Don Buford

Last week, Don Buford, a k a Baltimore's best leadoff man, became the 21st Baltimore Oriole to be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame.Buford was the scrappy outfielder who got things going for the Birds in the 1969-1971 seasons. Now he's the man who gets things moving as the manager of the Bowie Baysox, who are playing this season at Memorial Stadium.Hundreds of Buford's friends, fans and family joined the Orioles Advocates at Stouffer Harborplace Hotel for lunch. I had the pleasure of chatting with many of them before lunch.

Paul Blair remembers Dave May, who broke into baseball with the Orioles and spent 3-1/2 seasons here, as a skilled outfielder who was in the right place, but at the wrong time. "Unfortunately, when he got here (in 1967), there wasn't any room for him to play. He just couldn't break into our lineup," said Blair, the Orioles standout center fielder who was flanked by Frank Robinson and Don Buford. May died Saturday of cancer. The New Castle, Del., native was 68. A reserve with the Orioles, he hit .216 before being dealt to Milwaukee in mid-1970.

There's something slightly unreal, something mythic and "Field-of-Dreams"-like, about all this. Here's the father, returning to the stadium of his glory days, now gray-haired and bespectacled, to impart his wisdom to a new generation of players. The son, born presciently enough in the middle of a World Series-winning season, growing up to take his place on his father's team.Someone call Hollywood.Well, maybe not just yet. Damon Buford, 23, currently is heating up more bench than bats as a rookie for the Orioles.

Curt Motton's timing when it came to hitting some of the American League's top pitchers was under his control. When he played, and how much, was not. Motton, who died Thursday at age 69 after a yearlong battle with stomach cancer, had the good fortune of playing with the Orioles when they were the league's most dominant team. It was also his misfortune, considering that Motton could never break into an outfield that featured Paul Blair, Frank Robinson and Don Buford. Orioles manager "Earl Weaver loved guys like Curt Motton because he knew what he was going to get," Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer recalled Friday.

The way Damon Buford looks at it, being on the same club with his father now is like making up for the time his dad was away while Damon was in Little League."

Bobby Bonilla's arrival instantly changed the makeup of the Orioles' lineup. Bonilla hit fourth last night, a spot occupied by Cal Ripken for all but six games before the trade. Manager Phil Regan anticipates Bonilla will bat cleanup on a regular basis."Bonilla can do a lot of things," Regan said. "He can hit with power from both sides. He'll fit in real well in our lineup right where he is today."Ripken said it had made more sense for him to bat fourth before Bonilla's arrival. But, with the new slugger in town, Ripken said he will enjoy hitting fifth.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- There was a personal touch yesterday when the Orioles announced that Don Buford had been selected as the 24th member of the club's Hall of Fame.The announcement, made jointly by the team and the sponsoring Orioles Advocates, was made to all organization members in camp just before yesterday's workout. Included in the group was Damon Buford, 22-year-old son of the Orioles' former leadoff hitter. Damon is on the major-league roster for the first time.General manager Roland Hemond informed the players, including 30 minor-leaguers here for an advanced minicamp, of the selection after they were shown a highlight film of Buford's career.

Don Buford was given the title of assistant director of player development, scouting director Gary Nickels signed a four-year contract extension and his assistant Fred Uhlman Jr. received a two-year deal, the Orioles announced yesterday."

Paul Blair remembers Dave May, who broke into baseball with the Orioles and spent 3-1/2 seasons here, as a skilled outfielder who was in the right place, but at the wrong time. "Unfortunately, when he got here (in 1967), there wasn't any room for him to play. He just couldn't break into our lineup," said Blair, the Orioles standout center fielder who was flanked by Frank Robinson and Don Buford. May died Saturday of cancer. The New Castle, Del., native was 68. A reserve with the Orioles, he hit .216 before being dealt to Milwaukee in mid-1970.

