Quick Hits: O's and MASN Related Stuffage...

photo from the baltimore sun...

Erik Bedard and Arbitration: There’s an article from the Ottawa Citizen about O’s pitcher Erik Bedard and his hopes for a contract extension. It’s an interesting read, and it sounds like at this point all he wants is the deal to be done so he can focus on pitching.

I think the Orioles seriously should start looking at possibly giving him a contract extension if Bedard so desires, as starting pitching is at a premium, and he if he continues his success, it would be far cheaper to sign him now than later down the road.

Ken Rosenthal and the O’s: In light of the media bashing of the Orioles and their winter moves, Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal believes that Oriole might surprise the skeptics.

Here are some notable quotes from the article:

"They play in the wrong division. They've got the wrong owner. And after nine straight losing seasons, it's reasonable to call them the game's most underachieving franchise; the Orioles, playing at Camden Yards, possess far greater financial resources than say, the Pirates and Royals."

That much I agree with. We just don’t have the firepower to fight the Yankees and Red Sox.

Then he says:

"The only way for the Orioles to challenge the Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays, however, is if Cabrera and Loewen make the same jump that left-hander Erik Bedard did last season. If that happens — and if the division somehow proves weaker than expected — then the O's could turn into the Tigers East, reviving with young pitching."

I think this statement is key, even moreso than the upgrade of the bullpen. I believe a team’s success is measured by its starting pitching. If Bedard, Loewen and Cabrera can take their pitching game to the next level, then the Oriole can seriously look at contending with anyone. Even though the Yankees and Red Sox do have the dominant pitching in the division, if the young arms develop – look out.

And finally…

More likely, the Orioles will improve modestly, then target a breakthrough in '08. Of course, the Devil Rays should be much-improved by then, while the Red Sox finally should have a closer and the Yankees could have Andruw Jones playing center field. Things never get easier in the AL East.

The statement above is why I think 2007 is critical to the long term success of the Orioles. If the Orioles can make can finish at or above .500, then the team is in perfect position to upgrade with marquee free agents in 2008 and perhaps make a serious at contention. However, if the Orioles finish at the same level as they did 2006, much of the moves done will mean nothing and the team will once again have to deal only with mid-level free agents rather than the marquee names needed to make an impact.

MASN News: According to the Baltimore Examiner’s Jim Williams, Rick Dempsey should be officially named to MASN this week. He’ll most likely work the pre and post game baseball shows for the Orioles. MASN is still looking for talent, and that will help shape the network, according to Phil Wood. I noted in a previous post that network may be going after ESPN’s Gary Throne.

As well, Williams says that Comcast Sports Net will still have a presence with baseball, especially at Camden Yards as it will too have its own pre-and post game shows.

In the same article, he mentions that Amber Theoharris might be leaving the network for a higher profile job in New York. I sorely hope MASN can keep her in town, as she is one of the better talents in the area and brings a great perspective on sports in the Mid-Atlantic region.