Spring Training Wrap: Orioles baseball is right around the corner

In case you missed it, it snowed last week in Baltimore and the surrounding areas. Yup, snow in late March. As I scraped the snow off my car windshield, trekked around in boots and worked to stay warm in the cold, only one thought kept me from being a complete Debbie Downer in the snowstorm: Baseball season is almost here. While you probably have been keeping your eye on the calendar, just in case you need a reminder, the Orioles open their season at Tampa Bay in four days. After their three-game set at the Trop, the O's will be at Camden Yards, hosting the Twins. I'm counting down the days, and I hope you are as well. While we wait, check out some news that you may have missed from this last week. * ESPN is giving the Orioles some serious praise as of late. The "Baseball Tonight" crew spoke of the Orioles favorably. Buster Olney went as far as to predict that the Orioles will win the AL East. * Jason Hammel was officially named the opening day starter Wednesday, the same day that Kevin Gausman was reassigned to minor league camp. * Steve Johnson has been shut down with a sore right latissimus dorsi. He is taking his recovery "day by day." * Jair Jurrjens was nailed by a line drive in Wednesday's game versus the Yankees. * Chris Tillman was named the O's fifth starter yesterday. While this offseason has been a great opportunity for me to showcase the hard work of Roch Kubatko and Steve Melewski through my Weekly Wraps, I cannot wait for the regular season to start. Hooray for games that count. And, please, no more snow...