Want to be part of the Nat Pack? (Updated)

Want to be part of the Nat Pack? (Updated)
The Nationals are searching for athletes, gymnasts, cheerleaders, promotions people and "outstanding personalities" to join their Nat Pack in 2010. The Nat Pack is the in-game entertainment crew. They host pre-game features and games, shoot t-shirts, rally the crowd and generally serve as fan ambassadors at games and in the community. Applicants should be "energetic, positive, talented, enthusiastic, dependable and fun." Of course, they should also love the Nats! To apply, send your...

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)
The Nationals Park logo is all over the place, but where is this particular one located? Trust me, it's very visible and shouldn't be too difficult. We'll work up to the more challenging ones. Our second installment of "Where at Nats Park" is late because of the holiday, so we'll reveal the answer on Thursday instead of Wednesday. Just like last week, put your answers in the comments and keep track of your total wins! Update: Some of you got this one! The answer is on top of the...

The Men in Blue

The Men in Blue
When I was a child, my father refereed high school and college basketball games. He was tough, but impartial. I hated watching him work, mostly because he couldn't please fans from either side. It's never fun to watch your Dad get booed. But his experience taught me to see the game in a different way and to respect those that try to enforce the rules. As such, I've always had a curiosity and interest in the world of umpiring. Perhaps you have too? Imagine deciding whether each and...

Where at Nats Park (Updated)

Where at Nats Park (Updated)
I'm sorry for the break in updates. I left suddenly for Pennsylvania for a few days to attend my grandfather's funeral. But I'm back now and with the Nationals caravan and NatsFest approaching quickly, we'll be sure to have plenty of Nats Buzz news for you, starting with this week's "Where at Nats Park" photograph. Think you have the answer? Put it in the comments below and we'll let you know on Wednesday. Update: What a week!! The answer to last week's Where at Nats Park was...

Three New Mini-plans

Three New Mini-plans
If you want to enjoy the season ticket holder experience but 22, 42 or 81 games are just too many for your budget or schedule, the Nats have a solution. Today, they introduced the Champions Plan (14 games for the price of 13), the Sunday Fun-day Plan (13 games for the price of 12), and Zim's Silver Slugger Plan (10 games for the price of 9). The Sunday plan is particularly exciting as fans can collect autographs before the game during Signature Sundays and enjoy the post-game Kids Run the...

Catching up with Flores

Catching up with Flores
Jesus Flores can't make it to this week's caravan, but he has been pretty busy this offseason. The catcher spent the winter working out and rehabbing his shoulder in Miami. He expects to resume baseball activities next month and come back healthy, strong and ready for a productive 2010 season. Flores has been plagued by unfortunate injuries in recent seasons. His first big setback occurred in September of '08 following a dangerous collision with Chase Utley. Though his ankle was ready...

Caravan, Dave Matthews Band and Chats

Caravan, Dave Matthews Band and Chats
A whole host of Nationals news coming in this afternoon... First, the caravan kicks off tomorrow with Danny Espinosa, Drew Storen, Ryan Speier, Jim Riggleman and our very own Rob Dibble. Throughout the day, the group will visit the Southwest Health Center in DC, Hard Times Cafe in Arlington and Build a Bear in Tyson's Corner. Check Nats Buzz all week for updates, interviews, pictures, etc. I'll do my best to keep you updated on Twitter (@khudak11), but also make sure to follow...

Partnership with the Southwest Health Center

Partnership with the Southwest Health Center
Today's first stop on the 2010 Winter Caravan brought Ryan Speier, Danny Espinosa, Drew Storen, Jim Riggleman and Rob Dibble into Unity Health Care's Southwest Health Center, just a few blocks from Nationals Park. The facility serves all D.C. residents, regardless of their ability to pay for medical care. In December, nearly forty Nationals front office employees helped to refurbish and repaint the health center as part of a project with Rebuilding Together. The Southwest Health Center...

Build-a-Bear Stop at Tyson's Corner

Build-a-Bear Stop at Tyson's Corner
On Wednesday evening, the Nationals caravan moved to Build-a-Bear at Tyson's Corner Center. They greeted fans, signed autographs and made their very own bears. Drew Storen was pretty pumped about his Batman owl. Manager Jim Riggleman was new to the process, but Rob Dibble showed him the ropes, step by step. To bring the bears to life, the guys had to warm up the hearts, spin around three times, make a wish and even do push ups! Here are some photos of the finished products, with more...

Nats Caravan Stop at Ben's Chili Bowl

Nats Caravan Stop at Ben's Chili Bowl
On Thursday, the caravan began the day at historic Ben's Chili Bowl in Washington D.C. Stan Kasten and Mike Rizzo joined the crew for a quick lunch. "It's a pretty cool historic place," said Danny Espinosa, making his first visit to the famed eatery. "We had a good time." Espinosa was impressed by the many photographs of celebrity visitors including President Obama. After ordering a variety of items, the players mingled with the guests, handed out autographed cards and took...

