I'm looking forward to today's Orioles' FanFest. It's a great day to talk baseball, meet fans and even get some new interviews and material for this blog. I believe I will be at the MASN booth for a time in the late afternoon and I will be hosting a fan forum at 5:00 p.m. called "blogging the Birds." So come on by or stop me anytime just to say hello. In the meantime I have some quotes from recent interviews that didn't appear in the original stories this week.

He was, of course, pleased that he got his contract resolved recently and is able to avoid an arbitration hearing. "My approach has always been simple. I don't need to be wined and dined that not's me. I just want what is fair. I've had people try to walk over me in this life and I won't let that happen. They were fair with me and I'm happy and ready to have the best season of my life." Scott talked about his improved stats last year vs. lefty pitching. "The key is repetition. ...

Moments ago Brian Roberts talked about the O's likely signing of Miguel Tejada. "I love Miggy, I'm excited. We're excited to have him back if that's the case. We're looking forward to what he brings to the team on and off the field. His personality in the clubhouse and the numbers he puts up." He was asked about Tejada adapting to a move to third base. "If you played shortstop for ten years in the big leagues, you can adapt. Certainly it's not going to be easy. It won't happen...

Andy MacPhail says yes, the O's do have an agreement in principle with Miguel Tejada, pending a physical. He just hinted at that during a fan forum here at FanFest and confirmed that part of the deal with a few reporters after his forum. MacPhail also said Tejada's physical has not yet been scheduled. The one-year deal is believed to be worth about six million dollars, but is not heavy with incentive clasues. Most O's players here were not aware of the possible Tejada signing and were...

Reliever Kam Mickolio who was bothered by an inflammed bicep tendon late last year, says he is now 100 percent. "I got it checked here Friday by our trainers and everything checked out 100 percent. They said they were impressed with the range of motion and strength. Everything is looking up right now. "I've been throwing for a couple of weeks now. At first, you just get the cobwebs out, now it's feeling probably better than it's ever felt, I'm real happy about it." Mickolio rested...

A crowd of around 12,000 was on hand for FanFest Saturday at the Baltimore Convention Center. It was a great day to get autographs, talk baseball, enjoy many fan forums and for some of us to get the chance to interview several Orioles players. Here are some notes from Saturday with a lot to come in the days ahead.

Now the O's have Wiggy and Miggy. Miguel Tejada once drove in 150 runs while with the Orioles - that's a single season O's record. Another year he batted .330, that is the second best batting average in team history. Yet he returns to Baltimore older, with more baggage this time (I don't mean luggage) and as a player whose skills must be declining at least a little by this point.

O's pitcher Jeremy Guthrie says it's too early to predict whether he and the club will avoid an arbitration hearing. Guthrie's agent recently submitted a salary request of 3.625 million for 2010 while the O's countered at 2.3 million if it gets to an actual hearing. "It's so early in the process, we filed numbers. I think the numbers set up the parameters for future negotiations. We'll let the process work out and hopefully it works out where both sides are pleased," the 30-year-old...

Andy MacPhail didn't mince words when asked about Luke Scott during a fan forum at FanFest. He didn't try to put a positive spin on Scott's big ups and downs as a hitter. "He is the streakiest hitter I've ever been around in my life. There was a three-month stretch where he absolutely carried us. As our guys say, it doesn't matter who is on the mound, when he is going good he can hit anybody. "Our job is, and we think we can do it, is to get him to not have the peaks and valleys to...

After today's press conference to re-introduce Miguel Tejada to the fans of Baltimore, the team's newest player said the Orioles were not the only team that sought his services. "Before the Orioles, there was another team that I considered and they wanted me to play shortstop. I waited, because I felt this was the time to make the move to third base. When my agent told me about the Orioles, I said to talk to them, I want to go there." Steve Melewski talks with Miguel Tejada about...