The Thrill of Spring Training
Players started arriving in the cramped clubhouse at Fort Lauderdale Stadium before 8 a.m. yesterday, walking briskly to their lockers while nodding at unfamiliar faces.
A couple of hours later, after the hugs and handshakes and thorough physicals had commenced, Orioles pitchers and catchers emerged from the dugout to a smattering of applause and officially began preparations for the 2008 season.
At a time in the sport when optimism reigns, the Orioles will train for the next six weeks here amid low expectations. The Orioles are firmly immersed in a rebuilding process focused on youth and development, making wins this season and the next a secondary concern to organizational progress.
"It would be a pleasant surprise if we were able to win as many or more games as we were able to win last year," said starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, who was one of the few bright spots from last year's 69-93 team. "But I think everybody is more prepared for what may come and understanding and accepting of whether we win or lose a little bit more."
For a couple of hours yesterday under a bright Florida sky, Orioles spread over three different fields, stretching, warming up their arms by playing catch and then engaging in the same fielding drills that are being done in spring training camps throughout Florida and Arizona.
It has been a difficult offseason for baseball in general and the organization in particular. Former Sen. George Mitchell released his long-awaited report in December, alleging rampant steroid use in the sport. Roger Clemens, one of the generation's best pitchers and the biggest name in the report, again denied at Wednesday's congressional hearings that he has used steroids.
Meanwhile, Andy MacPhail, Orioles president of baseball operations, spent the offseason executing his rebuilding plan by trading away the team's best pitcher ( Erik Bedard) and its most accomplished hitter ( Miguel Tejada). But all that was an afterthought yesterday in an Orioles clubhouse that looked more like a scene from a college orientation with the number of introductions that were going on.
Catcher Matt Wieters, the team's first-round draft pick last June and one of the centerpieces of its rebuilding project, was eager for his first opportunity to shine at major league camp. Pitcher Hayden Penn, who is coming off two injury-hampered seasons after emerging as one of the organization's top prospects, was simply excited to be getting another chance.
And then there were veteran relievers Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford, who maintain they are just as excited to begin this season no matter how many baseball pundits are predicting the Orioles will finish last in the American League East.
Walker drove from his home in Kansas to Florida, a three-day trip that gave Walker, who pitched for the Detroit Tigers in the World Series 16 months ago, plenty of time to consider what lies ahead.
"You think a lot when you're driving, and the main thing is, we have to have the right attitude," said Walker, 36. "I'm excited. I didn't sleep at all the last two nights. I'm ready for this. ... Whether we're rebuilding or not, I signed a three-year deal here and I made a commitment as a Baltimore Oriole. I don't look at it as rebuilding. I look at it as we got younger."
Read More: The Thrill is Not Gone [Baltimore Sun]
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