When I was a child, my father refereed high school and college basketball games. He was tough, but impartial. I hated watching him work, mostly because he couldn't please fans from either side. It's never fun to watch your Dad get booed. But his experience taught me to see the game in a different way and to respect those that try to enforce the rules. As such, I've always had a curiosity and interest in the world of umpiring. Perhaps you have too? Imagine deciding whether each and...

I'm sorry for the break in updates. I left suddenly for Pennsylvania for a few days to attend my grandfather's funeral. But I'm back now and with the Nationals caravan and NatsFest approaching quickly, we'll be sure to have plenty of Nats Buzz news for you, starting with this week's "Where at Nats Park" photograph. Think you have the answer? Put it in the comments below and we'll let you know on Wednesday. Update: What a week!! The answer to last week's Where at Nats Park was...

If you want to enjoy the season ticket holder experience but 22, 42 or 81 games are just too many for your budget or schedule, the Nats have a solution. Today, they introduced the Champions Plan (14 games for the price of 13), the Sunday Fun-day Plan (13 games for the price of 12), and Zim's Silver Slugger Plan (10 games for the price of 9). The Sunday plan is particularly exciting as fans can collect autographs before the game during Signature Sundays and enjoy the post-game Kids Run the...

Jesus Flores can't make it to this week's caravan, but he has been pretty busy this offseason. The catcher spent the winter working out and rehabbing his shoulder in Miami. He expects to resume baseball activities next month and come back healthy, strong and ready for a productive 2010 season. Flores has been plagued by unfortunate injuries in recent seasons. His first big setback occurred in September of '08 following a dangerous collision with Chase Utley. Though his ankle was ready...

A whole host of Nationals news coming in this afternoon... First, the caravan kicks off tomorrow with Danny Espinosa, Drew Storen, Ryan Speier, Jim Riggleman and our very own Rob Dibble. Throughout the day, the group will visit the Southwest Health Center in DC, Hard Times Cafe in Arlington and Build a Bear in Tyson's Corner. Check Nats Buzz all week for updates, interviews, pictures, etc. I'll do my best to keep you updated on Twitter (@khudak11), but also make sure to follow...

Today's first stop on the 2010 Winter Caravan brought Ryan Speier, Danny Espinosa, Drew Storen, Jim Riggleman and Rob Dibble into Unity Health Care's Southwest Health Center, just a few blocks from Nationals Park. The facility serves all D.C. residents, regardless of their ability to pay for medical care. In December, nearly forty Nationals front office employees helped to refurbish and repaint the health center as part of a project with Rebuilding Together. The Southwest Health Center...

On Wednesday evening, the Nationals caravan moved to Build-a-Bear at Tyson's Corner Center. They greeted fans, signed autographs and made their very own bears. Drew Storen was pretty pumped about his Batman owl. Manager Jim Riggleman was new to the process, but Rob Dibble showed him the ropes, step by step. To bring the bears to life, the guys had to warm up the hearts, spin around three times, make a wish and even do push ups! Here are some photos of the finished products, with more...

On Thursday, the caravan began the day at historic Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington D.C. Stan Kasten and Mike Rizzo joined the crew for a quick lunch. "It's a pretty cool historic place," said Danny Espinosa, making his first visit to the famed eatery. "We had a good time." Espinosa was impressed by the many photographs of celebrity visitors including President Obama. After ordering a variety of items, the players mingled with the guests, handed out autographed cards and took...

On Thursday afternoon, the caravan traveled to Fort Belvoir in Virginia for a very special afternoon service project with USO. Together with servicemen and women and local volunteers, the Nationals made care packages for soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti. To date, the organization has shipped over 1.8 million care packages to troops. The care packages include shampoo, shaving cream, razors, toothbrushes and other basic necessities. Ryan Speier, Danny Espinosa, Drew Storen, Rob Dibble...

After battling D.C.'s second big snowstorm of the winter, the Nationals caravan arrived in Prince George's County for a special presentation with local officials. The team announced a new partnership with the county to support the growth of baseball through a variety of community programs. Specifically, the partnership invites children to attend a youth baseball clinic at Nationals Park during the 2010 season and promises to send Nationals players to one or more youth clinics in Prince...