Kenshin Kawakami More Than Likely Headed To Atlanta

Oh well, getting one out of your two targeted Japanese pitchers isn't bad.

It looks Kenshin Kawakami -- a coveted pitcher that the Orioles wanted -- is going to Atlanta, a team in dire need of pitching.

Ah yes, the Orioles are in dire need of it as well.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and other media outlets reported Saturday the Braves had reached a preliminary agreement with the 33-year-old right-hander. Cox said he couldn't confirm the deal, but said the team is interested.

"We've had some guys watch him the last couple of years, and they like him," Cox said.

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Orioles Fan Rally & Jersey Unveiling

The fans got to see the new uniforms unveiled in the heart of downtown Baltimore this afternoon. It seems like the Baltimore Orioles made a concerted effort to get people out and they responded.

I don't think I need to elaborate any more on them, most of the media and sports websites in the region have something about the event already. It was streamed live on MASNSports.com and on the MASN cable network.

What I saw today were the die-hards and the people who actually still care about baseball in Baltimore support their team in the middle of November -- an awesome feat. It looked like there were fans at all levels of the mall observing the festivities -- almost all dressed with some Oriole paraphernalia on -- along with people walking the facility on their lunch break.

The venue was crowded -- perhaps overly so, especially near the escalators -- however, the people in attendance could have really cared less from my observation.

Brian Burres, Dennis Sarfate, Jeremy Guthrie, Nick Markakis, Chris Waters, Adam Jones, Jim Palmer, Boog Powell, Andy MacPhail and Dave Trembley were there.

The new threads are nice and not over the top. Right now, if you surveyed most O's fans, they love the Baltimore road uniform - especially; however, I could live without the orange and black band around the sleeves of the home threads.

The patches on the shoulder are a nice touch, but not too big to be obtrusive. One thing that I think could be omitted is the 'Baltimore' on the sleeves of the alternate jersey, as anyone who follows the team identifies 'Baltimore' with the Orioles, and vice versa.

Why it took so long to do this when the customers wanted it, we don't know; however, today it feels like the prayers of many have been answered.

It seems like the Orioles -- deserved or not -- have been beaten around like a pinata by many over the years; however, on Wednesday, it was a job well done by the team, as well also great to see the players in the community and everyone respond to it.

Here are some pictures from today...

Baltimore Orioles Fan Rally & Jersey Unveiling...