Josh Bell looks noticeably thinner since he's been working out with former Oriole Brady Anderson. He can't tell you how much weight he's lost, but he brought a different body to FanFest. "I haven't jumped on a scale yet," Bell said. "I'm going to wait to surprise myself. I feel great. I'm running well. Everything's stronger." Bell started his winter in Arizona and has since relocated to Florida and California. He's spent the last two weeks with Anderson in California. Bell is...

Mark Connor has spent his winter getting acclimated to his new pitching staff. He's been watching videos that the Orioles supplied for him. No sense waiting until spring training. "I had the video coordinator (Michael Silverman) make up some DVDs of all these guys, as much as you can get - good outings, bad outings - just to kind of wrap my arms around these guys and see what they're all about from a physical standpoint," said Connor, who replaces Rick Kranitz as pitching coach. "You...

Nolan Reimold is at FanFest - and happy to still be an Oriole. During the Winter Meetings, it looked like Reimold would get dealt to Tampa Bay in a move that would have made shortstop Jason Bartlett an Oriole. "I woke up one morning and got a text from my agent to call him and that's how I found out I was about to get traded. But I'm happy that fell through and I'm still in Baltimore," he said. "I thought it was almost a done deal and then it fell through. That's the first time my...

If you want to meet someone that is almost bubbling over with excitement for the new Orioles season, check out new first base coach Wayne Kirby. Kirby is the only member of the new O's staff that has never coached in the majors, but he can't wait to get started. "I have a lot of passion for this game," Kirby said. "I bring energy every day and kids feed off that. If I'm dead, (a player) may be. I'll bring it every day and they might have to tell me to shut up." Kirby. who will also...

Professional athletes and celebrities including Nationals pitcher Collin Balester have teamed up with TwitChange, an online organizing and fundraising service to raise money for Operation Once in a Lifetime. The TwitChange campaign is led by Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, who recruited dozens of fellow athletes and celebrities on Twitter to join his cause. From today through Feb. 5, fans can bid on Twitter-inspired auctions featuring their favorite celebrities and athletes including...

Brad Bergesen says he's been going online for the first time this winter to check on the Orioles' offseason moves. He laughed when I asked which sites he checks. I was serious, but anyway... Bergesen has joined the ranks of the excited. He's expecting much better results from the Orioles in 2011. "I've been paying attention because there's been so much activity," he said. "I'm on the computer almost every night, just doing a quick search, seeing if anything's new. Obviously, I...

Matt Wieters hopes to put up better numbers on offense this year, and when he analyzed his game after the 2010 season he came to the conclusion that he chased too many pitches last season. "It's consistency, getting pitches to hit and not chasing them out of the zone. In the minors, I prided myself on discipline at the plate and last year I got away from that a little bit, tried to do too much. You have to give yourself the best chance," he said. "I went out of the zone I am comfortable...

Shortstop J.J. Hardy and second baseman Brian Roberts stepped behind the stage to meet with reporters a few minutes ago. Hardy is impressed by today's fan turnout. "This is pretty good," he said. "I don't know how many people it is. They said about 10,000. It sounds like everyone is pretty excited." That includes Hardy. "This offseason, I didn't know what was going to happen," he said. "I felt like I was going to get traded. I didn't know where. With all the moves that the...

Orioles starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie said today at FanFest that he and the club have had a conversation about the possibility of a long-term contract. "I don't think the parties agreed on the length of it, but I love Baltimore. I love pitching here and anytime you can provide your family with security, it's a great option. I'm very happy to also play it out year-by-year and have the motivation to go out and do the best that I can. Whatever happens, I'll be a good spot," Guthrie...

Orioles lefty Brian Matusz is enjoying the optimism around the Baltimore Convention Center today and said he is pretty psyched for the 2011 season. "You can see it, everyone is excited," he said. "We just seem like a team, we all are real comfortable right now. I keep saying it, but I am real excited about this spring. Our new park (in Sarasota), I hear is amazing." Matusz said he had a productive winter of workouts on the West Coast. "It's been a good offseason. I've been working out...