Hardy

On February 23, 2005, IDELIA HARDY. On Wednesday, friends may call at the VAUGHN C. GREENE FUNERAL SERVICES, 5151 Balto. Nat'l Pike, from 4 to 8 P.M. On Thursday, Mrs. Hardy will lie instate at Wayland Baptist Church, 3200 Garrison Blvd., where the family will receive friends from 11 to 11:30 A.M., with services to follow. Inquiries to (410) 233-2400.

Thursday's off day - which halted a span of 20 games in 20 days for the Orioles - was a needed respite for everyone on the club. But perhaps nobody appreciated it more than J.J. Hardy, who also had Wednesday off because manager Buck Showalter said his shortstop was dealing with a "barky" right shoulder. Truthfully, Hardy said Saturday, his shoulder has been screaming and howling for the past couple weeks - hurting so much that he considered receiving a cortisone shot similar to the one he had in March when the problem first arose.

On July 17, 2006, BERNICE, beloved mother of Marvin G., Larry E., Clarence H. and Kathy D. Hardy. She is also survived by five grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, a host of nieces, nephews and other relatives. Friends may visit the JAMES A. MORTON & SONS FUNERAL HOMES, INC., 1701 Laurens St. Sunday 3-7 p.m. On Monday Mrs. Hardy will lie in state at City Temple of Baltimore (Baptist), Eutaw and Dolphin Sts. The family will receive friends 10:30-11 AM followed by services.

Thursday's off day - which halted a span of 20 games in 20 days for the Orioles - was a needed respite for everyone on the club. But perhaps nobody appreciated it more than J.J. Hardy, who also had Wednesday off because manager Buck Showalter said his shortstop was dealing with a "barky" right shoulder. Truthfully, Hardy said Saturday, his shoulder has been screaming and howling for the past couple weeks - hurting so much that he considered receiving a cortisone shot similar to the one he had in March when the problem first arose.

MARION HARDY succumbed after a lengthy illness on February 7, 2009. Homecoming will be at Hope Chapel Church, 1425 Riggs Avenue on Thursday February 12; Wake 9:30, Funeral 10:00 a.m. Viewing at Gary P. March Funeral Home, 270 Fred Hilton Pass, Baltimore on February 11 from 4-7 p.m. Interment Sacred Heart of Jesus in Dundalk.

The Orioles' new shortstop, with the movie star looks and the West Coast ease, hasn't been hard to find the past four weeks. On most mornings, he turns his chair around at his corner locker and faces a roomful of new teammates. He interacts with fellow infielders, accepts challenges at the pingpong table and takes in the culture in his third big league clubhouse in as many years. This is J.J. Hardy in his element. This is also in stark contrast with the person he became seven years ago when a shoulder injury jeopardized a promising career before it had really even started.

Following the Orioles' 8-2 win over the Red Sox on Saturday, center fielder Adam Jones thought about how dangerous the Baltimore lineup could be if two of their most important bats started heating up. "Just imagine if we can get Reynolds and Hardy going," he said. And on Sunday, both third baseman Mark Reynolds and shortstop J.J. Hardy showed signs of breaking out of season-long hitting slumps. Boston seemed to be the perfect remedy for Reynolds, who was 6-for-11 in the three-game series at Fenway, including five extra-base hits (two homers, three doubles)

Thursday's off day - which halted a span of 20 games in 20 days for the Orioles - was a needed respite for everyone on the club. But perhaps nobody appreciated it more than J.J. Hardy, who also had Wednesday off because manager Buck Showalter said his shortstop was dealing with a "barky" right shoulder. Truthfully, Hardy said Saturday, his shoulder has been screaming and howling for the past couple weeks - hurting so much that he considered receiving a cortisone shot similar to the one he had in March when the problem first arose.

The Orioles plan on opening contract talks with shortstop J.J. Hardy this season, and it would be a move that makes a lot of sense for the organization. The Orioles need someone to keep the position warm until top prospect Manny Machado is ready for prime time, and when healthy, Hardy has proved to be capable. Since returning the lineup in mid May from one of those pesky oblique injuries, Hardy has batted .298 with six home runs and 17 runs batted in. Needless to say, that’s a major offensive upgrade over Cesar Izturis.

Orioles third baseman Mark Reynolds celebrated the Fourth of July weekend by launching rockets all over Atlanta and Arlington, Texas, and now ranks eighth in the major leagues in home runs. J.J. Hardy has re-emerged as one of the best all-around shortstops in the game and was one of the top candidates to represent the O's at next week's All-Star Game. In other words, Andy MacPhail's two major trades of the past offseason seem to have turned out pretty well, even if the rest of his team appears to be coming apart at the seams.

