Photos by Chris Gordon

Now that the Washington Capitals have been eliminated, it’s time to move on to other things: country music concerts, junior hockey games, and, tonight, baseball!

Caps players seem to love America’s pastime. Some of them prefer a game of catch over the traditional pregame soccer kickaround. Some of them are filthy Blue Jays fans. Brooks Laich is a fan as well, and on Monday he threw out the ceremonial first pitch before game between the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Laich also got an extensive tour of the O’s clubhouse from All Star closer Jim Johnson, a noted New York Rangers fan.

Laich, a righty, managed to throw (sort of) a strike, just like Alex Ovechkin did a year ago. His pitch to outfielder Chris Dickerson was a little outside, but he gunned it in there.

“He said ‘Just don’t bounce it,’ which is what everybody said,” Laich recalled Dickerson as saying. “I said ‘I’m gonna bring it in there’ and he goes ‘YES! Finally somebody’s gonna throw it! Bring the heat!’”

“It was awesome!” added Laich. “A lot of people asked me ‘Are you gonna be nervous?’ You’re used to preforming in front of people — maybe not in this environment but it was more exciting.”

Laich, who recently divulged that he was named after Orioles legend Brooks Robinson, got a nice cheer out of crowd, a number of them Yankees fans.

The Washington forward’s father was a big fan of the Hall of Fame third baseman– in fact, he gave his son the middle name Brooks (Laich’s first name is Evan) in honor of the Human Vacuum Cleaner. The younger Laich also idolized Robinson, before finally meeting him in April.

Laich, though, still had some regrets.

“I should have thrown it harder,” he said. “I really wanted to be on the top of the mound and bring it way back.”

Video

Photos

Additional reporting by Ian Oland.

We already knew Jane Laich was totally awesome, but today came another wrinkle. Brooks Laich, her handsome hockey playing son, revealed today that mom and dad named him after Baltimore legend Brooks Robinson. “Special honor for me to meet the man I was named after,” Laich said after taking a picture with The Human Vacuum Cleaner on Wednesday. “Absolute class act.”

Robinson, one of the most beloved sports figures in Maryland, won 16 consecutive Gold Glove Awards during his 23-year career with the Orioles. He was World Series MVP in 1970 and elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

The news came as a big surprise to me, as Laich has made it perfectly clear that everyone in his family are huge Toronto Blue Jays fans. But there are clues that his family may have loved a team on the side: the Baltimore frigging Orioles. When Laich was asked by a fan who his favorite athlete was in a recent online Q/A, he responded, “I was a big fan of Cal Ripken, Jr. I have so much respect for a man that consistent!” He then bragged about his autographed memorabilia from The Iron Man.

Being named after a legend can be a challenge, but Laich does the name proud — just as my future son Zhenya will do.

Hopefully, the Orioles, who retweeted Laich’s neat bit of news today, know the next logical step in their budding relationship with the Capitals forward: getting Brooksie to throw out the first pitch. Ovechkin’s heave last season was fun, but I can tell you for a fact that Orioles fans would much rather see a Brooks throw the ball around the diamond again. Those were good times.

Special honor for me to meet the man I was named after, @orioles HOF 3rd baseman Brooks Robinson, absolute class act twitter.com/brookslaich/st…

— Brooks Laich (@brookslaich) April 10, 2013

Listen: I know the Capitals are a regional team, drawing fans from Maryland and Virginia, in addition to the District. But Piney Orchard and Capital Centre are proof that the team’s roots are deep in the Old Line State. And it’s for fans from the great state of Maryland that we debut this new RMNB shirt.

The Baltimore Orioles are competing for their first playoff run since puberty (ours, maybe not yours), and they’re doing it with help from a 20-year-old from Miami named Manny Machado. He made waves by hitting three home runs in his first thirteen at bats, but his real achievement has been in the field. Taking Cal’s old spot at third base (instead of his preferred position, Cal’s old spot at short stop), Manny has surprised baseball fans with his surprising maturity and defensive savvy.

Consider this move on Wednesday night, wherein Machado tricks Tampa’s Rich Thompson into a trap. Machado palms the ball and fakes a pass, letting Thompson think  he should run home. But no. Manny purloins that third out, saving the game in the process. Our pal Daniel Moroz at Camden Crazies called it Jeter-like (we assume this means smart defense, not saying Manny has an overly large and malformed head). A few minutes later, Machado scored the winning run on a Nate McLouth hit.