Nats Make Care Packages with USO

Nats Make Care Packages with USO
On Thursday afternoon, the caravan traveled to Fort Belvoir in Virginia for a very special afternoon service project with USO. Together with servicemen and women and local volunteers, the Nationals made care packages for soldiers in Iraq, Afghanistan and Haiti. To date, the organization has shipped over 1.8 million care packages to troops. The care packages include shampoo, shaving cream, razors, toothbrushes and other basic necessities. Ryan Speier, Danny Espinosa, Drew Storen, Rob Dibble...

Nats Partner with Prince George's County

Nats Partner with Prince George's County
After battling D.C.'s second big snowstorm of the winter, the Nationals caravan arrived in Prince George's County for a special presentation with local officials. The team announced a new partnership with the county to support the growth of baseball through a variety of community programs. Specifically, the partnership invites children to attend a youth baseball clinic at Nationals Park during the 2010 season and promises to send Nationals players to one or more youth clinics in Prince...

NatsFest Brings Caravan to a Close

NatsFest Brings Caravan to a Close
And that's a wrap. What a week for Nats fans. From Woodbridge to Bethesda to Arlington to Landover, the Nationals covered most of the D.C. metro area with visits, community service stops and autograph signings to remind us that baseball is just around the corner. On Sunday, the fun came to a close with the ever popular NatsFest celebration at Nationals Park. Drawing thousands of fans out of their homes on a cold Sunday afternoon, NatsFest was a major success in its second year....

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)
You may recognize this one from the game at MASN's booth at NatsFest, but here's another chance to figure it out. Good luck this week! Updated: Nice work everyone! I tried to hide the correct answers until now so that most of you could guess without being swayed by others. Many of you were correct! It is the green roof over Boardwalk Fries and Noah's Pretzels in the LF corner. Nationals Park is the nation's first major professional stadium to become LEED Silver Certified by the U.S....

Where at Nats Park Tally

Where at Nats Park Tally
We began playing Where at Nats Park in early January and many of you have contributed to the fun. We're going to keep it going into the new season, but I wanted to get an offseason tally to see where we stand. We have a clear winner in NatsNut. She provided nine correct answers over the past twelve weeks. Congratulations to her! I'm still trying to see how a prizing system might work and what prizes might be available, so hold tight on that but keep playing! And go play Fantasy...

Nats Thank Season Ticket Holders

Nats Thank Season Ticket Holders
On Saturday, the Nationals honored season ticket holders with special photo opportunities and a town hall meeting with manager Jim Riggleman. Fans could take photos with all of their favorite Nationals including Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, John Lannan and Nyjer Morgan, as well as with new faces like Pudge Rodriguez and Brian Bruney. At the town hall meeting, fans asked questions directly to Riggleman and Opening Day starter John Lannan. Fans wanted to know about final roster decisions, game...

O's yearbooks are available now

O's yearbooks are available now
The 2009 Orioles Yearbook is out already this season, and this year's is a good one. The gray "Baltimore" road jersey is pictured on the cover in front of the classic O's brick backdrop. Inside you'll find bios for the various members of the Orioles ownership and front office (Here's a fun fact you may or may not know: author Tom Clancy is actually the Vice Chairman of Community Projects and Public Affairs for the O's). Following the front office are pages for the manager, coaches...

Lunch with Adam Jones

Lunch with Adam Jones
Get your Adam Jones baseball cards, T-shirts, photos, and baseballs ready for an autograph, as the Orioles centerfielder will be the first Bird to participate in an O's autograph series brought to fans by Wendy's. The young slugger will be at the Wendy's on West Nursery Road in Linthicum, Maryland (1589 West Nursery Road, Linthicum, MD 21090), signing autographs and posing for photos with fans from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10. At Wendy's, you'll likely find that Jones is every...

O's Promos

O's Promos
T-Shirt Tuesday Don't miss Melvin Mora T-Shirt Tuesday tomorrow night at Camden Yards. The first 10,000 fans (15 and older) to arrive at Oriole Park on Tuesday, June 9 will receive a free orange Melvin Mora O's shirt. Tuesday is also Ollie's Bargain Night, which features upper reserve tickets for the basement price of just $8. Orioles Rookie Flex Pack The O's are also running a ticket promotion that features some nice giveaways in connection with purchasing tickets for four games at...

Where are the O's 1st-round picks now?

Where are the O's 1st-round picks now?
It's no secret that the Orioles' plan for the future is to acquire young talent and develop them in the team's farm system. O's fans are seeing the fruits of that labor in players like... Nolan Reimold (2nd round in 2005) David Hernandez (16th round in 2005) Brad Bergesen (4th round in 2004) Nick Markakis (1st round in 2003) Chris Ray (3rd round in 2003) Jim Johnson (5th round in 2001) and Brian Roberts (Sandwich pick between 1st and 2nd rounds in 1999). ...with guys like Jake Arietta...