Wednesday Bird Droppings
by Camden Chat on Jan 6, 2010 9:43 AM EST
in Open Threads
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PrintHey y'all, sorry about the late posting of this, your open thread. It's been a tough morning for me. Without further ado...links!
Trembley tinkers with lineup while waiting | orioles.com: News
I love that Trembley talks about Felix in the lineup because the kid needs to play! -Stacey
O's: Minor league update
The Schmucker gives the skinny on the O's minor league coaching changes. -Stacey
Tony Gwynn's daughter Anisha's baseball themed wedding will be on TV
Tony Gwynn's daughter married former Orioles farmhand Kennard Jones last year and now WeTV is airing a special about it. I don't know what's up with ol' Kennard these days; he didn't play in 2009. -Stacey
Pondering Berken and Hernandez
Where will Jason Berken and David Hernandez fit in on the 2010 staff? Steve Melewski has some ideas. -Stacey
Arguing About The How To Build A Winning Team | Camden Crazies
Last night on Twitter, a dude from WNST and Daniel from Camden Crazies got into it over Matt Holliday, with a few of us chiming in to tell Daniel not to bother. What? We're all nerds. -Stacey
Lastly, the HoF results will be announced today at 2 p.m. Fingers crossed for Robbie!
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I love the argument from the "other" CC
As soon sas stats are brought into the discussion, the argument is over. “Stats take the story out of the game”. Yea, until a team like the Orioles uses stats to win a WS on a budget. Then that becomes a great story.
Truth is, I was all for signing Holliday. I’m pretty darn sure, though, that we would have had to outbid St. Louis, not just match them. That is too rich for my liking, so they did the right thing.
It always reminds me of the guy you know that HAS to get the gigantic SUV or the luxury car to keep up with the cool kids and then struggles to pay his rent on his single bedroom apartment. Live to your means, spend intelligently, and bargain hunt. Eventually, you’ll be in position to get what you want and it will only enhance your lifestyle, instead of destroying it.
Also...
Robbie in the ALCS brings back bad memories. I still remember the moment he struck out to end the series like it was 5 minutes ago. That is painful.
I'd kill to feel that kind of pain again
Instead of the same resigned feeling of apathy that settles in every September.
September?
More like May.
And yeah, I remember Robbie striking out, too, like it was yesterday. Ouch.
"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"
what is the "other" cc?
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
camden crazies
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
coffee & cools (actually it should be kools)
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Hernandez and Berken roles?
Personally, I think Hernandez (if he isn’t part of a trade) should be groomed as a reliever. He could be great for an inning or two, but can’t cut it the second time through the lineup. I don’t care if it’s in Baltimore or Norfolk, but make him a reliever. Berken, on the other hand, is better off in the Norfolk rotation. Maybe he can learn better control, there. I see him as a starter, though.
While we’re at it, I hope Koji is only a reliever this year, too. I think he could be really tough in that senth inning role.
This
Berken only had 25IP at AAA. He came up when asked and took his lumps like a man, but he obviously needs to go back to the minors and learn some more.
DH either goes into the bullpen as long relief for now, or to AAA as rotation insurance, like Melewski says. I could see him as as a setup man in the future.
I don't know if this will add anything
but I saw Berken pitch in Syracuse just before he was called up and basically I saw the same kind of pitcher as the guy who was in Baltimore – he gave up a lot of hard hit balls, he didn’t seem really comfortable or commanding on the mound, he didn’t seem to have any pitches that he could really go to in order to put guys away (he did, though, strike out Corey Patterson at least once, which I thought was hysterical). In short, he wasn’t impressive, and he pitched pretty much the same way in Baltimore.
"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"
Berken will likely
return to AAA as a starter. I just can’t see a role for him on the big club as currently constructed, or in the future really. We have too many arms to weed through that have way more potential than Jason Berken. That said, I completely agree that what he did last year was admirable in that he never gave up…despite getting absolutely shelled at times.
David Hernandez is interesting due to the fact that he could carry at least some value in a trade scenario. Of course, he would be at the back end of almost any trade. Unfortunately David never really learned how to manage his pitch counts in the minors, nor does he have an effective third pitch. If we would retain his services for the future, it would almost have to be in the bullpen. His velocity and “stuff” make him a prime late-inning candidate, while his experience as a starter could prove helpful for a long relief role.
ja...
yeah, i had garrett olson flashbacks w/ berken. you can see the guy has some stuff, but just no major league out pitch.
"If they pitch to you, make them pay."
