This morning, the Orioles introduced their new executive vice president of baseball operations, former Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox GM Dan Duquette. It's fair to say the public's reaction, at least so far, has been mixed. In fact, after nearly a decade spent away from Major League Baseball, the question most people are asking is ... who is this guy? A more detailed timeline is below, but in its most basic terms, here's Duquette's history in the game of baseball: 1981-87: Scout,...

The Orioles today announced that they have named Dan Duquette as Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. A veteran of over two decades in baseball operations at the Major League level, including 10 of those seasons as General Manager with the Montreal Expos and Boston Red Sox, Duquette has a proven track record of utilizing strong scouting and player development to construct contending franchises. "I am pleased to welcome Dan Duquette to the Orioles organization ," said Orioles...

I'm wondering whether the Twins will take a similar beating to the one delivered to the Orioles after they waited until yesterday to fire general manager Bill Smith. At least the Twins acted quickly in naming a replacement, former GM Terry Ryan, but what's up with the timing of the change? I told you on Friday that the Twins denied the Orioles permission to interview vice president of player personnel Mike Radcliff because of "internal reorganization and promotions that could be in the...

The holidays are less than two months away and, let's face it, nobody wants another itchy sweater or a deluxe meat and cheese platter. Looking for something special to put under the tree or for that sixth night of Hanukkah? How about a three- or five-game ticket plan for the Nationals? Right now, fans can purchase Nationals Holiday Gift Packs, complete with tickets to either three of the Nationals' 2012 games or, for a few bucks more, five games. One option is the Opening Day Pack. At...

Here are some current stats on players from the Orioles organization that are playing in winter ball leagues around the world: In the Dominican: * Pedro Florimon is batting .235/0/1 going 4-for-17 with seven strikeouts. * Pedro Viola is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 11 games. In 7 1/3 he has allowed four hits and one run. * Jose Diaz is 0-0 with an ERA of 0.00 over eight games. In 8 2/3 innings, he has allowed just one hit and no runs with a batting average against of just .038. Austrailian Baseball...

When the Georgetown University men's basketball team traveled to China this past summer, the Hoyas went with a videographer who documented the trip, from start to finish. The end product of that historic 11-day trip can now be seen by all as MASN will air "From the Baseline" on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. Produced by the Georgetown Athletics Department and Futureview, Inc., "From the Baseline" provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the Hoyas trip. It documents the team from its departure...

The Orioles have scheduled an 11 a.m. press conference Tuesday at the warehouse to introduce Dan Duquette to the local media. The press conference will air live on MASN and will be streamed live on MASNsports.com. The Orioles have given Duquette the title of executive vice president of baseball operations, which wasn't on my short list. I kept referring to the job as "general manager" or "president of baseball operations." I may have to abbreviate it to executive VP of baseball ops....

Scottsdale left-hander Sammy Solis has been named the Pitcher of the Week for Week 5 of the Arizona Fall League. Solis worked eight innings, allowing no earned runs with 14 strikeouts in his last two outings. He shone Friday in his only start of the week, striking out nine batters in four scoreless frames in a win over Phoenix. The nine punchouts were a single-game best in the AFL this season. Solis ranks second in strikeouts (23) and is tied for third in innings pitched (23). It is big for...

In 2002, when Dan Duquette was fired by the Boston Red Sox as their general manager, he vowed to make a comeback. Now, he gets his chance as the Orioles' top executive. Duquette left Boston in cloud of controversy, and because of that, he probably didn't get proper credit for his role in building the Red Sox's 2004 World Series championship team. His strengths are his Latin American connections and his ability to develop players. He gets credit for pulling off the most lopsided trade in...

In Baltimore, we know Cal Ripken Jr. as The Iron Man. This week, he takes on a different moniker: baseball ambassador. From Nov. 8-16, Ripken will take participate in a diplomatic mission through Japan, where he will conduct baseball and softball clinics in Tokyo, Takarazuka and Kyoto. Officially, Ripken will be functioning as a U.S. Public Diplomacy Envoy, a State Department position that allows him to assume role of sports diplomat. This is the third trip Ripken has taken in this capacity....