New York Mets

After working in the New York Mets' front office for 14 years, Jim Duquette, 40, was named the Orioles' vice president for baseball operations on Oct. 20, 2005. On June 12, 2003, he was named the Mets' interim general manager; the interim tag was removed a little more than four months later. Duquette oversaw the development of current Mets stars Jose Reyes and David Wright, but also drew criticism for trading prospect Scott Kazmir, now one of the best young pitchers in the game. What is the most misunderstood part of being a baseball executive?

The cash-strapped, overmatched Montreal Expos had vacated Camden Yards, a most accommodating guest that will be missed. In their place last night were the New York Mets, with their assortment of big-ticket items and playoff aspirations.Hardly a fair trade. And just what the Orioles didn't need as they attempted to hoist themselves from the bottom of the AL East standings.Putting their five-game winning streak and renewed hopes on the line, the Orioles became tangled in another troublesome first inning by starter Juan Guzman and never got loose.

The division race has become a runaway, with the first-place team so deep and talented that the other serious contenders have little choice but to concede the title and focus on the next-best thing -- the wild-card playoff berth.Sound familiar? It should, because it is a fairly accurate description of the American League East and the hard reality of Orioles baseball in 1998.It also applies to the National League East and the second-place New York Mets, who will open a two-game interleague series against the Orioles tonight at Camden Yards and play host to the Orioles at Shea Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday.

The New York Mets had to do it. They had to give Mike Piazza a $91 million contract. They had to make a huge effort to re-sign pitching ace Al Leiter. They had to do it even though the $123 million they committed for both players doesn't make them one run or one strikeout better than they were on the last day of the 1998 season.If they didn't, they might as well have run up a white flag in the battle for New York.Piazza was at the right place at the right time. The Yankees had just come home to a ticker-tape parade after putting together one of the greatest seasons in baseball history.

The Orioles ended one of the most dramatic days in club history with a flourish last night, acquiring Gold Glove catcher Charles Johnson in a three-way deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets.The Dodgers sent Johnson and promising outfielder Roger Cedeno to the Mets for veteran catcher Todd Hundley and pitching prospect Arnold Gooch, then the Mets dealt Johnson to the Orioles for hard-throwing reliever Armando Benitez.The trade solved a long-standing defensive problem behind the plate for the Orioles and allowed the franchise to end a very emotional day on an upbeat note.

What the Orioles did yesterday: Playing their second night game at Fort Lauderdale Stadium, they batted around in the second inning, waited out a rain delay that lasted about 25 minutes, and defeated the New York Mets, 11-4. The game was halted by rain in the bottom of the sixth.What the Orioles will do today: Make their first visit to Port St. Lucie to play the Mets. Right-hander Mike Mussina will start.You know it's spring training when: The Orioles wind up playing a home-and-home series against the Mets.

MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins could still trade Gary Sheffield to the New York Mets, but it's going to take awhile, and a new formula to get a deal done.A proposed trade Tuesday fell through when the Mets asked Florida to pick up a chunk of Sheffield's six-year, $61 million contract. The Mets were offering outfielder Bernard Gilkey, who is in the second year of a three-year, $15.8 million contract. The Mets wanted the Marlins to pick up as much as $4 million of Sheffield's paycheck ($24 million, six years)

Atlanta BravesWhere they're coming from: After disappointments in 1991, 1992 and 1993, the Braves finally broke through and won the World Series last fall, beating the Indians in six games. They won the East with a 90-54 record despite off-years from several regulars: shortstop Jeff Blauser, right fielder David Justice and center fielder Marquis Grissom.Where they're going: Atlanta may be even better this year, if Justice and Grissom come back. In spite of their long chase for the title, this is a young team.

New York Mets general manager Joe McIlvaine is considering putting together a package to acquire All-Star second baseman Chuck Knoblauch from the Minnesota Twins, club sources said.Knoblauch recently won $4.67 million in salary arbitration after Minnesota failed to sign him to a multi-year contract.

BaseballAstros: Announced the resignation of Dan O'Brien, director of scouting.Athletics: Recalled INF Scott Spezio, RHP Jay Witasik and RHP Aaron Small from Triple-A EdmontonReds: Claimed LHP Pedro Martinez off waivers from the New York Mets. Sent OF Andre King to the New York Mets. Released pitcher Derek Lilliquist.Twins: Received 1B Dave Arias from Seattle to complete Dave Hollins trade.BasketballHeat: Signed F Martin Muursepp.Lakers: Signed G David Booth.Raptors: Signed F Mark Hughes.

