Dan Connolly

People keep asking me about if I'm surprised about the Orioles' quick start. The answer is simple: Yes. Completely surprised. I can give you plenty of reasons this team should not be winning. Yet it is. Saturday night was another example. The Orioles had just six hits, they committed two errors and their starter couldn't get out of the sixth. Yet the Tampa Bay Rays' starter couldn't get out of the fifth. And the Rays committed a franchise-record-tying five errors -- and the Orioles score three runs by taking advantage of those.

People keep asking me about if I'm surprised about the Orioles' quick start. The answer is simple: Yes. Completely surprised. I can give you plenty of reasons this team should not be winning. Yet it is. Saturday night was another example. The Orioles had just six hits, they committed two errors and their starter couldn't get out of the sixth. Yet the Tampa Bay Rays' starter couldn't get out of the fifth. And the Rays committed a franchise-record-tying five errors -- and the Orioles score three runs by taking advantage of those.

Sun reporter answers questions about the Orioles and baseball free agency Percy, Easton: Everyone understands what the Orioles needs are, but realistically, what does your magic 8 ball say the most likely free agent additions the Orioles will be making this offseason? Dan Connolly: I'm sure my Magic 8 Ball is a little less optimistic than the one held by Mike Flanagan and crew. I think the organization has put itself behind the proverbial 8 ball with 8 losing seasons and a disaster of a 2005 campaign.

I've been a little quiet the past week or so - pretty rare for me, I know - while I take some time off before I head to Sarasota in March. But I am breaking the silence on Monday evening. I'll be giving a baseball talk at Zion Lutheran Church in York, Pa., tonight at 7 p.m. We did it last year and it was a lot of fun (despite an impending blizzard), and I got to meet some of you after the talk. Plus, it's for a good cause; there's no admission fee but a freewill offering will be taken for the church's youth ministry.

Dan Connolly joined The Sun in 2005. Prior to his arrival in Baltimore, he previously covered baseball and was a columnist for the York (Pa.) Daily Record four four years. His 14-year career also includes stints at Coatesville and Williamsport, Pa. newspapers Confused in OPACY, Baltimore: With all these balks, I'm not sure what they were doing wrong. In order to pick off a runner, the pitcher has to step off the rubber before doing anything else. If he moves his shoulders or hand before stepping off, he has to throw home?

Orioles reliever Mark Hendrickson's signing of a one-year, $1.2 million deal likely will not be officially announced until Monday. He completed his physical Friday and there weren't thought to be any problems. Transactions are not made official on weekends because Major League Baseball's offices are closed. - Dan Connolly

According to our Orioles beat reporter Dan Connolly, Orioles manager Buck Showalter and new international coordinator Fred Ferreira are expected to travel to the Dominican Republic to watch a workout for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes , a Cuban defector expected to have a price tag near $50 million if he becomes a free agent. Surely they are doing so because they watched this highlight video put out by Cespedes' representatives where he runs, throws, hits, makes behind-the-back baseball catches and leg presses a pair of teenagers.

Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair was at Fenway Park on Tuesday night to meet with Dustin Pedroia and the Red Sox . Our Dan Connolly reported that a couple of Orioles players got a kick out of meeting him , too. The play did not pay off for Boston, though, as "the Nature Boy" was unable to "WOOO!" the Red Sox past the feisty Orioles . However, Flair delivered when he emphatically introduced the Red Sox on NESN before the game (while holding a championship belt, of course)

One last bird's eye view Orioles manager Dave Trembley again watched the game from an unused broadcast booth as he finished serving the final day of his two-game suspension. Like Friday, bench coach Dave Jauss served as active manager, ending with a 1-1 record in his two-game stint. Toronto bench coach Brian Butterfield also managed Saturday while Cito Gaston missed his second consecutive game because of the death of his sister. Stepping out on Eutaw Luke Scott's fourth-inning homer was the 51st in Camden Yards history to land on Eutaw Street - behind the right-field scoreboard - and 21st hit there by an Oriole.

It's a different team in Detroit this season, one that is paced by pitching and not a slugging offense. The Tigers have the second-lowest ERA in the American League, thanks to strong starting pitching. Edwin Jackson and Justin Verlander rank in the top 10 in the AL in ERA, and so does the club's newest addition, Jarrod Washburn. He'll be making his Tigers debut Tuesday against the Orioles. The Tigers, who have allowed the fewest runs in the AL, have not scored as much as their solid lineup would suggest.

