For decades, The New Yorker magazine was the elite repository of literary expression. The best of writers longed to have their talents recognized there. James Thurber was not only recognized there, he was a defining literary giant. "The Night the Bed Fell" by Thurber is a short story that can be found in a number of publications, my favorite being "The Thurber Carnival," a collection of his works and wonderful, make-you-smile drawings. His stories are often slapstick comedy in slow motion....

Ian Desmond started the season off rocky. By rocky, I mean nine errors and 23 strikeouts in April. But Desmond, who some could argue is the best shortstop in baseball, has started to turn it on and is playing more like the Desmond we knew in past years. As showcased in the Nationals' series against the Yankees and Phillies last week, Desmond still has some pop in his bat. He hit two home runs, just missed a third and is on a 10-game hit streak. While he wasn't as productive to start the...

Heading into the 2014 season, Caleb Joseph was a few months from turning 28, yet he'd never played in a single major league game. But early in the season, Matt Wieters was placed on the disabled list with an elbow injury, and soon was lost for the season. Steve Clevenger made the club out of spring training as the team's backup catcher, but it quickly became evident that the Orioles didn't think he was suitable for even part-time catching duty. Joseph was promoted to the majors on May 7, and...

When the Nationals limped out of the gates in April, it was largely due to poor defense and untimely errors. Several close games were lost because of fielding gaffes. But the Nats have not only cleaned up their problems, they are actually taking advantage of the pure athleticism their dynamic outfielders possess. Michael A. Taylor and Bryce Harper made run-saving catches yesterday in back-to-back innings. Taylor, who struggled early this year in center, is now playing left while Jayson Werth is...

The Nationals seem to be winning more than a few games by 2-1 margins recently. The pitching has been so good that they have been able to score just enough runs to win, a mark of a solid team. The recent amazing run reached 20 wins in their past 25 games with a 2-1 with at Chicago over the Cubs on Monday. They are 3-1 in games decided by 2-1 scores so far this season, and led Sunday's game 2-1 before notching a pair of big insurance runs late to topple the Phillies 4-1. The Nationals are 10-4...

Somewhat lost in the shuffle - with Mike Wright making two scoreless starts, Oliver Drake pitching four scoreless innings so far and Tyler Wilson getting his first major league win - was that another pitcher came up from Triple-A Norfolk in recent days and did well in his first Orioles appearance. Right-hander Chaz Roe was called up Sunday and pitched two scoreless innings that afternoon against Miami. He retired all six batters he faced with two strikeouts. Roe was 3-1 with a 2.19 ERA in 17...

The good news yesterday regarding Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy was that his left shoulder felt fine. He wasn't grimacing in the seventh inning because of pain shooting down his arm as he swung the bat. Fans watching the game guessed shoulder or hamstring on my Twitter timeline. No one submitted "back" as an answer. But that's why Hardy came out of the game. His back felt tight when he showed up at the ballpark and manager Buck Showalter could tell that something was wrong just from watching...

Tanner Roark was in a familiar spot on Monday afternoon. The right-hander returned to the mound as a starter for the first time this season and delivered five stellar innings in the Nationals' 2-1 victory over the Cubs. Roark, who grew up about 60 miles from Wrigley Field, gave up just one run on three hits, with one walk and three strikeouts. His only blemish was a first inning homer by Cubs rookie phenom Kris Bryant. Otherwise, Roark was outstanding as he worked quickly and efficiently in...

Orioles manager Buck Showalter expressed confidence that shortstop J.J. Hardy will be in Tuesday night's lineup against the Astros after leaving today's game prior to the top of the eighth inning with back tightness. "I think he's going to be OK tomorrow," Showalter said following a 4-3 win at Camden Yards. "He was fine yesterday and had nothing. He came in today with a stiff back, and as the morning went on, he felt fine. Went out and took ground balls and some light swings. Thought he...

Steve Pearce said American League ERA leader Dallas Keuchel of the Houston Astros made a rare mistake. With a man on first base and with a 3-2 lead in the last of the seventh, his first pitch to Pearce was up in the zone and Pearce didn't miss it. He hit a two-run homer to right-center that put the Orioles ahead 4-3, and they won by that margin today over the Astros. Coming off back-to-back losses in Miami, it was big to win the series opener in come-from-behind fashion against the team with...