OK, here’s the latest story out of Baltimore from the Sun. The piece I found interesting is that the Orioles were annoyed by Adam Jones speaking about the discussions.

Apparently there is rumor swirling around the Baltimore area that the reason the deal is being held up is a concern that Adam Jones may have a degenerative hip condition. I have ow idea where or how this rumor started.

The guys over at the Baltimore Sun, who are good guys and solid journalists, are treating it as nothing more than a wild rumor. Roch Kubatko mentions it in his blog.

I covered more than 50 Rainiers games last season and saw Jones every day, and I never saw him so much as limp during my time. In fact, he was pretty durable. He only missed a handful of games, and they were all for minor dings that are commonplace during the season.

But the idea of a degenerative-hip problem hits the Orioles where they live. In 1999, they signed then-free agent slugger Albert Belle to a five-year, $65 million contract. After just one season, it was discovered Belle had a degenerative-hip arthritic condition - he fought his way through an injury shortened 2000 season and never played again.

But because of that, Angelos has been obsessed with getting the most in-depth medical background he can for any player he’s going to sign or trade for. And so any sort of peep about a possible health issue with the Mariners' centerpiece of the Bedard deal is going to be a cause for concern and extreme checking.

That being said, I'd be really surprised if Jones had anything wrong with him. I think it's people just looking for reasons or excuses. Then again I could be wrong. After all, I thought Britney Spears would make a great mom too.

More to come tomorrow I'm sure....