The man upon whom many Nationals fans have placed all their future hopes, rookie pitcher Stephen Strasburg, is set to make his spring training debut today in an exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers down in Viera, Florida. more ›

As if we needed any more evidence that the Washington Nationals are far from D.C.'s most popular professional sports team, the Washington Business Journal reports today that new ratings information indicates that "D.C. is the only TV market in the country where a team from another city gets better ratings than the hometown team." Yes, apparently an average of 16,000 D.C. households tuned into Orioles games on MASN this season, compared with 14,000 who watched the Nats. That's a rough slap in the face for the Nationals, though a MASN rep trots out that old canard that the D.C.-Baltimore area is "really one large mega-market." more ›

Last Wednesday, I took in a game at Nationals Park in some boffo seats -- and while the food was tasty, the beer cold, and the ballpark just as nice and clean as it was last year, the on-field play was, as has been the norm, less than optimal. That evening, the home team lost a 1-0 game on a bases loaded walk in the top of the ninth inning; the crowd over the course of a run-less opening eight innings, as you can imagine, was not quite awash with excitement. But still: it was the ballpark. There's just something about being there to hear the crack of the bat and the monotonous chant of the beer man, to stand for the seventh inning stretch, to eat like garbage and not care, because that's just what you do. Being in that atmosphere, it's just...a good thing. more ›

The Washington Business Journal reported today that MASN has signed a multi-year deal with DC 50 which will allow 20 Washington Nationals games to be aired on broadcast and cable each season. DC 50 will also air MASN's pre and post game show, Nats Xtra. more ›