Neck Injury

Left fielder Nolan Reimold, who hasn't played since April 30 because of a neck injury that required the removal of a bulging disk June 25, is progressing to the point that he could be released from his supervised rehab program in two weeks. And that means he could go into the offseason and work out the way he normally would. “He's got mostly all of his strength back. That's going well,” Showalter said. “He's got X percentage, I'm not gonna give it out publicly, but his strength is about X percent back, which is well above average, so he is getting there.

The Orioles made several moves before Saturday's game, with one high-profile player hitting the disabled list and another getting a recall to the major leagues. Outfielder Nolan Reimold, who has struggled to hit in the early season and hasn't played since May 11, was placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to last Sunday, with a strained right hamstring. Right-hander Jake Arrieta, the club's 2012 Opening Day starter who pitched in four games this year before being demoted to Triple-A Norfolk in April, was recalled and was in the bullpen Saturday night.

Designated hitter Jim Thome , who originally thought he'd be out just a few days with neck spasms, will now be lost at least until September with a herniated disk in his neck. The 41-year-old Thome said doctors told him after an epidural late last week that he won't be able to resume baseball activities for 30 days - which puts his return to the Orioles until after rosters are expanded on Sept. 1. Thome said he'll continue to do his daily exercises for his lower-back issues, and, therefore, will hopefully be ready to start swinging once given the OK. "With injuries, I don't try to put a date because that can always change for the plus and minus sides.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - As the Orioles plugged through this offseason without adding a premium bat to the lineup, club officials kept saying that a needed offensive boost could come from two players already on the 40-man roster, two guys who had combined to play in just 33 games in 2012. Veteran second baseman Brian Roberts and left fielder Nolan Reimold were hoping that the club would afford them one more chance to prove they are healthy enough to contribute. "Obviously, they could have easily gone out and tried to fill spots that haven't been necessarily occupied every day in the last year or two," said Roberts, whose season ended last year on July 1 and who had hip surgery in August.

Capitals Backstrom seeing specialist for neck injury Nicklas Backstrom is visiting a specialist in Michigan after suffering a neck injury while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League during the lockout, a Washington Capitals spokesman confirmed. Backstrom has not played since suffering the injury Dec.26 in a game with Dynamo Moscow. The Swedish center returned to North America on Sunday and was at the Capitals' training facility in Arlington, Va., on Monday, but has since traveled to Michigan.

Cleveland Browns receiver Danny Peebles, his fingers still tingling from a helmet-to-helmet collision with Houston's Bubba McDowell on Nov. 17, retired from football yesterday.Peebles was told by doctors in Houston and Cleveland that he would risk permanent paralysis if he continued playing contact sports. He lost all feeling and movement in his arms and legs for about 10 minutes after he was hit as a third-quarter pass from Bernie Kosar fell incomplete at the Astrodome.Peebles' neck injury occurred the same day Detroit Lions offensive lineman Mike Utley was left paralyzed from the chest down after fracturing a vertebra in a game against the Los Angeles Rams.

Lansdowne junior linebacker Steve Sickles was flown by helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center after suffering an apparent neck injury late in the Vikings' 56-14 loss to visiting Hereford last night, according to Lansdowne assistant coach Rick Armijo."

Offensive lineman Jonathan Ogden admits to being a little tentative in Thursday night's loss to the Chiefs. Ogden is still recovering from a neck injury on the artificial turf at Atlanta on Oct. 3.He picked the wrong game to be tentative, having to face Pro Bowl linebacker Derrick Thomas on passing situations. Ordinarily, a matchup like this would be one to watch, but with Ogden not fully healthy, Thomas was able to take advantage a few times.Thomas did not get a sack, but he did get a couple of hurries on quarterback Stoney Case.

Last night's Severna Park-Annapolis field hockey match was postponed after Annapolis junior forward Caitlin Stone suffered a neck injury in the first half and was flown via helicopter to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center for precautionary measures."

Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett had surgery last night, hours after he showed no signs of movement after suffering a severe neck injury Bills spokesman Scott Berchtold said he was informed by the team's medical staff that Everett went into surgery at a Buffalo hospital. Berchtold said he didn't know whether Everett had shown any signs of movement since he was driven off the field in an ambulance. Coach Dick Jauron said immediately after the Bills' 15-14 loss to the visiting Denver Broncos that Everett sustained a cervical spine injury.

