Circle Saturday, March 5 on your calendar. That's the day the Orioles will hold tryouts for ballgirls and ballboys for the upcoming 2011 season. Outgoing and athletic men and women 18 and older are invited to try out at Camden Yards beginning at noon. Dress casually, bring your own glove and use the Home Plate Plaza entrance on the southwest corner of the ballpark to enter the stadium. Resumes are recommended, and complimentary parking will be available in Lot A. Handling a glove and...

The Orioles have announced they will conduct an open tryout to find ballgirls and ballboys for the 2011 season at Oriole Park on Saturday, March 5. The judges will include members of the Orioles' front office as well as former Orioles pitcher and MASN broadcaster DAVE JOHNSON. Outgoing and athletic men and women ages 18 and older who are interested in serving as ballboys and ballgirls for the Orioles during the upcoming 2011 season are invited to try out for a position at Camden Yards...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Vladimir Guerrero will officially become an Oriole once he passes his physical and signs his contract. He already turned plenty of heads when he arrived this morning, accompanied by agent Fernando Cuza, his cousin and a friend. The cousin was wearing a bright pink T-shirt and skin-tight jeans. He bears enough of a resemblance to Guerrero, including the facial hair, that I initially thought the future Hall of Famer was making a fashion statement of some sort. By the way,...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Vladimir Guerrero has arrived at camp and is preparing to take his physical. Guerrero showed up wearing a black T-shirt and jeans. He's also sporting a thick goatee. We'll see if the facial hair policy applies to him. Guerrero's agent, Fernando Cuza, also is here and will serve as an interpreter when Guerrero is introduced to the media. We're expecting a press conference on Friday, though we've learned to be flexible when it comes to these things. Guerrero and the...

Now that spring training is here, David M. Schwarz is getting to see his vision come to life. Schwarz is the design architect and master planner for the improvements and renovations to the Orioles' facilities in Sarasota, Fla., which include Ed Smith Stadium and the club's Twin Lakes minor league complex. "For us, it was extremely important to make something that felt quite at home in Sarasota," Schwarz said on a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. "Sarasota has a style that is...

SARASOTA, Fla. - New pitching coach Mark Connor interrupted Rick VandenHurk's bullpen session today and slid the rosin bag underneath the pitcher's right heel. I'll admit, that was a first for me. I hadn't seen a pitching coach use this technique, though it's probably been done. "Just putting myself in a better position," VandenHurk said. "I had a little too much weight on my heel instead of my front foot, so he put that there to get my weight a little bit more on my front foot so I...

SARASOTA, Fla. - Justin Duchscherer is probably ahead of most, if not all, of the pitchers in camp after throwing for scouts during the winter. He's definitely ahead of himself in previous springs. "Usually, I'd come to spring training having thrown maybe one or two bullpens to save my bullets, but this season was a little different," he said. "I had to get ready to show teams I was healthy." Duchscherer threw his first Sarasota bullpen session today, breaking out all four of his...

The next couple of weeks will be a dream come true for Bryce Harper. The No. 1 prospect catcher-turned-outfielder takes the next important step to realizing that dream of playing baseball in the major leagues. That next step begins in Viera, Fla. Similar to what he did last year at fall instructional league and in the Arizona Fall League, Harper will be learning from experienced coaches and players in the Washington system. But this month will be even better, because now he will be...

SARASOTA, Fla. - I'll file quotes later today, but I wanted to pass along a few nuggets from today's workout. First baseman Brandon Snyder reported to camp. Luis Lebron, who underwent ligament-reconstructive surgery on his right elbow in May, threw off a mound for the first time today. Justin Duchscherer threw all four of his pitches among the 40 that were unleashed in his session. He was pleased with his breaking ball, which he explained had more movement because of the humidity. He's...

It was a cold and blustery morning in Harford County. Not a day exactly made for a ballgame, but that didn't stop hundreds from making their way to St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church in Jarrettsville to say goodbye to Ernie Tyler. The man, who was an Orioles employee since their first season in 1954 and umpires attendant since 1960, died at 86 on Thursday. The stories about Ernie and kind words from so many have been pouring in ever since and today was a time for a final goodbye. The...