It's too bad the World Series hasn't been more entertaining through its first four games. All we've seen so far is a game end on an obstruction call (which had never happened before in the postseason), a game end on a pickoff (which had never happened before in the postseason), Jonny Gomes hit a game-winning homer after learning 90 minutes before first pitch he'd been inserted into the starting lineup, David Ortiz posting a Fall Classic OPS of 2.114 (even with him being robbed of a grand...

Right-hander Tanner Roark made a big splash with the Nationals at the end of the season, and put himself in a good position to contend for starting spot next year. Question is, is he ready for the long haul? Can he be the fifth starter for the Nationals in 2014? Nationals pitching coordinator Spin Williams believes Roark would make an excellent choice. "Oh, absolutely," Williams said. "I think he showed you that the last two months of the season. He finally believes in himself. He attacks...

The Orioles figure to name their pitching coach this week, and it may not take until the end, which was their original goal. They finished interviewing the four outside candidates on Wednesday, which gave them plenty of time to decide between Rich Dubee, Carl Willis, Andy Hawkins and Dave Wallace. Let's not forget that a coach can only do so much. It falls upon the pitchers on the staff to make the necessary improvements, whether it's a specific pitch, conditioning, times to home plate,...

As Orioles fans have watched right-hander Michael Wacha pitch so well for the St. Louis Cardinals in the postseason, could they be seeing a preview of what Kevin Gausman possibly could be for their team in the future? They can at least hope so. After all, coming out of the 2012 draft, most scouts rated Gausman as the better of the two college pitchers. The similarities between the two are many. Both are 22 and were 2012 first-round draft picks out of major colleges. Both feature a...

They got the call right. I hate the fact that a World Series game ended with a controversial call by the umpires, but the important thing is that the correct call was made. The issue last night, and this morning, and going forward, should be that Jarrod Saltalamacchia made a poor decision to throw down to third after the initial out at the plate, and also made a poor throw. If he holds the ball in that situation, we get a Koji Uehara-Pete Kozma matchup with two outs and runners at the...

There have been times in baseball when a popular player signs a new contract to stay with his current team for perhaps less than he can get on the open market. It is said the player gave his team a "hometown discount." That doesn't happen much, but it can. If so, is the reverse true? Did the San Francisco Giants' Tim Lincecum get a "hometown increase?" In other words, did the two-year, $35 million dollar deal Lincecum just signed with the Giants have as much do with his popularity and...

One of the decisions awaiting the Orioles involves outfielder Nolan Reimold and whether to tender him a contract for the 2014 season. Reimold doesn't know what's going to happen, but he's certain that he'll be ready to play for someone in spring training. Reimold told me that he goes to his rehab sessions two or three times a week and is having a much easier time with his recovery from neck surgery than the first procedure in 2012 that ended his season after one month. "I think I'm...

Did the Maryland football team really schedule Clemson as its homecoming opponent? I tried to schedule Valerie Bertinelli as my prom date, but that was a reach. And so is the idea that Clemson makes a good homecoming opponent. Was the person responsible wearing his "Bad Idea" jeans? Anyway, I spent an hour today on MASN as part of the "Wall to Wall Baseball" crew, and we again took questions via e-mails and tweets. Here are a few topics that were addressed: 1. Should the Orioles trade...

The Nationals announced this morning that three players - Stephen Strasburg, Bryce Harper and Adam LaRoche - underwent "successful" surgery this week. All three guys are expected to be ready for the start of spring training. Strasburg underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow on Friday. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Strasburg is scheduled to resume his throwing program in four to six weeks and is expected to be ready for...

The first, and most significant, task the Nationals had to complete this offseason is all but done. Matt Williams is in line to become the Nationals' next manager, something that should become official shortly after the World Series comes to an end. Not surprisingly, the hire has created quite a discussion among many fans, some of whom like the decision made by the Lerner family and general manager Mike Rizzo, and some of whom wanted to see the Nats go in another direction. In reality,...