Regular readers of this space are familiar with our recaps of "Nationals Classics" on MASN. Usually, all winter long, we stoke the hot stove and feed your need for baseball with rebroadcasts of memorable games from past seasons. Well, in the middle of a coronavirus pandemic that has short-circuited the national pastime, we're back with more "Nationals Classics" to keep you satiated. Whether you're working at home, sheltering in place or planning your next strategic grocery store run for...

The Nationals' new pitching coordinator is veteran coach and former major league pitcher Brad Holman, who takes over for Paul Menhart, now the Nats pitching coach. Holman was the pitching coach for the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies last season, and was the bullpen coach for the Texas Rangers from 2015-2017. Holman has had time to get a good look at and work with the pitching prospects in the Nats system, with the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs in 2018, Fresno in 2019, in the instructional league and now...

Among those who immediately realized they would be affected by last week's suspension of spring training and delayed start to the baseball season were the workers at ballparks across America, those who rely on game days for steady income and now face weeks or even months without that assurance. On Tuesday, Major League Baseball and its clubs took the first step toward ensuring those people will be taken care of. Each of the 30 franchises has agreed to donate $1 million to cover the incomes of...

Keeping an ongoing dialogue with fans and readers during the shutdown of baseball is important to me. Along those lines, today I have a few questions for you. We shall start with a pretty simple one but I look forward to getting the responses. Which player is your favorite all-time Oriole and why? Mine is Brooks Robinson. He was a star player for the Orioles in their great run from 1966 through 1971, when they played in four World Series over a six-year period. He was a star longer than that,...

The Orioles would have been traveling to Fort Myers today for a game against the Twins if spring training had proceeded without interruption. They tried it last Thursday and didn't get a mile from the complex before the buses pulled back into it. Four left turns and they were exactly where they started. A pretty good hint that Major League Baseball was shutting down due to the coronavirus pandemic. It won't attempt to start the regular season before the middle of May. No one would be floored...

This was supposed to be the start of the final countdown to opening day. The last week of spring training, with decisions looming on the starting third baseman, the No. 5 starter, a spot or two in the bullpen and maybe a spot on the bench. The Nationals were going to head north after this Sunday's Grapefruit League finale, make a brief stop in D.C. for an exhibition game against top prospects one week from today, then continue to New York for opening day against the Mets. One week after that,...

He was a key player the Orioles acquired in mid-2018 in the trade of Manny Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Now Orioles minor league right-hander Zach Pop is going through the process of getting back to pitching after Tommy John surgery of last May. He is progressing well, but finding out some of the challenges of a process that can take a pitcher 12 to 18 months to get back to the mound in a game. "Definitely the mental battle is tough," he said recently during an interview at Twin Lakes...

Most famously during the Super Bowl, gamblers have fun with what are called proposition, or prop, bets. These are wagers on predictions that go beyond the outcome of the game itself: How many catches will the team's top receiver make during the game? How many shots on goal will the home team take in the hockey game? How many bases will the Orioles steal during the doubleheader? How long will the singer take to perform the national anthem? Depending on the scenario, the sports-betting parlors...

Opening day has been pushed back again. Major League Baseball, maintaining a dialogue with health officials and the Players Association, has determined that it should follow the guidelines established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that are restricting events of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. The initial decision to move back opening day at least two weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic would have put the Orioles' first game on April 9, but that's no longer...

The Orioles would have been hosting the split-squad Nationals this afternoon if spring training had proceeded without interruption. More roster cuts would have been made in order to get closer to 26. To at least get out of the 50s, which I'd love to do. Instead, players are returning home or waiting for the next directive. Workouts turned informal and then became discouraged. Trying to stay unified is admirable, but no longer seems practical. At least in large groups. Owners are clinging to...