But first - swag anyone?

Ladies and gentlemen, my name is James Baker.

Five years ago I started a venture that brought me to the world of blogging and the Orioles internet community. Five years ago I started The Flock. It got me a little press and I sold roughly 250 shirts. Life was good, but the Orioles were not. The buzz faded, I bounced around the internet. I became a teacher, moved to Baltimore and life went on.

From time to time I would see one of my shirts around town, it would make me smile. From time to time I would wear one and usually people would immediately ask me: "Hey where did you get that?" And I would have to tell the whole story again. The next question would inevitably be: "Will you make them again?"

And that is something I pondered for awhile. I have almost done it a couple times since but it never felt like it was the right time. So, internet - I ask you this question: Is it time?

Tell me Orioles fans: Could you see yourself in something that looks a little like this?

Please, please leave comments. I really need your feedback guys.

In other news, Orioles Spring Training is rolling along and it looks like the Orioles minor injuries were just that - minor. Bergesen looks good and is coming along nicely, Matusz looks great. Jones, Markakis, Wieters and Miggy are abusing the grass beyond the outfield walls. I mean , there is nothing to say other than wow. I can't remember a Spring Training that started off this well. Now, before I jinx the whole thing I will say this. I honestly believe that the new Spring Training facility is playing a large role in the team's morale and performance so far.

I don't know how many of you took a trip to Fort Lauderdale to see the Orioles' old digs but they were woeful to say the least. It wasn't that the Orioles didn't want to improve the stadium its proximity to an airport made it so any construction project had to be cleared by the FAA. So, the stadium just continued to deteriorate. I mean, honestly, the weight "room" was a tent in the parking lot. It was just inexcusable.

But now, the Orioles were greeted with an actual facility, with multiple shared fields, professional locker room and training facilities and one that will only get better through upcoming renovations. But even without those changes the stadium is light years beyond what the Orioles were working with before and I think that the stadium itself is having an impact on the Orioles as a team.

Just think about it. Imagine you are Brian Roberts, highly paid professional baseball player and every year you go to a state of the art facility in Arizona where you receive state of the art training. Then you go to your MLB club and you train in the most obsolete and run-down park in Florida with leaking ceilings, sub-standard equipment and dilapidated infrastructure. This is supposed to be a MAJOR LEAGUE operation and this is what you get? That just had nothing short of demoralizing.

But no more, the Orioles have fantastic new digs to match what seems to be a fantastic new attitude.

Orioles DH/OF is not a fan of the MLB gun ban that was instituted in July of last year.

Um, the question I have is why in the world would someone need to bring a gun into their workplace -- much less a MLB clubhouse (which I would assume access is highly, highly restricted to begin with).

In late 2006, Luke Scott spoke to ESPN's Outside the Lines as to why he would need to carry a gun as a professional athlete.

"An athlete gets paid a lot of money," he said. "And someone who is after that, a thief, a mugger or someone who steals from people, they are taking a chance with the law that if they get caught, they are going to jail or face some other problem."

With a broad smile, he added, "In my case, you are going to get shot."

-- snip --

"How do you combat a man with a firearm?" Scott asked. "You don't combat him with a golf club, baseball bat or a knife. You combat him with another firearm."

Scott has a license to carry a concealed weapon and claims he carries his gun with him almost everywhere, always wanting to be prepared.

"I'll put this like that…" Scott said. He picked his gun up off the table, placed it in his back pocket and made sure his shirt wasn't tucked into his pants, covering up the gun. He did a quick spin with his arms in the air and said, "You can't see it."

While Luke has the right to carry a gun and is no doubt a responsible owner, I don't think it's exactly the smartest thing to especially considering some of the events that have happened in sports in the past few years with high profile celebrities and athletes.

I understand the need for a weapon (especially with Luke being a public figure) when it comes to protection or just sport; however, when it comes to carrying it out in public, use common sense.

Moving on from the gun issue, here's a video of a Luke Scott talking about his preparation for Spring Training and what it's like in Sarasota so far.

If there's one player a lot of fans are looking forward to seeing this upcoming season, it's Matt Wieters.

When it was announced last June that he would be coming up the majors, a lot of people -- just out of excitement or ridiculously high expectations -- figured he was going to be the savior of a franchise that had been moribund for more than a decade. t

Initially, he didn't show signs of greatness, and looked like a rookie trying to figure his way through the majors. He started off the first three months of his major league career slow and then started to heat up. By the time September came, he looked a lot more comfortable and starting hitting the ball with authority.

