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VIERA - Orioles pitcher Rob Ramsay made his first exhibition appearance Wednesday, two years after having a cancerous tumor removed from the front of his brain.
Ramsay allowed one run on two hits in one inning during Baltimore's 3-2 loss to Montreal.
"I feel good. I'm pleased to be out there. I feel like I did a pretty good job," said Ramsay, who wore a helmet for extra protection. "They got hits on pitches I could have thrown a little bit better, but that's how it is on this level."
The Orioles took it slow with Ramsay, waiting until several weeks after camp opened before allowing him to practice.
"I don't have the same stuff I had before, but on the same token, I feel as though I'm a better pitcher," he said. "I've had a lot of support from my family, my friends, my church and my baseball family."
Ramsay is slated to pitch in Triple-A Ottawa after spring training.
"I was glad for Ramsay, happy for him," manager Lee Mazzilli said. "He was throwing strikes, he threw the ball well. It makes you feel good to see the kid on the mound. It was a special feeling."
Shortly after being claimed off waivers from the Padres in 2001, Ramsay was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive brain cancer that is fatal for most. He had surgery in 2002 to remove the tumor. He needed more surgery in 2002 to remove a blood clot.
GIANTS: The lead federal investigator in the Balco drug scandal targeted Barry Bonds and his personal trainer after seeing them often in the same Burlingame gym where he was a member, according to an April 9 Playboy article posted on its Web site Monday.
The primary source for the story was a California Bureau of Narcotics undercover agent whose role in the 18-month investigation was not publicly known until Monday. The investigation led to indictments against four men, including Bonds' trainer, Greg Anderson. The agent, Iran White of the San Jose office, raised the ire of the California attorney general for going public.
"News of this article is surprising and, frankly, quite disturbing," attorney general spokeswoman Hallye Jordan said. "It is difficult to imagine the circumstances that would invite an undercover officer from any law enforcement agency to publicly discuss an ongoing investigation."
PADRES: Sean Burroughs showed up at the ballpark one day in late August and noticed he was batting leadoff.
"I was kind of surprised. No one told me," he said. Taking it in stride however, Burroughs responded by reaching base four times. "I enjoyed it," he said. "It was kind of learning on the job. I've never done it before."
He did it well enough that the job remains his. He isn't a prototypical leadoff hitter - he's 6-foot-2, 200 pounds - but he gets on base enough that the Padres are confident he can continue to handle it. In 30 games there last year, Burroughs had a .362 on-base percentage, hit .286 and scored 18. "I think he's going to be a pretty good on-base guy," manager Bruce Bochy said. "We look at him as a .300 hitter. It makes the most sense to put him in the leadoff spot."
PIRATES: Rick Reed, pitching after a two-week layoff because of back spasms, threw with no discomfort in a Triple-A game against the Orioles. What was discomforting was his line: three innings, six hits, six earned runs, two walks, a hit batter and an opposite-field grand slam. Reed dismissed the outcome, saying, "I was happy just to be on a field competing again. It's been a long time. I was pleased with the way I went out and threw strikes."
ROCKIES: Former Rays pitcher Joe Kennedy, expected to earn a spot in the rotation, struggled against the Diamondbacks. He went just four innings, allowing four hits and five runs. He hit three. "It was just one of those days where you don't really know where the ball is going until you settle down," Kennedy said.
RED SOX: A documentary about last year's team has footage from Fenway Park, the clubhouse and the front office. What it doesn't have is a name. "We've been in such a race to get this ready as a curtain raiser for the season that we haven't even had time to finalize the movie's title," the film's producer, Bob Potter, said. "Since the fans are what this movie is all about, we thought we'd enlist them." Fans can log on to the Red Sox Web site until 11 this morning to vote on four choices: Another Season, Fenway Blues, Red Sox Blues and This Is the Year.
WHITE SOX: Once adamant about hitting third, Frank Thomas said the time is now for him to move down. Thomas told manager Ozzie Guillen that he wanted to switch spots in the batting order with Magglio Ordonez.