Watching the Redskins pick up their sixth straight win yesterday and move within one more victory of a division title (boy, will Sunday night's game against the Cowboys be just a tad intense?), I realized that the Skins' 2012 season to this point somewhat mirrors the Nationals' 2012 campaign. Obviously, given how each team finished in 2011, the Nats entered this most recent season with a bit loftier expectations around them than the burgundy and gold, and while the Redskins might end up in...

Sometimes you surprise me, Orioles fans. Take last Friday, for instance. After weeks of reading your responses here and on Twitter, disappointed about the team's lack of big player moves so far, when I wrote that article about ESPN labeling the O's one of the baseball's least improved teams, your responses were interesting. Rather than diss the team, many of you took up for your club, saying they were still a good club and the four-letter network could stick it. Maybe it was the ESPN...

I've been covering the Orioles on a full-time basis since 1997 and I can't recall a team being more supportive of its manager than the current group. These guys seem grateful for everything that Buck Showalter has done for them and for an organization that had lost its way. A manager can't please everyone, but Showalter's batting average is pretty impressive. Discussions about the playoff run in 2012 inevitably lead to a Showalter reference. It happened with Jason Hammel during...

The Nationals had the best record in baseball in 2012 with 98 victories. Heading into the 2013 season, the team is already receiving expectations that they will be just as good. ESPN The Magazine senior writer Buster Olney ranks the Nationals as No. 2 on his early power rankings behind world champion San Francisco Giants (subscription required). Olney cites the addition of center fielder Denard Span and the continued progression of the young outfielder Bryce Harper. Olney also says with...

It was reported earlier this year that Nick Swisher wanted Jayson Werth-type money this offseason. Don't we all. Swisher didn't get $126 million over seven years. He didn't get close to that. But he did end up with a four-year, $56 million deal courtesy of the Indians, according to reports. The top free agents are starting to come off the board pretty quickly now. By my count, of the top 50 free agents

Ryan Freel, who appeared in nine games with the Orioles during the 2009 season, has died at 36. Freel committed suicide, according to a report from First Coast News in Jacksonville. The Orioles acquired Freel from the Cincinnati Reds on Dec. 9, 2008 for catcher Ramon Hernandez. They also received infielders Brandon Waring, who remains in the organization, and Justin Turner. The Orioles traded Freel to the Chicago Cubs on May 8, 2009, for outfielder Joey Gathright. The Royals purchased his...

The pain is still fresh for Orioles pitcher Jason Hammel. It hasn't gone away. Fortunately, it has nothing to do with his right knee. Hammel said it still "hurts" that the Orioles lost to the Yankees in Game 5 of the American League Division Series, but the best piece of news to come from his interview yesterday on WBAL Radio is that he's on a normal workout schedule and having no setbacks with his knee. Hammel underwent surgery in July to remove loose cartilage, and he limped off the...

It's the hot stove season and that means lots and lots of rumors and speculation. They make great stocking stuffers. The Orioles have expressed some level of interest in Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello, according to multiple reports. The two sides have talked. I've been asked about the rumor that the Orioles might send J.J. Hardy to the Tigers for Porcello and infielder Jhonny Peralta. I'm not privy to every conversation held by executive vice president Dan Duquette, but my guess is he...

As spring training gets close to beginning each year, we see columns pop up all over the internet declaring the winners and losers of that particular offseason. Often, the teams that make the big splashes - the big-name signings, the major trades - are declared winners for that offseason period. It's those type of moves which excite a fan base, which make headlines and generate a lot of attention towards a club. The Marlins were considered winners last offseason after signing Jose Reyes,...

A heavy dose of potential is a theme for a few of the Baseball America Nationals' top 10 prospects. Left-hander Matt Purke is a pitcher I get constant questions about, as the Nationals have been unable to see Purke make it through an entire season healthy after showcasing one of the more amazing pitching arms at the collegiate level. Purke resides at No. 9 on Baseball America's top 10 Nationals prospects list because of his potential as a lethal southpaw starter. Sammy Solis and Purke are...