Aubrey Huff

JUPITER, FLA. -- Only once was Orioles pitcher Hayden Penn reminded about his sprained left ankle yesterday. His memory received a jolt, as did the ankle, when he threw a full-count curveball to the Florida Marlins' Joe Borchard in the fourth inning. Borchard walked. So did Penn a short time later - back to the dugout, without a limp. And without allowing a run in his first appearance of the spring. "I felt it give a little," he said, "but other than that, it was fine." Finally cleared to pitch, Penn replaced starter Erik Bedard and went one inning in the Orioles' 2-2 tie with the Marlins.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-- --If the Oriole Way was built on a foundation of pitching and defense, then the Orioles will have to prove they can catch the ball if they want to go back to the future. The pitching staff has been drastically retooled, with four free-agent relievers and two veteran starters. It isn't the 1995 Atlanta Braves, but the rotation is deeper and it looks like the front office succeeded in sealing the late-innings hole that leaked 18 games last season. The batting order has been upgraded, too, though not so substantially that anyone in Boston or New York is going to be quaking in his Gucci spikes.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.-- --The seven-letter word keeps resurfacing in the life and baseball times of Aubrey Huff. Without. Huff, the Orioles' new middle-of-the-lineup slugger, graduated from a Texas high school without being drafted and without getting any serious looks from Division I colleges. In his first seven seasons in the majors, Huff hit 141 homers without fanfare because he played primarily in the obscurity of Tampa Bay, a place without baseball tradition, without a consistent fan base.

Cottle not the man for Maryland lacrosse So Maryland men's lacrosse coach Dave Cottle thinks his team can average at least eight goals with a revamped, motion offense ("Division I outlook," Feb. 16). Wasn't Cottle brought to Maryland in 2001 to help revamp a sluggish offense? Instead, Maryland has continued to be defensive-minded in his tenure, and Cottle has done nothing to warrant heaping praise. His Terps teams have lost in the NCAA semifinals, and Cottle's reputation as a great regular-season coach but an underachiever in the playoffs has endured.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Brian Roberts showed up looking like Grizzly Adams, which has to be considered a positive development for a team that can probably use a little rugged individualism after nine consecutive losing seasons. The beard will have to come off, of course. The Orioles open full-squad workouts today at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, and team rules require that players look their best. Team rules about playing their best have not been so strictly enforced over the past decade or so, but even that might be starting to change.

HAVE THE ORIOLES IMPROVED ENOUGH TO MAKE WAVES IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST? The consensus answer now is "no." Sure, the bullpen is drastically better and the offense also looks more dangerous with the addition of Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff. Before the news of Kris Benson's injury, the rotation also seemed stronger, if for no other reason than Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen are a year older and Jaret Wright likely will be an upgrade over Bruce Chen. The problem is the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox also figure to have improved since last season, and while the Toronto Blue Jays lost some pitching, they gained slugger Frank Thomas.

Day Time TV Starters Today 3:05 13 Scott Kazmir (10-9, 3.77 in 2005) vs. Rodrigo Lopez (15-12, 4.90) Wednesday 7:05 CSN Seth McClung (7-11, 6.59 in 2005) vs. Erik Bedard (6-8, 4.00) Thursday 7:05 CSN Mark Hendrickson (11-8, 5.90 in '05) vs. Kris Benson (10-8, 4.13) Radio: All games on WBAL (1090 AM) Devil Rays update A good finish to 2005 and the continued growth of their young talent has created some optimism around the Devil Rays, who finished the spring with a 13-16 record. Rookie manager Joe Maddon, a longtime Angels coach, puts out a lineup filled with young talent, including 24-year-old left fielder Carl Crawford (.301 with 15 homers, 81 RBIs and 46 steals in 2005)

THE KEY TO getting into this year's postseason may be found in the most foreign of places for baseball success: Tampa Bay. Really. The Devil Rays have lost 90 or more games in each of their first seven seasons and are on pace for their third 100-loss season. But they may decide which teams make the playoffs, and not just because they have befuddled the New York Yankees this year. As the July 31 trading deadline nears, this much is certain: The 2005 trade market is filled with more buyers than sellers.