By the end of the 2009 season, he worked his way through and ended up batting .288 with nine homers, 43 RBIs, a .340 OBP, and a .753 OPS.

This upcoming season, he should be better and inch towards being a cornerstone from the franchise. Aside from his obvious skills at the plate, he seems to learn quick and more importantly, he seems so poised. As well, he shows an intelligence well beyond his years in the game right now.

A lot of people also don't mention Matt's ability behind the plate, which was remarkedly good for a guy who got his feet wet last year at the major league level. In his first start ever, he may have had an 0-fer; however, Matt's ability to guide pitchers through games and keep them comfortable was evident. In the end, in light of his strong rookie numbers, I think he's far more advanced as a catcher than most have given him credit for.

It goes without saying that Wieters obviously will learn as he goes along -- who doesn't -- but, as it is, he'll be fun to see for the next five or so seasons in Baltimore.

The only part of the Wieters' story I'm not looking forward to is when Scott Boras asks the Orioles to pay up when he becomes a free agent -- then again, thay may not happen if the organization can extend him first.

A few days ago, James wrote about Adam Jones and his potential leadership abilities as member of the Baltimore Orioles. While Adam was an All-Star last year, a Gold Glove winner and has become a fan favorite, the center fielder has a bit more work to do to take his game to the next level.

His numbers in 2009: 19 homers, 70 RBI's, .277 avg, .335 OBP, .792 OPS.

Right now, Jones is an incredible talent for the Orioles; however, his 2009 season was a tale of two halves.

In the first half, he just lit it up and looked to become of the elite young players in the game; alas, in the second half, whether due to a long funk or whatever, his numbers sunk and injuries finished him off. Despite some of my criticisms of Jones, most of the time he looked like a ten-year veteran in the field, rather than a 'young' player.

Now 24, I expect Jones to take the next step in 2010 and become a 'true cornerstone' of the franchise. The man works hard for sure and wants to be a winner, but some areas of his game definitely could be improved -- much like everyone else (unless your name is Albert Pujols).

Jones needs to cut down on the strikeouts, become more selective at the plate, get on base more and perhaps incorporate more stealing of bases into his game. He'll bat at the top of the order, and if he's a force this year, he'll help everyone else down the lineup and put them in a position to succeed.

He will only get better.

Adam's got the power, physical gifts, along with a great public persona to become of one next Baltimore greats. Let's hope the charismatic Mr. Jones stays in Birdland for a long, long time -- as I'm sure he will.

There are very few players in the game that are 'untouchable'; however, right now, for the Orioles, Adam Jones may come close to that term than pretty much anyone on the team.

The Oriole Post, plus several other team related blogs were asked to take part in a forum as part of the Hot Stove website and the question-of-the-week posed to us centered around Dave Trembley. The issue is what would happen to Baltimore's skipper if the team struggled in 2010 and if he would be replaced?

If the Orioles do not "turn the corner", I do believe that they will move on from Dave Trembley. Although the Orioles certainly do not have the talent as-is right now to contend in the American League East, it's assumed that they are improved from a near 100 loss season by almost everyone and must do better.

I'm sure the Orioles' brass will exercise patience with Trembley, but they -- along with the fans who have suffered through a decade plus losing -- want to see improvement and wins. A lot fans got on Trembley last season not only because of the win-loss record, but due to some fundamental lapses in the field by his team (that cost them over and over) and the perception of a lack of discipline.

Yes, in the end, the players do mostly determine the outcomes of the games, but Trembley also faced a lot of criticism for his in-game decisions and strategy.

He is saying the right things a week or so into camp, and the players along with coaches are in accord -- which is a good thing.

With the players -- Tejada, Millwood, Atkins, Gonzalez -- acquired in the off-season, plus mainstays like Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and young Matt Wieters, there's no reason why the Orioles can't win more than 70 games. Everyone will be watching the young pitching and that may seal the fate of Orioles in '10 -- along with Dave Trembley.

However, if the Orioles start off poorly and are woefully under .500 at the All-Star Break, the chance of him sticking around for another season will be slim-to-none.

Usually, there's not a whole lot of news that takes place at Spring Training aside from updates and quotes on players; however, the return of Miguel Tejada made for some interesting reading this morning.

As most know, this is Miguel Tejada's second tour of duty in Baltimore and today he reported to camp, much like everyone so far -- happy to be in the Florida Sunshine and prepping for baseball.

Several of the news websites got some quotes from Tejada and so far he sounds like a new man. He sounds like he's happy to be an Oriole and might be energized by the youth around him.

