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...

After he and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail held their fan forum here today with season ticket holders, Orioles manager Buck Showalter talked with reporters on a few O's topics. Showalter was asked if the club still wants to sign a veteran starting pitcher. "It's something we have kicked around a lot. Just because a guy doesn't necessarily look attractive with his recent track record doesn't mean he's not going to be an impactful pitcher for us," he said. "We are still...

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said he received a positive report on free-agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer, who threw for their Arizona-based scout yesterday. The Orioles retain interest in Duchscherer, but MacPhail warned again that you can't read too much into a pitcher's winter bullpen session. "We're pleased with the way he's come along at this point," MacPhail said. "As I mentioned before, that is not an uncommon occurrence for us. We have seen this year three or...

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and manager Buck Showalter are taking questions from season-ticket holders at the first forum of today's FanFest at the Baltimore Convention Center. Showalter received a rousing ovation and chants of "Buck, Buck Buck." MacPhail told the crowd that the Orioles have interest in bringing back Kevin Millwood, saying the idea hasn't been ruled out "by any stretch," but the hindrance in signing any of the remaining free-agent starters is the...

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