Not many people are aware that Brooks Robinson has been dealing with a serious health issue. I'm thrilled to report that he was released from the hospital late yesterday and is doing fine. Robinson and his family wanted to keep the matter private, which I certainly understand and respect. I'm just thankful that he's home again. The following is a statement from No. 5, which I'm honored (and greatly relieved) to pass along to Oriole fans everywhere: "On December 28, 2009, I had abdominal...

Orioles hitting coach Terry Crowley, calling into Friday night's edition of the Hot Stove Show on 105.7 The Fan and ESPN 1300, heaped a lot of praise on the young talent on the roster, including right fielder Nick Markakis. "I feel like Nicky's due for an All-Star season," Crowley said. "Actually, for me, he had four All-Star seasons, but the general public has to recognize that one of these years and he'll be on an All-Star team. And Adam Jones in center - strong defensively. It's too...

You've seen the splits on Luke Scott. You know he was a viable candidate for first-half team MVP after batting .305 with 18 homers and 51 RBIs. You also know he fell apart in the second half, batting .208 with seven homers and 26 RBIs. He's always been a streaky hitter, but this is extreme. So what happened? "I think Luke put too much pressure on himself," hitting coach Terry Crowley said. "Luke is the guy who wants to hit .400, he wants to hit 50 home runs. Don't get me wrong, I...

I don't expect the Orioles to begin the season with Michael Aubrey at first base, but I also didn't expect the Jets to play in the AFC championship game or the snow to finally melt in my yard. If the Orioles decide to sift through their inventory, which isn't their first choice, Aubrey would have to rank as the favorite to emerge with the job. He appeared in 31 games last season after having his contract purchased on Aug. 18, batting .289 with seven doubles, four homers and 14 RBIs in 90...

I'm predicting that the Colts and Saints meet in the Super Bowl, and we'll be bombarded with stories about Peyton Manning facing his father's old team. That won't get tired. If you want Jose Offerman to be your team's next manager, keep in mind that he's liable to deck the plate umpire during the exchange of lineup cards. This isn't the first time that Offerman has gone down swinging. FOX Sports' Tracy Ringolsby gives his slam-dunk last-place finishers for 2010, and he's got the...

If I had to wager, I'd put my money on Joe Crede playing third base for the Orioles over former shortstop Miguel Tejada. Just don't refer back to my NFL picks this season. I understand that things change as the market plays out. I also assumed that Tejada would be off the board three weeks into Janauary, but he's still on it. And interest in him is limited. What does that tell you? Each time that I've asked president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail about bringing back Tejada,...

The Orioles have reached agreement on a one-year deal with Luke Scott on the day that arbitration-eligible players had to submit their salary figures. The Orioles tendered Scott a contract last month and figured to avoid a hearing with him. The team still needs to reach agreement with pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who also was tendered a contract last month.

Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz, who will be in Baltimore this weekend for FanFest, was interviewed by phone earlier today on the Scott Garceau and Anita Marks Show on MASN and 105.7 The Fan. Matusz would like the Orioles to sign veteran left-hander Erik Bedard, who remains on the free-agent market and continues to draw interest. "That would be another great addition if we could end up landing him," Matusz said. "That's a guy that I could look up to, a veteran left-handed pitcher,...

Twitter strikes again. We had a young reporter tweet yesterday that the Blue Jays signed Carlos Delgado - that supposedly was the "word out of Puerto Rico" - but their general manager and Delgado's agent, David Sloane, quickly denied the report. Delgado, it seems, is still a free agent. There's no need to fact-check anymore. Just get the rumor out there and worry about the details later - like whether it's false. I saw plenty of examples at the Winter Meetings. Man, this business...

The Orioles have invited 12 non-roster players to spring training: Left-handers Chris George and Mike Hinckley; right-handers Jake Arrieta, Frank Mata, Josh Perrault, Alfredo Simon and Ross Wolf; catchers Michel Hernandez, Caleb Joseph and Chad Moeller; outfielder Jeff Salazar; and infielder Scott Moore. The Orioles will have to create room on the 40-man roster if anyone from this group makes the club. Moeller is the most likely candidate. Moore has an outside shot if the Orioles don't sign...