There is probably a reason you don't hear much criticism of Andy MacPhail in the Baltimore media. He hasn't done much to criticize. No, I'm not drinking any cool aid or spouting any homer comments, just an honest opinion. MacPhail's pickup of Kevin Millwood this week could turn out to be big during the 2010 season and if Millwood is the positive influence on the young pitchers some say he will be, the O's could reap benefits long after Millwood is gone from the team.

It's not like he plans to begin a steady diet of double cheeseburgers, but O's right hander Chris Tillman, at the urging of club officials, would like to add a few pounds for the 2010 season.

Should we worry that John Lackey, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester are a combined 24-5 in their careers vs. the Orioles? If and when the Red Sox complete the deal for Lackey, they will have the most formidable top three starters in the game. Who is the number one and number three? Are they just interchangeable? Remember the O's went 2-16 vs. Boston last year and they didn't have Lackey then.

Today we continue our look back at O's minor league teams from the 2009 season with a feature on Double-A Bowie of the Eastern League with comments from Baysox manager Brad Komminsk. Komminsk has been in the O's organization for two years. His 2008 team went 84-58, made the playoffs and he was named Eastern League manager of the year. Last season, Bowie was 3rd in the Southern Division at 73-69 and a wild-card contender until the season's final days. The Baysox were 7th in the league...

O's pitching prospect Brandon Erbe says the sprained right pinky finger that limited him to nine innings in the Arizona Fall League is no longer a problem. "It's doing well. Everything is fine. I'll start throwing here in the next week or two, just now, give it a little rest. There has been plenty of time to let it heal. I'll be ready for spring training." The 21-year-old Erbe says an O's hand specialist looked at the finger and pronounced it fine. He'll now have a normal winter...

Since he hit .328 in 2006 between Bluefield and Aberdeen, the career of Billy Rowell has been on a downward spiral. While he's still very young, and the O's management remains solidly behind him, Rowell has put together back-to-back mediocre years at Frederick. Rowell w-Fred, 2008: .248-7-50....315 OBP.....368 slug......104 K's Rowell w-Fred, 2009 .225-9-39....284 OBP......336 slug.......122 K's

Today we continue our review of the 2009 Bowie Baysox season with a look at some of the Bowie pitchers and how they fared during this past season. All stats in bold are from Bowie only and all the quotes in this article are from Baysox manager Brad Komminsk.

There is a pitcher in the O's minor leagues who had a sparkling record, a 2.74 ERA and a 6.8 to 1.0 strikeout to walks ratio in 2009, yet he is seldom talked about and for sure went under the radar this past year. This is nothing new for right hander Kenny Moreland. If you spend a few minutes talking to the 23-year-old Moreland you can sense he's rather grounded and would much rather pile up outs than accolades.

Come on, Santa. Twelve straight losing seasons is enough. I'll leave extra cookies. You know O's fans have been good all these years. Well, for the most part. They've certainly been better than those Yankee and Red Sox fans that parade into the Yard every year. Maybe Santa won't be able to leave a winning season under the tree. How would you wrap that anyway. Still, the O's seem to be sticking to the plan this winter and have made some nice pickups.

Last weekend in this space, I presented quotes from Andy MacPhail about Billy Rowell and the likelihood that Rowell will play at Double-A Bowie in 2010. This despite the fact that most of Rowell's stats and his performance decreased in 2009 even though it was his second year with the Frederick Keys. Rowell has become a bit of an issue for the club. A player with big power potential taken in round one in 2006 that has yet to deliver.