Tips for the weekend

Tips for the weekend
Leave early: While taking the Metro to Thursday's game provided a nice discount on tickets, taking the Metro this weekend might take some extra time. Fans are encouraged to add at least 60 minutes to their travel time for all weekend games against the Dodgers. Metro will be conducting weekend track maintenance on the Green, Blue, Orange and Red Lines. That work will likely cause delays for fans trying to get to Nationals Park. Visit wmata.com to check delays and...

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day
On Thursday, the Nationals will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day during an afternoon game against the Rockies. The team will be raising awareness about environmental issues and highlighting the green features at Nationals Park, America's first green ballpark. Earth Day National Coordinator Denis Hayes and Athletes for Earth Ambassador/ Nordic Combined Olympic Gold Medalist Billy Demong will participate in pre-game activities to commemorate the anniversary. Earth Day will also...

Voting is Open

Voting is Open
Let's get a head start, shall we? Last year, Nats fans filled out thousands and thousands of ballots and sent Ryan Zimmerman to his first All Star game. Who will we send this year? Visit vote.mlb.com to start casting your ballots. Nationals starters Adam Dunn, Ivan Rodriguez, Ryan Zimmerman, Ian Desmond, Adam Kennedy, Nyjer Morgan, Josh Willingham and Willie Harris are all listed on the ballot, but you can also write in your favorite players. Vote early and vote often because voting...

All Stars Among Us

All Stars Among Us
The Washington Nationals certainly spend a lot of time enriching the community around the ballpark. Everyday All Stars come from all walks of life and improve our communities in a variety of ways. But they share one very special quality -- the desire to give back. Major League Baseball has again teamed up with People Magazine to honor ordinary people who make a big difference in their communities this season. Fans can submit everyday "All Stars" by visiting PeopleAllStars.com before May...

Beisbol Words and More

Beisbol Words and More
Here are your Spanish/English baseball words for week two. It's a pretty random mix this week. The whole class had to learn a few health words, so I added the ones that seemed relevant. Enjoy! arbitration: arbitraje to warm up (one's arm): calentar el brazo sacrifice bunt: toque de sacrificio closer: cerrador free agency: carta de libertad to score: anotar, cruzar el plato to take out the pitcher: sacar del monticulo ice pack: bolsa de hielo tying run: carrera del...

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)
In honor of Jackie Robinson Day (last week), can you guess where this #42 is displayed? Be specific since this one is a little bit easy. Answers will be posted on Wednesday. Ready for a great homestand? T-Shirt Tuesday? Elvis wigs? Fireworks? I hope so. See you at Nats Park! Answer: Jackie's commemorative #42 hangs in left field near the visitor's bullpen. Great work!

Lannan Visits the Children's Inn at NIH

Lannan Visits the Children's Inn at NIH
On Monday morning, Nationals pitcher John Lannan met with children and families at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda. Lannan, a 2009 recipient of the Roberto Clemente Award for community service, is a Sports Ambassador to the Children's Inn at NIH. The facility is a "place like home" for children receiving treatment at NIH for serious illnesses including cancer, heart, lung, blood, bone and growth disorders, mental illnesses, and HIV infection. "Anytime you can be...

Nats Lift Spirits at Children's Hospital

Nats Lift Spirits at Children's Hospital
On a blustery cold Saturday morning, the Nationals warmed the hearts of dozens of children seeking medical treatment at Children's National Medical Center. Families and patients at the facility met with Jim Riggleman, Rob Dibble and several Nationals players to play UNO, color pictures and talk baseball. It was - and always is - the highlight of the winter caravan. "When you can see the smiles on the parents' faces and on the kids' faces, there's probably a lot of rough times that...

New Bells and Whistles

New Bells and Whistles
I just wanted to quickly introduce you to a few new features here at Nats Buzz. First, our new RSS feed is now available at http:www.//masnsports.com/nationals_buzz/atom.xml The other new addition that I wanted to mention was automatic approval of comments when you sign in. I figure many of you will be excited about this. Once you log-in for the first time, using Gmail, Yahoo, AIM, Facebook, Vox or LiveJournal, the site will recognize that you are a trusted source and allow you to publish...

A Double Dose of Adam

A Double Dose of Adam
All season long, MASN will bring viewers two can't-miss features on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Every Wednesday, the crew will wire up a Nationals player or coach for Wired Wednesdays. Adam Dunn and Jim Riggleman will make frequent appearances because they also blog here at MASNsports.com. Tonight, catch Adam Dunn on MASN's exclusive Wired Wednesday. Each Thursday, Debbi Taylor, Bob Carpenter and Rob Dibble will take an in depth look at a certain player for Covering the Bases. They'll...

