Pittsburgh Pirates

As Friday's 15-inning marathon was getting dangerously close to becoming a suspended game, Orioles pitching coach Mike Flanagan began looking around for Jeff Reboulet -- utility infielder and emergency pitcher. But Reboulet wasn't an option for a depleted bullpen since he had started the game at shortstop and been removed for a pinch hitter."I realized he had been used," Flanagan said, grinning.It's easy to joke when you're on the winning end of a game like that, one that lasted a club-record 5: 49 and would have been suspended if Rafael Palmeiro hadn't homered off Toronto's Bill Risley with two outs for a 7-4 victory.

Eric Davis, who in only two seasons graduated from Orioles right fielder to cancer survivor to civic treasure, officially parted ways with the franchise yesterday when he signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.Davis, as inspirational a figure as he was productive with the Orioles, became a central piece of a sweeping Cardinals makeover that included a five-player trade immediately before his signing. Though the Cardinals met his asking price, Davis maintained he was "disappointed" that the Orioles had deleted him from their plans for 1999.

While the Orioles remain no closer to re-signing B. J. Surhoff, the free-agent outfielder is scheduled to meet with New York Mets executives on Tuesday. The trip comes a week after the Pittsburgh Pirates made their pitch to Surhoff, who has expressed his desire to stay with the Orioles but no longer is considered certain to return.The Mets and Orioles have offered similar three-year deals worth about $13.5 million, but Surhoff's agent, Gregg Clifton, said the Mets are open to revising their proposal.

You may have heard that Albert Belle of the Chicago White Sox, who has managed to parlay his peculiar combination of baseball talent and sociopathic behavior into a paycheck of $10 million a year, is now earning more than the entire 25-man roster of the stripped-down Pittsburgh Pirates ($9 million).This is a remarkable development, to be sure. For one thing, it means Belle can afford to field his own team and still earn a million bucks a year. But how does $10 million a year really stack up?

John Beradino, 79, a former major league baseball player who portrayed Dr. Steve Hardy on the soap opera "General Hospital" for 33 years, died of cancer Sunday in Los Angeles.He had appeared in the ABC-TV drama since its debut April 1, 1963, but left the show recently because of illness. He also guest-starred on the daytime show "One Life To Live," repeating his role as Dr. Hardy.Before "General Hospital," he played Sgt. Vince Cavelli in the crime show "The New Breed," which aired in 1961-1962.

BaseballBoston Red Sox -- Named Rick Wise pitching coach for Triple-A Pawtucket and Bill Maloney pitching coach for Single-A Battle Creek.Detroit Tigers -- Promoted Double-A Jackson manager Bill Plummer to manager of Triple-A Toledo.Pittsburgh Pirates -- Traded OF Ted Williams to the Kansas City Royals for future considerations. Sent C Edwin Rosado 1B Terry Lee and 3B Tom Mitchell to minor-league camp for reassignment.Seattle Mariners -- Named Joaquin Contreras coach for Single-A Wisconsin.

The Sun's national baseball writer, Peter Schmuck, ranks the major leagues' 28 teams.Rank, Team, Previous rank, Comment1. Cleveland Indians -- 1 -- Simply the best.2. Atlanta Braves -- 2 -- Total baseball.3. Cincinnati Reds -- 4 -- Disgruntled Gant should quit and join motorcycle gang.4. Boston Red Sox -- 3 -- Will big bombers turn into big bummers in October?5. Colorado Rockies -- 6 -- Larry Walker won a game with a bunt Sunday. It must be destiny.6. Los Angeles Dodgers -- 5 -- Last hurrah for Lasorda?

California Angels -- Agreed to terms with 1B J. T. Snow, OF Kevin Flora and P Mike James on one-year contracts.Chicago Cubs -- Signed free-agent P Mike Perez to a minor-league contract and invited him to spring training as a nonroster player.Chicago White Sox -- Signed free-agent 3B Chris Sabo, who had been with the Orioles, to a one-year contract.Cincinnati Reds -- Obtained P Marcus Moore (4-2 with a 6.45 ERA in 56 relief appearances during the past two seasons) from the Colorado Rockies for Single-A IF Chris Sexton.

BaseballOrioles -- Recalled C Cesar Devarez and P Jimmy Haynes from Triple-A Rochester.Boston Red Sox -- Activated P Vaughn Eshelman from the DL.Houston Astros -- Activated IF Orlando Miller from the DL.Milwaukee Brewers -- Activated P Jeff Bronkey and P Graeme Lloyd from the DL.Pittsburgh Pirates -- Recalled 1B Michael Brown from Double-A Carolina.CollegeEastern College Athletic Conference -- Named Navy QB Chris McCoy and East Carolina QB Marcus Crandell Division I-A Co-Offensive Players of the Week.

BaseballAmerican League -- Suspended Chicago White Sox manager Terry Bevington and Milwaukee Brewers manager Phil Garner for four games each for their participation in a bench-clearing brawl July 22.California Angels -- Signed OF Darin Erstad, the top overall pick in the 1995 draft.Chicago Cubs -- Signed P Kerry Wood, their first-round pick in the 1995 draft, and assigned him to Rookie-level Fort Myers.Montreal Expos -- Traded minor-league OF Kevin Northrup to the Oakland Athletics for P Dave Leiper.

