More memories from past Orioles spring trainings

Orioles pitchers and catchers would be stretching later this morning and undergoing the next round of workouts at the Ed Smith Stadium complex, perhaps joined by some position players who reported early and passed their physicals, except the lockout remains in place and threatens an on-time opening day.

Representatives for Major League Baseball and the MLB Players Association met again yesterday and the session lasted about 15 minutes, according to reports. Lead negotiators Dan Halem and Bruce Meyer spoke for about 20 minutes, also per reports.

Not the kind of side session we usually write about in February.

As we wait for a resolution, here are a few more memories that I've brought back from Florida over the years, along with a solid tan and an addiction to Publix mojo rotisserie chicken.

Brian Matusz is a wart hog

Also a cool mascot for the Washington Football Team, but that nickname has sailed.

On February 24, 2014, the local media reported that Matusz was leaving the team following an intrasquad game and flying to Philadelphia to have a wart removed from his left middle finger.

It wasn't a huge deal then, except that he also had a wart removed from the same finger three years earlier.

Still not a huge deal. More like an oddity. And pretty much anything rates as news in spring training.

The wart was located on the side of his finger near the nail and he felt it while trying to throw his breaking ball. He tossed two scoreless innings on the same day in March 2011 that we were told about the first wart and how he'd likely miss his next start.

Matusz was moved to the bullpen by 2014, but he still made starts in camp to get him stretched out.

The second trip to Philadelphia actually was delayed, adding another layer to the wart story. Matsuz and minor leaguer Michael Ohlman were supposed to be on the same flight - the young catcher needed a similar procedure on his right hand - but a winter storm canceled it.

"Fortunately, it's not in a spot that's affecting games and practices right now," Matusz said. "Hopefully, we will be able to get things lined up with my pitching schedule, the weather and the doctor's schedule and get this thing taken care of."

He did. And that was the last time, I believe, that I wrote about his wart.

The 2011 season was much more painful for Matusz. He struggled after returning from Philly, was hit on the left bicep by an LJ Hoes line drive in a simulated game - the pain was real - was scratched from his start in the second game of the season and placed on the disabled list with a strained intercostal muscle, was optioned on June 30 and finished 1-9 with a 10.69 ERA and 2.114 WHIP in 49 2/3 innings.

Matusz was 6-0 with a 1.57 ERA in his last eight starts in 2010, so the decline was dramatic and totally unexpected.

Jason Johnson makes surprise appearance in camp

The face and smile were familiar, but shades covered his eyes. And the longer hair definitely threw me.

Johnson showed up at the Sarasota complex on April 3, 2012 and kept looking at me as if waiting for a friendly greeting. I faked it.

The media found out later that he wasn't just visiting old friends.

Johnson was attempting a comeback from labrum surgery and hoped to get a tryout. He contacted special assistant Brady Anderson, a former teammate, who invited him to the camp.

Living in Tampa made it a convenient trip. Took about an hour to get there.

Johnson completed a bullpen session, hoping that he'd be signed and sent to extended spring training. The Giants worked him out a few weeks earlier, but didn't have a spot for him.

Neither did the Orioles. No one gave him a contract.

Johnson's fastball topped out at 90 mph that day. He used to sit at 93-94.

Dr. James Andrews repaired a tear in Johnson's right labrum in 2010. Johnson tried to throw a year later, but he wasn't fully healed.

Johnson spent parts of five seasons with the Orioles and compiled a 34-53 record with a 4.84 ERA in 133 games. He went 56-100 with a 4.99 ERA in 11 major league seasons, the last coming in 2008 with the Dodgers, his eighth team.

The Orioles acquired Johnson from the Rays for outfielder Danny Clyburn in March 1999. He pitched with Type 1 diabetes and was the first player to receive permission to wear an insulin pump on the field.

Jake Fox makes managers furious

Fox hit 10 home runs in spring training 2011 to lead the majors and create a mythical Grapefruit League trophy named after him, and he headed north as the backup catcher. He literally forced his way onto the roster. The Orioles had no choice.

They had some concerns, including his defense and the trap of falling in love with spring numbers, but no choice.

Fox wanted to be the first baseman. He wanted to play every day.

He lasted 27 games.

Fox was designated for assignment on June 1 after batting .188 with two homers and a .646 OPS. The Orioles brought him back in August and he went 2-for-2 in his last game to raise his average to .246 with a .756 OPS. He never played another game in the majors.

Unwritten rules are often dumb. Otherwise, they'd be written down, right? Well, Fox violated one by swinging at a 3-0 pitch with runners on second and third base and no outs in the eighth inning of an exhibition game, while the Orioles led the Tigers by 10 runs.

Swung from the heels against a minor league pitcher with control issues. Apparently, that's frowned upon in this establishment, and managers Buck Showalter and Jim Leyland were furious. Leyland shouted at him from the visiting dugout. Fox walked, was removed for a pinch-runner and also got an earful from Showalter.

I'm an outsider, but Fox is trying to make the club and it's basically a practice. Maybe swinging at a pitch was doing the reliever a favor, rather than letting him walk the ballpark. A swing might produce a ground ball. It's Jake Fox, after all.

You don't want a guy swinging 3-0 in a 10-run game? Pitch better.

A Pié in my face

Yes, I know how it's pronounced. Just stay with me here.

Outfielder Félix Pié spent parts of three seasons with the Orioles. It felt like a lot more, given the trade rumors and erroneous reports before his actual arrival in 2009.

During one of his spring trainings in Sarasota, when we stayed at the old team hotel on Fruitville Road, we had a very brief, angry encounter in the parking lot that concluded with awkward smiles and head nods.

The car in front of me came to a stop and wouldn't budge. I just wanted to ditch my rental and get back to my room, but the unknown driver was blocking me.

My first instinct is always that I'm dealing with a moron.

I finally leaned on the horn and motioned as if asking why this was happening. I promise that there was more than one figure used in my gesture.

In response, the driver whipped open his door, jumped out and had a look on his face like he was ready to throw down. I did the same, of course. It's so me.

Pié recognized me, I recognized him, and there was nothing left to do except smile and nod. And pretended that we were stretching our legs.

If the scene came with captioning, it would have read, "Oh, heeeeeey."

Pié moved his car and we never spoke about it. We didn't speak much anyway. He was a pleasant guy but didn't fill up a notebook.

Pié hit for the cycle on Aug. 14, 2009. But he didn't hit me.