Ed Smith Stadium

Every morning, just after 7 o'clock, Orioles pitcher Jake Arrieta leaves his temporary home in Siesta Key and bikes the nine miles to Ed Smith Stadium. "It's a nice little stroll, but it's a fun ride," Arrieta said. "It's not because I want a workout. It's kind of my routine. I really want to keep that throughout the season. I rode my bike to the field in Baltimore all last year when I was there. I'm on the bike everyday in the offseason so I figure, 'Hey, let's try to keep the routine as close to what it is in your day-to-day life.

There's still time to plan your trip to Sarasota. Games don't begin until March 1, so you've got a few weeks to sort it out. To help, here are some travel tips and deals for the area: Where to stay Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn , Hyatt Place and Homewood Suites are kinda the "official" hotels for spring training travelers. All are located within 5-8 miles of Ed Smith Stadium. (Hilton has a free shuttle.) Two-night packages start at $392 for each of the hotels.

Though the results of new designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero 's physical examination won't be available until at least Thursday and his contract won't be finalized until those results are in, his arrival in the clubhouse at the Ed Smith Stadium complex Wednesday morning created quite a buzz. "God, it's good to see him," said pitcher Chris Tillman , who gained some SportsCenter fame when he bounced a pitch in front of Guerrero a couple of years ago and it still cost him a base hit. "I probably saw the replay of that 60 times during the postseason.

— When the Orioles took to the practice fields for their first pitcher/catcher workout of spring training Monday, it was hard not to draw some metaphorical connection with the stadium construction project going on nearby. The renovation of Ed Smith Stadium is nearly complete, but there are still scaffolds reaching well into the sky and lots to do before the dramatically upgraded facility is ready to host its first exhibition game in two weeks. The rebuilding of the once-proud Orioles franchise is not quite so far along, but there is no disputing that the team has undergone significant cosmetic improvement over the past few months, and that has changed the level of expectation throughout the organization and its fan base.

When Orioles manager Buck Showalter arrived at Ed Smith Stadium a week ago, he took a walk around the complex and surveyed how much work still needed to be done before his team's first workout Monday. "I got here [last] Sunday at about 5 or 6 o'clock, walked around by myself and kind of went, 'Damn,'" Showalter said. "But you see how much progress they've made. It's unbelievable the difference the way it looks from 10 o'clock in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. They've been killing themselves down here.

Orioles Fla. Supreme Court rules in favor of stadium agreement Florida's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Sarasota County didn't violate open-meeting laws when it agreed to a deal with the Orioles to renovate the Ed Smith Stadium and Twin Lake Park complexes. The ruling means funding will continue uninterrupted for the $31 million renovation to the Orioles' major league and minor league spring training facilities, which is under way. A taxpayers group had sued the county and its board of commissioners, contending that the agreement was in violation of Florida's Sunshine Law. A Circuit Court ruled earlier this year in favor of Sarasota County; Thursday's decision upheld that ruling, dismissing the plaintiffs' complaints.

The 2010 World Series starts tonight, but the Orioles have already made plans for the beginning of the 2011 Major League Baseball season. The O's on Wednesday released their 2011 spring training schedule, which starts with a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Bradenton, Fla., on Feb. 28. After that, the Orioles will play their first of 16 home games at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota against the Tampa Bay Rays on March 1. This will be the second...

As another Orioles season ends Sunday at Camden Yards, team officials will enter the beginning stages of planned renovations to the 18-year-old stadium. Janet Marie Smith, the Orioles' vice president for planning and development, said discussions about Camden Yards enhancements are still in the "conceptual stage" and the team will likely meet with Maryland Stadium Authority officials in late October to go over the plans. "We've got some ideas that we are working on, and we're kind of getting them priced out," said Smith, who presided over the original design and construction of Camden Yards.

Orioles manager Buck Showalter has talked several times about how much he is looking forward to the start of spring training in mid-February, and the latest occurrence came Tuesday, after he toured the team's major and minor league facilities in Sarasota. An Orioles contingent headed by president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and Showalter made the 45-minute trip from St. Petersburg to Sarasota to check out the progress of the $31 million renovations to Ed Smith Stadium and the minor league facility at Twin Lakes Park.

SARASOTA, Fla. - -Janet Marie Smith was instrumental in the design of Camden Yards. She oversaw the improvements at Fenway Park in Boston and figured prominently in the transformation of Centennial Olympic Stadium into Turner Field, home of the Atlanta Braves. But her latest challenge - the $31.2 million renovation of the Orioles' spring training home at Ed Smith Stadium and Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota - has broken new ground for the renowned architect and urban planner. "It's the first time in our career we are ordering steel the same day we are ordering concession equipment," said Smith, the Orioles' vice president of planning and development.