Curt Motton's timing when it came to hitting some of the American League's top pitchers was under his control. When he played, and how much, was not. Motton, who died Thursday at age 69 after a year-long battle with stomach cancer, had the good fortune of playing with the Orioles when they were the league's most dominant team. It was also his misfortune, considering that Motton could never break into an outfield that featured Paul Blair, Frank Robinson and Don Buford. "[Orioles manager]

Curt Motton's timing when it came to hitting some of the American League's top pitchers was under his control. When he played, and how much, was not. Motton, who died Thursday at age 69 after a year-long battle with stomach cancer, had the good fortune of playing with the Orioles when they were the league's most dominant team. It was also his misfortune, considering that Motton could never break into an outfield that featured Paul Blair, Frank Robinson and Don Buford. "[Orioles manager]

The phone call came to John Parrish shortly after a friend heard of the pitcher's changing roles at Triple-A Rochester. No longer a starter, Parrish would begin each game in the bullpen, giving the appearance that the Orioles had become disenchanted with him. Or that, just maybe, they were groping for ways to salvage what remained of the tremendous promise he brought to the majors last July. Either way, it didn't look good. "Someone told me they thought I was getting demoted," he said, "but it's the best thing for my career, the best thing for me."

If he finds too large a crowd at third base this spring, Ryan Minor says, he'll gladly take some throws at first. Anything to get on the field. Anything to get inside the batter's box. Anything to show the Orioles he shouldn't be fading from their plans. There was a time not long ago when Minor didn't need to worry about such things, a time when he ranked among the organization's top prospects despite limited baseball experience. Learning on the job, Minor tore through the South Atlantic League while playing for Single-A Delmarva in 1997, and talk of his replacing Cal Ripken already had started to mount.

Bobby Bonilla's arrival instantly changed the makeup of the Orioles' lineup. Bonilla hit fourth last night, a spot occupied by Cal Ripken for all but six games before the trade. Manager Phil Regan anticipates Bonilla will bat cleanup on a regular basis."Bonilla can do a lot of things," Regan said. "He can hit with power from both sides. He'll fit in real well in our lineup right where he is today."Ripken said it had made more sense for him to bat fourth before Bonilla's arrival. But, with the new slugger in town, Ripken said he will enjoy hitting fifth.

Don Buford was given the title of assistant director of player development, scouting director Gary Nickels signed a four-year contract extension and his assistant Fred Uhlman Jr. received a two-year deal, the Orioles announced yesterday."

The way Damon Buford looks at it, being on the same club with his father now is like making up for the time his dad was away while Damon was in Little League."

Only a rainout detracted from a glorious day for the Bufords.Don Buford, the former Orioles leadoff hitter and current Bowie Baysox manager, was honored at a luncheon yesterday leading up to his induction into the Orioles Hall of Fame tonight before the game with the Cleveland Indians.Family members and friends have come from as far away asCalifornia for the occasion. The only thing that kept one son, Don Jr., away was a 36-hour shift in a Dallas hospital -- part of his medical school training.

Such a strange game. Don Buford drove Jeffrey Hammonds to the airport yesterday. Don's son Damon was awaiting a promotion to the Orioles. Hammonds was flying to Ottawa to replace him at Triple-A."

CREATIVE ICE:Not all ice is bad. In fact, artisans can make wonderful things happen visually with a block of ice, given the right tools and time.You can watch them work tomorrow when pros cut and chisel figures out of about 3 1/2 tons of ice. Four two-person teams fromthe National Ice Carvers Association will compete using chain saws, chisels and carving tools, starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Harborplace Amphitheatre, corner of Pratt and Calvert Streets.Judging...

Last week, Don Buford, a k a Baltimore's best leadoff man, became the 21st Baltimore Oriole to be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame.Buford was the scrappy outfielder who got things going for the Birds in the 1969-1971 seasons. Now he's the man who gets things moving as the manager of the Bowie Baysox, who are playing this season at Memorial Stadium.Hundreds of Buford's friends, fans and family joined the Orioles Advocates at Stouffer Harborplace Hotel for lunch. I had the pleasure of chatting with many of them before lunch.