Pity the poor pre-2008 baseball fans who never had the opportunity to chow down on a Ben's Chili Bowl half-smoke at Nationals Park. Nothing wrong with the old traditional ballpark hot dog, mind you. But there's something magical about the smoky, meaty goodness of a half-smoke during a ballgame on South Capitol Street. Go ahead, try to make sure all of the accompanying chili makes it into you mouth when you bite down on this enticing delicacy. I dare you. Bun, meat, chili - that's ballpark...

We already know Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the most beautiful of baseball cathedrals. We know that its arrival kicked off a new era in baseball stadium construction, with Baltimore's downtown ballpark often imitated but never duplicated. And we're sure that it's the finest place to take in a game featuring your beloved Orioles. Camden Yards has collected accolades aplenty over the years, and it's now competing for another in an online USA Today competition to choose the most "Must-See...

The Orioles have indicated they are planning to add another left-handed batter. It sure seems that the acquisition could also be an outfielder and maybe a right fielder. Three outfielders that the club has shown some interest in this winter include Carlos González, Jon Jay and Jarrod Dyson. All three are free agents and all three may only get one-year deals or two years at the most. They could be in the Orioles' wheelhouse on a short-term deal. It would allow the club to potentially get...

As the start of spring training fast approaches, we're breaking down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the catching corps ... The Nationals knew they'd be undergoing a change at catcher in 2017 after Wilson Ramos departed via free agency, and they knew it would be difficult to make up for Ramos' All-Star production. Little did they know just how difficult, though, or how precipitous the dropoff would be. The club's initial plan involved...

With exactly one week remaining before pitchers and catchers must report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, the task of submitting a mock 25-man roster hasn't grown much easier since my attempts two months ago. The rotation still has openings behind Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy, with only in-house candidates in the mix. The bullpen includes only one left-hander, Richard Bleier, who seems assured of breaking camp with the team if he stays healthy. There's supposed to be another...

Former major league general manager and current MLB Network analyst Dan O'Dowd said outfielder Juan Soto, ranked at No. 29 on MLB.com's top 100 prospects list, is another nice outfield prospect that brings a lot to the table, but a little bit different than what you would see from top Nationals prospect Victor Robles, who sits at No. 6. "I've watched video on Soto and read the reports," O'Dowd said. "I don't know if he's in Robles' class as it relates to the defensive and baserunning...

As the start of spring training fast approaches, we're breaking down the state of the Nationals roster, position by position. The series continues today with the bullpen ... Undeniably the club's biggest weakness through the first half of the 2017, the Nationals bullpen morphed into one of its true strengths by season's end. For that, thank general manager Mike Rizzo, who acquired three key arms in July and transformed the nature of the seventh, eighth and ninth innings in dramatic...

The Major League Baseball Players Association issued a statement Sunday saying that reports of the players boycotting spring training are false and they've not recommended such plans. But the fact that the MLBPA was inclined to even issue a statement is the latest sign that these are turbulent times in the sport. The players' side is stirred up about both the lack of free agent movement and the commissioner's desire to implement pace of play rules. This has gotten a bit contentious at a time...

Included among the memorable nuggets to spill out of FanFest, along with the boulder-sized announcement that Manny Machado would play shortstop, was executive vice president Dan Duquette's confirmation that the Orioles have been in contact with utility infielder Ryan Flaherty. A season ticket holder brought up Flaherty's name during the Q&A session and Duquette noted the applause and the popularity of "Flash." Someone has to cover the four infield positions and, ideally, have the...

With the announcement that Manny Machado will play shortstop this season, did the Orioles create one of baseball's best double play combinations for the 2018 season? According to this story on MLB.com, they did. Reporter Anthony Castrovince, using stat projections for offense and defense for the coming season, ranked the best DP combos in the sport. Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve of the World Series-winning Houston Astros are No. 1, and Machado and Jonathan Schoop were ranked second....