Rafael Palmeiro

It's more than midway through January and I think we've all finally recovered from year-in-review features plastered throughout the media. We're all forward-thinkers, right, so it's time we start to look ahead. Goodbye 2005, hello 2006. Lucky for you, I've seen the script and can provide you this sneak preview of just what they'll be saying. ... Feb. 1: "I've sincerely enjoyed my time with the Ravens' organization, but it's time for me to pursue other endeavors. The Olympics are later this month and I have a curling dream to fulfill."

DALLAS -- After eight seasons and two separate stints with the Orioles' organization, the club finally cut ties with fan favorite B.J. Surhoff yesterday. Surhoff, 41, was one of six pending free agents who were not offered arbitration by last night's midnight deadline. The others - pitchers James Baldwin and Jason Grimsley, outfielders Eli Marrero and Sammy Sosa and first baseman Rafael Palmeiro - were never expected to return. "B.J. has been around here a long time and he is a special case," club executive vice president Mike Flanagan said.

Good morning --Albert Pujols --Now that you've won the MVP, the Cardinals should build you a new stadium. Question of the day Will the Ravens finish the season last in the NFL in scoring? No. The Ravens will average 45 points in their final seven games and finish first. Brian Billick will devise an ingenious offensive paradigm and enemy defenses will be confused by the new profile. Morton D. Marcus Baltimore With a team where a four- or five-point deficit is considered a two-possession game, how could anyone possibly think this team won't finish last in scoring?

Sun exclusives Steroids BALCO, Rafael Palmeiro and other archived stories on doping in sports. Go to www.baltimoresun.com/steroids Jones' Ravens blog Read a blog on the Ravens by Sun reporter Brent Jones. Go to www.baltimoresun.com/ravensblog Hensley on the Ravens Hear audio of Sun beat reporter Jamison Hensley on the Ravens. Go to www.baltimoresun.com/hensleyvideo Murray on the NFL Hear audio of Sun NFL reporter Ken Murray analyzing this week's games. Go to www.baltimoresun.

The integrity of baseball's anti-steroid program took another body blow last week when news broke that two-time All-Star Matt Lawton had become the 12th major league player to test positive for a banned substance. No, I'm not throwing in with the politicians and subscribing to the ridiculous theory that every time a well-known player tests positive is more proof that the game needs the draconian penalties recommended by Congress - which, by the way, is a group of supposed national role models who would never agree to adopt their own random drug screening program.

Still more than a week away from being able to negotiate with other teams' free agents, the Orioles' needs are both obvious and numerous. They want at least one starting pitcher and a capable closer if All-Star B.J. Ryan does what is expected and signs with another team. The outfield is sorely in need of an upgrade in power and defense, and the team's everyday first baseman and designated hitter are uncertain. Executive vice president Mike Flanagan, vice president Jim Duquette and director of baseball administration Scott Proefrock have been in organizational meetings over the past week, discussing such predicaments.

Jim Beattie told the truth as he knew it Thursday night, and though the story was far from pretty, it saved the Orioles and Miguel Tejada a lot of trouble. Jason Giambi also apparently told the truth in 2003 when he admitted using steroids to a grand jury. His revelation eventually caused him pain and embarrassment when it was leaked to journalists, but Giambi has endured, and in fact, rebounded to have a strong season for the Yankees. The truth, unambiguous and undeniable, seldom evidences itself in this murky steroids scandal, now engulfing the Orioles.

With so many people in the Orioles' organization trying to prevent another distraction from seeping into their clubhouse, it's fair to ask whether the team would know how to function without one. "I haven't found that out yet," interim manager Sam Perlozzo said. He had to smile as the words passed his lips, knowing the season has been filled with them, perhaps relieved that he finally could do something about it. Down to their final 10 games last night, the Orioles tried their hardest to keep the peace.

A liquid vitamin given to Rafael Palmeiro by an Orioles teammate was "clean," the club said yesterday, suggesting it could not have caused Palmeiro's positive steroid test that led to his suspension. Orioles star shortstop Miguel Tejada gave a syringe of vitamin B12 to Palmeiro, but a sample of the liquid provided to baseball investigators was found not to contain illegal substances, said Jim Beattie, the club's executive vice president for baseball operations. "They tested the stuff that Miggy had and found out it was B12 and cleared it and that's the end of story," Beattie said last night.

So Act II begins as a flashback sequence. We see Rafael Palmeiro, the embattled protagonist sitting in a closed room, pleading his case before a three-person arbitration committee. He knew what was on the line: his reputation, his baseball legacy, his spot in the Hall of Fame alongside the game's immortals. The positive steroid test had already tainted all that. But what he said could have been even more damaging. It was a tainted supplement, Raffy insinuated to those three people. I didn't think it was bad, he said.