Beisbol Words

Beisbol Words
So, Nats Buzz readers, I'm taking an eight week Spanish class on Wednesday nights to brush up on my Spanish speaking, reading and writing skills. I took several courses in high school and college, but I'm very, very rusty. And, as you can imagine, it's incredibly useful to understand Spanish if you love baseball -- as a fan or a writer. Have you ever tried to read a game recap in Spanish? You'll see the same words appearing over and over again. Same thing with the Spanish radio...

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)

Where at Nats Park? (Updated)
While you patiently wait for the team's return on Friday evening, be sure to take a shot at this week's Where at Nats Park contest. I'm not trying to be tricky, but it may take you a few guesses. Remember, answers will be posted on Wednesday. Good luck!! Answer: The reflection of the Curly W from the gates at the First Base (or Home Plate) entrance. I'm pretty sure it's First Base, but a small part of me is second guessing that it could be Home Plate. So, I'm giving a point to...

Strasburg, Storen Impress

Strasburg, Storen Impress
In front of a sell-out crowd of 7,887 on a beautiful Sunday in Altoona, Pa., baseball fans in small town Pennsylvania got a glimpse at the future of the Washington Nationals. Just over nine months ago, the Nationals drafted an ace and a closer, Stephen Strasburg and Drew Storen, two very different young men who will, over time, be asked to accept important roles in the organization's future. On Sunday, the duo did what they hope to continue doing in Washington for years to come. Pitching...

My First Game: Brian Bruney

My First Game:  Brian Bruney
Oregon native Brian Bruney was very young when his uncle Mike first started taking him to the Kingdome in Seattle to watch Mariners games. His uncle lived in Portland and together they'd make the three hour trek north to watch Mariners games during the late 80's and early 90's. "I used to kid Alex [Rodriguez] in New York that when I was kid going to Mariners games, he'd never give me an autograph," Bruney said. Though he couldn't remember the specific opponent of that first game,...

Introducing "My First Game"

Introducing "My First Game"
When was your first game? What do you remember? Was it magical? Maybe it wasn't your first game, but it's the first one you remember. Something stuck out -- a crazy play, a star performance or maybe just the color of the grass? As MASN continues to celebrate defining moments, Nats Buzz brings you a new weekly feature, "My First Game." It grew out of a piece I wrote for another publication about first baseball memories and I quickly realized (after an experiment on Twitter) that many...

A Day in the Life of Riggleman

A Day in the Life of Riggleman
Though the skipper maintains a blog here at MASNsports.com which provides some insight about his day to day duties, there's still plenty more that you may be curious about from time to time. When does he fill out his line-up card? What meetings does he participate in each day? Tune in to Nats Xtra tonight at 6:30 p.m. as the crew goes behind the scenes with Jim through a typical day on the job. The cameras start rolling as soon as Riggleman arrives at the ballpark. GM Mike Rizzo is also...

Where at Nats Park (Updated)

Where at Nats Park (Updated)
Happy Opening Day! Kicking off a new chapter of Where at Nats Park, can you figure out where this photo was taken? Good luck! Answers will be posted on Wednesday. Answer: Good work, folks. This is a Curly W on top of the Capitol dome hanging in the Stars and Stripes Club.

Nats React to President Obama's Visit

Nats React to President Obama's Visit
In a bright red Nationals jacket with a White Sox cap tucked inside his glove, President Barack Obama made his first appearance at a Nationals game to honor the 100 year anniversary of the ceremonial first pitch by an American president. Before the game, he met with the team to wish them luck. He also threw five to six warm up pitches to Pudge Rodriguez. "He was afraid to throw the ball on the ground, but I told him just grab the four seams and just throw it as hard as he [could],"...

Morgan excited to meet Obama

Morgan excited to meet Obama
For all the energy and enthusiasm Nyjer Morgan adds to the team, he brings something else as well. The fun-loving outfielder has a big heart and he wants to do his part to be a positive influence on the African American community, especially in the nation's capital. Morgan was involved with Kidney Foundation awareness events and fundraising throughout the winter. The speedster hopes to start another campaign to donate money for each of stolen bases this season, but it's still in the works....

Pups in the Park

Pups in the Park
The dog days of summer are coming to a close, but not before the Nationals welcome our four-legged friends to Nationals Park to enjoy the national pastime for a weekend. Today and tomorrow, fans can bring their furry friends to watch the Nats take on the Marlins from the Left Field Mezzanine. The team has set up a relief station with water and pet sitters near Section 201. MASN's Rob Dibble wished he could have brought his three dogs -- Kobe, Samson and Delila -- to the Nats inaugural...