Texas Rangers’s CF Josh Hamilton became the 16th player in MLB history to slug 4 home runs in a game tonight against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden yards. His total base count, through the top of the 8th inning is already an AL record at 18.

Sean Green, then of the LA Dodgers holds the MLB record of 19 total bases in a game, in which he also hit 4 HRs versus the Milwaukee Brewers on May 23, 2002.

The Rangers currently lead 10-3. Hamilton’s night also has produced 8 RBIs.

Let’s get the sound effects going, Phil Collins singing “Tonight’s The Night”. But, will everything be truly alright? Catch up with me about 10PM and I’ll tell you.

It’s been way too long since the Orioles have had a pitcher truly walk out to the mound with the self confidence that shouts to his teammates “Hey, hop on board, we’re going for a little ride”.

Tonight’s starting pitcher is Jake Arrieta is just such a guy. Jeremy Guthrie and Erik Bedard both had the quality stuff, but lacked anywhere near the intensity it takes to be THAT GUY.

Make no mistake, even if Arrieta pitches the way he needs to, there is no guarantee of victory tonight against the Texas Rangers and their hugely talented starter- Neftali Feliz.

But 7 or 8 out of 10 times, Arrieta won’t be facing a line-up as talented, nor an adversary as tough. So, win, lose or draw, this is only about him sending a message.

Not so much the opposition, rather to his teammates. Tonight is the Night. Indeed.

Take a look at my new weekly MLB Power Rankings… I have O’s up to No. 5. Let me know what you think.

I walked in last Wednesday in the middle innings, and Adam Jones hit a HR against the Toronto Blue Jays. The O’s would ultimately lose that game as the Jays squandered a 3 run lead late.

Six days later and in the middle of my last game of the 2012 spring training trip, I have not seen the Orioles lose since. Unfortunately, that streak seems about to come to a close, as they trail the Twins 5-0 in the bottom of the 5th.

So, not counting that first lost, because I wasn’t there to create my special mojo, the O’s under my watch will end up 4-1-1.

Impressions to date, Buck is trying his damndest to give the lead-off spot to Nolan Reinold, who may just grab it, but he needs to do more about embracing the role. Adam Jones and Matt Wieters look to be primed for monster years. If healthy, Nick Markakis will be his old, solid self.

The corners are big question marks. The defense will be fine throughout the infield. It doesn’t look like it to this observer, that they’ll get anything out of Brian Roberts.

The reserves, Ryan Flaherty, Wilson Betemit, Nick Johnson and Endy Chavez will be leaps and bounds ahead of the level the club has had the past several years.

In the all important pitching category? Tune in for my next post, late tonight entitled: My First Post, Post Saratoga.

Signing off, and hope to see you all real soon.

It’s like the first time you go to eat at a new restaurant, and have a bad experience. So it was with Tsuyoshi Wada’s first time against fellow big league hitters.

Wada has labored through the first two here at Ed Smith Stadium against the Twins. An eighteen pitch, one run first, was followed by a 30 pitch 3 run top of the second.

Yet, aside from poor control, perhaps the result of some opening “night” jitters in a day game, the Twins have not exactly belted their way to this 4-0 lead they currently have over the O’s.

Wada has walked two batters, made an errant throw on a first inning check-swing tapper to the mound and fallen prey to bad luck a bunt single that blooped over the head of 1B Chris Davis.

Wada is on the mound for the third inning.

What’s that old saying: “Hope springs eternal”? Well, like much larger and more important problems of poverty in our country, try telling that to someone who wakes up every morning living in blight.

So it was with our baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles for the better part of the past 30 years. The teams last World Series Championship (and 3rd in 17 years) came in 1983. I think the first time I ever attended an extended stay for spring training, was  in Miami before the 1984 season.

For years, during Earl Weaver’s brilliant tenure as Orioles manager, we were regaled every spring about working on things on his “little field”. Those things were those little added edges that so often helped the Orioles win important regular season games. Plays like the “famed play”, which entailed baserunning practice, that honed in on a play to win a game in the late innings of a tie.

