first time was incredible," said Chris Poitras VP andCOO of Jostens Professional Sports Division. "We had the absolute honor to partner with them to create a ring that celebrated not only this historic moment for the...

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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...

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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...

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Statement from Nationals on virtual ring ceremony plans

May 23, 2020, 7:58am

Nationals

Our World Series rings were originally scheduled to be presented to our players and staff prior to the second home game of the 2020 season. As fans, media, employees, coaches and players continued to ask about when World Series rings would be distributed, the Nationals planned a special, first of its kind virtual ring ceremony. We knew it wouldn't be ideal, but it would offer the collective opportunity to reconnect with our fans and support important work being done in our community by Capital...

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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...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Starting with a midweek doubleheader

May 16, 2020, 5:25am

Nationals

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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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...

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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...

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Nationals to unveil World Series rings during first virtual championship ring ceremony

May 19, 2020, 4:20pm

Nationals

The Washington Nationals will unveil their 2019 World Series championship rings during an historic virtual celebration on Sunday, May 24 at 7 p.m. ET, the first virtual championship ring ceremony in MLB history. The hour-long celebration, presented by Budweiser, will be simulcast on Nationals.com, MLB Network, MASN, andthe Nationals Facebook and YouTube channels. The show will feature appearances from several members of the 2019 World Series championship team, Nationals ownership, and notable...

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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...

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MASN to air "Kolko & Friends" at 7 p.m. on May 19

May 19, 2020, 11:26am

Nationals

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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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...

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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...