It's About Damn Time! 'Baltimore' To Return To Road Jerseys

If this is true, the clamoring of the fans voices from WNST, Mike, and everyone else has been heard! Well, Rick Maese reports on the Sun website this morning that "Baltimore" will be returning to the road jerseys in 2009.

Ten straight years of losing, more than three decades of pining and now finally a big win. In fancy dancing script perhaps? Or maybe in bold block letters? Oh, we can fret the details later. What's important now is this: "Baltimore" is back.

Meaningless on paper, puzzling to outsiders, and indescribably important to those whose passions rise and fall with the Orioles. Thirty-six years after the hometown was erased from the chests of Orioles players, it is expected to return next year.

While we could sit here and moan about how long it took, about the years of needless hand-wringing and head-scratching, what's the point? The complaints aren't new, the arguments aren't fresh and the reason behind the sudden change isn't exactly clear. But who really cares?

Why it took so freaking long to come to this decision when is beyond me, but now is a good time than never to go make a change.

I'm more concerned about what the team does on the field; however, finally someone up in the imperial kingdom of Oriole-land has gotten some sense.

The Good Daniel Cabrera Shows Up & Dominates: O's Whoop Up on The Yankees, 12-0: Matt Weiters, The Rundown...

Like I have said time and time again, Daniel Cabrera probably has the best physical tools of any pitcher on the Oriole roster and could be an elite one if he could keep his head in the game.

Last night, he did in one of the most intimidating places to play in baseball -- Yankee Stadium.

The Orioles smashed the Yankees by a score of 12-0.

Kevin Millar homered and reached base five times for the Orioles and Daniel Cabrera pitched two-hit ball into the seventh. In the third inning, Aubrey Huff hit a grand slam and Baltimore quickly put the game out of reach.

The Orioles just plain abused Jeff Karstens last night, and took advantage of not having to face Roger Clemens in the series.

Brian Roberts, Corey Patterson, Nick Markakis, Kevin Millar and Melvin Mora each drove in a run, while Jay Payton drove in two.

Baltimore systematically shut down the Yankees on Tuesday night, and it is quite an accomplishment considering what New York has done within the last month.

In light of the win by the Orioles, the Bronx took out a few moments before the game to honor Phil Rizzuto who had passed away earlier in the day. Yankee fans, who are no doubt savvy about their history held up signs and honored a legend in pinstripes.

***

Besides the huge victory by the Orioles, the bigger story of the moment is whether the Orioles will get the deal done to sign their first round draft pick, Matt Weiters, by tonight's 11:59pm deadline.

However, it looks like the two sides are off in terms of millions (um, about 5 million or so) in getting the deal done.

A lot of fans are hoping he'll get signed and will be the catalyst for even further change with the team; alas, Scott Boras is notoriously tough to deal with and the Orioles may not want to pay the price tage he wants.

With so few picks in the draft, the Orioles may be hard pressed to sign him or may nor do so if they stand by their price.

Weiters and Boras want in the area of $10 million, while MLB advised the team not pay more than 2.5 million; therefore, things get more complicated as the Tiger's first pick, Rick Porcello signed for well over $7 million, and yes, he's a Boras client.

Roch Kubatko has his thoughts on the Weiters situation.

Well, if you have a moment, read some of the blogs on the WNST website. Reading of their website and some the opinions they have for me and a good group of fans is like a liberal watching the Fox News Channel; however, I admire their passion and I think they have perhaps the best sports talk radio station in Baltimore.

Drew Forrester of WNST believes that the Orioles will sign Weiters; meanwhile, Nestor Aparacio believes that history is about to repeat itself and the team will not sign him.

What do I think: I have no friggin' clue what will happen, but if the price is too astronomical - pass.

***

The Washington Post, Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Examiner, Orioles Hangout, O, by the Way Blog, & Oriole Magic have a recap of last night's game.

As mentioned yesterday, J.R. House is back in the big leagues and The Baltimore Sun has more on the development.

Quick Hits: News and the Second Half...

Well, I am on my way back east, and back to Maryland. What a week it has been. I got my laptop fixed out here, while working on the second one, so things are okay.

Anyhow, we shall see what the second half of the season brings to us baseball-wise. I'm curious to see who will stay and go on the Orioles and the various other teams in the majors.

Pictures from the All-Star Weekend coming up.

***

The second half of the season begins today for the Orioles as John Garland of the White Sox takes on steady Jeremy Guthrie. The O's lost on Sunday 2-1, but if there was a moral victory, the last game of the first half might have been it.

Daniel Cabrera is extraordinarily lucky that he did not give up more runs and works his way out of jams, but he needs to stop walking guys and allowing inherited runners.

As for my opinions about the first half, it's been very underwhelming. The starting pitching has done well, with the exception of Cabrera and not withstanding the injuries to Loewen, Wright and Benson.

In light of the track record under Flanagan and Duquette, give them credit for stealing Jeremy Guthrie and unearthing Brian Buress. The Orioles' starting rotation looks promising, and even Tom Boswell of the Washington Post has an opinion and feels the team is heading in the right direction.

As well, we will see if Garrett Olson is the real thing and is ready for the next level.

However, the Orioles deserve at least a D everywhere else. The offense aside from Brian Roberts, and perhaps Nick Markakis has been putrid, and the bullpen -- sigh.

It's been a bust, and it's a shame that a corps that looks so good on paper just has flat-lined.

Will a few days off recharge the Orioles' batteries? Who stays and who goes? What will MacPhail do?

We shall see.

***

To start off the news parade, the Baltimore Examiner's Sean Walsh wonders if the Orioles can recover? I say at this point, I think it may be irrelevant. I'd rather spend this time by seeing the Oriole just play hard and see what the youngsters can do. The positive is it looks like we have a young staff to lead us into the future.

In the past few days, the Baltimore Sun had a comprehensive look at the Orioles' season so far. Beat writer Jeff Zrebiec notes that the Orioles are looking to rise up after a lackluster first half of the season.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post says that Andy MacPhail is positive about the second half for the Orioles. Fellow columnist Rick Mease thinks that MacPhail ultimately is the guy to watch in the organization in the months to come.

Meanwhile, the organization has a lot of decisions to make. Jeff Zrebeic of the Sun has a report card for the Orioles.

The Orioles MLB site also has a piece on the second half of the season for the team, and they also have a mid-season report on the team.

Also, Adam held a chat on the WashingtonPost.com site yesterday about the State of the Orioles.

Meanwhile, Dave Trembley is looking for a surge in the second half from the Orioles, and the team may not be real active in the trade market as the deadline is fast approaching...

Down in the farm, the Orioles are not hitting either.

Matt Palmer of the Baltimore Examiner has his predictions for the second half...

Our own Brian Roberts played in the All-Star game, and Mark Bowman looks back at his role in the event. As well, as the team's lone representative, his play speaks for him, not his words.

Kevin Cowherd of the Sun wonder what it would look like if the Orioles are winning...

Peter Schmuck of the Sun thinks to sign Erik Bedard, the Orioles would have to give him a huge payday -- case in point, Mark Buerhle.

