Javy Lopez, 2004 Donruss World Series #WS-18

The January 20 weather report from Baltimore: Gray. Chilly. Rainy. But I took an important step towards Spring this morning my booking a flight for Sarasota. At the end of March, my wife, my sister, and I will be spending a long weekend on the west coast of central Florida. We're staying with my wife's brother while we're down there, and catching a Grapefruit League game or two at Ed Smith Stadium. I'll be counting the days over the coming weeks until I can see for myself just how much the Orioles have improved their spring training situation since I last went south in 2007. Back then, the Birds were still hosted by Fort Lauderdale, where the home park was across the street from a ramshackle soccer stadium and down the road a piece from a Wendy's with an ant infestation. As you can see, Javy Lopez put on a brave face in 2004 for his first preseason in Lauderdale, but it must have been a shock to his system after previously training with the Braves at Disney World. The O's might not have digs at the Happiest Place on Earth, but at least they're not doing their weight training in a tent in the parking lot any more. (Yes, that really happened.)