The Orioles with runners at 1st and 3rd against a left-handed pitcher, would work on the timing of having the runner on first intentionally take too big a lead. With the pitcher normally glancing at first and forgetting about the runner at 3rd widening his lead, the pitcher seeing an easy pick-off at first was stunned upon throwing to first, to realize he had been had, as the runner from 3rd scampered home for the winning run.

But, the Little Field did nothing to hide the fact that Bobby Maduro Stadium was a dump, located in the midst of a very sketchy area, riddled with crime.

As the Orioles tried and tried to work a magical deal through three ownerships, the Orioles spring training issue mirrored the teams fall from grace. First there were those couple horrific years, where the club trained at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota, but bussed the 40-45 miles to St Petersburg in their uniforms to play their “home” games.

That became such a ludicrous situation, that when the Yankees made the move to Tampa, the Orioles applied the law of squatters rights to Ft Lauderdale Stadium. Or should we say antiquated Ft Lauderdale Stadium?

All the while spring training became a vivid reminder of how little hope there was for a brighter day, as the situation in Ft Lauderdale became bleaker and bleaker.

Five years ago, the Orioles and Broward County tried to make something work that would keep the Orioles in South Florida. But, complications with an adjacent airport could no be worked out to allow changes to the training complex that the Orioles deemed essential to making their entire developmental program in the spring work.

After proloned haggling, the Orioles and Sarasota officials signed a long-term 30 year deal that allowed the Orioles to move to Ed Smith Stadium, refurbish Ed Smith, refurbish the clubhouse and at the same time upgrade Twin Lakes park (about 20 minutes from Ed Smith) for the entire organizations’ minor league hub.

This year all of that is behind the Orioles. Was it too slow? Yes. Did it adversely effect the baseball team? Yes.

Andy MacPhail’s lasting legacy as Orioles GM will clearly not be the W-L record. But, in his methodical approach and his ability to get Peter Angelos to sign off on this change, Orioles fans will always owe him a debt of gratitude.

The 2012 Orioles will not win the World Series. Wow, how is that for a bulletin? But, management, the staff, players and fans can now see this glistening symbol of hope springing eternal.

It’s been a long wait just to feel the hope. And sometimes, you need to see the hope in symbols that are tangible.

Maybe it was more like a TKO. But, the Orioles finally got to lefty Erik Bedard, who flashed a lot of the brilliance that he had at times in Baltimore.

Wieters led off the inning with a line-drive double between center and right. Mark Reynolds promptly platted him with the first run, on a dunk shot to RF. After Wilson Betemit  lined a single to left, skipper Clint Hurdle removed Bedard.

Jason Grilli induced DH Ronnie Paulino to top a grounder to 3B Pedro Alvarez, who overthrew 1B to allow a second run.

Orioles are still batting in the top of the 7th, runners on 2nd and 3rd and just 1 out. More Later.

After 4 innings, no score. Tommy Hunter has only thrown41 pitches through 4 innings. The only hit he has allowed so far, was a 3-0 pitch to Pirates 2B Neal Walker who hit it deep to CF. Adam Jones raced back under it near the warning track, and then the wind held it up, and Jones had overun the ball.

Should have been an error on the former Gold Glove OF, but Walker was credited with a double. To start the 5th, Matt Wieters grounded the first clean single of the game between short and third on an 0-1 pitch.

End of 4 1/2 still 0-0.

Not only are the two clubs scoreless after 3 1/2, but neither pitcher has allowed a hit.

All kidding aside about Bedard’s personality issues, he looks great tonight. Tommy Hunter, incidentally with new uniform # 29 on is dueling goose-eggs.

When the Pirates come to bat in thier half of the first, they will face Tommy Hunter with this line-up:

Presley LF, Tabata RF, McCutcheon CF

Walker 2B, Jones 1B, Barajas C

Alvarez 3B, Barmes SS, Bedard P