--Diamond Dave to the Phenom
by j.q. higgins on Jan 6, 2010 11:09 PM EST up reply actions
Agree
That one outing isn’t much to go on. Nor was his 2/3s of a season in Baltimore last year.
He was very good for 3 years in one of the best college conferences in the country, he was very good at low A, and solid at AA and AAA. I still hold out hope that he can be a useful pitcher at some point.
Yeah
I’d be interested to see what adjustments he can make in 2010 at whichever level he ends up at, and certainly his good performance in 2008 means he should at least have some use to the Orioles…but for whatever reason that good performance didn’t translate at all in 2009. He’ll be a guy to keep an eye on in the future, even though I hope it isn’t because he’s a starter for the Orioles.
"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"
DH would be fantastic in short relief
I saw a stat of his, BAA each time throught the order, after the first time it was signicantly higher. He’d be a wicked set-up man.
Don't give up, don't ever give up. - Jim Valvano
by BaltimoreSportsFan on Jan 6, 2010 5:28 PM EST up reply actions
It may have been covered elsewhere
But did anyone see that Troy Glaus signed with the Braves? For pretty much peanuts (relatively)? His base is $1.75M, with incentives he could be up to $4M.
I realize he was injured pretty much all of last year, but his upside has to be way beyond Atkins, who we’ll be paying $4.5-5M for one year if we don’t excercise his option (over $13M for 2 years if we do excercise it, which we won’t). If he’s healthy, he’ll be an incredible bargain. If he’s hurt, than he’s a small $2M gamble.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:06 PM EST reply actions
I read
can’t remember where or if it was fact or speculation, but I read that it’s possible Glaus’ shoulder is so jacked up that he’ll be relegated to 1B only.
also
I’m not sure Glaus’ upside is “way beyond” Atkins’ upside. Glaus is turning 34 and hasn’t had an OPS over 900 since 2004. Atkins just turned 30 and had a .966 OPS in 2006.
He did that 1 time, in Colorado. And he’s been over 800 just one other year. And his stats have declined dramatically each of the last 3 years.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:23 PM EST up reply actions
Well he's only got 5 years in the majors.
So yes he’s got two good years of OPS, 2 mediocre at best years, and 1 horrible year. But he’s 4 years younger and NOT coming off a very serious injury. Seems pretty reasonable that he’d be more expensive.
If he were 34 or 35 I’d worry about his decline over the last 3 years. Since he should be right in his prime it seems like he’s got at least as good a chance as Glaus to OPS 850 and he is healthy.
Actually
I wouldn’t have been opposed to signing both Atkins and Glaus and having Glaus play 1st (or seeing if he can health wise).
Agreed
I’m not terribly against sigining Atkins, it wasn’t a huge investment and we can get out if it after a year. But I really think there is only a small chance he’ll prove to be useful at all; and most likely will only be filling a whole until Bell arrives.
But, between spending $5M on Atkins and $2M on Glaus, I would have easilly gone with Glaus.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:35 PM EST up reply actions
Isn’t it 4 M on Atkins?
I think the big thing is that Atkins can definitely play 3B this year which is what we needed. Glaus cannot.
It’s $4.5M, then there is a $8.5M option for the second year. It’ll cost us $500K to buy out of it. I can’t imagine us excercising that option, so that’s $5M for the one year (and a possible $500K in incentives).
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:38 PM EST up reply actions
But
I’ve always sort of thought the goal was to get half a season out of him and then trade him. If he does reasonably well but Bell is ready mid-season I would assume we would trade him for whatever we could get.
Sure
If we trade him, then we wouldn’t pay part of his salary, but obviously you can’t count on that. I was just going by what his contract is.
Also, I don’t know how we know that is really the plan, I’d be surprised if anyone in the FO has said that.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:47 PM EST up reply actions
Of course they haven’t said that. But we’re a rebuilding team and he’s on a 1 year contract – they obviously don’t have long term plans for him.
Then what's his salary???
Isn’t that the point here, we signed him to a $4.5M deal, with a $500K in incentives, a ridiculous option for the second year and a $500K buyout.
If someone asked me what he’s going to make this year, I’d say $5M. If you got a better number, then tell me.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 1:05 PM EST up reply actions
huh?
Sure he’ll probably make $5 M this year, but who cares what he makes if we’re only paying half of it?
You asked me “Isn’t it 4 M on Atkins?”, I said no, it’s pretty much $5M.
Maybe there is a huge market for a guy like Atkins at the deadline, I kind of doubt it. Maybe we trade him, maybe we don’t. But you asked me what his salary was, and I gave it to you. I don’t see what the issue is here.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 1:09 PM EST up reply actions
Honestly
I’ll be shocked if Atkins gets anywhere near a 800 OPS in Baltimore. It wouldn’t shock me at all Glaus did that in Atlanta. But obviously this is just my opinion.
