Spring Training

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -After another long workout, Koji Uehara walked into the Orioles' clubhouse yesterday morning with his translator, trainer and masseuse following closely behind. Uehara smiled at a reporter who was near his locker and then joked with a couple of his new teammates as about a dozen Japanese reporters watched his every move. Several minutes later, Matt Wieters arrived at Fort Lauderdale Stadium flanked by fellow Orioles prospects Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez. Wieters unpacked his equipment bag before several team officials, players and reporters made their way to his locker.

Alex Rodriguez has been told by the New York Yankees to keep his cousin away from ballparks. The message was given to the star third baseman yesterday, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. The message applied to spring training and the regular season, the person said. Speaking at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., general manager Brian Cashman said only that the matter of Rodriguez being picked up from his spring training opener Wednesday by his cousin "has been handled."

O's deal with Wigginton likely to be final this week baseball The official announcement of infielder Ty Wigginton's two-year, $6 million deal with the Orioles is likely to come this week, perhaps as early as today. Wigginton, who had a physical Thursday in Baltimore, had a second round of tests yesterday, and the Orioles are not concerned that there will be any limitations on his playing status. Team officials declined to comment on the reason for the holdup of the announcement; however, they are confident that the deal will be finalized.

There's always room for Jello -- and another relief pitcher. The Orioles have signed veteran right-hander Paul Shuey to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Shuey, 36, hasn't pitched in the majors since 2003 and retired in April 2005 because of a hip injury. I'm assuming he didn't have it replaced. Otherwise, Albert Belle will be making a comeback, too. Shuey, a first-round draft pick in 1992, spent 10 years in the majors with the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers, going 45-27 with a 3.57 ERA in 451 appearances.

Hard as it might be to believe with the snow and ice accumulating outside our windows, pitchers and catchers will begin their spring toils this week in Florida and Arizona. And that means it's no longer freakish to begin preparing for your fantasy baseball drafts at the end of next month. Spring training is a time of great intrigue for fantasy obsessives. Most of us already know how we'll value the top half of the player pool, but questions surround the bottom half. Will rookie X win that starting job he deserves?

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Orioles owner Peter Angelos emerged from the club's spring training offices moments before yesterday's exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox and told a group of waiting reporters that he was there to watch a game and not to make statements. Then, for the next 15 minutes, Angelos candidly and, at times, playfully answered a barrage of pointed questions ranging from baseball's economics to his reasoning for vetoing a trade involving second baseman Brian Roberts to his own future involvement with the franchise he has run since 1993.

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- He has come in most mornings and quietly trudged to his locker, where he spends the majority of time before games or workouts going through his equipment or relaxing on his chair. While his clubhouse neighbors like Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff often joke loudly with teammates on each side of him, Jay Gibbons rarely gets involved, aside from delivering a quick smirk or a barely-audible laugh. Gibbons is one of the longest-tenured Orioles and one of the most well-liked among his teammates, but for much of spring training, he has worn the look of an unsettled player.

Good morning -- Miguel Tejada -- Sounds like you will be one happy camper at spring training.

From the modern spring training facility that houses the Florida Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals to the amazing amount of new construction in Jupiter, Fla., you'd never know that the area has a long history. According to the city's history Web site, the Spanish explored the Jupiter Inlet in 1513 and evidence has been found near the historic Jupiter Lighthouse that suggests there was a British settlement here during the Revolutionary War. I should check on that with one of Jupiter's most famous residents, actor Burt Reynolds.

1. McGwire: What do you do for an encore? If you're Mark McGwire, there has to be a part of you that is looking forward to spring training and another part of you that is dreading it. Where do you go from 70 home runs?The 1998 season was one of the most exciting in history, thanks largely to the heart-stopping, heartwarming competition between McGwire and Sammy Sosa, but McGwire pushed so far past Roger Maris' record of 61 that it would be foolish to think that he can challenge his own record this year.

Orioles O's to break in Sarasota new spring home with 'Fanfest' The Orioles will celebrate their new spring training home by holding a free "Family Fanfest" from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 14 at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, Fla. The event will include player autograph sessions, giveaways, fan forums, activities for children, and a free hot dog and soda for all who attend. One fan will win a trip to Baltimore, with airfare, hotel accommodations and Orioles game tickets included. Orioles manager Dave Trembley, center fielder Adam Jones, left fielder Nolan Reimold, pitchers Brad Bergesen and Jim Johnson, and MASN broadcaster Jim Palmer are expected to attend the event, which will be co-hosted by the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce and the Sarasota Convention and Visitors Bureau.

