Skip to content
TRENDING:
Donald Trump
Advertisement
Author profile

Mike Harris

mharris@washingtontimes.com

Mike Harris was a reporter for The Washington Times.

Articles by Mike Harris

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann pauses on the mound during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Sunday, July 21, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Bad outing is only pain in neck for Jordan Zimmermann as Nats swept

Zimmermann earned an All-Star spot with a 12-3 first half but a pain in the neck kept him from pitching in that game. The worry when he was pulled after a dreadful second inning Sunday was that something more serious might be wrong. Nope. Just a very, very bad day.

July 21, 2013
Washington Nationals starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann delivers against the San Diego Padres during the first inning of a baseball game on Saturday, July 6, 2013, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Bryce Harper, Jordan Zimmermann are NL All-Stars, Desmond on final player ballot

Two Nationals have definitely made the All-Star team. Starting pitcher Jordan Zimmermann will take his 12-3 record to New York for the July 16 game, courtesy of the players' vote. Left fielder Bryce Harper will start, thanks to the fan ballotting. Ian Desmond could still get onto the National League roster.

July 6, 2013
Blue Crabs pitchers Charlie Manning (6), right, and Daryl Thompson (3), left, throw in the outfield before the independent baseball league's Blue Crabs play the Camden RiverSharks at Regency Furniture Stadium, Waldorf, Md., Sunday, June 23, 2013. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

On baseball’s back fields, independent leaguers still dream of majors

The Southern Maryland Blue Crabs' immaculate Regency Furniture Stadium is only 27 miles from Nationals Park and the distance provides a fitting metaphor for what ex-National Charlie Manning and the others in the league face. It is pretty close, though not always easy to get there. But it can be done.

July 3, 2013
**FILE** Oakland A’s reliever Dennis Eckersley lets out with a yell in the bottom of the ninth inning as Oakland beats the Toronto Blues Jays 6-5 in the fourth game of their American League Championship Series in Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 7, 1989. Oakland now leads the series three games to one. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

From Eckersley to Clippard, relief pitchers tend to be made, not born

Starting, Steve McCatty said, "always has been the Cadillac job in the big leagues. Everyone wants to do it. That's where most of the glory is and, if you can be a good starter, that's what you want." But you can't always get what you want. Someone has to pitch in relief.

July 2, 2013
Wide receiver Donte Stallworth makes a catch while trying out for the Washington Redskins during mini camp at Redskins Park, Ashburn, Md., Tuesday, June 11, 2013. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

HARRIS: Donte Stallworth tries to stay in game after death-defying accident

Fresh off a workout Tuesday with the Redskins during their minicamp, Stallworth showed a discolored spot on his arm, a burn scar from the same hot-air balloon accident in March that left his posterior in flames. The other scar, he assures his small audience, is something no one wants to see.

June 11, 2013
Boston Bruins center Patrice Bergeron, center, is congratulated by teammates Brad Marchand, right, and Zdeno Chara, left, after his game-winning goal against the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second overtime period in Game 3 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Eastern Conference finals, in Boston, Thursday, June 6, 2013. The Bruins won 2-1 and take a 3-0 lead in the series. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

HARRIS: Bruins, Blackhawks boast intangibles Caps lack

What they have is something that is clearly missing around these parts. The troubling thing is it can't be obtained in a draft, a trade, by waving a magic wand. Or maybe it can, if you manage to put together the right collection of players.

June 6, 2013
Washington Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa (8) as the Washington Nationals play the Atlanta Braves during spring training at Champion Stadium, Kissimmee, Fla., Tuesday, February 26, 2013. (Andrew Harnik/The Washington Times)

HARRIS: Danny Espinosa needs to have shoulder surgery now

More than two months into the season, the Nationals finally placed Danny Espinosa on the disabled list Tuesday. It was one of a flurry of moves the team needed to make, mostly with its pitching staff, as it attempts to regain some of its luster that's been lost in a 28-29 start.

June 4, 2013