Rachel Levitin: A perfect fit for community-minded Nationals

Rachel Levitin: A perfect fit for community-minded Nationals
One of the Washington Nationals' greatest strengths is their community outreach. While chasing the Wild Card would be a nice feat for 2011, it's essential that players remember that who you are off the field is just as important as who you are on the field. Why? Because the second a player signs with a club and puts on the uniform, they become a face of an organization. Due to a large slew of weekend homestands this season, the Nationals haven't been able to participate in as many local...
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Mike Henderson: Natmosphere awakens writing instincts in new breed of fan

Mike Henderson: Natmosphere awakens writing instincts in new breed of fan
When I was growing up as a Pittsburgh Pirates fan in Wheeling, W.Va., in the 1970s, it pains me to say that I had no idea who the Washington Senators were. Or rather, I should say, had been - since after 1971 there was, of course, no baseball in Washington. That state of affairs continued into the mid-1980s when I moved to the Washington area after college. For a decade, I lived in Frederick, Md., and while it was kind of fun to root for the Orioles as a local team, it turned out to be more...
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Dave Nichols: Setting realistic goals for the second half

Dave Nichols: Setting realistic goals for the second half
The Washington Nationals start play today one game below .500 at 47-48. That's a pretty dramatic increase from seasons past and has many folks in the area, including within the organization and media members as well as fans, thinking the Nats can compete for the Wild Card this season. If Sunday's mistake-filled loss to the Atlanta Braves wasn't enough to sway your opinion from that, let me drop some sobering numbers on you. First, let me preface what I'm about to say with this: I am...
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Food drive a major success

Food drive a major success
Congratulations, Nationals fans. After tallying the donations made during the 2011 Harris Teeter Food Drive held at Nationals Park last weekend, the results are in, and they're impressive. The event, which helps the Capital Area Food Bank nourish thousands of children and families, resulted in an astounding 6,942 pounds of food. It was the most successful food drive at Nationals Park to date. Your donations will help these ailing children receive the proper meals and nutrition they...
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Jenn Jenson: On loving and blogging about baseball

Jenn Jenson: On loving and blogging about baseball
If five years ago today, you predicted my future would include blogging about baseball for MASNsports.com, I would have given you an odd look. Before 2006, I had never been to a professional baseball game, and I still thought baseball was about as interesting as watching paint dry. Goes to show you never know what will happen. I think a lot of baseball fans, especially lifelong baseball fans, have a story to tell about their love of the game. That story might begin with a young boy playing...
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Guest bloggers rotation set for season's second half

Guest bloggers rotation set for season's second half
It's hard to believe the first half of the 2011 season has come to a close. And for the Nationals, it has to be one filled with great optimism. With impressive starting pitching, the surprise power from first baseman Michael Morse and a bullpen that's been solid throughout the first few months, the Nationals, a team that was poised to do great things in 2012 or later, look like they're not really willing to wait that long to make some noise in the National League. Here at Nationals Buzz,...
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Nationals play host to 50th Congressional Baseball Game

Nationals play host to 50th Congressional Baseball Game
Looking for some baseball to fill the void during the All-Star break? Nationals fans, you're in for a treat. On Thursday, July 14, Democrats and Republicans will meet on the diamond, as Nationals Park serves as host for the 50th anniversary of the Congressional Baseball Game for charity. It's a chance for fans to watch our nation's two primary political parties become even more divided, this time substituting the podium and microphone for a glove and a bat. The game itself is an intense,...
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Capture a piece of Washington's baseball history

Capture a piece of Washington's baseball history
It's the history of the game of baseball that has always attracted me to the sport. Growing up, I would listen to the stories from my parents about the Orioles of the 1960's and 70's and the childhood icons they watched on the diamond nearly 50 years ago. It's the history of baseball which is unlike any other in professional sports. Baseball has been around the longest, with origins dating well back into the 19th century. Through the years, despite the finer tweaks and tuneups, the game...
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Rachel Levitin: Winning three of four vs. Cubs shows progress

Rachel Levitin: Winning three of four vs. Cubs shows progress
The Nationals couldn't sweep the Cubs this series though they tried. On the upside, they're still above .500 with a 44-43 record. Whether or not last night's dropped contest should define a half-season's worth of progress is irrelevant. Fact of the matter is that the Nationals have shown improvement from the 2010 season and that should be noted. There are few lessons to be learned from this four-game series: A tired bullpen is not a strong bullpen. Bullpen coach Jim Lett and his squad of...
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Morse falls short in Final Vote contest

Morse falls short in Final Vote contest
Sad news to report, Nationals fans. After a tremendous effort and certain bruises to thumbs around the DC area, all in an attempt to send Nationals right fielder Michael Morse to next week's All-Star game, Major League Baseball announced that Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino has won the National League Final Vote contest. The 9.2 million votes for Victorino helped the "Flying Hawaiian" edge out the Dodgers' Andre Ethier, Rockies' Todd Helton, Diamondbacks' Ian Kennedy...
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Rachel Levitin: Unprompted responses create hopeful stadium buzz