Jair Jurrjens was pretty bummed after he had to leave Wednesday's game in the second inning because he took a batted ball in the ribs. He looked at it as his last chance this spring to make an impression on the Orioles as they prepare for final roster cuts. And manager Buck Showalter said after the game that, “I would have liked to see him pitch deeper,” presumably to get one more read on the former All-Star. Pitching well never hurts, but the truth is how Jurrjens threw on Wednesday didn't matter.

Josh Asper is hungry; most wrestlers are. But Asper's appetite leans less toward pizza than perfection on the mat. The Maryland senior craves an NCAA title this week, and his drive to win has awed his teammates. During workouts, they shy away from pairing off with Asper, a Hereford alum who is ranked No. 2 in the country at 174 pounds. "Nobody likes to drill with him because he goes 110 percent," said the Terps ' Jimmy Sheptock, twice an Atlantic Coast Conference champ.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The cause of Nick Markakis' neck soreness is more severe than originally thought, but the Orioles hope that some rest will allow the team's starting right fielder to return to spring training games in the next week or two. A MRI on Monday revealed a small disk herniation - or slight tear - in the C4-C5 section (neck area) of Markakis' spine, manager Buck Showalter said. With this kind of minor tear, players are usually sidelined between seven to 14 days before they can resume baseball activities, Showalter said.

The NFL offseason heats up on Tuesday when the free agency period begins and the NFL draft will take place next month. In anticipation of those events, blogger and reporter Matt Vensel will look at six key positions the Ravens might address in free agency and the NFL draft in the days leading up to the start of free agency . Ray Lewis could not have scripted his final NFL season much better than how it played out. It was a story of...

SARASOTA, Fla. -  Orioles left fielder Nolan Reimold was removed from Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after just two innings with soreness in his right, throwing shoulder. Reimold's early exit was odd, especially considering Reimold had just hit his first homer of the spring, a towering two-run shot to left off James McDonald that gave the Orioles a three-run lead in the bottom of the second inning. “He said it feels fine,” manager Buck Showalter said after the Orioles' 6-5 win over Pittsburgh at Ed Smith Stadium.

SARASOTA, Fla. - Nolan Reimold made an amazing transition over the past several months, though he probably didn't even notice. He was out of sight and mostly out of mind while the Orioles were staging their surprising wild-card playoff run last year, recovering from extensive neck surgery and wondering if he would ever regain enough strength in his left shoulder to be the player who seemed to be blooming last April. Now, as the Orioles begin preparing for a new season and a possible playoff encore, Reimold is far from being a forgotten man. He's the guy whose name comes up every time club officials try to explain why they did not acquire another quality hitter to bolster the middle of the lineup.

Dulaney sophomore midfielder Matt Culloty suffered a neck injury on a hit by a defender in a Baltimore County lacrosse game against visiting Hereford yesterday. Culloty was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was treated and released last night. He will wear a neck brace through the weekend and be re-evaluated Monday, his father, Brian, said. "Matt's moving his hands and feet. The CT scan came back normal. There doesn't appear to be any broken bones or anything," Brian Culloty said.

COLLEGE PARK - One minute, the Maryland Terrapins were running a seemingly harmless, light-contact football drill. The next minute, the team's leading receiver lay motionless on the ground. The Terps absorbed a major scare yesterday when senior wide receiver Guilian Gary went down with a neck injury midway through practice, then was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center early last night. As of 9 p.m., he was listed in good condition. He was scheduled to be transferred to Kernan Hospital, where he was to be kept overnight for observation.

Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts reiterated that he is fully recovered from the sports hernia surgery he had on Dec. 20. He stressed that he's been able to work out more this offseason than he has before and he believes the migraines, concussion symptoms and hip injury last August that has limited him to 115 games in the past three years are all behind him. For the first time, though, he admitted when he heard last month that he would have...

Capitals Backstrom seeing specialist for neck injury Nicklas Backstrom is visiting a specialist in Michigan after suffering a neck injury while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League during the lockout, a Washington Capitals spokesman confirmed. Backstrom has not played since suffering the injury Dec.26 in a game with Dynamo Moscow. The Swedish center returned to North America on Sunday and was at the Capitals' training facility in Arlington, Va., on Monday, but has since traveled to Michigan.