Beginning at midnight on Wednesday, November 9, Washington Nationals fans are encouraged to visit http://give2max.razoo.com/story/Washington-Nationals-Dream-Foundation to donate money to the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation as part of "Give to the Max Day: Greater Washington," a one-day regional online fundraiser to help raise money for D.C.-area nonprofit organizations. The Dream Foundation is calling on the support of Nationals fans across the region to donate money during the 24...

The man who used to pretend he was Brooks Robinson as a kid and who later delivered newspapers to the Massachusetts home of Mark Belanger made his way into the MASNsports.com studios today for a one-on-one video interview. I had a chance to ask new Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette about getting back into the game, his initial top priorities, working with manager Buck Showalter and more.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter confirmed today that the Orioles signed a six-year minor league free agent yesterday, so the Dan Duquette era already has started. That didn't take long. Showalter also is meeting later today with a candidate for his coaching staff, and could set up other meetings after flying home to Dallas. Here are some quotes from Showalter regarding Duquette: "It's very obvious when he came in that he was very up to speed on the Orioles, and it was fun to watch him...

After his press conference today, new Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette was asked about staffing and the makeup of his front office. "I staff my office or my team from strength. I try to put the people that are strong in one area, in that area. I try to pair up the person's passion with their strength. Once I decide what people are good at and passionate about, then I assign titles. It's not really about the titles to me. It's about pairing up skills with...

Dan Duquette wore an orange tie that manager Buck Showalter handed him shortly before today's press conference. He further tried to stamp out the perception that he's an outsider by relaying a story about how as a kid he'd pretend to be Brooks Robinson while playing Wiffle Ball with his brother in a lot behind his backyard. The teams would be divided between the '66 Orioles and '67 Red Sox. One of his childhood friends would play first base like Boog Powell. His father once told him that...

Nationals fans were able to finally see infielder Steve Lombardozzi play in the big leagues with 13 games in September. Lombardozzi batted .194 with six hits, one double and one RBI for the Nationals. But he also played in 134 games in the minors in 2011, hitting a stellar .309 with 25 doubles, nine triples, eight homers, 30 stolen bases and 52 RBIs. Baseball America continues to take notice of the 23-year old son of a former major leaguer, from Fulton, Md. Lombardozzi is rated the No.10...

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...