Dominican Republic

The Orioles and representatives for Alfredo Simon said Tuesday that the pitcher has been cleared of all wrongdoing in a fatal shooting Jan. 1 in the Dominican Republic. Simon was scheduled to have a hearing Tuesday, but it was canceled and all potential charges against Simon in the death of his 25-year-old cousin, Michael Castillo Almonte, were dropped, according to Simon's representatives. Orioles director of player development John Stockstill, who has been the point man for the organization during this ordeal, spoke to Simon Tuesday afternoon and said: "He was acquitted of all wrongdoing and is very relieved.

The Least of These Ministries, a faith-based, nondenominational relief organization founded by Manchester resident Steve Hull and his wife, shipped 200,000 meal packages to undernourished Haitian sugar cane workers this week. On the morning of Oct. 10, the organization took possession of the food packages from another group, Feed My Starving Children, after pledging to transport the food to Haitians living in work camps in the Dominican Republic. The shipment was passed along later this week.

Cal Ripken World Series D.R. pitcher throws no-no; Md. team out In one of the all-time best pitching performances seen at the Cal Ripken World Series, the Dominican Republic's Leudy Santana struck out 14 batters en route to a no-hitter in his team's 1-0 victory over Mexico in Friday's International semifinal matchup at Cal Sr.'s Yard. The performance was validation for Santana, who struck out 16 hitters in the Dominican team's earlier pool play contest with Mexico on Monday but lost when the reigning champs scored four runs on three hits in a 4-0 victory.

The Cal Ripken World Series semifinals are set for both the International and United States after pool play in all three series divisions was concluded on Wednesday at the Ripken Baseball Academy. Japan (5-0) claimed the top spot in the International Pool, with an exciting and nail-biting 2-1 win over Mexico (4-1) Wednesday night in Cal Sr.'s Yard, while Republic of Korea (2-3) earned the fourth and final seed with a 7-0 win over Australia (1-4), also at Cal Sr.'s Yard. Japan will meet Republic of Korea today (Friday)

Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon was headed back to the United States on Monday night after attending a legal hearing in the Dominican Republic and could return to the team by Tuesday, according to a source that spoke with Simon on Monday afternoon. Simon, who has been the lead suspect in the fatal shooting of his cousin Jan. 1, saw the hearing suspended when prosecution witnesses did not show, according to an Associated Press out of the Dominican. Simon's Dominican attorney, Dinora Diloné, told the AP that the hearing would be postponed until Oct. 18. The pitcher still has not been charged with a crime but also has not been cleared in the matter, according to the source who spoke with Simon.

What's certain is that Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon is scheduled to start against the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night before heading to his native Dominican Republic on Sunday. What's uncertain is what comes next for Simon. The team hopes Monday's hearing in the Jan. 1 shooting death of Simon's cousin will be the end of the case, but based on how things have progressed this year, the Orioles aren't sure what will happen. "We simply don't know. It's a legal process," Orioles director of player development John Stockstill said.

It's the poor stepchild of the baseball draft. For years it was barely regulated, which made it ripe for abuse. And even today it remains overlooked, underpublicized and all but ignored by most fans. Yet baseball's international signing period, which begins July 2, is quickly becoming one of the most important set of dates on the calendar for many big league teams. More than a quarter of current major league players — and nearly half of those in the minors — were signed as international free agents, including eight of the 20 starters in last year's All-Star Game and last season's rookie of the year and Cy Young Award winner in the American League.

Orioles pitcher Alfredo Simon, accused of shooting and killing a 25-year-old man in his native Dominican Republic during New Year's celebrations, will go to trial, a judge has ruled, according to an Associated Press report out of the Dominican Republic. Simon, 30, was in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, for Monday's hearing. He was back in the United States later Monday and started for Double-A Bowie on Tuesday night in Richmond, Va. Dinora Diloné, an attorney for Simon, maintains that his client is innocent in the shooting that killed Michael Castillo Almonte.

Orioles right-hander Alfredo Simon arrived in Florida on Saturday afternoon and is expected to report to the club's minor-league facility at Twin Lakes Park on Sunday. Simon, who had been detained in his native Dominican Republic since January as a suspect in the shooting death of his cousin and the wounding of another man in the early morning hours of New Year's Day, is currently on the major-league restricted list and is not part of the 40-man roster. At this point, there is still a question as to whether Simon has been completely cleared of wrongdoing in the incident, but the fact he obtained his visa and traveled out of the country is an encouraging sign for the 29-year-old reliever.

An appeals court in the Dominican Republic has granted Alfredo Simon's request to be released on bail, according to news reports Thursday from Puerto Plata, where the Orioles reliever has been incarcerated since Jan. 3. Simon is to be freed as soon as he comes up with 2 million pesos, the equivalent of $53,333. It is not yet known whether Simon, suspected of fatally shooting a man and injuring another during a party early on New Year's Day, will be allowed to leave the Dominican Republic pending an investigation into the incident, which took the life of Michael Esteban Castillo Almonte, 25. The victim's 17-year-old half brother, Starlin Castillo Hernandez, was injured.