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...

Scratch Greg Dobbs off the Nationals' list of potential bench additions for 2012. The left-handed-hitting corner infielder/outfielder signed a two-year, $3 million deal Tuesday to remain with the Miami Marlins. The 33-year-old Dobbs is a career .259 hitter with nine homers and 60 RBIs as a pinch hitter. Manager Davey Johnson wanted a guy or two on the bench who could run into a fastball late in a game, and Dobbs certainly fit that job description. So the Nationals will continue their search...

Former major league catcher Randy Knorr begins a new challenge with the Nationals' organization as manager Davey Johnson's right hand-man - he's the new bench coach in the first base dugout. Knorr has been managing parts of six seasons in the franchise's system, most recently as the skipper for the Triple-A Syracuse Chiefs. Knorr has been with the Nationals before. He served as Nationals' bullpen coach for parts of the 2006 season and the complete 2009 schedule. While he enjoys any role...

Here's wishing Brandon Snyder well with the Texas Rangers. He is someone I first met while broadcasting Aberdeen IronBirds games and he played there briefly in 2005 and 2006. When Snyder had that big first half with Double-A Bowie in 2009, he looked like he was on his way to one day being the Orioles' regular first baseman. But he never did put up big numbers at Triple-A Norfolk, some fans began to doubt him and he didn't seem to be too high on Buck Showalter's list last year...

Yesterday's trade for Jai Miller further crowds the Orioles' outfield and make it impossible to craft a 25-man roster from the current crop of contenders. Who's starting in left field? Who's on the bench besides backup catcher Taylor Teagarden? Is there room for both Miller and outfielder Endy Chavez? Could Nolan Reimold get most of his at-bats as the designated hitter, with Miller and Chavez sharing left? Is Adam Jones really going to be traded? Executive vice president Dan Duquette's...

Turns out there was some meat to those rumors after all. The Nationals are, indeed, in the running to sign free agent slugger Prince Fielder, and met with Fielder's agent, Scott Boras, recently in Washington, D.C., according to a baseball source. The news was first reported by MLB.com. Confirmation that the Nationals are talking to Fielder should come as no surprise, considering general manager Mike Rizzo has said he felt the team was one big bat and one solid arm away from contending for a...