At a time when there are no live games to watch, what are baseball fans and our blog readers doing to get a sports fix? Have you found something fun to watch involving sports or the Orioles that you stumbled upon? If yes, feel free to share with all of us today. Maybe we'll learn something or find something to enhance our stay-at-home viewing options. I've watched a few old O's games or parts of them. We are used to tuning into MASN's "Orioles Classics." Even though the end result was...

Catcher Tres Barrera made his major league debut late last season with the Nationals, appearing in two games. The Eastern League All-Star got off to a good start with Double-A Harrisburg and never looked back. Barrera was able to crank out 23 doubles, eight homers and 46 RBIs in the spacious FNB Field. "Tres had a great year last year," said Nationals minor league hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich. "Put him in a different park, give him the big league balls, he'd probably hit 15-20 homers...

Earlier this week, we discussed the Arizona plan in this entry. Now there is a Arizona/Florida plan, according to a report yesterday by USA Today sports. In spring training there is a so-called Grapefruit League and a Cactus League. This plan calls for each of the states to host the 15 teams they currently host in spring and there would, for one crazy year only, be no American or National League. No fans would be in attendance at these games. It's another option, another possible plan to try...

A Nationals employee who was with the club during spring training in West Palm Beach tested positive for COVID-19 after returning home, has completed quarantine and is now symptom-free, general manager Mike Rizzo revealed today during his regular, weekly conference call with reporters. The male employee, whose name was not revealed, tested positive "well after we shut down the facilities in West Palm Beach and D.C.," Rizzo said. "And fortunately he's home and resting and doing well. His...

Part of my spring training routine that disappeared after March 11 was receiving and passing along the list of Orioles extras brought over from the minor league complex. Some high draft picks and some minor league free agents. Pitcher Isaac Mattson fell into a different category. The Orioles didn't draft or sign him. They acquired him from the Angels as part of the four-pitcher package for Dylan Bundy. Mattson appeared in two exhibition games and totaled one inning, but he warranted our...

The absence of games during the sports shutdown has made it necessary for me to tap into my many years on the Orioles beat and my memories as a kid rooting for the team to keep the blog humming. There are only so many roster decisions and stalled competitions to dissect. Only so much speculation about the 2020 season to rekindle and douse. Let's find out a little more about you. With a heavy dose of me, of course. What is your most random or bizarre piece of sports memorabilia? I own a hockey...

Nationals prospect Cole Freeman was a Carolina League All-Star in 2019 and also got a shot at playing 15 games in the Arizona Fall League for the Surprise Saguaros. The 25-year-old worked with Nationals hitting coordinator Troy Gingrich at spring training for a short time. Gingrich admired Freeman's compact swing. "I only got to see him for three days," Gingrich said. "He's very simple. He's got a short swing. He's got to where he is using his legs, his lower half, in his swing as well....

As fans began entering Nationals Park for Game 5 of the World Series, a few thoughts probably were foremost on everyone's minds ... * The home team had to win one of these games eventually, right? * The fact that Max Scherzer was starting for the Nationals should help make that happen, right? No. And no. Not even close. The home team would not win on this night, nor on any forthcoming night (though nobody could have realized that at the time). And more troublesome, Scherzer would not start...

You know how everyone has a Twitter challenge or question for you these days. I got this one recently. Twice actually. Pick four players who mean and/or meant a lot in your life. I could pick many more than four but the four that jumped out at me were Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Mike Martin and Andy Etchebarren. Brooks is an obvious one. My all-time favorite player and No. 1 for many around Birdland. An all-time great person. A Hall of Fame player and person. Not much more needs to be said,...

A regular season allowed to play out as intended would have brought the Orioles back home tonight after a four-game series in the Bronx. Gary Sánchez probably would have hit five or six home runs. And Gleyber Torres would have said, "Hold my protein shake." The Orioles were supposed to host the Pirates in a three-game weekend series and we could have rehashed the 1971 and 1979 World Series. Better to reminisce about the 2017 regular season and a two-game sweep for the Orioles at Camden...