Quick Hits: Kris Benson/Free Agency; This and That: Blog Roundup...

Not a whole lot seems to be on going on with the Orioles right now; however, a few minutes ago, I just saw that the Orioles declined Kris Benson’s option, thus making him a free agent.

As we know, Kris Benson came here via trade before the ’06 season as the Orioles acquired him for Jorge Julio and John Maine.

We know how the Maine deal worked out (a lot of people are still cursing to this day), and Jorge Julio is still classic Jorge Julio. Over his career, I dubbed him “Mr. Average”, because he was an average pitcher who was good for a .500 record and sub 5 ERA.

He actually had a good year in ’06, as he was an innings eater and could have had several more wins with run support. Benson was a humble, very nice guy and his wife, Anna, seemed to stay out of the limelight.

Overall, the deal made sense at the time, but with anything in life, there’s always a risk.

The Baltimore Examiner has more on the Benson news as does the Orioles MLB site.

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David Steele of the Baltimore Sun believes that Trembley’s hiring in the middle of last season and how it was done is in stark contrast with the drama that is going on with both the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Oriole legend Cal Ripken is still in China trying to teach kids the beauty and virtues of the sport of baseball according to Rick Maese; meanwhile, WNST’s Nestor Aparicio gives his opinions of the trip some far with video and more.

Matt Palmer of the Examiner believes that Leo Mazzone never had the chance to succeed in Baltimore, and I pretty much agree with that assessment. For the most part, he never had the talent to do much with, and things were exacerbated by injuries and just bad signings. Honestly, when the history books are written, people will still remember what was done in Atlanta and Baltimore will be seen as a bump in the road.

Corey Patterson has applied for free agency, and my thinking is he will not be back in an Orioles uniform. Although he had decent numbers this season, his inconsistency at the plate and his low OBP raised some red flags for me. I’d like to see what’s on the market and see the team can upgrade. He was a good outfielder and amazing defender, but for the price he wants, the team could do better.

The Orioles MLB site reports that Joe Angel, Jim Hunter and Fred Manfra, Buck Martinez, Jim Palmer and Gary Thorne have been nominated for the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting.

Stan Charles of Press Box thinks that Oriole fans lost their common sense when they started attacking Millar for his Red Sox cheerleading, & he has thoughts on the Etchebarren firing; meanwhile, Allen McCallum looks at what the O's can do to change the tide.

Russ Smith also throws his hat into the debate...

Camden Chat has the latest in Oriole-land, plus a few interesting features on their site; Oriole Central laments on the end of a lackluster season; Rob from Random Reality Thoughts thinks the organization is in a black hole, & James Baker of Oriole Magic has his thoughts on the ’07 season and what looms down the road.