The fuse running toward the 2013 baseball season has three weeks left. And then the powder keg of anticipation that has built since Jayson's Werth's walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cardinals will explode into the 2013 season. History always provides a good lens for viewing the present, and a century ago, at the end of January 1913, Walter Johnson was still working on the family farm in Kansas. Lifting hay bales and doing the chores around his father's farm made...

The Nationals had been considered one of the favorites to host the 2015 All-Star Game. That won't be happening, however. The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that the Reds will be given the Midsummer Classic in 2015, likely leaving D.C. out of the All-Star Game picture until at least 2017. The league office prefers that the All-Star Game alternates between American League and National League cities on a year-to-year basis. The Mets will host this year's All-Star Game at Citi Field, the 2014...

When the voting for Most Valuable Oriole was announced on Sept. 30, we learned that Adam Jones had won the award for the second consecutive season. Jim Johnson and Matt Wieters also received first-place votes to finish second and third, respectively. Wei-Yin Chen and Nick Markakis also were named on a few ballots. No mention of reliever Darren O'Day. You could make a strong case for O'Day, who won a career-high seven games in eight decisions, posted a 2.28 ERA in 69 appearances and allowed...

I just got off the phone with former Orioles pitcher Scott McGregor, who was on the cruise ship when Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver passed away early Saturday morning. The passengers were headed back to Fort Lauderdale from Haiti on the final leg of the trip. McGregor received a call around 1:30 a.m. that Weaver had collapsed on the floor of his cabin. McGregor stood in the hallway while a physician spent more than 30 minutes trying to revive Weaver. "Basically, for the most part, he had...

Last week, we drew back the curtain on some of the events that will take place at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center as part of NatsFest on Saturday. We also hinted that you'd have the opportunity to get your picture snapped with some of your favorite Nationals and MASN personalities. Well, the lineup is now set. Check out the MASN booth in the middle of the NatsFest madness and you'll have a chance to say, "Cheese" with Nats old and new, and the club's TV broadcast voices....

Before I delve into some Nationals talk, indulge me as I drop a quick Ravens statistic for anyone who might have followed me over from that beat last year. Joe Flacco has thrown for 853 yards with eight touchdowns and zero interceptions in the postseason. He's outplayed Peyton Manning and Tom Brady the last two weeks, and this is the second season in a row in which he's gone into Gillette Stadium and played well enough to get his team to the Super Bowl. Pay the man. Sorry, had to get that...

Does anyone know what happened to Ronny Paulino? What about his car? Paulino was the Orioles' backup catcher on opening day, but they optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk on July 15 to make room for catcher Taylor Teagarden, who was coming off the 60-day disabled list. And the rest is history of sorts. The Orioles re-signed Teagarden this winter, and he's going to be their backup catcher if he stays healthy. Not much drama behind the plate. Teagarden began the season on the disabled list...

After dealing with concussion symptoms, undergoing surgery in August to repair a torn labrum in his hip and Dec. 20 sports hernia surgery, Brian Roberts is not surprised at all that some fans doubt he can return to play regularly for the Orioles. And he's completely OK with and understanding of that. "I don't hold anything against anyone that doesn't think I can do it anymore. That's fine," Roberts said Saturday at FanFest. "I had people 12 years ago that thought that, so it's not...

As spring training approaches, the Orioles' five-man starting rotation is not set. But pitchers like Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen and Miguel Gonzalez seem close to locks to be in the opening day starting five, and Chris Tillman may be on that list, as well. At FanFest, O's pitching coach Rick Adair addressed his rotation's current state. "There are probably three or four guys we feel good about in the rotation and there are other guys that can be in the rotation," Adair said. "We hope...

Davey Johnson and Bryce Harper were in New York last night to receive some hardware. Back in the U.S. after a lengthy trip to Africa with his wife, Johnson was presented with his National League Manager of the Year award, and Harper was given his NL Rookie of the Year at the New York Baseball Writers' Association Dinner. Here are the dapper Harper making their acceptance speeches. Harper sure can rock a tux. I wrote a few weeks ago about how the Nationals will have to adjust to being the...