PITCHERS AND CATCHERS! PITCHERS AND CATCHERS!

by Stacey on Feb 13, 2008 11:29 PM EST Comment 41 comments

I just saw a glimpse on the news of all the boys showing up today in Fort Lauderdale. Woo hoo Spring Training! I saw Matt Weiters and Ramon Hernandez and Daniel Cabrera and some boys I don't quite recognize! And Ramon Hernandez looked, dare I say it, not fat?

Yeah, this is going to be a long year, but I'm so happy that Spring Training is about to start and I can pay attention to something other than that idiot Roger Clemens and steroids and a million trade rumors that make me go out of my mind.

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS!

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The three greatest words in the English language,

Pitchers and Catchers.

God help me, no matter how much I know the Os will suck I can't avoid being excited about things getting underway.

by KenDixonFanClub on Feb 13, 2008 11:54 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Amen to that!

I've been waiting for this day for what seems like months.

"We're so bad right now that for us back-to-back home runs means one today and another one tomorrow." - - Earl Weaver

by Gorilla Bird on Feb 14, 2008 9:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Fuckin' Amen to that.

"It would behoove the Orioles to play better." - Jim Palmer

by 2632 on Feb 14, 2008 10:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I have to believe some

of the guys try to sneak out to South Beach at some point. How long a drive is Ft. Lauderdale from Miami?

"All I have to say is our partner is going to shock the world because he is none other than THE SHOCKMASTER!"-Sting

by jobe on Feb 14, 2008 1:28 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

To South Beach?

About a half hour - 45 minutes. Traffic on I-95 can be a nightmare though. I always thought having a training camp in Ft. Lauderdale was a bad idea. There are beaches and chicks in bikinis all over the place down there, plus ST arrives right at Spring Break time. You've got the Winter Music Conference then. You've got the high season for people coming down to the hotels all up and down the coast. If picking up chicks as a Pro Baseball Player is, as Billy Beane put it, like fishing with dynamite, how do these guys get any work done?

"Everyone always says 'You don't have to do this.'"

by Jonnypops on Feb 14, 2008 6:02 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

RE:

Not to mention that our complex is a complete dump down there. Anyone else been down to that place? My High School probably had a better field. Lauderdale itself is kind of a dumpy place to begin with.

What's the story with that place, are they moving or are they renovating?

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Feb 14, 2008 8:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I thought I heard

the Orioles were moving to the Dodgers old place after they go to Arizona. Is that true, or did I just dream it?

by Stacey on Feb 14, 2008 8:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

RE:

I thought there was some discussion, after the O's announced they may move, about the Ft. Lauderdale kicking in some money to renovate. Can't remember how it ended.

I hope they stay in Lauderdale over Vero Beach; but if they do they got to rebuild that place.

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Feb 14, 2008 9:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I've been.

It's certainly a shithole, but man is it awesome to watch baseball for that cheap, with that great of seats in March in amazing weather. And as bad as Ft Lauderdale is, at least it's closer to Miami than the rest of the ST sites in FL.

A little tip - if you're looking for a good baseball lunch before hitting ST, go to Hot Dog Heaven, a Chicago Style Hot Dog Stand on Sunrise Blvd.

"Everyone always says 'You don't have to do this.'"

by Jonnypops on Feb 20, 2008 2:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

dare i say...

the razor's looking kinda buff.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2008-02/35593594.jpg

So, I said, uh, lama: how about a little something for the effort?

by jq higgins on Feb 14, 2008 7:11 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

He's not Razor Thin just yet...

but this is encouraging (from the article above):

Fort Lauderdale, Fla. - Orioles manager Dave Trembley didn't have to wait for the team's first workout to get his first good piece of news this spring.

Catcher Ramon Hernandez reported to Fort Lauderdale Stadium yesterday, feeling healthy and looking in considerably better shape than last season.

"Right now, it's unbelievable," Hernandez said when asked how he felt. "I really concentrated this offseason on working out.

