I caught up to pitcher Matt Albers yesterday as he was heading to the Texans-Titans game (I didn't have the heart to tell him that I took Tennessee +4 ½). For the past two weeks, Albers and Triple-A Norfolk left-hander Troy Patton have been working out at a facility about 20 minutes north of Houston. "There are about 20 to 25 guys who either play pro ball or just finished," Albers said. Albers won't start throwing until mid-December, but it's more important for him...

Free-agent pitcher Mark Hendrickson isn't preoccupied with thoughts of his next contract. He got married over the weekend, so his priorities have shifted. Hendrickson just told me that he remains encouraged that he'll re-sign with the Orioles, but nothing is imminent. "Right now, it's always kind of tough because it's the Thanksgiving week. Usually, everything slows to a crawl in the world of Major League Baseball," he said. "If I don't hear anything, we've already had discussions...

Topps is unveiling its 51st All-Rookie team this morning, and a certain highly touted and much-publicized Oriole went ignored. Matt Wieters didn't make the list. I'll take my eggs over-easy, with a side of outrage. The New York Mets' Omir Santos beat out Wieters for top (or Topp) rookie catcher after batting .260 with 14 doubles, seven homers, 40 RBIs and a .688 OPS in 281 at-bats. Wieters batted .288 with 15 doubles, nine homers, 43 RBIs and a .753 OPS in 354 at-bats. I forgot that...

The San Diego Padres have claimed pitcher Radhames Liz off waivers. Now he can be reunited with Oscar Salazar. Liz, 26, appeared in two games with the Orioles this season and allowed 10 earned runs in 1 1/3 innings. He was 4-1 with a 2.63 ERA in eight starts with Double-A Bowie, and 0-3 with a 5.68 ERA in 17 games (six starts) with Triple-A Norfolk. Live arm, bad mechanics. The Padres must figure out what to do with Liz, something the Orioles never did. Is he a starter or a two-inning power...

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope you ate a light breakfast. Today is a marathon of eating, not a sprint. Pace yourselves. So is it the tryptophan in the turkey that makes you drowsy, or the carbohydrates in the potatoes and stuffing? Or maybe it's the boxed wine. That's my theory. We tend to blame the turkey, but it's apparently built around a myth. Says so here, too. I always eat too much and then collapse on the couch. My sister volunteers to turn me over every 30 minutes so...

I'll be heading to Ocean Pines later today with my daughter, who retains complete control of the radio, to spend the weekend with my parents, sister and niece. I barely moved from my couch yesterday while going 1-2 picking against the spread. I guess somebody woke up the Broncos. Just my luck. I allowed my daughter to accept an invitation to spend Thanksgiving with her best friend's family. The kid suffers enough from my cooking. I figured that she deserved a break. And I knew she'd have...

I received my Hall of Fame ballot earlier today from the BBWAA, which must mean I'm eligible to vote for the first time. Newcomers to the ballot include former Orioles Roberto Alomar, David Segui, Pat Hentgen and Todd Zeile. Alomar most certainly deserves induction, though perhaps not on the first ballot. He won 10 Gold Gloves and was a career .300 hitter with 2,724 hits, 210 home runs and 474 stolen bases. He also was named MVP of the American League Championship Series in 1992 and the...

Until more details surface that might change my mind, I'm nominating the Tiger Woods "crash" as the biggest non-story of 2009. Early reports had Woods involved in a "serious automobile accident," as if it could be life-threatening. Later, we found out that he suffered "lacerations" to his face and was released from the hospital. Lacerations: n. A jagged wound or cut. See also: Scrape. It's like calling a bruise a "contusion." Sounds worse than it is. I don't care why Woods was...

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Bud Selig will step down as commissioner of Major League baseball following the 2012 season. According to sources, Selig informed owners of his decision last month during a meeting in Chicago. Andy MacPhail has been the rumored successor to Selig since the day he joined the Orioles' front office as president of baseball operations. As The Tribune's Phil Rogers notes, MacPhail would be a popular choice among owners. If MacPhail isn't the frontrunner...

Tigers Woods and his wife requested that police delay interviewing them about "the accident" until today. I didn't know you could do that. The next time I'm pulled over for a traffic violation, I'm going to request that the officer hold off writing the ticket until later. Give me some time to collect my thoughts. Somewhere, John Daly is breathing a huge sigh of relief (and destroying a breakfast burrito). For once, it isn't him. So who's backing up Dennis Dixon tonight? Cliff...