Here is a question I'd love to get many reader responses on this weekend. As the hot stove season now really begins to heat up, are the Orioles more in need of additions to their pitching or offense? The stats sheet says the Orioles performed a little better on the mound than they did at the bat in 2012. Where the O's offense ranked in the American League this season: Ninth in runs with 712 (AL avg. was 721) Tenth in batting average at .247 (AL avg. was .255) Eleventh in OBP at .311 (AL...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said he "formally met" with a little more than half the teams at the general managers meetings that concluded earlier today in Indian Wells, Calif. He also spoke to executives from about 10 other teams to "get an idea of what teams are looking for in trades." In addition, Duquette said he spoke to five or six agents who are representing free agent players, describing it as "preliminary talks" that likely will continue at next month's Winter...

Free agent first baseman Adam LaRoche has declined the Nationals' qualifying offer, which would have given him a one-year contract for the 2013 season worth $13.3 million. In no way should this be a surprise; LaRoche is the top free agent first baseman on the market and clearly has his eyes set on a multi-year contract. LaRoche had until 5 p.m. today to accept the one-year deal. The Nationals knew that LaRoche would decline their qualifying offer, but by extending it to him, they're...

"Lee MacPhail's impact on the game and the Orioles cannot be overstated. The MacPhail name is one of the most recognizable in Major League Baseball, and Lee continued his father Larry's legacy over 45 years in the industry in his roles with the Orioles, Yankees and ultimately the Commissioner's Office. His work as president and general manager of the Orioles, including the acquisition of future Hall of Fame outfielder Frank Robinson from the Cincinnati Reds, helped lay the groundwork for...

Before heading to the Rawlings Gold Glove Awards dinner in New York this evening, Orioles center fielder Adam Jones got the opportunity to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange. Probably not the same as a walk-off home run, but still a cool perk of being designated as one of the game's top defensive players. Jones and and Jim Lillie, CEO of Jarden Corporation, the parent company of Rawlings, did the honors. Before his bell-ringing duties, Jones got a tour of the stock exchange...

One of the hot rumors at the general managers meetings in Indians Wells, Calif., involves the Orioles moving closer to signing manager Buck Showalter to a contract extension. There's little doubt that a deal will get done. As Showalter has told me in the past, it will be a short conversation. But nothing is scheduled at the moment. Showalter is into his third week of rehabilitation back home in Texas after undergoing a partial replacement of his right knee. It's a six-to-nine-week process,...

Lee MacPhail, former Orioles general manager and father of former president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, passed away Thursday evening of natural causes at his home in Delray Beach, Fla. He was the oldest living Hall of Famer, having celebrated his 95th birthday with family and friends two weeks ago. MacPhail was hired as Orioles general manager in 1959 and laid the groundwork for the team that swept the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998...

MASN, the region's leader in live sports entertainment, will broadcast more than 140 men's Division I college basketball games this season, offering its viewers a lineup featuring key local match-ups, Top 25 games and tournament action. The regional sports network's extensive hoops schedule - games will air both on MASN and MASN2 - features men's and women's games from 20 conferences, as well as MASN's annual broadcast of the BB&T Classic in December. Basketball action on MASN tips off...

DAY DATE TIME CONFERENCE/TEAMS NETWORK Fri 11/13/15 7:00 PM CBK: A-10/Colgate @ George Mason MASN Fri 11/13/15 7:00 PM CBK: Big East/Dartmouth @ Seton Hall MASN2 Fri 11/13/15 9:00 PM CBK: Big East/Belmont @ Marquette MASN2 Sat 11/14/15 7:00 PM CBK: Big East/Harvard @ Providence MASN2 Sat 11/14/15 9:00 PM CBK: Big East/Western Michigan @ DePaul MASN2 Tue 11/17/15 7:00 PM CBK: Big South/William & Mary @...

The time has probably come for a move like this. It looks like Major League Baseball officials are considering a change to the current rules that allow for teams to carry 40-man rosters in September. It seems some teams choose to call up few players while others bring in a truckload, and some in the sport feel it's not fair that those clubs have more players than others for late-season games. While my take on that would be, "too bad," the team with fewer players simply should have called up...