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...

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...

Among the pressing topics reportedly still being discussed between Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association as the 2021 season inches ever closer is the possibility of keeping the playoff field expanded again. You'll recall that 16 teams made the postseason in 2020, six more than ever had before. It was an acknowledgment of the inability of a 60-game season to distinguish the best teams from the rest of the pack, and most folks accepted and understood why it was needed. But now...

Here is an update on the catchers at instructional league. Nationals catching coordinator Michael Barrett, who caught in the major leagues for 12 seasons, coached up and worked with the young backstops as they participated in the October camp. Here is a rundown of the catchers in camp and current ages: Geraldi Diaz, 20 Mason Doolittle, 22 Brady Lindsly, 22 Ivan Murzi, 19 Wilmer Perez, 22 Israel Pineda, 20 Ray Torres, 20 Barrett was impressed with how seriously all of these catchers took the...

When the Frederick Keys field a team this summer, for the first time they will not be sending Orioles prospects to the field. As part of the restructuring of minor league baseball, the Keys have joined the inaugural MLB Draft League. Six teams will begin play in a 68-game season beginning in late May and running through mid-August. It is a wood-bat league made up of amateur players from the college ranks that are draft-eligible. The All-Star break will be centered around the First-Year Player...

I lost my father exactly two years ago today. I've learned through this crushing ordeal that it won't be any easier typing that sentence after three years. The number is going to change. Not the huge void in my life. And knowing that he never got to see my granddaughter, who would have melted his heart as she's done mine, brings a tremendous amount of sadness. My daughter found out that she was pregnant on this date in 2020. She says that he sent us this little angel. A middle school...

Almost two full months have passed since the Orioles set their 40-man roster before the Rule 5 draft and chose to designate Renato Núñez for assignment. One of their arbitration-eligible players was redirected into free agency. Another team would have to be comfortable paying Núñez in the neighborhood of $2 million. Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias said Núñez no longer fit on a reconstructed roster. There wasn't a clear position for him on the field. And...

A new day brings a new set of questions and curiosities. For instance: * Will left-hander Josh Rogers be invited to spring training next month? Rogers underwent a second procedure on his left elbow on July 3, 2019, this one called an "ulnar collateral ligament revision." He had Tommy John surgery during his senior year in high school. Making it through his rehab program without any setbacks, Rogers was able to face hitters in the fall instructional camp and work with pitching coach/director...

Whether the Nationals were ever seriously interested in DJ LeMahieu isn't clear, but here's what is clear: They were never going to match the six-year, $90 million offer the veteran infielder reportedly accepted from the Yankees on Friday. Look, LeMahieu would've been a great fit for the Nats. He could've led off or batted second, creating an elite 1-2-3 trio with Trea Turner and Juan Soto. He could've played third base or second base, helped out at first base, or played some combination...

Today we're reviewing a few stories from recent days for further discussion as we move closer to the start of February and we wonder if that will indeed be the month that spring training starts. Reunion anyone?: In this entry a few days ago, we wondered if Jonathan Villar could reunite with the Orioles and this time become the regular at shortstop? The club needs to replace José Iglesias, who had a big 2020 season. The last time we saw Villar in 2019 in Baltimore, he had a pretty big season...