Martinez planted seeds that grew into Series title
HOUSTON — So when did the Washington Nationals win the World Series, the first one in franchise history and the first one Washington has celebrated in 95 years? Was it Wednesday night on the field at Minute Maid Park in Houston when Anthony Rendon blasted a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning against Astros starter Zack Greinke, who had locked down the Washington offense to that point? Was it two batters later, after Juan Soto walked, when Howie Kendrick drove an opp
Two Robinsons set the tone for a championship franchise
Brooks Robinson is from Little Rock, Arkansas — a battleground in the civil rights struggle. It was the place where nine African-American students enrolled in the segregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957 and were met by National Guard troops who refused them entry, only finally walking into the school under the protection of the 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, under orders by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Two years earlier, Brooks was a student at Centra
Former Nationals pitcher needs help from players union to stay alive
Micah Bowie used to run around the upper deck inside RFK Stadium to stay in shape when he was a Washington Nationals reliever in 2006 and 2007. He remembers running by one of the white seats that marked one of former Senators slugger Frank Howard’s home runs and marveling at how far the ball had to travel. He doesn’t run anymore. Now, 10 years after he stopped playing, he can barely breathe. “Everything around my family’s life on a daily basis is about me breathing, just tryi
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs' hometown hero still has big league dreams
The crowd at Southern Maryland Blue Crabs games at Regency Furniture Stadium in Waldorf, Maryland, is a little louder than normal, a little more boisterous when former Washington Nationals pitching prospect Daryl Thompson is on the mound — the hometown hero. “He brings a lot of excitement to the ballpark with the fans that come out to see him pitch, family and friends,” said John Harris, Blue Crabs manager. It’s the crowd that grew up watching him pitch in Charles County Litt
You're Invited! D.C. Grays Cigar Fundraiser
It is time for the annual D.C. Grays fundraiser, Cigars & Curveballs, Monday, May 22, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Shelly's Back Room, 1331 F Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. This is a fun event featuring cigars and camaraderie, all for a good cause -- raising money for the D.C. Grays, the non profit organization that leads the way in Washington in providing baseball opportunities for inner city youths. The Grays have a team in the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League that plays it
Reviving baseball in African-American communities
As baseball celebrated the 70th anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier, the stories emerged about the lack of participation of African-Americans in the game — now reportedly, at a little more than seven percent, the lowest ever seen in Major League Baseball since that historic 1947 season. No one has to tell Jimmy Williams about the disappearing African-American presence in baseball. He’s watched it first hand, as a coach, mentor and one of the keepers of t
Ten minutes was all it took for the Nationals' fate to change
Ten minutes. That’s it. Ten minutes. It was 10 minutes that decided whether the history of sports in Washington would change. It was 10 minutes that decided whether a Washington baseball team would win a postseason series for the first time since 1924. Ten minutes. It was 10 minutes that decided if manager Dusty Baker’s legacy would change — if finally, after going 0 for 8 in deciding playoff games, he would change that. That’s it. Game 5 of the National League Division Serie
Had ‘Broadway Joe’ pursued baseball, Cubs’ fortunes could be different
The history of the two teams in the National League Championship Series, the New York Mets and the Chicago Cubs — in fact, the history of these two cities — may have been decided at the kitchen table of a Hungarian mother in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Rose Namath may have determined the future of baseball in Chicago and both baseball and football in New York when she stood firm about her son, future Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Willie Namath, going to college. If it had been
Barry Bonds anything but innocent as feds end pursuit of charges
With the news this week that the federal government has decided not to pursue its prosecution of Barry Bonds, you have likely read articles that claim Bonds was found innocent of the charges, or that his name his been cleared. Those accounts are worse cases of perjury than the ones Bonds was charged with following his grand jury testimony in 2003 in the government's steroid probe into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. Bonds is a lot of things, but innocent is hardly one o
Matt Williams’ best-laid plans could put Nationals in ground
Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams said he was just following the "plan" when he took Jordan Zimmermann out of the game Saturday night against San Francisco with two outs and a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series. "That is the plan," Williams told reporters following Washington's historic 18-inning 2-1 loss to the Giants at Nationals Park, going down 0-2 in the best-of-five series. "If [Zimmermann] gets out to the ninth, gets
