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 ›

Those Nationals went a respectable 3-3 over the last week. They took a three game set against the Orioles, a series highlighted by a thrilling 12th inning walk off homerun. more ›

If the powers that be think we're going to go easily or quietly, they're wrong. The Post today exposed a devious little plan to chip away at the District's identity, starting with phasing out the city's postmark and replacing it instead with one bearing the name of our northern neighbor, Maryland. According to a Post study, of 235 letters mailed from every quadrant and zip code within city limits, only 24 -- 10 percent --... more ›

Exciting things are happening to the Nationals this off-season. As you can see from Clark Construction Camera, the new baseball field is complete. The grass is Kentucky Bluegrass, which "is cut a bit longer and slows the ball." Hopefully the team didn't choose this type of grass because they refuse to acquire a quality center fielder this off-season. According the Mayor Fenty, the new stadium is both on time and on budget. Season ticket holders... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Starting tonight, George Mason Stadium plays host to the region's annual D.C . College Cup. The soccer teams of George Washington, American, Howard, and George Mason will square off in two rounds of games. Though the tournament is conspicuously missing national powerhouses UMD and UVA, the event will still showcase some of the best young talent around. GW and AU kick off tonight's slate (5:00 p.m.), with Howard and GMU rounding the night... more ›

So who do you turn to if you're an embattled administration facing an unpopular war, bitter criticism both at home and abroad, an exodus of senior staff, and the barrel of a long year's worth of lame ducked-ness? A retired general? Nope. A political mastermind? Nah, that would be too easy. Perhaps a captain of industry? They're too busy starting and running multi-billion dollar foundations. Well, then how about someone who made his name by... more ›

A group of friends gathered last Friday night at a rain soaked campground just outside the village of Cooperstown, NY for a weekend that had been in the works for over a decade. All of us, just north of 30 and pals since high school, grew up in D.C.’s Maryland suburbs and were in town to celebrate the induction of Cal Ripken, Jr. into baseball’s Hall of Fame. The event was so much more than... more ›

If we told you that Orioles starting pitcher Erik Bedard struck out 12 Nationals batters in a thoroughly dominating performance on Sunday, you’d have expected the O’s to cruise to their third win in a sweep of their Beltway rivals. Likewise, if we told you that both Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns homered and the Nats opened with a 6-0 lead on the road in Cincinnati last night, you’d have expected a first road win... more ›

We were rubbing our eyes last Sunday as we watched the Nationals sweep the Florida Marlins to win their first series of the year. Then they took 3 of 4 from the Braves and knocked them out of first place in the NL East, and now we’re asking ourselves, “Who the hell are these guys?” With only two of their regular starters hitting over .250 and none of them within shouting distance of .300, they... more ›

Candidates in next Tuesday's special election to fill two open D.C. Council seats have collectively raised over $1 million in the course of the campaign. Voters will chose council members for Wards 4 and 7, after those positions were left empty by Mayor Adrian Fenty and at-large Council Chairman Vincent Gray. Voters in D.C. Public Schools' Second District will also elect a school board representative. In Ward 4, ANC Commissioner Muriel Bowser leads the pack... more ›

The writing was on the wall. After weeks of speculation, the Nationals made the official announcement Saturday afternoon: Frank Robinson would not be back as manager next year. As Robinson had expressed interest in returning and had requested a three-year contract extension, the decision of the Nationals to decline his request means that, effectively, the 71-year-old was fired. He has announced that he will not be seeking further employment as a manager. To say... more ›

For Nationals fans among the 1.6 million Comcast subscribers in the area, the wait is over. After an acrimonious 15 months of squabbling, Comcast and MASN have settled their differences. This weekend, Comcast agreed to broadcast MASN-produced Nationals games for its area subscribers. more ›

The Washington Nationals found themselves in a familiar position Sunday afternoon. After dropping their first two games against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Nats again were trailing in the third and final game of the series. Down 3-1 in the seventh, and in danger of being swept for the fourth time in a month's time, the Nationals turned to pinch-hitter Alex Escobar. With Jose Guillen on board with a walk, Escobar drilled a shot over... more ›

We have already documented Congressional efforts to end the struggle to get our beloved Nationals on TV. To recapitulate: Comcast, the largest area cable provider, refuses to air Nationals games, which are produced by Orioles' owner Peter Angelos' network, MASN. Fans rallied and gained the support of several local congressmen. The cadre of local congressmen (Tom Davis, R-Va., Jim Moran, D-Va., and Albert Wynn, D-Md.) took up arms to end the dispute. Last week,... more ›

The highly anticipated Battle of the Beltway ended its second round yesterday with the Nationals losing the weekend series to the Orioles at Camden Yards. The series concluded this year's meetings between the two teams. Looking back on this budding rivalry, it is clear that the Nats and Orioles played themselves to a stalemate. Each team won its home series by taking 2 of 3 games. Each team finds itself struggling to stay out... more ›

John Patterson may make his return by Friday of this week against the Orioles, and not a moment too soon. more ›