Rachel Levitin: Unprompted responses create hopeful stadium buzz
The recent slew of one-run victories in Washington is enough to get the adrenaline of the players and fans to gush. After last night's 5-4 win versus the Chicago Cubs, Nationals organist Matt Van Hoose and I got to talking about the electricity that erupts in the park's seating bowl and creates an aura of energy from within in the confines of Nationals Park. When fans make noise in favor of the team and feel like they're a part of the motivating factor to win it, it really makes that much of...
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Rachel Levitin: Johnson holds Nats accountable with levity, pride

Rachel Levitin: Johnson holds Nats accountable with levity, pride
When Davey Johnson was named manager of the Washington Nationals at the end of June, I was out of the country. Wednesday night's game was my first encounter with Johnson in a postgame press conference. Some managers play small ball with each play and others motivate their guys. The best of those guys do both. I'm still not 100 percent positive how to categorize Johnson, but I do know that I see potential in him as manager for the close of the year. Here's why: He's accountable. Besides...
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Ladies: Sign up now for interactive Nats U clinic Saturday

Ladies: Sign up now for interactive Nats U clinic Saturday
Ladies, I'm going to let you in on a little secret: Guys love girls who like baseball. We love the idea of taking you to a game and knowing you're sitting there enjoying the sport as much as we are. We like to know that if you come home and we're in the midst of a no-hitter on TV, you don't mind slumping right belong side us on the couch and watching. That's the beauty of sports. Sports are exciting, they're action-packed, heart-breaking at times, yet always unpredictable and always...
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Michael Morse needs your help, Nats fans

Michael Morse needs your help, Nats fans
Nationals fans, you've had the privilege of watching Michael Morse emerge as one of the top young hitters in the game. Now, it's up to you to make sure the rest of the country gets a glimpse of him. On Sunday, Morse was tabbed as one of five nominees for the National League's remaining All-Star game slot in the Final Vote. He was joined by four other players and, through Monday, really needs your help. Currently, Morse sits in fourth place, trailing the Rockies' Todd Helton, Los Angeles'...
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Rachel Levitin: Could patriotic Nats become America's Team?

Rachel Levitin: Could patriotic Nats become America's Team?
In theory, the Washington Nationals should be proclaimed "America's Baseball Team" due to proximity and fact. But thanks to the Patriotic Series and a little bit of time, that fact could turn into one of the Nats' longest-standing ballclub legacies. Take an annual contender in playoffs, for example. They're used to baseball during mid-October in front of a prime-time crowd. A D.C. fan hasn't had that opportunity since the invention of television. Plus, the Nats' end-of-season goals...
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Could Clippard have a teammate with him in Arizona? You decide!

Could Clippard have a teammate with him in Arizona? You decide!
We're still dissecting this year's All-Star voting results, wondering how certain players were chosen, how other players weren't and which league will prevail July 12. Last season, the National League ended a 13-year winless drought, upending the junior circuit, 3-1. It was a victory that, most San Francisco Giants fans will contend, was extremely important, so fans are sure to be in for a treat in a two weeks when the two leagues battle it out in the desert with home field advantage in the...
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Rachel Levitin: Creating a sense of baseball community

Rachel Levitin: Creating a sense of baseball community
When baseball returned to the District in 2005, the $5 grandstand tickets were the only reason my new-found friends at college would go to a baseball game with me. Now, in 2011, those same $5 grandstand tickets are the reason I'm not burned out when it comes to baseball. I'm going to be honest here: I love baseball, but the past two seasons have been draining in many ways. The opportunity to cover the Washington Nationals has been fantastic. I've met the people I now like to call my...
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Dave Nichols: Zimmerman speaks from the heart at "Night in the Park"

Dave Nichols: Zimmerman speaks from the heart at "Night in the Park"
In his sixth full season with the Washington Nationals, third baseman Ryan Zimmerman has become the face of the franchise. He has garnered many accolades, including being selected as an All-Star and winning a Gold Glove. A mild-mannered guy, ZImmerman usually leads not with words but with his actions and work ethic on the field. Last night, for the second consecutive year, Zimmerman spoke from the heart during "A Night at the Park," a benefit hosted by his ziMS Foundation, which funds...
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Dave Nichols: Jordan Zimmermann is ace in the hole

Dave Nichols: Jordan Zimmermann is ace in the hole
Ho-hum. Jordan Zimmermann threw another outstanding game last night. It's unfortunate that a defensive miscue set up the only run of the game allowed and his teammates couldn't muster an attack against the Angels in a 1-0 defeat, to drop the Washington Nationals one game below .500 exactly half-way through the 2011 baseball season. Tell me, right now, that at the beginning of the season if someone promised you the Nats would be 40-41 at the mid-point of the season you wouldn't have taken...
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Dave Nichols: Losses put winning streak in perspective

Dave Nichols: Losses put winning streak in perspective
So the Washington Nationals lose two in a row and folks are ready to run Davey Johnson out on a rail? A quick look this morning at different social media indicates just how fickle this fan base is. Comments such as "the old man doesn't know how to manage a pitching staff" and "I stayed up to watch that?" are prevalent. All of a sudden, the Nats have lost three of four and the walls are crumbling down. People, Rome wasn't built in a day. The Nats' remarkable winning streak over the last...
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