#TBT to "Nationals Classics:" Marathon matches galore as nights grow longer

#TBT to "Nationals Classics:" Marathon matches galore as nights grow longer
Kinks in the supply chain have holiday shoppers jumpier than usual this year as they comb the Internet and the stores (remember those?) for the hot new toy or electronic gizmo. The good news is that the supply of warm baseball memories is flowing just fine via "Nationals Classics." In this week's batch, MASN brings you a big moment in the budding career of a young star, a signature win for a Cooperstown-bound hurler, some marathon matches ending in Nationals wins, more clutch hits for the...

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: No turkeys in this feast of Birds baseball

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: No turkeys in this feast of Birds baseball
It might have been George Will. Or maybe it was Casey Stengel. I get those two mixed up all the time. Anyhow, whoever it was that first said it, the great truism goes something like this: "There are just two seasons: baseball season and the void." And so it is we find ourselves staring across the vast emptiness between here and the spring. During this pause, we here at MASNsports.com will every Thursday give you a little taste of the coming week's "Orioles Classics" offerings, full game...

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: O's sluggers make Camden Yards a lumberyard

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: O's sluggers make Camden Yards a lumberyard
Late February always fills baseball fans with anticipation, and it is doing so again. But this year it's different. This year we aren't taking spring games for granted. As of this writing, the Orioles' exhibition and regular seasons are scheduled to take place on time, and fully. Assuming that doesn't change, this will be our last Throwback Thursday until October. "Orioles Classics" closes out February 2021 with plenty of clutch hitting from the Birds in games from the past eight years....

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

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

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Going to the Matt

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Going to the Matt
The Super Bowl is now behind us. The NCAA's March Madness - we hope - lies just ahead. But as far as MASN world is concerned, the really big event is scheduled to begin next week. In five days - cross your fingers, knock on wood or perform any other superstitious ritual you like to ward off evil spirits and the always looming potential coronavirus-related postponement - pitchers and catchers will report to the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. The COVID-19 pandemic is far from over,...

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

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

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something old, something new

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something old, something new
We're rapidly running out of January. Assuming we're still on the Gregorian calendar - I, for one, take nothing for granted - that means we'll soon be in February, which means spring training! That, of course, assumes that pandemic-induced protocols don't postpone it. Like I said, take nothing for granted. So while we wait out these last few weeks (or more) before things start hopping at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla., what's a shivering O's fan to do? Watch "Orioles...

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

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

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Pushing toward playoffs

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Pushing toward playoffs
Greater Baltimore still stings a little since Sunday, when the Ravens took one on the chin in Buffalo, but now our region's sports fans can turn their full attention to the approach of spring training, whenever it actually is to start. Assessing the status of the Orioles rebuilding project should prove interesting. Meanwhile, we can take a look at the not-too-distant past to remind ourselves what a contending O's squad looks like. The Birds enjoyed a resurgance in the mid-2010s, making the...

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Trumbo and Davis deliver

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Trumbo and Davis deliver
As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate small ball, the art of the opposite-field single, the sacrifice bunt, hitting behind the runner, the cat-and-mouse between a speedster taking a lead and the pitcher trying to make sure he stays put. But one cannot deny the thrill of seeing a muscular dude launching a fastball that gets too much of the plate. Though you'll also see some of the former in this week's "Orioles Classics," the latter takes center stage. In the principal roles of big...

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

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

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Some things never get old

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Some things never get old
So long, 2020. Don't let the door whack your backside on your way out. The general consensus seems to be that the year that draws to a close tonight at midnight can't be over soon enough. As if social and political turmoil and a deadly virus sweeping the globe weren't awful enough, the pandemic also screwed up the baseball season. With new vaccines approved and inoculations begun, we're all crossing our fingers in hopes that we can kick COVID-19 to the curb in 2021, and that spring training...

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

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

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Temporarily derailing the Rays

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Temporarily derailing the Rays
The winter solstice is upon us, bringing more darkness than most of us would like as we witness the shortest days of the year. But look on the bright side: Beginning Tuesday, they start getting longer again. Shoot, before you know it, it'll be mid-February and pitchers and catchers will be checking in at the Ed Smith Stadium complex in Sarasota, Fla. We hope. Especially given the current surge in the ongoing pandemic, it can be difficult to keep the winter doldrums from creeping into your...

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

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

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Feels like the first time

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Feels like the first time
December's here, and as the holiday season ramps up, many folks feel the tug of nostalgia. Perhaps your senses are already summoning fond memories as your stereo plays festive tunes and your kitchen is warmed and made fragrant by an oven cranking out cookies. But winter's arrival doesn't have the market cornered on nostalgia. Memories of springs, summers and autumns past can trigger sentimental feelings, too, and that's what "Orioles Classics" is all about. This batch, still toasty from...

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

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

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something old, something new

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Something old, something new
We're heading toward a holiday season fraught with uncertainty as we continue to hunker down and try to ride out the pandemic that has turned our lives upside down and is surging again. Thanksgiving is a week from today and many of us are praying for mild weather so that we can, as a means of minimizing risk, re-enact the outdoor feast that the pilgrims had back in the 17th century. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, MASN will keep "Orioles Classics" coming as you await the start of...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Near perfection at home, craziness in L.A.

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Near perfection at home, craziness in L.A.
To say that 2020 has been sad, strange and unnerving is almost cliché now. But that doesn't make it any less true. And with seven weeks left before the arrival of 2021, many of us have begun our countdown to New Year's Day a little earlier than usual. As we head toward what's bound to be a long winter likely to bring a coronavirus surge, we all face a long list of morale-challenging circumstances. While it certainly includes much more impactful factors, the absence of baseball still has...

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Comeback wins and marathon matches

"Orioles Classics" #TBT: Comeback wins and marathon matches
With the strangest baseball season on record now in the books (congrats to the Dodgers), the offseason is now upon us. The Orioles have already made some roster moves, and more are almost certainly on the way. And with COVID cases climbing again, the O's and the rest of Major League Baseball also will likely be figuring out contingencies in case spring training and/or the 2021 season have to be delayed. So even though there won't be any live games to see, baseball people will still be plenty...