The Orioles made an interesting personnel move today, placing reliever Jim Hoey on the 40-man roster. Gone, but not forgotten. Hoey appeared in 12 games with the Orioles in 2006 and 23 in 2007, going a combined 3-5 with an 8.13 ERA, 23 walks and 24 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. He didn't pitch in 2008 because of a shoulder injury that required an arthroscopic procedure, and he spent last year at Double-A Bowie. That's the gone part. Hoey was 2-0 with a 3.16 ERA in 24 games with Bowie this...

The hot stove season in baseball can be a lot of fun. It's a time where there is a lot of speculation about which players will end up where, who will sign for what dollar amounts and so forth. It can also be a bit of a frustrating time. There are just so many reports and speculation out there anymore and, to me, pretty much every year now, most of it winds up being not completely true or, at the other end of the spectrum, totally wrong. I know that every time any player signs with just...

As I continue to flip through the Orioles' season-in-review and wonder why, in this version, Nolan Reimold has the bad back and Felix Pie injures his Achilles... (OK, not really) • The Orioles were 29-21 in one-run games, including 12-5 under manager Buck Showalter and an astounding 22-6 at Camden Yards. Minnesota led the AL with 31 one-run victories. Texas had 30. • The Orioles were 11-21 in games decided by two...

Nationals second baseman Danny Espinosa continues to play well in winter ball in Puerto Rico and has altered his batting stance a little to shorten his swing so he can make more contact and get on base. "I have made a little bit of an adjustment. The first three games (here in Puerto Rico) I had four or five strikeouts. That was a point that manager Jim Riggleman had really touched on is that they would really like to see those (strikeout numbers) go down. He said he would be willing to give...

My Orioles postseason media guide just arrived in the mail. Spoiler alert: In this version, they make the playoffs. Flipping through the pages, provided by the Orioles' first-rate PR staff, I'm reminded that: • The Orioles won 34 games from the start of August through the end of the season, the most since 1996, when they won 35 games on their way to the Division Series and ALCS. • The Orioles won 34 games after suffering their...

RHP Jason Berken Reinstated from 60-day Disabled List The Orioles today announced that RHP Frank Mata has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. Mata, 26, made his major league debut on May 26 and pitched to a 7.79 ERA (17.1IP, 15ER) in 15 games with the Orioles. Additionally, RHP Jason Berken has been reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.

Bodog has made the New York Yankees a 4/1 favorite to win the World Series next year. The Giants are 10/1 to repeat. The Orioles are 75/1, but that's better than five other teams. Of course, you can't get a true read on a team until Opening Day. Rosters are a long way from being set. New York Yankees 4/1 Philadelphia Phillies 6/1 Boston Red Sox 10/1 San Francisco Giants 10/1 St. Louis Cardinals ...

I have a few items to pass along on this rainy day, starting with the sad news that Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson died today as a result of complications from dementia. He was 76. RIP Captain Hook. Reliever Frank Mata cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. He's taken off the 40-man roster to make room for pitcher Jason Berken, who was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list. And you thought today would be void of news. Update: I should mention that Mata becomes a...

It should come as no surprise that when Nationals pitcher Collin Balester heard about a mustache-growing movement called Movember, he immediately wanted to get involved. The reliever's previous experiments with mustaches were well documented on his Twitter feed. This time, however, the experiment will be for a cause that is very important to him. "I've decided to donate my face to raising awareness about cancers that affect men," he said in an e-mail. "My commitment is the growth of a...

MASN, the local leader in live sports entertainment, will televise East Carolina's game against Navy on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. live in high definition from Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, NC. The exclusive production highlights MASN's four-year partnership with East Carolina University. MASN's coverage features veteran Pirates play-by-play voice Patrick Kinas with Chris Hemeyer as sideline reporter and former ECU kicker Kevin Miller providing color analysis. Ruffin McNeill's Pirates...