Not to split hairs, but Glaus is going into his 33 year old season.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:33 PM EST up reply actions
Well, yeah
But he’s going into his 33 year old season. It’s a small point either way.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:40 PM EST up reply actions
MUCH rather have Glaus over Atkins.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
You'd
“MUCH” rather have Glaus, who may not be able to play 3B at all, as our 3B? That’s the thing I don’t get. We needed a 3B so we signed one. Why sign a guy to play 3B who may not be able to play 3B?
No, as our first 1B. It’s not entirely clear Atkins is our 3B (see quote below). He was signed as a corner IF. As far as corner IFers go, I prefer Glaus.
When asked if Garrett Atkins, the Orioles infielder signed last month after he was non-tendered by the Colorado Rockies, would play first or third base, MacPhail reverted to his usual guarded tone.
"That remains to be seen. We have Atkins and we have Ty Wigginton. He can play third, I think. We also have internal options, and we are keeping an eye on the market in the event that an opportunity that appeals to us becomes apparent."
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Eh I think he'll move around if Bell comes up
but he’s 100% going to be our 3B on opening day, is he not? You could not say that with Glaus.
I don't think that Atkins bat will look good at first
At this point, I’m not even sure if any of the Orioles’ options are better than Brandon Snyder.
"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"
Also
I may be in the minority with this, but all the bat options for 1st seem kind of shitty, so unless Snyder is ready I’d almost prefer to see if Aubrey can approach what he did at the end of the season. At least with him you know you’re going to be getting good defense, and with our young rotation that seems like a good thing. And at least he doesn’t cost anything. I guess LaRoche can pick it pretty good right? He doesn’t seem worth that kind of money though…
In the short term, I’ll take Scott Moore at 1B over Synder. ZiPS has Synder hitting 72 OPS+ in 132 G. Moore is projected to hit 90 OPS+ over 84 games. Not a huge difference once you factor in games played, but at least Moore has looked semi-competent at AAA.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
would you prefer both of those guys over Aubrey?
I don’t really know much about Snyder or Moore…can they play D? If they’re going to suck at hitting it seems like they should at least play D.
I'm not positive
but I think most projection systems have the hardest time with rookies and other young players, so I’m not sure how much faith I’d put into those numbers.
"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"
true… not sure what your point is… I never said glaus could play third. If we’re looking to pick up corner IF, I just said I prefer Glaus.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Ok. I thought you guys were saying you prefered Glaus at 3B. I thought it was really clear (despite that vague quote from AM) that Atkins was signed to play 3B, so I don’t view him and Glaus as a good apples to apples comparison.
He’s probably our 3B but Andy is being vague because he’s looking for other options.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
It wouldn't shock me if Wigginton ended up there either
His defense blows, but his bat is probably better than Atkins.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 1:11 PM EST up reply actions
and put Atkins at first? Or somebody else at 1st? That would surprise me. Why sign a guy (for 4-5 M as you said) if they’re not going to play him? And if you’re going to have Atkins’ bat in the lineup, why not have him play 3B where he’s got a better glove than Wiggy?
Because I’m not convinced we’ll end up having his bat in the lineup. The guy’s stats have been in freefall.
If we don’t sign someone else to play 1B (which we need to), Pie in LF, Luke at 1B/DH, and Reimold 1B/DH.
If Atkins shows that he still can’t hit, he could end up getting the Felix Pie treatment.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 1:19 PM EST up reply actions
So do you think his 2 good years were just total flukes? That he’ll never be good again? Aren’t the odds just as good that his last 2 years were flukes?
Unless it’s not a fluke, but rather a pattern. Seeing that he’s declined 3 straight years I think the odds of it being a pattern are far greater than the last 2 years just being a fluke.
If you swap 2008 and 2009 with 2006 and 2007; would you really not have more confidence in the guy?
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 1:29 PM EST up reply actions
Of course I would have more confidence
but it just doesn’t make sense that somebody goes into career-ending decline at age 26.
Most players don't
But some do. And the fact that he’s declined dramatically 3 straight years gives a strong indication that he could be one of those that does fall apart early for whatever reason.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 1:32 PM EST up reply actions
I am too
Just not confident.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 1:52 PM EST up reply actions
Even if that's true
If he can return to the way he hit before his injury (which is obviously a gamble), a 1B who puts up better than a 120 OPS+ just about every year should be worth more than $2M.
It just seems like a low risk, high reward gamble to me.
