Hi, my name is Dave NIchols and I write about the Washington Nationals. No, that's not my introduction at some self-help meeting, but it may as well be. I started a general baseball blog several years ago that grew into what Nats News Network is today: one of the very few independent Web sites credentialed to cover Major League Baseball and the Washington Nationals. I am also credentialed to cover, and have a site dedicated to, the Washington Capitals. I consider it a great privilege and...

Hello MASNsports.com readers, and welcome to my first post on this fine Web site. My name is Stacey Long and I am the editor-in-chief at CamdenChat.com. Since 2005, Camden Chat has provided daily coverage of the Baltimore Orioles that is, in my (admittedly biased) opinion, the best you'll find on the Internet. Our writers are always intelligent, often hilarious and occasionally grumpy. With statistical analysis, thoughtful commentary and an occasional inspired haiku, Camden Chat covers the...

Jeremy Guthrie is hospitalized with a bad case of the flu and could miss today's Orioles home opener at Camden Yards. The right-hander delivered the message in this tweet a short time ago. Manager Buck Showalter confirmed the news a few minutes later while meeting with reporters. Guthrie, who won the Orioles' season opener Friday in St. Petersburg, Fla., against the Rays, said he will be rooting for a victory from the hospital. He's still scheduled to make Wednesday's start against the...

The batting cage has been rolled on the field. We're getting closer to first pitch. No ivy in center field. And I'm pretty sure those are drink rails in the second deck in left field. Here's the Orioles' lineup, which will look more familiar to you: Brian Roberts 2B Nick Markakis RF Derrek Lee 1B Vladimir Guerrero DH Matt Wieters C Adam Jones CF Mark Reynolds 3B Felix Pie LF J.J. Hardy SS Jake Arrieta RHP

This morning, plenty of parents faced a dilemma as they sent their kids off to school: How to word the letter to administrators requesting an early dismissal. Officially, there are a plethora of reasons why a kid in or around Baltimore would need to leave school a little early today. Doctor's appointments usually don't arouse much suspicion. Ditto for a dental exam. Maybe a funeral. Whatever the reason, sometime around noon or a little after, little Johnny or Jane will be packing up books...

The defending Single-A Carolina League champion Potomac Nationals announced their 2011 roster today. A lot of people within the organization have talked about how talented the roster looks to begin defense of the Mills Cup, with players like Rick Hague, Destin Hood, Sandy Leon, Trevor Holder and Danny Rosenbaum. Pat Lehman is a George Washington product. Also of interest is Lenny Dysktra's son, Cutter Dykstra, who is one of the six infielders on the 25-man roster. Here is the...

If any of you predicted that the Orioles would be 3-0 while allowing just three runs,and Boston would be 0-3 while giving up 26, we need to talk. I need some help with lottery tickets. The Orioles put together an amazing weekend performance against Tampa with superior pitching, stellar defense and some timely hits. While the club batted just .222 as a team during the weekend, the O's went 8-for-19 with runners in scoring position. They got clutch hits to back the pitchers. While there was...

I almost put a Tampa dateline on this blog entry, since I typed its first words after my Southwest flight took off for home tonight. I needed to get a head start. The morning is going to be a hectic one. I'll have to re-introduce myself to my daughter, who's going to love the spring training hooded sweatshirt that I bought for her at the Orioles store at Ed Smith Stadium. I'm proud that she did laundry, ironed, cooked her meals and ran the dishwasher while I was gone. Now I'm prepared for...

*The Orioles swept the three-game series by a 12-3 score. They allowed exactly one run on four hits in each of the three games. They won three with a team batting average of just .222, going 22-for-99 vs. the Rays. They hit just one homer in the series, but it was a big one by Brian Roberts on Saturday night. They had just 11 hits in the series' first two games, then added 11 more on Sunday. Brian Roberts was the only Oriole to hit safely in all three games. The O's swept three without...

This was not the debut that Nationals right-handed reliever Brian Broderick was looking for in his first chance on the mound. Broderick allowed four runs in just two-thirds of an inning on two hits, a walk and a balk. The Braves ended up scoring six runs in the inning to blow the game open, and eventually won, 11-2. But a debut is just that: A start to his career. He won't be measured by the first outing and he will learn from the experience. He did, however, admit to being a little bit...