So much for a quiet Sunday. Let's see what Monday brings. If more details unfold, I would expect the Orioles to issue a statement today regarding reliever Alfredo Simon. He's the primary suspect in a shooting in the Dominican Republic that left one man dead and injured another. A team spokesman said yesterday that the Orioles wouldn't comment until more information became available. I was told that Simon would most likely meet with law enforcement officials later today in the Dominican....

So now that we can say the season (spring training at least) starts next month, some excitement is clearly building for the 2011 version of Orioles baseball. Many fans seem quite pleased with the offseason additions and some seem to even feel the club could contend if a lot breaks right. I would still guess that is a two-year process where you would hope to make a run at .500 and 80-some wins one season while hoping to get to 90-plus and contention the next. So can 2011 be the year where...

I've been alerted to a report coming out of the Dominican Republic concerning Orioles reliever Alfredo Simon that has left me speechless. According to this tweet from the Associated Press' Dionisio Soldevila, Simon is accused of murder in his native Dominican Republic. I'm told that a few of his teammates are aware of the story and are "in shock." I'll obviously have more to report later. Here's more on the incident. Simon is the primary suspect in a shooting that killed...

This was my last morning to sleep late before school starts up again and I'm rolling out of bed at 6:30 a.m. I think the Christmas break should start the day after Thanksgiving and last until the day after the Super Bowl. If I were king... Not much to report today. The Orioles have scheduled a physical for Derrek Lee this week and will make him available to the local media once he's passed it. He'll say all the right things about the organization and the city of Baltimore. He won't...

Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos did quite well for himself after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins organization last season in the Matt Capps trade. Ramos batted .278 in 22 games with 79 at-bats, seven doubles, one homer and five RBI. Even with such a short amount of time in D.C. with his new team, Baseball America rates Ramos as the No. 5 prospect in the Nats system. Aaron Fitt of Baseball America says Ramos' play is impressive because of the way he protects his pitcher. "Ramos...

Happy New Year. I'll try to type quietly this morning in case your head is pounding. I'm perfectly fine, but it seems appropriate on this day to post a few hangover remedies, so feel free to share them with the rest of the class. I know greasy McDonald's has been recommended in the past - as if there's any other kind of McDonald's. At least one person will suggest that you keep drinking, but I'm more inclined to suggest fast-food. Like many of you - at least the conscious ones -...

New year, new first baseman for the Orioles. After all the worry, hand-wringing and frustration over how long the process played out, the O's got a decent first sacker, one that is one season removed from hitting 35 homers with 111 RBI in 141 games. They didn't get Victor Martinez, Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Carlos Pena or Adam LaRoche, who just wasn't worthy of a three-year deal. The O's began the offseason with Martinez as their top target to be their new first baseman. In ending up with...

A team official has confirmed that the Orioles reached verbal agreement with free-agent first baseman Derrek Lee on a contract for 2011. The signing will become official once Lee passes a physical. Various reports have placed the Orioles' offer at one year for around $8 million. Lee was willing to accept a one-year deal, while Adam LaRoche continued to seek three guaranteed years. The Orioles decided recently to move on without LaRoche and intensified talks with Lee's agent, Casey...

I want to begin by wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year. Be careful if you're driving later. The roads will be filled with amateurs. I feel like I already rang in the New Year at Camden Yards each time a ball dropped in shallow left-center field. If the Orioles add a starting pitcher as expected, they won't necessarily shy away from a low-risk, high-reward type who's coming off an injury. However, they'll need to feel comfortable that he's healthy and ready to compete for a job...

Some notes to wrap up another year of blogging for me here at MASNsports.com. Thanks to everyone for reading all year and Happy New Year! Right before the 2010 season began, I made some fearless predictions about the O's and the AL East. Here are some of those predictions and how they fared vs. what really happened. Steve's predicted 2010 AL East standings: Boston 94-68 Tampa 91-71 New York 90-72 Baltimore 79-83 Toronto 72-90 The actual standings were: Tampa 96-66 New York 95-67 Boston...