Orioles Edge Nats, 2-1

It was a nail biter for the first of three against the cross-parkway rivals in the nation's capitol. I really wish they would have moved the Nationals Park-style Hilton with a cherry-red logo over there so we could still glimpse the Bromo Tower but I digress.

Sure, they have Davey Johnson as manager and that kind of hurts but this is shaping up as one of the best places to be this summer for baseball action.

Each team has exciting young players who are impacting the game. The Nats have Harper, Strasburgh, Desond, Espinosa and Zimmerman. We have Jones, Hardy, Markakis and Wieters. Each team had the best record in baseball going in. Meaningful baseball games are being played in May.

The Oriole starting pitchers and relief corps won tonight's extra-inning affair. Arrieta's one mistake to Ian Desmond tied the score at 1-1 and it looked like the Nats had gained momentum but the Orioles kept grinding as Buck likes to say and a towering drive by Nick Markakis in the 11th gave us the lead for good.

I remember the Senators growing up and the feelings of injustice I felt when they were moved to Texas. It my first taste of sports teams moving that got catastrophically worse when the Colts left. I liked Toby Harrah and Frank Howard and the Senators never posed much of a threat to the Orioles but I was closer to them than any other team. It was sad to see them go.

I knew many O's fans when I lived in DC who converted to the Nats. I wonder if they are switching back now--or adopting both teams.  It doesn't get any better than Showalter and Johnson going head to head.