VIERA, Fla. - Danny Espinosa was planning on participating in the World Baseball Classic. He had intended to suit up for Team Mexico and was looking forward to wearing a jersey with the Mexican flag, honoring his parents' heritage in the process. That won't be happening. Espinosa told reporters yesterday that he has decided to skip the WBC and will instead stay with the Nationals for the entirety of spring training. The 25-year-old learned early this offseason that he played out the end...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nothing much to report after yesterday's arrival. The Lifestyle gym that I join every year was taken over by LA Fitness. The Sweetbay Supermarket, also located on North Beneva Road, closed last week. The Publix in the next shopping center remains open, and I can stock up on Kangaroo brand multi-grain garden herb pita chips. No need to worry about me. Oh, yeah, and it's supposed to be 81 degrees today, dipping into the 60s at night. Again, stop worrying. I know it's...

This is the day where hope spring eternal. Orioles pitchers and catchers report today in Sarasota. There is only one day all year we can say that and this is it. Welcome back, Orioles! The start of spring training is always a day to dream big. Maybe this will be the year, fans say. For the first time in a long time, O's fans don't have to ask how many more wins the club will need over the year before. Another 93-win season would likely be good enough at least for contention all year and...

VIERA, Fla. - Nine months after suffering a gruesome injury to his right knee that required two major surgeries, Wilson Ramos is back at Nationals camp feeling almost completely healthy. Ramos tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee in a May 12 game against the Reds last season, ending his season and leading to months and months of grueling rehab. You wouldn't know that Ramos sustained the injury by watching him these days, however. Now wearing jersey No. 40, the burly catcher walks...

VIERA, Fla. - I've got a couple more locker-positioning notes for you. Bryce Harper, who last spring was given a wide locker normally reserved for veterans only to see Jayson Werth take over half of it with his own stuff, has a big locker again this year. I'm guessing Werth won't be pushing his weight around this spring when it comes to Harper's locker, however. I'd say the kid earned a wide locker all to himself with his National League Rookie of the Year effort last season. The Nats'...

VIERA, Fla. - Greetings from the so-called "Panera Bureau" here in Viera, a popular spot for beat writers looking to grab a bite while working. If you're in town in the next couple weeks and swing by the local Panera around lunch time, you're bound to see a couple of us pounding away on our laptops. If I make fewer than 15 appearances in here during my time in Viera, I'll be shocked. Jordan Zimmermann has been in town for a handful of days now, even though he technically doesn't have...

VIERA, Fla. - The vast majority of pitchers are already in camp at this point, and with the exception of non-roster invitee Chris Snyder, every catcher is already here ahead of tomorrow's report date for pitchers and catchers. Gio Gonzalez is set to arrive tomorrow, and will speak with reporters about his link to the anti-aging clinic Biogenesis, which is being investigated into its reported dealing of performance-enhancing drugs. Gonzalez's locker is right next to Stephen Strasburg, his...

VIERA, Fla. - A whole host of Nationals players and staffers are at Space Coast Stadium today, getting in some throwing, taking some light batting practice and getting settled in for spring training. Among the players here already are Jordan Zimmermann, Craig Stammen, Ross Detwiler, Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Stephen Strasburg, Nathan Karns, Wilson Ramos, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Jhonatan Solano, Sandy Leon, Roger Bernadina and Zach Duke. Davey Johnson is in the house, as well, after...

VIERA, Fla. - Coming off a 98-win season and the first National League East title in team history, anticipation and excitement for Nationals baseball has never been higher. And now, all Nats fans living in the Washington, D.C., area, even those without MASN, will be able to catch the action. MASN and WUSA 9 are partnering to simulcast 20 MASN-produced Nationals games on WUSA 9 TV in D.C., during the upcoming 2013 season. The slate of games on Channel 9 will begin with the Nats' April 1...

The Nationals got Brad Meyers back from the Yankees, who took him in the Rule 5 draft and then returned him. Meyers pitched only one game last year after an early-season workout injury shelved his season. Now he is good to go and is excited to be back with the Nationals' organization. Triple-A Syracuse manager Tony Beasley had Meyers at Double-A Harrisburg a couple of years ago for a while before Meyers was called up to the Chiefs. Beasley said Meyers doesn't have the classic,...