Here's a question that could well produce a variety of opinions. Is the Orioles offense better now than it was last season? The only bat added was that of Garrett Atkins. The O's have not been able to add a proven year-to-year, big-time run producer. The O's know Atkins hit just .226 last season. But they also know that from 2006 through 2008 he averaged .305 with 25 homers and 110 RBI to go along with 38 doubles per season.

It is an area where Dave Trembley caught some criticism during last season - use of the bullpen. It may also be the most difficult thing for a manager to manage. All you have to do is keep everyone as fresh as you can, try to keep them in their roles, not warm them up too much without getting them in and have the right pitcher face the right batter (matchups) at the exact right time - and then get him out.

You were probably skeptical, as I was, when you heard a report that the Orioles had offered Matt Holliday an eight-year, $130 million deal. How could this get reported in a reputable outlet by a very experienced reporter and not be accurate? That I'm not sure, but give Andy MacPhail credit for quickly returning Roch's call to provide the truth even though it would disappoint some fans. The O's aren't in on Holliday. Certainly not at those terms.

There are many factors which will determine if the O's can make a solid improvement in 2010. Chief among them is what happens on the mound. It all starts with the starting pitching. The O's rotation for 2010 projects to be, not necessarily in this order, Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman.

The movie "the rookie" was on TV last night. It reminds us all that baseball produces great stories. It's about Jim Morris, the pitcher that made the Tampa Bay club as a 35-year-old rookie in 1999. The game of baseball can be so great. So can the people that play it. Of course there are plenty of times when those people that play and run the sport show their flaws. Many of us have had a life-long love affair with the sport. Some can pinpoint the exact moment when it all began.

The team that once signed B.J. Ryan to a five-year, 47-million dollar deal and then later released him, is going back to the future. The Toronto Blue Jays, who once built championship teams partially due to shrewd drafting, will now put added emphasis on the First-Year Player Draft. It seems the Jays now realize like the Orioles and Rays that you can't outspend the Yankees and Red Sox but maybe you can outsmart them on occasion.

O's minor league hurler Brandon Erbe was recently named by Baseball America as the O's 7th-best prospect. After going 5-3, 2.34 in 14 Double-A starts in 2009, with Eastern League batters hitting just .170 vs. him, it looks like Erbe could be a future stalwart in the O's Major League rotation. The only problem with that thinking is some project Erbe's future to be in the bullpen.

Last season David Hernandez and Jason Berken combined to start 43 games for the Orioles. But will that pair start any games for the Birds in 2010? Will they be moved to bullpen roles? It is a key question to be answered, probably not until at least deep into spring training. First the O's have to make sure the projected starting five of Kevin Millwood, Jeremy Guthrie, Brad Bergesen, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman are all healthy and ready to go come opening day.

It has been a tough few months for now former Orioles pitcher Bob McCrory. After pitching in good health most of the 2009 season between Norfolk and Baltimore, he felt some pain while pitching for the O's in September and underwent labrum surgery October 2nd at Johns Hopkins hospital. Several weeks later the O's out-righted him to Triple-A and he was removed from the 40-man roster. He became a minor league free agent.

A friendship with a member of the O's public relations department and a Little League coaching dispute have combined to lead former Twin Denny Hocking to the Orioles organization. Hocking will be a first-year pro coach when he serves this coming season as Frederick Keys' field coach. Hocking, who played in the Majors from 1993 to 2005, has known Jeff Lantz, the O's media relations manager, for a long time.