coronavirus

Tales from the clubhouse: Getting pranked by the players

May 02, 2020, 7:16pm

Every so often in this profession, you write an article knowing it's going to touch a few nerves. Criticism isn't going to sit well with everyone, especially those who are actually being criticized. But when it happens, you show up to work the next day, and if someone wants to let you know what they really thought about your work, you give them the opportunity to express those feelings (hopefully in a productive manner). It's all part of the job, and over time you learn how to deal with it....

Comments

Tags:

brian schneider coronavirus manny acta mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime robert fick stan kasten tales from the clubhouse featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Powell "just trying to stay healthy and not do anything stupid"

May 01, 2020, 1:02pm

Orioles

Powell "just trying to stay healthy and not do anything stupid"

Players stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic are adapting to life away from baseball. A shock to the system. They've been playing the sport since they were kids. For fun and later as a profession. Their body clocks are wired to it. The shutdown can challenge them both mentally and physically. "It just reminds me of a lockout or a strike, but with more consequences," said former outfielder Eric Davis, in his 12th season as a Reds special assistant. "When you have a lockout or a...

Comments

Tags:

boog powell coronavirus eric davis orioles trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Martinez trying to plan for various spring training scenarios

May 01, 2020, 9:50am

Nationals

Martinez trying to plan for various spring training scenarios

Davey Martinez's days are pretty occupied right now, all things considered. As he waits things out at his 350-acre farm near Nashville, he spends his mornings riding a Peloton bike, his afternoons outside taking care of his massive property and in between chases his new puppies Champ and Mya around. There is some time reserved for Martinez's actual day job, though, and right now what occupies the Nationals manager's worktime most is formulating a plan for an eventual second round of spring...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus davey martinez mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime spring training featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Castro helping back home during baseball's shutdown

May 01, 2020, 12:32pm

Orioles

Castro helping back home during baseball's shutdown

Miguel Castro vowed back in February to return home to the Dominican Republic following the 2020 season, with no fears or trepidations created from the previous month's robbery that almost cost him more than just a couple of gold chains. The Orioles reliever made the trip much sooner than he expected with sports shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic. And he's using the time to help people who are less fortunate, still immersed in his community rather than hiding out or keeping a lower...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus miguel castro orioles ramon alarcon featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

The gutsy start that forever changed Strasburg's narrative

April 30, 2020, 9:19pm

Nationals

The gutsy start that forever changed Strasburg's narrative

The narrative of the Nationals franchise as a whole, and the narrative of many of those who wore the Nats uniform, forever changed last October. What had been regarded by many as a very good organization that consistently underachieved in the postseason is now thought of as a model of perseverance and togetherness. The Nationals finally rose to the occasion in 2019, and high on the list of players who made that possible is Stephen Strasburg, who had a brilliant postseason capped by World Series...

Comments

Tags:

chicago cubs coronavirus dusty baker mark zuckerman michael a. taylor nationals nationals pastime nlds stephen strasburg featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals3

Zimmerman interviews Fauci, plus more Nats notes

April 29, 2020, 7:54pm

Nationals

Zimmerman interviews Fauci, plus more Nats notes

Ryan Zimmerman insists he's got a lot of baseball left in him, but he sure seems to be laying the groundwork for a post-retirement career in broadcasting. It began two weeks ago with the Nationals team Zoom chat, during which Zimmerman turned into something of a co-moderator with MASN's Dan Kolko and showed an impressive ability to ask teammates pertinent questions while maintaining some control over a disorganized group of talkers. And it continued Wednesday when Zimmerman recorded a...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Reading the tea leaves about various MLB season proposals

April 28, 2020, 8:53pm

Nationals

Reading the tea leaves about various MLB season proposals

It's still impossible to say with any semblance of certainty when, where or how the 2020 Major League Baseball season will begin. But it doesn't take a lot of reading between the lines in recent days to recognize the powers that be in this sport strongly believe there will be a 2020 baseball season. The length, format and other particulars of a potential season remain very much uncertain. But as various proposals get tossed around, it does seem like everyone involved fully expects something...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman mlb nationals nationals pastime featured_sidebar mike rizzo frontstory_nationals2

Orioles announce refund policy for games impacted by coronavirus

April 29, 2020, 2:06pm

Orioles

The Orioles today announced a policy for fans who held tickets to Orioles home games in the 2020 season through May 31. Fans can get a 125 percent ticket credit for any home games through 2022 or can receive a full refund. "We certainly recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has created great hardships for many families and businesses. The Orioles will also offer fans the choice of a full refund for the impacted games, if preferred. Refund requests will be processed within 30 days and must be...

