Andy Macphail

It's official. Juan Samuel will not be returning to the Orioles' staff in 2011. Samuel has been announced as the new third base coach and outfield instructor for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is moving his old Orioles' boss, Sam Perlozzo, from the third base coaching box to first base. Here's what Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel had to say about adding Samuel, who spent most of his best years as a player with the Phillies. "I feel fortunate that we were able to add someone of Juan's stature to our coaching staff," Manuel said in a news release.

Brad Bergesen was in Baltimore this month to have his right shoulder looked at by the team's medical staff, but the visit was mostly for precautionary measures, according to both the starter and Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail . "It was more of a preventive-type thing," Bergesen said in a phone interview Wednesday night. "From what I dealt with last year, they wanted to see where I was at. They just wanted to check my strength and see how I was doing, and it's been great so far. Compared with last year, it's just leaps and bounds better than how I felt.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with some reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine. Running it back: The Orioles split their split-squad games Wednesday, hammering the Twins, 11-2, and losing to the Red Sox, 2-1. ... Derrek Lee remains sidelined with a sore wrist, and Luke Scott is ready to play first base for the Orioles if needed.

If you're an Orioles fan - and I know you're out there somewhere - you're probably thinking the same thing I'm thinking right now. Who kidnapped the conservative, methodical, one-step-at-a-time Orioles president of baseball operations and replaced him with the nonstop Andy MacPhail who is making me wonder whether they ought to implement amphetamine testing for baseball front-office employees? There have been a couple of times this month when I haven't even finished sizing up one Orioles move before Baltimore Sun baseball beat writer Jeff Zrebiec or Dan Connolly is breaking the news on another (and ESPN is rushing to take credit for it)

In a flurry of expected moves, the Orioles set their Opening Day 25-man roster following Saturday's final exhibition game. The decisions include designating for assignment last year's utility infielder Robert Andino, who became expendable when the Orioles traded for veteran Julio Lugo on Thursday. "I have a responsibility to do what I can to make the team as good as I can and, in my judgment, Lugo was a better fit for us," said Andy MacPhail, the club's president of baseball operations.

- The weather has turned sour again in South Florida, and a heavy rainstorm wiped out Friday's exhibition game between the Orioles and Florida Marlins at Ed Smith Stadium. Right-hander Jeremy Guthrie , who was scheduled to face left-hander Andrew Miller in the afternoon game, will move back to start today's game against the New York Yankees at Tampa's Legends Field. To make up some of the lost innings, the Orioles and Marlins will play a "B" game this morning, with Mark Hendrickson starting against Sean West at the Ed Smith complex.

A stiff neck shouldn't be much to worry about. But when that stiff neck is attached to the wonky back of Brian Roberts, the team's offensive catalyst who played in just 59 games in 2010 because of a herniated disk, there is cause for concern. Roberts missed an Orioles team workout for a third consecutive day today. President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said the Orioles aren't sweating it and that Roberts has gotten better day by day. But you can't help but worry a little bit about the second baseman's condition getting worse as the spring progresses.

It was a wild, wacky weekend in the world of American pro sports with NFL free agency hitting full swing on Friday and Major League Baseball's annual non-waiver trade deadline passing on Sunday afternoon. Things were relatively quiet in Baltimore, though. The Ravens were patiently waiting for the distribution of funny money to die down and on Saturday the Orioles made a pair of deals, but neither was a major one. The Ravens finally made their move on Sunday. Sure it wasn't splashy like the Eagles assembling a trio of Pro Bowl cornerbacks or the Patriots getting even scarier with the additions of Albert Haynesworth and Chad Ochocinco, but signing Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach was a pretty big deal to the Ravens.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.   Running it back: The Orioles lost to the Red Sox , 8-7, on Tuesday night, but they have a chance to keep them out of the playoffs in Wednesday night's season finale. " You already know we ain't going to quit ," Adam Jones said.

Each morning, Monday through Friday, I'll hook you up with reading material to skim through as you slug down coffee and slack off at the start of your workday -- that way I'll have an excuse to do the same at the start of mine.     Running it back: There is no contract yet in hand, but Westminster wants the Ravens back in the nest for training camp . ... On Wednesday, the Orioles interviewed Toronto Blue Jays executive Tony LaCava for their top front office position . ... North Carolina is the favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.