Pumpkin Carving Time

Pumpkin Carving Time
The Nationals are once again holding a pumpkin carving contest this fall. The lucky winner will receive an official game-worn Adam Dunn jersey! All you have to do is carve something Nats-related into a pumpkin and send the team a photo of your creation. Photos should be 720 x 486 pixels in size and no larger than 1MB. More contest information is available on Nationals.com. To participate, you must enter before 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010. The Nationals also offer four Nats...

Mickey Mantle Book Discussion with Frank Howard

Mickey Mantle Book Discussion with Frank Howard
On November 9th, the Smithsonian will host New York Times bestselling author Jane Leavy to discuss her new book, "The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood." Former Senators slugger Frank Howard will be among the special guests invited to speak about Mantle at Baird Auditorium in the National Museum of Natural History at 7 p.m. on that Tuesday evening. He will be joined by former Mantle teammates Jim Bouton and Phil Linz. Phil Hochberg, former Washington Senators and...

Zimmerman and Strasburg named Power 30 Under 30 Finalists

Zimmerman and Strasburg named Power 30 Under 30 Finalists
Recently, Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg were named as finalists for Washington D.C.'s Power 30 Under 30 Awards. The Power 30 Under 30 Awards honor outstanding individuals under the age of 30 who have achieved extraordinary success. Young leaders are recognized in Arts, Entertainment, & Media, Business, Community Service, Politics, Science & Technology and Sports. Both Zimmerman, 26, and Strasburg, 22, were nominated in the Sports category, along with Alexander Ovechkin, Devon...

This Year in Baseball Awards

This Year in Baseball Awards
Now through December 3rd, Nats fans can show support for Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg and Nyjer Morgan by voting in the annual This Year in Baseball Awards. You watch your Gold Glove third baseman make sparking defensive plays night after night at Nationals Park and on MASN. Make sure he gets selected as "Defensive Player of the Year" by voting here. Stephen Strasburg is also up for two awards -- Performance of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Rookie is tough, both because he only...

Quick update on the Owen Wilson movie

Quick update on the Owen Wilson movie
As you already know, free agent reliever/movie star Owen Wilson will join the Nationals bullpen this winter when his new movie, "How Do You Know" hits theaters on December 17th. Reese Witherspoon, Jack Nicholson, Paul Rudd also star in the romantic comedy. The film's website is now available at www.howdoyouknow-movie.com. On the website, you can sign up to receive updates about the film, view digital stills, watch the trailer or visit the film's new Facebook page. Parts of the movie...

DC-IBWA Announces Awards

DC-IBWA Announces Awards
The D.C. Chaper of the Internet Baseball Writer's Association has announced award winners for the 2010 season. You can read more about the voting and see answers to a postseason poll among internet writers on the DC-IBWA website. This year's winners include: Goose Goslin Most Valuable Player (Player most valuable to the success of the Washington Nationals): 1st: Ryan Zimmerman (2nd consecutive year) 2nd: Adam Dunn 3rd: Livan Hernandez Walter Johnson Starting Pitcher of the...

Racing Presidents Promote Fire Safety

Racing Presidents Promote Fire Safety
On Tuesday, the Racing Presidents will help to promote fire safety at the Fire Prevention Fair at FEMA Headquarters in Washington D.C. Abe, George, Tom and Teddy will be on hand from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to help promote valuable tips for updating and maintaining home smoke alarms. FEMA and the National Fire Prevention Association are hosting the fair which runs from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. This year's theme is "Smoke Alarms: A Sound You Can Live With." National Fire Prevention Week...

Nats made an impact off the field in 2010

Nats made an impact off the field in 2010
Throughout the season, the Washington Nationals participated in countless community service events in the Washington D.C. metro area. They brought joy to children in hospitals and schools, cleaned up the environment, made packages for troops overseas and visited wounded soldiers at Walter Reed. They also helped with blood drives, youth baseball clinics and food banks, and raised money to find cures for multiple sclerosis and kidney disease. Led by former National Matt Capps, Ryan Zimmerman,...

Favorite Moments of the 2010 Season

Favorite Moments of the 2010 Season
Now that the season is drawing to a close, what will you remember most about the Washington Nationals in 2010? I think the answer may be easy. For many of us, it's undoubtedly going to be Stephen Strasburg's incredible debut. But what about the rest of the season. What games, moments, plays and highlights will you remember? The presidential first pitch? An inside the park home run? Miss Iowa? Share your favorite moments below and watch this video of MASN's Debbi Taylor asking...

Chef Rick Moonen introduces "Moon N' Doggie"

Chef Rick Moonen introduces "Moon N' Doggie"
On Monday night, Nationals fans will have a unique opportunity to sample Chef Rick Moonen's new seafood creation. During the Nationals game against the Phillies, Moonen will unveil his "Moon N' Doggie" gourmet shrimp dog at Nationals Park. The special will be sold in the Stars and Stripes Club and at the Red Porch during the final three games. The shrimp dog is served with Asian slaw and toga chips. Moonen will be signing autographs and meeting with fans throughout the entire series...