Behind the black metal doors leading into the visiting clubhouse at Kauffman Stadium, Orioles players bobbed their heads to the bass-thumping music that filled the room Thursday afternoon. Travel bags in front of each player's locker, the Orioles were ready to barnstorm out of Kansas City, having completed a road series just 40 hours after arriving here. Their stay was brief, but they swept through the Midwest with a pair of more-than-meaningful comeback wins at Kauffman Stadium -- wins that came within less than 24 hours of each other.

Tonight has been a night of firsts for Orioles rookie outfielder Xavier Avery. The 22-year-old Avery, making his second big-league start since being called up Sunday, tallied his first major-league hit in his first at bat Monday against the Yankees, then drove in his first big-league run in the fifth. Both hits were critical parts of Orioles' rallies. Avery's double into the right-center field gap started a two-run first-inning rally for the Orioles. Avery's hit was the first of three Orioles hits in the first.

Following the Orioles' 8-2 win over the Red Sox on Saturday, center fielder Adam Jones thought about how dangerous the Baltimore lineup could be if two of their most important bats started heating up. "Just imagine if we can get Reynolds and Hardy going," he said. And on Sunday, both third baseman Mark Reynolds and shortstop J.J. Hardy showed signs of breaking out of season-long hitting slumps. Boston seemed to be the perfect remedy for Reynolds, who was 6-for-11 in the three-game series at Fenway, including five extra-base hits (two homers, three doubles)

J.J. Hardy has done plenty to help the Orioles this season with his glove, but it wasn't until Sunday when he felt his bat was catching up. In the Orioles' 17-inning 9-6 win over the Red Sox, Hardy had a career-high five hits, including two solo homers and a double, with two RBIs and three runs. Following a 5-for-8 day, Hardy lifted his average 30 points. Now hitting .217, it was the first time he's had a batting average above .200 since April 17. "Maybe today was the first day I felt OK," Hardy said.

A day after Orioles reliever Kevin Gregg 's abysmal relief appearance in Sunday's 9-2 loss at Toronto — an outing in which the right-hander went through seven batters to get one out with two down in the sixth inning, allowing five runs to score — manager Buck Showalter expressed support for the maligned pitcher. For Gregg, who is making $5.8 million in a bullpen role that's still undefined, it was his second straight rocky outing. He allowed a decisive two-run 10th-inning homer to Nick Swisher in a 6-4 extra-inning loss to the New York Yankees on Wednesday.

Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy received some scary news when the team's charter flight touched down in Chicago Sunday evening. That's when Hardy got word that a storm system that terrorized many parts of the midwestern U.S. and spawned numerous tornadoes leveled the condominium of his grandmother, Carol Shinn, in the town of Creston, Iowa on Saturday evening.  Shin was uninjured, but her home was destroyed. “I wasn't really following the weather so I didn't even know about the tornadoes going on,” Hardy said.

So much has gone wrong this season for the Baltimore Orioles, it's difficult at times to say where the franchise should even begin to focus its attention as it tries to address the problems that have led to another frustrating year. But what has become clear, even as the summer turns into a long and miserable slog, is that the one position the Orioles don't need to stress over next year is shortstop. In the series opener Friday against the Detroit Tigers, J.J. Hardy made a case for why it's still worth your time to pay attention to this team, even as the losses mount.

The first play J.J. Hardy had to make in his rehabilitation assignment for Triple-A Norfolk last Friday was a hard grounder up the middle that forced the shortstop to stretch to get the ball and make an off-balance throw. "If there were any question about his health, that would have [told us something]," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. Hardy, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday, was back in the Orioles' lineup for the first time since April 9, when he strained his left oblique while taking a swing in the second game of a doubleheader against the Texas Rangers.

Jason Hammel didn't begin the scoreboard watching until the end of the sixth inning Sunday afternoon. The right-hander took his seat in the Orioles dugout and thought to himself how quickly his first start of the season was going. He had thrown just 65 pitches through those six innings. He was making quick work of the Minnesota Twins with a bevy of ground-ball outs. His teammates started inching away from him on the bench. "After a while you kind of realize, 'Man, we're moving along here pretty quick.

Shortstop J.J. Hardy, who received a cortisone shot in his right shoulder Tuesday, said he is hoping to throw Friday and could get into the Orioles' game that afternoon against the Detroit Tigersif all goes well.   “I'm hoping when I throw tomorrow I'll just feel like nothing's wrong and I'll be able to go from there,” said Hardy, who last played Monday night in Bradenton. Hardy, who has been dealing with the soreness in his shoulder for several weeks, said he had never had a cortisone shot in his shoulder before.