Major

SARASOTA, Fla. - Tsuyoshi Wada realizes he's still a long way to go in his tedious return from Tommy John surgery, but the Japanese left-hander still hopes to make his major league debut soon. Wednesday was the Orioles' first workout for pitchers and catchers, and Wada leaned up against a gate and watched as his teammates opened with long-toss throwing sessions, but he was cleared to participate in pitchers fielding practice drills. It'll still be about three to four weeks before Wada will be able to throw his first bullpen session, and he's gradually building up his throwing distance in a long-toss program he began in November.

An overturned vehicle along Interstate 70 prior to Route 29 near the border between Baltimore and Howard counties was causing major delays as of about 8 a.m. Wednesday, according to the State Highway Administration. Also, a collision on Interstate 83 south of the 41st Street bridge was causing major delays there, according to the city transportation department. At least two of three westbound lanes and the westbound shoulder were closed as of 8:15 a.m., and a traffic camera showed vehicles crawling along I-70 just west of Interstate 695. One person was transported from the scene by ambulance to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department, which responded at 7:56 a.m. A county police dispatcher said units were beginning to clear the scene about 8:30 a.m. In Baltimore, two of four southbound bores of the Fort McHenry Tunnel were closed as of 8:30 a.m. because of a disabled vehicle in the road, the SHA reported.

Major coastal snowstorms, the kind known to bury the Northeast this time of year, have been rare so far this winter. One expected to sweep over New England at the end of the week is expected to mostly miss the Baltimore area. As much as 2 feet of snow is expected from Rhode Island to Maine, including the Boston area, with lesser amounts to the west and south, including in New York. The Boston forecast office of the National Weather Service  has issued a winter storm watch  effective starting Thursday night.

A report by a consultant hired by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's administration paints a dire picture of future city finances — opening the door for Baltimore officials to propose widespread cuts, including to city employees' health and pension benefits. The report by Philadelphia-based Public Financial Management Inc. concluded that Baltimore is facing a structural deficit of nearly $750 million over the next 10 years. It pointed to pension and health care costs as the two biggest drivers of the city's projected deficit.

Division I women's college lacrosse is in the middle of one of its biggest growth spurts in years, and several recent changes appear likely to spark even more expansion soon. This spring, the NCAA tournament bracket expands to 26 teams, and Division I grows to 100 teams with eight new programs, including Southern California. And a shifting conference landscape that includes some of the biggest women's lacrosse powers could prompt more schools to add the sport. Several Division I schools, including Maryland, recently decided to switch conferences in moves often driven by their football or basketball programs.

Pimlico is home to some of the most exhilarating and important horse races in history. It annually hosts the Preakness, the second stop on the road to the Triple Crown and primary revenue-driver for its ownership group. As the Maryland Jockey Club charts its future, though, the immediate focus appears to be on its lesser-known track. In a preliminary capital improvement plan submitted to the state late last week and made public Tuesday, the Jockey Club outlined a plan to essentially rebuild Laurel Park as a mixed-use development featuring retail and a hotel surrounding the track.

With four seconds remaining in the Super Bowl , fans across the Baltimore area clenched fists and clasped hands in prayer. "This is the longest four seconds of my life," said Karen Connell, 36, who stared at a television at 3 Miles House in Baltimore's Remington neighborhood. Baltimore spent most of three quarters of the Super Bowl in jubilation, only to descend into anxious quietude as the San Francisco 49ers clawed back into a game that the Ravens seemed to have had in hand.

Yes: PGA Championship Teddy Greenstein Chicago Tribune He showed us power. He showed us touch. The only winning trait Tiger Woods didn't have at Torrey Pines was patience. He got frustrated Monday when the tortoises in front of him caused his round to take nearly four hours. Four hours for 11 holes. Woods is impatient. He has not won a major since he limped to a playoff victory at the 2008 U.S. Open. Last year he teased us time and again. He won two weeks before the Masters.

The Orioles have added to their outfield surplus by announcing the minor league signing of Chris Dickerson. The 30-year-old Dickerson, who will receive a spring training invite, joins a crowded Orioles roster of veteran outfielders not on the 40-man roster:  holdovers Steve Pearce and Lew Ford, as well as Jason Pridie and infielder/outfielder Conor Jackson. In addition, Adam Greenberg, who made headlines last year with one at-bat for the Miami Marlins, was signed to a minor league deal.

A confident Gov. Martin O'Malley kicked off Tuesday his latest effort to promote offshore wind energy in Maryland, telling a supportive State House crowd that enough senators had signed onto his bill this time to get it through the chamber that's thwarted him the past two years. O'Malley said he had 24 senators as cosponsors, a bare majority but twice the number backing last year's effort. What's more, the governor said, six of his cosponsors are members of the Finance Committee, enough to break the logjam there that has stifled his legislation.