Meanwhile, the Orioles are still negotiating with Matt Weiters via Scott Boras...



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Quick Hits: B.J. Surhoff, The O's Around the Blogosphere and 'Net...

Well, according to Sun writer Roch Kubatko, former Oriole B.J. Surhoff will be inducted in the Orioles Hall of Fame this summer.

Congrats to B.J. and his family, as he was always a gritty, hard-nosed player, a class act and a great member of the Baltimore community.

The Baltimore Sun has more on the story, and the team will also induct former announcer Bill O'Donnell as well.

***

The Baltimore Orioles sorely needed a day off, and obviously their play the past two weeks has been nothing short of dreadful.

The offense has not clicked at all, the starting pitching cannot get deep into games at all. If you add that Jaret Wright is on the DL, plus Adam Loewen may be headed there, or at minimum miss a start or two, things are downright gloomy in Orioleland.

Also you have people around the internet questioning Sam Perlozzo's fitness as a manager, as evidenced with the site 'Fire Sam Perlozzo Dot Com", fans all around the area, especially online are nothing short of pissed at the play of the team.

Some have even wanted Perlozzo fired and some want wholesale changes to the team.

I am staying positive, but the overwhelming thought is that the season is going rapidly down the drain, as we are in early May. If anyone from the front office reads this blog -- well, I hate to say it, but the fan base less is than positive at this point in the game, and there's a lot of moaning and groaning right now.

That being said, let's take a spin around the Orioles' Blogosphere and the Internet.

***

Orioles Hangout is the premier site for Orioles' fans, and Jon Wilt penned on a column about how bad the Orioles are looking right now, and if there's a chance they'll make it a 10th losing season. As well, he looks at ways that the team can bunk the trend and get over .500.

Press Box Online takes a comprehensive look at the Orioles' minor league system & also an O's week in review.

Oriole Magic takes a look at the series in Detroit, and its not good...

Camden Chat looks at the season so far, and they have a lot to say about the state of the team...

Ben of Oriole Central takes a look at everything Oriole related, and reports on the resignation of Joe Foss, VP and COO of the team.

The Wayward Oriole thinks the team is done for the season after their display to finish the month of April and into May...

The Oriole Report has a rundown of the action so far in 2007.

James of the Baltimore Flock has his thoughts on the losing streak...

Rob of Random Reality thoughts says do not blame the pitching, blame the offense, and Dempsey's Army agrees with the sentiment...

The Orioles Insider takes a look at the Adam Loewen injury...

The Bad Orioles does not feel good about the team, in fact, the blog does not like where the organization stands right now...

Cal Ripken Book Signing and Meeting the Man (For the Third Time)

I just got done attending a book signing with Cal Ripken Jr., Oriole legend and Future Hall of Famer. Anyhow, I got a snapshot with him, and also got him to sign my book.

The meeting was quick, real quick. I met him, shook his hand, he signed my book, he and I posed for a shot, and that was it.

All in about 20 seconds.

Anyhow, I waited in a line a little less than 4 hours to get the book signed and met various people throughout, plus quite a few people who I have met at Camden Yards.

I was the 36th person in line, and I'd venture to say that are probably close to 700-800 people waiting outside of Border's Books and Music.

Pictures of the Crowd:




The Book Itself:

Markakis, Loewen, & the Relationship of the Orioles and the Washington DC Area...

Wow. I caught this after surfing around the web and various forums just right now.

...Baltimore Orioles players Adam Loewen and Nick Markakis were booed when shown on the scoreboard telescreen, while D.C. United soccer star Ben Olsen drew cheers from the crowd of 16,924....

As a resident of Maryland, an Orioles as well as a Nationals fan, I certainly understand all too well the sentiments of those in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area. I can attest that those in that area who dislike the Orioles don’t necessarily hate the players, but the owner, Peter Angelos. I sometimes walk through the city with a Orioles cap on and I’ll get smart remarks like “Angelos Sucks”, “Orioles Suck” or if you’re in DC or Virginia, "why do you still have Orioles stuff on ?”

For example, if you’re an O’s fan and shout “O” during the National Anthem while at RFK, you will get a lot of heat from Washingtonians.

A quick review: Peter Angelos fought tooth and nail to prevent the Montreal Expos (who became later the Washington Nationals) from moving to Washington D.C. as the team would be encroaching on his territory. MLB only moved the team to the nation’s capital for the fact there was no other viable market that could sustain a team and have a facility up and ready to play in.

As a concession for the Expos moving to into Washington D.C., MLB set up a regional sports network, MASN, for both the Orioles and Nationals, but Peter Angelos and the Oriole would own the majority of the network permanently. Also, the Orioles now could not be sold at open market for less than $365 million, almost double the amount the team was originally purchased for.

In addition, the vast majority of fans could not see the Nationals until late 2006, as MASN and Comcast, a cable provider fought over a contract over Orioles coverage in 2007 and beyond, so Comcast refused to put MASN on their cable systems.

The experience of the cable network along with the fight to get the Expos into Washington led D.C. area to resent bitterness and hatred towards Angelos along with the Baltimore Orioles. A lot of Orioles fans who lived in Maryland, D.C. and Northern Virginia became Nationals fans, as some were former Senators fans, some wanted to root for a team in their own vicinity, as well a few did because there were not satisfied with the team under ownership with Angelos.

Was it a bit crass and immature for some angry D.C. fans to rail against Nick Markakis and Adam Loewen, two young players who have nothing to do with the Orioles and their business practices? Yes, but it is America, and sports fans have the right to voice their displeasure. I can not criticize Washington area fans for their anger, because in my mind it is in a way rightly justified and sports is an emotional thing in people’s lives.

However, as I look at things from Angelos’ view and in a corporate sense, the moves he made were smart and in a way, he needed to protect his investment. Now, I am not agreeing in the way he conducted himself, but a lot of what did made sense and with his skills as a lawyer, he surely did benefit greatly from the Expos moving into the Mid-Atlantic region although the Orioles have not been competitive and attendance has dropped greatly.

In the end though, it comes back to Markakis and Loewen were sadly the target of the ire of Peter Angelos. Did they deserve it – no; but nevertheless, the incident is representative of what the Orioles face in Washington D.C.

Quick Hits: O's News, Tomlin and Stuffage...

* Spencer Fordin of orioles.com has his latest article up on the site, and it looks at the Jay Gibbon situation, Corey Patterson and the bullpen situation.

* Roch Kubatko of the Baltimore sun updates his blog on the upcoming Orioles Fan Fest, Super Bowl stuffage, the Ironclad Baseball card show this weekend in Baltimore and gives his thoughts on a possible (joking) Brian Roberts extension.

*Mike Tomlin was hired as the coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and My Baseball Bias has an article about it.

I’ll try to have a 2007 preview of the dreaded New York Yankees on either Tuesday or Wednesday. I may or may not post much on Tuesday as I have to go and cover & take pictures of the Nationals Winter Caravan in Greenbelt, Maryland (a suburb outside of Washington) in the afternoon & write an article for another blog.

