As "Oops" moments go, the one committed by Fred Valentine in his rookie season with the Orioles in 1959 was a whopper. But the affable 77-year-old now laughs off his error of aggression as a youthful indiscretion. "Paul Richards was the manager when they brought me up in '59," Valentine said. "Gus Triandos was catching, and they put me in the lineup, hitting behind Triandos. Sure enough, he hit a ball off the right-field wall - and Gus was slow, really slow - and stopped at first base....

Memorial Day weekend traditions abound in the Washington area. From tributes to America's fallen heroes at Arlington National Cemetery and other resting places to the rumble of Rolling Thunder motorcyclists honoring MIAs to parades, picnics, pool openings and beach vacations, we have our own ways of marking the unofficial start of summer. Now, thanks to the Nationals' surprising play this season, we have a new one: watching meaningful baseball. Until now, this was usually the weekend when...

Most Orioles fans can name the last time that the team had a winning season: 1997. Fewer can name the first time that the team had a winning season: 1960. Baseball came to Baltimore in 1954; it wasn't until six years later that winning baseball arrived in town. While the 1957 Orioles finished an even 76-76, the Birds totaled more wins, 89, than losses, 65 for the first time in 1960. The 1960 team featured American League Manager of the Year Paul Richards, Rookie of the Year Ron Hansen and...

Ross Detwiler's first six outings of this season were about as good as the Nationals could have hoped for when they named the lefty their No. 5 starter at the end of spring training. Over those six starts, Detwiler pitched to a 2.10 ERA, posted a 1.02 WHIP by allowing just 35 baserunners in 34 1/3 innings, and held opponents to just a .208 average and a lowly .280 slugging percentage. He was pitching exceptionally well, making Nats fans forget about Chien-Ming Wang, who was rehabbing a left...

Well, Dan Duquette did say repeatedly last year at the Winter Meetings, not long after taking the job here in Baltimore, that Adam Jones was a player to build around. Now the Orioles reportedly are doing just that. This morning's reports from Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of FOX Sports that the Orioles are close to signing Jones to a contract extension should come as great news to a fan base that is still getting used to the giddy development of being in first place. I guess this also puts...

So much for having a day off. It's back to the baseball grind tonight with the Royals arriving at Camden Yards for a three-game series. Jason Hammel turned in five quality starts out of six outings before his swollen right knee altered the early course of his season. He's allowed nine runs (eight earned) and 13 hits in his last two starts covering 10 1/3 innings, with five walks and eight strikeouts. He hasn't cleared the sixth in either start. The Orioles require more innings from Hammel....

J.C. Romero made his debut tonight for Triple-A Norfolk, and he nearly became part of minor league baseball history. Miguel Gonzalez threw five hitless innings at Durham, allowing one walk and striking out four. Romero replaced him and retired the side in order in the sixth with two strikeouts in his first appearance since the Cardinals released him on May 14. Eddie Gamboa followed with two hitless innings, leaving the Tides three outs away from a combined no-hitter. But second baseman Ty...

One week after his last extended spring training game, left-hander Matt Purke took to the mound yesterday in Viera, Fla., for six innings and a club official said he "pitched well." Purke threw five innings last week, according to a club source, and his fastball hit 92 mph. On Thursday, Purke threw one more inning than last time and his velocity was "good," the official said. The Nats will wait a few days to decide what the next move would be. But I imagine if Purke can throw six innings,...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette talked about the reasons why he signed veteran left-handed reliever J.C. Romero to a minor league contract earlier today and assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk. "He's a solid left-handed pitcher who can be a specialist, and he's done that job on a championship team," Duquette said. "He can run his fastball in on left-handed hitters' hands. He's had a lot of success with that." The Cardinals released

Let's face it, some Orioles fans really get excited when they see or hear national reporters speaking well about their team. This year, they are finally getting to see and read some of that. Earlier this week, ESPN's Tim Kurkjian was a guest with Bob Haynie and Mark Zinno on 105.7 FM the Fan in Baltimore and had some glowing things to say about the Orioles. Kurkjian on Buck Showalter: "He has rescued this franchise in a lot of ways and made them relevant. He has changed the culture in a...