The Os are still positioning for first the AL East thanks to plays like this, and for the first time in a long time the Baltimore club has a future. We now see a fanbase growing across this great state and beyond. Perniciously they reach into Virginia and the District, usurping the territory of its bewildered Expos fans– and everywhere they go, they declare it MANNYLAND.

Wear this shirt while cheering on your favorite AL east, bird-mascotted team playing their first winning season since the Clinton administration. Tell the world you were there when the Orioles magic was rekindled.

Go Get the Mannyland T-Shirt.

Photo via washingtoncapitals.tumblr.com

Wearing a red Nationals’ #32 Tom Gorzelanny jersey (perhaps in honor of Dale Hunter?), Jason Chimera, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before Sunday’s Orioles/Nats game. Chimmer, who got a loud ovation when he took the field, threw high and hard — we’re going to call it a ball — to Gorzelanny, a pitcher who played catcher for the moment. And yeah, Chimera brought along his son Cale.

Video is below the jump.

“I was a little nervous,” Chimera said to CSN Washington after the pitch. “It’s a little different at Nationals Park where there’s 30,000 – 40,000 people looking at you. But it was fun.”

The Edmonton, Alberta native never played baseball as a kid because of the cold weather, but he didn’t embarrass himself on the mound like John Wall and LaVar Arrington had.

“Some of the guys warned me in the clubhouse not to spike the [pitch] on the ground,” Chimera happily grinned.

Way to go, Jason.

Behind-The-Scenes Video by the Capitals

One thing we didn’t get around to last night is this picture of a guy in an Orioles jacket behind Dale Hunter. To some it might look out of place, but to us it’s a reminder that the Caps and Baltimore are bonded.

While Thursday was opening day for the Nationals, the real show starts today– as the O’s host the Minnesota Twins at Camden Yards.  Ian and I (and Kyle from SHOE) are O’s fans, and so are lots of other Caps fans. There’s nothing weird about that. The old Caps Centre was in Landover, the old practice barn was in Odenton, and Maryland-native Francis Scott Key put that “O” in the Star-Spangled Banner just so Caps fans would shout it before games.

Okay, now I’m rambling. Go Orioles.

Photo credit: Ian Oland

On the eve of his 26th birthday (send us your birthday cards!), Alex Ovechkin — adorned with *gasp* Cal Ripken’s retired #8 Orioles jersey — traveled up I-95 Friday to take batting practice and throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Baltimore’s match-up against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The Great Hockey Eight, making his first ever appearance at Camden Yards, had only one goal: not to embarrass himself in front of a few thousand Charm-Citiers.

“I’m kinda excited,” Ovechkin told CSN’s Chris Miller before the first pitch. “I saw on YouTube John Wall’s [first pitch] a couple of minutes ago, and I hope it’s not gonna happen with me. I practice a little bit so it’s good. I feel comfortable.”

Ovechkin smiles before taking the long walk to the mound. (Photo credit: Ian Oland)

Ovechkin, who happily took the field wearing a white Nike hat, designer jeans, and Nike sneakers, sparked a bit of controversy on Twitter by wearing the number eight, which was absent-mindedly un-retired by Orioles officials for the night.

“I don’t want to take his number in baseball. He’s a Hall of Famer and he was the best. I’m lucky I got to meet him,” the Russian superstar told the Baltimore Sun, referring to a fundraising event he met Ripken at in Janaury. “It’s always so nice when you meet that kind of person and that kind of a star.”

Forget the controversy. So how about that first pitch? Ovi’s pitch, er, more like heave, sailed a bit high — and wide — but was easily snagged at home.

Earlier in the night, batting practice didn’t go much better. “I try to make home run. Do funny stuff,” Ovechkin explained. “But not even close.”

All in all though, it was a good night. The lowly Orioles won, 8-3 (you gotta be kidding me); Ovechkin got to hang out on the field with former model and now Angels commentator, Leeann Tweeden; and Tuesday’s Charm City Classic, an event where Ovi can wear his red #8 sweater with no objections from the people of Baltimore, got plenty of pub.

“I guarantee if you put the ball on the rubber with a hockey stick he’d throw a strike,” said O’s manager Buck Showalter.

Video of Alex Ovechkin’s Ceremonial First Pitch

Caps365 Behind-The-Scenes Video

Ovi’s Interview with CSN’s Chris Miller

Additional Photos by Ian Oland (click to enlarge)