nationals buzz

Spring training expectations set for Rutledge and Cavalli

February 20, 2021, 8:01am

Reporting to the first day of spring training as rookies must feel a lot like a freshman arriving on campus for the first day of high school. But instead of being surrounded by jocks, cliques and faculty, you're stepping into a clubhouse full of world champions, a World Series MVP, a Cy Young Award winner and All-Stars. OK, so in a sense, still jocks. But for the sake of the analogy, if spring training is like high school, then rookies are freshman, veterans are upperclassmen, coaches are...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Soto shows his stuff, Zimmerman knows how to finish

February 13, 2021, 4:48am

Nationals

Here in the real world, it's still winter. Short days, cold nights, walking with eyes peeled for any stray patches of ice. But in the Sunshine State, baseball is back and hope springs eternal. Pitchers and catchers have made their way to West Palm Beach, and the Nationals will soon be playing exhibition games and getting ready for both the parent club and its minor league affiliates to begin their seasons. We're not quite there yet, so for a few more Thursdays we'll continue in this space to...

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New Nats looking forward to playing with young stars

February 16, 2021, 1:34pm

Nationals

New Nats looking forward to playing with young stars

Spring has sprung and a new baseball season is upon us, as Nationals pitchers and catchers officially report to West Palm Beach today for the start of camp. The start of spring training for returning players and coaches means the start of a new pursuit for a championship. For fans, it means the start of another season of cheering on their favorite club. For new players, it means the opportunity to get familiar with new teammates and a new clubhouse. With the additions of Josh Bell, Kyle...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics" Offense, pitching and clinchers

February 08, 2021, 5:48am

Nationals

As the Nationals prepare to convene in West Palm Beach, Fla., our thoughts turn toward warm nights spent sitting in the stands at Nationals Park and watching baseball. While it'll be a bit before we can actually do that again - dang pandemic! - MASN has you covered with a plethora of "Nationals Classics" from yesteryear. This week's offerings include pitching prowess, offensive fireworks and some Clinchmas memories. "Pitchers and catchers report" is the welcome start of another year of...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Two n's, one hit in two whole games

February 02, 2021, 6:22am

Nationals

As miserable as it can be in most of the country, weather-wise, February is normally a joyous time for baseball fans, as it means the start of spring training in the sunny climes of Florida and Arizona. But as Bill Murray experienced on film one February, baseball could be having, in the words often attributed to an oft-quoted Yankees catcher, deja vu all over again. Just as it did last year, COVID-19 has made the schedules for spring training and the regular season anything but a sure...

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Remembering Mel Antonen

January 31, 2021, 9:31am

Nationals

"I'm gonna beat this." Every conversation with Mel Antonen over the past year, every email, every Zoom, every FaceTime, every single interaction included these words. Dealt a horrible hand with multiple health issues - something called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare autoimmune disease that attacked his liver, followed by bouts with COVID-19 and then lymphoma - Mel battled to the very end. Unfortunately, that came late Saturday night, when he passed in his sleep. Mel was 64. I...

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Cavalli cracks MLBPipeline.com's top 100 prospects list

January 28, 2021, 7:12pm

Nationals

Cavalli cracks MLBPipeline.com's top 100 prospects list

Some - maybe not much, but some - was made a little over a week ago when the Nationals did not have a single prospect land in Baseball America's top 100 prospects list. They were the only major league team to not have at least one prospect ranked by the publication. But on Thursday night, another highly regarded source for baseball prospect news came out with its own top 100 rankings, and this time, the Nationals were not shut out. Right-hander Cade Cavalli found himself as the 99th overall...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Hitting the home stretch of the offseason

January 24, 2021, 8:52am

Nationals

Who's ready to turn the page to the 2021 season? Well, in just a few weeks (pandemic willing, mind you), spring training will be upon us. There are few words more glorious to a baseball-starved fan than "pitchers and catchers report." Well, "full-squad workout" and "Play ball!" are pretty close. While we wait for things to get underway in West Palm Beach, Fla., MASN will continue to feed your baseball jones with "Nationals Classics" from days past. This week's offerings include a...

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Patrick and Jen Corbin surprise Youth Baseball Academy families with shopping spree

January 26, 2021, 7:48am

Nationals

Patrick and Jen Corbin surprise Youth Baseball Academy families with shopping spree

The holidays have passed and the calendar has turned to 2021, but that doesn't mean one has to lose his or her spirit of giving. Especially during these uncertain times. Nationals pitcher Patrick Corbin and his wife, Jen, certainly took that to heart as they recently surprised six families from the Nationals Youth Baseball Academy with a Macy's shopping experience via Zoom. In case you may have missed it or forgotten, the Youth Baseball Academy safely returned to play by opening a modified...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Catching some Z's

January 18, 2021, 4:43am

Nationals

The National Football League playoffs have come down to four teams, and the scheduled start of spring training is less than a month away. Whether the ongoing pandemic will permit it to begin on schedule this year is another matter. But for baseball fans, February is all about hopefulness, right? Meantime, a maintenance dose of "Nationals Classics" can keep your baseball jones in check. This week's batch includes some notable performances by a couple of guys whose names surely came last when...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": A healthy dose of Strasburg and Zimmerman

