Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu was in Scottsdale this week to coach and monitor Harper and the rest of the Nationals' Arizona prospects, and he recently gave me an update on the number one draft pick's progress. Harper is batting .375, 3-for-8, with a double and 2 RBI in his first two games. His slugging percentage is .500 and his OPS is .875 with no errors in the field. In his first game Wednesday, Harper went 1-for-4 with a bases loaded ground rule double. but Schu said Harper...

O's minor league player of the year Joe Mahoney was really looking forward to the challenge of playing winter ball in Venezuela. He arrived there last weekend, just a few days after getting married and joined the Margarita Island team. But before the first game he played in was even over, he was injured. On the second pitch of his fourth at bat, Mahoney came up with a sprained right wrist. He was replaced immediately. "It happened on a swing. I swung through a pitch and felt, not really...

So much for my Yankees-Phillies prediction. I really liked the Phillies to win it all. Then again, I also liked New Coke, so don't go by me. I'm glad that Aubrey Huff, dubbed the "Happy Slacker" by Sun columnist Peter Schmuck, is getting a chance to play in the World Series. It looked like he could barely choke back the tears last night. You'd be emotional, too, if you spent all those years playing at Tropicana Field before the Rays actually got good. I can't slam the Orioles for...

After another win on Saturday, the Arizona Fall League's Scottsdale Scorpions improved to 8-3 and they have the best record in the league. There are eight O's minor leaguers playing on that Scorpions team. Here are the up-to-date stats on all eight. The hitters: Ryan Adams: .333-1-8.......7 games.....9-27 AB. Xavier Avery: .259-0-1.......7 games.....7-27 AB. Caleb Joseph: .417-0-0......4 games....5-12 AB. Greg Miclat: .333-0-1........7 games......9-27 AB. Adams went 0 for 4 on...

My thermostat says it's 63 degrees. I don't want to turn on my heat yet...but my thermostat says it's 63 degrees. Should we hold a moment of silence for the Yankees? I didn't think so. Alex Rodriguez taking a called third strike to end the ALCS brought a smile to my face. I won't lie. Is there any doubt that the Yankees will throw about $400 million at Cliff Lee this winter? The Rangers are actually in the World Series. Somewhere, Oddibe McDowell is smiling. So is Buck Showalter,...

Ballgame over. Season over. Yankees lose. Theeeeeeee Yankees lose!!! Of course, I had to go there. Jeffrey Maier II could not even save them. When you flaunt winning like they do, like their fans do, like even their play-by-play announcer does, you have to expect some fans to revel in it when you lose. To some, the Yankees represent excellence - To others, all that is wrong with baseball. Checkbook baseball. Right after they lost Friday night, my first thought was this: If they...

On one hand, the regular season feels like it ended ages ago; and on the other, it feels like October baseball has flown by...which has it felt like for you? But in the meantime, if you have kids, you're also probably gearing up for another reason to sport the orange and black - Halloween. And this year, Major League Baseball is helping you combine two of your favorite October traditions by hosting the World Series of Costumes competition. Click here to visit MLB.com/Halloween to upload...

Harrisburg Senators' second baseman Steve Lombardozzi is enjoying his first week in the Arizona Fall league after fine tuning his game at instructs early in the month. Lombardozzi is batting .238 with four doubles and an RBI in five games, a .429 SLG and with a .789 OPS with no errors. "It was great," Lombardozzi said. "It was good to see the other coaches like (Tony) Tarasco and (Matt) LeCroy - good to see the guys I hadn't seen in awhile, especially my teammates." Lombardozzi says...

On Friday, the Washington Post Express newspaper published its Best of 2010 list, naming Stephen Strasburg the "best offseason acquisition" of 2010. That category is a bit misleading, since Strasburg was signed in the summer of 2009, but we'll take it, right? Ben's Chili Bowl at Nationals Park was also named "Best Stadium Food." The Best of 2010 awards were decided by two rounds of reader nominations and voting. Also, on Thursday evening, the Power 30 Under 30 organization honored...

This is the time of year when we suggest ways that the Orioles can improve their roster. We know the needs, but who fills them? Third baseman Brandon Inge is off the market after signing a two-year extension with the Tigers. I'm not sure how many of you had penciled him into your Opening Day lineup. So what about Mark Reynolds? I bring up his name because I'm told that one of the talk shows on sports-radio KTAR in Phoenix devoted significant air time to the idea of the Arizona...