One of my loyal readers unearthed a portion of the Orioles' 2010 spring training schedule on 4sarasota.com. Plenty of dates still need to be filled, but you can check out the rough draft. The Orioles apparently will open at home - and that's Sarasota, in case you've been away for a while - on March 4 against the Tampa Bay Rays. We'll also see the Pirates, Tigers and Phillies (oh my!), so it won't be the same batch of opponents that were forced down our collective throats all these...

Here's a rarity in the hitter-happy Arizona Fall League: A 1-0 game. Matt Angle homered in the second inning to provide all the scoring in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 1-0 win over Peoria Saguaros. Angle, starting in center field, went deep for the first time in the AFL. Josh Bell was 1-for-3 with a double and walk. He's batting .320. Stephen Strasburg allowed one hit, walked two and struck out six in 3 2/3 innings. He improved to 4-1 because you don't have to go a minimum five innings to...

If I see one more advertisement that includes a talking pothole or dogs that save Christmas, my head might explode. But at least I can be reminded every 12 minutes that I need to buy diamonds or I'll die alone. With the winter meetings coming up in three weeks, I find my thoughts drifting back to a few names that were tied to the Orioles at last year's gathering in Las Vegas. Braden Looper drew their interest, and we kicked around the pros and cons of adding him to the rotation. He went...

Interesting strategy by the Jaguars today to keep taking a knee in the final minute with the ball on the Jets' 1-yard line and trailing by one point. They played for the field goal and to ensure that the Jets wouldn't have any time left on the clock for a game-winning drive. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew could have easily scored on a burst up the middle, and the Jets did nothing to stop him, but he purposely slid down at the 1. Quarterback David Garrard knelt on the next few snaps, and...

I had the craziest dream last night that Bill Belichick went for it on fourth-and-2 from his own 28-yard line with 2:08 left and his team holding a six-point lead. Must have been something I ate. Maybe Belichick needs a bench coach. I hear Dave Jauss is still available. I exchanged e-mails with Orioles manager Dave Trembley, and not to tease him about Notre Dame. He attended Saturday's Family FanFest in Sarasota, Fla., and had the opportunity to check on Nolan Reimold, Brad Bergesen and...

Oakland closer Andrew Bailey has been named the AL's Rookie of the Year. Bailey received 13 first-place votes. Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus finished second, one point ahead of Detroit pitcher Rick Porcello, after garnering eight first-place votes (one more than Porcello). Jeff Niemann was fourth, followed by Gordon Beckham and Brett Anderson. Florida outfielder Chris Coghlan won the NL award.

Third baseman Josh Bell hit his second home run tonight in the Phoenix Desert Dogs' 11-1 win over Mesa. Bell also doubled, walked and drove in three runs. He's batting .329 with seven doubles and 18 RBIs. The double came against former Oriole Randor Bierd. Bell homered off right-hander Tim Kiely. Matt Angle, batting leadoff and starting in center field, went 1-for-3 with an RBI, run scored and walk. Josh Perrault lowered his ERA to 1.86 with a scoreless ninth.

The Orioles placed a call yesterday to reliever Mark Hendrickson's agent, Joe Urbon, and were waiting to hear back from him. There isn't much to report beyond that little nugget. Teams no longer will hold exclusive negotiating rights with their free agents after Thursday. Hendrickson would like to re-sign with the Orioles, who are interested in keeping him. Manager Dave Trembley speaks highly of the left-hander, who became a valuable member of the bullpen as the season progressed -...

Major League Baseball will announce the AL's Cy Young Award winner later today, and judging by the title of this entry, you probably think I'm choosing CC Sabathia. Well, you'd be wrong. I'm guessing that Kansas City's Zack Greinke takes home the hardware after going 16-8 with a 2.16 ERA and 242 strikeouts in 229 1/3 innings. Greinke had six complete games, which used to be routine back in the Palmer/McNally/Cuellar/Dobson days. Not so much now. He also tossed three shutouts. Voters...

Kansas City Royals pitcher Zack Greinke received 25 of a possible 28 first-place votes to win the AL Cy Young Award in a landslide. Seattle's Felix Hernandez, the runner-up, received two first-place votes. Detroit's Justin Verlander had the other first-place vote and finished third. CC Sabathia and Roy Halladay were fourth and fifth, respectively. Greinke also had three second-place votes.