VIERA, Fla. - Stan Kasten was once an NBA general manager. Now the former president of the Nationals is back in baseball, only with an NBA Hall of Famer by his side. Kasten and Magic Johnson are part of a group which agreed to buy the Los Angeles Dodgers for $2 billion late last night. The purchase will get Kasten back into the major leagues, although in some ways, Kasten never left, even after resigning as Nationals president after the 2010 season. He was still seen around the Nats'...

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced late Tuesday that the team will be purchased for a record $2.15 billion by a group that includes former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers great Earvin "Magic" Johnson. Also a part of the group is former Nationals and Atlanta Braves team president Stan Kasten. Johnson's group won out the right to buy the Dodgers over groups led by multiple sports team owner Stan Kroenke and New York Mets limited partner Steven Cohen. Johnson said in a statement: "I am thrilled to...

The beginning of the 2012 baseball season in the minor leagues is fast approaching and an Orioles minor league camp packed with players at Twin Lakes Park got at least a little smaller yesterday with a few players getting released by the organization. Right-handed Japanese pitcher Ryohei Tanaka, signed by the Orioles in April of 2009, was among them. The 29-year-old Tanaka went 22-21 with an ERA of 4.13 in three seasons. He spent all of 2009 and 2010 with Double-A Bowie and was mostly with...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The choice was obvious. How Mike Mussina will be received at Camden Yards remains the mystery. Mussina has been elected to the Orioles Hall of Fame, setting up a reunion that was destined to happen in spite of his final eight pinstriped seasons. Former second baseman Rich Dauer was chosen by the Veterans Committee. And longtime scout Walter Youse was chosen as the Herb Armstrong Award winner for non-uniformed personnel who have made significant contributions to the ballclub...

JUPITER, Fla. - In his last start, both Gio Gonzalez and manager Davey Johnson felt that the lefty might have been working through a dead-arm period, which can happen toward the end of spring. Today, Gonzalez might have actually had too much life in his arm early on. Johnson said he thought Gonzalez was a bit too "frisky" in the first inning today, causing the 26-year-old to miss his spots and allow four baserunners and three runs. The big blow in the first inning was Austin Kearns'...

JUPITER, Fla. - Rick Ankiel has been getting a ton of treatment on his injured quad lately. Perhaps as a result of all the deep massages and medical work, Ankiel's quad tightened up on him a little bit during today's 3-1 loss to the Marlins. Not wanting to take any chances with the guy who is set to be his opening day center fielder, manager Davey Johnson pulled Ankiel after the fourth inning, sending Brett Carroll up as a pinch-hitter in the fifth. "He said from all the massages he's...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter went a lot easier on Tsuyoshi Wada than the Japanese left-hander following today's 5-0 loss to the Twins. "I thought he pitched good last inning," Showalter said. "He had trouble getting the ball where he wanted to. Away from his arm slot. But he made some adjustments. I like what I saw with the command, as far as the ball down. You can see why he had success and will again. You can tell his command is going to be good. He was barely missing. "He...

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles won't be no-hit today. Robert Andino doubled off Twins reliever Glen Perkins in the eighth inning and was thrown out at third base. Tsuyoshi Wada ripped himself after today's start. Here's a sampling. I'll add more later. "It didn't go that well. I'm not satisfied." "I wasn't able to throw correctly with my normal form today. The first-pitch strike with the fastball I pitched was hit easily. I have to work on it more." "I was missing a lot of...

JUPITER, Fla. - Gio Gonzalez's first inning of work wasn't too pretty. He allowed three hits, a walk and three earned runs, needing 28 pitches to get three outs. From there, the Nationals lefty appeared to get stronger each time he trotted out to the mound. Gonzalez didn't allow a run over his final four innings of work, and retired seven of the last eight hitters he faced. He struck out six over his five innings, and did a nice job settling down after getting hit around in that opening...

JUPITER, Fla. - The Nationals' projected opening day center fielder might not be over his lingering quad issues just yet. Rick Ankiel left today's game against the Marlins after four innings, walking into the Nats' clubhouse with a trainer. We have no way of knowing what - if anything - was bothering Ankiel, but we do know he's battled a quad injury of late. Ankiel missed a week and a half because of quad issues earlier this spring, and after returning to Grapefruit League action last...