Comments

Tags:

orioles steve melewski birdland memberships coronavirus featured_sidebar greg bader frontstory_orioles1

Mancini: "I have no doubt in my mind I'll be back playing baseball"

April 29, 2020, 10:46am

Orioles

Mancini: "I have no doubt in my mind I'll be back playing baseball"

The symptoms and signs began as a curiosity and evolved into concern. Trey Mancini would become fatigued while performing drills in spring training, having to push himself through them. He tried to dismiss it as a product of growing older. He braced for news that he was experiencing something far less serious than colon cancer - a diagnosis that rocked the entire Orioles organization and led to his March 12 surgery in Baltimore. The story progressed to the point where Mancini began undergoing...

Comments

Tags:

brooks robinson coronavirus mike elias orioles trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Remembering the no-fans game five years later

April 28, 2020, 7:27am

Orioles

Remembering the no-fans game five years later

The Orioles enter another day with no baseball on the agenda. No clue if or when there's going to be a second spring training and season with an assortment of changes applied to it. Five years ago today, they played a game with no fans at Camden Yards. An oddity that was disturbing on another level. There were a couple of humorous moments, which we sought out in an attempt to provide some balance to the tension. Caleb Joseph tipped his cap to the imaginary crowd and pretended to sign...

Comments

Tags:

chris davis coronavirus orioles buck showalter featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3

An all-time Nationals roster - with a twist

April 27, 2020, 8:34pm

Nationals

Everyone's putting together "All-Time Best" lists right now. I half expect someone to compile the "All-Time Best All-Time Best List" before the pandemic ends. So, we might as well get into the game here. But we're going to add a twist to this one. This won't just be the All-Time Best Nationals Roster. That would be too easy. (Just take a bunch of guys from the 2019 club, add a couple others from the pre-championship years and you've got it.) No, this one requires a little more brain...

Comments

Another look at the chances to have a baseball season

April 27, 2020, 3:38pm

Orioles

Another look at the chances to have a baseball season

The chance that we are going to see something resembling a baseball season in 2020 seems to be getting better. But we still have no idea what that could mean or look like. It seems many plans and options continue to be discussed. Nothing has been settled on. There is nothing that can be settled on at this point. Baseball officials obviously are aware that nothing will happen unless it can be deemed safe for all. At one point we heard about the Arizona plan. Then there was an Arizona/Florida...

Comments

Tags:

orioles steve melewski coronavirus featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles3

Taking the latest Orioles quiz during the shutdown

April 27, 2020, 11:37am

Orioles

If you sense that I'm giving you a quizzical look this morning, well, scroll down for verification. Or maybe the headline gave it away. This is the latest coronavirus edition. We could use the distraction and a few smiles. Extra credit awarded for expanding on "none of the above" by making a prediction. The season is going to start: A. In June B. In July C. In 2021 D. None of the above Games will be played: A. Exclusively in Arizona B. In Florida and Arizona C. In no more than five states D....

Comments

Tags:

adley rutschman alex cobb anthony santander asher wojciechowski brandon hyde chris davis coronavirus john means orioles renato nunez trey mancini featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

State of the Nats roster: Infield

April 26, 2020, 8:35pm

Nationals

We begin today a periodic look at the state of the Nationals roster at the point spring training was suspended and project how things may look whenever baseball is played again. Up first is the infield ... No aspect of the Nationals roster underwent as much change last winter as the infield. There was only one major departure (Anthony Rendon) but Matt Adams and Brian Dozier also left as free agents, leaving general manager Mike Rizzo with a couple of different paths in an attempt to make up for...

