Johnny Damon

Johnny Damon returned to Baltimore to haunt the Orioles again Thursday night. And after the 17-year veteran did so, he wondered aloud why the Orioles didn't want him to play at Camden Yards -- a place he's made his personal playground  -- on a regular basis. Damon's three-run homer off Wei-Yin Chenin the second-inning proved to be all Cleveland needed in the Orioles' 7-2 loss to the Indians on Thursday. But Orioles fans are used to Damon's success in Baltimore. It was Damon's 22 nd career homer at Camden Yards, most of any visiting ballpark. He is a lifetime .313 (149-for-476)

Johnny Damon returned to Baltimore to haunt the Orioles again Thursday night. And after the 17-year veteran did so, he wondered aloud why the Orioles didn't want him to play at Camden Yards -- a place he's made his personal playground  -- on a regular basis. Damon's three-run homer off Wei-Yin Chenin the second-inning proved to be all Cleveland needed in the Orioles' 7-2 loss to the Indians on Thursday. But Orioles fans are used to Damon's success in Baltimore. It was Damon's 22 nd career homer at Camden Yards, most of any visiting ballpark. He is a lifetime .313 (149-for-476)

HittingManny Ramirez, Indians: 2HRs, 5RBIs.Damion Easley, Tigers: HR, 2 doubles.Johnny Damon, Royals: 2 doubles, triple.PitchingSidney Ponson, Orioles: 7 1/3 innings, 0 runs, 6 hits.Pub Date: 9/20/98

One of the biggest stories of this offseason had been what the New York Yankees weren't doing this year. But so much for that. After standing silently for the past 10 weeks, the Yankees struck with the biggest shock-and-awe move of the offseason. In a matter of hours Friday night, the Yankees made two high-impact moves to restructure their pitching staff, first obtaining 22-year-old right-hander Michael Pineda in a trade with the Mariners for highly touted catcher Jesus Montero, and then signing free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda to a one-year, $10-million deal.

Quote: "We signed him as an insurance policy. The premiums are paid and now we have to cash in that policy." - Rangers manager Johnny Oates on Bill Haselman, who will be the everyday catcher with All-Star Ivan Rodriguez out for the year It's a fact: Angels left fielder Darin Erstad tied a major-league record Monday for putouts by an outfielder with 12. Who's hot: Johnny Damon of the Royals is batting .516 (32-for-62) over his past 14 games. Who's not: The Devil Rays' Esteban Yan has allowed 23 homers, tying the team record.

I guess the Yankees needed another weak-armed center fielder to replace Bernie Williams, who will DH. Johnny Damon will be a smart addition for a few years, but his arm, age and declining defensive skills will become more of an issue before the contract expires, and he will be ill-suited as a corner outfielder. But in the meantime, the New York media will have all sorts of fun with him, and he'll distract some of Derek Jeter's teenage stalkers. Still waiting for the Jeff Conine signing to become official.

DETROIT - It is, of course, an outrage. Brian Roberts is the best leadoff hitter in the game this year, but when Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona unveiled the American League lineup for tonight's All-Star Game at Comerica Park, the Orioles second baseman (and maybe Most Valuable Player) was at the bottom of the batting order. The AL leadoff man will be Johnny Damon, who - and maybe this is just a coincidence - plays for the Boston Red Sox, along with No. 3 hitter David Ortiz, cleanup man Manny Ramirez and catcher Jason Varitek.

On the day when the really big news in major-league baseball was the Yankees' signing of Johnny Damon - just the latest big-name player to jump for big bucks from one big-payroll team to another - the game lost a man who proudly put in 37 seasons with the same club. Elrod Hendricks, who died Wednesday just a day shy of 65, was a true rarity, and not just because, in his playing days, he was a left-handed-hitting catcher who knew how to handle pitchers. He was an old-school gentleman who, as the Orioles' bullpen coach since 1977, set a standard for loyalty unlikely to be matched in the game today.

Hendricks embodied the spirit of O's, city Orioles fans, Baltimore and all of baseball have lost a true diamond gem in Elrod Hendricks. He gave his heart, his soul and his eternal smile to the game he loved and the community he cherished. I can't remember Elrod ever turning away an autograph seeker or missing "Orioles Caravans" to offseason banquets and charity events. He even played Santa Claus to area children this very week. Elrod was a championship catcher and coach who totally embodied the spirit of a team and its town.

Out of the major leagues since being released by the Orioles in March, Jay Gibbons is expected to sign a minor league deal this week with the Milwaukee Brewers. An announcement could come as early as today, according to baseball sources. Gibbons, who probably will start in either Double- or Triple-A, was unavailable for comment last night. Gibbons, a 31-year-old outfielder who hit 121 homers for the Orioles over seven injury-riddled seasons, has been playing with the independent Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks.

