SARASOTA, Fla. - The Orioles have signed former Severna Park High pitcher Josh Banks to a minor league contract. Banks will be assigned to the minor league complex at Twin Lakes Park, but he could come to the Ed Smith Stadium complex at a later date. Banks said the Yankees and Dodgers also were interested. More to come.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Reliever Jason Berken said he left hamstring feels "a lot better" after receiving more treatment today and running on the water treadmill. Berken said he might play catch Wednesday, depending how his leg feels when he wakes up. "Every day it's getting better. Hopefully, it will be more of the same tomorrow," he said. "This is the fifth day rehabbing it and every day it's significantly better." Meanwhile, Zach Britton threw off flat ground again today. He'll take...

A source with the Nationals has confirmed left-hander Sammy Solis has been shut down and is in California to meet with Dr. Lewis Yocum, who is examining his injured elbow. The team is awaiting the diagnosis of what likely would be season-ending Tommy John ligament-replacement surgery for the talented No. 6 prospect in the Nationals' system. Solis felt elbow discomfort during his playing time in the Arizona Fall League and offseason rest did not improve his condition. The University of San...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette just confirmed that former Severna Park High pitcher Josh Banks, currently a free agent, is working out at the Twin Lakes Park complex. Banks, who is here for a tryout, is represented by former major league outfielder Gary Sheffield. Yes, Sheffield is an agent, and he just rolled out of camp in a cream-colored Bentley. Banks, 29, was a second-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003. He last pitched in the majors with the...

VIERA, Fla. - If players are frozen like statues, posed in awkward positions while rapid-fire shutters whir, it must be photo day. To hear Nationals tell it, this is one of the most dreaded days of spring training, when full uniforms are donned and players and coaches run the gauntlet of photographers snapping pictures for baseball cards, promotional campaigns and other purposes approved by Major League Baseball. Photo day at Space Coast Stadium, they say, makes a two-hour clubhouse meeting to...

VIERA, Fla. - Michael Morse got in touch with his inner Bubba on Monday night, accompanying three teammates to the Daytona 500, which was run about 70 miles north in Daytona Beach, Fla. It was the first NASCAR Sprint Cup experience for Morse, and won't be the last. "It was awesome, it was a great experience," said Morse. "First one ever. I never knew how much they worked - the pit crew, the drivers, the owners, the spotters. It's just constant non-stop chaos." A friend of general...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Jim Johnson threw his second bullpen session this morning, the latest progression from lower-back discomfort that no longer seems to be an issue with the Orioles' reliever. Johnson is scheduled to throw off a mound again on Friday, Sunday and March 7. He'll throw live batting practice for the first time on March 10. Yes, the Orioles are being extremely cautious with Johnson. Zach Britton (shoulder) will repeat Sunday's routine of long-tossing from 60, 90 and 120 feet,...

It seems that baseball is in love with big-time fastball velocity. Scouts talk about it, pitchers want to gain more of it, fans are impressed by it and reporters are plenty happy to keep track of it. It takes more than a good fastball to succeed on that mound - we all realize that - but it seems to be the first thing discussed when debating the talents of a pitcher, pro or amateur. How hard does he throw? Does his velocity hold up into the later innings? What speed does he top out at? Is he...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Today's workout begins at 10 a.m., which means clubhouse access for the media from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. Players will stretch and play catch before separating for infield drills, with the regulars occupying the Camden Yards field. Up to this point, Robert Andino has been taking ground balls at second with the projected starters while Brian Roberts heads back indoors to swing off a tee and lift weights. J.J. Hardy will need to get comfortable with all of the second base...

VIERA, Fla. - He's 31, hasn't played regularly in the majors in 2006 and last played in Japan, where the cultural experience far outweighed anything he did on the field. But Chad Tracy once slugged 27 homers in a single season for the Diamondbacks, where the man who drafted him is now the Nationals' general manager. Plus, he hits left-handed and is versatile enough to play both the infield and outfield corners. Not so long ago, Tracy would have bristled at the notion of being a bench...