The measure of someone's life is not it its longevity but it's about the people you touch and impact along the way. The Orioles organization is devastated today with the news that a very loved member of the family, public relations director Monica Barlow, died at just 36 after a long battle with lung cancer. You only have to spend a few moments today on Facebook or Twitter to see the many lives Monica touched. I want to take this moment to pass along my deepest condolences to her husband...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - On his first pregame bus ride as Nationals manager, Matt Williams was in a joking mood. So when he saw defensive coordination and advance coach Mark Weidemaier nodding off twice during the bus ride, he tried to sneak up on Weidemaier and snap a picture. Both times, however, Weidemaier quickly snapped up. "He opened up his eyes, so I couldn't get it," Williams said with a smile in the dugout at Tradition Field a bit ago. "We'll see what we can do on the return...

Orioles Managing Partner Peter Angelos issued the following statement regarding the passing of Orioles Public Relations Director Monica Barlow. "It was with deep sadness that I learned of Monica's passing this morning. In her 14 years with the club, she was a beloved member of the Orioles family, starting as an intern and becoming Director of Public Relations. Over the past four and a half years, the work Monica did to raise awareness and funds for cancer research was a testament to her...

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. - Multiple outlets are reporting that a man with a gun is outside the Viera courthouse, just down the street from the Nationals' spring training facility at Space Coast Stadium. Reports of the incident first started circulating before 10:30 a.m., and Florida Today has recently reported that the man with the gun is still outside the Moore Justice Center, occasionally pacing in front of the building. A Nationals official provided the following statement within the last...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will play their first exhibition game today with heavy hearts, the loss of a beloved member of the organization bringing great pain to all of us. Monica Pence Barlow, the club's director of public relations, passed away early this morning after a long and courageous battle with cancer. She was 36. She also was a fighter - tougher than anyone I've known. Diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in September 2009, she leaned heavily on her faith while enduring rounds...

Well, the Orioles haven't slowed down. After signing both Suk-min Yoon and Ubaldo Jimenez last week, the O's kept going by signing free agent slugger Nelson Cruz this week. Although Cruz was the subject of controversy after serving a suspension for his role in the Biogenesis scandal last season, many Orioles, including Chris Davis and Nick Markakis, said that they will welcome Cruz. In addition, a group of Orioles, including Markakis, Davis, Adam Jones, Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy, Matt...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles will keep most of their projected regulars back at the Ed Smith Stadium complex for today's exhibition opener against the Rays in Port Charlotte. For the Orioles Jemile Weeks 2B Francisco Peguero CF Steve Clevenger C Steve Pearce 1B Nolan Reimold DH Henry Urrutia RF Alex Gonzalez SS Xavier Paul LF Michael Almanzar 3B Chris Tillman RHP For the Rays David DeJesus LF Yunel Escobar SS James Loney 1B Evan Longoria 3B Matt Joyce DH Wil Myers RF Desmond Jennings...

VIERA, Fla. - Baseball games are here, ladies and gentlemen. We've watched bullpen sessions for more than two weeks. We've seen countless swings in the cages. We've witnessed bunt plays being run and comebackers being fielded and relays being practiced. We've seen infielders practice catching popups. We've seen pitchers throw to hitters, but with L-screens stationed in front of them. We've watched the Nationals go through it all, building up from scratch and preparing themselves for the...

We often seem to enjoy looking at projections for how a team or player will do before each season. One of those projections is the over-under wins total set by oddsmakers and sportsbooks. I wondered, for instance, if the Orioles' recent additions of Ubaldo Jimenez and Nelson Cruz created a sizable change in how the oddsmakers looked at the club. The answer is that it didn't. Bovada.lv, the online casino and sportsbook, had the Orioles' over-under wins total at 77.5 before those signings...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles manager Buck Showalter hasn't revealed his lineup for today's exhibition opener against the Rays, but he's not likely to send a bus of a bunch of projected starters to Port Charlotte. With the Rays sending former Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard to the mound, Jonathan Schoop figures to play today after homering the past two days. Yes, they were only intrasquad games, "but still, you've got to hit it," said hitting coach Jim Presley. Schoop has been a beast in...