District Daily: Banner season for baseball in the Beltways

Sep 16, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Washington Nationals left fielder

(34, in hat) celebrates a victory against the Atlanta Braves with teammates at Turner Field. The Nationals defeated the Braves 3-0 to clinch the National League eastern division championship. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning DoD readers, start off your day with some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in our District Daily:

Banner season for baseball in the Beltways

(Richard Justice, MLB.com)

Sure, Baltimore is a great baseball town. Been one seemingly forever. Love them Birds, hon.

It’s a place where the franchise’s legends are identified by their first names or maybe their nicknames.

Frank and Brooks.Cal and Eddie.

Earl and Cakes.

That’s Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray, Earl Weaver and Jim Palmer for those of you unfamiliar with the Land of Pleasant Living.

Ripken is an especially big name in Baltimore. Not only did Cal and his little brother, Billy, play for the Birds, but their late dad, Cal Sr., was a legendary instructor who pretty much co-wrote the book (along with Weaver) on what became known as The Oriole Way. Read full article here.

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• Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?

Washington Nationals’ Biggest Offseason Questions That Still Need to Be Answered

(Danny Garrison, Bleacher Report)

The Washington Nationals are almost three months into the offseason and general manager Mike Rizzo’s finger is still resting on the trigger of nearly all of the team’s biggest potential maneuvers.

Washington had a fairly short to-do list entering its idle months after being bounced from the postseason in the divisional series by the San Francisco Giants. As disappointing as it was for the team with the National League‘s best record to fall short in the first round, there were only two glaring issues to address in the aftermath.

But, as of late December, both of those questions remain unanswered. Read full article here.

Next: Michael Taylor: Checking in on the Nationals' No. 3 prospect