Strange....

That's the first thought that comes to mind after watching the Orioles open workout.

They didn't really work like a team trying to prepare for a Division Championship. It seemed more like a fan appreciation meet and greet. I am amazed that the public wasn't told to shut up, sit down, and consider themselves lucky to be allowed to watch a professional team prepare for the post season.

Oh..what the heck... after 162 games they earned a breather.

There were very blatant pieces missing from the puzzle; Means, Rodriguez, Bradish, Gibson, Fujinami. I don't think they wanted to put any wear on these arms or give any prospective opponents a current update on their state of readiness.

After a very loose glove workout, they played a situational practice game.

I hope that Hyde saw what he needed to see.

Every pitcher threw an inning except for Kremer who for some reason threw two.

There were some very obvious takeaways.

It is undeniable that Cano and Wells are a couple rungs up the talent ladder from any of the other pitchers on the field.

After watching him today, there is no doubt that Cano is an All-Star.

It was obvious that Aaron Hicks is worth every penny that the Yankees are paying him. He was head and shoulders better than anyone else. He is the most professional glove on the field. He needs to finish his career in Baltimore.

I'm not going to name names but, there are a handful of star players that need to fill the holes in their bats. It was troubling that in a practice game nobody hit one over the fence. If my memory serves me, there was only one run scored. There should not be more errors than runs!

One good thing to see was "The Gibson Way" rubbing off on the pitching staff. Gibson is a firm believer in practicing the way you play so nothing feels different. The entire pitching staff was in full uniform even though Gibson did not participate.

The Rangers and Orioles match up evenly. If they are going to have success in this series, the O's are going to have to ding up the Rangers starters early. .

Let's hope that the Rangers take their Wild Card victory celebration seriously and give themselves a week long Texas sized hangover.