OK, there's room for a little baseball talk on Christmas

Well, if Santa can work on Christmas, I guess I can, too. Even though I'm writing this on Christmas Eve. But it's the thought, not the timing, that really counts. Or something like that.

Can you tell I'm not sure what makes for a good Christmas Day baseball blog?

So just a short note today to wish everyone a merry Christmas and happy holidays, and I hope you have a great few days with family and friends. As best as this year and a pandemic will allow.

This time last year, in looking ahead to 2020, we probably were mostly wondering how the Orioles would do in year two under Mike Elias and with manager Brandon Hyde and a new front office. They lost 108 games in 2019. How would they do without Dylan Bundy and Jonathan Villar? Was John Means for real? How would a bullpen ranked at the bottom of the league get better? Hanser Alberto and Anthony Santander showed some real flashes of talent in 2019, but what would happen with them?

There are always questions, things to ponder and wonder about, moves to be made, and additions and subtractions. A baseball roster doesn't stay the same for very long. The media is kind of thankful for that, I guess. There are minor league players to discuss. Somehow, again this year, we've been able to provide at least one new blog here almost every day. Several a day most game days. A game blog every day and night there was a game - whether they played 60 or 162.

Our extended family here is seemingly always getting bigger and better. I'm thankful for that. The fans that come here often (OK, not always) leave many interesting and thought-provoking comments. It keeps the discussion going. It is always appreciated by me.

That can be true even today. There is always time to slip away for a few minutes and talk baseball. But if you don't make it today, we all can understand that.

See you next time, whenever that is, he said happily.

Here is one baseball note: Hey, there is this note today. The Orioles have hired 38-year-old Tony Mansolino as their third base coach and infield instructor. My colleague, Roch Kubatko, provided confirmation yesterday after reports earlier this month from Cleveland mentioned that Mansolino was headed to Baltimore.

The Newport Beach, Calif., native played at Vanderbilt and was drafted in round 26 in 2005 by Pittsburgh. He played on the farm from 2005 through 2010, reaching as high as Double-A.

He spent the last 10 years with the Indians, first as a minor league batting coach from 2011-2015. He managed in their system from 2016 through 2019, winning a Carolina League championship in 2017 and an International League title in 2019. Last season, he served on the farm for the club as an infield coordinator.