nationals buzz

Get to know new Nationals in-game host Sarah Fraser

April 18, 2011, 9:28am

You may know her from Hot 99.5's popular morning drive program, "The Kane Show." Or maybe you've discussed the latest episode of "Glee" in one of her My Fox DC chats. If you've been to Nationals Park this season, you've probably noticed her in the stands and on the scoreboard. Sarah Fraser is the new Nationals Park in-game co-host. Nats Buzz caught up with Fraser for a quick Q&A about the Nats. Make sure to follow her on Twitter at @misssarahfraser. Sarah, what will your role be this...

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Rachel Levitin: Nats need to put Phils in rear-view mirror

April 15, 2011, 5:15am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Nats need to put Phils in rear-view mirror

"If you have played a game and lost it, you cannot erase that loss; but if you have not played a game, there is still an opportunity to win it. A loss is as loss is a loss. Only a game not yet played can become a victory," the late New York-based Hall of Fame baseball scribe Jack Lang once wrote. The Nationals lost their first 2011 series to the Philadelphia Phillies after starting strong Tuesday night by beating right-hander Joe Blanton 7-4. It stings a little extra for the team and for...

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Will Yoder: Prospect pairs don't always add up to greatness

April 16, 2011, 9:11am

Nationals

Will Yoder: Prospect pairs don't always add up to greatness

There are many who will tell you that the Washington Nationals are a team in waiting. After several years of terrible misfortune on the field, they were unprecedented benefactors of great luck off of it. In back-to-back seasons, arguably the two greatest, or at least most hyped, prospects of all time would enter the Major League Baseball draft, and each year the Nationals had the first overall pick. Washington shelled out the money to sign the two, and now the Lerners, general manager Mike...

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New JFK Racing President not a permanent fixture

April 14, 2011, 6:17am

Nationals

New JFK Racing President not a permanent fixture

According to Let Teddy Win and Dan Steinberg, the Nationals unveiled a life-size John F. Kennedy racing president during Wednesday night's GEICO President's Race. Traditionally, the race features the four presidents carved into Mount Rushmore. The giant JFK appeared near the Nationals bullpen and took George Washington down, leaving the others to race toward the finish line. However, according to the Nationals, this JFK character only made a guest appearance. He will not become a permanent...

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Rachel Levitin: Root, root, root at your own risk

April 14, 2011, 6:12am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Root, root, root at your own risk

Ever since baseball returned to Washington in 2005, Philadelphia Phillies fans have targeted their share of rowdy behavior toward the Nationals. They trek en mass to the nation's capital, eager to shatter the souls of Nats fans and their players with nothing more than their die-hard allegiance to their own boys of summer. Opening day 2010 at Nationals Park is a day Nationals fans are not likely to forget - for at least a few years to come. As a patron in the stands of that game, my We Love...

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Dave Nichols: Nats hope for parallels to Capitals

April 13, 2011, 12:05pm

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Nats hope for parallels to Capitals

The Washington Capitals begin their quest for the Stanley Cup playoffs Wednesday against the New York Rangers. The Capitals have built a young, energetic, coachable, dedicated team through the draft, selected free agency and shrewd trading. They have signed their star players, Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom, to long-term, market standard contracts. They have embraced and backed their head coach, a 30-year plus minor league veteran who is now the winningest in the NHL since he took over...

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Rachel Levitin: Where's the help from Nats' leadoff hitters?

April 13, 2011, 6:29am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Where's the help from Nats' leadoff hitters?

The crowd of 13,413 that braved an indefinite rainstorm that passed over Nationals Park last night bore witness to Jayson Werth's first game against his former team. Washington went on to win 7-4 behind an offense sparked by Werth (and his first home run against the Phillies in the fifth inning), Wilson Ramos, Laynce Nix and Rick Ankiel. With sluggers Ryan Zimmerman and Adam LaRoche sidelined with injuries last night, it was imperative that the Nationals step up and fill the...

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The circus comes to Nationals Park

April 12, 2011, 8:57am

Nationals

Peanuts, cracker jacks and clowns? That's right - Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be on hand at the Nationals game against the Phillies Wednesday evening. The appearance will promote current circus performances at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., through April 24. At Nationals Park, the Ringmaster, Johnathan Lee Iverson, will sing the national anthem while Tom, Abe, George and Teddy will race against circus clowns in the GEICO President's Race.

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New beer garden opens near Nationals Park

April 12, 2011, 10:35am

Nationals

Tuesday marks the grand opening of a new outdoor beer garden located just a few blocks from Nationals Park. Das Bullpen is located across the street from the Navy Yard metro station. Das Bullpen is a "laid-back alternative" to the partner beer garden on Half Street, also called The Bullpen. The new location will offer a menu of bratwurst, Polish sausage, knockwurst and hot dogs, as well as an extensive array of European draught beers. With space for nearly 300 guests, Das Bullpen will host...

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Rachel Levitin: As Ramos takes root, Nationals catch good fortune

April 12, 2011, 5:20am

Nationals

When Matt Capps was traded to the Minnesota Twins last summer it was hard for even the most faithful Nats fan to think, "Gee, where's the silver lining on this trade? Why get rid of our only 2010 All-Star?" Capps had an eventful year, including a strikeout against Red Sox power-hitter David Ortiz during the 2010 All-Star Game in Anaheim. Thanks to that strikeout, the National League won its first home-field advantage in a World Series since 1996. Capps was the Nationals' only All-Star...

