2011 was yet another disappointing year for the Baltimore Orioles. There were some bright spots: Matt Wieters continued to improve both behind and alongside the plate, J.J. Hardy turned in a performance better than anyone had predicted, and Zach Britton had a solid rookie year despite being a groundball pitcher without a good defensive third baseman. But the struggles of Brian Matusz took Birdland by surprise, as by the end of the 2010 season, most fans thought he was almost certain to be the best pitcher on the staff in 2011.

Of course, that was before he got injured in Spring Training, and never resembled his 2010 self for the rest of the year. Upon first coming off of the disabled list, Matusz showed an average fastball about 3 mph slower than the 2010 version. Fans and analysts point to the decreased velocity as the main reason for Matusz's record-setting struggles in 2011. Is that really the case, however, or were there other problems that simply weren't as obvious?

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How to round out a week of such epic open threads? Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Anyways, Prince is off the board, Cespedes and the second tier starters are the focus now. What in the world will the Warehouse do next?

Pro Bowl this weekend. Do you care?

Orioles remain interested in Yoenis Cespedes - baltimoresun.com The sky is also blue.

Charley Walters: Carl Pavano will be Twins' Opening Day starter - TwinCities.com Guthrie v. Pavano, Book it.

Amber Theoharis: Duquette targeting specific stats in effort to improve O's You had me then you lost me, Amber.

Camden Depot: O's Kim Sung-min in Dan Duquette's version of Rashomon Is Keith Law Max Mercy in the Nolan Reimold movie?

Ray McNulty: Bitter memories about spring training's unhappy ending in Vero Beach " TCPalm.com Another flattering account from our friends in Florida.

Prince Fielder, Miguel Cabrera weigh only 130 pounds less than entire ’84 Tigers infield | Big League Stew - Yahoo! Sports Amazing.

Happy Birthday, Brother Lo! It's also the birthday of Tom "The Professor" Trebelhorn and Ken Huckaby.

Yesterday in the open thread someone mentioned the Camden Chat Facebook page and a number of people were unaware that such a thing exists. So now I'm telling you! Like us! It's good for my ego. And while we're at it, you can follow us on the Twitter if you want as well. @CamdenChat, @EatMoreEsskay, @gibsonandrew.

WBAL Radio To Broadcast 16 O's Spring Training Games - WBAL Baltimore
We just have to make to March 5th and then we can again hear the soothing voice of Joe Angel.

Manny Machado and Dylan Bundy represent Orioles well on MLB.com's 2012 Top Prospects list | orioles.com
MLB.com has named its top 100 prospects list. Manny Machado was named the sixth-best prospect in baseball, and Dylan Bundy was awarded the #10 spot. Nice!

Orioles agree to terms with Robert Andino - baltimoresun.com
The hero of Birdland will make $1.3M in 2012.

Orioles may find fit with players represented by agent Scott Boras - baltimoresun.com
According to this the Orioles aren't willing to give out four-year contracts to many pitchers, but would to Edwin Jackson. Really? He's the one they'll make an exception for?

Signing Prince Fielder would have been fun, but it would not have been wise | Roar From 34
I know that Matt is saying that it would have been a bad idea to sign Fielder, but reading his description kind of makes me wish he had become an Oriole.

Baltimore Orioles a playoff contender? Why not? | Through The Fence Baseball
The first thing about this is that the guy who write is says that if you're an "older" Orioles fan then you'll remember the 1988 season. The second thing is that he's HIIIIIGH.

Prince Fielder is now a Tiger and the world turns, the Francisco Cordero foolishness has ended and Koji speculation may resume.

...and six Oscar nominations for Moneyball? Take THAT, Joe Morgan!

Orioles: Signing Wilson Betemit further shows Orioles' commitment to improving on-base percentage - baltimoresun.com I don't know this to be true, but one can hope.

School of Roch: MASN releases its O's spring training schedule Baseball on the teevee...me gusta.

Phil Rogers' power rankings: No. 22 Baltimore Orioles - chicagotribune.com Clipped for the novelty of the Orioles and the word power in close proximity.

