Former O's first-rounder Brandon Snyder on time with the O's and being with Boston

Brandon Snyder, the Orioles' first-round pick in 2005, returned to town to play against the Orioles last season with Texas and he's back this weekend as a member of the Boston Red Sox. Snyder lost out on making the Rangers' opening day roster, was released late in spring and then quickly signed with Boston. He was with their Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate until Boston called him up June 25. "You start to realize how much a business it is," Snyder said this afternoon in the Red Sox clubhouse. "I loved my time in Texas, no hard feelings with those guys. But keep your head down, keep working hard and good things can happen." He is 6-for-29 (.207) with a homer and six RBIs with Boston. He drove in five runs in his first two Boston starts and homered on July 4 against San Diego. "Anytime you can put on a big league uniform, it's great," he said. "But when you get to do it in a playoff atmosphere, that is kind of a big deal. I had some experience with it last year." Snyder hit .273 over 33 at-bats in 16 games with the Orioles in 2010-11. "It is awesome (to be back here). I love Baltimore," Snyder said. "I love this park, a beautiful place to play baseball. This is where it all started so it brings back some good memories." Like last May 7, when with Texas, Snyder went 3-for-5 with a homer and six RBIs against his old club. In the end, though, it didn't work out for Snyder here in Baltimore and his contract was sold to Texas in January 2012 after he had played in over 700 Orioles minor league games. "Things didn't necessarily go how I planned," he said. "I grew up watching guys like Cal Ripken and B-Rob (Brian Roberts) spending their entire careers with the Orioles. If I could have done that, it would have been cool. But they gave me a chance to play. I'm happy to see them playing good baseball."