Not for the first time this year (remember that stretch back in April that got them within three of .500?) did the Nats make us think a competitive season was possible, when they ran off a 7-3 homestand to close the NL East gap to single digits. After taking bragging rights from the Orioles and a series each from the Astros and Dodgers, the Nationals headed back out on the road to face division rival... more ›

While watching two fourth-place teams duke it out over a weekend is rarely exciting, the Nats and the Orioles made a good show of it in the first Battle of the Beltways. In the end, the Nationals got the upper hand by taking two of three from the now tied-for-last-place Orioles. more ›

After 22 straight scoreless innings, things looked bleak for the Nationals. With their highly-anticipated Battle of the Beltway on tap, the Nats had to beat the Cubs and Kerry Wood making his first start of the season. Well, a little bit of lineup shake up did the trick as four players, including Damian Jackson and Marlon Anderson, homered in a 5-3 victory over the Cubs. Firmly in fourth place, the Nats can now look ahead to their three-game showdown against their natural regional rivals, the Orioles. more ›

No, there isn't anything mysterious about the headline -- a couple really did get arrested for asking a police officer for directions in Baltimore, reports WBAL 11. more ›

While racial tensions are simmering over the battle to win ownership of the Nationals, another longstanding baseball feud is nearing a head, with potentially frustrating results for District television viewers. Comcast, which provides cable service to most D.C. cable subscribers, has refused to air Nationals broadcasts produced by MASN, Orioles owner Peter Angelos' sports network, which owns the rights to Nats games. Three weeks ago, Virginia Representative Tom Davis (R) held hearings on the matter... more ›

Ask and ye shall receive, right? Some Chevy Chase residents are wishing it weren't so. Residents of the Northwest neighborhood are a little angry that increased police patrols -- caused by a rash of thefts -- have led to a higer number of parking tickets, or so writes the Washington Times. And what does the police have to say about that? Writes the Times: An official in the police department's 2nd District, which includes... more ›

This entry was written by DCist contributor Benjamin Kabak. This weekend's action for the Nationals started on Friday afternoon when Major League officials, representatives from Comcast and Mayor Anthony Williams appeared in front of Rep. Tom Davis' (R-Va.) House Government Reform Committee. Davis, in an effort to get all Nationals' games shown on DC-area cable networks, is attempting to broker a deal between Comcast and Peter Angelos that resolves a dispute that has left most... more ›

An impasse over Nationals broadcasting rights that has been almost two years in the making may soon reach resolution, if only because the powers-that-be are sick of missing games. Pressure on the parties involved is increasing from a number of governmental bodies. This weekend the Maryland Court of Appeals agreed to hear the latest Comcast appeal in a case that pits the cable company against the Orioles and Major League Baseball. The decision to hear the appeal comes after judges agreed to bypass the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, in a move that could cut a year off the expected duration of the legal process. That's still too slow for members of area legislative bodies, it seems, who have begun to take matters into their own hands. more ›

Cox Communications and Peter Angelos' Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) have announced an agreement in which Cox will air MASN's Nationals telecasts. The deal means that 260,000 cable customers in Fairfax County and Fredericksburg will be able to see the 154 Nats games that MASN plans to cover. more ›

It's no secret that this Thursday and Friday afternoon thousands of area employees will "run errands," sneak off to the office TV lounge, or otherwise alt-tab their way through the day as NCAA conference tournament play blesses us all with daytime television that doesn't suck. March Madness isn't the only productivity killer available this week, however. more ›

Good morning, D.C. This picture, posted to DCist photos by m:j:b, is a couple of months old. However, its subject is relevant to today's news, as some people in our region are drawing criticism for how they express their support for the military. Susan Brewer, founder of a charity called America's Heroes of Freedom, has been barred from Walter Reed after complaints that a trip for vets to see the Orioles centered more on... more ›

Serene, isn't it? The picture at right, snapped by adrummer boy and posted to DCist photos, reminds us of how scenic dusk along the Potomac River can be. Of course, such scenic serenity can only do so much in helping one forget that today is officially the day of heat-related death -- the peak heat index is set to hit 105, air quality is ranked at orange, and the UV alert is "above normal." It's not the day for a picnic, it's not a day for a bike ride, much less it is a day to try and walk the Mall end to end. Find air-conditioning and stay inside, that's the mission. more ›

Continuing in what has been a rough few months for baseball, Rafael Palmeiro of the Baltimore Orioles -- the team many District residents called their own prior to the arrival of the Nationals -- was given a 10-day suspension today for steroid use, reports the Post. The O's first baseman, who only two weeks ago celebrated his milestone 3,000 hits and 500+ home-runs, is the tenth player suspended so far this season for failing steroid tests mandated by Major League Baseball, and his suspension brings local relevance to a growing scandal over the use of performance enhancing drugs in professional sports. more ›

Good news, Washington — the heat is over. For the time being, anyway. The Weather Channel promises temperatures in the 80s for the foreseeable future, and we would desperately like to believe them. The recent weather wasn't only sticky and unpleasant; it was also chaotic. D.C. public pools stayed open late, then had to close early after swimmers got a minor electrical shock; President Bush's trip to the Boy Scout Jamboree was cancelled due to... more ›