Mariners-Orioles Series Has an Emotional Angle

BALTIMORE, April 3 -- Listed under the Baltimore Orioles header in the official Major League Baseball transactions line, the following entry matter-of-factly states: "Acquired OF Adam Jones, LHP George Sherrill, RHP Chris Tillman, RHP Kam Mickolio and LHP Tony Butler from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for LHP Erik Bedard."

On paper, the trade appeared cold and impersonal. Friday night, in the first meeting between the Orioles and Mariners since the February deal was consummated, the trade will take on a human dimension.

On a personal level, some of the key players involved -- Jones, Sherrill and the former Orioles' ace Bedard -- had known only one organization during their big league careers. But when each steps on the field on Friday, it will be against the same friends with whom they had played with coming through the minor leagues.

Meantime, the presence of longtime Orioles coach and former manager Sam Perlozzo -- now the Mariners third base coach -- will only add to the reunion-like feel expected at the park.

"Hopefully, I won't start walking to their dugout out of habit," said Sherrill, who the Mariners rescued from independent league baseball almost five years ago. "I was telling some of the guys the other day, it was a little weird taking the field from this dugout when you're used to taking it from the other one. It'll be a little different, but once the game starts, it's the same as usual -- just a different jersey."

Sherrill said he looks forward to facing hitters he's only pitched against in spring training, though he said the meeting doesn't necessarily provide any added incentive to raise his game.

"I'm looking forward to that, but I think I've already proven myself to them," Sherrill said. "It'll be good to see them, but once we get on the field, it'll be business. Off the field, I like all those guys, so it will be good to see them."

Jones, the Orioles' center fielder and Seattle's first-round pick in the 2003 draft, also played down the significance of playing his former team. While he intended to meet some of his former Mariners teammates for dinner when they arrived in town for the series on Thursday night, he said the friendly feelings will end once the first pitch is thrown.

"They're still my friends, but once we play, we're in the game, there's no friendship there," said Jones, who expected to be Seattle's starting right fielder before the trade. "They know that."

Baltimore Orioles Manager Dave Trembley recounted from his own experiences the feeling of facing former friends and teammates.

"They probably won't tell you that, but I'm sure that's just natural," Trembley said. "I managed in the Cubs' organization for a long time. When I managed against their teams after I left them, I know how I felt about it. You want to do very well. That's how it is, you want to do very well."

Not that Trembley himself will be exempt from feeling some emotions on Friday.

When he was manager of the Orioles last season, Perlozzo appointed Trembley as Baltimore's bullpen coach, giving the career-long minor leaguer his first big league break after more than two decades of toiling in anonymity.

"I'll be forever indebted to Sam Perlozzo for what he did for me," Trembley said. "What he did for me was what a lot of guys said they were going to do and never came through and did. Sam Perlozzo did. He told me that he would get me to the big leagues and he did."

But when the Orioles fired Perlozzo last June, Trembley stepped in as his interim replacement before the club later named him as Perlozzo's successor.

"I don't care what anybody says about Sam managing and this and that," said Trembley, who reached out to Perlozzo during the offseason. "As a person, I think all you guys know that too, as a person this guy is first class."