Scout

The Orioles are still interested in outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and want another look at the highly touted Cuban defector. The Orioles weren't able to scout Cespedes at last week's Carribean Series because his Dominican Winter League team didn't make the series field, but the organization plans to scout him again soon. Orioles executive director of international scouting Fred Ferreira said the club is planning a trip to the Dominican Republic to watch Cespedes within the "next week to 10 days.

Cub Scout Pack 809 from Jarrettsville celebrated Memorial Day by placing more than 200 miniature American flags on the veterans' gravesites at Highview Memorial Gardens in Fallston.

While the Orioles aren't actively pursuing additional starting pitching, it didn't stop them from scouting veteran right-hander Aaron Harang in the Los Angeles Dodgers' Phoenix camp on Monday. The Dodgers' free-spending offseason leaves them with pitchers to move, and Harang is among those the team could deal, especially if their are willing to pick up a portion of his remaining contract. A lone scout from the Orioles watched the 34-year-old Harang pitch three innings in a minor league game, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times . With all the starters the Dodgers have, Harang was pitching in the minor league game to get his innings in. The Orioles already have 13 starting rotation candidates in camp, so there's no lack of starting pitching.

When the Orioles make the 22nd pick overall in baseball's annual amateur draft Thursday night, it will be the latest they have had to wait in the first round since 1998. That's the bad news. The good news for the club is that because of changes in compensation rules as part of the most recent collective bargaining agreement, the Orioles will actually have more picks in the top 40 and top 100 than they have had since 2006. The Orioles get an extra pick directly after the first round - the 37th overall - as part of the newly instituted competitive balance lottery, in which Baltimore was entered because of its poor 2011 record.

theScore's Arda Ocal (@arda_ocal) recently spoke with WWE Hall of Famer and current WWE scout Gerald Brisco, who is currently in London scouting for WWE at the Olympic Games.

The Toronto Blue Jays named former Orioles executive Jim Beattie a professional scout. Beattie, 55, who pitched for the New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners, was general manager of the Montreal Expos from 1989 to 1995 and executive vice president of the Orioles from 2002 to 2005. Nationals: General manager Mike Rizzo said right-handed pitcher Stephen Strasburg , the No. 1 pick in June's draft, would make his first exhibition start on March 9 against the Tigers at Space Coast Stadium and will pitch every fifth day, regardless of where the game was to be played.

I talked to a major league scout Friday whose territory is strictly the American League East and whose opinion I really respect. He's always been pretty spot on with his assessments, so I was curious as to what he thought about what has happened with this division since the postseason ended. I'm going to warn you, Orioles fans, he's not sold on your club. In fact, if rosters were set today, the scout said he'd predict that the Orioles finish fourth in the AL East in 2013, just above the Tampa Bay Rays.

Life is good for Phil Albert. He is trimmer than a man of 50 should look. He talks with the optimism of a teen-ager. He is enjoying his return to the classroom, where he teaches five physical education classes a week at Towson State.On top of that, Albert is excited about his reunion with an old friend -- football.More than two years have passed since Albert stepped down after 20 seasons as coach at Towson State, where he guided the Tigers to 117 victories, four national playoff appearances and an unbeaten season, not to mention a progression from Division III to I-AA status.

Ron Nay remembers the days when he scouted Ozzie Newsome at Alabama, before Newsome went on to become the Cleveland Browns' career leader in receptions and the NFL's all-time leading pass-catching tight end with 662 receptions over 13 seasons.Nay hopes to be reunited with Newsome, the director of pro personnel for Baltimore's NFL team.A 25-year veteran NFL scout who was out of pro football last year, Nay, 55, has expressed interest in a front office job with Baltimore. Newsome said if he makes any changes in his staff, it will not happen until after the NFL draft on April 20-21.

Pitches / / His fastball tops at 97 mph and he usually throws it at about 93, 94. His No. 2 pitch is a slider. He's got a version of a splitter, a slider and a [changeup] he mixes in. His fastball explodes and hitters don't hit it. It's not a movement where it tails or cuts; it's a movement all over the place. Weaknesses / / He is either on or he isn't. Clubs hope you can catch him when he isn't throwing strikes. When he doesn't throw strikes you can work the count and get him out of there.

