Checking in with a few thoughts and opinions while waiting for the next Cody Ross homer. Bell and Snyder: The Orioles are not saying it publicly, but it sure seems pretty certain that they are not planning to start either Josh Bell or Brandon Snyder in their infield to begin next season. There are two schools of thought here: You could just send them both out for the whole O's season in 2011, realize you are still most likely a ways from making the playoffs and let them sink or swim at the...

Left-hander Sammy Solis put forth a quality debut Saturday in the Arizona Fall League as Scottsdale beat Peoria 6-4 with five runs in the seventh inning. Derek Norris caught for Solis and went 2-for-4 with a run and a two-out RBI. Stephen Lombardozzi went 1-for-3 with a double and two runs. Adam Carr pitched two innings of scoreless ball with a walk and a strikeout to earn the victory. Solis threw three innings, allowed just two hits and one run, one walk, one strikeout and picked off a...

Not much to say about the Orioles today, so let's talk about another team's player. Anybody want Zack Greinke? He's got two years and $27 million left on his contract and he's reportedly available - a status that seems to change daily. Here's the breakdown on his contract, courtesy of Cot's: Signed extension with Kansas City on 1/26/09 (avoided arbitration) 09:$3.75M, 10:$7.25M, 11:$13.5M, 12:$13.5M Limited no-trade protection in 2009, 2010 Award bonuses: $50,000 each for Gold Glove,...

When you list the men that have helped escalate salaries in baseball over the years like Marvin Miller, Don Fehr and Scott Boras, don't leave out the name Tom Hicks. He was the owner of the Texas Rangers who gave Alex Rodriguez a 10-year, $252 million dollar contract in December of 2000. Hicks now agrees that was a dumb move. Well, duh. Most of the baseball world knew it was a dumb move then. I don't remember every detail and won't try to rewrite history here. But, by my recollection,...

It wasn't my birthday, but I received a nice surprise a few minutes ago. Jim Palmer submitted a comment to the blog that I wanted to post here, in case anyone missed it. As I always say, you never know who's reading. Roch, thanks for the kind words and birthday wishes. Please thank all your Oriole blogger fans for their gracious comments. Your blog and the fans response were a wonderful birthday present, even if my birthday made me the same age as the speed limit on the beltway! No...

There were so many ways to statistically quantify how dramatic the turnaround was for the Orioles under Buck Showalter. You can look at the starting pitching stats or the hitting with runners in scoring position stats. You could also look at how the O's did when playing the Beasts of the AL East. Before Showalter took over, the club won just one of 15 series vs. the East. Then, under Buck, they won five of nine. They were 10-35 before Buck and 14-13 vs. the East with Buck. Here is what...

The Orioles were well-represented last night in the Arizona Fall League. Xavier Avery, leading off and playing center field, went 4-for-5 with a walk, stolen base and three runs scored in Scottsdale's 11-4 victory over Phoenix. I'm told that Avery is widely considered the fastest player in the AFL. Ryan Adams, starting again at third base, went 2-for-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Catcher Caleb Joseph was 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Oliver Drake got the win after allowing two runs and...

After a full year of injuries and plate inconsistency, Nationals catcher Derek Norris made an emphatic debut in his first two games this week in the Arizona Fall League with a two-run homer, a couple of walks and another safety for the Scottsdale Scorpions. Norris hopes the minor adjustments he made to his swing at instructs will make the difference throughout the next month of Fall ball. Nationals hitting coordinator Rick Schu monitored Norris' progress in Viera and says it is no surprise...

On November 9th, the Smithsonian will host New York Times bestselling author Jane Leavy to discuss her new book, "The Last Boy: Mickey Mantle and the End of America's Childhood." Former Senators slugger Frank Howard will be among the special guests invited to speak about Mantle at Baird Auditorium in the National Museum of Natural History at 7 p.m. on that Tuesday evening. He will be joined by former Mantle teammates Jim Bouton and Phil Linz. Phil Hochberg, former Washington Senators and...

Recently, Ryan Zimmerman and Stephen Strasburg were named as finalists for Washington D.C.'s Power 30 Under 30 Awards. The Power 30 Under 30 Awards honor outstanding individuals under the age of 30 who have achieved extraordinary success. Young leaders are recognized in Arts, Entertainment, & Media, Business, Community Service, Politics, Science & Technology and Sports. Both Zimmerman, 26, and Strasburg, 22, were nominated in the Sports category, along with Alexander Ovechkin, Devon...