DALLAS - That's technically correct. Yesterday wasn't supposed to count. The Winter Meetings officially begin today. So why am I so tired already? Maybe it's from having to change rooms when I returned to my hotel around midnight. The temperature inside had reached 100 degrees, according to a maintenance guy who used some sort of infra-red light, pointed toward the ceiling vent, to determine that I could roast a chicken in my bed. Talk about a Rotisserie league ... (Sorry, that's the...

DALLAS - Looks like the Nationals, like most of baseball, are balking at the notion of paying left-hander C.J. Wilson north of $100 million to solidify their rotation. A source at the Winter Meetings told me tonight that the Nats are moving their focus to the other two top free agent pitchers, lefty Mark Buehrle and right-hander Roy Oswalt. This is typical of baseball's biggest offseason gathering: A free agent shoots for the moon, teams bristle at his asking price and the clubs move on to...

DALLAS - When new Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told me last week that "by the first of the year, I think we will have a very, very strong international recruiting department here. We will add veteran baseball people, scouts and executives," he wasn't kidding. It appears the Orioles' international program went from 0 to 60 in about three seconds. Duquette said he would upgrade the international effort and it seems he has already done more here in a few days than the Orioles...

DALLAS - As soon as news broke earlier today that outfielder Manny Ramirez had applied for reinstatement, everyone here pretty much held the same thought: Would Dan Duquette try to sign him again? Duquette gave Ramirez an eight-year, $160 million deal with the Red Sox back in December 2000. Ramirez could be secured at a much lower rate this winter, and the Orioles are looking to add another bat to their lineup. The designated hitter slot is open, but is Duquette open to a reunion? He...

DALLAS - Dan Duquette and Lee Thomas are working together again. Thomas was hired today as a special assistant to the Orioles' executive vice president of baseball operations. Most recently, Thomas worked as a pro scout for the Milwaukee Brewers from 2004-2006. Prior to that time, he worked for six seasons as special assistant to the general manager and assistant general manager for the Red Sox, working closely with Duquette the majority of those years. Thomas was general manager of the...

DALLAS - Just like last year, the Winter Meetings aren't waiting until their official Monday start for player news, and one of the first tidbits from the Hilton Anatole came in the form of reports that the Nationals have lost a guy off the bench they had hoped to re-sign. According to multiple media outlets, the Phillies have agreed to a two-year major league deal with outfielder Laynce Nix, ending the powerful left-handed hitter's tenure in D.C. after just one season. Nix, 31, posted career...

DALLAS - The Winter Meetings haven't officially started, but Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette already has met with a few teams and introduced his two latest front office hires to the media. Duquette is looking for a left-handed hitting outfielder who can back up Adam Jones in center and maybe platoon in left. He also wants to "support" the pitching staff and improve the club's defense - which might take us back to that left-handed hitting outfielder. The local media met with...

DALLAS - It appears that the Orioles are quite serious about beefing up their international scouting efforts under new executive vice president Dan Duquette. Fred Ferreira, who was hired officially today as the Orioles' executive director of international recruiting, said he has already reached verbal agreements to hire 10 new international scouts. He said they will work in the Dominican, Venezuela, Curacao, Guatemala, Holland and Costa Rica. Ferreira also said there is a decent possibility...

DALLAS - The Orioles confirmed today that they've hired former Phillies general manager Lee Thomas as a special assistant to executive vice president Dan Duquette, and Fred Ferreiera as executive director of international recruiting. Thomas, 75, built the 1993 Phillies team that won the National League pennant - winning Executive of the Year honors that year - but Ed Wade replaced him as GM after four straight losing seasons. He brings over five decades of experience in professional baseball....

The above phrase includes all the rumors that will surface at the Winter Meetings. I'm sitting at my American Airlines gate, waiting to board my 7:05 a.m. flight to Dallas. I'm stuck in a middle seat. We're off to a good start. I chose an airline that also filed for bankruptcy, but it's promised to honor all flights. I'll have to serve peanuts and push the drink cart down the aisle, but it's for a good cause. Executive vice president Dan Duquette, manager Buck Showalter, new scouting...