It looks like Alex Rodriguez's long awaited appointment with baseball to discuss his steroid use will be on Sunday at George M. Steinbrenner field in Tampa, Florida.

Perhaps once this meeting takes place, the sport can focus on the business within the confines of the baseball field, not outside of it.

The Baltimore Orioles lost to the Florida Marlins, 3-2, down in Jupiter, Florida; however, the story of the day had nothing to do with the game, but with the amazing work of Koji Uehara in his first appearance on the mound stateside.

Uehara went two solid innings, gave up a hit and struck out three. According to what I heard on the radio broadcast, his control was excellent, and his assortment of pitches kept hitters off track.

This is obviously the first look we have had with Uehara, but if he can pitch like this in the regular season, their investment will pay off big time. His start was highly anticipated by fans, the organization and the Japanese media; therefore, one could assume that he made quite a favorable impression.

Mark Hendrickson, in his first appearance in Spring Training as a member of the Orioles, took the loss. He went two innings, and was charged with three runs given up -- only one was earned -- on five hits.

Hayden Penn looked solid as went two innings and struck out three; Jake Arrieta and Wilfrido Perez each pitched a scoreless inning to wrap things up.

Brian Sanches got the save for Florida, as the Orioles scored a run in the ninth thanks to back-to-back doubles by Blake Davis and Adam Donachie; however, the Orioles struck out twice -- the victims: Nolan Reimold and Lou Montanez -- and left the tying run on second to finish the afternoon.

Chris Gomez drove in a run in the sixth inning; meanwhile, all of Florida's runs came courtesy of two errors -- one by Felix Pie and the other by Melvin Mora -- in the third inning.

Finally, you have to love the "Baltimore" on the Spring Training road jerseys.

I'm not a fan of the design of the orange and white pattern on the side of the jersey -- it should have been all black and maybe "Baltimore" should have been outlined in white -- but it's a nice change from last year.

• Jay Gibbons will see his old team a few times down in Florida; however, he's not feeling bitter about his time in Baltimore.
• Greg Zaun really liked what he saw out of Uehara today; meanwhile, the hurler loved his time on the mound today.
• Steve Melewski ponders where some of the young pitching prospects will end up in 2009.
• Don't forget, in about half an hour, the Orioles will be the focus of MLB Network's 30 Teams in 30 Days Special...

According to a report on USmagazine.com via Boston.com, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady married Gisele Bundchen yesterday in Los Angeles.

From Boston.com: The website, which did not disclose its source, said the three-time Super Bowl champion and the Brazilian supermodel were married at the St. Monica Catholic Church, in a "very small and intimate" ceremony attended by immediate family members, including John Edward Thomas Moynahan, Brady's 1 1/2-year-old son with ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan.

The website said Bundchen, who is 28 and one of the wealthiest women in the world, wore a form-fitting ivory lace strapless gown with a trumpet skirt, scalloped edges, long train, and a floor-length veil with attached handmade satin roses and attached satin headband. The dress was designed by one of Bundchen's favorite fashion houses, Dolce & Gabbana, which also created matching floral lace collars for Bundchen's three dogs, according to the website.

Congratulations to the happy couple...

In about an hour, Koji Uehara -- the newest Oriole import -- starts on the mound for Baltimore as they take on the Marlins in Jupiter, Florida. I'm sure his start will be eagerly anticipated by the organizational brass, along with some in the Japanese media. It will be interesting to see how he faces off against major leaguers and what stuff he's got on the mound.

It doesn't look like this game will be on TV, or via video online; but you can hear it MLB.com's Gameday audio feed.

Roch Kubatko has the lineups up on his blog, and Jay Gibbons -- who joined the Marlins on a minor league deal -- will not get to face his former team. Matt Wieters will DH today, while Adam Jones will not play due to forearm stiffness that he experienced after making a sensational catch on Wednesday.

According to Peter Schmuck the Orioles will have on their spring training road uniforms that have "Baltimore" in front.

In addition, Nick Markakis is taking a few days off from camp to be with his wife as the couple are expecting their first child.

Finally, for Ravens fans -- Bart Scott is going to the New York Jets & reuniting with Rex Ryan, and Ray Lewis is a free agent who may be leaving Baltimore...

Ok, Manny Ramirez is crazy. At this point, the Dodgers should just drop him and move on. Do they need him -- yes -- however, do they want to deal with his demands and petulant nature? No.

I hope he enjoys forced retirement because there's no way in hell a team is going to give him what he wants.

Ah, times are tough for everyone and one has to ask why someone should feel sympathetic to a millionaire. This may or may not be case in this instance; however, sometimes some questions should not asked in a particular forum.

On Saturday, after a University of Connecticuut game, a reporter, Ken Kreyeske, asked Calhoun about his $1.6 million dollar salary, while the state of Connecticut currently has a $944 million budget deficit. One could say that Calhoun was nothing less than steamed at why someone would ask a question. His response was curt and he justified his salary by noting the revenue he brings in and tapping Latrell Sprewell for inspiration.

Based on Calhoun's performance, now a bunch of state representatives are angry with him.

Is the question valid, yes? Was it asked in the wrong forum -- definitely? Did Calhoun come off a bit smug -- yes? However, was Calhoun wrong in justifying his salary -- no. This may be a question more suited to the university president, or better yet the Board of Trustees.

If you're going to go after Calhoun, you might as well go after every Division I men's basketball or football coach at every state university -- because they get paid a whole lot of money for bringing in millions...

