There are so many reasons why I love sports. Growing up, playing sports was such an amazing experience, teaching me the meaning of teamwork and bringing me so many friends. Then, as I grew out of playing sports every day, I realized how strong of an impact watching sports can have on a person's life. While athletes' drive, determination and talent are inspirational on their own, often the most uplifting stories come from off the field. From personal experience and from my time around...

"Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love you tomorrow!" Excuse my willingness to quote the musical "Annie," but baseball will be back tomorrow. Nationals pitchers and catchers are set to report to spring training tomorrow. Baseball is back. Here are a few stories involving the Nationals over the last few days. * USA TODAY's Paul White wrote an in-depth feature on how new technological analytics have changed the relationship between managers and general managers. Because of the new analytics,...

As we in Baltimore are preparing for yet another snow storm, I have some news that could warm your heart. Four words: Pitchers and catchers report. That's right, ladies and gentleman, baseball will officially be back in our lives tomorrow. In case you missed what others have said about the Birds nationally over the last week: * For The Win's Ted Berg gives fans five things to watch at Orioles spring training. The top thing, to no surprise, is third baseman Manny Machado's progress back...

If you were watching the Olympics yesterday and had to do a quick double take because you thought you saw Jayson Werth competing in the men's moguls competition, well, you weren't alone. Turns out, Swedish freestyle skier Per Spett looks a good bit like Werth when he's got his skiing gear strapped on. And that led to some Nationals fans doing some quick Photoshop work, as you can see in this image on Nats Enquirer. The two men have similarly strong beards, but that might be where the...

Two more days until Orioles pitchers and catchers report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex. Seems like the right time to name a dark horse candidate to break camp with the club. The Orioles signed pitcher Alfredo Aceves to a minor league deal on Jan. 15. He received a spring training invite. He's my guy. Aceves will work out as a starter in camp, according to manager Buck Showalter. He's more likely to find a spot in the bullpen, though he becomes a candidate for the back end of the...

They are two right-handers from the Dominican Republic and they are two of the best starting pitchers remaining on the free agent market. They are 31-year-old Ervin Santana and 30-year-old Ubaldo Jimenez. To sign either, a club would have to give up a draft pick. For the Orioles that would mean giving up the 17th pick in the first round next June. Should they consider doing that? For Kansas City in 2013, Santana went 9-10 with an ERA of 3.24 over 211 innings in 32 starts. In his career,...

There are so many reasons why I love sports. Growing up, playing sports was such an amazing experience, teaching me the meaning of teamwork and bringing me so many friends. Then, as I grew out of playing sports every day, I realized how strong of an impact watching sports can have on a person's life. While athletes' drive, determination and talent are inspirational on their own, often the most uplifting stories come from off the field. From personal experience and from my time around...

MASN has added the Nationals' March 29 home exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers to its spring training broadcast schedule, bringing to seven the number of spring training games that will be broadcast on MASN HD. The Tigers come to Nationals Park for a 2 p.m. game on Saturday, March 29, the Nats' last game before their March 31 season opener against the Mets at Citi Field in Flusing, N.Y. The Tigers-Nationals game will be rebroadcast at 7 p.m. that evening. With the additional game,...

MASN has announced that a seventh game has been added to its Orioles spring training broadcast schedule: Wednesday, March 19 at 1 p.m. against the Tampa Bay Rays from Ed Smith Stadium on MASN HD. The additional game will be rebroadcast at 9 p.m. on MASN HD. With this additional game, the Orioles' spring training broadcast schedule on MASN HD will be as follows: * Saturday, March 1 at 1 p.m., Toronto Blue Jays vs. Orioles (replay at 7 p.m.) * Friday, March 7 at 1 p.m., Philadelphia Phillies...

The Nationals announced today that they have agreed to terms with right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard on a deal for the 2014 season, avoiding arbitration. Clippard will make $5.875 million this season, according to CBSSports.com. Clippard had asked for $6.35 million, while the Nats had countered at $4.45 million, meaning that the two sides agreed to a deal nearly half a million above the midpoint between the two offers. In 2013, his second year of arbitration, Clippard made $4 million. He...