The kind of magic that fans in Washington hope will fill Nationals Park this fall is something those in Philadelphia are used to at Citizens Bank Park. From a magical run in 2007 through a 102-win campaign in 2011, the Phillies set the standard.
Four Washington Nationals were named to the 2012 National League All-Star team. Three of them are here for the event, joined by principal owner Ted Lerner, representing one of the most intriguing teams in baseball this season.
It used to be that baseball fans would head for the concourse to grab a beer between innings, a cold one as much a part of America's pastime as hotdogs and Cracker Jack.
In a sweatshirt and shorts, looking relaxed as usual, Ian Desmond sat on a couch inside the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday watching an afternoon game. The night before, he'd hit a home run. The night before that, he'd hit a home run. Before that, it was doubles in back-to-back games.
As Henry Rodriguez took the mound at Citizens Bank Park on Monday night, all eyes from the Washington Nationals' dugout and bullpen were on him. The warm-up pitches, they knew, would tell them all they needed to know.
The Washington Nationals won Monday night. They beat their division rival Philadelphia Phillies 2-1 on a misty, occasionally rainy, night at Citizens Bank Park. They got six nearly unhittable innings from left-hander Gio Gonzalez and all the runs they'd need off the bat of Ian Desmond.
Lawyers for a Philadelphia Flyers season ticket-holder have sued the team's owner over its policy for tickets to the outdoor Winter Classic. The team calls the lawsuit frivolous.
Ryan Howard took live batting practice for the first time since he tore his left Achilles tendon while making the final out of the Philadelphia Phillies' season-ending 1-0 loss to St. Louis last postseason.
A person familiar with the NHL's plan said the Detroit Red Wings will play the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2013 Winter Classic.
