Denny Hocking, who served as Double-A Bowie's field coach the past two seasons, has accepted a job as manager of the Los Angeles Angels' rookie-level team in Arizona, according to an industry source. Hocking has been a leading candidate to replace Bobby Dickerson as the Orioles' minor league infield coordinator, but they apparently decided to go in another direction. No hire has been made. Hocking's departure brings more change to the minor league coaching staffs. Einar Diaz is expected...

Happy new year to everyone. I'll type quietly this morning in case your head is pounding. When the ball dropped at midnight, I fully expected Wilson Betemit to be charged with another error. (I kid, I kid.) I tried to avoid writing an Orioles-related remembrance and resolution blog entry yesterday because it's so cliched. Better to wait until today to be unoriginal. The Orioles provided plenty of memorable moments in 2012. I often sat in the press box wondering exactly how they were in the...

Happy new year, everyone. I hope 2013 is a wonderful year that makes you happy and finds you healthy. Let's hope it can be as exciting on the field for the Orioles as last year was. So as a new year begins, we revisit an older, lingering question. What is the next move for the Orioles? Dan Duquette has stated that he wants to add a middle-of-the-order bat and hasn't done so yet. He didn't say he would do it quickly, just that he wanted to do it. My guess is the Orioles do add a hitter at...

The Nationals are very high on right-hander Nathan Karns after his breakthrough 2012 season. Karns was named the organization's minor league Pitcher of the Year after going a combined 11-4 with a 2.17 ERA over 24 games, 18 of those starts. Karns fired 148 strikeouts, two complete games and only 47 walks between low Single-A Hagerstown and high Single-A Potomac. He won seven of his final nine outings to end the season, with a 1.84 ERA and 68 strikeouts. In his last 10 games, Karns struck out...

Former Orioles outfielder Endy Chavez has agreed to terms with the Kansas City Royals, according to a tweet from CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman. No other details were provided and the Royals haven't confirmed the signing. Instant update: ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that Chavez signed a minor league deal. Now is the time to frame your Endy Chavez jersey and hang it in your basement. Chavez signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal with the Orioles last winter and batted .203/.236/.278 with six...

Let me make sure I have this right: The Washington Nationals and Washington Redskins both made the playoffs in the same calendar year? Two years after those two teams posted a combined winning percentage of .400, they both won the division in their respective sport? Weird, wild stuff. Add in the Orioles and Ravens both making the postseason this year, as well, and it's been a pretty special few months for sports fans in the mid-Atlantic region. As 2012 comes to an end tonight, Nationals...

Ending the year with some random takes and thoughts: What made me think of Jake Fox?: It was a comment posted on Twitter yesterday after quarterback Tyrod Taylor made a nice run early in the game for the Ravens. Someone pointed out that could lead to talk-show callers calling for Taylor to play over Joe Flacco. I posted that if you think that is far-fetched, I had callers to my baseball show early in the 2011 season imploring the Orioles to start Jake Fox over Matt Wieters at catcher. Fox...

Good Hall of Fame debate yesterday. I appreciate all the opinions and the passionate arguments. I'll concede that, for a guy who's often complained about the Hall of Fame being watered down, it was strange for me to choose 10 players on this year's ballot. I can no longer be viewed as part of the solution. OK, on to today's debate. Each winter, I try to predict which Oriole who contributed little or nothing during the previous season will emerge as a difference-maker the following year....

Teams can be chock full of talent and potential, and end up going nowhere. Other teams can lack elite talent and still find a way to rattle off wins and make a run in the playoffs. Talent level guarantees nothing in professional sports. There are other factors that determine how far a team will go, which is why some organizations can spend upwards of $175 million in a season and still end up watching the postseason from home. As they prepare to enter the 2013 season, however, the Nationals...

My Hall of Fame ballot is mocking me again. It sits on a stack of papers on a chair in my living room, just waiting for me to pay attention to it. Always smiling. "Hi Roch." Judging, watching. Look at the ballot, look at the ballot. (OK, who got the movie reference?) This is the tough one, with Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa making their first appearances. Maybe you've heard of them. Seven-time Most Valuable Player and all-time home run king, seven-time Cy Young Award winner,...