January 11, 2021, 6:01am

Nationals

With the new year here and spring training hopefully right around the corner, we're ramping up this week's "Nationals Classics" on MASN to examine some of the strongest performances ever by guys with a curly W on their caps. When talking about the club's great pitchers, Stephen Strasburg is always mentioned - and with good reason. Two of his finest performances - a sparking debut and a playoff clincher - are among this week's broadcasts. Ditto for Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats' first draft...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Near twinbill versus Twins

January 04, 2021, 9:45am

Nationals

We're certainly not out of the woods as far as the pandemic is concerned, but with new vaccines making their way into the world and 2020 now in the rearview mirror, we have entered a season of hope, which is as it should be after the holidays have passed and we start counting down the days until pitchers and catchers report. Or are scheduled to, at least. This week's platter of "Nationals Classics," which includes multiple examples of a determined team snatching victory from the jaws of...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": As new year dawns, some throwback memories

December 28, 2020, 4:51am

Nationals

Happy New Year's Eve! Since it's a perfect time to reminisce, we've got some really good memories for you. Don't worry, only one of these comes from the dreadful year that's got exactly one more day left. And even that one will bring a smile. But as we ponder the unpainted canvas of 2021, enjoy these "Nationals Classics" on MASN that are guaranteed to please. OK, there could be some fist-banging angst, too. But that's all part of the game, right? And from our corner of cyberspace to...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Ghosts of Natsmas past

December 19, 2020, 8:55pm

Nationals

'Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house ... the sets were tuned to MASN for lots of great baseball action on "Nationals Classics." OK, so it's not Clement Moore. It's not even Dinty Moore. But clunky poetry aside, if you're holed up for a low-key holiday season, there's nothing like a few ghosts of Natsmas past to brighten up your yuletide. You'll see a couple of Nationals stars when they were mere lads announcing their presence in a very un-Tiny-Tim-like fashion....

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Stoking the hot stove with retro wins

December 14, 2020, 4:27am

Nationals

Admittedly, the hot stove has been, well, a tad chilly so far this offseason. Sure, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is talking to other executives, but we've yet to see anything resembling a big move out of him. Which is OK, given that some of Rizzo's splashiest deals seem to come out of nowhere. So what's a baseball-starved Nats fan to do? Between online shopping excursions and gift-wrapping marathons, check out this week's bevy of "Nationals Classics" on MASN. They will warm your...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Long live the new king

December 06, 2020, 9:44am

Nationals

The days keep getting shorter, and maybe your mood - already frayed by pandemic fatigue - is getting darker. Fret not, because MASN can help with that. For a baseball fan (which you must be, or you wouldn't be on this site), there's no better morale booster than watching your team pull off a thrilling win. And "Nationals Classics" keeps them coming at you throughout the void we call the offseason. Among this week's offerings, you'll watch the longtime face of the franchise do his hero...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Coming through in the clutch

November 30, 2020, 5:19am

Nationals

Well, Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, which means the currently chilly hot stove will soon be heating up. And what better way to get in the mood than a smattering of clutch performances that resulted in Nationals victories? Here at MASN, "Nationals Classics" are designed to make you feel warm and fuzzy all over. Guys that make their money by coming through in the clutch tend to do that, don't they? Is there anything better than cheering a dominant team or individual performance, or...

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Umpires brighten season for patients at Children's National Hospital

December 01, 2020, 1:46pm

Nationals

Umpires brighten season for patients at Children's National Hospital

The coronavirus pandemic interrupted spring training, shortened the Major League Baseball season, and added COVID-19 testing to the daily routine for players and staff. No way around it, the virus has been felt in every corner of the baseball universe. Even umpires were not immune. The annual visit by the men in blue to Children's National Hospital, where members of UMPS CARE Charities, took on a different look Tuesday when umpires Nic Lentz and Chris Segal conducted a virtual visit to let...

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#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Missed it by that much

November 22, 2020, 4:05am

Nationals

Perhaps you're skipping the trip over the river and through the woods this year. Maybe you've made the tough choice to put the family's health ahead of family togetherness and forego planes, trains and automobiles for now. It might not seem so at the tail end of the kind of year that 2020 has been for all of us, but chances are you've still got much to be grateful for. And while your Thanksgiving table isn't as crowded as usual (or at least it shouldn't be; safety first), we can be...

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Zuckerman a finalist for D.C. Sportswriter of the Year

November 20, 2020, 8:10am

Nationals

Zuckerman a finalist for D.C. Sportswriter of the Year

MASNsports.com Nationals beat writer Mark Zuckerman is a finalist for the Washington, D.C., Sportswriter of the Year award presented by the National Sports Media Association. Zuckerman, who joined MASNsports.com in 2016, is one of six finalists for the annual award, along with David Aldridge, Fred Katz and Brittany Ghiroli of The Athletic, and Thomas Boswell and Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post. Voting will be conducted among NSMA members from Dec. 1-31, with the winners to be announced in...