Brady Anderson

Brady Anderson was in the lobby of the Hilton Anatole when another former player came up to him and congratulated him on his new gig with the Orioles. And what's that gig? Well Brady's not really saying. He's going to wait for the club to speak to that. For the past two years, Anderson, one of the most popular players in club history, has helped out his old team in an unspecified role. He's worked with players to improve their conditioning and at one point spent a chunk of time in Norfolk attempting to get Nolan Reimold out of his 2010 funk.

We know the Orioles have had some revolving doors at certain positions over the years - left field, first base, etc.  - but the Orioles' recent run on Opening Day designated hitters is pretty astounding. Assuming, of course, that you recognize DH as a position. Right-handed hitting Steve Pearce gets the call today at DH against Tampa Bay lefty David Price. Pearce becomes the 11th different DH the Orioles have used on Opening Day in the past 11 seasons. That's right, 11 DHs in 11 seasons.

The Orioles didn't end up with 20th-round draftee Ryan Ripken, son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., but they have signed a player this year with a familiar name to Orioles fans: Right-handed hitting first baseman Cory Segui, the son of former Oriole David Segui and the grandson of former big league pitcher Diego Segui. Segui, 20, played last year at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, but after a subpar season was not drafted. He was headed to Emporia State University in Kansas on a baseball scholarship, but wanted to play pro ball.

Orioles pitcher Miguel Gonzalez has learned to never make assumptions when it comes to baseball. Take, for example, Sunday afternoon, when the 28-year-old Gonzalez was making his first Grapefruit League appearance of the season at Ed Smith Stadium in the Orioles' 12-3 win over the Phillies. He made quick work of a Phillies split-squad team, pitching two scoreless innings without allowing a hit. Facing his final hitter of the day, Gonzalez got Phillies third baseman Michael Young to lift a routine fly ball to right field for the third out of the fifth inning.

The Orioles announced a set of front office promotions Tuesday, most notably naming Orioles Hall of Famer Brady Anderson vice president of baseball operations. Anderson's former title was special assistant to the director of baseball operations. Ned Rice, who previously was assistant director of major league operations, is now director of major league administration. Mike Snyder, who was assistant director of scouting and player development, is now assistant director of player personal.

Brady Anderson is carving a small block of time out of his packed training schedule to demonstrate the true purpose of the athletic life, which is not about money or women or fame or even fun. It's about beating you. The field of play - in this case - is a pingpong table in the middle of the Orioles' spring clubhouse at the Ed Smith Stadium Complex, where the team is preparing - with Anderson's help - for the 2012 baseball season. But it could just as well be a tennis court or a flag football field or the running track.

Orioles left-hander Zach Britton, whose season was slowed by nagging shoulder soreness last year, turned to club special assistant Brady Anderson this offseason to regain strength -- and confidence -- in his arm. The 25-year-old Britton believes that will be the difference in his efforts to get back into the Orioles starting rotation. Britton, who didn't pitch for the Orioles last season until mid-July because of left shoulder impingement and then struggled with his consistency once he returned to the big leagues, spent the offseason working out with Anderson in California.

The Orioles announced several changes to the front office staff Thursday, including the hiring of long-time Orioles outfielder Brady Anderson as a special assistant to executive vice president Dan Duquette. Anderson, 48, was a three-time all-star in his 15-season career as a big-league outfielder, which included 14 years with the Orioles. Anderson worked the past two years in an informal, ad hoc capacity helping with the conditioning and development of players such as Nolan Reimold and Brian Matusz.

Catherine Ruth Taylor, a former Baltimore area resident and "ultimate" Orioles fan who attended the team's first and last game at Memorial Stadium and "a couple of thousand" in between, died Monday of cancer at the home of a son in Virginia Beach, Va. She was 82.She will be buried today wearing an Orioles' jersey with the No. 9 for Brady Anderson, one of her favorite players. Tucked inside her casket will be a baseball commemorating Cal Ripken's consecutive-game streak and a sandwich bag filled with infield dirt from Orioles Park at Camden Yards.

On Saturday night, droves of stars stepped from their limos onto a red-carpeted sidewalk and into a theater for the Hollywood premiere of "Evita."Thousands of screaming fans lined the street, waiting for a glimpse of entertainment giants. Out walked Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith and Brady Anderson.Yes, Brady has gone Hollywood. The 50-jack man has become a national phenomenon, though not quite on the level of Madonna."I came in with my girlfriend and it's like, no way," Anderson said.