Offseason Notes for January 24th | FanGraphs Baseball Note their SCOUT leaderboard for the Australian Winter League. Brenden Webb!

Report: Prized outfield prospect Yoenis Cespedes gains Dominican Republic residency | The Detroit News | detroitnews.com It's ON!

It's the birthday of Wally Bunker and Richie Lewis.

In a surprise move late Monday, the Orioles inked supersub Wilson Betemit. On Monday, it was announced that Betemit's contract was a guaranteed two year deal for $2.75 million total with a vesting option for a third year worth $3.25 million on its own. According to the AP, the third year vests with 700 plate appearances over the first two years of the contract. To create the roster space for Betemit, the Orioles parted ways with the Dutch flyball artist VandenHurk over whom no ink has been spilled as of yet.

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Saturday morning saw a steady stream of Orioles fans picking their way across the salted sidewalks and parking lots of downtown Baltimore, nine thousand in all, on their way to the Convention Center to participate in FanFest, the annual celebration by the Orioles for those fans who have still stuck with the team through all the years of losing.

Shortly before the doors were scheduled to open to season ticket holders at 10am, a small group crossed Howard Street heading towards the entrance, myself among them: just an anonymous face in the crowd. One lone street vendor had braved the cold and the ice to set up a canopy and peddle merchandise along the sidewalk of Conway.

My fellow fans headed past the canopy, but I turned to go up the steps to the entrance for media. Where most days I am just another idiot with a keyboard and an opinion, for FanFest I was to be set up with a press pass for the day, not quite a somebody and not quite a nobody.

The door for the media entrance was locked when I got to the top. In the back of my mind, I was still waiting for the part where someone jumped out of nowhere with a camera and told me it was all a joke. Good one, guys! You got the blogger real good. Outside of the confines of my mind where the grim scenarios incubate and hatch, an Orioles employee walked over and opened the door for me.

"Hi," I said, "I'm Mark," fully expecting the response to be, "Who?"

"Welcome, Mark! We've been waiting for you. What took you so long?"

Contrary to my dire imaginings, my name was on the paper and there was a pass for me as there was supposed to be. Just like that, my day as a sorta-somebody at FanFest was underway.

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Prospect Watch: Top 10 second basemen | MLB.com
Jonathan Mayo continues his list of top prospects at each position and has named Jonathan Schoop the second best second base prospect in baseball.

Why Wilson Betemit makes sense for the Orioles - baltimoresun.com
Because he can hit right-handed pitching. My favorite line of the article: "For those of you thinking about it, the acquisition of Betemit won’t affect the Orioles’ stance on Fielder."

What Do The Orioles Want With Prince Fielder? - Baseball Nation
The Orioles are bad because they don't have enough good players. They should acquire more good players. This Fielder fella is a good player, and he should be for a few years yet. The Orioles acquiring Fielder would fit with that whole "acquire good players" strategy.

Orioles FanFest: A Recap | I Hate JJ Redick
Meghan, aka @QweenofDiamonds, gives a FanFest rundown from a parent's perspective.

Steve Melewski: The pitchers say they are ready for rotation battle in camp
Melewski lists ten guys who will try to make the five-man rotation and leaves Alfredo Simon in the bullpen category. Personally I'd rather have Simon in the rotation than Brad Bergesen.

Rangers trading Koji Uehara to Toronto? | Yahoo! Sports
Aw, man.

From Dan Connolly:

#Orioles have agreed to terms, pending physical, with INF Wilson Betemit, on a 1-year, big-lg deal, acdng to an indstry srce.

Wilson Betemit is a thirty-year old infielder who has spent time with Braves, Dodgers, Yankees, White Sox, Royals, and Tigers. He's mostly a third baseman but can play any infield position. He's not an abysmal hitter, but doesn't have the bat of an everyday player.

Betemit is now thrown into the mix of utility-type infielders that already includes Robert Andino, Matt Antonelli, Ryan Flaherty, and Ryan Adams. Of course that's not including presumed starters Mark Reynolds, Chris Davis, J.J. Hardy, and the injured Brian Roberts.

Weird signing.

UPDATE:

Dan Connolly is now reporting that this is a two-year deal with an option for a third year. What?