I got to sit down and grab some more knowledge from Paul Menhart, pitching coach for the Potomac Nationals regarding their roster this year. We already talked about Fabian and Frias, and it was a big week for the P-Nats with the return of Derek Norris, who is back in the lineup in Potomac after getting over a hamate injury. "He is still trying to get back to 100 percent and he looks good behind the plate. He is blocking the ball well and is happy to be back playing healthy." With the...

If you have a few minutes - or 7:56 to be exact - check out the following YouTube clip of Double-A Bowie pitcher Zach Britton and catcher Caleb Joseph touring Camden Yards. You might recall that I mentioned their unexpected appearance in the press box in one of my blog entries. Joseph shows off his dance moves, and they were nice enough to throw a little love at the School of Roch. Thanks, fellas. Check out what happens when they try to ride the elevator up to the press box.

Just as a reminder, Matt Wieters will be at the ESPN Zone on Monday, May 17 to take part in the next Orioles Q&A of the 2010 season. Wieters will answer questions from an Orioles broadcaster, as well as from O's fans, starting at noon on Monday. Following the Q&A, he'll stick around to sign autographs and pose for photos until about 1:00 p.m. So don't miss your chance to get to know Matt Wieters this Monday, and don't forget to grab an autograph before you go. In the meantime, also...

Cleveland is 13-19 on the year and 2-1 on its current eight-game road trip after winning two of three at Kansas City. The Indians are 7-11 in road games and 4-6 in May. Cleveland has played one series versus an AL East team and was swept three straight by Toronto last week. The Indians, who have won seven of their last ten games against the Orioles, have dropped six of their last nine overall. Indians hot hitters: Asdrubal Cabrera: Batting .364 with six multi-hit games in his last ten...

Right-hander Brandon Erbe pitched seven scoreless innings of four-hit ball for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday as he continues to improve his stats after his first four starts. The 22-year-old began the year with an ERA of 8.35 after four starts. But his ERA is 3.37 over his last three starts for Norfolk. "I tried not to pay too much attention to the numbers, but rather the way I was pitching. Even early on, I would throw three straight scoreless than just one inning things didn't work out. ...

It would be nice to wake up to sunshine just once more before winter. The forecast is ominous again tonight. I've started to get used to it. How does "a chance of showers and thunderstorms" work for you? I hope it's OK because that's what you've got. So you're saying there's a chance? Yes. We'll talk about a "window" for getting in the game. There's always a window. And we'll keep an eye on the grounds crew and hope that it doesn't move behind the tarp during an inning....

Good morning to all. Teams throughout baseball were busy this week declining options on their players, turning them loose on the free agent market. Three of them intrigue me at the moment. Could Jermaine Dye, at the right cost, provide that right-handed power bat for the middle of the order that manager Dave Trembley places high on his wish list? Dye has averaged 33 home runs over the past five seasons, though he's batted .254 and .250 in two of the last three. He could serve as the...

I heard some rumblings earlier today about Orioles center fielder Adam Jones winning a Gold Glove, with the official announcement coming in another week or so. His brother apparently spilled the beans on his MySpace page. My first thought: People still use MySpace? My second thought: He ought to know. I'm told that it's true, which means Jones will be only the second Orioles outfielder to take home the award. Paul Blair won eight of them. Somehow, Jeff Stone kept getting snubbed. Ichiro,...

Is Maryland still playing football this season? Maybe I should ask whether they've started. Bodog posted its 2010 World Series odds. You have to scroll down pretty far to find the Orioles: New York Yankees 11/4 Boston Red Sox 13/2 Philadelphia Phillies 9/1 Los Angeles Angels 10/1 St. Louis Cardinals 10/1 Los Angeles Dodgers 11/1 Chicago Cubs 15/1 New...

I began my morning with a quick check of mlbtraderumors, and decided to cut-and-paste their Top 50 Free Agents list. Should make for some good discussion, especially with Carlos Delgado, at No. 43, going to the Orioles. Keep in mind that these are just predictions, and nobody has inside information about Delgado. He would make sense in one sense. The Orioles need a first baseman and a power bat (and he would probably benefit from the rest provided when serving as the designated hitter)....