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...

I sat down with St. Mary's College baseball coach Greg Moore to talk about the Nationals' reported signing of the Gaels' second baseman and leadoff hitter, Gio Diaz, as an undrafted free agent. Diaz played in 13 games this past abbreviated season, hitting .396 for the Gaels, who surged to finish the year at 8-8. "He loves to play the game," said Moore. "I know that's easy to say, but he thinks about the game all the time. He's one of those guys that studies the best in baseball. The...

When baseball owners approached Kenesaw "Mountain" Landis in 1920 and asked him to become the first commissioner in professional sports, the then-U.S. District Court judge insisted he be given a very specific power. Landis insisted he be allowed to make major decisions on his own, without approval of owners or players, for matters he believed were "in the best interests of baseball." Exactly one century later, that phrase remains written into Major League Baseball's constitution, and every...

The attitude is the first trait that really got Anthony Servideo noticed. Tom Eller, who would have been serving as Single-A Frederick hitting coach prior to the shutdown, got an up-close look at the Orioles' third-round draft pick back in 2018. Eller was coaching the Maryland Redbirds in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League and Servideo had joined the team after his freshman season at the University of Mississippi. Eller's initial thought? "I was watching him in the Super Regionals two...

The Orioles' third-round draft pick, University of Mississippi shortstop Anthony Servideo, has ties to the organization. His grandfather on his mother's side is Curt Blefary, the 1965 American League Rookie of the Year for the Orioles. But beyond the family connection, no doubt the organization took note of Servideo's huge improvement at the bat from 2019 to 2020. It was a small sample size, but the stats took a big leap. In 2019 for Ole Miss, the lefty hitter batted .287/.429/.388 in 66...

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...

The Nationals reportedly made at least one Sunday signing of an undrafted free agent. Infielder Gio Diaz of St. Mary's College confirmed through a school release that he had joined the Nationals for the $20,000 signing bonus. Diaz played mostly second base and third base, slashing .396/.442/.417 in 13 games during the shortened 2020 campaign for the Gaels. The .396 batting average was sixth-best in the West Coast Conference. He only struck out two times in 53 plate appearances, good for...

With no news on the state of the 2020 season expected until sometime today, the baseball world was left Sunday with nothing else to do but wax nostalgic and watch a documentary about the breaking of one of the sport's most hallowed records 22 years ago. The Great Home Run Chase of 1998 between Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa was beloved by everyone at the time, cringed at now because of the added layer of context we now have for what took place. Watching it, though, reminded me of the breaking of...

When the Orioles made the final call on their No. 2 draft pick, selecting Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad on Wednesday night, it was a big moment for the player and his family. But it was also a big moment for the Orioles scouting staff. Area scouts can follow players for years and years, file numerous reports, get to the know the player very well, meet his family, see hundreds of games over many seasons and then not even see that player drafted. Much less see one of their players taken...

Baseball is going to be played in 2020. And you might actually recognize some of it. Negotiations appear to be done between owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association. Proposals have been rejected on both sides and talks are dead. The counter-offers and counterpunching will stop. We've reached the point where players are waiting for commissioner Rob Manfred to set the schedule, which is going to consist of roughly 50 games. And then they'll accuse MLB of not trying harder to...