Let's get this one out of the way first: Giants 27, Patriots 24. Victor Cruz is MVP. And the Ravens are still the best team in the AFC. Judging by the 310 comments I've received on yesterday's Manny Ramirez entry, it appears that the majority of readers here don't want the Orioles to sign him. It's an unscientific poll, but that's telling. According to MLBTradeRumor's free-agent chart, there are four first basemen still on the market: Russell Branyan (36) Ross Gload (36) Derrek Lee...

Setup man Todd Coffey is taking his quality stuff and energizing entrance to the west coast with the announcement that the right-hander will be leaving the Nationals to sign a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. This made me think that the engaging personality that is Coffey may hang up his famous entrance each game from the bullpen. Why? Last season, I asked Coffey if anything unusual had ever happened at any stadium when he made his famous sprints in from the bullpen after getting...

I opened yesterday's "Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" with a mini-rant against the Orioles signing Manny Ramirez. I may as well expand on it here. I'm just searching for the logic behind their interest, beyond a few obvious points. First of all, executive vice president Dan Duquette is looking for another bat, and it would fit nicely in the designated hitter and cleanup spots. As it currently stands, Wilson Betemit could be the primary DH, and that's not an ideal scenario. The market is...

First baseman Tyler Moore has been the best longball hitter in the Nationals' system the last two seasons, cranking 62 homers since 2010. But if Moore gets blocked at first base, the Nationals have given him time to learn and pick up left field at instructional camp and will do so again in spring training. Moore has worked very hard to improve his defense during the past two seasons, and Nationals infield coordinator Jeff Garber said the franchise has taken notice. "He has made tremendous...

Thursday night, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports quoted sources as telling him that the Oakland A's and Orioles had expressed the most interest in free agent Manny Ramirez. He said it was unclear, though, if either team had made a contract offer. This news was not met with elation from most Orioles' fans. Ramirez has been linked to the Orioles pretty much ever since Dan Duquette took over as executive vice president. Duquette is the man that signed Ramirez to a whopping eight-year deal worth $160...

Former Tigers and Athletics outfielder Jeff Larish posted on Facebook today that he signed a minor league deal with the Orioles. A team official confirmed it. That's the usual order. Facebook first, then the team. Larish 29, won't receive an invitation to spring training. Larish, a left-handed hitter, has been a corner infielder and outfielder. He's hitting .224/.308/.360 with eight homers and 32 RBIs in parts of three major league seasons, the last one in 2010. He hit .240/.330/.449...

The Orioles have announced the hiring of Chris Correnti as a performance consultant. Correnti was most recently with the New York Mets as a rehabilitation specialist from 2007-2010. Correnti will provide fitness and conditioning advisory services to the organization. He will be responsible for the oversight of the individual rehabilitation of injured players, as selected by the medical staff. Correnti will also implement year-round training and conditioning programs for the organization's...

The Orioles today announced that they have promoted Kevin Cummings to Director of Ballpark Operations . Cummings has over 20 years of experience working in the sports industry. Before joining the Orioles in 2010 as Assistant Director of Ballpark Operations , he was most recently with the Lancaster Barnstormers independent baseball team. Cummings has also worked in minor league baseball for teams in Lynchburg, VA ; Mobile, AL ; and West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Sarasota, FL. He has also...

During the better part of last season, as well as throughout the Winter Meetings and offseason, it was widely agreed that when it came to improving the Nationals, offense was the answer. True, some tweaks to the rotation were needed, but with a lineup that mustered a .242 batting average, 14th in the National League, as well as just 1,319 hits, 15th in the NL, hitting was thought to be the priority this winter. Yet with only a few weeks left before spring training, the Nationals' big moves...

Dan Duquette's continued pursuit of international talent for the Orioles led him to South Korea and the Orioles executive vice president this week announced the signing of 17-year-old, left-handed high school pitcher Seong-Min Kim. "Kim is a top quality left-handed pitcher," Duquette said. "He's got an excellent breaking ball and very good command of it. It's a 12-6 breaking ball and he's got an average fastball. Our scouts really like this player and they've been following him for a...