Jeff Ballard

Diana Scarwid, an Oscar nominee in 1980 for "Inside Moves" who returned to Savannah, Ga., to raise a family, has agreed to star in River Road Productions' "Not Under My Roof," a romantic comedy that will shoot in six weeks in the resort community of Tybee Island, Ga. Written and directed by Lance Smith, the story concerns two high schoolers whose passionate relationship cools when his divorced mom and her divorced dad start dating. Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jeff Ballard also has a small part.

With the Orioles' staff ERA hovering around the 5.00 mark, it's only natural to peek around the majors to see what's happening to pitchers who used to wear the black and orange. Through midweek, 10 former Baltimore starters had amassed a 2-11 record with a combined 5.48 ERA for their current clubs.PLAYERS .. .. .. .. .. .. COMMENTSPete Harnisch .. .. .. .. 0-2 with a 10.26 ERA, with four homers. TheLoser .. .. .. .. ... ... Glenn Davis deal still looks bad, though.Jeff Ballard .. .. .. .. Slid after winning 18 for the OriolesWinner .. .. .. .. .. .. in 1989, but has found happiness in.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... Pirates' middle relief.

Richard C. Hunter, in his last day as Baltimore's school superintendent, said yesterday that Mayor Schmoke "set me up as a scapegoat to take the blame for this administration's failure to live up to the mayor's campaign promises to the voters of Baltimore."Jeff Ballard, in his last day as an Oriole pitcher before being demoted to minor-league Rochester, said, "They can't justify any reason why they're doing this. I feel like I'm being made one of the scapegoats."Dr. Hunter is not responsible for all that's wrong with the city schools, any more than Jeff Ballard is responsible for all that's wrong with the Orioles.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- Ask assistant general manager Doug Melvin what the Orioles must do to contend this season, and he points to the necessity of three pitchers combining for 90 starts.Sounds simple enough, but for the Orioles, it's anything but. Seventeen of the other 25 clubs met Melvin's standard last season. The Orioles, for the fourth time in five years, did not.It's clear the trend must be broken. But it isn't clear whether the club's projected five-man rotation includes three pitchers dependable enough to average 30 starts.

With the Orioles' staff ERA hovering around the 5.00 mark, it's only natural to peek around the majors to see what's happening to pitchers who used to wear the black and orange. Through midweek, 10 former Baltimore starters had amassed a 2-11 record with a combined 5.48 ERA for their current clubs.PLAYERS .. .. .. .. .. .. COMMENTSPete Harnisch .. .. .. .. 0-2 with a 10.26 ERA, with four homers. TheLoser .. .. .. .. ... ... Glenn Davis deal still looks bad, though.Jeff Ballard .. .. .. .. Slid after winning 18 for the OriolesWinner .. .. .. .. .. .. in 1989, but has found happiness in.. .. .. .. .. .. .. ... Pirates' middle relief.

The Orioles announced yesterday that Opening Day tickets for the 1991 season will go on sale Saturday in conjunction with the club's annual winter carnival.At the same time individual tickets for all but the last three games will also go on sale. Plans for the sale of tickets for those games, the final ones to be played in Memorial Stadium, will be announced at a later date.Saturday's carnival will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the Omni Hotel. There will be hourly tours of the new stadium under construction at Camden Yards from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.In addition, several autograph booths will be set up and there will be a media roundtable discussion.

After waiting more than four years for him to mature, the Baltimore Orioles traded former No. 1 draft pick Chris Myers to the Montreal Expos organization yesterday.The Orioles received right-handed pitcher Richie Lewis, whose contract was assigned to the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings."We think the change will do Chris good," said assistant general manager Doug Melvin. "The organization is always trying to get someone with more power. We just felt we were getting a better arm."Myers, 22, was the seventh overall pick in the June 1987 draft.

Site: Arlington StadiumDates and times: Today and tomorrow, 8:35 p.m.; Sunday, 3:05 p.m.Radio: WBAL (1090 AM), WTOP (1500 AM)TV: Channel 2 tonight; channels 2, 20 tomorrow and SundaySeason series: 0-0. The Orioles won eight of 12 last year.Pitching matchupsTonight: Dave Johnson (13-9, 4.10 in '90) vs. Bobby Witt (17-10, 3.36 in '90)Tomorrow night: Jeff Ballard (0-1, 9.53) vs. Kenny Rogers (10-6, 3.13 in '90)Sunday: Jeff Robinson (10-9, 5.96 in '90) vs. Nolan Ryan (0-1, 6.43)Orioles updateThe Orioles scored just one run in two games against the Chicago White Sox and enter the weekend series mired in a 17-inning scoreless streak.

CHICAGO -- The Orioles can expect to have their patience tested tonight (8:35, HTS).Knuckleballer Charlie Hough (0-0, 4.50) will make his first start for the Chicago White Sox in the final game of the series. His opponent will be Jeff Ballard (0-1, 6.00), making his third start of the season.The key to success against Hough has always been the ability to play the waiting game. Overly aggressive hitters have a tendency to get themselves into trouble against a pitch as unpredictable as the knuckleball.