The Orioles stuck to their usual September story line on Monday night, opening the first full series of the month here against a division rival that came into Camden Yards on a roll and bursting with incentive to mop the infield with the last-place home team. This time, it was the Tampa Bay Rays, who just swept the Boston Red Sox to re-assert themselves as a legitimate wild card contender and need badly to stay on a roll in Baltimore to keep their once-faint playoff hopes alive.

Out of the major leagues since being released by the Orioles in March, Jay Gibbons is expected to sign a minor league deal this week with the Milwaukee Brewers. An announcement could come as early as today, according to baseball sources. Gibbons, who probably will start in either Double- or Triple-A, was unavailable for comment last night. Gibbons, a 31-year-old outfielder who hit 121 homers for the Orioles over seven injury-riddled seasons, has been playing with the independent Atlantic League's Long Island Ducks.

Good evening, from Camden Yards in Baltimore, Orioles baseball on the radio presented for your enjoyment. This is Jon Miller, along with Joe Angel. Tonight, the Orioles, all alone atop the American League East standings, take on the last-place New York Yankees. "The Yankees, of course, have the worst record in baseball over the past 20 years under perpetually laid-back owner George Steinbrenner. What was the headline on the back page of yesterday's New York Post, Joe? `Steinbrenner to Yankee fans: "Chill, it's just a game!

For Earnhardt fans, today's expected announcement that Dale Jr. will drive for Hendrick Motor- sports next year is the worst of all worlds. And those Earnhardt fans aren't necessarily the ones who root for Junior's red No. 8 Chevy, but rather the folks who still hold his father's black No. 3 close in their hearts. Hendrick Motorsports counts among its stable of drivers defending Nextel Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon, the villain to many - if not the vast majority - of the diehard Earnhardt faithful in the weekly NASCAR soap opera.

The situation has played out so many times in recent years at Camden Yards. The New York Yankees arrive for a September series in front of many of their fans and beat up on the hapless Orioles before moving on to bigger and better things. For one night, the script was flipped. It was the Orioles who knocked a Yankees starter out early and then continued their onslaught against the vulnerable part of the visitor's bullpen. It was the Orioles who enjoyed a relatively angst-free night, while the Yankees were just happy to get the night over with.

New York -- It was just a few hours after Orioles vice president Jim Duquette gave a state-of-the-team address of sorts that focused heavily on the organization's future, when rookie Adam Loewen took the mound last night at a sold-out Yankee Stadium. Before throwing his first pitch, the prized young pitcher was given a one-run lead, courtesy of a home run by fellow rookie and new No. 2 hitter Nick Markakis, one of the "signs of hope" that the organization will look for over the last month and a half of another lost baseball season.

Baseball Devil Rays: Signed P Frank Thompson to minor-league contract. Giants: Named former Oriole Lenn Sakata manager and Steve Renko pitching coach for Single-A Bakersfield. Invited following minor-leaguers to major-league camp: P Kurt Ainsworth, P Jake Esteves, P Mike McMullen, P Erasmo Ramirez, P Jeff Urban, P Ryan Vogelsong, IF Raul Marval, IF Carlos Mendoza, IF Cody Ransom, OF Michael Byas, OF Doug Clark, OF Mike Glendenning, OF Terrell Lowery, OF Chris Magruder, OF Pedro Mota and C Sammy Serrano.

The Orioles are still considered one of the front-runners to land Jeff Conine, but at least two other free agents they once coveted appear to be headed elsewhere. According to a team official, the Orioles are essentially out of the Nomar Garciaparra sweepstakes. The former All-Star shortstop has become one of the hottest free agents, with the latest reports having the New York Yankees as one of the leaders to sign Garciaparra to play first base. The Orioles, looking to add Garciaparra's bat to their lineup, offered him a one-year, $4 million deal earlier this month with the hope of his playing first base or left field.

Hendricks embodied the spirit of O's, city Orioles fans, Baltimore and all of baseball have lost a true diamond gem in Elrod Hendricks. He gave his heart, his soul and his eternal smile to the game he loved and the community he cherished. I can't remember Elrod ever turning away an autograph seeker or missing "Orioles Caravans" to offseason banquets and charity events. He even played Santa Claus to area children this very week. Elrod was a championship catcher and coach who totally embodied the spirit of a team and its town.

On the day when the really big news in major-league baseball was the Yankees' signing of Johnny Damon - just the latest big-name player to jump for big bucks from one big-payroll team to another - the game lost a man who proudly put in 37 seasons with the same club. Elrod Hendricks, who died Wednesday just a day shy of 65, was a true rarity, and not just because, in his playing days, he was a left-handed-hitting catcher who knew how to handle pitchers. He was an old-school gentleman who, as the Orioles' bullpen coach since 1977, set a standard for loyalty unlikely to be matched in the game today.