HAMMOCK'S GOOD DAY Robby Hammock didn't hurt his chances of claiming the backup catcher spot on the Orioles' Opening Day roster. In a battle for the position with Chad Moeller and Guillermo Rodriguez, Hammock hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning, his first of the spring. He was 1-for-3 overall and is hitting .296 this spring. Though Moeller gets high marks for his defense and Rodriguez his throwing arm, Hammock is the best hitter and most versatile player of the group. SHERRILL PUTS UP ZERO It wasn't easy, and it rarely is for Orioles' closer George Sherrill.

Former New York Mets right fielder Ron Swoboda will be visiting Baltimore this weekend to spend some time with his father at the family home on Lakeview Avenue in Sparrows Point. Swoboda, 64, is now a television color commentator for the New Orleans Zephyrs, the New York Mets triple-A farm club. He retired from professional baseball in 1973 and was a television sportscaster in New York before moving to New Orleans, where he also did 20 years of local TV sports. "I try to relieve myself of overt Baltimorese, but it comes out after a couple of beers," he said of the local accent.

It's pretty simple, actually: Whether or not you believed he was grandstanding or using gamesmanship (and, seriously, why would you?) all last weekend, if that U.S. Open playoff hadn't included Tiger Woods, would you have paid any attention to it? It took the Boston Celtics six more years to win their next NBA championship after Len Bias died than it took Maryland to win its first national championship afterward. Nobody would have guessed that 22 years and three days ago. More people cheered and supported Rafael Palmeiro after his return from flunking an actual steroid test than cheered last week for Miguel Tejada, who is only suspected, not proven to have used performance enhancers.

How gracious of the New York Mets to give the Orioles faithful a present for the one-year anniversary of their team's regime change: crystal-clear proof of how lucky they are. Lucky to have Peter Angelos making those decisions. That's right, I said it. Lucky because your team, downtrodden as it has been for the past decade, could be owned and operated by the frauds in charge of the Mets. By the way, notice how the words "gracious" and "Mets" clash up there, as if they don't belong in the same sentence.

Now that the New York Mets have acquired Johnny Estrada, you'd think they no longer have interest in Ramon Hernandez. But not so fast. They could non-tender Estrada next month, making him a free agent. And they would still be in the market for a catcher. They'd like one who is low-maintenance, unlike Paul Lo Duca, who turned out to be on the high end of that scale. They would also like one with healthy oblique muscles. And one who runs out every ground ball. That could work against Hernandez.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail spent part of last week's general manager meetings listening to offers for Erik Bedard. But his focus is expected to change in the coming days to finding out how much it will cost to keep the ace pitcher in an Orioles uniform beyond 2009. According to a club source, MacPhail likely will begin conversations with Mark Pieper, Bedard's agent, about a contract extension for the pitcher before the winter meetings, which begin Dec. 3 in Nashville, Tenn.

After working in the New York Mets' front office for 14 years, Jim Duquette, 40, was named the Orioles' vice president for baseball operations on Oct. 20, 2005. On June 12, 2003, he was named the Mets' interim general manager; the interim tag was removed a little more than four months later. Duquette oversaw the development of current Mets stars Jose Reyes and David Wright, but also drew criticism for trading prospect Scott Kazmir, now one of the best young pitchers in the game. What is the most misunderstood part of being a baseball executive?

One of the most intriguing contract negotiations this winter will occur in Los Angeles between Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti and super agent Scott Boras. At stake is the future of 2003 National League Cy Young Award winner Eric Gagne. From 2002 to 2004, Gagne was one of the most feared closers in baseball. In January 2005, he signed a two-year, $19 million deal that included a $12 million option for 2007. Because of various injuries, he has made just 16 appearances since signing the deal.

NEW YORK -- Kris Benson sat calmly and quietly in the visiting clubhouse before last night's game, keeping one eye on the United States-Italy World Cup match and another on an out-of-town baseball game. If Benson was nervous about his return to Shea Stadium to face a New York Mets team that he didn't want to leave, there was no way of knowing it. Over the course of the next several hours, Benson's expression barely changed - not when he became the first Orioles pitcher in 34 years to hit a home run, not even when he finished off one of the most memorable performances of his career with a strikeout.

A scout's take On Brian Bannister, New York Mets' 25-year-old right-hander and son of former major league pitcher Floyd Bannister Repertoire -- "He showed me a good cutter, good command and he's not afraid to pitch up in [the strike] zone with an 86, 87 mph fastball because he has real good location. He gets it up just high enough not to get hurt." Tools -- "His biggest asset is his control and command. It looks like he's not going to walk many people. Of course, he walked four and hit two [in his debut April 5 against Washington]