Phil Wood

Updated: Fri, Mar 29, 2013

A half-century ago, a right-handed relief pitcher with the Boston Red Sox named Dick Radatz was nicknamed "The Monster." At the time, he was more associated with the word "monster" than the left field wall at Fenway Park. Radatz was big -- 6-foot-6, 230 pounds -- and could throw the ball...

Jim Williams

Updated: Fri, Mar 29, 2013

Lauren Shehadi is starting her second season as co-host with Matt Yallof of the wildly popular show "The Rundown," seen weekdays on MLB Network. The show starts at 2 p.m. and offers fans previews of the night's action from around baseball, live look-ins on any afternoon games that are being...

Rick Snider

Updated: Fri, Mar 29, 2013

Washington Nationals fans only want to talk about October. Will the team win the World Series? Can Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper take home the NL Cy Young and MVP awards respectively? Will Davey Johnson enter retirement donning another crown? Calm down -- this is like kids saying what...

Brian McNally

Updated: Fri, Mar 29, 2013

Davey Johnson keeps the Nationals even-keeled as they enter the season World Series favorites The pressure is impossible to escape now. The Nationals have been lauded far and wide as the 2013 season gets underway on Monday, and even their own manager has said this is a World Series-or-bust...

Brian McNally

Updated: Wed, Mar 27, 2013

The Nationals' biggest issue coming out of spring training is one that won't generate much sympathy from 29 other big league clubs: Who is the sixth starter if someone in their formidable rotation is injured? That's not a question to be brushed aside lightly. Because while Washington's...

Phil Wood

Updated: Wed, Mar 27, 2013

VIERA, Fla. Years before anyone heard of Frank Howard, another ballplayer came to mind whenever the name "Hondo" came up. Right after World War II, the baseball world was abuzz with stories of Clint Hartung, the "Hondo Hurricane" from Hondo, Texas. Hartung had impressed every scout who had...

Brian McNally

Updated: Wed, Mar 27, 2013

Expectations are high for deep run in playoffs Heading into last season, the Nationals were a trendy pick for a breakthrough year, but few prognosticators saw them as a playoff team quite yet. There remained roster question marks, injury returns and unproven young talent. What a difference...

Brian McNally

Updated: Sun, Mar 17, 2013

It is time for one last chance for Nationals reliever Henry Rodriguez. No player on the roster bubble has had more of a roller-coaster ride the last two years. Last season Rodriguez moved his way into a closer's role thanks to injury, performed well for a time and then fell apart spectacularly...

Phil Wood

Updated: Fri, Mar 15, 2013

VIERA, Fla. Spring Training No. 9 for the Washington Nationals has less than two weeks left here on the outskirts of Melbourne, Fla., but make no mistake about it, it's a decidedly different environment in and around Space Coast Stadium. In years past, the chatter in the stands revolved far...

Brian McNally

Updated: Mon, Mar 11, 2013

For almost seven years, the Nationals were not considered a true rival by anyone. The team was bad, its fan base new and its uniforms occasionally misspelled. When the Mets or Phillies or Braves came to the District, they could count on thousands of their own fans to be there supporting them....