The tenure of Major League Baseball commissioner Allan H. "Bud" Selig has made one thing crystal clear: What Bud wants, Bud usually gets. Selig wants to implement his plan to expand the playoffs by one team in each league for the 2012 season. Never mind that the players' union isn't on board with the arrangement, citing the fact that the schedule is already set and would have to be changed to create space for an extra one-game playoff to determine the final four postseason teams from the...

Let's start off by dismissing any rumors of a proposed trade involving Adam Jones and Adam Wainwright, or the Orioles hiring retired Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa in some capacity. Last night's tweet from Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wasn't referencing either one of those scenarios. According to Strauss, the Orioles are engaged in trade talks with the Cardinals involving pitcher Kyle McClellan, who spent part of last season as their fifth starter before being shut down...

It's hard to know what executive vice president Dan Duquette has hidden up his sleeve, and there's no point in ordering a strip search. This isn't the security checkpoint at BWI Airport. No one knew that Wilson Betemit was tucked up that sleeve, but he'll be introduced to the Camden Yards crowd on opening day. Taylor Teagarden's name didn't come up among backup catching options until the day that the trade with the Rangers was finalized. The lobby buzz at the Winter Meetings never...

I just returned from the Shorebirds' Hot Stove Banquet at the Delmar VFW, where I was introduced to slippery dumplings. Where have they been all my life? Many thanks to the Shorebirds for making me feel right at home. They also overfed me. And they couldn't have been more gracious hosts. In case you missed my tweet earlier today, the Texas Rangers announced that they signed outfielder Kyle Hudson to a minor league deal with a spring training invite. The Orioles designated Hudson for...

Danny Rosenbaum was named the Potomac Nationals' Player of the Year at the team's 17th annual Hot Stove Banquet on Sunday night at the Hyatt Fairfax at Fair Lakes. The 24-year-old southpaw went 6-5 with a 2.59 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 19 starts at Single-A Potomac. At Double-A Harrisburg, he was even better, tallying a 3-1 mark with a 2.29 ERA in six starts with 27 strikeouts. It was an impressive year at both stops, but Rosenbaum is not satisfied. "I want to get in better shape than I...

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson broke his clavicle last night after falling off a stage during a charity event at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. I received two e-mails earlier today informing me of the injury, and Joe Capozzi of The Palm Beach Post confirmed it here. Capozzi had just returned from Fort Lauderdale Stadium, where Robinson was supposed to attend a charity game to benefit Joe DiMaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood. Witnesses told Capozzi...

You probably know that new special assistant Brady Anderson has been training left-hander Brian Matusz in California. What you might not know is he's got Matusz doing handstands to strengthen the pitcher's shoulder muscles. Anderson, calling into "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report" yesterday on MASN, explained that the exercise stabilizes the shoulder. It's a common method among Olympic athletes, including the ones that Anderson visited during a recent trip to Japan. I've never been able...

Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson fell off a stage tonight at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood Fla., where he was attending the Joe D Legends Classic. I'm told that he was coherent as paramedics transported him to a local hospital as a precaution. The fall was unrelated to Robinson's previous health issues. Robinson, 74, tumbled as he stood up to leave the stage, which sat a few feet above the floor. Earlier in the night, former Senators and Braves catcher Paul...

It strikes me that the MASNsports.com message boards were buzzing with a lot more positive talk this time last year. I remember the many, many fans that insisted the Orioles could be a playoff team last year, coming off their 34-23 finish in 2010. The fans were also overwhelmingly in favor of bringing Vlad Guerrero in to serve as the DH, even at a $8 million price tag. The young pitchers finished real strong in 2010 and were ready to take the next step and the future was bright, many felt...

Single-A short season Auburn Doubledays manager Gary Cathcart raved about the progress he saw in Georgia Tech third baseman Matt Skole during his rookie campaign. The 2011 fifth-round selection certainly delivered at the plate, hitting .290 with 23 doubles, one triple, five homers and 48 RBIs in 72 games. Skole also concentrated on his fielding and overall defense, especially with the one-on-one coaching provided by Nationals infield coordinator Jeff Garber and others. Garber said Skole has a...