I have another appointment this morning that's going to occupy a chunk of my time, but I'll return later with something a little more substantial for the blog. In the meantime, I wanted to revisit my projected Orioles lineup that I filed Friday night after the news broke about Vladimir Guerrero. A reader suggested that Mark Reynolds should bat fifth behind Guerrero and ahead of Luke Scott. I had Scott's left-handed bat separating the two right-handers. To review: Brian Roberts 2B Nick...

The Single-A Potomac Nationals have a new manager in Matt LeCroy to defend their Mills Cup championship in 2011. The former major leaguer guided the Single-A Hagerstown Suns last season and is excited to head to Woodbridge with a few of the players that made a difference at his previous stop along for the ride. "We had a good year last year," LeCroy said. "Guys really progressed, actually way better than we thought. Now, they will be able to move up. It is a challenging league. It will be a...

There has been a lot of discussion about the Orioles increasing their contract offer to get an agreement with Vladimir Guerrero. According to this report on ESPN.com, Buster Olney's sources say that $2 million of the $8 million is deferred. Meanwhile, while O's president Andy MacPhail will not comment on the deal until it is official, manager Buck Showalter did appear on ESPN's "SportsCenter." He pointed out that the deal is pending a physical, but he also made some comments on the...

After the blitz of news, posts and reader comments about Vladimir Guerrero, here is a tidbit or two on other things Oriole. Even though new Orioles' pitcher Justin Duchscherer has made 192 career major league appearances out of the bullpen, don't expect to see him doing any of that in Baltimore. "He sees himself as a starter and we brought him in with the idea that he'd be given every chance to be a starter," O's president Andy MacPhail said. MacPhail said the Orioles currently have...

Exactly one week from today, I'll be standing inside the home clubhouse at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota or staking out the parking lot, jotting down the names of pitchers and catchers as they report on the mandatory date. I'll make note of any position players that show up early. And I'll wonder again whether I packed enough socks and underwear. Where has the winter gone? It's fair to assume that the Orioles are done shopping. They're certainly finished with the heavy lifting after...

Justin Duchscherer doesn't know much about the Orioles. He's the latest guy to register for a crash course. "The last time I pitched against them," he said, "they had Aubrey Huff." So it's been a few years. "I know Jeremy Guthrie," Duchscherer said during today's conference call. "I've seen him throw. He has a phenomenal arm. And I watched Brian Matusz pitch against us, and from what I saw, I thought he was pretty wise beyond his years on the mound. He's like me a lot as a...

Justin Duchscherer just proved that he can interview hurt. Duchscherer came down with a bad cold, but he still took questions between coughs in a noon conference call. "I don't usually sound like a 70-year-old smoker," he joked. I guess he was a little too enthusiastic after a team physician told him to "turn and cough." It's OK to stop now. Duchscherer, who agreed to a one-year contract late Sunday night that could pay him $4.5 million with incentives, discussed his three hip...

There are a lot of national baseball writers out there who are talented, bring a lot to the table and are worth reading all the time. Rob Neyer is clearly one of them. He may be underrated and almost always has some real knowledge to spread with his opinions. But I don't agree with this column where he is down on the Orioles' addition of Vladimir Guerrero. Let's take some of this point by point, with some excerpts from his column. Guerrero's got a name, obviously. But can you really...

Good morning to everyone. Many thanks for the kind birthday wishes directed at my lovely daughter. I'm sure she'll expect more of them on the actual date (She's a Valentine's baby, and not the least bit spoiled.) I'll pass along some Justin Duchscherer quotes later today. You remember him, right? Veteran free-agent pitcher. Sort of a big deal until last night. Looking at some of Vladimir Guerrero's numbers, I'm just blown away by his consistency over 15 major league seasons. He's...

While no one knows for sure how well - or not - Vladimir Guerrero will hit for the Orioles this season, no one with any sense can deny the amazing career he has had. He ranks 24th on baseball's all-time OPS list. Some of those ahead of him are Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols, Mickey Mantle, Rogers Hornsby and Joe DiMaggio. Here are some that trail his career mark of .946: .945 - Ty Cobb and Ryan Howard .941 - Willie Mays and Chipper Jones .933 - Albert Belle .929 - Hank Aaron .926 -...