Stacey Long: The tight-knit AL East

Stacey Long: The tight-knit AL East
The Orioles squandered their chance to return home a .500 ball club, but more than a month into the season, they are clinging to third place in the American League East, 2 1/2 games behind their weekend opponent, the Tampa Bay Rays. Having played nearly 20 percent of the games on the season, the AL East is tighter than it's been in some time. While it's unlikely the Orioles will be able to hang so close to the division leaders over the entire season, it's certainly a welcome change from...
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Dave Nichols: The only game in town

Dave Nichols: The only game in town
The Caps were swept in four games by a division rival after another first-place season. Maryland men's basketball coach Gary Williams shockingly retired, while his best player last year declared for the NBA draft. The Wizards recently completed a thoroughly uninteresting season. The lockout and subsequent lawsuits put the NFL season in jeopardy. Even if they do play, the Redskins went 6-10 last season and might start with John Beck as the quarterback. It's enough to make a D.C. sports fan...
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All you really need is heart

All you really need is heart
Pete Kerzel, our wonderful editor here at MASNsports.com, pointed out that 56 years ago today, Damn Yankees opened on Broadway. On May 5, 1955, fans watched as slugger "Shoeless" Joe Hardy joined the Washington Senators to help the struggling franchise win the pennant. Damn Yankees earned a number of Tony Awards in 1956 and stayed on Broadway for 1019 productions. In 1994, the revival at Marquis Theatre brought the classic back to life. The Nationals played the musical's signature piece...
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Dave Nichols: Is Jason Marquis a key to Nats' future success?

Dave Nichols: Is Jason Marquis a key to Nats' future success?
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jason Marquis had a rough outing last night against the Philadelphia Phillies, getting knocked around in the fifth and sixth innings, leading to another loss against the bullies of the National League East. The loss drops the Nats' record for the season to 14-16 through 30 games. Two losses to start this 10-day, nine-game road trip, with the prospect of facing Roy Halladay tonight, is probably a bad omen if you believe in those things. But in the bigger...
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Five-year anniversary of groundbreaking at Nationals Park

Five-year anniversary of groundbreaking at Nationals Park
Five years ago today, the Nationals broke ground on the new location for Nationals Park along the Anacostia River. WUSA Channel 9 is hosting a poll on its Web site asking residents if the $611 million price tag was worth it. The poll also links to these great photographs of the groundbreaking from JD Land. It's worth a look to see how different that part of southeast D.C. looks today. Also, here's a link to a video from the groundbreaking ceremony.
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Dave Nichols: Werth returns for some brotherly love

Dave Nichols: Werth returns for some brotherly love
The Washington Nationals' $126 million man, Jayson Werth, returned to the place where he made his name Tuesday night: Citizen's Bank Park in Philadelphia. He was the center focus of the festivities all evening long in the Nationals' 4-1 loss to the Phillies, even though he had very little to do with the action on the field, as he went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout. He was received surprisingly warmly in his first at-bat, pausing to tip his batting helmet to acknowledge the appreciation...
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Stacey Long: Is Adam Jones finally breaking out?

Stacey Long: Is Adam Jones finally breaking out?
When the Orioles traded for Adam Jones in the winter of 2007, he was considered by many to be a future star. His potential to be a power-hitting center fielder with above-average defensive skills had Orioles fans drooling, but he hadn't put it all together up to this season and the frustration level among fans was raised to a critical level. Since the beginning of this season, it's been obvious that Jones has worked hard on his defense. He is consistently making plays both shallow and deep...
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It's all about the series

It's all about the series
With the Major League Baseball season being a 162-game marathon, every team strives to maintain consistency which hopefully leads first to being competitive and then to being a contender. And with consistency the goal, every team also has the same approach: Win as many series over the course of the six-month season as possible. Managers for all 30 major league teams follow the edict, "Let's take two-out-of-three and move on." Take a look at the starts to the last two seasons, and it's...
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Stacey Long: A frustrating loss still provides hope

Stacey Long: A frustrating loss still provides hope
Last night's game was one of the more frustrating losses of the year. The Orioles had baserunners in every inning, usually more than one. They had so many chances to score runs and just couldn't do it. It was a hard game to watch. But it's also the kind of game that, in retrospect, has a lot of positives to take from it. It's easy to say that the Orioles couldn't come through in the clutch, but the fact is that usually when a team gets 15 baserunners, they'll score more than two runs. So...
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Dave Nichols: Is Gorzelanny's strong start sustainable?