With his right elbow throbbing and his mind filled with doubt, Danys Baez left Fort Lauderdale Stadium on a late February afternoon and returned to his Miami-area home seeking both counsel and reassurance from his wife, Mireya. "I said to her, 'I don't know if I'm going to make it,' " Baez recalled. " 'This is not what I expected. I'm in really bad pain right now and if I have to deal with this kind of pain, I cannot pitch anymore.' " Hours earlier, Baez had started for the Orioles in a Grapefruit League game against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Orioles' front office has never misrepresented the 2009 season. It was intended to be a rebuilding year, and there is little chance of it being anything else. The pitching staff was not even identifiable until the final week of spring training, and when it finally came together, the result didn't improve the team's chances of being competitive in the American League East. Not that there was ever any likelihood of bringing together a starting rotation on par with the top teams in the division.

My favorite recollection of spring training: saving the giant tortoise on the way to camp back in late February. It was frightened when I picked it up, and it peed all over me. Had to trash one of my shirts, but I'd do it again. (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/schmuckblog)

Alex Rodriguez has been told by the New York Yankees to keep his cousin away from ballparks. The message was given to the star third baseman yesterday, a person familiar with the situation told the Associated Press. The message applied to spring training and the regular season, the person said. Speaking at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., general manager Brian Cashman said only that the matter of Rodriguez being picked up from his spring training opener Wednesday by his cousin "has been handled."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -After another long workout, Koji Uehara walked into the Orioles' clubhouse yesterday morning with his translator, trainer and masseuse following closely behind. Uehara smiled at a reporter who was near his locker and then joked with a couple of his new teammates as about a dozen Japanese reporters watched his every move. Several minutes later, Matt Wieters arrived at Fort Lauderdale Stadium flanked by fellow Orioles prospects Brad Bergesen and David Hernandez. Wieters unpacked his equipment bag before several team officials, players and reporters made their way to his locker.

How will the Orioles' rotation shake out? Jeremy Guthrie and Koji Uehara are the only two pitchers considered a lock for the group, leaving three vacancies and as many as 13 candidates. Rich Hill, whom the Orioles acquired from the Chicago Cubs, will get a rotation spot if he shows progress throwing strikes more consistently. Matt Albers is also a front-runner for a spot if he stays healthy, though he'll be pitching with a tear in his right shoulder. Other candidates include Danys Baez, Brian Bass, Mark Hendrickson, Brad Hennessey, Radhames Liz, Troy Patton, John Parrish, Hayden Penn, David Pauley, Alfredo Simon and Chris Waters.

The Orioles made plenty of moves this offseason. There were also national steroid controversies and star free agents holding "Will work for fewer millions" signs. It was a pretty entertaining winter, baseball-wise. But, like the good old days, the New York Yankees dominated the hot-stove season. They did it with big-money signings, a dash of backbiting and the pedestal crash of the game's biggest star. The Yankees are obviously the biggest story this spring, but there are other things to keep an eye on in Florida and Arizona after pitchers and catchers report.

O's deal with Wigginton likely to be final this week baseball The official announcement of infielder Ty Wigginton's two-year, $6 million deal with the Orioles is likely to come this week, perhaps as early as today. Wigginton, who had a physical Thursday in Baltimore, had a second round of tests yesterday, and the Orioles are not concerned that there will be any limitations on his playing status. Team officials declined to comment on the reason for the holdup of the announcement; however, they are confident that the deal will be finalized.

There will be 37 pitchers in the cramped clubhouse of Fort Lauderdale Stadium on Saturday, and only 15 of them made an appearance for the Orioles in a Grapefruit League game last spring. Ten of the 24 pitchers on the team's 40-man roster heading into last year's spring training aren't in the organization anymore. Four of the five members of last year's Opening Day rotation are now former Orioles, as are three of the seven members of the bullpen. Nowhere is team president Andy MacPhail's rebuilding project more obvious than in the reconstruction of the Orioles' pitching staff, one of the major leagues' worst during the past several seasons.