Kamieniecki

Johns should've been punishedThere's no excuse for Orioles manager Ray Miller allowing Doug Johns to pitch Wednesday night, just two days after he was charged with drunk driving and possession of marijuana.As a middle school teacher and high school coach in Baltimore County, I often ask my students and players, "Who is a role model? What is exemplary behavior?" They often ask me in return, "Why don't athletes who earn a million dollars a year have to behave themselves?" It's a terrific question.

If this had been any other Opening Day for second baseman Delino DeShields, his family would have made the drive from Seaford, Del., to watch him play. That's the way he always envisioned it. But being on the disabled list changed those plans."I'm not playing so I'm not really here yet," he said. "I told them to stay away until I get on the field."Unless they're willing to follow him to Sarasota, Fla., they'll have to wait. DeShields flew there last night and will report to the minor-league camp, where he'll play three games as part of his rehabilitation from a fractured left thumb.

Though Orioles manager Ray Miller still hasn't announced Doug Linton as his starter for Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays, the veteran right-hander remains the favorite to take Scott Kamieniecki's turn in the rotation.Miller said it's "probably 99 percent right now" that Linton will get the call when the Orioles need a fifth starter. For that reason, Linton is in Baltimore even though he's not part of the 25-man roster. He has a locker along the back wall of the clubhouse and took part in yesterday's workout at Camden Yards.

HOOVER, Ala. -- As expected, the Orioles placed starting pitcher Scott Kamieniecki and second baseman Delino DeShields on the disabled list yesterday, retroactive to March 25.DeShields, who suffered a broken left thumb during a March 4 intrasquad game, is expected to be activated before the team makes its first road trip to New York April 13. Kamieniecki, who suffered a strained left hamstring while running in the outfield March 19, remains an open-ended question....

HOOVER, Ala. -- Catcher Lenny Webster missed his scheduled start yesterday when he failed to meet the team charter that brought the Orioles from Atlanta to Birmingham International Airport.Webster experienced a frustrating chain of events when he narrowly missed the team bus, which left a downtown Atlanta hotel around 8: 30 a.m. Webster had spent Friday night at his Fayetteville, Ga., home and attempted to contact traveling secretary Phil Itzoe when he realized he might be late. Webster never reached Itzoe and found the bus had departed when he reached the hotel.

ATLANTA -- The Orioles will place starting pitcher Scott Kamieniecki and second baseman Delino DeShields on the disabled list today retroactively and now concede that Kamieniecki will be out of the starting rotation until at least the end of the month.In order to backdate injuries [to March 25 in the two Orioles' case], teams must place players on the disabled list by 12 tonight. There has been no question about either player's status to open the season, but the duration of Kamieniecki's unavailability due to a strained hamstring remains a riddle.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Ray Miller glared at the pitching chart taped to his office wall and grimaced. For the first time this spring he could see shades of 1998.Initially diagnosed as little more than an inconvenience, the strained hamstring that prevented No. 4 starter Scott Kamieniecki from making a Saturday start may also prevent him from being in the Orioles' season-opening rotation.Kamieniecki cut short a side session Monday after only three pitches because of continued tightness in the hamstring.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A seamless spring came to a halt yesterday for the Orioles' pitching staff when Scott Kamieniecki was scratched from a start against the Los Angeles Dodgers because of a strained left hamstring.Kamieniecki experienced a twinge during running drills Friday afternoon while much of the team was traveling to Jupiter for a exhibition game against the Montreal Expos.When he attempted to jog yesterday morning, Kamieniecki felt a pull, notified pitching coach Bruce Kison and was soon replaced by Doug Linton.

Highlights and lowlights from the Orioles' 1-0 loss to New York Mets in Port St. Lucie, Fla.UP -- Scott Kamieniecki: Hasn't shown this kind of velocity in two years. A most encouraging sign.DOWN -- The bats: Three hits? And one was a bunt.UP -- Doug Johns: Hasn't allowed a run in five innings. Are there any questions left about where he'll begin the season?DOWN -- Heathcliff Slocumb: His wild pitch scored the game's only run.UP -- Sweet revenge: Eric Davis tasted it last week. Armando Benitez took a mouthful yesterday.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- So much for results not mattering this time of year.When Scott Kamieniecki took the mound yesterday for the Orioles' exhibition game against Boston, it marked the first time he would face opposing batters since last August because of a herniated disk in his neck that required surgery a month later. Though he didn't allow a run in two innings, he wasn't particularly sharp or satisfied."It was frustrating," he said, shortly before the game ended in a 3-3 tie. "You go out there and try to compete.