SARASOTA, Fla. - Enjoy that dateline while you can, because it changes starting tomorrow. The Orioles will break camp later today. Naturally, manager Buck Showalter scheduled a simulated game first. I almost expect Craig Tatum to hit off a tee tomorrow in between his wife's contractions. A group of minor leaguers will take a bus to Ed Smith Stadium, then take their swings against Brad Bergesen and Jake Arrieta. I normally wouldn't care much, but I need to find out whether Bergesen is...

With the start of a new baseball season, MASN is expanding its coverage of the Orioles and Nationals. The network that brings you 324 game telecasts of two teams in six states now adds "The Mid-Atlantic Sports Report," a new 90-minute show each weekday at 5 p.m. The show makes its debut Thursday after the Nationals game and the "Nats Xtra" postgame telecast. Veteran broadcaster Tom Davis, who has been with MASN since its start in 2007, will host the show and will be joined by Dave...

Over the last couple of years I have had the chance to interview many Orioles minor leaguers. Few have been as impressive as LJ Hoes. He's an articulate young man of 21 who has an ability to analyze his play and understand where he needs to improve. He seems very coachable and passionate about the game. This week, I asked him where he learned to value the mental aspects of the game so well. "My father and my high school coach have always stressed the mental aspects of the game," Hoes...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Senior citizens were invited to run the bases after today's 7-4 loss to the Blue Jays. Brady Anderson walked past me on the field and asked whether I was going to run. Ouch. Manager Buck Showalter basically has two decisions remaining before the Orioles break camp and head to St. Petersburg for Thursday's workout. Showalter must decide whether Chris Tillman or Brad Bergesen makes Sunday's start at Tropicana Field. But he'll also need to know whether Bergesen or...

As the Orioles prepare to celebrate their 20th season at Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 2011, the ballpark has undergone numerous renovations designed to keep the facility at the top of its class, while also preserving the iconic look and feel that made the ballpark the standard-bearer for the 20 major league ballparks that have opened since that time. Renovations primarily focused on the seating bowl, club level, lower concourse and concessions areas. SEATING BOWL This past off-season,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Zach Britton said he wasn't surprised when he was called into manager Buck Showalter's office and told that he had been optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. "Right when they called me in, I figured, 'Hey you were either making the team or not making the team.' I was leaning toward not making the team, so I expected it," he said. What will he take away from camp? "Just the experience and getting to know the guys," Britton said. "Whenever I get up there, it will be nice to...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Josh Rupe gave up his first two earned runs of the spring in the seventh inning, and the Blue Jays took a 5-4 lead. Former Orioles farmhand Mike McCoy drove in the go-ahead run. Robert Andino made a dazzling play at second base, backhanding a ball in front of the bag and making an off-balance throw as his momentum carried him toward shortstop. First baseman Tyler Townsend dug the ball out of the dirt for the out. Former Oriole Adam Loewen pinch-ran in the eighth and scored...

The Washington Nationals today announced the launch of the revamped Red Carpet Rewards Program, a brand new online platform that gives season ticket holders the ability to access, track, share and redeem loyalty points for additional Nationals tickets and parking throughout the season. The Nationals will be the first team in Major League Baseball to host an online points-based loyalty program for fans. "The Nationals are proud to be the first Major League team to offer our fans this unique...

The Orioles today concluded their 2011 spring training schedule against the Toronto Blue Jays and have announced that 115,506 fans attended a game at the newly renovated Ed Smith Stadium this spring, setting a franchise record for spring training attendance for the second consecutive year. This year's attendance is also a new Ed Smith Stadium record, surpassing the 115,382 fans who attended games in 1994 when Sarasota was the spring training home of the Chicago White Sox and Michael Jordan was...

After an absence of more than 15 years, National Bohemian beer will return to Camden Yards for 2011, the Orioles and Pabst Brewing Company announced today. The partnership includes a branded Natty Boh Bar on the first base side of the lower concourse and a new Natty Boh Brat, a bratwurst sandwich featuring Baltimore's own Roma Sausage infused with the taste of National Bohemian beer, sold during home games. Natty Boh will be served on draft at several locations throughout the stadium and will...