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Dave Nichols: Baseball driven by stats, stoked by hope

April 04, 2011, 8:32am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Baseball driven by stats, stoked by hope

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...

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Dave Nichols: Rehab, not hitters, is Strasburg's new challenge

April 05, 2011, 5:08am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Rehab, not hitters, is Strasburg's new challenge

The most important development for the Washington Nationals this season won't take place on the field. With no disrespect to an up-and-coming middle infield, a $126 million dollar man in right field or the growth of a potential All-Star phasing out one of the greatest catchers in baseball history, the biggest story to watch this season will take place in doctor's offices and on minor league fields across the mid-Atlantic. As much as Nats fans want to see a winner in Nationals Park in 2011,...

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Dave Nichols: Rizzo defends remade bench against early criticism

April 06, 2011, 6:44am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: Rizzo defends remade bench against early criticism

The Washington Nationals spent much of the offseason trying to land a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, chasing after Cliff Lee, Zack Greinke and others to stabilize a starting staff that was in the lower third in the National League in almost every meaningful category in 2010. But general manager Mike Rizzo had a secondary goal: to strengthen the bench and to add players that would know and understand their roles as part-time players, something the Nats have had trouble with in the...

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Rachel Levitin: Growing up with the Nats, new extended family

April 11, 2011, 5:23am

Nationals

Rachel Levitin: Growing up with the Nats, new extended family

Nationals fans watch the team's hiccups as they happen. Those hiccups are what make Washington baseball worth cheering for from the stands of Nationals Park. It's that whole underdog thing the north side of Chicago knows so well - minus the Billy Goat and alleged curse. Kind of. I feel obligated to admit that I grew up five minutes, walking, from Wrigley Field. Ever since I can remember, my late father would take me to Wrigley all the time. And, when he didn't, we passed that ivy-covered...

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Dave Nichols: A few of my favorite things

April 08, 2011, 5:46am

Nationals

Dave Nichols: A few of my favorite things

It's Friday, the Nationals had had a bit of a tough week, and I've brought enough gloom and doom in my first four posts this week to last for a while. If you've read all of my previous posts here, or follow my blog or my Twitter account, some of you may even wonder if there's anything about this team I actually do like. Well, with apologies to Oprah and Julie Andrews (how's that for obscure references in a baseball blog)?, let me share with you some of my favorite things about the 2011...

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A correction: Fan, not Harper, won contest at NatsFest

April 05, 2011, 5:51pm

Nationals

A correction: Fan, not Harper, won contest at NatsFest

Last week, I wrote about the fan experience at NatsFest, but my post had an important error. I mentioned that Bryce Harper easily won a Guitar Hero contest against a fan - information that I later found out was incorrect. In fact, Cody Strakonsky, a 15-year-old first baseman and right fielder from Brunswick, Md., handily beat Harper during their Guitar Hero faceoff at Nationals Park. Competing to the song "Tick Tick Boom," Strakonsky crushed Harper, despite being slightly nervous to meet...

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Nats appear in Kimmel monologue

April 01, 2011, 6:57am

Nationals

Because April Fools' Day is all about jokes and pranks, here's an opportunity for a Nats-related chuckle. The Nationals had two references last night in Jimmy Kimmel's monologue last night on "Jimmy Kimmel Live." The ABC late-night host and comedian joked about the opening day ceremonial first pitch by members of the military at Nationals Park and about Larry King's upcoming first pitch at Saturday afternoon's game. Tune in 4:50 into the monologue to catch Kimmel's jokes related to...

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Rainy NatsFest still a treat for fans, players

March 30, 2011, 4:06pm

Nationals

Rainy NatsFest still a treat for fans, players

Despite the gloomy weather and the weekday mid-afternoon timing, hundreds of fans gathered at Nationals Park on a rainy Wednesday afternoon to meet and greet their team and start a new season of Nationals baseball. Along with players, coaches and broadcasters, Nationals fans seemed optimistic about the season as they gathered to celebrate the team's third annual NatsFest. The weather interfered with many of the planned outdoor activities, as well as participation from local Little League...

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Sights and sounds from opening day

March 31, 2011, 10:23am

Nationals

After a long, cold offseason, the 2011 regular season is finally under way. Nationals Park was buzzing early this afternoon as CBS Sports' James Brown stepped to the microphone to introduce the 2011 Nats and kick off the season. For anyone who didn't catch it, here are the player introductions, as well as footage of general manager Mike Rizzo presenting third baseman Ryan Zimmerman with his 2010 Silver Slugger award. James Brown introduces the Nationals' 2011 opening day starting...

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Nats support UNICEF efforts in Japan

March 31, 2011, 10:20am

Nationals

Beginning on Thursday, the Nationals launched a "text to give" initiative to support UNICEF's relief efforts after the recent earthquake in Japan. Fans can donate $10 by simply sending a texting JAPAN to 864233. The Nationals will also sell special $10 tickets to both games this weekend and half of the ticket cost will be donated to UNICEF. Fans can purchase those tickets at nationals.com/japanaid. All proceeds will benefit UNICEF's programs to help children recover from the disaster in...