"They make me feel young,'' he said. "They are going to be playing hard and I’m going to try to do the same thing. Everybody knows that I love this game, that I play this game hard, and I know these kids know that I’m really anxious to be a winner. I think they are going to try to give me the opportunity here."

Over the years, Tejada has been through some hard times -- much of it his own doing with the PED issues, the age, and having to go to trial. However, right now, we should all be more concerned how Tejada plays at third and if he'll help the Orioles this season.

***

The Orioles have been hit with a rash of minor injuries, but yesterday, the news of Brian Roberts' herinated disc raised an alarm. This morning, ESPN's Buster Olney shared his thoughts on Roberts' back issues and compared him to a decorated former player -- Don Mattingly.

"Turns out Brian Roberts has a herniated disk in his back, writes Jeff Zrebiec, after an initial diagnosis of a kidney stone. Everybody is saying all the right things now, and it could be that he'll be OK. But keep in mind that he just starting a four-year, $40 million deal, and the fact that he is having back problem now, at age 32, is not exactly ideal, given the demands of his sport. Don Mattingly was one of the most dominant players in the majors at age 28, and then he started having back trouble and was a shell of himself the last six years of his career. Medicine has progressed a whole lot since then, and the O's must hope for the best."

Olney raises some important points about Roberts' injury are salient. However, if Brian says he can manage it -- he should be fine (for now). I would fathom the Orioles from here on out will be watching the second baseman closely.

Injuries are a part of the game and seemingly can happen at any time. It's not different with the Orioles than any other team; however, when the injury bug hits one of your main cogs in the machine, there's always cause for concern.

Today, it was revealed that leadoff hitter and second baseman, Brian Roberts is suffering through some back issues.

From the Baltimore Sun: Second baseman Brian Roberts reported to camp today and revealed that he was diagnosed with a "small" herniated disk in his lower back. He worked out lightly today, but said his activities will be limited early in camp. He also is scheduled to film an Orioles commercial today, but we'll save the wisecrack about that for another time.

The injury surfaced a month ago while he was training. He said that he thought it was a back spasm, which he had experienced before, but eventually was treated for kidney stones. When the discomfort did not respond to that treatment, he underwent a spinal examination that revealed the herniation.

Meanwhile, the second baseman revealed his thoughts to MASN'S Roch Kubatko:

"I'm on the right track now," he said.

"It's going to be a little slow in the beginning, but it shouldn't set me back for April 6."

Roberts never had kidney stones, but he was treated for them initially because the symptoms were the same. Once a week passed, but not a stone, Roberts underwent another examinaton and learned of his injury.

"It set me back a couple weeks, but we're starting to progress," he said. "We're still going to have to take it slow with the hitting, just so we don't have any setbacks.

"I was working out and thought I had back spasms like I've gotten before, but it just kind of lingered. That's when we decided to dig a little deeper."

Roberts will do some light hitting tomorrow to test the back. He worked out in the weight room this afternoon after taking his physical.

"Any time you hear disk or you hear back, it's frightening," he said. "We tried to all do our due diligence and be seen by the right people and get the right advice, and I think we did that."

It definitely looks like Brian is on the mend, and for the time being, he should be ready for the season.

The latest news out of camp probably isn't that big of a deal; however, much like what was revealed with Bergesen and the shooting of his commercial, it's very disconcerting to her bad news like this, especially when it involves a pillar of the franchise.

So far, everything is going good in Florida. The sun is shining down there, it's warm, players are proclaiming themselves to be in "the best shape of their lives", plus a few players says they are going to step up and take a more active role in the team.

In about six weeks, the Orioles will open up the 2010 season against the Rays and most of us fans are hoping for a respite from the losing. For a change, this team looks promising -- not to say they are going to contend for a pennant, but upward.

This morning in the Baltimore Sun, Peter Schmuck has an article about Millwood. After reading it in full, I ended up being nothing but impressed on what I saw on my laptop screen.

So far, it looks like Kevin Millwood is taking the leader role in camp amongst the hurlers and will use his experience to help out.

Millwood already seems to have bought into the whole mentorship mentality.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun, seeing these guys learn and mature a little bit," Millwood, 35, said. "I think it's going to be exciting. There's nothing better than giving a guy a scouting report and seeing him take it to the field and see it work."

It's not a new concept for him. He played the veteran leader in the Texas rotation the past few years, and several young starters stepped up last season to help the Rangers win 87 games.