I'll work my way through the AL East first, then the Central, then the West. The National League will follow that, I'm still trying to decide whether I'll do separate teams for the NL, or perhaps a divisional review. It's quite hard to write a team article, and I have a new a respect for the writers who do so. I appreciate those who have given me feedback, especially for the Red Sox article, as it is greatly appreciated.

The Birds of Baltimore and the Outlook for 2007

As we are less than a month away from spring training, the Orioles have been beaten up in the media not their losing way over the last nine years, but the perception that the front office is inept. Even though the team didn’t make too many waves in terms of a “sexy” big name signing, or getting a marquee player, the Oriole have improved, but perhaps not enough to contend for a wild card spot. There has been a bit of bad news recently for the team as steady reliever, Kris Benson is most likely out for the season with a torn rotator cuff; Jose Acevedo, a relief pitcher in the organization may be out too for extended period of time as he recovers from a motorcycle accident.

Considering we are less than a month and a half from opening day, the anticipation of baseball not only here in Maryland, but around the nation is growing. For most fans of the Orioles, the season may bring renewed optimism, but hopefully by July the team will still be in the hunt and perhaps impact as well as be a player in many of the races in the American League.

However, once again, the Baltimore Orioles may perhaps be relegated to 4^th place again and looking up in the standings to their usual foes the Yankees and Red Sox at the top of the division, and the Blue Jays in third.

It has nevertheless been an interesting off season, not only for the Orioles, but for all of baseball. First off, we remade our bullpen, which was sort of an Achilles heel throughout the 2006 season. Second, we tried to get an impact bat and failed because of the market, but we were able to get Aubrey Huff, a versatile player has had some success in the past. Third, we tried to get a frontline starter, but did not for the same reasons we didn’t get an impact bat – money in comparison to the talent and the length of contracts of out in the market.

Let’s start with the bullpen. With the exception of Chris Ray and Chris Britton, the bullpen was a continuous audition for a bad play that resembled a train wreck, with guys from Triple-A being called up, reclamation projects such as Jim Brower, John Halama and Russ Ortiz pitching; as well, giving failed starting pitchers like Rodrigo Lopez and Bruce Chen an opportunity to fix their problems, but more often than not, failing.

This caused the team to take drastic measures. The Orioles completely retooled their bullpen with Chris Ray and Todd Williams being the only layovers from last year right now.

We were able to get pitchers with good track records, but I think we paid too much for them, in tune of $42 million total with the contracts handed out. The best signing was Scott Williamson, as he received a one year deal for $1 million and he’s trying to recover from an injury and this perhaps may serve as a tryout. The rest of the pitchers, most especially Baez, were signed for too many years. However, Chris Britton, a young reliever, was traded away to the Yankees for Jaret Wright, a starter.

Danys Baez has established himself as a reliable closer in MLB, as of late for the Dodgers, Braves, and the Devil Rays, but had a down year in 2006 and he’ll be doing setup work for The Birds. Jamie Walker is known as a left handed specialist and came from the AL Champions, Detroit, but I think in the end, he got too many years at an average of 3 million plus. Chad Bradford may be the most reasonable of the group, as he had a great year with the Mets and is a submarine/sidearm pitcher who’s had past success.

Well, the next area I’d like to focus on is the starting pitching. In my opinion, this is the place which will determine whether the Orioles will sink and swim, considering the expectation of the young pitchers in the rotation.

The rotation right now has a lot of upside, but not necessarily the expectation of anything great. The ace of the staff, Erik Bedard came off a great year where he led the club in wins and ERA, and this will be the season to see if he can take it to the next level. He became the leader of the rotation and excelled after he learned a changed and used it in his arsenal.

In my mind, he might be the only sure thing assuming he doesn’t regress.

The two wild cards in the rotation and that will make or break the Orioles are Adam Loewen and Daniel Cabrera. They both have great stuff, Cabrera especially, and both have youth and time on their side. Adam Loewen last year showed signs of brilliance, especially against the Yankees, but also showed his inexperience by sometimes losing focus and showing bouts of wildness, and not hitting his spots when pitching. I expect him to improve as he has more games under his belt.

Daniel Cabrera could be the next big thing or a pitcher who was unable to reach his potential. A towering presence, Daniel has a great fastball and great stuff, but he was way too inconsistent, wild and sometimes like confidence in his ability. Sometimes his mechanics were off, but it is more of a mental thing and not knowing to or having the confidence to battle out of tough spots. After his final start with the Yankees, the world got to see what he could and hopefully it will serve as motivation for him to get to the next level.

The two last pitchers slotted to start in the rotation are Steve Trachsel and Jaret Wright. Both men are pretty much seen as average starters and middle to end of the rotation guys. Trachsel is not bad, and he won 15 games in '06, but his ERA was a tad under 5. However, he does have a decent track record as a reliable pitcher and it remains to be seen how the switch from the NL to the AL will affect him.

Wright is probably a 5 or 6 inning pitcher at this point in his career and has had average numbers. He’s also battled a number of injuries too and is a long way from the pitcher he was in Cleveland and Atlanta.

The saving grace for the pitching staff is if Leo Mazzone can in year two spark the magic in the Orioles that he did in Atlanta. He’s pumped to be ready for camp, and this year will determine whether his reputation for working wonders with pitchers is real for just because of the talent he was able to secure in Atlanta.

My opinion, the bullpen has improved, but has the starting pitching? Like I said earlier, the pitching is the wild card and will determine whether the O’s will sink or swim. Not having Ortiz, Chen, perhaps Lopez will improve things by a lot, but the pitchers still need to perform to their ability.

The final portion of this post deals with the offense and fielding. With the exception to the additions of Aubrey Huff & Jay Payton, the lineup is almost identical to last year. During the offseason, we had a chance to sign Alfonso Soriano, Carlos Lee and a group of lesser name sluggers, but due to the market, we ended up with Huff and Payton. I figure this was primarily due to the amount of money and the contracts that many players wanted, even though it may not have been indicative of their ability or track record.

The priority for the Orioles this offseason was to get a big bat, and one to protect Miguel Tejada. The team was in the bottom half of runs scored and some work to improve upon that.

We were not able to get the big name, but the Orioles did get Aubrey Huff. Huff has had some solid numbers with Tampa Bay, but regressed last year with time split between the Rays and Houston. Well, it looks like he’ll be playing multiple positions and will be having a lot playing time. I think he’ll be good for 20 plus homers, 80 plus RBI’s and at least a .270 average. He’s always hit well at Camden Yards, and perhaps the short wall to right field will entice him to put up some good numbers. I still think the Orioles needed more, but with all things considered, if Huff has a good season, he’ll be a bargain.

Huff is expected to split time between the corner outfield positions, first base and third base.

Although he’s probably past his prime, resigning Millar was beneficial, as he’s got an good OBP, plate discipline and is good in the clubhouse. Although his numbers last year were subpar, when he’s given a chance to play, he is productive.

The middle of the field is secure for now with Brian Roberts, Tejada and Melvin Mora. Brian Roberts came back from a gruesome injury, and Tejada once again delivered with the bat, but his power numbers were slightly down. However, his fielding looked suspect last season and I sorely hope it was because of injury, and not because of age, because his range and performance were poor in the field. Perhaps a position change might do him good, either to first or third, but it looks like he’s in the field for now. Melvin Mora had an off year and his numbers look to be declining, but you can count on him to bat .280 with at least 15 homers and 80 RBIs. All three guys are fan favorites, and will probably be here for a number of years to come.

