I'm sure plenty of you are still recovering from the Ravens' loss yesterday. One friend of mine is inconsolable. She sent me a profanity-filled text message late in the fourth quarter because she couldn't curse at home in front of her kids. That's what I'm here for. I guess the countdown to spring training intensifies. There's one less distraction. Not long after the Orioles confirmed that they'd hired Buck Showalter as their third manager of 2010, I was asked whether free agents...

You get it. Tackling a few topics - an appropriate term for the weekend of football that is now here. But back to the topic at hand for this blog, here is a take or two on an O's topic or two. A tale of two players It has been pointed out before - many, many times - that some players don't seem to want to come to Baltimore through free agency. I can only conclude now that Adam LaRoche was one of those players. At his Nats press conference Friday he said Washington was "a place I wanted...

I feel as though I've written this before and it doesn't pan out, but the Orioles' bullpen, at least on paper, appears to be the real strength of this club. We don't know which left-hander will be signed, but the backend of the 'pen is daunting. Kevin Gregg's experience closing in the American League East is a huge benefit, and Koji Uehara is more than capable, as he proved over the second half of last season. Jim Johnson says that his elbow is a non-issue. If it stays that way and...

The Orioles have announced the lineup for autograph sessions for FanFest, which will be held Jan. 29, from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Baltimore Convention Center. The club's new autograph policy will both raise funds for OriolesREACH charitable endeavors and reduce fan disappointment by shortening lines. By outlining which players will be available for autographs in which locations, the Orioles hope to maximize each fan's opportunity to get the autographs he or she most desires. Autograph...

As you've heard, the Orioles have introduced a new autograph policy for their annual FanFest on Jan. 29 at the Baltimore Convention Center, which is designed to support youth charitable endeavors through OriolesREACH and shorten wait times. Children ages 4-14 will have a specially designated Kids Only player autograph station that is free of charge and will operate continuously throughout the day. All other stations will require the advance purchase of autograph vouchers exclusively at...

The Washington Nationals have announced that the third annual NatsFest will take place on Wednesday, March 30. In previous years, the Nationals hosted a winter caravan leading up to NatsFest in late January, but they are trying a new approach in 2011. The event is on a Wednesday, though the team believes fan participation will be higher than ever. "Through this event, we hope to engage our fans like never before and get them excited for what is sure to be an electrifying baseball season,"...

Brand-new Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche was introduced Friday at Nationals Park and talked about how he wants to make his new home as difficult a place to play as any in the National League. In years past as a visiting ball player, that was not the case. LaRoche arrived as a Pirate, Brave and even a Diamondback at Nats Park and those teams expected to win and usually did. "It was pretty comfortable coming in here to play a series," LaRoche remembered. "That is no...

By now most readers of this blog have probably come to learn that I have had a life-long passion for my favorite baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles. My close friends and family know that later in life I developed a passion for a college baseball team, the Florida State Seminoles. For two seasons, in 2005 and 2006, I was the radio play-by-play broadcaster for FSU baseball. It didn't take me long to learn of the program's amazing history and many remarkable traditions along with its...

Kevin Gregg, talking to reporters earlier today on a conference call, discussed the negotiating process that eventually brought him to Baltimore. "It was one of those things where it's nice to see interest early, know what's going on," he said. "Fortunately for me, I had a lot of interest all over board. They see you as closer, they see you as setup guy. A lot of different angles and contracts to be presented, and I think that time frame was just going through stuff and trying to find the...

Nationals left-hander Ross Detwiler has had a productive offseason as he recovers from a nagging hip injury that slowed down his 2010 season. Due to the injury, Detwiler was limited to five starts in 2010, appearing in eight games with a 1-3 record and finishing with a 4.25 ERA in 29 2/3 innings. Detwiler has been working out in his native Missouri in the offseason under the direction of Nationals head athletic trainer Lee Kuntz and believes he will be ready to go for spring training. "It...