Players stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic are adapting to life away from baseball. A shock to the system. They've been playing the sport since they were kids. For fun and later as a profession. Their body clocks are wired to it. The shutdown can challenge them both mentally and physically. "It just reminds me of a lockout or a strike, but with more consequences," said former outfielder Eric Davis, in his 12th season as a Reds special assistant. "When you have a lockout or a...

Miguel Castro vowed back in February to return home to the Dominican Republic following the 2020 season, with no fears or trepidations created from the previous month's robbery that almost cost him more than just a couple of gold chains. The Orioles reliever made the trip much sooner than he expected with sports shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic. And he's using the time to help people who are less fortunate, still immersed in his community rather than hiding out or keeping a lower...

Nationals manager Davey Martinez is in the final year of a three-year deal that runs through the 2020 season. The contract, singed in October 2017, has a club option for 2021. Martinez was hired to replace Dusty Baker on a deal worth $2.8 million. The club option for 2021 is worth $1.2 million. During a Zoom video conference call Friday, Martinez said here have been no official talks yet on a contract extension. "Nothing, no. Right now, I'm pretty much self-isolated here," Martinez said from...

Davey Martinez's days are pretty occupied right now, all things considered. As he waits things out at his 350-acre farm near Nashville, he spends his mornings riding a Peloton bike, his afternoons outside taking care of his massive property and in between chases his new puppies Champ and Mya around. There is some time reserved for Martinez's actual day job, though, and right now what occupies the Nationals manager's worktime most is formulating a plan for an eventual second round of spring...

The narrative of the Nationals franchise as a whole, and the narrative of many of those who wore the Nats uniform, forever changed last October. What had been regarded by many as a very good organization that consistently underachieved in the postseason is now thought of as a model of perseverance and togetherness. The Nationals finally rose to the occasion in 2019, and high on the list of players who made that possible is Stephen Strasburg, who had a brilliant postseason capped by World Series...

As part of the club's ongoing efforts to serve and strengthen the community during the current pandemic, the Orioles announced today that they will partner with OneBlood, Inc. to host a blood drive at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla., on Thursday, May 7, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. The blood drive will take place in the East Lot of the stadium, located on the corner of 12th Street and Tuttle Avenue. All fans who donate blood will receive an Orioles Backpack Cooler, OneBlood T-shirt, and...

While Eric Davis was undergoing colon cancer surgery and chemotherapy treatments in 1997, one of the most popular players in franchise history - a member of its Hall of Fame and satisfier of pit beef cravings - would be subjected to a similar procedure and regimen in the exact same summer. Davis was diagnosed in June during the first of his two seasons in Baltimore. Former first baseman Boog Powell, who played in four World Series with the Orioles and was voted Most Valuable Player in the...

We don't have games to talk about right now, but that doesn't mean we still can't speculate on what the Orioles roster might have looked like had opening day been March 26. How would it have looked at the start of the 2020 season? In earlier postings here I've done my own speculation on what a 26-man roster might have looked like to begin a new season. I've gone over the rotation, the infielders and the outfielders. When baseball shut down in mid-March, the Orioles were putting together...

OK let's get selfish, Nationals fans. Yes, we absolutely want 100 games of Nats baseball this year. A recent proposal provides a glimmer of hope that the 2020 season might be played in some way after all. And if that proposal comes to fruition, that means that the coronavirus shutdown might be slowly coming to an end, with baseball starting in late June or early July. That is the hope, anyway. Then we all can get back to enjoying baseball again, which Nats fans, especially, have reason to be...

Ryan Zimmerman insists he's got a lot of baseball left in him, but he sure seems to be laying the groundwork for a post-retirement career in broadcasting. It began two weeks ago with the Nationals team Zoom chat, during which Zimmerman turned into something of a co-moderator with MASN's Dan Kolko and showed an impressive ability to ask teammates pertinent questions while maintaining some control over a disorganized group of talkers. And it continued Wednesday when Zimmerman recorded a...