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...

For the second consecutive year, Sarasota County libraries and the Baltimore Orioles are teaming up to promote reading through the Orioles Big League Reader program. Children who sign up for the program and read three or more books in the month of February will receive a reserved grandstand ticket to the Wednesday, March 14 game versus the Pittsburgh Pirates. Last season over one hundred Sarasota-area children completed the program and were eligible to receive a free ticket to an Orioles spring...

Forget the free-agent market. The Orioles clearly want to do most of their shopping in the international market. The Orioles have signed Andres Aguilar, an 18-year-old outfielder from Guatemala. He'll be assigned to the Gulf Coast League team unless the roster is full. If there's no room, he'll be placed on the Dominican Summer League team. Here's Aguilar taking a round of batting practice: Fred Ferreira, the Orioles' executive director of international recruiting, returned home from...

If you're heading down to sunny Florida to watch the Nationals during spring training, I'm jealous. I'm not going anywhere. But while I'm enjoying the winter winds of the mid-Atlantic, fans who do make the trek to Viera, Fla., will get the chance to see the Nationals take on Georgetown University's baseball team in an exhibition game Friday, March 2. The Nationals will serve as hosts and first pitch is slated for noon at Space Coast Stadium. This will be the second time the Nats and...

Did you apply to be a part of the Nat Pack? Are you a die-hard Nationals fan, the kind who bleeds red, err ... red, white and blue, and doesn't mind dancing in front of a huge crowd? If so, and you submitted an application to join the Nationals' fun-loving, baseball-rooting crew, the Nationals are inviting candidates to the first day of 2012 Nat Pack auditions to be held Saturday, Jan. 28. The auditions take place from 10 a.m.-noon and will be held at Nationals Park. Each participant will...