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Q - During the winter months, how much contact does the staff have with the players?
"Coaches are free to communicate with the players at any time and I encourage them to do that. I know Juan has gone to the Dominican, T-bone has come to Baltimore for events and Kranny keeps in touch with the pitchers, and the players are given a conditioning program.

"I let the players go after the season and don't start contacting some guys until around Thanksgiving. Guys that are hurt like a Reimold or Bergesen, that's different, I try to call those guys every ten days or so, just to check in with them.

"So I contact some guys around Thanksgiving, then again around Christmas and usually again around FanFest time. It's calls, e-mails, those kinds of things."

Q - Does having a better spring training complex now in Sarasota change your thinking about spring training at all and what you can do with the workouts?
"We have four full fields, plus the Stadium, which is five, and we have a half field. At Ft. Lauderdale we had a shortage of fields. We had to mark out temporary fields in the outfield. This makes it a lot more conducive to run spring smoother. It will just be a lot more efficient and not crowded. A real plus for us.

"I'm driving over to Sarasota tomorrow to meet with Kranitz and Datz. We will tour the facility. They've never seen it. (I have.)"

Q - Sarasota will also be better for the team in terms of travel, is that right? It seems like the team will have less hours on the bus and more on the fields.
"It will lend us to more time on the field and less time traveling. Many times last year you would leave at seven in the morning for a game, and that day is shot; all you could do is play the game.

"Bradenton is 14 miles away. You could have your morning to do workouts, fundamentals, whatever you are doing that day, and then go play the game. The proximity of the teams will allow us to keep more of a routine. It's not just playing games - it's practice time and teaching oppurtunities we lost in the past.

"Another thing is, our minor league players are there with us. If we want to look at a guy from our system, we can bring them over for the day and maybe get them an at bat in the game. That's a big boost for morale. There's no separation between the majors and minors. It's all the Orioles.

"Also, if the need arises, we could play some B games because there are teams that are close. We did that just one time last year. We need to get our guys at bats and innings.

"Plus we will play some teams in our division and we will play more night games. That is nice to get guys in the usual routine. You can have early work at three, take BP, have infield and play under the lights. It's just more, shall I say, in line with real baseball."

Q - Every year a goal is to have your starting pitchers go deep into games to help the bullpen. How can you help make that happen with the staff?
"One, it's a mindset and attitude. It's a philosophy you have on the team and it's also a thing that is contagious. It starts with one guy and becomes a competitive thing for the next guy and the next guy.

"With Millwood and Guthrie, they can set the tone for that. I know some of our young guys want to pitch deeper in games. We need to get guys in the best possible shape in spring and get their pitch count up in spring. When the season starts, they are ready to go."