There's a lot more on the Benson/Orioles differing viewpoints on the shoulder situation reported at the Post tonight.

I've excerpted a large amount, to focus on some kind of heated words...

"At the end of the season we gave him a physical therapist to go to and continue the strengthening and stretching and range of motion exercises that we do during the course of the season," Duquette said. "He chose not to do them. He chose to do nothing. He felt like it wasn't necessary. I think he felt he needed to rest the shoulder rather than continue to do the exercises. I think we were a little surprised. Some of the measurement that we had from the end of the season from the doctor had decreased. If he had been able to get to the physical therapist, they would have stayed consistent."

Said Benson: "It wasn't that I wasn't doing the program that I was supposed to be doing, more than it was probably something I could have been doing if I knew of it being a problem. It wasn't something that I went into this offseason doing anything out of the norm. Everything was fine, an ordinary offseason. Everything was going towards getting ready for spring training in a timely fashion."

Benson will begin his rehabilitation program Thursday. In four weeks, he and team doctors will decide on the next course of action. Benson could continue to feel pain and opt for surgery. Or he could decide he can pitch despite the pain and begin a throwing program.

Also at issue is Benson's $7.5 million option for next season, which the Orioles can buy out for $500,000.

"I'm sure they would like to get the most out of me and they would like me to rehab for a couple months and then pitch four months of the season or whatever . . . to get their bang out of their buck," Benson said. "I want them to pick up the option. At the same time I don't want to rock the boat by any means. I want to show them I can get out there and pitch. If I can pitch I will go out there and pitch. I'll rehab it until I'm blue in the face, which I've been doing. It's not that I'm content with the fact that I'm getting paid this season. I want to play for another six or seven years, I want to make a lot more money in this game, I want to accomplish a lot more things in this game."

Duquette said the team had decided to wait on a decision on Benson's option until after the season even before the rotator cuff tear was discovered. That timetable certainly holds true now.

The decision "would be determined how he comes through in his surgery, his rehab, what position he's in at the end of the season," Duquette said.

All in all, this situation does not seem too amicable to me. The Orioles seem to be blaming Benson for not rehabbing; Benson seems to want to rehab this year to get a better contract next year, instead of pitching hurt this year with no option for 2008.

I'm not going to say who's right or wrong—I haven't seen behind the scenes—but I think the odds of Benson being an Oriole in 2008 just took a precipitous dive.