Another day passed without any news from the warehouse, leaving me with little to do besides count the number of calls and text messages that went unreturned and sweeping up about 12 pounds of pine needles that fell off my Christmas tree as I carried it outside. At least some of my energy wasn't wasted. For what it's worth, I've heard from an industry source that the Orioles and Cubs discussed a trade involving Alfonso Soriano. It may have been a while ago and it may not have gone far -...

Nationals minor league pitcher Zech Zinicola has received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball for a second violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, according to a press release. The 26-year-old Zinicola's ban stemmed from a "drug of abuse," according to the release, meaning it wasn't for using performance-enhancing drugs. He was on the Triple-A Syracuse roster. The right-hander, a sixth-round pick of the Nationals in 2006, was 3-0 with a 2.01 ERA...

Limber up your typing fingers. Make sure your mouse-clicking wrist is at its most flexible. You'll need both come Saturday, Jan. 7, when vouchers for autograph sessions for the 2012 Orioles FanFest go on sale at 10 a.m. at www.orioles.com/fanfest. The list of autograph session times and who will be signing will be available at that same Web address by 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6. FanFest will be held Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Baltimore Convention Center from 11 a.m.-6 p.m., though season plan...

Vouchers for autograph sessions at the Orioles' 2012 FanFest will go on sale this Saturday, January 7, at 10:00 a.m. The list of autograph session times and participants will be posted online for preview at www.orioles.com/fanfest by 9 p.m. this Friday, Jan. 6. Orioles FanFest will be held on Saturday, Jan. 21 at the Baltimore Convention Center from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with early entry for Orioles Season Plan Holders to begin at 10 a.m. At this year's FanFest, the Orioles will continue an...

I'm starting to feel like I know Prince Fielder better than I should. Isn't it bad enough that I owned his slugging father Cecil on my American League Rotisserie team for many years, gambling a pick on the elder when he came back from Japan after rediscovering his home run stroke (and, apparently, a lot more rice than sushi)? But I've resigned myself to the fact that until he signs elsewhere, Prince will be dominating discussion in NatsTown. At least hot stove season isn't boring,...

Some fans that have commented on this blog in recent days have had a similar refrain: "Why not blow it up and start over?" Basically, those fans advocate a total rebuilding of the Orioles. Rather than sign a player like Adam Jones to a long-term contract, they prefer to see him and other key players traded to add prospects to rebuild the farm system and, eventually, the major league team. These fans reason that if the Orioles traded players like Jeremy Guthrie, J.J. Hardy, Jones and others,...

Who were you expecting, Prince Fielder? It's a slow morning for me, mostly because I don't have to prep for "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report." I no longer need to know that the Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom, their leading scorer with 42 points - including three assists in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Calgary - is day-to-day after being elbowed in the head by the Flames' Rene Bourque. I no longer need to know that New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford, who...

Early last season, the Single-A Potomac Nationals had to move some home games to Frederick, Md., and had other games postponed because their home field, Pfitzner Stadium, was deemed unplayable by minor league officials. The Nationals improved the clubhouse facilities for the home team during last season, expanding the locker room and coaches' offices, and added a new conference room behind the first base dugout. This season, improvements include a brand new grass field, installed last month,...

You only turn 117 once - well, you would if you'd have lived that long - so that milestone calls for a celebration of Ruthian proportions. If you're a Baltimore baseball history nut, join like-minded fans at Sports Legends Museum on Friday, Feb. 10 for Babe's Birthday Bash, which will mark the 117th anniversary of Babe Ruth's birth in Baltimore (in the interest of history, please note that the Babe's actual arrival came Feb. 6, 1895, but organizers prefer a Friday night over a Tuesday...

According to this tweet from Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, the Nationals have signed right-hander Dan Cortes, who has pitched in the majors during parts of two seasons with the Mariners. The 24-year-old Cortes was originally a seventh-round pick by the White Sox in 2005, and was then traded to the Royals in July 2006 in a deal for reliever Mike MacDougal and dealt to the Mariners in July 2009 in a swap for shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. Cortes reached the majors in 2010 with...