Leftovers for breakfast

It's snowing lightly and Carroll County schools are closed. Of course, they would have been closed anyway on a Saturday. It's the perfect storm. I found a few leftover quotes while sifting through my notebook. Here's one from president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail, on the day that the Orioles signed first baseman Derrek Lee: "He's a productive middle-of-the-lineup hitter to begin with. It's very tough for him to come out of the lineup, That was obvious last year when he had a thumb injury that occurred on Opening Day and he played through it all year. "We believe we got a solid defensive first baseman and a productive middle-of-the-lineup bat." Here's one from manager Buck Showalter on whether he thinks the Orioles will add another bat before spring training: "Not at this point, though it's always a possibility if somebody's price really goes down. Mr. (Peter) Angelos has allowed us to do a lot of things this offseason and I'm happy with the improvements we've made. I think Andy is right as far as us focusing on pitching and trying to create some depth, especially starting pitching." More from Showalter: "I really like (Kevin) Gregg and Derrek. I like the fact that these guys aren't afraid to come to the American League East, especially a pitcher. If you look at Gregg's success in the AL East, that makes it even more impressive. It's knowing the hitters and when to live to fight another day, so to speak." The Orioles view Gregg as a guy who will take control of the bullpen and make sure everyone's in the game. He'll be the leader of that group. Here's an extra Showalter quote about Lee: "Derrek's a good clubhouse guy. You won't find anyone who says a bad thing about him. And he's a good person, too. "We have a lot of guys in that clubhouse who have a lot of want-to in them." The reports on Jason Berken's right shoulder remain positive. He's expected to be full-go for spring training.