Sure, Stephen Strasburg might be getting a lion's share of the attention during the first week of Nationals spring training. But what about our good friend Chien Ming-Wang? Wang, pursued vigorously by the Nationals last winter, is back to work after injury struggles that have kept him on the shelf for over the last two years. more ›

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 ›

Much like my weekend cohort, I too have meditations guiding me through Washington's tiring decent into the snowbound life. Namely, it's remembering that baseball, inevitably, will return. Last-minute dirt cheap admittance, that first cold beer, hot dogs with everything on them, sunsets, grass, dirt, the sweet line of sweat that burrows under the brim of your cap on a hot summer day, that sigh of relief that rolls around the crowd after the sun sets behind the lights of Nationals Park and cooling evening breezes begin to roll around the place, explaining the art of the drag bunt to your friends, making a new best friend on the crammed Metro train home. Ahh, that's the stuff. more ›

Another wild week awaits area hoops fans. The madcap, non-stop college hoops action of Thursday and Friday represents the pinnacle of sports viewing for many fans. Sneaking out of work, bracket in hand, for an extra hour of lunch is an annual ritual for many a weary office drone. At this point next week, our brackets will be hopelessly crumbled, highlighted and marked with cryptic marginalia. Right now, however, hope springs eternal. Don't forget to join the DCist Reader-Staff Pool to take part in all the madness. Our suggestions for this week's sports viewing are below. As always, feel free to add your own in the comments. more ›

As a baseball writer, I am suppose to fill you with platitudes of hope, spring, and optimism around this time of year. Pitchers and catchers report to spring training today, with them come visions of...see there I go. more ›

Well, we are reaching the end of the season. The Nationals stand two games away from their stated, and admittedly pathetic, goal of 72 wins -- one better than last year. They have 5 games remaining, two against the Mets and three against the Phillies, all on the road. Given that the Nats are 30-46 on the road this year, these last two wins should be tough. That said, the Mets seem desperate to see the Phillies in the playoffs this year, and the Nats have won three of the last four against Queens' finest, including last night's 13-4 win. Lets face it, anytime your team gives up a home run to Ryan Langerhans you know you are in trouble. more ›

This entry was written by DCist contributor Benjamin Kabak. With Ryan Church providing some much-needed ninth-inning heroics during the Nats' Easter Sunday win over the Marlins, the headlines nearly write themselves. Church, who struggled during Spring Training and hit even worse during his first week playing at AAA New Orleans, came up big with a two-run home run in the top of the 9th as the Nats overcame a 5-4 deficit to top the Florida... more ›

One of the joys of Spring Training is supposed to be taking a break from the icy darkness of wherever you're from to head south and dream of the warm summer nights that must be around the corner if baseball's begun. This winter, of course, we've all been able to keep our tans, and the kids never had to quit their stickballing in the alley, but it's still pretty exciting to think that it's nearly... more ›