-- snip --

"I'm not going to change what I've done in the past,'' Millwood said. "I'm not a vocal guy, but if something needs to be said, I'll try to help guys out if I can."

That's just fine. It's not about discipline. It's about being an important part of the environment for the younger guys. It's about sitting in the dugout with one of them and analyzing a situation on the field, or noticing something and mentioning it in a more casual situation.

"I might bring something up in a conversation, or maybe ask the pitching coach about it to get his view,'' Millwood said. "When it comes down to it, we're here to win and help each other out, but I'm not going to step on toes."

Trembley isn't asking Millwood to be an enforcer. He just wants him to show the way and -- so far -- he's doing just that.

"He's the first guy for stretching," Trembley said. "He's the first going from field to field. That's what the No. 1 does."

Even though my impression of him at Fan Fest was that he was a quiet guy and very laid back, in Sarasota according to the scribes is leading by example and not necessarily being a rah-rah guy. Not to say that Millwood is meek, but I think if one of the youngsters in the rotation gets hammered or is having a bad day, I can see him stepping up and speaking his mind.

I don't know how he'll do on the mound this year, but he's a proven winner in the majors and see him in sort of a role that Rick Sutfcliffe played years ago in Baltimore. He may be here only for a season, but no matter what happens with the Orioles this season, I can see him leaving a mark on the young arms throughout their careers.

Adam Jones, the hallmark of one of the best trades in a decade, is quickly becoming a force in the Orioles lineup and the Orioles clubhouse. The young CF seems to be actively trying to take on more of a leadership role within the organization. Jones is not a shy man, nor a secretive one. He as embraced twitter and his account is always a source of interesting comments on his day-to-day life.

Yesterday, Jones reported early to Spring Training which caught the eye of the local media. Roch Kubatko noticed that he stayed and made sure to sign autographs for everyone and anyone that wanted one. Peter Schmuck also chimed in on Jones' desired role:

"He wants to assume a lot more leadership, period."

Most people would agree that the Orioles need some sort of "team leader" but just what makes someone a "leader" is open to a lot of debate. Fans and bloggers alike throw terms around all the time: good clubhouse guy, on-the-field leader, field-general, face of the organization but when pressed to define such terms therein lies a problem.

No one argues the fact that Derek Jeter is the leader of the Yankees. He has that special combination of accoldades, talent, charisma and longevity that makes him not only an obvious leader but an era-defining star. But then you have a guy like Cal ripken Jr. Someone who every wanted to be a "leader" and he took the lead on many occaisions. He certainly was, and in most regards still is, the face of the Orioles but he was never the vocal stand-out team leader that people wanted. Cal led by example, he did his job well never really piped up and worked as hard as he could.

Since Ripken retired the Orioles have been searching to replace him. Not necessarily on the physical field but in the psychological one. When Ripken left he left a void that Orioles fans have been searching for. "Who will be the next Ripken" we all wonder. We wanted it to be Roberts, Tejada, Mora, Markakis, Surhoff. We have looked to so many different people to be a leader. But again - what is a leader?

A leader is really a sort of tough position. Someone who stands up and holds teammates accountable on and off the field on a successful team is a leader. But when someone does that on a losing team they are a "poor clubhouse influence". Moreover, how can a player going into his third year in the league who has yet to put together a complete season just simply assert himself as "the Man" in the Baltimore clubhouse?

When the Orioles traded for Frank Robinson in the Winter of 1965 everyone knew what they were getting. The Orioles knew they were getting someone who would come in and instantly take charge of the locker room and had the proven credentials to back it up. Baltimore already had Brooks and Boog not to mention Palmer and Blair; why weren't any of them the "leader" that Frank was? No one will ever really know why or how clubhouse leaders become what they become. To me it is more serendipity than anything else:

I only mention it because sometimes there's a man... I won't say a hero, 'cause, what's a hero? Sometimes, there's a man...Sometimes, there's a man, well, he's the man for his time and place.

There is no other way to put it. If Derek Jeter has the right combination and is the man for his time and place, hopefully another historic trade has brought a man to this team. A man for this time and place. Jones worked out in Arizona all winter, he knows he needs to put together a full season. He knows he needs to do a lot better than he did last year. he knows that All-Star games and Gold-Gloves only mean so much without more wins and playoff contention.Jones knows he can't just walk in and assume the role like Jeter, Ripken and Robinson before him he needs to perform on the field first and show everyone, including the fans and himself that he belongs here and is deserving of every bit of praise.

I think these are serendipitous times for the Orioles. This could be our time, this could be our place - and Jones abides.