Grimsley

The player at the center of baseball's latest drug controversy, Jason Grimsley, is perhaps more distinguished by the company he kept than anything he did in his 15-year career. He has played with everyone from Lenny Dykstra to Eddie Murray to Derek Jeter. He won two World Series rings as an anonymous bullpen guy for the star-studded New York Yankees of 1999 and 2000. He was the guy who climbed through a false ceiling to swipe Albert Belle's corked bat from the umpires' locker room in 1994.

Needing immediate pitching help for a team that has fallen into last place, the Orioles acquired reliever Jason Grimsley from the Kansas City Royals last night for Double-A starter Denny Bautista, parting with one of their top prospects for the chance to gain depth and experience. Grimsley, 36, is joining his sixth team since breaking into the majors in 1989. He's 3-3 with a 3.38 ERA in 32 appearances. Jim Beattie, the Orioles" executive vice president of baseball operations, said Grimsley will be used in a right-handed setup role similar to Mike DeJean.

Nearly a year after the Rafael Palmeiro steroid scandal and months removed from the federal government's inquiries into Miguel Tejada's vitamin B-12 usage, the Orioles are again intertwined in an investigation involving drugs and baseball. Former Orioles reliever Jason Grimsley told Internal Revenue Service investigators that he purchased human growth hormone between 10 and 12 times in the past several years and also admitted he paid for a double shipment while with the Orioles, according to a federal affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Arizona.

With Eric DuBose headed for surgery next week, the Orioles have returned Rodrigo Lopez to the starting rotation. And this time, the move could be good through the rest of the season. Lopez will pitch against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday in the second game of the interleague series. His last start came on June 12 before manager Lee Mazzilli put him in the bullpen again. "Rodrigo Lopez is in the rotation. He's going to go back in there and stay in there," Mazzilli said. "When you lose a starting pitcher, you have to find one, and we didn't have one in Triple-A that I wanted to put in that role.

A plane crashed into the back of a home belonging to Orioles pitcher Jason Grimsley yesterday morning, killing at least two people in Overland Park, Kan., but not injuring the veteran reliever or his family. The twin-engine Cessna 421, which was headed to Florida, hit a retaining wall near the house. Five people were scheduled to take the flight, but it's unclear whether every passenger was on board. Grimsley, who underwent ligament-reconstruction surgery on his right elbow three months ago, had taken his truck to a dealership to have the brakes repaired, and his two sons were in school.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- A plane crashed into the back of a home belonging to Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jason Grimsley Friday morning, killing at least two people., The plane went down northeast of the Johnson County Executive Airport and crashed in a residential area in the 11600 block of West 148th Street. The twin-engine Cessna 421 hit between Grimsley's home and a second home about 9:39 a.m. A witness saw two bodies in the wreckage. The Federal Aviation Adminstration told KMBC in Kansas City that the plane was headed for Florida.

TORONTO -- Able to throw all of his pitches with no traces of pain in his surgically repaired right elbow, Orioles reliever Jason Grimsley will report to Double-A Bowie on Sunday as part of his injury rehabilitation assignment. Pitching coach Ray Miller estimated that Grimsley, who underwent ligament-reconstructive surgery on Oct. 12, will stay with the Baysox for 10 to 12 days before possibly rejoining the Orioles. Miller wants him to throw a minimum of five innings over five games. "He doesn't need to throw more than an inning in five appearances," Miller said.

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Though he couldn't be certain until given the chance to throw, Orioles reliever Jason Grimsley expected to be available last night after straining his left hip flexor while attempting to cover first base Monday. Grimsley, who hadn't allowed an earned run in 11 appearances before last night, blamed the poor condition of the mound at Camden Yards for his injury. "It was a mess. There were holes all over the place," he said. "I went to cover first, and as soon as I took a step, my heel went somewhere it probably shouldn't have gone."

TORONTO - Orioles reliever Jason Grimsley could go on an injury rehabilitation assignment next week if his surgically repaired right elbow holds up under the strain of consecutive bullpen sessions. Grimsley threw yesterday before the Orioles' game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. He's expected to take the mound again today. "Now we just have to see if he can handle back-to-back sidelines," said Mike Flanagan, vice president of baseball operations. "We'll keep giving him more and more, and as long as he can handle it, I think next week is a possibility."