Close, But So Far: O's Lose to the Halos 4-3 on Sunday, the Rundown

In light of Brian Roberts being chosen an All-Star for the second time and Jeremy Guthrie on the mound, the O's could not muster a win against the Angels in the rubber match in the three game set.

Thanks to the rifle arm of Vlad Guerrero, the Angels were able to win the game yesterday as Melvin Mora was gunned down at home despite a valiant effort to score.

The Black and Orange lost 4-3.

The collision was rough, as Mora hurt his foot and catcher Mike Napoli had to be carried off the field.

The Orioles were helped out big time by Jay Payton's 2-run homer and heads up baserunning by Ramon Hernandez.

Jeremy Guthrie only gave up four hits, but gave up a 2-run homer to Casey Kotchman and an RBI double to Vlad Guerrero in the 4th inning, and a homer in the 8th to Mike Napoli.

Guthrie was strong, but Lackey was slightly better and the Angels made most of their opportunities.

The O's take on the White Sox in the Windy City tonight.

It'll be Erik Bedard squaring off against Mark Buerhle in what should be a great pitching matchup.

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There's more on the game from the Baltimore Examiner & the Washington Post.

Sun blogger and beat reporter Roch Kubatko has his thoughts on yesterday's game and also the surprise resignation of former Oriole manager Mike Hargrove.

With the struggles of Chris Ray, the Orioles may move to a "bullpen by commitee". There's more also in the Washington Post and the Orioles MLB site who reports that Chris Ray is now being rested...

As noted earlier, Brian Roberts was selected to the 2007 All-Star Game as a reserve second baseman. The O, By the Way blog has their thoughts on some of the All-Star snubs including Jeremy Guthrie and Erik Bedard being passed over. More on All-Star news from the Baltimore Examiner & the Washington Post.

Daniel Cabrera is 'living a dream' by having the ability to pitch in the majors...

The injury to Steve Trachsel and he subsquently landing on the DL leaves a big hole in the Oriole rotation, and perhaps it will be filled by Rob Bell or Garrett Olson.

The Orioles have a lot of good hitting prospects down in the lower levels of the organization according to the Baltimore Examiner.

The Washington Times has an interesting story on Jeremy Guthrie, his season with the Orioles and his time with the Cleveland Indians.

The Business of Ballparks - Yankee Stadium Gets the '08 All-Star Game and Fenway Undergoes Further Renovation and Expansion...

The baseball world has chatted about this expected announcement for a while, but it is widely expected that Yankee Stadium will get the 2008 All Star Game. Bud Selig and the Powers That Be in this instance went against the trend of giving All-Star Games to showcase new parks.

Yankee Stadium is expected to be torn down in 2009, so the MLB brass must have felt the need to give the game to a place that has had so many historic moments take place.

San Francisco will get the 2007 All-Star Game, and Busch Stadium will have it in 2009.

According to the New York Times, the press conference announcing the official awarding of the game is planned for Jan. 31 at New York's City Hall and will be attended by Commissioner Bud Selig and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.

As a person who went to school in New York City and spent a lot of time up there, Yankee Stadium has a distinct charm, lovely Memorial Park and a lot of history, but it is certainly time for it to go. 2008 will certainly be an emotional time for Yankee fans, as the House the Ruth built will be a footnote in history thereafter.

The new stadium will probably be a playground for the rich with nice plush corporate boxes and amenities for those with the cash to spend. New York City, of course, is a place with enormous wealth and the new stadium will almost certainly cater that clientele.

What is unfortunate is that the average fan will have almost no chance to get tickets, unless they enter in a contest or get lucky. Corporate sponsors, MLB officials and teams get first dibs at tickets, and the season ticket holders. If there are any left, they will be dispersed to the public and considering prices in New York City, it will come at a premium.

Fenway Park is expanding.

According the official Red Sox website, the changes include renovations to some of the women's restrooms, more luxury box seats ans suites, a new concourse behind the third base seating area to accommodate standing room fans, vending machines to purchase Charlie Cards to make stumbling onto the Green Line easier after the game, and a "Bleacher Bar" under the center field seating area.

The Red Sox have done upgrades in the offseason since 2002, and notable improvements and additions have included the famous Green Monster seating, more available seating in the mezzanine and third tiers, and adding batting cages for both the home and visiting teams.

The changes, more or less, are to “enhance” the fan experience, but also to pump more money into the team as well as bring more fans into a place already cramped and tight.