Even though the trade values of Miguel and Brian are fairly high, do not count a on a move to happen.

The outfield will be manned by Aubrey Huff, Corey Patterson, Mark Markakis as well as Jay Payton. Nick broke out in a big way this year after struggling in the first part of the year. After June, he came out blazing with an almost .400 average and was hot throughout the summer as he finally got comfortable at the plate and secured the everyday position in right field. However, he regressed in September and perhaps it was due to fatigue, but nevertheless he’s the bright spot on this team.

I expect Markakis to break out this year, bat close to .300 throughout the year and cross the 20 homer plateau.

The other two men in the outfield, Jay Payton and Corey Patterson are serviceable enough for now. Payton has a lot of miles on him, as he played for the Mets, Rockies, A’s and Red Sox, but he’s always been reliable and should give you solid numbers. Corey Patterson is a speed demon and great in the field, but he strikes out way too much and doesn’t do particularly well against lefties.

We also have Gibbons who may be slotted to be the designated hitter or first baseman. He’s battled injuries for a while now, but with his build and power, he should be at least hitting 25 homeruns with over 90 RBIs. The main question is can he stay healthy? He’s only 29, still has time on his side and maybe being out of the field will keep him intact for a whole season.

Right now, I am not sure who we will have on the bench, with the exception of Chris Gomez who was nothing short of great once he came back from his injury, and Brandon Fahey.

In the end, the Orioles need to decide whether they want to compete or rebuild. On paper, they look slightly better than what their 70-92 record indicates, but in my eyes, it looked like a lot of the players were not trying and accepted the way things were.

However, I think we are quite a bit away from contending, but if all goes well a .500 record is attainable. There needs to be a plan with the organization, whether to rebuild around Tejada, and get the bats we need, or perhaps consider trading our strongest chips, outside Bedard, Cabrera, Markakis and Loewen and see if we can get young talent under our control to compete perhaps in ’09 or ’10. The team looks to be greatly improved on paper, but as of now, we are no where near the Yankees, Red Sox or Blue Jays in terms of talent. We’ll have to see how the young pitching develops and if Markakis turns into the next big thing.

If competing and contending ever becomes palatable again here in Baltimore for the Orioles, there are more changes to be needed with the makeup of this team.

Who We Added:
Danys Baez, Chad Bradford, Scott Williamson, Jamie Walker, Aubrey Huff, Jaret Wright, Freddie Bynum, Jay Payton, Paul Bako

Those Who Dearly Departed:
Bruce Chen, Ramon Ortiz, LaTroy Hawkins, Rodrigo Lopez, Chris Britton, Chris Widger, Fernando Tatis

The Projected Starting Lineup:

• Catcher, Ramon Hernandez
• First Base, Kevin Millar
• Second Base, Brian Roberts
• Shortstop, Miguel Tejada
• Third Base, Melvin Mora
• Right Field, Nick Markakis
• Center Field, Corey Patterson
• Left Field, Aubrey Huff/Jay Payton
• Designated Hitter: Jay Gibbons/Aubrey Huff

Starting Rotation:

• LHP, Erik Bedard
• RHP, Kris Benson
• LHP, Adam Loewen
• RHP, Daniel Cabrera
• RHP, Jaret Wright

Bullpen:

• Closer, RHP Chris Ray
• LHP, Jamie Walker
• RHP, Todd Williams
• RHP, Danys Baez
• RHP, Chad Bradford
• LHP, Scott Williamson

Bench:

• IF, Chris Gomez
• C, Paul Bako
• OF/IF Freddie Bynum
  

My Ramblings - More Oriole Discontent & Reflections

The other day, I found myself on the Baltimore City Paper website and found an article written by Russ Smith. Well, the author is not at all pleased with the Orioles’ offseason and upon reading the article, I agree 100% with what he says.

I wrote back to him and complimented him on his work, and my agreement with what he said. In turn, I got a friendly letter that conveyed his thoughts not only as a writer, but a fan of the team.

If you take out the time to read the article, you no doubt feel his frustration. I feel the same way, and the vast majority of fans do as well. Oriole Park, except when the Yankees or Red Sox are not in town, does not even routinely fill to half of the stadium’s capacity.

I don’t know if anyone from the Orioles’ organization reads this blog or the other blogs and forums out there, but fans don’t find the team relevant anymore.

Anyhow, the article is a little dated, but no matter when it was written, it underscores the frustration that he and many Orioles fans have with the team under the watch of Peter Angelos.

The only thing that caught my attention was the team signing Barry Bonds, which was not going to happen, but it underscores a point – in which, the team needs to make an effort to sign an impact player or a marquee agent, while not spending a much energy on second or third tier players. In addition, the Orioles seem afraid to make moves to make the team better, either because of alienating fans, or attachment to particular people

Russ Smith believes the Orioles are running on the cheap, as evidenced by the lack of effort towards trying to bid for Daisuke Matsuzaka, and other big name free agents that will doom Baltimore to a second division team. As well, the way the Orioles are run right now, it will keep big name players from coming here because of the perception that the team is dysfunctional and does not care to field a competitive product.

In the end, Baltimore is a beautiful city with a lot of history, good people, the harbor and a crown jewel of a ballpark. I usher Russ’s sentiments and hope one day that the Orioles will be respected and longer the laughing stock of the sport.

I do think the team will be better, but not good enough to wake up the fans and get them back into the park. Simply, the Orioles need to do more to pacify the fans and get the team competitive again.

At the end of the article, I found this quote telling: “At the end of this year's season, Brian Roberts told Zrebiec, "I don't know how much more losing we can take around here without making progress. I think this off-season is very important."

Sadly, Roberts and other may be gone if things don’t get better, no matter how much he says they say that how great of a city Baltimore is. Fans already feel the same way.

However, as a life long fan, I believe there may be better days ahead for us.

Quick Hits: Orioles Rambings and News

More on the Sporting News Article:

Well, there was a lot of talk on the local radio in Baltimore today and well as in Washington about the Sporting News report I opined on earlier. If you happened to have not read the article, here it is.

The Sporting News picked the Baltimore Orioles as the worst franchise in all of baseball. I was listening to the MASN show “Playmakers” today, and the hosts, Roch Kubatko, Amber Theoharris and Steve Stofberg took great issue with the article online.

I think the point of the article was even though the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals have been worse statistically record-wise than the Orioles; the team has much more resources, financial, market and talent-wise and basically should not be as bad as they have been the past decade.

As well, a lot of the onus is once again shouldered on Peter Angelos, the decisions made by the team in terms of free agents and the consistent turnover of staff, front office executives and coaches. Considering the team’s history and former reputation before Angelos owned the team may be another reason why the Sporting News picked the Orioles as the worst baseball franchise.

Personally, I have no qualms about the article, although in my mind we are not the worst franchise in baseball. I think most everything is true, and echoes the sentiments of what fans feel.