As a Scout, I was overjoyed to hear that the Boy Scouts of America has voted to lift the ban on gay scouts ("Boy Scouts of America votes to end ban on gay scouts," May 24). Whether or not someone is gay is completely irrelevant when it comes to being an upright citizen and a decent human being, which is what scouting is all about. No one should be barred from such a fulfilling experience for simply being themselves. Well done for the BSA. It's a step in the right direction. Andrew Dobson

Does the Boy Scouts of America realize that the gay youths they are now "allowing" in are going to grow up to be gay adults ("After months of debate, Boy Scouts' ban on openly gay youth lifted," May 23)? They're not going to switch orientations once they reach adulthood. What happens to them then if they want to continue their life in Scouts - possibly as a leader? They call this a step in the right direction? Wow. So, if I understand this resolution correctly, they are no longer discriminating against "openly gay youths" but continue to discriminate against gay adults?

The Sun's recent editorial on the Boy Scouts of America ("Scouts and equality," May 23) leaped right over the Scout Mission Statement, "To prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetime…," because it conflicted with the newspaper's view. And the Scout Oath - "Mentally awake and morally straight" could not validate the editorial's position either. So the authors jumped to the Scout Law which they thought gave them wiggle room for their position. They began by stating that the Scout Law is so famous that many people outside the organization recognize it. That isn't true.

The Boy Scouts of America has lifted its ban on gay boys being full participants in their programs ("Scouts lift ban on gay youths," May 24). Much of the news has centered in the backlash from "faith-based organizations" which sponsor Boy Scout troops. Churches, in particular, are named as those opposing this change and withdrawing their sponsorship. The Church of the Redeemer in Baltimore is proud to sponsor Troop 35, a historical and successful program of the Boy Scouts of America with an impressive record of Eagle Scouts.

Boy Scout Troop 328 of Timonium United Methodist Church has been buzzing with activity the last few months. For starters, it celebrated an Eagle Court of Honor for three of its Scouts on April 20. David Harper, Matt Rafferty and J.P. Schmelz were recognized for attaining the rank of Eagle, the highest award in Scouting. For their Eagle service projects, David reconstructed a trail at the Woodbourne Center in Baltimore City; Matt collected more than 200 musical instruments and related items in support of Baltimore City Public Schools; and J.P. constructed a judges' reviewing stand for the new Baltimore County Agricultural Center on Shawan Road.

Pardon me if I'm encouraged -- but not enthused -- by the decision of the Boy Scouts of America to lift its century-old ban on gay scouts. I just can't get that excited about the fact that an organization that holds a deep-seated distrust in gay men is now letting gay kids join the club. The dynamic creates a puzzle in my head, and I'm still trying to find the corner pieces and determine some structure here. Given the green light by some of the organization's largest donors, including the Mormon and United Methodist churches, and facing the withdrawal of funding from many other donors, more than 60 percent of the BSA's 1,400-delegate-strong National Council voted to lift the ban yesterday.

In an emotionally charged vote Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America lifted its ban on gay youth starting in January, the latest sign of a shift in American attitudes toward gays and lesbians. After months of debate in local districts, more than 61 percent of the Boy Scouts national council approved a resolution at its annual meeting, overturning the long-standing prohibition on openly gay youth, while retaining a ban on gay adult leaders. Of 1,232 votes, 757 were in favor. Gay advocates called the vote a step in the right direction for the 103-year-old group, among the nation's largest youth organizations, with more than 2.6 million youth members.

One of the first things that an incoming Boy Scout must learn is the Scout Law. It's become so famous that many people outside the organization likely recognize it. "A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent. " There is no line about Boy Scouts being exclusionary, nor one suggestion that the organization discriminate. There isn't even a mention of sexuality. To be kind is to be kind. To think of Boy Scouts as some narrow-minded, anti-gay organization is anathema to how many of us have experienced scouting in our lives.