Longtime radio announcer Fred Manfra has been broadcasting Orioles games in some capacity since the 1970s and became a regular in the booth in 1993. This year, however, he has had to scale down his schedule because of health problems. He talked about his future plans in a conversation last week.

We missed you in spring training. How many games will you be able to do this season?

About 50 games. I do only three road trips this year. The road has been the most difficult aspect of this. With the hip surgery of a couple of seasons ago and the back surgery in November, it's the best thing to kind of ease back. I really want to thank Peter Angelos, the Orioles, Greg Bader of the Orioles and Chris Glass of MASN. They've been so understanding and supportive during this time. It's been truly terrific.

Should we view this as you winding down, career-wise?

Believe it or not, I'll be 70 in September, so you think about it. But when you win and the team wins, it kind of changes your perspective on things. I really at this point don't know. I would like to think that to go out a winner would be kind of neat, but I don't know how it will go in 2017.

How tough has it been to go through the physical discomfort of having to go through all this but also not being as involved as you've been for a long, long time?

It was tough missing spring training and not getting to know the guys, especially the newer Orioles. It has been difficult just sitting back. It's been enjoyable, don't get me wrong. It's been enjoyable watching balls flying out of the ballpark. And it's awfully fun describing an Orioles home run, and it looks like we're going to have a lot of them this year.

Do you have one special career highlight?

I always look back to 2,131, sitting here with Jon Miller, President [Bill] Clinton and watching Cal [Ripken Jr.] just achieve a tremendous goal and then carry on from there. I was also really thrilled, I guess it was the night before, when the Orioles got out there and gave their special gifts to Cal, when Brady [Anderson] read that poem and Mike Mussina and the Orioles gave Cal that huge rock that he would put in front of his house. Those are special nights. I can close my eyes and also remember the celebration on the field a couple of years ago after wrapping up the American League East.

—?Peter Schmuck