Anthony Amobi: On Roberts and his attempt to return to O's

As we all know, veteran Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts returned to competitive baseball last night as he played three innings for the Double-A Bowie Baysox last night. Roberts is playing for the Baysox as part of a rehabilitation assignment. He's missed much of the past two seasons dealing with post-concussion syndrome issues and other injuries. His Wednesday night was pretty mundane, as he walked in both his plate appearances and made some routine plays in the field. No matter what you think about Roberts and whether or not it is a good move to let him attempt to have a role on the Orioles, he could serve as a catalyst for the team moving forward. Well, that's assuming if he can return to the form that made him an All-Star multiple times and show that his skills have not eroded from missing more than a year with concussion symptoms. Keep in mind, Roberts is 34. The sport of baseball, as we have seen over the past few years, has transitioned to a much younger man's game due to drug testing, the eradication of some substances from the game and the emphasis on getting better value out of prospects. From this point forward, Roberts will be watched closely by everyone - from the front office and media down to the Orioles' fan base hoping for a winning season after 14 frustrating years. Over the past few years, he has obviously become a lightning rod for a group of fans. Some people thought Roberts was stealing millions from the Orioles for his lack of productivity for the past two years; furthermore, there's a minority who have accused him of grand larceny despite being out due to injury. However, it's fairly obviously loves the game and it undoubtedly was killing him that he could not play. Frankly, I did not even think Roberts would make it this far this soon. It seems like most didn't, either. We all could see the emotion on his face during interviews and in various media reports. He's been pretty much at every home game this season, rooting on his team, trying to be a part of things, acting as a de-facto coach in the dugout. However, if Roberts was to come back and play during the 2012 season, would he ever be the same? Considering the amount Roberts has left on his contract, plus his service time and reputation within the organization, he will get every opportunity to show that he can play. Back in January, I thought that Roberts may not be ready to play this season. Now, I think the chances are very, very good that you'll see him in an Orioles uniform sometime around late June or close to the All-Star break. Sadly, considering the history of several players who have had concussions of late - NHL superstar Sidney Crosby and baseball's Ryan Church, Justin Morneau and Jason Bay - Roberts' outlook may not be all that rosy. It's too early to speculate what could or will happen with Roberts; however, he does have quite a mountain to climb. No matter what you feel about him, let's just hope for the best. Anthony Amobi blogs about the Orioles at Oriole Post. His observations about the O's appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.