The Orioles may not be the worst franchise, but they are one of the worst in the sport.

Sadly, there was a time when the Orioles were considered the model franchise in baseball.

Sports Illustrated Analysis:

Even though the anyalsis about the Orioles from Sports Illustrated isn’t as bad as the Sporting News article, it is still in a way blunt and somewhat brutal. Sports Illustrated’s John Heyman handed out a grade for every team’s winter moves and gave the Orioles a C.

A grade of a C is satisfactory - not good, not bad, but average. Here’s what he says about the team’s moves:

“Peter Angelos should have stuck to the asbestos litigation business. He blew it big-time (even for him) when he rejected a trade last July for Miguel Tejada that would have netted the young and talented duo of Ervin Santana and shortstop Erick Aybar (the Angels are still breathing a sigh of relief over that one). Moreover, Angelos didn't even entertain the idea of rebuilding through a Tejada trade this winter. Angelos seems to enjoy perpetuating mediocrity. On the plus side, rather than waste a ridiculous amount of money this winter, as usual, the Orioles concentrated on one of their greatest areas of need, the bullpen, and did pretty well with most of the contracts by comparison. In all, they signed seven players for $76 million, not terrible by today's standards.” - Grade: C.

I don’t disagree with his analysis at all – I think its spot on. Some may agree Miguel Tejada should have been traded or not, but I think for the good of the team, trading him would have made perfect sense.

I love Miggy, but with his numbers last year, we could have gotten at least a couple of prospects, and some young, serious talent for him. In the end though, the Orioles could not part with a fan favorite, and the organization still believes that they are close to contending. The move would have helped the Orioles get younger, plus given the team flexibility to sign other players.

The bullpen deals were good and needed, but I still think the team spent way too much for it. Aubrey Huff may be an average to above-average, but he was better a lot of the alternatives for the Orioles team.

Why can’t do the Orioles do this? The Nationals, Twins and a few other teams are having a “Winter Caravan” where players and staff members of their respective organization travel around the metro areas of the team’s cities and interact with fans at various stops. The Caravan for the Nationals, Twins.

Again, why don’t the Orioles do this? Considering how bad the team has been, and event like this would help to encourage fans to be positive about the 2007 season & awaken the fan base.

Ok, enough of the negativity today. Wow.

Orioles Mailbag: Spencer Fordin in this week’s Orioles.com mailbag takes a look at the middle infield, specifically, Miguel Tejada and Brian Roberts.

A Great Article on Adam Loewen: Slam Sports Online has a great article on Orioles pitcher Adam Loewen and his goal of spreading baseball throughout Western Canada. Also mentions Justin Morneau, first baseman of the Twins and MVP of the American League.

From the Blogosphere: The Roar from 34 Blog takes a look at Ken Rosenthal's articles on Cal Ripken gives their reflections on them.

Miguel Tejada: Fanning the Flames

As Baltimore Oriole fans know, last winter, Miguel Tejada wanted out of the Orioles organization as he perceived that the team was not doing enough to be competitive. In 2006, his name appeared constantly in the media as trade bait, most notably to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

However, this winter, Miguel is singing a different tune. This time he’s happy with the way things are going in Baltimore. In an interview with the Associate Press via the Baltimore Sun, he says:

“I am extremely content with the Orioles," Tejada told The Associated Press. "I don't think anymore about those things that they have to do to sign players. I am equal to the others and I am going to do my job on the field."

He also says, "I am not going to order them to make a contract with anybody, but I am the leader of the team and if I have to say something I am going to do so. I don't want to make anyone feel bad, but we all want to win and that is what we are going to try to do," he said.

I appreciate Miguel’s hard play and his frankness towards the situation here in Baltimore. To be honest, as much as the money lures those with the talent to play – almost all players who pride themselves on being professionals want to play on the biggest stage, the World Series and get a ring. As the team’s highest paid player and an All-Star numerous times, he’s earned the right to be outspoken towards the team.

It looks like he loves the game and plays 365 days a year, both in the States and throughout the Caribbean.

Even though he has been seen as a malcontent here in Baltimore, he’s the best offensive player on the team and a leader. From what I have seen, he’s been nothing but good to the fans in Baltimore, always willing to sign autographs in the park and sometimes after games.
He’s got 3 years left on his deal, and hopefully the Orioles can make him happy and put a competitive product on the field.

Quick Hits...

• Orioles Arbitration: The agents for Brian Roberts, Corey Patterson and Erik Bedard traded salary figures with the teams on Tuesday in hopes of brokering a contract agreement before the startup of league-wide arbitration hearings on Friday. Under Peter Angelos’ ownership, arbitration hearings have usually been avoided, except for nine instances and the team has lost once, in the case of Ben McDonald. More Info: http://blogs.baltimoresun.com/sports_custom_roch/2007/01/exchanging_figu.html & http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.orioles17jan17,0,2958581.story?coll=bal-sports-headlines
  
  
• Fan Fest: According to Sun Reporter, Roch Kubatko, Fanfest will still be on tap for the winter. He notes in his blog that Fanfest will happen sometime before spring training, just not in the usual format. I think it might be smaller, or held somewhere else, but due the NFL playoffs, a usual tradition for Orioles’ fans was postponed. In light of the lack of success from the Orioles in the past decade, fans still look forward to the annual event to see the new faces, get a perspective on the team for the upcoming season and to have a wonderful time. Hopefully the Orioles can make this year’s Fanfest as good as the others in the past.
  
  
• Yet Another Rodrigo Goodbye: Rob from Random Reality Thoughts has another tribute to Mr. Lopez, albeit very short. I didn’t he think was that horrible for the Orioles, except in ’06, but most everyone is saying good riddance to him and the goodbyes have been nothing short of brutal.

* Around Baseballl. Twin Billing: The Minnesota Twins have offered arbitration to their two young uber-stars who were the core for the team in ‘06, AL MVP Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer & Michael Cuddyer. The Twins offered Morneau $4 million, Mauer $3.3 million and Cuddyer $3 million.

In addition to being young superstars and All-Stars in the making, I think it is vital that they lock these guys now, because as the market is right now, it will perhaps be even be more expensive to shore them and their young players up for the long term.

I have a very soft spot for the Twins, as all their players are class acts, I have gotten to see them play at the Metrodome and have gotten to speak to a few guys on the team. With the economic state of the Twins and their resources right now, it may be unrealistic for them to keep the same team throughout the years, but the organization seems to know how to find and cultivate talent.

* Around Baseball: Getting Paid. The area of big contracts is now rearing its head with arbitration now around the league. Cubs ace, Carlos Zambrano, want $15.5 million for salary in 2007for his arbitration hearing coming up & the Cubs offered $11,025,000 to Zambrano. However, keep in mind that Zambrano is eligible for free agency in 2008, and where he could easily get a $150 million contract for his skills. With his numbers in 2006, he may perhaps get the highest arbitration award ever in the history of the sport.

As well, Marlins third baseman, Miguel Cabrera asked for well over $7 million in arbitration, and the team offered $6.7 million. In my eyes, Cabrera is another guy who could easily cross $100 million plateau in 2007. Due to the teams finances, he’s most likely to leave Florida and get paid, but it is amazing how much players are asking today due to the market.

