BALTIMORE -- In the winter of 2010, years before he was signed to a contract extension, Adam Jones reached out to fans on Twitter. Not yet making the kind of money that later enabled him to renovate three Boys & Girls clubs and build a computer center, the center fielder simply wanted some addresses.
Jones, vacationing with a teammate in Europe at the time, then picked a half-dozen fans to whom he sent postcards from some of his favorite stops. It was, he figured, an easy way to brighten someone's day. Eight years later, you'd be hard-pressed to find an Orioles fan who doesn't appreciate Jones for what's he brought to the field and the remarkable impact he's had off it.