The United States Postal Service is asking for your suggestions for a new stamp. For years, the post office wouldn't put someone on a stamp that hadn't been dead for at least five years. That appears to be changing. According to this piece in The Washington Post, one person that could be on a new stamp is Hall of Famer and longtime Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. Ripken's competition includes Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Billy Graham, former president Bill Clinton, Jerry Lewis and President Barack...

DALLAS - Just to keep the rumor mill from spinning completely out of control, I'll try to slow it a little by passing along confirmation that the Orioles aren't interested in Cubs left fielder Alfonso Soriano. The Cubs reportedly are trying to convince the Orioles to take Soriano and are willing to absorb most of the $54 million he's owed. I'm told that the Orioles will pass on that offer. Keep in mind that the Cubs approached the Orioles. I never heard that the Orioles initiated talks....

Left-hander Sammy Solis has seen a doctor in Los Angeles to check discomfort in his throwing elbow, a club source confirmed. As first reported in the Washington Times, Solis has consulted with Dr. Lewis Yocum and team doctor Wiemi Douoguih the past few weeks after feeling soreness in his elbow during Arizona Fall League competition. Rizzo told the Times they are not considering Tommy John yet, but they always have to be take precautions when dealing with the elbow of a pitcher. During his...

DALLAS - The Nationals are shopping for a center fielder at the Winter Meetings. How about the Orioles' Adam Jones? Here's a proposal: The Orioles trade Jones to the Nationals for a pitcher, John Lannan or Ross Detwiler, second baseman Steve Lombardozzi and centerfielder Roger Bernadina. The Nationals could get one more player, but basically, the players named would be the foundation of the proposal. The trade would be good for the Orioles because it would boost their pitching staff and...

DALLAS - Dmitri Young strolls through the Hilton Anatole lobby at the Winter Meetings, stopping to greet old baseball friends. An effervescent grin has replaced the frustrated scowl that Young wore as his major league career wore down, and he's a shade of his former self, having pared his more than 300-lb. frame down to a svelte 230 lbs. "Cap and gown," he cracks wise when asked when the last time he was at this weight. The 38-year-old Young last played in 2008 for the Nationals, when...

DALLAS - The Chicago White Sox and Tampa Rays have pitching to spare. The Orioles want a frontline starter to stabilize their rotation and take a little more pressure off the young arms. So how exactly are they supposed to match up? That's the burning question here at the Hilton Anatole. As I wrote earlier, White Sox general manger Kenny Williams would move Gavin Floyd or John Danks, but he wants young pitching in return. He's also in the market for an outfield prospect. The Orioles are...

DALLAS - Some fans have asked why the Orioles would trade pitching for pitching, as for instance moving Jeremy Guthrie and getting a pitcher of Guthrie's ability back in return. Isn't that just swapping one deck chair for another? One reason to do that would be to get a pitcher that is younger and perhaps less expensive. Before you go saying, "There the Orioles go, going cheaper again," that move could be smart and they could use the savings in another area. Of course, under the above...

DALLAS - Back in 2008, after his last draft as general manager of the Nationals, Jim Bowden spoke glowingly about the waves of talent that would start lapping at the shores of the Anacostia River a few years down the road. It was easy to brush off Bowden's claims as the eternal hope of an eternally optimistic baseball executive saddled with a moribund club, but there were whispers that the addition of scouting whiz Mike Rizzo from Arizona in 2005 was paying tangible dividends, even if the best...

DALLAS - While the Orioles have yet to make any deals or acquisitions here at baseball's Winter Meetings, they clearly have a lot of irons in the fire. One source familiar with the club's work here last year and this year described them as much more active now. Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette told us last night that he has talked to more than 10 teams but he didn't give reporters an indication whether any deals are close or getting closer at this point. Former president Andy...

Talk at the Winter Meetings regarding the Nationals outfield has general manager Mike Rizzo considering putting veteran Jayson Werth in center field. Werth enjoyed playing the spot in limited duty last season and did well defensively. If the Nationals cannot get Denard Span or B.J. Upton through a trade and their other center field options dry up, one possibility could be to move Werth there for 2012. This also could mean that No. 1 prospect Bryce Harper would be the Nationals right fielder...