PressBox: Baseball Archive: January / February 2009

Baseball Archive: January / February 2009

Open Season
There are few sure things as Orioles begin readying for a long, hot summer. Nowhere is the competition more fierce than on the mound, where 37 pitchers will battle for 12 or 13 places on the staff.

Putting Shoulders Into Work Is Goal Of Young Hopefuls
As the Birds sweat it out in Fort Lauderdale, O's fans everywhere are squawking about one thing and one thing only - - pitching, pitching, pitching.

A Tourist's Guide To Spring Training
Baltimoreans flock to South Florida each February and March to see the Orioles in an antiquated if intimate setting. Here's a helpful primer of how to get the most enjoyment out of a Florida spring training excursion.

Saying Goodbye to Kevin Millar
While chatting on sports radio the other night, former Oriole and current free agent Kevin Millar dropped a semi-bombshell. The leader of last season’s Orioles Magic band was told by the club that he wouldn’t be coming back this year.

Markakis Signs Contract Extension
Nick Markakis has signed a six-year contract extension with the Orioles, a move that GM Andy MacPhail considered a top priority in securing his personal roster obligations.

Orioles Need To Pitch The Kids
If Andy MacPhail's makeover is going to work and if the Orioles are going to build from within, there's only one way to proceed in constructing a pitching staff for 2009 -- leave it to the kids.

Oldies But Goodies Wouldn't Be So Bad
While the Orioles are hopeful some of their younger pitchers will mature and make a significant contribution at the major league level, Craig Heist says they have to make an effort to bring in one, or maybe two, free agent hurlers with veteran experience.

Orioles Trade For Felix Pie
The Orioles are moving things around, looking for help in rebuilding their team. They made the deal official giving them Felix Pie, outfielder from Chicago, in exchange for pitchers, Garrett Olson and Henry Williamson.

Koji Uehara Arrives In Baltimore
Two hours after he was introduced as the newest member of the Orioles rotation, Koji Uehara and his personal trainer were jogging around the outfield warning track at his new nest.

Long, Strange Trip
Two Tommy John surgeries later, Tim Spooneybarger is making his way back to the bigs.