Comments

Tags:

asdrubal cabrera carter kieboom coronavirus eric thames howie kendrick mark zuckerman nationals nationals pastime ryan zimmerman starlin castro state of the roster trea turner featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Recalling where Orioles played one year ago and bullpen woes

April 24, 2020, 6:36am

Orioles

At the risk of rubbing salt into an open wound caused by the sports shutdown, the Orioles are supposed to be playing the Royals tonight to begin a four-game series at Camden Yards. I would have spent the following weekend in Chicago for the three-game set against the White Sox, as the season rolled merrily along. A year ago today, the Orioles were in the middle of a series against the Twins in Minnesota that treated them with concrete gloves. No kidding. The Orioles were swept by a combined...

Comments

Tags:

alex cobb asher wojciechowski brandon hyde coronavirus dillon tate eric hanhold hector velazquez hunter harvey john means miguel castro mychal givens orioles paul fry richard bleier shawn armstrong tanner scott featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Baseball shutdown impacts O's rebuilding efforts

April 25, 2020, 6:49pm

Orioles

Baseball shutdown impacts O's rebuilding efforts

So the question has now been asked countless times: Does the shutdown of baseball hurt a rebuilding team like the Orioles? An obvious answer is yes, because young players, especially those in the minors, are not getting at-bats or innings right now. They're not working with coaches and gaining information from data and analytics. They are not competing against an opponent and learning how doing the small things right can lead to big wins and big personal gains. The good news is that no team is...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus orioles steve melewski orioles farm report frontstory_orioles3

LeBlanc on life at home without baseball

April 24, 2020, 6:26am

Orioles

LeBlanc on life at home without baseball

Wade LeBlanc expected to be pitching for a new team this season rather than becoming a stay-at-home dad. He was waiting to be placed on the 40-man roster, bypassing the opt-out date last month in his contract. But he retains status as an invitee to spring training despite the camp's closure and a sports shutdown with no known date to reopen. I've found it interesting how players are maintaining their focus on the season, with the Orioles keeping everyone connected and dispensing information...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus dwight smith jr. orioles wade leblanc featured_sidebar frontstory_orioles2

Tales from the clubhouse: Stanton's balk-off

April 25, 2020, 7:37pm

Nationals

Tales from the clubhouse: Stanton's balk-off

This extended break is offering us a chance to write some stories we wouldn't normally write and to take a few trips down memory lane. So here's a trip back in time for you that includes an epic behind-the-scenes story from the postgame clubhouse. Maybe this will be the first of several such stories that can be shared with you until we have real baseball again. The date is July 15, 2005. The Nationals are in Milwaukee, facing the Brewers in front of a packed Friday night house at Miller Park....

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus frank robinson mark zuckerman mike stanton milwaukee brewers nationals nationals pastime tales from the clubhouse featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

Rizzo on employee payments, season prep and Nats charities

April 24, 2020, 8:40am

Nationals

Rizzo on employee payments, season prep and Nats charities

In addition to paying all full-time employees' salaries through at least the end of May, the Nationals have not yet discussed asking for the organization's highest-paid employees to reduce their salaries while baseball is shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. General manager Mike Rizzo, during his regular conference call with reporters today, confirmed the Lerner family's recent commitment to pay all full-time employees full salary and benefits through May, following a trend established...

Comments

Tags:

coronavirus mark zuckerman mike rizzo mlb nationals nationals pastime spring training featured_sidebar frontstory_nationals2

On the passing of the guy with the blazing fastball who never made it

April 24, 2020, 12:32pm

Orioles

On the passing of the guy with the blazing fastball who never made it

We don't know for sure, since there were no radar guns at the time, but those that saw lefty Steve Dalkowski pitch have said he threw his fastball well over 100 mph. Maybe 110 mph, maybe even 115 mph. Not kidding. His fastball was legendary. But so was his walk total. Dalkowski, once an Orioles farmhand, died recently at 80. Sadly, he died due to the coronavirus. As a kid, I heard about and read a bit about Dalkowski. He was an O's legend of sorts. One who never threw a pitch in the majors....