Third Baseman

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?

When James Hoey left Double-A Bowie last season on his way to the majors, Baysox pitching coach Scott McGregor thought he wouldn't see an arm like that again for a while. Then along came Bob McCrory. A fourth-round pick in the 2003 draft out of Southern Mississippi, McCrory has thrust himself into the Orioles' prospect picture - with vigor. His fastball touches 98 mph, and he unleashes a two-seamer that ranges from 95 to 98 mph. He also has a good breaking ball and a developing changeup that he used more effectively at the Single-A level.

Something should have happened by now, or so you might think after several months of speculation about the great Orioles rebuilding project that was supposed to begin this month. Club president Andy MacPhail still might get something done before the end of November, but his plan to remake the roster has been stalled temporarily by circumstances beyond his control - most notably the decision by the Florida Marlins to make third baseman Miguel Cabrera available for a possible blockbuster trade.

DETROIT -- The Orioles may decide today whether third baseman Cal Ripken will require a rehab assignment before leaving the disabled list. Ripken put himself through a rigorous workout before yesterday's game and emerged confident he is physically ready to play after missing three weeks with what is described as "nerve irritation" in his lower back."

Astros: The bullpen hasn't squandered a lead after the seventh inning this season. The team is 10-0 when leading after seven and 12-0 when leading after eight. Third baseman Ken Caminiti was given the night off. He was hit on the elbow by a bat in batting practice before Thursday's game against Arizona, then got three hits. The elbow swelled overnight.Braves: It was John Smoltz's first complete game since a three-hit, 4-0 win over the Mets last Sept. 6. It was Atlanta's second shutout of the season.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Gone for 22 games, third baseman Cal Ripken returned to active duty yesterday, striding briskly through the Orioles' clubhouse, sipping coffee, exchanging barbs with center fielder Brady Anderson and at one point stopping at his locker to sniff his batting practice jersey. The pain was gone from his lower back, the enthusiasm back in his voice."This," he said, "does feel like the second Opening Day to me."Before the game, the Orioles optioned first baseman Calvin Pickering to make room for the third baseman.

ATLANTA -- Seated within the same hotel ballroom as Hank Aaron, Warren Spahn and Willie Mays, Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken commanded the most lasting stream of media and occasional autograph-seekers. The attention associated with his recognition among the century's 100 greatest players "humbled" Ripken but forced him to sidestep persistent questions about the inclusion of banned all-time hit leader Pete Rose and the state of the Orioles' managerial search.Ripken was honored before last night's World Series Game 2 as a shortstop on the 30-man Major League Baseball All-Century team; so, too, was Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson.

CLEVELAND -- Ray Miller said he would waste no time getting Cal Ripken back into the Orioles' lineup once the third baseman is activated. What he left unsaid is that rookie Willis Otanez hasn't exactly claimed the position in the Iron Man's absence.In the throes of an 8-for-51 (.157) slump, Otanez sat out last night in part because his manager believes the slump has begun to affect his defensive play as well. "He hasn't been reacting," Miller said.Sensing that Otanez is pressing, Miller gave Jeff Reboulet the start at third last night, as he had tried to do the past two games before scratching second baseman Delino DeShields from the lineup.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- Orioles third baseman Cal Ripken returned to Baltimore yesterday because of back spasms, and the club has begun making contingency plans in case he is forced on the disabled list for the second time this season.Ripken, 38, will be examined today by the club orthopedist, Dr. Michael Jacobs. He also may visit Dr. Henry Bohlman, a professor of orthopedics at Case Western University who gave him a cortisone shot earlier this season when a similar condition forced the first trip to the DL in his 18-year major-league career.

North Harford rallied with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings and stunned No. 7-ranked Franklin, 2-1, in the first round of the Class 2A North regional at Pylesville yesterday.North Harford (14-5) was 7-1 and runner-up to C. Milton Wright in the Harford County League, and Franklin (18-2), a perennial state title contender under veteran coach Rick Wiscott, had won its third straight Baltimore County title Wednesday.North Harford, a regional semifinalist a year ago, moved on to the second round, where it will be home against Joppatowne at 4 p.m. Monday.

It's not the number of tattoos. It's not the profound message attached to those lasting images. What sets apart Josh Bell's tribute to his late father is the location. There's no coincidence that the body art memorializing Bruce Bell - the cross, the halo, the angel wings, the doves and the clouds - adorns the entire right arm of the Orioles' newly anointed third baseman of the future. Bell threw 90 mph in practice as a high school sophomore. Scouts still rave about the cannon attached to his right shoulder.

