Looking back at the name Washington Nationals — what’s in a name?

WASHINGTON - What is in a name?

Well, the Nationals found out on this day in 2006.

“The Washington Nationals can keep their nickname. Major League Baseball settles a lawsuit with a company that says it owns the trademark rights to the name Washington Nationals. Designs for a 41,000-seat ballpark for Washington are also unveiled by District of Columbia officials, a glass-and-steel structure clad in pale stone chosen to complement the world-famous skyline of the nation’s capital,” according to baseballreference.com, about that news during Spring Training 16 years ago.

On March 14, 1998, pitcher Lucas Knowles was born in Bremerton, Washington.

He was drafted out of Central Arizona Junior College in the 16^th round in 2019 by the Nationals.

The lefty pitched in three games in the Florida Complex League last year and appeared in 14 games with three starts for Single-A Fredericksburg, with an overall WHIP of 1.50.

His manager in Florida was Richmond native Jake Lowery, the catcher of the year at James Madison University in 2011. Lowery, who will be inducted into the JMU athletic Hall of Fame later this year, will manage Fredericksburg this season.

Fredericksburg opens the season on April 8 in Salisbury, Maryland against Delmarva of the Baltimore system.

The first home game for the Nats’ farm team is April 12 against the Carolina Mudcats.

There was other baseball news on March 14, 2018.

“Minor League Baseball announces some changes to the rules that will be used throughout the minor leagues starting this season. First, there will be a limit of six mound visits per game in AAA, similar to the rule change just introduced in Major League Baseball; lower classifications will allow more visits: 8 in AA and 10 in Class A. A 15-second pitch clock will be introduced with the bases empty, and 20 seconds with men on base. Finally, a variation of the Schiller Rule will be used beginning in the 10th inning, as each half-inning will start with the batter preceding the first batter of the inning already on second base. That last rule was already in use in some Rookie-class leagues,” noted baseballreference.com.

The next year, on March 14, 2019, there was news at the Major League level.

“Commissioner Rob Manfred announces rule changes for the coming season,” according to baseballreference.com. “While the idea of a pitch clock has been dropped, other measures adopted include: lowering the number of mound visits from six to five, following the successful introduction of the rule in 2018; a shorter break between innings; making the July 31st trading deadline a hard one, with no trades allowed for the two remaining months of the season; a shift in the procedure for nominating starters in the All-Star Game and additional bonuses for participants in the Home Run Derby; beginning next season, a clear roster limit, with 26 during the first five months and 28 for September, with all teams being required to respect the limits; and a minimum of three batters faced for relief pitchers, barring injury or the end of the half-inning, also starting with the 2020 season.”

There will be big Spring Training news today on this March 14, as the lockout ended last Thursday...