SARASOTA, Fla. -- Orioles general manager Roland Hemond spent part of yesterday calling around Florida, seeking reaction from opposing general managers to his club's stand against replacement players.
Hemond won't say exactly who said what. But he did say that some teams indicated a willingness to play on the Orioles' terms -- that is, fielding only players signed to minor-league contracts -- while others are inclined to use their players signed to replacement contracts.
"Some of them indicated they didn't think" they would play without replacements, Hemond said, "and they said, 'Get back to us. Let's talk again.' "
Team sources said that the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago White Sox have said they'll play the Orioles with minor-leaguers, which is not a surprise. The Cardinals say they don't have any players with replacement contracts, and the White Sox say they have only one, pitcher Oil Can Boyd.
The Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers, all loaded with replacement players, figure to present more of a problem.
Hemond said he would accept the word of opposing general managers that their teams are replacement-free. "That's good enough for me," Hemond said.
If the Orioles don't actually check whether their opponents are under minor-league or replacement contracts and the opposing teams don't tell, the issue may be avoided
altogether.
Florida calling
Orioles catcher Chris Hoiles, living in Ohio this off-season, purchased plane tickets to Florida for him and his wife, Dana, for tomorrow night. He's still unsure whether he'll actually use them tomorrow night as scheduled, but the lure of Florida in spring is daunting.
"I could come down there and work out with some other guys and maybe get to face some live batting practice," Hoiles said yesterday. "I could maybe do some fishing, golfing and work out and be outside. I'd rather be down there when it does get settled. . . . I talked to Alan Mills [Saturday]; I could do some work with him."
Hoiles has a rental lined up in St. Petersburg. "I don't know," he said. "We'll have take a look financially and look at it from that aspect."
Seeking relief
Hemond remains open-minded on the possibility of re-signing former Orioles closer Gregg Olson, who threw for manager Phil Regan at Camden Yards in January and for nine scouts earlier this month at Towson State. "It was a case when he was in the early stages of getting himself into condition," said Hemond. "If he were to contact us and tell us he's in condition, we'd be happy to take a look."
Regan wants to identify another reliever to help Armando Benitez ease into the role of closer, a reliever who could save some games, particularly early in the season. Among those pitchers currently under contract with the Orioles, Regan said Mills could fill that role. If healthy and signed, Olson would be a candidate as well.
Hemond said he didn't think the ungraceful parting between Olson and the Orioles in December 1993 would prevent an agreement. "Gregg did a great service for us," Hemond said, "and we have the utmost respect for him, and trust he has the same for us."
Head count
An informal count of the fans gathered to watch the third full day of Orioles spring training yesterday: five.