Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Baseball's 'Iron Man' will speak to nearly 7,000 graduates at the May 19 ceremony.
Baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. will deliver the 2013 commencement address for the University of Maryland, administrators announced Tuesday. The "Iron Man"—best known for playing a record 2,632 consecutive games with the Baltimore Orioles—will speak to nearly 7,000 graduates plus family and friends at the May 19 ceremony. “I hope that my life experience allows me to impart some wisdom and give [graduates] a message that will serve them as they start their careers," Ripken said in a statement. "While I never attended college, opting to pursue my baseball career after high school, I have great respect for higher education and the great value it brings to young people," he added. Ripken, who was raised in Aberdeen, MD, played shortstop and …
Friday, October 12, 2012
It comes down to winner-take-all for both Washington and Baltimore.
It might be the biggest day of baseball this region has seen in decades. On Friday evening, both the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles will play the final—and decisive—games of their respective divisional series. Just 24 hours ago, it wasn't clear that either team would live to see action beyond Thursday, with the Nats trailing the St. Louis Cardinals and the O's trailing the New York Yankees by two games to one. But in thrilling, late-inning play, both teams slipped ahead yesterday to seize 2-1 wins and even up each best-of-five series at two games apiece. Washington's saving grace came in the form of a walk-off solo home run by right fielder Jayson Werth in the bottom of the ninth, which snapped a 1-1 tie that had held since…
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Baseball's postseason kicks off this weekend.
Major League Baseball's 2012 regular season is officially in the books, and for the first time ever, the Washington Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles are both in the playoffs. The Nats wrapped up the top seed in the National League yesterday with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, taking them to 98-64 on the season. They'll go on the road Sunday to face the winner of Friday's one-game wild card playoff between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Atlanta Braves. The best-of-five National League Division Series will then come to Washington Wednesday for one to three games, depending on how many wins each team racks up. The winner of that round will face the winner of San Francisco and Cincinnati for a World Series berth. The O's, …
Monday, October 1, 2012
There's plenty of baseball yet to be played, but for the first time ever, a Nationals-Orioles World Series is a real possibility.
It's been 15 years since the Baltimore-Washington area fielded a Major League Baseball team with a winning record, let alone sent one to the postseason. But as of the final out in last night's Rangers-Angels game, the Orioles—improbably, unfathomably—became the second playoff-bound ballclub in the corridor, clinching at least a wild card spot for the first time this century. Their 6-3 win over Boston earlier in the day also kept the O's tied with the New York Yankees for first place in the American League East. The Nationals' shining moment came 10 days earlier as Washington closed the deal on a postseason berth with a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers. This year marks just the second time the organization has made the playoffs and its…
Friday, May 18, 2012
The surprise success of the Orioles and Nationals has the region buzzing.
The Orioles and Nationals "rivalry" has required quotations through the first few years of interleague play around the beltway. This year is different. Entering the three-game weekend set, beginning Friday night at Nationals Park, the two clubs are battling atop their divisions against clubs with star-studded rosters and larger payrolls. So as one of the most important series between these neighboring ball clubs gets underway, the Patch sites in the Maryland area are curious: who are you pulling for in this year's Battle of the Beltway? Are you cheering for Bryce Harper and the Nationals? Or are you behind Adam Jones and the Orioles? While we're at it, which team do you think stands the best chance of staying in the pennant race late into …
Marty Chase
12:41 pm on Thursday, October 4, 2012
This crazy format is for this year only and puts the Nats at a disadvantage. Let's hope they don't lose the first two on the road. That'll make it very tough to comeback, even with three straight at home. more ›