Wow.

• For the Red Sox fans out there, can you all please tell me what is going on with J.D. Drew? Why is he not signed yet (scratching my head on this one...)?
  

Is Orioles' Owner Peter Angelos Really That Bad?

In both the cities of Washington and Baltimore, there’s one man who in the world of sports who is vilified like no other.

His name is Peter Angelos, majority owner of the Baltimore Orioles and highly successful trial lawyer.

The crescendo of the immense hatred towards him came about on September 21, 2006 when an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 fans walked out in the middle of an Orioles game in Baltimore against the Detroit Tigers to protest the way he has run the team. After the event, much was made of the protest in the local and national media.

He is disliked in Maryland because simply he owns the Baltimore Orioles who have had nine consecutive losing seasons. He’s hated in Washington perhaps with more vitriol as he opposed the Montreal Expos moving to Washington D.C. because he was afraid a second team in territory that his team served would severely harm the Orioles marketability and finances.

However, Peter Angelos was compensated for the move of the Expos into Washington D.C. by Major League setting a $375 million sale price for his team (he and his group paid $173 million) and a sports network was created for him in which and the Orioles would own a majority share. The network shows both Orioles and National games.

Almost on a weekly basis, via the media, chatting with fans, or on various boards on the internet, the criticism towards Peter Angelos is like a piñata that takes a constant beating with a bat.

In light of his tenure as owner of the Orioles, most people tend to forget the work Peter Angelos has accomplished as a trial lawyer and philanthropist, especially in the state of Maryland. For the past several years, he’s been a huge backer in the development of downtown Baltimore with the acquisition or real estate and creating new properties.

An old boss of mine used to say in the workplace, “People don’t remember when you do well; they remember when you screw up.”

This is the case with Peter Angelos. Before his days as a baseball owner, he was a lawyer and with one big case which gave him the purchasing power to own a team; he acquired power with both his wealth and his ownership of the Baltimore Orioles.

The reputation of him before he got into the business of baseball was being a champion for the “little guy” as he represented workers and consumers, in which went to litigation against corporate giants like Philip Morris and Motorola.

The turning point in Angelos’ legal career came about in the mid 1980’s as he worked with labor leaders in representing employees who were affected by asbestos. With his fees from the cases, and the high profile it gave him, he was able to expand his law firm to the point where it is one of biggest law firms in the state of Maryland. As well, with the proceeds from his legal victories, he was able to purchase the Baltimore Orioles.

More importantly, Peter Aneglos became a big time player in the world of Maryland politics, especially in donations to Democrats, legislation and the development of several areas in Baltimore.

Pam Smith of the Mother Jones, Smart Journalism website asserts:

“Angelos, who led a group of investors that purchased the Baltimore Orioles in 1993 for a then-record $173 million, wields considerable financial and political clout at home. When he wants something from state lawmakers, the measures he supports are referred to simply as "Angelos bills." The state assembly gave lawyers like Angelos more time to sue by extending the statute of limitations on asbestos cases; the measure was sponsored by state Senator Norman Stone Jr., who later accepted a position with Angelos' firm. The assembly also created more judgeships to speed asbestos cases along; the bill passed after Angelos brought Orioles' superstar Cal Ripken Jr. for a photo opp with state legislators. "The idea that one person could provide all this major legislation has been amazing," House Minority Leader Robert Flanagan (R) told the Baltimore City Paper”.

Well, as you can see, owning a major sports team and having great wealth translates into incredible power, and he has used it to his advantage.

In light of owning of the Orioles, he has also served on many board and involved himself in quite a few philanthropic ventures. Peter Angelos has served the community as a member of the Baltimore City Council & serves as a member on several boards with area universities, including the prestigious Johns Hopkins University. In addition, he also serves on the boards of the University of Maryland Foundation, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Saint Josephs Hospital and the Grant-A-Wish Foundation.*

What most people don’t realize is that the Baltimore Orioles is only but a good portion of his fortune.

He owns quite a bit of property in downtown Baltimore, including four office buildings along Charles Street, and also is spear-heading a creation of a Hotel right in the vicinity of Camden Yards.

Although he is consistently beaten up for the Orioles’ performance and dwindling attendance, Peter Angelos has for the most part been a positive influence in the shaping of downtown Baltimore and will be at it for the near future.

In the end, however, to fans of the Orioles and baseball in general, the business development he’s ushered to Baltimore and his good work are sadly irrelevant; it’s the state of the team along with wins and losses. For many, Peter Angelos and Baltimore are linked with Orioles, not a skyscraper, law firm or fancy real estate project, his legacy will be determined by what shape the Orioles are if the team is sold, or if he leaves.

Quick Hits

More Drama in Tampa Bay: In 2006, quite a few Tampa Bay minor leaguers got in trouble with the law, in the minors and didn’t endear themselves well to either their organization or the media.

Well, 2007 may be a new year, but things have remained the same with some of the players. Uber-prospect, Elijah Dukes is in trouble once again.

He was arrested this week with another passenger and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession after a traffic stop. His vehicle was searched due the presence of marijuana smoke & less than 2 grams of marijuana was in found in the car.

Yet more on an old friend, Slammin’ Sammy Sosa: The Rangers have offered Sosa a minor league contract and invited him to spring training where he will battle for a roster spot.

Sigh.

Why the Rangers would want Sosa, I have no clue. They need pitching, and to stock-pile it, not sign some aging slugger; the team honestly has enough offense. I’m not sure if Sammy should come back if gets a roster spot based on 2005, but the man is closing in 600 homers and may help out Texas if regain some of the power that made him great for the Chicago Cubs.

The deal will be incentive-laden most likely, if he were to make the ream.

Rodrigo Lopez: He signed a one year deal with the Rockies, if anyone cares.

* More news and info at fastballfans.com

Quick Hits: Oriole Radio Situation, Ramblings and This and That...

More Behind the Switch from WBAL to WHFS: Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun gives readers some more insight behind the move of the Orioles game broadcasts from WBAL to WHFS. Well, WBAL is taking issue with the Orioles over the move because they contend that they offered more money to the team; as well, they assert the Oriole wanted more editorial control over the team and they were not happy with some of on air talent at WBAL.

This situation isn’t new, as the Redskins in Washington D.C. have been greatly criticized for operating their network, programming and closing some of the media out. I can understand completely why the Orioles did this, which was the strengthen their product; however, I listen to WBAL once in a while, & granted although at the times the criticism of the team may have been rough from certain people, it was needed and it also echoes the sentiment of a lot of O’s fans.

The Oriole contend the change was to get games onto FM, which does provide a much, much clearer, stronger broadcast than AM, but because the FM signal is weaker, the broadcasts can only be heard in the immediate DC/Baltimore area, unlike AM which has a stronger signal and can be heard in an extended region. As well, the Orioles did want to expand their broadcast options and integrate more their content in rather than using a second party.

I’m sure the change will be good in the long run, for fans and the team, but I will miss Orioles’ coverage on WBAL.