The Orioles announced a set of front office promotions Tuesday, most notably naming Orioles Hall of Famer Brady Anderson vice president of baseball operations. Anderson's former title was special assistant to the director of baseball operations. Ned Rice, who previously was assistant director of major league operations, is now director of major league administration. Mike Snyder, who was assistant director of scouting and player development, is now assistant director of player personal.

Orioles left-hander Zach Britton, whose season was slowed by nagging shoulder soreness last year, turned to club special assistant Brady Anderson this offseason to regain strength -- and confidence -- in his arm. The 25-year-old Britton believes that will be the difference in his efforts to get back into the Orioles starting rotation. Britton, who didn't pitch for the Orioles last season until mid-July because of left shoulder impingement and then struggled with his consistency once he returned to the big leagues, spent the offseason working out with Anderson in California.

Orioles right-hander Miguel Gonzalez said he decided he won't pitch for Mexico in the World Baseball Classic. “It was a tough decision because obviously I wanted to represent Mexico, but you always have to think about what's going to happen in the long run,” Gonzalez told reporters on Thursday during the Orioles' minicamp. “I think it's more important for me to be with the team.” Gonzalez, 28, rose from being a minor league free agent to becoming one of the Orioles' most dependable starters late in the season.

Here are some quotes from the Orioles after their 5-1 victory over the Texas Rangers to advance to the AL Division Series. Jim Johnson on celebrating victory: “It's a lot of fun obviously. Just doing all that hard work we put in from the beginning, even from a couple years ago, it's all worth it. Now we are just trying to reap the rewards and see where it takes us. We're just going to try and compete and see where it takes us.” Johnson on going back to Baltimore to play: “It's going to be fun. It's going to be an incredible atmosphere.

We all know singer/songwriter/guitarist/producer Joan Jett loves Rock and Roll; she's proclaimed that plenty of times since her breakout hit in 1982. She also has proclaimed her love for the Orioles for years. It's hard to forget when she donned an Orioles “Jett” jersey in the front row at Yankee Stadium in the 1980s. Well, now the 54-year-old rocker who grew up in Rockville - yes, very appropriate - wanted this generation of Orioles to know how much she's enjoying their resurgence.

Chris Davis homered in the fourth inning - a two-run shot that was his fourth in his past three games. It also was his 30th of the season - something he has never done as a big leaguer, although he reached the milestone in the minors before. Davis is the second Oriole to get to 30 this season, joining Adam Jones, who has 32. It's the sixth time in Orioles history that teammates have hit 30 or more homers in a season. The others: J.J. Hardy and Mark Reynolds (2011); Brady Anderson and Rafael Palmeiro (1996)

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - It has been more than a decade since Brady Anderson had to wonder about his place in the lineup. He was such a regular fixture in the Orioles' outfield that it is he - not consecutive-games king Cal Ripken - who holds the club record for games played at Oriole Park. So this must be a strange time. The Cleveland Indians are preparing for another run at the American League Central title and Anderson finds himself in an unfamiliar uniform and an uncomfortable situation, forced to audition for a significant role in their 2002 playoff bid. It is not a sure thing.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- If you're Brady Anderson, do you make a case for hitting first, complain about batting third or simply take the fifth?None of the above.Though stating a preference for batting leadoff this season, the Orioles' center fielder said after yesterday's workout that he'll hit "wherever they put me." And that could be third, depending on which lineup manager Ray Miller settles upon from a bevy of possibilities.It was only a few days ago, during a conversation with his father, that Anderson said he learned about the possibility of dropping in the order.

BOSTON - If you're trying to make sense of the Orioles' otherworldly string of 16 straight extra-inning victories, don't even bother. "You don't question the things you don't understand," manager Buck Showalter said moments after the Orioles shook off a late-inning comeback by the Boston Red Sox on Saturday afternoon and scored three runs in the 12th for a 9-6 victory at Fenway Park. "You just sit back and watch it happen. " If you want to put it into some kind of perspective, consider the fact that a game that goes into extra innings is, by its very nature as a tied game in regulation, a pretty even proposition.

The Orioles didn't end up with 20th-round draftee Ryan Ripken, son of Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., but they have signed a player this year with a familiar name to Orioles fans: Right-handed hitting first baseman Cory Segui, the son of former Oriole David Segui and the grandson of former big league pitcher Diego Segui. Segui, 20, played last year at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, but after a subpar season was not drafted. He was headed to Emporia State University in Kansas on a baseball scholarship, but wanted to play pro ball.