News item: The Orioles open the 2009 season Monday when Jeremy Guthrie takes the mound against 2007 Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia of the New York Yankees at Camden Yards. My take: The O's are going with a struggling guy they stole off waivers a couple of years ago and the Yankees are going with a free agent who cost them $161 million this past winter. And, get this, I'm going with the Orioles as an Opening Day reverse lock. News item: There were 37 pitchers on the Orioles' spring training roster when camp opened seven weeks ago, and the coaching staff still struggled to come up with five representative starters for the major league rotation.

The Orioles have talked to the representative for free agent Cesar Izturis, the latest indication that the slick-fielding shortstop is at the top of their list to fill the team's vacancy at the position. Izturis, 28, hit .263 this past season with one homer and 24 RBIs in 135 games for the St. Louis Cardinals. He's a career .260 hitter over parts of 10 major league seasons that also include stints with the Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates. Orioles president Andy MacPhail wouldn't comment on specific options, though he reiterated that finding a shortstop is one of his offseason priorities.

The cities are 2,500 miles apart, on opposite sides of the country, and possess contrasting reputations. There's Pittsburgh, the blue-collar Steel City that has provided America with sweat and grit, as well as Bill Cowher's granite jaw and sandwiches stuffed with meat, fries and coleslaw. And then there's San Francisco, the famed seaport turned liberal hotspot for Bohemian thinking, computer wizardry and eclectic dining. It has created its own slice of Americana, giving us cable cars, the Gold Rush and Jerry Garcia.

You've heard this tale before. A once-proud baseball organization is now stuck in a historic cycle of losing while the sports-crazy town it inhabits has become apathetic. The beautiful downtown ballpark sells out only on Opening Day and often finds itself more than half-empty. The ownership is criticized for being too cheap or too distracted to care about winning. And, by July, anyone within 100 miles of the city is thinking football. But, sorry, Orioles fans, this one is not about you. It's about your hard-working cousins 250 miles to the northwest, the ones you hate during football season but commiserate with in the summer.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- On the same day that pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was driving to his home in Las Vegas, the Cleveland Indians cleared room on their 40-man roster by removing him from it. Claiming Guthrie off waivers never seemed like much of a gamble to the Orioles. Of course they would take a chance on a guy so talented that three different teams drafted him in separate years. So talented that the Indians used the 22nd overall pick to get him in 2002. And so talented that an Orioles scout and a former minor league manager offered robust endorsements once he became available.

A scout's take On Adam Loewen, Orioles' 22-year-old left-handed pitcher Pitches -- I like his cutting fastball. His curveball is a plus, and coming from that arm angle it's real impressive. He maybe hit 95 [mph] with his fastball, but he consistently hits 92-93. That's plenty good enough if he is commanding it. Weaknesses -- I'd like to see him improve his changeup. I didn't really see a good changeup. It's something he didn't throw much. He still needs to work on his command. Control is always an issue with him. But [in his win Tuesday]

On Alex Rios, Toronto Blue Jays 25-year-old outfielder Hitting -- "He struggled with the heater on the inner half of the plate last year. [Pitchers] were just teasing him away and then they'd drill him in and he'd either break his bat, pop up or K. This year he has a quieter approach and much better plate coverage. And when you make a mistake, he'll hit it out of the park." Personality -- "He's a passive kid. Outstanding makeup, but passive. Sometimes you want to see a little fire and brimstone in him. Bringing in the catcher [fellow Puerto Rican Bengie Molina]

NASCAR driver Boris Said took a tour of San Quentin State Prison before last Sunday's Nextel Cup race a bit farther north in Sonoma, Calif. It was his third such tour in three years, which brought up a memory from 2003. Just for kicks, Said relaxed on the lethal injection table. "I don't think the guards liked what I did," Said said. After the guards "stopped yelling at me," one told him, Said said, " `That was the first time I've seen someone rise from that table.' " Mr. Flip loves writing "Said said."

WASHINGTON - He enters a game with his cap pulled low over his eyes, like a Western gunslinger headed to a duel. When he records the third out, Washington Nationals closer Chad Cordero goes into mini-spasms of joy. He'll punch his glove at his heart and pirouette for the home fans. He and teammate Esteban Loaiza will pretend to shoot arrows into the air as Loaiza's tribute to Cordero, nicknamed "Chief." To witness the antics of Cordero, who sometimes wears a black T-shirt off the field with the outline of a white skull, it's easy to imagine a pitcher in the eccentric mold of past relievers such as Al Hrabosky or Mitch Williams.

NATIONAL Bush hails nuclear energy Calling nuclear power a safe, environmentally friendly solution, President Bush called yesterday for the industry to build more reactors to help meet the nation's growing demand for electricity. The nation's 103 reactors provide one-fifth of its electricity, but the United States hasn't licensed a new nuclear plant in more than a quarter-century. [Page 1a] Debating Social Security House Republicans introduced a bill yesterday to use annual surpluses in the Social Security system to finance individual investment accounts for workers, but Democrats and budget analysts said the proposal would blow at least a $600 billion hole in the federal budget.