Terry Crowley

Hitting coach Terry Crowley Are you pleased with some of the signs that the offense has shown recently? "Basically, it's been a bit of a struggle offensively against everybody, be it a lefty or righty. There are some good signs and ... some things that we still have to work on."

I t's impossible to make sense of the things we will never understand, so let's just remember Mike Flanagan for all the things he did during a very eventful life and a very impressive athletic career that played out on several stages. Flanny, as pretty much everyone called him, played college basketball alongside Julius Erving and pitched for the Orioles in the days when they still smelled of champagne. He went on to become a respected major league pitching coach and a pretty good broadcaster before rising to become the executive vice president of the team that inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 1994.

Terry Crowley is entering his 21st season as a hitting coach, including two stints with the Orioles, but many fans remember him as one of baseball's best pinch hitters during his playing days. Who gave you the nickname King of Swing? -- That came from the back of the bus one day from Ken Singleton. He was singing a song and trying to find words that rhymed. He was rhyming the whole deal. And he said something like, "Weaver said to Crowley, get up and do your thing. You are the King of Swing."

Knowing how little Jeremy Guthrie likes to come out of starts, the Orioles were concerned when the right-hander exited his last outing after five scoreless innings because of back discomfort. As it turns out, Guthrie won't even miss a start. Orioles manager Buck Showalter announced Monday that Guthrie will start Tuesday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates, four days after he was diagnosed with a muscle strain in his back. "He feels good," Showalter said. "I'm sure you all talked to him or he's tweeted or something.

The unassuming King moves purposefully, head down, and quietly through the maze of first-floor arteries at Camden Yards. Terry Crowley has an appointment in the hitting tunnel with a future Hall of Famer. Time waits for no man, not even the King, and not even if the subject is timing.Known during his 15-year playing career as the King of Swing for his uncanny ability as a left-handed pinch hitter, Crowley now oversees Orioles hitters. During a protracted surge, they have reached second in the league in home runs, fourth in batting and fifth in runs despite a painfully sluggish April.

Orioles hitting coach Terry Crowley can't believe it has been 30 years. He was a 26-year-old platoon outfielder when manager Earl Weaver inserted him into the 1973 Opening Day lineup as something called a designated hitter. The DH rule will celebrate its 30th anniversary today, probably with just a few close friends and relatively little fanfare. The decision by baseball owners to take the pitcher out of American League batting orders was controversial from the start, but Crowley didn't mind it a bit. "I loved it," he said.

May 1, 1970: Terry Crowley hit his first career home run as the Orioles beat the Twins.

Terry Crowley's next visit to Memorial Stadium won't be as devastating as the last one. But it will be unlike any of the thousands of others he has made in his career."

The Thrill -- UP -- Will Clark collects 10 total bases in Atlanta on Sunday night and career hit No. 2,000 vs. Kansas City on Tuesday, and still can't buy a headline during his team's thrill-ride week. Not bad for a guy whose thumb still feels like it's caught in the car door.Terry Crowley -- UP -- Unassuming hitting coach earned the respect and trust of virtually everyone within the Orioles' graybeard clubhouse. Cal Ripken, Will Clark, Charles Johnson and B. J. Surhoff have benefited from his knowledge and work ethic.

Projected lineup Name Pos. Avg. HR/runs RBIs/steals 1. Brian Roberts 2B .296 107 runs 40 steals 2. Adam Jones CF .270 9 home runs 57 RBIs 3. Nick Markakis RF .306 20 home runs 87 RBIs 4. Aubrey Huff 1B .304 32 home runs 108 RBIs 5. Melvin Mora 3B .285 23 home runs 104 RBIs 6. Luke Scott DH .257 23 home runs 65 RBIs 7. Gregg Zaun C .237 6 home runs 30 RBIs 8. Felix Pie LF .241 1 home run 10 RBIs 9. Cesar Izturis SS .263 50 runs 24 steals Rotation ...

When Adam Jones was asked recently about the differences between new hitting coach Jim Presley and his former one, Terry Crowley, the Orioles center fielder inadvertently threw a jab cushioned by the highest form of flattery. "Presley is Crow," Jones quipped. "He's just 30 years younger. " To be fair, Crowley, 64, is only 15 years older than Presley. The important part of Jones' declaration, however, is the apparently seamless transition from one of the most tenured coaches in club history to a man with a wealth of experience but a fairly low profile.

Craig Tatum understands why the Orioles are proceeding cautiously with the tweaked muscle in his right side. They don't want him to make it worse, end up really hurt and lose the battle for reserve catcher because he was injured. Tatum gets that thinking, but he's got a flip side. "I want to make the team. I can't make the team not playing," said Tatum, who is competing with Jake Fox to back up Matt Wieters . "But I'll do whatever they tell me to do. They know a lot more about it than I do. " Tatum said he felt tightness in his right side after he slipped on the plate during infield drills.

May 1, 1970: Terry Crowley hit his first career home run as the Orioles beat the Twins.

In constructing his 2011 coaching staff, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said he was looking for committed individuals who would both mesh together easily and serve the needs of the club's young players. What he has built is a group of six men with varied talents and impressive baseball resumes — with all but one having at least six years of major league coaching or managerial experience. What Showalter doesn't have, however, is a primarily Spanish-speaking coach or a former Orioles player, two areas he was hoping to address when the offseason began.

The Orioles' 2011 coaching staff is coming into focus with the hiring of hitting coach Jim Presley and bullpen coach Rick Adair, the first of six slots to be filled by manager Buck Showalter. The club isn't expected to officially announce its hires until the entire coaching staff is finalized, but an industry source said Presley and Adair both have agreed to two-year deals. The source said the Orioles could have the full staff completed within the next week. Don Wakamatsu (bench coach)

The Orioles are discussing a multi-faceted position with Terry Crowley, an arrangement that will end his long career as the team's hitting coach but keep him in a prominent teaching role in the organization. The details have not been finalized, according to multiple sources, and the Orioles haven't completely closed the door on Crowley returning for his 13th straight season as the team's hitting coach and his 17th overall on the staff. However, Orioles manager Buck Showalter and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail have had extensive discussions with Crowley recently about a different position, one where the 63-year-old wouldn't travel regularly with the team and be in the dugout during games.

— Orioles Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer has never been shy in sharing his opinion, whether it was as a player or now as a broadcaster. So it probably comes as no surprise that Palmer had no problem with outfielder Nick Markakis' comments in Friday's editions of The Baltimore Sun that questioned the offensive approach of his teammates. "I'm sure he's frustrated," Palmer said Friday before the Orioles' series opener with the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. "I'm sure he said that to his guys.

For several minutes, Luke Scott let Felix Pie have it. He chastised his work ethic, assailed his character, questioned his discipline and labeled him a bad teammate. And before he was done berating Pie, Scott asked one final question. "I said to him: 'Do you really even want to be here? Because if you don't, then leave and stop taking somebody else's spot who is willing to work hard,' " Scott recalled. "I told him, 'There are people here that really want to see you succeed, but you have to work, you have to make the effort.