Not cool: I predicted the Patriots would win over the chargers, but L.T. (LaDainian Tomlinson) was not happy with the post-game celebration.

Take a look at the article & accompanying video from Boston.com. Link: http://www.boston.com/sports/football/patriots/articles/2007/01/15/celebration_was_not_a_hit_with_tomlinson//15/celebration_was_not_a_hit_with_tomlinson/

I like both Brady and LT, and the two men are class acts. However, I agree with L.T.’s sentiments, as players need to be professionals, and most notably respect the opponent – plain and simple.

Next week should be great, as Peyton and Brady go into a show down.

I’m still not betting against Brady.

Going for America’s Team: Bears and Saints next week in Chicago – I’m going with the Saints. Winning it all would do wonders in the collective mind of the city, after going through so much.

Want to see my Fastball? Well, I have only been blogging for a short while, but I have taken a job with 451 Press and will be administering their blog, Fastballfans.com.

So, I’ll be in front a computer more than I have been and reading more too, but it’s all in good fun plus love of the game!

I’ll be doing general baseball news and covering the entire league, but you’ll see some my essays from the Oriole Post on there along with other goodies. It’ll be a lot of work trying to build it up, but I hope to do my best.

As well, I will maintain the Oriole Post as usual, and try make it evolve as well.

This and That: This week, I am going to go through my ball park list and go through each one and explain why it was placed where it did. I factored in the ball experience & aesthetics, price, parking, atmosphere, neighborhood and fan interaction (which for me, is very important).
As well, I’m going to go through Oriole projections and try my best to go over each player, maybe one player per day.

Quick Hits

* The Baltimore Sun’s David Steele muses about an amazing week in Baltimore, with Cal’s induction vote and the upcoming playoff game here in the city against the Colts.

* If you’re going to Cooperstown, you’d better act on getting a room – fast.

* Orioles.com beat writer Spencer Fordin takes a look at the depth of the team at the first, third & (mainly infield) spots, now that Huff is on the team. Huff will be expected to play a variety of positions, and Millar will perhaps get a lot of starts at first, while Jay will DH and play some first and outfield. Huff may sub for Mora when he needs a free day. It all depends on what happens in Spring Training and Sam Perlozzo.

* More on Ripken from Spencer Fordin. Cal wants to acquire the Orioles at some point.

* Cal was in New York City along with Tony Gwynn for a media day.

* Tony Pente of the popular Orioles’ Hangout site gives us his reflections of being on Cal’s press conference right after the announcement was made.

* A fellow blogger at Oriole Central on the day of Cal’s induction takes a look back at game 2131 and gives his reflections. It was great to read that and anyone who saw that game was reminded of what the O’s used to be, and importantly being able to witness such a historic moment that evokes such powerful emotions, more than 11 years later.

* The Roar from 34 blog ponders should be B-Rob be traded? At this point, I don’t know considering what the team has done, and for now I’d say he’s still one of building blocks for the future. However, if we get a deal that’s overwhelming, something needs to happen for the good of the team.

Honorable Mention: I’d like to give the blog, Yankees Chick a shout-out. She may be a dreaded Yankees fan, but she offers great analysis and snark commentary. More importantly, she gave props to both Cal Jr. and Cal Sr. recently, which makes her all right in my book.

Also, I’d like you to take a look at Dugout Diary by Joe Boesch. I like his blog in general and his insight towards the game.

As well, My Baseball Bias – An AL East Blog. He’s been at it a short while, but he’s put together an impressive body of work!

Last, but not least, take a look at Inside the Monster, an impressive look at the Red Sox and baseball, by young blogger Mike Edelman. He’s a good guy and really knows his stuff!

More on the O's "Prime Game" Pricing...

As I posted earlier on the blog, the Baltimore Orioles now have instituted “prime games” in which teams that draw fans will be more expensive than regular priced games. This year, the selected games are against the Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles’ Opening Day.

A fellow blogger from the My Baseball Bias website posted an excellent follow-up to what I wrote. It’s worth a read and I appreciate him doing so:

Link: http://mybaseballbias.com/?p=96

On a few of the Orioles’ forums out there, some fans welcome charging Boston and New York fans for the experience in Baltimore, while some are upset because in turn, Oriole fans will be charged more and there are quite a few people with families along with college students, those on a fixed income who may or may not be able to afford the price of tickets.

Do I have a problem with this? Not so much. This is an issue of supply versus demand and the Orioles are a business, and any business has the right to charge whatever they please if they can get the revenue. In addition, if you have ever been at Camden Yards during a Boston or New York series, the fans from their respective teams take over and a good majority travel to see their teams and help the Baltimore economy.

In fact, a lot of businesses cater to those crowds. In most of the games against the Yankees and Red Sox, O’s fans are outnumbered – in some cases 3 to 1 or 4 to 1. This discourages a lot of fans from coming to the park, where in some cases they are subject to abuse from the opposing teams’ fans.

However, for a lot O’s fans out there, season ticket holders generally do not have pay the prime ticket prices if they buy the tickets from the team’s office rather via the internet.

Considering the Yankees and Red Sox were the only two teams where “prime games” pricing was used, what it does say about the state of O’s fans at Camden Yards?

We are not showing up and it reflects in the attendance.

According to Baseball Bias from the research done, the fans have stayed away from Camden Yards – in droves.

- In 1997, the Orioles season total for attendance was 3,711,132
- In 2001, the Orioles season total for attendance was 3,094,841
- In 2006, the Orioles season total for attendance was 2,153,250
- In 2006, the Orioles drew almost 20,000 less fans a game than they did in 1997.

There are quite a few reasons the fans are not coming out to Camden Yards, but the whole argument begins with the product on the field.

Our fans will come back and support a superior product, when that happens. We don't have that right now, nor has it been seen in almost a decade.

Peter Angelos can blame the Washington Nationals in the drop of attendance; however Oriole attendance has been dropping since then. While there might be a small drop, due the lack of interest, anger at Peter Angelos, and the traffic situation between the two cities, both cities have more then enough people to support them.

However, when you are the laughing stock of baseball and you’ve managed to alienate your fanbase in two cities, then you have apathy.

I don’t put the onus on Peter Angelos, but on the team and it’s performance. The team has to pay better, plain and simple. With the exception of Tejada, Mora, Roberts & the rise of Markakis, the Orioles do not have a real star and I think Ripken retiring had a small role, but not nearly as large as 9 losing seasons.

However, since Peter Angelos is captain of the ship, he’ll get the blame.

Peter may not have spent the money needed to compete for a few years, but in the end, it’s the product of the field that counts. Oriole fans no doubt care for their team, but why spend your hard earned money if the entity you give to doesn't put out a competitive product.

In my mind, Camden Yards is a great baseball experience. To be honest, the Orioles will only have the fans come back, if and when we are ready to compete with the big boys. We have spent some money to build what looks like will be a respectable team on paper, now the O’s have translate it into W’s.

