#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Victories in all shapes, colors and sizes

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Victories in all shapes, colors and sizes
The goal is always the same: Win the game. But in baseball, not every win looks or feels the same. Sometimes, pitchers dominate. Other times, the hitters take center stage. Games can be blowouts, decided long before the final out, or tense affiars that go down to the wire. This week's platter of "Nationals Classics" on MASN shows a variety of ways the Nats won games over the past handful of years. Enjoy! Friday, Dec. 10 - 5:30 p.m. - Newly minted American League Gold Glove winner Michael...

#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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Some viewing sides for your Turkey Day feast and beyond

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Some viewing sides for your Turkey Day feast and beyond
By now, the turkey may be in the oven, your kitchen may smell wonderful and you're looking at the timer counting down the hours and minutes before your Thanksgiving feast can commence. In a few hours, you'll be stuffed, thankful for the expanding or flexible waistband on your pants and settling into your comfiest chair for the rest of the day. Whatever is on your post-Thanksgiving meal menu - pumpkin pie, a turkey sandwich trimmed with dressing and cranberry sauce, a nip of your favorite...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Pitching and offense aplenty

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Pitching and offense aplenty
Well, pitchers and catchers have reported to West Palm Beach, followed by position players. Pretty soon, there will be Grapefruit League games. And before you know it, the regular season will be upon us, pandemic willing. But before we turn the page to a new season, we've got time for one more collection of "Nationals Classics" on MASN. This week's array of retro games includes some of the most memorable pitching and hitting performances by the Nationals. So sit back and enjoy them. The...

#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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics" Offense, pitching and clinchers

#TBT to "Nationals Classics" Offense, pitching and clinchers
As the Nationals prepare to convene in West Palm Beach, Fla., our thoughts turn toward warm nights spent sitting in the stands at Nationals Park and watching baseball. While it'll be a bit before we can actually do that again - dang pandemic! - MASN has you covered with a plethora of "Nationals Classics" from yesteryear. This week's offerings include pitching prowess, offensive fireworks and some Clinchmas memories. "Pitchers and catchers report" is the welcome start of another year of...

#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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Hitting the home stretch of the offseason

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Hitting the home stretch of the offseason
Who's ready to turn the page to the 2021 season? Well, in just a few weeks (pandemic willing, mind you), spring training will be upon us. There are few words more glorious to a baseball-starved fan than "pitchers and catchers report." Well, "full-squad workout" and "Play ball!" are pretty close. While we wait for things to get underway in West Palm Beach, Fla., MASN will continue to feed your baseball jones with "Nationals Classics" from days past. This week's offerings include a...

#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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": A healthy dose of Strasburg and Zimmerman

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": A healthy dose of Strasburg and Zimmerman
With the new year here and spring training hopefully right around the corner, we're ramping up this week's "Nationals Classics" on MASN to examine some of the strongest performances ever by guys with a curly W on their caps. When talking about the club's great pitchers, Stephen Strasburg is always mentioned - and with good reason. Two of his finest performances - a sparking debut and a playoff clincher - are among this week's broadcasts. Ditto for Ryan Zimmerman, the Nats' first draft...

#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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": As new year dawns, some throwback memories

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": As new year dawns, some throwback memories
Happy New Year's Eve! Since it's a perfect time to reminisce, we've got some really good memories for you. Don't worry, only one of these comes from the dreadful year that's got exactly one more day left. And even that one will bring a smile. But as we ponder the unpainted canvas of 2021, enjoy these "Nationals Classics" on MASN that are guaranteed to please. OK, there could be some fist-banging angst, too. But that's all part of the game, right? And from our corner of cyberspace to...

#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....

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Stoking the hot stove with retro wins

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Stoking the hot stove with retro wins
Admittedly, the hot stove has been, well, a tad chilly so far this offseason. Sure, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is talking to other executives, but we've yet to see anything resembling a big move out of him. Which is OK, given that some of Rizzo's splashiest deals seem to come out of nowhere. So what's a baseball-starved Nats fan to do? Between online shopping excursions and gift-wrapping marathons, check out this week's bevy of "Nationals Classics" on MASN. They will warm 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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Coming through in the clutch

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Coming through in the clutch
Well, Thanksgiving is in the rear-view mirror, which means the currently chilly hot stove will soon be heating up. And what better way to get in the mood than a smattering of clutch performances that resulted in Nationals victories? Here at MASN, "Nationals Classics" are designed to make you feel warm and fuzzy all over. Guys that make their money by coming through in the clutch tend to do that, don't they? Is there anything better than cheering a dominant team or individual performance, or...

#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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": An abundance of offense

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": An abundance of offense
There's no way around it: Good teams make their hay at the plate. And if you're one of those who favor offense over pitching, you'll want to pay close attention to this week's smorgasbord of "Nationals Classics" on MASN, which feature more offense than you can shake a stick at. Of course, in this case, that stick would be a Louisville Slugger, or some other wooden implement used to terrorize pitchers. So as you prepare for Thanksgiving, sit back and enjoy these offensive highlights from...

#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...

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Offseason begins with curly W memories

#TBT to "Nationals Classics": Offseason begins with curly W memories
The World Series is over and free agency has commenced. We've gotten back the hour of sleep we lost in March at about the time baseball and the world went a little crazy. Now it's dark at 5:30 p.m. Is it supposed to be this cold in November? I could swear I saw flurries this morning. While we don't know for sure what the 2021 baseball season will hold, we do know a few simple truths. Among them is that MASN will feed your need for diamond memories all offseason long with "Nationals...