CLEVELAND -- After missing three games with a slightly sprained right ankle, third baseman Leo Gomez should be back in the starting lineup when the Orioles face the Cleveland Indians tonight (7:35, HTS).Gomez caught his spikes on a seam of the artificial turf at Royals Stadium last Saturday night. "If you rate ankle sprains on a first-, second- or third-degree basis," said Orioles manager John Oates, "they tell me this one was less than first-degree."Oates had intended to give Gomez the entire game off last night, but used him as a 10th-inning replacement in the Orioles' 5-3 win. "It feels great, a lot better," Gomez said of the ankle.

Fact: The O (give-them-a-home)'s will again be kings of the spring training road, taking a bus to 16 of 28 games in Florida.Opinion: The Bullets would be smart to lose as often as possible, bettering their draft prospects. (This is a recording.)Fact: Three-fourths of the Orioles' 1991 Opening Day rotation is gone. (Dave Johnson, Jeff Robinson, Jeff Ballard.)Opinion: Walt Williams has just about nailed down a spot in the NBA draft lottery, although he's too thin for 82 games.Fact: The U.S. Winter Olympic team will do the opening ceremony in uniforms of cobalt and berry, which are colors, not a science experiment.

NEW YORK -- Baltimore Orioles pitcher Jeff Ballard didn't want it to end this way, but he knows that there is a chance that he made his last start for the club last night.It was not a good one.The New York Yankees scored five times in the third inning to knock him out of the game and went on to complete a three-game sweep with a 9-6 victory over the Orioles at Yankee Stadium.Ballard was making his first major-league start since July 27, when he made his last start before the Orioles optioned him to the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings for five weeks.

DETROIT -- At the beginning of the season, fifth place didn't even enter into their thinking, but with six games left it is a goal worth attaining for the Orioles.As such, manager John Oates said the next three games in New York and the final three at home against Detroit this weekend carry more meaning than might be expected under the circumstances."Fifth place means something to me," admitted Oates. "Personally, even though we didn't play that great and they [the Indians and Yankees] had to come back to us a little, I'd like to finish two places higher than we were when I took over."

Tendinitis keeps Jones at arm's length from call-upRochester Red Wings pitcher Stacy Jones attributes his tendinitis to a cold room, not to his longest appearance of the season. The injury may prevent him from rejoining the Baltimore Orioles this month.Jones started Aug. 25 against the Syracuse Chiefs and pitcheseven innings."I only threw 80-some pitches," he said. "That had nothing to do with it."The next morning, Jones said, he couldn't raise his arm.By this week, he had recovered enough to play catch.

After waiting more than four years for him to mature, the Baltimore Orioles traded former No. 1 draft pick Chris Myers to the Montreal Expos organization yesterday.The Orioles received right-handed pitcher Richie Lewis, whose contract was assigned to the Class AAA Rochester Red Wings."We think the change will do Chris good," said assistant general manager Doug Melvin. "The organization is always trying to get someone with more power. We just felt we were getting a better arm."Myers, 22, was the seventh overall pick in the June 1987 draft.

Should finale be reset if it rains?* One of the biggest events in Memorial Stadium history could be a washout if it rains on Oct. 6, when the Orioles are to play Detroit in their final game ever at the stadium. According to major-league rules, the game would not be rescheduled if it has no bearing on the pennant race. However, more than 50,000 fans will have tickets to the last game. Should the baseball commissioner make an exception in this case and let the Orioles reschedule it?To register your opinion, call SUNDIAL at 783-1800 (or 268-7736 in Anne Arundel County)

Independence Day festivities get an early start tonight at Memorial Stadium where it will be "A Maryland Salute to the Troops Night." More than 6,000 Operation Desert Storm troops and their families will be guests of the Orioles in game two of a three-game Detroit series.Pre-game ceremonies include a fly-over by A-10 jets and Cobra helicopters, and addresses by Adm. David Jeremiah and Gov. William Donald Schaefer. The national anthem will be sung by Alvy Powell, the man who sang at President Bush's inauguration.

Should finale be reset if it rains?* One of the biggest events in Memorial Stadium history could be a washout if it rains on Oct. 6, when the Orioles are to play Detroit in their final game ever at the stadium. According to major-league rules, the game would not be rescheduled if it has no bearing on the pennant race. However, more than 50,000 fans will have tickets to the last game. Should the baseball commissioner make an exception in this case and let the Orioles reschedule it?To register your opinion, call SUNDIAL at 783-1800 (or 268-7736 in Anne Arundel County)

SEATTLE -- Baltimore Orioles manager John Oates said last night that demoted pitcher Jeff Robinson was given every opportunity to reveal that he was unable to pitch because of a nagging groin injury."

Richard C. Hunter, in his last day as Baltimore's school superintendent, said yesterday that Mayor Schmoke "set me up as a scapegoat to take the blame for this administration's failure to live up to the mayor's campaign promises to the voters of Baltimore."Jeff Ballard, in his last day as an Oriole pitcher before being demoted to minor-league Rochester, said, "They can't justify any reason why they're doing this. I feel like I'm being made one of the scapegoats."Dr. Hunter is not responsible for all that's wrong with the city schools, any more than Jeff Ballard is responsible for all that's wrong with the Orioles.