Answering one Koji question

The question doesn't actually come from Koji Uehara. It's about him. Just like any other free agent, Koji Uehara could be offered arbitration after the season. The rules aren't different simply because he came here from Japan. Do I think it will happen? Not at this point, but I once had serious doubts that he'd still be pitching in late September. I did, however suggest from the very beginning that he had the stuff and the past experience to be a closer. I just wondered if he'd stay healthy and be given the opportunity. As I explained to one reader, I was under the mistaken impression that the reason Uehara became a free agent after his two-year deal expired, rather than remaining the Orioles' property, was because he signed out of Japan. That's not true. A bunch of writers sitting together in the press lounge about a month ago discovered at the same time, through a team official and after much debate, that the Orioles had to include the provision in his contract that he would become a free agent. I assume that's pretty standard in these circumstances, but it doesn't automatically occur. Live and learn. Meanwhile, it was raining sideways a few minutes ago. If the Orioles decide to postpone the game, they're hoping to do it relatively early - though perhaps not soon enough to spare some of us the drive to Camden Yards. I usually leave by 2:30 p.m., which might be pushing it. Carroll County schools are closing two hours early because of flood warnings and high winds. I know one teenager who's pretty happy about it, especially with a non-weather early dismissal also looming tomorrow.