Zion Lutheran Church in York, Pa., will hold its second annual baseball talk at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 27 in the church's sanctuary, 2215 Brandywine Lane, York. This year's event features: Mel Antonen, baseball writer for SI.com and MASN and a Sirius/XM talk show host; Dan Connolly,  Orioles/national baseball writer for The Baltimore Sun; and Jim Seip, York Revolution beat writer for the York Daily Record/York Sunday News. The writers will present their thoughts on the upcoming baseball season - Orioles, Phillies, all MLB, plus the Revolution and the Atlantic League -- and will answer questions from the audience.

Your new Orioles beat writer has been connected to this franchise a long time -- almost since birth. Had the Yankees not beaten the Orioles for the AL East title in 1976, I would have been named after Orioles rookie outfielder Andres Mora. Instead, I was named after right-hander Ed Figueroa, who won 19 games that year for New York. The bet that my parents made literally made me who I am. So baseball's always been in my blood. So here I am 35 years later, Eduardo Andres Encina, your new Baltimore Orioles beat writer.

Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette was on Jim Bowden's satellite radio show today and seemed to steer the conversation away from free agent first baseman Prince Fielder, but he said in a brief telephone interview this afternoon that he has “not ruled out any free agents.” Of course, that doesn't mean he's ruling in Fielder, who is clearly too expensive at this point in the process. The Orioles did make a seven-year, $140 million bid for Mark Teixeira a few years ago, but that was for a player who grew up in the Baltimore area and had no physical question marks.

According to our Orioles beat reporter Dan Connolly, Orioles manager Buck Showalter and new international coordinator Fred Ferreira are expected to travel to the Dominican Republic to watch a workout for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes , a Cuban defector expected to have a price tag near $50 million if he becomes a free agent. Surely they are doing so because they watched this highlight video put out by Cespedes' representatives where he runs, throws, hits, makes behind-the-back baseball catches and leg presses a pair of teenagers.

You and I are about as close as anyone to becoming the new Orioles general manager on November 3, the day free agency begins in Major League Baseball. Since Jerry Dipoto and Tony LaCava resisted the advances of Peter Angelos, Andy MacPhail's dusty, old desk at the Warehouse remains empty for now. Well, unless the Orioles really have installed a cardboard cutout of Pat Gillick as interim GM . Since we can't speculate on what the team's new top baseball executive will do in free agency because the Orioles have been taking their sweet, old time with this search, let's talk about who you would sign if Angelos called you out of the blue and asked if you were interested in the job (hey, it could happen)

Pro wrestling legend Ric Flair was at Fenway Park on Tuesday night to meet with Dustin Pedroia and the Red Sox . Our Dan Connolly reported that a couple of Orioles players got a kick out of meeting him , too. The play did not pay off for Boston, though, as "the Nature Boy" was unable to "WOOO!" the Red Sox past the feisty Orioles . However, Flair delivered when he emphatically introduced the Red Sox on NESN before the game (while holding a championship belt, of course)

Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette was on Jim Bowden's satellite radio show today and seemed to steer the conversation away from free agent first baseman Prince Fielder, but he said in a brief telephone interview this afternoon that he has “not ruled out any free agents.” Of course, that doesn't mean he's ruling in Fielder, who is clearly too expensive at this point in the process. The Orioles did make a seven-year, $140 million bid for Mark Teixeira a few years ago, but that was for a player who grew up in the Baltimore area and had no physical question marks.

Davey Johnson , the Orioles' former All-Star second baseman who was the last manager to lead the club to a winning season, has taken a job with the Washington Nationals. Johnson, 66, will be a senior advisor to general manager Mike Rizzo . In that capacity, he'll be a full-time member of the Nationals, working on special assignments for Rizzo. Johnson had worked for the Nationals in 2006, but in a less formal consultant position. Johnson spent 13 seasons as a major leaguer, including his first eight with the Orioles, in which he won two World Series titles.

When spring training started in February, the Orioles had several roster spots up for grabs: reserve catcher, two other bench positions, a couple of rotation slots and two to three bullpen openings. With 10 days remaining in camp, the names of the candidates have changed some, but the battles remain the same. "I think there are definitely a couple of positions that have not been determined," said Andy MacPhail, the club's president of baseball operations. "I wouldn't say that's terribly unusual.

There's a certain stigma associated with the word "spoiler" in baseball. It means a team isn't good enough to be in playoff contention so it must derive satisfaction from beating successful clubs. Frankly, the Orioles haven't played well enough down the stretch in the last decade to warrant the spoiler tag, routinely stumbling in August and September against contenders. Under new manager Buck Showalter, however, the Orioles have already turned in their first winning August in 13 years and now, with their 8-7 victory over the American League Wild Card-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, they seem to be inching closer toward spoiler status.