When the first wave of returning Orioles officially reported to spring training Thursday, they found the Ed Smith Stadium complex much as they left it last April. Everything was familiar, including the low expectations that seem to follow them south each year.
There are some legitimate reasons for that, as well as some illegitimate ones. The Orioles will begin spring workouts Friday morning with their share of question marks — particularly regarding their starting rotation — and it's probably fair to say they aren't measurably better than they were at the end of their .