"I've been taking my vitamins, and I need to help my body rebuild. You just have to keep working and hopefully you'll come in here and stay healthy."

Just as long as he wasn't injecting B-12, it's all good...

I remember 14 straight foul balls in one at-bat.

by duck on Feb 14, 2008 9:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

While we're being linky....

...here's a great article from the Sun on how Trembley is running camp.

My favorite part?

New pitching coach Rick Kranitz has his orders. So does hitting coach Terry Crowley.

"We need to get better with our hitting style, our ability to work the count, move runners. I want to put those kinds of drills in place on the back fields," Trembley said.

Working the count? Does Crowley even know how to teach that?

Batting fourth....playing center field....

by zknower on Feb 14, 2008 10:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A couple good quotes in there

from Guthrie. I love that kid. I try to keep my expectations low on him because what are the odds of him repeating his last season, really. But he just says and does all the right things.

by Stacey on Feb 14, 2008 10:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

the odds are pretty good actually

I dont expect him to be amazing like in the first half of last year, but this guy has got what it takes. He was also one of the top arms in the 2002 draft. But i think we can expect him to be a 2 or 3 guy for a good while.

by Reddrummer9187 on Feb 14, 2008 10:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

It's not unfathomable to image

16-13 with a 3.90 - 4.30 ERA. And that's not bad on a 5th place team, considering he wouldn't have about 5 of those losses on a 3rd place team. That's my best guess.

Hey SC - isn't it time to play CC Community Forecast or is it too early?

I remember 14 straight foul balls in one at-bat.

by duck on Feb 14, 2008 11:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

16-13, eh?

that implies a pretty stable bullpen. I hope you're right.

by dfleis on Feb 14, 2008 11:46 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

we're starting it soon

I wanted to wait until the Bedard trade went through at the least

Gone but not forgotten...

by SC on Feb 14, 2008 12:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

What's not to love..

About Guthrie. I mean the guy came out of nowhere, seemed to be going nowhere. He's got a great work ethic and attitude and does his absolute best -- a guy you really want to pull for.

"Killing a Yankee fan -- is that illegal in this state?" -- Homicide Life on the Street

by BirdFanLA on Feb 15, 2008 12:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He's my favorite player

Man I hope he does well this year.

"This is Birdland"

by drj on Feb 15, 2008 9:00 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So "Crowley has his orders"

didn't mean the pizzas had arrived or that he'd been ordered to take a long walk off a short pier into the Inner Harbor. Or something. Anything. Can't he, like, elope with Gibby maybe? Let's tell him about Rocket and Pettitte...

Forget it, Jake. It's Birdland.

by Titov on Feb 14, 2008 1:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Crowley, as a player

Terry Crowley was quite the patient hitter when he played, actually. 222 career walks in 1740 plate appearances. 250/345/375 with an OPS+ of 104.

Irony is a bitch, sometimes.

Librarians are hiding something

by dfa on Feb 14, 2008 8:51 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

No better time...

This means we're only a week or so away from Schmuck's annual reviews of Florida Denny's and Red Lobsters.

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Feb 14, 2008 8:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm so glad we have him

by pipkin on Feb 14, 2008 9:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes!

I can't wait.

by the way, are they serious with Alex Cintron:

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/14/orioles-talking-with-cintron/

by em3 on Feb 14, 2008 11:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

why not?

the best of a bad lot, as far as i can tell. you really think fahey, bynum or luis luis are MORE deserving of a roster spot? yeesh.

So, I said, uh, lama: how about a little something for the effort?

by jq higgins on Feb 14, 2008 11:10 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i guess...

..but it just seems like a waste of a roster spot. at this point, just let fahey and luis battle it out, no? maybe i'm being too negative.

by em3 on Feb 14, 2008 11:42 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

it's not bad if they all have a fair shot..

at the position. With a rebuilding team like this, initiating competition for a position isn't a bad thing - it's Darwinian.