As the nonwaiver trade deadline approaches Friday, the Orioles are moving further away from making a noteworthy deal - unless it involves closer George Sherrill. The Orioles have other trade pieces available, but according to several baseball sources, there is little, if any, interest in the club's trio of high-salaried pending free agents: reliever Danys Baez, first baseman Aubrey Huff and third baseman Melvin Mora. That leaves Sherrill, the club's 2008 All-Star who has converted 20 of 23 save opportunities this season, as the primary target.

Brandon Waring calls 2007 "a whirlwind." Scouts were blown away by it. His teammates simply chuckled. The Frederick Keys corner infielder didn't think he had a chance to be drafted entering his junior season at Wofford, a South Carolina college, in 2007. Then he hit 27 home runs, the second most in all NCAA Division I that year. The Cincinnati Reds selected him in the seventh round, signed him for $94,000 and assigned him to their Rookie-level squad in Billings, Mont. It was supposed to be his low-pressure introduction to pro ball.

COLLEGE PARK -- Relaxed and poised throughout an improbable run to the Class 3A state championship game, the Atholton softball team finally came up against a team in Northern of Calvert County that hit a nerve. Northern aggressively scratched across early runs, leaned on freshman pitcher Kaitlyn Schmeiser to get big outs and enjoyed a five-run seventh inning to break open the title game yesterday, coming away with a 7-0 victory over the No. 6 Raiders at the University of Maryland. The Patriots (16-7)

Something should have happened by now, or so you might think after several months of speculation about the great Orioles rebuilding project that was supposed to begin this month. Club president Andy MacPhail still might get something done before the end of November, but his plan to remake the roster has been stalled temporarily by circumstances beyond his control - most notably the decision by the Florida Marlins to make third baseman Miguel Cabrera available for a possible blockbuster trade.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- There has been no escaping the dominant topic of baseball's general managers meetings this week. Over two days at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress resort, the future home of free-agent third baseman Alex Rodriguez has been debated relentlessly, making any other player seem like an afterthought. That includes the Orioles' Miguel Tejada, who also has a Most Valuable Player award on his resume and a future that will likely remain uncertain for a little longer this offseason.

LEICESTER LOSES IT Rookie starter Jon Leicester wanted to make one last impression on the Orioles before the season ended. He did, but it wasn't a good one. He was touched for seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. In two starts against New York this season, Leicester surrendered 13 earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. Orioles manager Dave Trembley had said the pitcher will get an extended look in spring training, perhaps for a role in the bullpen. He will finish the season with a 2-3 record and a 7.59 ERA. 1,500 TIMES TWO A two-run home run off Leicester in the third inning was not only Alex Rodriguez's 54th of the season, but it gave him 1,500 RBIs for his career.

While this year's top draft pick, catcher Matt Wieters, continues to work out with the Aberdeen IronBirds before playing in Hawaii later this month, the Orioles' first selection in 2006 is concluding a season that started late but had decent results. Third baseman Bill Rowell was batting .273 in 89 games at Single-A Delmarva before yesterday, with 21 doubles, three triples, eight homers, 56 RBIs and a .422 slugging percentage. He hit safely in five of seven games. Rowell was trying to make up for lost time after a strained oblique muscle kept him at extended spring training.

When James Hoey left Double-A Bowie last season on his way to the majors, Baysox pitching coach Scott McGregor thought he wouldn't see an arm like that again for a while. Then along came Bob McCrory. A fourth-round pick in the 2003 draft out of Southern Mississippi, McCrory has thrust himself into the Orioles' prospect picture - with vigor. His fastball touches 98 mph, and he unleashes a two-seamer that ranges from 95 to 98 mph. He also has a good breaking ball and a developing changeup that he used more effectively at the Single-A level.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- After playing two games for the Orioles' Gulf Coast Rookie-level team, third baseman Melvin Mora appears ready to make a full-time return to the Orioles' lineup. He'll report to Tropicana Field this morning, and if he gets clearance to play from head trainer Richie Bancells, he'll be activated from the disabled list and in the lineup for today's series finale against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Mora has made just one start since spraining his left foot in a play at the plate July 1. "There's a good chance that he'll play tomorrow," interim manager Dave Trembley said before last night's game.