Nick Markakis says no animosity toward Orioles

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The No. 22 Braves jersey doesn't look right hanging in Nick Markakis' spring training locker. The full beard, neatly trimmed for at least the next few hours, is permitted in his new organization.

Which one seems stranger to the former Orioles right fielder?

"It's 22," he said today after greeting the Baltimore media. "Every time I come up to the plate I'm expecting 21, but it's part of change, though. It's part of life. We'll get used to it.

"I'm comfortable right now. I love the guys here and I think that's the biggest thing."

Markakis is facing the Orioles for the first time since signing a four-year, $44 million contract with the Braves. He's only 2-for-19 with one RBI this spring, but he appears to be in good health and said there's a 95 percent chance he'll play on opening day following surgery over the winter to remove a herniated disc from his neck and fuse vertebrae.

"I'm good, I'm ready to go," he said. "Just finishing up my at-bats here, getting some more innings in the field and (getting) ready for Monday.

"That was my whole plan and the organization's plan. They weren't rushing me. They were great. They basically asked me what I wanted to do, how I felt, and spring's gone pretty smoothly right now and I'm where I want to be right now health-wise."

Markakis insists that he doesn't find extra motivation from his failed negotiations with the Orioles, who weren't willing to offer a fourth guaranteed year after examining the results of his MRI.

"I think personally, it's a personal goal," said Markakis, the Orioles' first-round pick in 2003. "Opening day is a big day. I've been out there the last eight years and for me to be out there this year is just as important. As far as being important for anybody else, no. For me and my team, yes. I think it is more of a personal goal and me and my teammates want me and need me out there, too, just like if Freddie (Freeman) went down or Jonny (Gomes) went down. You'd want to get them back for opening day.

"It's a special day throughout baseball and I think 95 percent chance I'll be there Monday. We'll see."

For Markakis, there are no second thoughts about signing with the Braves.

"No, once they gave me the opportunity and presented me with the opportunity, it was a good opportunity for myself and my family," he said. "That was the most important thing. And they made me feel comfortable. That's why I chose here."

How long did it take?

"It took a little bit, but it's all part of change," he said. "It's all good now, so I'm just excited to be a part of these guys and participate playing baseball with these guys."

Markakis admitted it was "strange" seeing his former teammates on the field today. He won't travel to Sarasota on Friday, as he's staying back to play in a minor league game.

"It's part of the business," he said. "You're not going to play with everybody your whole career. It's good to see the guys. It's different, though. It's a transition process and something I've never been through before. But it's gone smoothly. Guys are great over here and I'm happy where I am."

The biggest adjustment?

"Learning everybody's name," he said. "A lot of new guys. From what I heard last year to this year, there are a lot of new guys, so it's the way things go over here. Every organization is different. Everybody's got a bunch of different guys. It's just a matter of getting a feel for it, knowing everybody and getting comfortable with them."

Markakis talked to manager Buck Showalter over the winter, and they exchanged text messages this spring after the outfielder vented in a USA Today article. He remains close to several players, including center fielder Adam Jones.

"I still keep in contact with the guys," he said. "The game can only bring you so much in a lifetime and a friendship can go a lifetime. Some of the friendships I have over there with the guys, they're not going to stop. I continue to talk to them and I hope they do well and I hope they have a healthy season."

In the article, Markakis advised people not to believe the Orioles' version of events during negotiations. He brought it strong, saying, "It was all because of my neck. They can say what they want to make them look good. It's all B.S. But things work out the way they do for a reason, right?"

Markakis said today that he's still OK with his comments, but "it's just one of those things he caught me in a bad spot at the wrong time."

"The thing that frustrated me was, if you're going to ask a question, put the question in the paper that you're going to ask, not just the answer," Markakis added. "I cleared it up. Everything's good now and it's behind me. Sometimes your emotions get the best of you and I think it showed a little bit there. But it's done with. I talked to the guys over there and it's behind me now.

"It's business. Sometimes you've got to learn the hard way and I did. I have no animosity toward anybody. It was frustrating at the time. You poke a balloon long enough with a needle, it's going to pop, right? I just felt like I kept getting poked and you hear one thing and the other thing and nobody knows the true story, so there's no point in even talking about it."

Markakis will have another house built in Monkton within the next year or so, and his family intends to stay in the area.

"That's where we're going to be," he said. "That's where my kids were born. It's where they've got their friends. We love the area, we love the community, so that's where we're going to call home."

Told that Markakis is 2-for-19, Showalter replied, "He doesn't need much spring training. Right where he needs to be."

It's just not in Orioles camp.

"You always miss him, the human being as much as the player, and that's saying a lot because he's a good player. He got a great contract in a great place that really fits for him, and so I'm happy for him and his family," Showalter said.

"I could say something that would probably get me in trouble, so I probably shouldn't. I'm still thinking he's going to be here. No, I don't.

"I don't want to forget good things that good people, good people and good things. He's a player that played for a team that I managed, but he was more than that. He's a good human being and a good teammate and we miss him. That's kind of the coldness of the reality of the way it works. They did something. They wanted him, and they were able to do what they needed to do, what nobody else in baseball, not just the Orioles could do.

"Hats off to Atlanta."

But the beard stays.

"It's not strange seeing him with a full beard," Showalter said. "He's one of those guys that shaved twice a day."