Link to a previous post on the Red Sox/Yankee fan attendance issue: The Explosion and Annoyance of Yankee and Red Sox fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

Quick Hits... More on Cal, Following up with Old Friends and Stuffage

Being that I really had nothing better to do last night, I watched Cal’s game 2131 on MASN last night. I was 16 at the time and starting school in New York, but I was at the game before he broke his record, just by chance, as I wanted to desperately see a game around my birthday which was 2 weeks and managed to get some tickets. It was a big deal for me, as I lived more than 40 miles from Baltimore growing up and for my parents to offer to drive me was special as I only got to see the O's in person maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

I just remember the environment in almost a celebratory mood at the game I attended. As a teen, I didn’t realize I was on the cusp of history, but my friends were jealous of me at the time. I could not have cared less, not because of Cal, but because I was a teenager and didn’t know better.

It was kind of magical seeing it more than 10 years later, as well in a different stage on my life and brought back some old times, and yes, I did tear up. Amazingly, now that ten years later, I now recognize the significance of that day.

I never had a direct meeting with him, and the closest I got was to him ever was snapping some pictures of him well after his playing career. However, from what I read on other forums and blogs, he was quite the honorable man you hear about.

I kind of feel bad not being able to take in the Orioles more in my heart when I was younger...

Here are some more Cal links:

• Cal interviewed with the Sun, and gives his thoughts on the Hall of Fame and his career.
• Friend and fellow blogger Aaron Brazell of SuicideFan.com honors Cal.
• The esteemed Tom Boswell of the Washington Post opines on Cal, his career, influence on the game and Baltimore.
• CNNsi’s Tom Verducci on Cal and Tony.
• An SI flashback article.
• From WBAL Radio: If you're looking for a room in or near Cooperstown, you are screwed or expect to dish some money, in the area of many Benjamins...

News on Some Old Friends…

• Former Oriole catcher signed with Colorado Javy Lopez for one year, $750,000.

• Always good to go home again: The infamous Russ Ortiz re-signed with San Francisco for one year, $380,000. He’ll be a reserve or 5^th starter, and hopefully returning to the Giants, he can reclaim his career. How a pitcher got to be so bad, I don’t know, but he’s young enough where he could perhaps right the ship. Russ was nothing short of historically bad with the Orioles, and no emotions were spared when he was not re-signed here in Baltimore.

Stuffage:

• Right-handers Jason Frasor and John Thomson agreed to one-year contracts with the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

• Injury Wire: St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds had surgery Tuesday to correct a foot ailment that led him to have a daily numbing injection during the postseason. Always one of my favorite players to watch, he should be ready for the ’07 season.

• Injury Wire: According to his agent, Ken Griffey’s left hand (currently broken) should be fully healed before the Reds start spring training next month.

Finally: I just think the photograph on the top of this post is just beautiful …

More Keith Law...

Wow, has Keith Law of ESPN given me a world of content to critique on in this slow period of the baseball universe. I was going to give myself a break for the afternoon, but I felt the need to once again write.

Once again, he criticizes the O’s, this time with Cal Ripken, Jr. and his Hall of Fame credentials. While he’s not voting at all, as he’s not a part of the BBWA, he gives his take on who should be in the Hall of Fame class of 2007.

Here’s what he says:

“I do agree with the criticism of Ripken's streak -- he probably hurt his team at a few points by his refusal to take a day off -- but he's also one of the five best shortstops in history and changed the way people in baseball think about who can stay at shortstop. (Let's hope that Ripken prominently thanks Earl Weaver in his acceptance speech, as it was Weaver who put Ripken at short, contradicting the conventional thinking that shortstops needed to be small and slight.)”

Again, I agree with Law’s logic, but disagree with his implication that Ripken hurt the team. We all know Ripken is renowned for the Streak, but for me what made it amazing is that whether he was struggling or on a tear, he played and tried to contribute, whether he got the big hit or struck out. Yes, he had some MVP worthy seasons, and some he struggled to hit .250, but what made him great in my eyes was that he went to work everyday and never seemed to dog it out. He was the consummate professional and played the game with pride.

The parable of working at any job and lessons from Ripken’s career should be spread to kids, whether they are a superstar or riding the pine.

Whatever you think, going to work everyday for 16 years plus without taking a day off is hard, and that’s what makes Ripken great.

Let’s forget Ripken, this is where Keith Law is dead wrong.

He’s dead wrong when it comes to Tony Gwynn.

This is what he says:

“Also a player who's a bit overrated by conventional thinking, but clearly worthy of enshrinement. Younger fans may not realize what a quick, athletic player Gwynn was when he came up, before he started to pack on the pounds."

Mr. Law, I don’t care if Tony Gwynn has a body of a greek god or had a gut. Yes, he looked more like an everyman than a perfect human specimen, but you don’t have a lifetime batting average of .338 without having skill or being an expert at the game. Sorry, if you have a lifetime average of .338, and are in the top of 10 of that category, you are surely not overrated.

It sort of sounds like Gwynn got slighted by law because of his appearance, and that’s stupid on his part. An athlete is one who has a discernable skill and from what I remember Gwynn was a hell of a player, and not because of his physique.

He also mentions that he’d include McGwire, Bert Byleven, Alan Trammell and Ron Santo on his list for those to be inducted.

Before I go, I’ll list what he has about McGwire.

"One great reason to vote for him: If he gets in, then all of the insufferable sanctimony on the part of voters who want to tell you they didn't vote for him on moral grounds (sorry, doesn't make you a good person, and probably just makes you pompous) will stop, since the next likely target (probably Sammy Sosa) won't be eligible for a few years. Until someone shows me that McGwire broke a rule that existed at the time and had any kind of defined punishment, I see no reason to apply the ex post facto logic more commonly seen from third-world dictators."

Plain and simple, he’s right. Baseball became rich and rebounded off him, so unless the St. Louis Cardinals & baseball want to refund the fans for a tainted product, whether proven or not, I’d say vote him in; however, the court of public opinion has spoken about McGwire and the issue and no one can beat that sentiment, whether he’s in the Hall of Fame or not.

More Cal Ripken Love...

Fellow blogger, Aaron Brazell of Suicide Fan has a clip on his site as to why Cal Ripken should be in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame. Take a visit to his great site and you'll fing the link to the audio file there, plus other awesome sports related posts.

It's a foregone conclusion that he should be in the Hall of Fame. He's an icon, but the numbers didn't impress me as much as his willingness to go to work, play through pain and whatever else because he loved what he did for a living. More importantly to me, he was the epitome of professionalism, sportsmanship and integrity.

Myself, I cannot say I even like my job and I'm sure millions of others can say the same.

I have no idea if I'll be going to Cooperstown for Ripken's induction, because I didn't think about going to it before I started my blog. Anyhow, it will be a decision made later this spring, not because of funds, but more on the logisitics side as I would need to find lodging, much less a place to view the induction (ok, I would literally have to camp out), traffic issues and parking. If I do go, I'll probably drive up and stay with friends in NYC or find some other arrangement outside the immediate area of Cooperstown.

I'm sure a ton of fans will be there, and I'd love to interact and mingle. However, I don't know at this point if it would be worth it for me to go, or to watch it on TV.

If anyone is planning to go, or has been to a Hall of Fame induction, what's to be expected?

Either leave a comment on the blog, or email me at mdguy2415@aol.com.