Agents

Jeanne Vertefeuille and Sandra Grimes could be George Smiley's people. They were recruited on their college campuses by the Central Intelligence Agency during the height of the Cold War. Jeanne wanted travel and adventure. Sandy didn't know much about the CIA; she just needed a job. Jeanne and Sandy. That's how they refer to themselves in the book they co-authored, "Circle of Treason. " It tells the story of these two women - Jeanne worked her way up from the equivalent of the steno pool, while Sandy was immediately in the Soviet division (and over her head)

The last time Orioles fans heard from Nate McLouth  - just after a towering fly ball off his bat was lost, along with the Orioles' season, somewhere near the right-field foul pole at Yankee Stadium in Game 5 of the American League Division Series - the soon-to-be free agent outfielder said he wanted to remain in Baltimore. On Thursday, that wish officially became reality as the Orioles announced a one-year deal with McLouth that will pay him $2 million with $500,000 of performance-based incentives.

As part of their continuing search to add depth and improve their roster, the Orioles have had multiple, face-to-face meetings with the representatives for pitcher Kevin Correia and outfielder Nate Schierholtz, according to an industry source. The 32-year-old Correia was 12-11 with a 4.21 ERA in 32 games (28 starts) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, for whom he was an All-Star in 2011. He's made at least 26 starts in each of the last four seasons. Over his 10-year career, Correia is 60-65 with a 4.54 ERA with the Giants, Padres and Pirates.

The Orioles and representatives for free agent right-handed pitcher Brett Myers have not had any conversations since the groups arrived in Nashville on Sunday night and no meetings have been set up at this point. If the Orioles have any interest in Myers, as was reported Sunday by FoxSports.com, it would be considered minimal and preliminary, the source said. That could change as the market develops, but at this point the 32-year-old Myers does not seem to be a priority for the Orioles.

I'm about to board a flight to Nashville in a bit to cover the Winter Meetings, where Dan Connolly and I will be spending countless hours inside the Opryland Hotel reporting on all things regarding the Orioles. You'll hear a lot of names this week. You may hear about the Orioles' revived interest in Josh Hamilton. Don't believe it. Covering my first Winter Meetings in Dallas, I don't think I left the hotel once. It's that hectic chasing down all the rumors. So while I'm on my way to Nashville, here's some hot stove breakfast.

Happy Black Friday. It's the biggest shopping day of the year and at this hour, you're likely either running through the aisle of a department store to snag that $99 high-definition TV or you're at home laughing at the thought of it. First off, some full disclosure here. I was among the masses who spent the early morning hours chasing doorbusters and trying to get a leg up on holiday shopping. Part of it is to get some deals - or at least the idea of them - and the other part is the experience.

Suzanna "Sue" Miller, whom friends called "Mrs. Baltimore" for her role in selling homes to those moving here, died of pneumonia Saturday at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The Pikesville resident was 80. "She was an irreplaceable person," said Lynne R. Miller, who with her husband, Dr. Edward D. Miller, former Johns Hopkins Medicine chief executive officer, was a close friend. "She brought together so many people. She was such an ambassador for Baltimore, we called her and her husband Mr. and Mrs. Baltimore.

A 42-year-old Perry Hall man who worked as a Transportation Security Administration agent at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport was sentenced to two years in prison on Monday for the possession of child pornography, according to the Maryland U.S. attorney's office. Michael Scott Wilson will also have to serve 15 years of supervised release after his prison term ends and register as a sex offender wherever he lives, works or studies, prosecutors said. Police began an investigation of Wilson on Sept.

Nearly four months after signing Cuban defector Henry Urrutia, the Orioles are still waiting for the 25-year-old outfielder to officially join the organization, according to an industry source. Urrutia, who has set up residency in the Dominican Republic, continues to have difficulty obtaining a visa, an obstacle that has existed since the Orioles signed him in July. The Orioles had hoped Urrutia would arrive in time to get some minor league at bats at the Double-A level. Even after the season ended, the hope was to get Urrutia into to the team's spring training complex in Sarasota, Fla., to begin workouts.

As free agency opens Saturday morning, there is one change that will decide how teams receive compensation draft picks for free agents who sign with other teams. Teams have had a five-day window that began Monday -- the day after the end of the World Series -- to negotiate exclusively with their free agents. That window ends at the end of tonight, thus officially opening the free-agent season. In the past, free agents were rated by Elias, which determined what kind of picks a team would receive if it lost a free agent after offering him arbitration.