(Another reason why I don't see any problems with a Trachsel minor league contract)

by dfleis on Feb 14, 2008 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

honestly, regarding shortstop

it makes no sense to not sign Cintron. he's no all-star, and he certainly isn't young anymore, but he's at least a replacement level major league player.

Little Looie and Fahey, while being credible defenders, simply aren't big league hitters. and Boom Boom doesn't have the chops to play short full-time, and frankly, the O's are going to need his ability to play just about anywhere ont he diamond this year.

just because Hernandez and Fahey are young doesn't mean they can be part of the solution. they still need to field a ateam this year, and by bringing Cintron in for a year it allows them to continue to look for the long-term solution, whoever that may be.

but who it ain't are Hernendez, Fahey or Bynum.

I came to Camden Yards to watch the O's and all I got was this lousy "Fenway South" t-shirt.

by Dave at Bottomfeeder Baseball on Feb 14, 2008 11:52 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

good points

i guess it was a logical pickup, given the alternatives.

by em3 on Feb 14, 2008 12:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

RE:

I don't have a problem signing him; but he really doesn't even bring replacement level to the deal. He had a OPS of around 600 last year, OPS+ of 73, he's 29 and has declined the last 2 years. His VORP last year was -6.8 in about 200 PA with no reason to expect better.

I don't think Bynum nor Hernandez are ever going to contribute anything; but both were better than Cintron last year and do have somewhat of a chance of improving slightly.

Cintron seems to me to be an older version of Hernandez. I would take him over Fahey, but I can't think of a single ML player I wouldn't take over Fahey.

"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle

by BirdFanInPhilly on Feb 14, 2008 12:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

re:

OK, I'll say it. In general baseball starting is a good thing. But I'm not so excited about the upcoming O's suckage. I've felt this way for years. Yeah, this year is different with the youth movement, which is what I've wanted for years. But right now, it only tempers the feeling a little.

"This is Birdland"

by drj on Feb 14, 2008 2:47 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I'm so damn happy I could spit!!

I told my boss yesterday that I could feel a cold coming on and would be sick on March 31.

by BENNYBIRDMAN on Feb 14, 2008 3:24 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

More photos from the Sun

One of my favorite things to do during Spring Training is check for new pictures every day. Lame, I know. This is also pretty much the only time of year that I really enjoy reading Roch's blog.

by Stacey on Feb 14, 2008 4:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

re:

Come one. You give Roch some love, but nothing for Schmuck's Red Lobster updates?

"This is Birdland"

by drj on Feb 14, 2008 5:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ohhhhhh my....

Ramon looks absolutely delicious! How the hell am I supposed to keep my mind on work today with that photo in my head? Damn...

by Bluehen on Feb 15, 2008 10:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

As a man with a beard...

I'd really like to see what the players are sporting this spring. Last Spring B-Rob had a beard and other players various forms of facial hair. Let's see what they have.

Jamie Walker with a beard? Heck yeah!

by Dr Orpheus on Feb 14, 2008 6:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Bullpen Update

Nothing really too new or shocking, but updates on Sherrill, Ray and Baez.

http://mlbfleecefactor.com/2008/02/14/orioles-rumors-chris-ray-danys-baez-george-sherrill/

by ET90210 on Feb 14, 2008 9:36 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Good to hear,,

.. that Sherill was showing some enthusiasm about his situation. Had heard he was not too thrilled about coming to a losing/rebuilding team. So if he feels that coming to the Orioles is a lemon, good he's found some lemonade. He could be a big help for a few years.

"Killing a Yankee fan -- is that illegal in this state?" -- Homicide Life on the Street

by BirdFanLA on Feb 15, 2008 12:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

fyi...

roch's most recent post talks about how the coaching staff really digs the heat sarfate brings. he also says the staff has been really impressed w/ wieters and tillman.

So, I said, uh, lama: how about a little something for the effort?

by jq higgins on Feb 16, 2008 11:19 AM EST reply actions 0 recs