Nats Honor Bobby Cox

Nats Honor Bobby Cox
On Sunday, the Nationals will honor legendary Braves manager Bobby Cox in a special pre-game ceremony. From 1991 to 2005, Cox won a record 14 straight division titles, five National League Pennants and the World Series in 1995. He will retire at the end of this season with 40 years of service to Major League Baseball. Willie Harris, who played for the Atlanta Braves in 2007, had plenty of kind things to say about Cox, whom he described as a player's manager. "He makes you feel a certain...

Batista speaks to seniors at the Chelsea School

Batista speaks to seniors at the Chelsea School
Miguel Batista -- author, musician, poet and pitcher -- spent his Friday afternoon speaking to youth at the Chelsea School in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1976, the Chelsea School is a college preparatory school serving students in grades 5-12 with language-based learning disabilities from the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Batista spoke to the students about his journey to the big leagues and his unique appreciation for education, but colored his presentation with plenty of funny...

With the people

With the people
On a day like today, it's important to reflect on Stan Kasten's role in building this franchise, but that's a task I'll leave to our veteran baseball minds here at MASNsports.com. Because Nats Buzz strives to provide a fan-centric perspective, I wanted to take a moment to reminisce about another side of Stan Kasten -- the fan ambassador. I have no doubt that many of you met and chatted with Kasten during one of his many strolls around the ballpark. "What? I'm with the people," I once...

Gospel Concert at Nats Park

Gospel Concert at Nats Park
Following Saturday's game, the Nationals will host their third annual Gospel Music Fest at Nationals Park. If you attend the game, you're invited to stay for the post-game concert, which will begin as soon as the concert can be properly set up after the final out (approximately 5:45 p.m.). Fans can also purchase tickets at www.nationals.com/gospel. Praise 104.1 FM Radio Personality Cheryl Jackson will serve as the emcee and Gospel music performers Tanya Blount, Shawn McLemore and...

The Final Homestand

The Final Homestand
It's almost that time. With just thirteen Nationals games left on the schedule and only ten left at Nationals Park, it's time to say goodbye to ballpark friends and bring this season to a close. This week, don't forget to pick up a raffle ticket to "Jerseys Off Their Backs," which benefits the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation. Winners will receive a game-worn jersey on Sunday, Sept 26 during a special post-game ceremony. The final two giveaways of the season include a Mr....

Morgan calls season a "learning year"

Morgan calls season a "learning year"
Nationals center fielder Nyjer Morgan said Thursday he is ready to learn from his mistakes and move on. Morgan found himself embroiled in controversy over a two week stretch in late August which culminated on Sept 1 with an on field brawl at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. League officials lightened Morgan's suspension to eight games on Thursday afternoon after his appeal, a decision he thought was "fair." "I definitely learned so much, not just from this incident but the whole year," Morgan...

Looking at the 2011 Schedule

Looking at the 2011 Schedule
Earlier this week, Major League Baseball announced the tentative schedule for next season. It reminds me of being at college in the midst of gearing up for finals and papers when the class schedule for the next term would finally come out. I was always so happy to be able to start planning ahead and preparing for the next semester. Yes, I was a bit of a dork but it's exciting, isn't it? So, what do we know about next season? Despite the fact that we'll be bundled up for the home...

Marquis Reflects on 9/11

Marquis Reflects on 9/11
Nine years ago today, Jason Marquis was scheduled to take the mound in Atlanta against the Phillies. Up early to do some work on his fantasy football team, Marquis watched the first plane fly into the World Trade Center on television. Like many Americans, when the second plane hit the Twin Towers, he frantically began checking with loved ones in the city -- including his sister who was working at the New York Stock Exchange. "You feel helpless," Marquis recalled. "All you can do is hope...

Nats Pay Tribute to 9/11 Victims and Heroes

Nats Pay Tribute to 9/11 Victims and Heroes
On Saturday, the Nationals will remember the September 11th attacks in Washington, New York and Pennsylvania with several special events throughout the game. During batting practice, Nationals players wore DC Fire Department caps to honor the emergency personnel who responded to the attacks. In a pregame ceremony, Mike Rizzo and Ivan Rodriguez will be recognized as Honorary Fire Chiefs with a special helmet presentation. Additionally, the Post 9/11 Foundation will present the Nationals with...

Hispanic Heritage Night

Hispanic Heritage Night
I have to admit, I wait for this one all season. It's like my Christmas in September. I love Hispanic Heritage Night at Nationals Par. The music, the dancing, the PA announcements in Spanish -- it's a perfect celebration of the Latino influence in baseball. On Friday, the Nationals will honor Hispanic culture, as they do every season during Hispanic Heritage Month, with a pre-game flag ceremony highlighting each Hispanic player's home country including Cuba, Dominican Republic, Panama,...