Nick Markakis has reported to camp - with his son, Taylor, riding on his shoulders. Markakis still has the thick beard. But not much longer. He's wearing a long-sleeve camouflage shirt, cut-off sweatpants, and crocs with black socks. He wasn't approached for a single autograph as he wandered between the practice fields. It's as if no one recognizes him. Koji Uehara just finished his bullpen session. Unlike last spring, none of us charted his pitches. I'll try to grab pitching coach...

Position players who reported early didn't have to take the field for the pre-workout stretch until 11:05 a.m. Adam Jones approached manager Dave Trembley and sought permission to join the pitchers and catchers at 9:15 a.m. He also stayed back after the workout concluded and signed autographs for every fan that requested one. "I think he wants to assume a lot more leadership here by example, and that's great. That's really needed, welcomed," Trembley said. Trembley and pitching coach...

Outfielder Jeff Salazar also has reported to camp early. Felix Pie crushed a ball during batting practice that slammed off the indoor batting cage beyond the right field fence. He also was ripping line drives all over the place. Adam Jones provided non-stop chatter during the session, which also included Blake Davis and Justin Turner. Manager Dave Trembley and minor league instructor Mike Bordick stood behind the cage. I must be losing my mind. I forgot that Davis bats from the left side....

The Orioles still expect Brian Roberts to be a full-go when he reports to camp. They haven't received any reports to the contrary. Manager Dave Trembley was asked whether Adam Jones might have gotten a little ahead of himself at one point last season (I know the guy's fast, but I didn't think he was that fast.) "I think he probably wanted to do a little bit too much too soon. I think he got out of his lane a little bit because he wants to do so well," Trembley replied. "We have to...

Infielder Scott Moore said he began working out with former Orioles center fielder Brady Anderson in August after they met last spring and struck up a friendship. "I just happened to run into him," Moore told me earlier today. "I wore No. 9 the year I made the team out of spring training. Brady was a really good player here and I just talked to him about wearing No. 9 and how I thought that was pretty cool. He asked me where I worked out and invited me down to his house in the off-season,...

I just left the Orioles' clubhouse, which is open to the media from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. Players will head to the back fields in a few minutes for the pre-workout stretch. Chris Tillman has started to experiment with a cut fastball, though he isn't sure whether he'll carry it into the regular season. Pitching coach Rick Kranitz approached Tillman with the idea, and the right-hander decided to run with it. "It's something Kranny mentioned to me, that I might want to work on it in the...

Brandon Snyder has reported to camp. Nick Markakis is taking batting practice with Adam Jones and Felix Pie. I almost didn't recognize him without the thick beard and hair. Jones looks good in the cage. He's ripping line drives all over the field. Will Ohman was bringing some serious heat in his bullpen session. Mike Gonzalez was the opposite. He threw free and easy, but he wasn't popping the mitt. Chad Moeller caught Chris Tillman during the right-hander's session, and they had a...

The Orioles still haven't scheduled a bullpen session for Brad Bergesen. They want him to complete two or three extended flat-ground sessions before advancing to the next stage. Bergesen suggested that an optimistic timetable would be late next week. Nick Markakis was launching balls over the outfield fence during batting practice. It was an impressive display. "We're going to have somebody to hit in front of Nick and we're going to have somebody to hit behind Nick this year. I don't...

Kevin Millwood was the first Oriole on the field for the 9:15 a.m. pre-workout stretch, putting him at least 10 minutes ahead of everyone else. He's routinely the first player to arrive at each station. It hasn't gone unnoticed. "That's what a No. 1 guy does," manager Dave Trembley said. "Plus, he pitches his (butt) off every fifth day. He shows these guys what you're supposed to do. "I said, 'How are you doing?' And he said, 'I'm having a blast.' He's going to help us." None...

Brian Matusz had his second bullpen session today since reporting to Sarasota, and the left-hander made noticeable strides. And I'm not talking about his delivery. "I made some good improvements today with my two-seam fastball," he said. "Both times I threw to Caleb Joseph, and we have a good relationship because he caught me at Frederick, so he knows about me and I know about him. "My first session, I was opening up with my front side with my two-seam fastball and I wasn't following...