It's time to say goodbye to yet another newspaper -- wow. The times, yes they are changing...

From the Washington Post: Colorado's oldest newspaper, the Rocky Mountain News, is shutting down today, and industry analysts say it won't be the last to be pulled under by a rising tide of financial woes.

E.W. Scripps announced yesterday that it is closing the 150-year-old Rocky, which has won four Pulitzer Prizes in the last decade, leaving Denver, like most American cities, a one-newspaper town.

These are dark days for the struggling news business. Hearst threatened this week to close the San Francisco Chronicle unless major budget cuts are imposed or a buyer is found, and is also prepared to close the Seattle Post-Intelligencer if it cannot be sold. The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News filed for bankruptcy protection this week, joining Chicago's Tribune Co. and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune in Chapter 11 status.

Industry analyst John Morton called the Rocky's failure to find a buyer unsurprising. "The market is awash in newspapers for sale, and nobody is buying them," he said. "This recession has so impacted advertising revenue, particularly classifieds, that it's driven into unprofitability those who are in a precarious position."

Scripps said in a statement that the tabloid became "a victim of changing times in our industry and huge economic challenges. The Rocky is one of America's very best examples of what local news organizations need to be in the future. Unfortunately, the partnership's business model is locked in the past."

One has to wonder if the newspaper industry is still viable (which it is to an extent); however, what's the future of them if I can get the news on my PDA Treo and Blackberry immediately?

A day after a lackluster Grapefruit League debut, the Baltimore Orioles bats woke up and beat the St. Louis Cardinals down in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 11-3.

The star of the game was Scott Moore who was a perfect two-for-two at plate and also hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning to pad Baltimore's lead. Youngster Nolan Reimold also went two-for-two with a two-run home run along with four runs driven in, and Brandon Snyder had two hits.

Danys Baez was not good in his first spring outing. He only lasted an inning, walked the bases loaded and gave up two runs.

Meanwhile, Alberto Castillo earned the win by tossing two shutout innings, and both Chris Ray and Matt Albers returned to the mound from injuries and made an impression. Albers went two innings and earned a strikeout, Ray came in and pitched an inning as did Bob McCrory. Andy Mitchell finished up the game and gave up a homer.

The Orioles rocked starter Kyle Lohse for four runs in two innings of work.

The game didn't seem to do be on the radio, or on MLB.tv, so it does kind of suck that we could not even hear the action today. As well, I do hope sometime in the future, MASN does send a camera crew or at least have a daily show as to what's going on down in Florida for both the Orioles and Nationals. Now, if you look deep enough on the site you should able to find some video; however, it would be nice to some more stuff aired with increased frequency.

• Roch Kubatko of the Sun goes over a list of men who are nominees to be inducted into the Baltimore Orioles Hall of Fame. Mike Bordick, Harold Baines, Jesse Orosco and Ray Miller are those chosen ones for 2009, and personally I believe only Miller has even any business in the team's Hall of Fame. None of the other guys were with the organization to make much of an impact (maybe Orsoco as a part of the playoff teams and body of work with the team).
  
• Brad Hennessey will not need an MRI for his elbow, but they will have to be careful with him.
• The Orioles like Cesar Izturis at short, and who would not with his defense? If he hits let's say .260 or better, this signing will be a steal for the organization.
• WNST's Drew Forrester appreciates the team's effort to get fans back into the park. He's right -- the park has had the feeling at times of being at a golf tournament rather than a full fledged baseball game.

After Alex Rodriguez brought his cousin -- Yuri Sucart -- into the public eye after he mentioned him in a press conference two weeks ago at George Ms. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Florida.

However, the beleaguered slugger decided that his cousin was still good company to keep around. Sucart drove Rodriguez home in a SUV away from a game yesterday; alas, today, the Yankees are asking him to stay away -- from all ballparks.

I guess the-powers-that-be in the Yankees organization are trying to make the smoke go away.

This afternoon in Florida, the Baltimore Orioles take on the St. Louis Cardinals in Fort Lauderdale.

The lineups are posted on Roch's blog, and today we'll see much of the projected regular season lineup -- Roberts, Huff, Markakis, Mora, Izturis -- along with guys who will be given a look such as Craig Brazell, Justin Christian, Chad Moeller, and Nolan Reimold.

As well, Danys Baez returns to the mound today after missing all of 2008 due to injury and wanting to be a starter, not a reliever. He spoke about the anticipation of today's start with the Baltimore Sun's Jeff Zrebiec:

"I'm super excited," said Baez, who hasn't started a major league game since Aug.24, 2002, when he was with the Cleveland Indians. "It's a good time to prove how healthy I am. It's going to be a good day for me and my career."

-- and --

(speaking about being away from the team recovering from his ailments) -- "It was crazy," Baez said. "It was the first time I just did not feel part of the team. I wasn't ready to do anything for the team. I couldn't help my teammates. That's the first time I went through that, and it wasn't fun. It was just a real tough time, just very frustrating."

Baez will counter against Kyle Lohse -- who had a comeback year with the Cardinals in 2008.

I'm hoping he does well, but his appearances in 2007 for the Baltimore Orioles has done little to give me confidence in his abilities. He's not started since 2002, plus one may be worried about how he could hold up on a starter's schedule. I still think he winds up in the bullpen when Opening Day comes around.

In addition, the Orioles will also put Matt Albers and Chris Ray on the mound, as both men are also recovering from injury.