Bittersweet homecoming

Extra Bases

Often when a failed prospect returns to play his former team, there is bitterness. Not this time, not with Ed Rogers, once considered the Orioles' most promising young infielder.

"I miss everything. This is the organization that I love, that I grew up with," said Rogers, who is now in minor league camp with the Washington Nationals but was part of the club's traveling roster in Fort Lauderdale yesterday.

When he arrived here, Rogers shook hands and hugged several players. He said he still considers Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora a close friend and said manager Dave Trembley, his Triple-A manager, "is like my dad."

Rogers' star dimmed considerably in 2002, when visa problems revealed that he was 23 and not 20 as originally thought. He's now 29 and in the minors again.