Where have you gone Matt Swope?

The Wild Things sent out a press release Tuesday about former Washington outfielder Matt Swope (2005), pictured, who is co-host of a sports talk radio show in Baltimore.

According to the release, the "Swope and Suter Show" airs on Monday nights from 5-7 p.m on the ESPN affiliate in Baltimore. Swope is co-host with Steve Suter, a former All-American wide receiver and kick returner at the University of Maryland. Swope played his collegiate baseball at Maryland.

“I have always been really passionate about sports, and I realized all I did was listen to talk radio and comment on what they would say. Suter and I did our own show on I-tunes and the Internet for four months. We did a demo for CBS/ESPN and they liked us,” Swope said.

“I keep myself very busy. I’m working on my Master’s degree. I do a lot of fundraising for cancer research (Matt lost his sister to cancer in 2008), and I love doing the radio show. I do, however, miss playing baseball every day."

Trying times

Wannabe Frontier Legaue players will have three chances to try out for the Wild Things this year.

The first opportunity will be Saturday, April 4 at Sovereign Bank Stadium in York. The York Revolution of the Atlantic League will be running the open tryout but representatives of the Wild Things - I assume this means Mark Mason - and the Can-Am League's American Defenders of New Hampshire will be on hand to evaluate talent. The cost of that tryout is $45 and must be paid in cash only on the day of the tryout. York is managed by former major league catcher Chris Hoiles and the pitching coach is ex-big leaguer Tippy Martinez.

The Wild Things will hold their open tryout at Consol Energy Park on Saturday, May 2. The cost of that tryout is $35.

The Frontier League will hold its annual tryout and player draft at Consol Energy Park May 4-5. The cost of the league tryout is $60. This will be the third time the Frontier League has held its tryout in Washington.

Tryouts are a lot like, to quote Forrest Gump, a box of chocolates – you never know what you're going to get. Neither of the players signed from the Wild Things' open tryout last year made the opening day roster, but Washington did get productive guys like Brad Hensler and Matt Swope out of their tryout camp in previous years. Washington has been one of the better organizations, if not the best, at finding gems in the league tryout. That's where the Wild Things found Jack Headley, Kyle Werman, Stephen Spragg and Justin Mattison.