Baby Markakis On The Way

According to a Baltimore paper:

This time, the Orioles won't lose their best player to the World Baseball Classic. Right fielder Nick Markakis told The Baltimore Sun on Tuesday that he has declined an invitation to play for Team USA in next spring's Classic, a decision that mostly revolved around the impending birth of his first child.

"My first child is due on March 12, and that's right in the middle of it," Markakis told the Sun's Jeff Zrebiec. "It's definitely a big honor and something I'd like to do. But with my first kid being born, I have other responsibilities to take care of. It was a hard decision, but an easy decision.

The baby will arrive far less than 9 months after Nick's nuptials to the lovely Christina. Either way, we wish them a happy and healthy baby!