When last we saw him inside a ballpark, Max Scherzer was drenched in champagne and beer, his body and his mind completely exhausted after a gutsy Game 7 start to help lead the Nationals to their first World Series title. Scherzer, who pitched three days after receiving a pain-relieving injection in his neck that forced him to miss his scheduled Game 5 start, admitted that glorious night in Houston it would take some time to recover from all this. Not that much time, though, as the veteran...

Rather than take the usual deep dive into my "mailbag," I've decided to skim the surface after the Winter Meetings and address, so to speak, a smaller batch of the more popular questions. I'm skipping anything that includes the phrase "printing the playoff tickets." Also ignored will be the ones that begin with, "Why should I bother to ..." I can't make the decision for you. You'll support the team and the rebuild or you'll bail on them. You could be supportive from your recliner,...

Stephen Strasburg, like most every baseball-loving kid who grew up in San Diego, fell in love with Tony Gwynn. And not strictly for his performance on the field. Strasburg understood that Gwynn represented the Padres in every possible way. He was San Diego's Own, a Hall of Famer who spent his entire 20-year career with one franchise and remained closely connected with the franchise and the city until his death. Strasburg would never try to compare himself to his baseball hero, college coach,...

Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg got his first opportunity to speak publicly about his legacy deal with the club Tuesday at Nats Park. Strasburg also talked about the departure of Anthony Rendon. "I was in contact with Tony," Strasburg said. "I have so much respect for that guy and for that family and everything he represents. I just wanted him to be in a situation that was best for him and his family. I'm happy for him. I think that's the way the game is, is that some guys might...

As Hanukkah begins and Christmas arrives, feeling festive is par for the course. Summers here the past few years, not so much. Better days lie ahead for our Orioles, we know, but waiting for the Birds to return to contention feels a lot like waiting for Santa Claus. We know he's coming, but the clock just won't move fast enough. There's no pennant under the tree this year, but MASN can give you a sleighful of O's victories to remember in this week's edition of "Orioles Classics,"...

Stephen Strasburg last week decided to spend the rest of his career with the Nationals. Today he'll get a chance to explain why. Strasburg, who signed a seven-year, $245 million extension eight days ago at the start of baseball's Winter Meetings in San Diego, is scheduled to hold a press conference at 11 a.m. today at Nationals Park to officially announce his side of the agreement. It has never been Strasburg's way to embrace the spotlight. And truth be told, he'd probably rather not have...

The trio of Orioles executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias, assistant GM of analytics Sig Mejdal and manager Brandon Hyde did more than brave the nasty elements at Saturday's Winter Warm-Up at Camden Yards. They also faced a group fans during a question-and-answer session who had reason to be grouchy, based on the ugly results of 2019 and rain that occasionally shifted to downpour status. No one was injured in the making of the session. The mood was mostly light and there were...

Not a creature was stirring - except for the MASN staff, who have put together a holiday bonanza of "Nationals Classics" for your viewing pleasure. From first thing this morning through the midnight hour on Christmas night, we'll relive moments from each of the past eight Nationals seasons. You'll see so much baseball you'll think your long winter's nap lasted all the way to April. Included on this long list (we checked it twice) are extra-inning thrillers, eye-popping power displays and...

Anthony Rendon, are you paying attention? Do you think that you made a bad career decision? The Angels have third baseman Rendon, but the team that might have the best chance of beating the Astros in the American League West in 2020 is the Texas Rangers. Why? Because the Rangers are building a rotation this offseason, and their latest addition is Corey Kluber, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner the Rangers got from Cleveland in a trade on Sunday. So, I wonder if Rendon, after...

Well, it was an eventful week for the Nationals out in San Diego, where they were the center of attention at the Winter Meetings, with both positive and negative results. They re-signed Stephen Strasburg for seven years and $245 million. Then they watched Anthony Rendon leave for seven years and $245 million. Which leaves them in a bit of a predicament as they try to find some way to make up for his lost production, defense and overall presence. It won't be easy. There's plenty more going on...