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Presenting this week’s sports media notes while wondering why talk of recession never seems to involve my waistline:
• It’s a baseball verity that hope springs eternal. But Orioles fans are certainly being more realistic as the club embarks on trying to rebuild. ESPN analyst Steve Phillips agrees with the diminished expectations.
“It’s going to be a long season,” Phillips said of the Orioles during a conference call Wednesday.
Still, he said there are a few players to hang your Orioles hat on.
“Jeremy Guthrie [and] Adam Loewen may be part of the long-term solution,” said Phillips, former general manager of the New York Mets. ” Nick Markakis is part of the long-term solution. There are some pieces around which to build on.”
• John Kruk was also on the ESPN conference call, but he declined to comment on the Orioles, saying he has already riled Baltimore fans enough. He was likely referring to his comments last year when Sam Perlozzo was fired — he said no one should want the Orioles manager’s job because the team was “an absolute mess.”
• On that same call, somebody — OK, me — asked how much the Baseball Tonight crew would end up talking about steroids.
Kruk said: “If Barry Bonds goes to court, we’re going to talk about it. If someone hits 30 home runs in the first half of the season, we’re going to talk about it. … But if you talk to fans, if you talk to kids, they couldn’t care less [about steroids]. The want to know about their favorite teams.”
Phillips agrees that fans have gotten their fill of steroids. (Hold it, maybe I should rephrase that …)
“I think people are numb to it. … I really don’t think from a fan’s perspective it’s had much of an impact at all,” he said, citing increased attendance in the majors.

baltimoresun.com

N o one is suggesting the Royals are going to be the sleeper team in the American League this season.
But the national image of the Royals might be ever so slowly starting to change.
ESPN baseball analysts John Kruk and Steve Phillips, in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, each told me they think the Royals are finally headed in the right direction.
“The biggest thing,” Phillips said, “is that they’re letting their young kids play. They’re not going out and signing a whole bunch of older veterans, thinking they can win right now, kind of what Tampa Bay did a couple of years ago.
“They signed Jose Guillen, and who knows how that will impact the younger players, but for the most part, they’ve got young guys who need to play and who will play. If you’re a Royals fan you’re going to see some mistakes and some mental errors, but you’re also going to see some great play. They’ve got talent.”
Like most baseball observers, Phillips is dutifully impressed with Alex Gordon and Billy Butler.
“I really like Alex Gordon’s swing,” Phillips said “It’s just a solid baseball swing. And Billy Butler, I love watching that kid play. He can hit.”
Kruk said he believes the Royals are headed in the right direction, especially at manager.
“Most everyone in baseball agrees that Trey Hillman is the perfect match for the Royals,” Kruk said. “He’s a developmental guy who’ll be a great teacher. He’s a serious baseball guy, really a perfect fit for them.”
Back to the pen
A little disappointment for our old friend Jeremy Affeldt. He signed with the Reds this year with the promise of a shot at the starting rotation.
But it’s back to the pen after four games and 11 2/3 innings in which he gave up 19 hits, walked five and allowed 15 earned runs.

kansascity.com