Orioles Quick Hits: Some Season Tickets Are Going Up, Anita Marks, The Rundown...

As a long suffering Oriole fan, some friends of mine who have had season tickets for a number of years and I have the fortune of getting to know and purchasing tickets from them have had their season ticket prices go up (mainly with box seats on the lower level).

Just that the Orioles did not tell them that there would be increase.

The other day, Baltimore Sun columnist Peter Schmuck penned an article criticizing the organization, and ESPN 1300 talk show host Anita Marks defended the team's decision in response to Schmuck's words.

I do not have what Ms. Marks said verbatim, but she said the Orioles were justified in doing so because of playing in the American League East, and we should be lucky that the fan of Baltimore did not have the suffer the indignity of a team being broken up year after year of winning (ala, her hometown Florida Marlins).

Ugh. She has no clue. Sorry, as a fan, I will pay a lot of lot of money to see the Rolling Stones or the Super Bowl or a prize fight; however, I will not pay more than what I did from last year to see a baseball team with a lack of marquee players or a snowball's chance of hell of seeing the playoffs within the next few seasons.

Asinine.

I love the Orioles, but the way they have handled themselves in raising certain ticket prices is just wrong.

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The Baltimore Sun's Rock Kubatko projects the Orioles' lineup for 2008 as the team stands right now. Honestly, I don't see much in the way of hope for the organization unless we by some miracle get another bat, Nick Markakis becomes A-Rod with the stick, or Luke Scott suddenly becomes Ted Williams. No offense, I don't see a team that would win 70 games unless Daniel Cabrera taps into his inner sanctum and becomes the pitcher he needs to be, Jeremy Guthrie has a repeat of his '07 until August, and Bedard remains on the team. Lest we forget, oh yes, we play in the AL East.

Then again, stranger things have happened.

Pressbox's Craig Heist has a great interview with manager Dave Trembley and he gives his thoughts of the players acquired in the Miguel Tejada trade as well as the starting pitching.