It's official, the date you've been waiting for to plan your late-January social calendar. Mark it down. Jan. 21 is FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center. It'll run from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. (but if you're a season ticket plan holder, you can enter an hour earlier, at 10 a.m., because of your Orange Carpet perks). The Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau is the presenting sponsor of the event, a day-long celebration of baseball in Baltimore that will include everything an Oriole-centric...

Here is a fair question that some of the Orioles' prospects in the higher minor leagues might be asking these days: How much of a chance will I get in the next year or two with the Orioles? Pitchers wondering that could include Tim Bascom, Steve Johnson, Oliver Drake, Cole McCurry, Chris Tillman and Sean Gleason. Position players asking that could include Ryan Adams, Matt Angle, Josh Bell, Brandon Snyder, Kyle Hudson, Tyler Henson, Xavier Avery, Caleb Joseph, Joe Mahoney, Xavier Avery and LJ...

I wonder whether the Orioles will announce Lee Thomas' hiring as assistant general manager, or whatever title they'll give him, or make us wait until everyone is in place, including scouts and the minor league managers and coaches. My assumption is they'll announce Thomas sooner, since they already confirmed Gary Rajsich as director of amateur scouting. Executive vice president Dan Duquette declined comment on Thomas during yesterday's teleconference. Thomas was the Phillies' general...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette had a busy day today. He completed a trade with the Texas Rangers for backup catcher Taylor Teagarden. He reportedly hired former Philadelphia Phillies general manager Lee Thomas as his assistant. And he interviewed a batch of candidates for the minor league pitching coordinator position that Alan Dunn vacated in June. One of the candidates is former Athletics, Mets and Brewers pitching coach Rick Peterson, who met with Duquette at the...

Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette declined comment on reports that he's hired former Phillies general manager Lee Thomas as a special assistant, but he had plenty to say about new catcher Taylor Teagarden. "Taylor will be 28 at the end of December and he's an established and accomplished major league catcher," Duquette said during a conference call with reporters. "He has an excellent ability to handle a pitching staff. Pitchers like throwing to him, and he's very good at...

I'll start with the front office. According to multiple reports. the Orioles have hired former Phillies general manager Lee Thomas as an assistant to executive vice president Dan Duquette. I'll get confirmation at 5 p.m., when Duquette and new catcher Taylor Teagarden will be made available to reporters on a conference call. As for FanFest, the Orioles have scheduled the annual event for Jan. 21 at the Baltimore Convention Center. It will run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., with early entry for...

FanFest tickets on sale now; Individual Game tickets on sale January 21 The kickoff to the 2012 baseball season will begin on Saturday, January 21, as the Orioles host their annual FanFest event at the Baltimore Convention Center. 2012 FanFest, presented by the Sarasota Convention & Visitor's Bureau, will feature appearances by current and former Orioles players and coaches as part of a day-long celebration of baseball that will also include clinics, exhibits and interactive games. The event...

The Orioles have designated left-handed reliever Pedro Viola for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster for new catcher Taylor Teagarden. The Orioles made the trade official by sending out a press release a few minutes ago. The Rangers acquired minor league pitcher Randy Henry and a player to be named in exchange for Teagarden. Teagarden, who turns 28 on Dec. 21, has appeared in 118 games for the Texas Rangers over the last four seasons, batting .220 (77-for-350) with 16 home runs and...

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired catcher Taylor Teagarden from the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league right-handed pitcher Randy Henry and a player to be named later. Teagarden, who turns 28 on December 21, has appeared in 118 games for Texas over the last four seasons, batting .220 (77-350) with 16 home runs and 49 RBIs. He has a .985 career fielding percentage in the major leagues and has thrown out 30.5 percent of runners attempting to steal (25-82). "Taylor is...

I just returned home from today's video chat with Steve Melewski at the MASNsports.com Web studio, and I wanted to pass along a quick update on the Orioles' catching situation. The Orioles are on the verge of trading for a backup, and it appears to be Taylor Teagarden, a former third-round pick of the Texas Rangers who's a career .220 hitter in parts of four major league seasons. Manager Buck Showalter has ties to Teagarden, who turns 28 later this month, from their days together in...