For years, when asked why he never played in the majors, former Orioles manager Earl Weaver has cracked wise about his path to the St. Louis Cardinals being blocked by Marty Marion, a pretty good player in his own right who was nicknamed "Mr. Shortstop." Marion, who died in 2011, was a defensive whiz at a time when glove artistry was appreciated as much as the three-run homer. The guy nicknamed "Octopus" because of his propensity for getting to everything hit near him, was a career .263...

The Nationals family lost a cherished former major league player and valued mentor this week. Boyd Gail Harris Jr., a left-handed hitting first baseman with the New York Giants and the Detroit Tigers from 1955-60, and father of Hagerstown Suns hitting coach Mark Harris, passed away in Gainesville, Va., on Nov. 14. He was 81. Gail Harris played in 437 games for the Giants and Tigers, hitting .240 with 38 doubles, 15 triples, 51 homers and 190 RBIs. In 1958, at the age of 26, Harris played in...

An opinion I have heard is that one reason the Orioles were able to make a 24-win improvement during the 2012 season was tied to the fall of the Boston Red Sox, who lost 21 more games in 2012 than the previous year. The Orioles moved forward and the Red Sox fell back. It may be not that simple, but that is a theory that you hear. Even with Boston having a losing season, the American League East remained a beast last year. Three teams won 90 or more games and once again, two made the...

Not all that much went on in the baseball world over the weekend, but the last couple days were pretty eventful for Michael Morse. Morse and his fiancé Jessica got married on Saturday, tying the knot with a number of Morse's Nationals teammates and manager Davey Johnson in attendance. Congrats to the happy couple. Morse tweeted out a number of pictures from the reception and posted a couple to his Facebook page, as well. My favorite is this one, in which the Nationals' left fielder...

The Orioles' coaching staff could be completed this week, though the holidays always complicate matters. As you've heard, the Orioles want to retain all six of their coaches and are expected to reach agreement with the two remaining unsigned members of the staff - hitting coach Jim Presley and third base coach DeMarlo Hale. Pitching coach Rick Adair signed last week. I've heard that the Marlins and Blue Jays were interested in Adair. Presley also has attracted interest from another club....

The same rival scout who critiqued infielder Jonathan Schoop in yesterday's blog entry talks about six more Orioles minor leaguers who played for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Pitcher Mike Belfiore, 24 - 12 starts, 12 1/3 innings, 1-1, 4.38 ERA, 14 hits, four walks, 13 strikeouts: "Between him and (Chris) Petrini, he's the one I like better, and lots of people I talked to kind of have the same impression. He looked pretty good for the most part while I was out there. He...

Nationals right-hander Ryan Perry allowed four runs in three innings, and Peoria held off Salt River 4-3 to win the Arizona Fall League championship at Scottsdale Stadium. Perry surrendered eight hits and two walks to suffer the loss (0-1). He gave up a leadoff triple from Billy Hamilton and two RBI singles by Mike Zunino. Peoria built a 4-1 lead before Salt River rallied in the third. Kent Matthes slapped a run-scoring single and Corey Dickerson added an RBI double to make it 4-3. Brian...

How's this for some surprising news: ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the new-look Blue Jays are close to finally naming a manager. OK, that's not the surprising news. Here's the surprising news: According to Olney, two of the finalists are former Rockies manager Jim Tracy and former Nationals skipper Jim Riggleman. Yup, the same Jim Riggleman who many people thought would never have a shot at a major league managerial job again after abruptly resigning as Nats manager because of a...

Scouts who had been watching infielder Jonathan Schoop at Double-A Bowie and the Arizona Fall League seem convinced that he will become an everyday player in the majors. But like the Orioles' rotation this season, his position is TBA. Is he a third baseman, shortstop or second baseman? Yes. Schoop, 21, has been moving around, which seems like a wise plan by the Orioles. Shortstop J.J. Hardy just won his first Gold Glove and he's signed through 2014. Manny Machado is the starting third...

Three members of the Orioles organization have been selected to receive Legacy Awards, established in 2000 by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to honor the best major league players, managers and executives. The awards are presented in the name and spirit of the Negro Leagues legends. Buck Showalter will receive the Charles Isham "C.I." Taylor Award, presented to the top America League manager. Closer Jim Johnson will receive the Hilton Smith Award, given to the AL's top...