Pitching Staff

CARL PAVANO or Tim Hudson would have been nice. Richie Sexson, Carlos Delgado or Magglio Ordonez would have been sweet. But what is Opening Day if not for an inspired bout of amnesia? So, we'll forget what was, or wasn't, to be. Instead, let's dwell on the positive, because salvation comes in all forms, shapes and sizes. On that note, we'd like to officially welcome to the bullpen The Two Steves -- veteran relievers who could prove to be the Orioles' most important additions this season.

THE ORIOLES are talking about other moves, now that Sammy Sosa's presence in the lineup and right field gives them flexibility. But these moves are about first base, center field, catcher. Pitching? Months after Tim Hudson flashed on the radar screen, we're still waiting. In theory, it's admirable that the Orioles want to give far greater weight to drafting and developing young talent, particularly pitchers, than acting on impulse for short-term gain. This is why the Orioles don't have Hudson for the 2005 season.

O's trade of DeCinces might be worst of all In The Sun's list concerning good and bad trades made by the Orioles over the years ["O's best and worst deals", July 9], I think you missed what I have always considered the worst of all. After the 1981 season, the Orioles traded away Doug DeCinces, their third baseman who had succeeded Brooks Robinson. He was a fine third baseman and had several good years in baseball after the trade, hitting a lot of home runs and fielding well. And the Orioles never did find a decent third baseman to replace him. In 1982, the Orioles came into the last four games of the season three games behind Milwaukee in the American League East, with a four-game series against the Brewers to end the season.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Orioles owner Peter Angelos isn't setting any ultimatums for his ballclub this season, but after committing $123 million to free agents this winter, his expectations have certainly risen. Asked this week how he would feel if the team fails to end its string of six consecutive losing seasons, Angelos pledged to stay the course, saying, "This is not a one-year project." Then he added, "I don't want to talk about [.500]. This is not a .500 team. It's not an under .500 team, or a team that's going to win one game over 50 percent.

RANKINGS 1. Calvert Hall Last season: 21-7, ranked No. 4 The MIAA A Conference runner-up is loaded with pitching and hitting. Sean Rae (5-1), Jon Kibler (5-2) and Timmy Sexton (1-1) are among seven pitchers. 2. Severna Park Last season: 21-4, No. 3 Its deepest pitching staff (eight arms) ever and a lot of team speed. 3. St. Paul's Last season: 23-6, No. 2 Graduation took away some power, but the pitching trio of Steve Johnson, Nathan Curd and Hereford transfer Trey Crable give the Crusaders a chance of a threepeat in the MIAA A Conference.

OAKLAND, Calif. - A pair of Cy Young Award winners will be on the mound tonight at Network Associates Coliseum, with Barry Zito starting for the Oakland Athletics against the Orioles' Pat Hentgen. It's Cy Young vs. Cy Old, with an added twist: Hentgen could become a trade target for the A's as they look to replace injured left-hander Mark Mulder. "I don't make too much of that," said Hentgen, who won the Cy Young for the Toronto Blue Jays in 1996. "Every time you take the mound, you're auditioning for the team you're playing against and all the scouts in the stands."

CHICAGO - This time it counts, or so they say. The 74th All-Star Game will be played for home-field advantage in the World Series, though there is little sentiment among the players in favor of the change. "It's a pretty bad slogan, and I think it's a horrible idea," said Boston Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra. "When I was a little kid playing in the street, I thought it counted then. They all count." But this midsummer classic counts a little more. Baseball officials, embarrassed by last year's 11-inning tie in Milwaukee, decided the All-Star Game needed a little additional relevance to keep it from becoming irrelevant to television viewers.

CHICAGO - Oakland pitcher Barry Zito sat behind a table at the All-Star headquarters hotel yesterday, expecting the usual questions about being an All-Star and how the winner of this year's game receives home-field advantage in the World Series. Pretty standard stuff, really. So imagine Zito's surprise when reporters began filtering to his interview station, seeking his reaction to being taken off the American League's roster. They had no idea they were breaking the news to him. "I haven't gotten official word yet," he said, "but everyone keeps telling me I'm not pitching."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Orioles are trying some new math this spring: seven established starting pitchers, five spots. Anyone see a problem here? "Ask the Yankees that," Orioles manager Mike Hargrove quipped yesterday, as pitchers and catchers reported to Fort Lauderdale Stadium. Over in Tampa, the New York Yankees also have seven starters vying for five spots. Of course, the Yankees have about $60 million invested in that group of Jose Contreras, Roger Clemens, Sterling Hitchcock, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Jeff Weaver and David Wells.