Dave Nichols: Is Gorzelanny's strong start sustainable?
In Monday night's 2-0 win over the defending world champion San Francisco Giants, starting pitcher Tom Gorzelanny pitched a heck of a game, limiting the Giants to three hits over eight innings while striking out four. Most importantly for him, he didn't walk anyone, which has always been what has hindered him in his career and kept him from being a truly dependable starter in the league. After five starts for the Washington Nationals, Gorzelanny is 1-2 with a 2.93 ERA. Pretty impressive. I...
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Dave Nichols: Honoring true heroes that protect our freedom

Dave Nichols: Honoring true heroes that protect our freedom
On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, I, like millions of fellow Americans, was on my daily commute to work, only I work two blocks from the White House. I first heard the news on the elevator up to my floor: "A plane hit the World Trade Center in New York." There were no details at that point and no reason to think that America was under attack. Once I reached my desk and got on the Internet, I realized there was a much bigger story and, like all my fellow Americans, I was then glued to the...
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Stacey Long: Volatile bullpen a case of dollars spent unwisely

Stacey Long: Volatile bullpen a case of dollars spent unwisely
It's no secret the that Orioles' bullpen hasn't been all that reliable through the first month of the season. Even when he gets the job done, closer Kevin Gregg raises the stress level in Birdland to epic proportions. Mike Gonzalez's last outing was fantastic, but given his other performances this year it was still a little hard to watch. Koji Uehara is walking people, Jim Johnson is giving up home runs, Josh Rupe has been a disaster. With the starting pitching having success, it's even...
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Complimentary tickets for Military Appreciation Night

Complimentary tickets for Military Appreciation Night
On Monday, the Washington Nationals will host Military Appreciation Night. As part of the celebration, the Nationals will donate thousands of complimentary tickets to military families for the series finale with the Giants. Military personnel can receive four complimentary tickets with a valid ID. Those tickets are available for pick up at the Grand Staircase Box Office beginning at 5:30 p.m. Monday. Tickets may also be picked up prior to the game at the Main Box Office during non-game...
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Anthony Amobi: Gonzalez an example of risk not yielding reward

Anthony Amobi: Gonzalez an example of risk not yielding reward
It's no mystery to anyone that reliever Mike Gonzalez has had his share of struggles as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. When Gonzalez signed with the team before last season, I thought it was a decent signing at the time despite the money involved. Baltimore needed bullpen help after yet another lackluster season in 2009 and I thought that Gonzalez fit the bill. The southpaw reliever had a solid track record in the National League with Pittsburgh and Atlanta, so one would think he...
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Drew Kinback: Storen's choice of flat-brim shows definite closer style

Drew Kinback: Storen's choice of flat-brim shows definite closer style
There is just something about a ballplayer who styles the flat-brim. Pardon the obvious and shameless pun, but a player who wears his ballcap flat-brim style is tipping the hat to an older school of baseball while at the same time showing defiance in the face of modern standards and comfort in ballplayer headwear. It is true that a new baseball cap is not conformed to the shape of the wearer's head so it is necessary to bend the bill a little bit. Give it some flex. So in a way, flat-brim...
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Anthony Amobi: Put any worries about Wieters on hold

Anthony Amobi: Put any worries about Wieters on hold
Over the past few months, fans and sports pundits have wondered whether or not Matt Wieters is a bust - despite the Orioles catcher only having played in the major leagues for less than two full seasons. I remember the Friday night of his major league debut like it was yesterday. It was a warm one in June 2009 and 42,000 fans jammed Oriole Park at Camden Yards to get a glimpse of a man who could potentially become the next Baltimore legend. We all cheered wildly for the young man. The...
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Drew Kinback: An early look at Jim Riggleman's future in D.C.

Drew Kinback: An early look at Jim Riggleman's future in D.C.
I peg manager Jim Riggleman as a whiskey man. I don't base this off much of anything or know if he actually partakes in the American firewater, but let's pretend a little bit. He just looks and carries himself like a whiskey man: staunch, regal, a touch of book-smart intellect mixed with barroom pugilism. A lover and a fighter. It is the sort of thing you want in a baseball manager running a team of bosky greenhorns and slightly fossilized gray-hairs. I've always imagined Riggleman walking...
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Bullpen addition Rodriguez ready to contribute

Bullpen addition Rodriguez ready to contribute
After battling right shoulder inflammation in spring training, reliever Henry Rodriguez joined the Nationals on Wednesday afternoon ready to contribute out of the bullpen. The hard throwing right-hander was acquired from Oakland for Josh Willingham back in December. Rodriguez completed a rehab assignment in Double-A Harrisburg and Triple-A Syracuse before being recalled by the Nationals. "Everything went well," he said of his rehab. "I feel great and now I just have to go out there and do...
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Drew Kinback: Nats' Hairston delivers a blow to logic of putting trust in veterans

Drew Kinback: Nats' Hairston delivers a blow to logic of putting trust in veterans
If you watch Nationals baseball long enough, you eventually find that over time nothing really surprises you anymore. Nationals baseball is full of every strange play and freak occurrence you can probably think up and wrap your mind around. At this point I would not be surprised to see Jayson Werth drop a routine fly ball because some crocodile had slunk up from the Anacostia and run onto the field after him. I really wouldn't. I've seen it all. Until Tuesday night. In the ninth inning of...
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Dave Nichols: Nationals face daunting schedule over next two weeks

Dave Nichols: Nationals face daunting schedule over next two weeks
The 2011 Washington Nationals have been hovering around .500 most of the season. They currently sit at 10-12 as a result of dropping five of their last six games, including Tuesday night's 6-4 loss to the New York Mets, an imminently winnable game as manager Jim Riggleman said in his press conference after the game. "A little something happen here or there and we could have won that ball game," Riggleman rationalized after the loss. That seems to be a popular sentiment. But the fact that...
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