Spring Training Game Whatever: Yankees @ Orioles, 7:05pm

If you'd like to see live Orioles baseball on a Sunday night, tonight is your last chance until July. Tonight's spring training game between the O's and Yankees at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota will be aired on MASN, and it is supposed to be, if I remember right, the broadcast debut for new MASN analyst and all-around awesome former Oriole Mike Bordick, who will be playing the role of "guy who does all the games Jim Palmer doesn't want to do" this season.

Teams and players alike are still clearing their throats at this point in spring training, but it's far enough along in the process that as a fan you have to start to hope you'll see good results from the guys who will actually be making the roster. Although if worrying about guys who are going to make the roster is your thing, the list of scheduled pitchers will not especially excite you: Alfredo "Weak Sauce" Simon is the starter, with these others listed as available: Link, Ayala, Wright, Patton, Pomeranz, Hinton, Newby, McCurry. If more than four of those names appear in Orioles uniforms in the regular season, I will be rather shocked. Wright is Mike Wright, last year's 3rd round draft pick out of East Carolina.

One area where playing scrubs tonight is less of a problem is in the field, where the Orioles will be deploying the following: Chavez (LF), Hardy, Markakis (DH), Jones, Davis, Wieters, Reynolds, Flaherty (RF) and Andino

Nolan Reimold's wife had their second child this weekend, so he won't be back with the team until Tuesday. Congratulations to the Reimolds on their new addition. Flaherty, the Rule V draft pick, has been appearing at any position Buck can fit him in. Looks like the O's are going to try to stash him on the roster, where I assume, if nothing else, he will acquit himself better than Jose Morban.

There are 14 spring training games remaining for the O's, and after tonight there will be no more split squad action, so perhaps the potential for the scrub parade will diminish.

I make no secret of the fact that I find spring training to be absurdist theater. This was a real thing written by an Orioles beat writer today: "It's interesting that the Orioles are sending (Wada) to Orlando (for this afternoon's game) instead of unveiling him in front of the home crowd and MASN viewers." Unveiling Brian Matusz on MASN worked out so well, of course.

Another O's beat writer wrote this: "Nick Markakis will have first back-to-back games at DH after tonight's game vs. NYY." I think we are supposed to act like this is good news. Nick Markakis can DH two games in a row. We're saved!