Do you know a woman who has gone to bat against breast cancer? Major League Baseball and Susan G. Komen for the Cure are again teaming up to honor and celebrate extraordinary women across the country who have battled breast cancer. To enter, fans can submit stories about how they've battled or overcome breast cancer. You can also sort through the inspiring stories and vote for your favorite candidates. The winners will serve as honorary bat girls during Major League Baseball's Mother's...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Manager Buck Showalter had some flattering observations about catcher Matt Wieters, who seems to be everybody's choice to have a breakout season. "You can just tell by his face a little bit, Matt takes everything personal with the pitching staff," Showalter said. "Everybody I've talked to, and I've talked to a lot of people who have had him, whether it's minor league managers or coaches or college coaches, say that Matt was not only a good player, obviously, but...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitcher Mitch Atkins is dealing with a strained left oblique, and Rule 5 pick Adrian Rosario was sent home again today with a slight fever. Luis Lebron threw another bullpen session today, and his pitches were much crisper. Manager Buck Showalter also noted that Lebron walked off the mound with a smile on his face. Vladimir Guerrero isn't likely to play the outfield in exhibition games. "I don't have any plans to do it right now," Showalter said. Guerrero has made it...

With the news coming out of Sarasota this week that Brandon Snyder will put the catching gear back on for a look at that spot in the big league camp, it reminds me of a topic we've discussed here before: defensive versatility in the O's minor leagues. We began to see some of it last summer. This year, we should see players at times playing somewhere that would not normally be their regular position. For instance, first baseman Joe Mahoney played four games in the outfield at Single-A...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Vladimir Guerrero is sitting at his locker this morning. The results of his physical could be obtained later today, but he's still scheduled to be introduced to the media tomorrow. In the meantime, he'll hit the weights and enjoy the rest of his day. It's an abbreviated workout today. Manager Buck Showalter and a group of players are participating in Jim Johnson's charity golf tournament, so we'll be wrapping up before noon. I can hit the weights and enjoy the rest of...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Robert Andino is taking his physical this morning and throwing his hat into the utility ring. With Cesar Izturis assured of making the club as the backup middle infielder, Andino will try to win a job as a reserve at the corners. He's never played first base, and his six career starts at third base came last season. "Just catch the ball," he said. "That's all it is. Just catch the ball." Andino didn't do it enough last year to impress former manager Dave Trembley, and...

The Orioles have announced the schedules for their minor league spring training squads. The clubs will play 16 spring training contests. Minor league pitchers and catchers will report to camp in Sarasota on Sunday, March 6, while position players will report on Thursday, March 10. There will be four games each day with a Triple-A, Double-A and two Single-A games with the two O's higher level squads playing at one site and the two lower level clubs at another. If the higher level teams are...

SARASOTA, Fla. - What makes a good bullpen session? As a friend and former colleague pointed out, it's whenever the catcher walks up to the pitcher afterward and shakes his hand. No injury, no problem. Jeremy Guthrie completed his second session here in Sarasota without a hitch or a glitch. He mixed in a fastball, curveball and changeup, and Jake Fox shook his hand in between the mound and the plate. It's common for the two participants to meet in the middle. Guthrie will incorporate his...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Pitchers Justin Duchscherer and Adrian Rosario were sent back to their condo and hotel, respectively, because they're dealing with virus symptoms. They weren't scheduled to throw today, so at least they exhibited good timing. Manager Buck Showalter included Josh Bell among the players who are competing for a utility spot. Mark Reynolds is the starting third baseman, which seems to indicate that Bell is headed to Triple-A Norfolk. That's still the likely outcome, but Bell...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Mark Reynolds put on quite a display on one of the back fields this afternoon, hitting tape-measure home runs each time he stepped into the cage. He launched a few balls to center field. He bounced a few more into the parking lot beyond the left field fence. And he lowered the temperature around the cage by five or six degrees each time he took another mighty swing. We're still learning about Reynolds, but we found out today that he owns Double-A manager Gary Kendall, who...