Spring Training Reflections - from Bill Corwin

I got the content for this post from a reader, Bill Corwin from North Carolina who attended the Nationals and Orioles Grapefruit League game in Florida on Saturday. Below is a write up of the game and his reflections.

Thanks for the post & the support, Bill!

Just wanted to give you a quick rundown on Saturday’s Orioles vs. Nationals game. There was a solid contingent of Orioles fans at Space Coast Stadium. And despite comments like “The O’s fans have zeros on their caps!” The Nats fans couldn’t muster much of a cheer.

Sadly, the Nats were facing the O’s B-team since stars Tejada, Mora, Roberts, Ramon Hernandez, and Jay Gibbons didn’t make the bus trip. Daniel Cabrera was overwhelming and looked very sharp. The Nats he faced seemed helpless against his fastball.

It was also great to see the return of John Parrish, who looked very good against 3 Nationals batters. The stadium had no speed gun display, so I can only guess at how fast the O’s pitchers threw. Freddie Bynum showcased his speed by laying down an infield single and beating the throw to first. He then stole second – and probably could have stolen third!

I must say the Nats ran a fan friendly event though. While the O’s signed virtually no autographs for their many fans, the Nats had numerous players handing out free t-shirts and signing autographs. Chris Snelling, Michael O’Connor, Kasey Casto, and Tony Womack signed for fans, though Womack only signed for kids. Players were also great about stopping and talking with fans after leaving the practice field.

The 7-2 drubbing certainly must have made the O’s feel good. Then again, it was the Nationals who seem fated to struggle this season.


*photos by Bill Corwin