"Hey Yankees... you can take your apology and your trophy and shove 'em straight up your ass!" --Tanner Boyle
by BirdFanInPhilly on Jan 6, 2010 12:22 PM EST up reply actions
Read the same thing
He’s like Jeff Bagwell now. I guess Glaus can only toss the ball but that’s it.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
MLB trade rumors posted an Excel spreadsheet listing all of the trades conducted by the O’s since 1985. Pretty neat.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
It's all of Andy Macphail's trades in his career
not all the O’s trades, but it is cool none the less.
Dawson gets into the HOF
I guess that means Alomar didn’t make it?
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
yup. Dawson in, Blyleven and ALomar fall just short.
Link (SI)
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Dawson received 77.9 percent of the vote, just above the 75 percent needed for enshrinement. Bert Blyleven got 74.2 percent, missing election by just five votes. Roberto Alomar, widely expected to be a shoo-in, finished third with 73.7 percent. Jack Morris and Barry Larkin were the only other players to top 50 percent.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
Do you doubt the potential for assholia
contained within the ranks of the BBWAA?
"Might as well just win this game." - Adam Jones, 4/17/2008
Adam Jones is the tits.
by KenDixonFanClub on Jan 6, 2010 2:45 PM EST up reply actions
Yeah I suspect there's a bunch of those
in the voter pool. Those jackasses who don’t think anybody should be voted in on the first ballot seem like prime examples.
Yep
some tool on espn.com that has a vote was using the “no one but the most elite should be voted in on the 1st ballot” argument. If everyone followed your reasoning, that’d mean either you’d be in on the 1st ballot or you’d never be in (as the player obviously wouldn’t get the %5 they need to stay on the ballot). Great reasoning, buddy.
Apparently not.
Just Dawson
From the graphics I briefly saw on mlb.com, Blyleven missed by 5 votes (preposterous that he isn’t in) and Alomar wasn’t far behind, somewhere around 72% of the vote. Silliness and nonsense.
"Might as well just win this game." - Adam Jones, 4/17/2008
Adam Jones is the tits.
by KenDixonFanClub on Jan 6, 2010 2:10 PM EST up reply actions
Oh those wacky baseball sportswriters!
From today’s live chat with Jeff Zriebec
12:17
[Comment From Roch Kubatko]
Hey Jeff. Long-time reader, first-time caller. Will you be sharing a bathroom with Schmuck in spring training? And have you already started making plans to hide your food? Oh yeah, and why didn’t the Orioles sign Teixeira last winter?
12:19
Jeff Zrebiec: You’re the best Roch. While I haven’t seen our arrangements in Sarasota yet, I’ve been assured that I will not have to room with Schmuck, so I won’t have to contend with any dirty towels or half-filled Dr. Pepper cans. I also look forward to him making fridge runs at 2 in the morning for something to ease his stomach.
You guyz so craaaaaazy!
Of other interest from same chat:
12:27
[Comment From VANCE LEE]
How do the O’s feel about Mike Aubrey getting a legitimate try at first base. Everyone seems to dismiss his chances categorically. He played a little for the Indians and has a good swing . Injuries nagged him in Cleveland.
12:30
Jeff Zrebiec: As of now, Aubrey is set to get a legitimate chance at the 1B job. For one, they love his defense and he did show some things offensively late last year. The problem is most scouts and execs don’t project his numbers to be good enough for an everyday 1B, especially in the AL East. However, you are right, he has struggled with injuries and he wouldn’t be the first guy to figure it out a little later in his career.
12:39
[Comment From Jim Carter]
Jeff….what about Hank Blalock? He plays first and third. No seems to ever mention him. What’s the story?
12:39
Jeff Zrebiec:
He’s in the mix. He’s been mentioned several times by me as well as other reporters. The Orioles have done their homework on him and he’s definitely on their list.
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
I like Zriebec enough as a writer, I guess
but his chat today left me scratching my head. First he says the Orioles want Atkins to play first. Then he says they like what they saw from Aubrey and want him to get more opportunity at first. Then he mentions they’re looking at Blalock, who could play either position. And he didn’t even mention Snyder, Hughes, or Delgado.
I mean, I get that he’s just basically saying “the Orioles have a lot of options”, but it just struck me as wildly inconsistent.
"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars ... and you. What else you need to know?"
Yeah, it was pretty confusing.
He also name-dropped Joe Crede, who seemed to me like a good target before they signed Atkins. (I like glove guys to begin with, they’re good for the young pitchers, and all that.)
I think the Orioles will add another corner infielder in the next couple of weeks. I still think they’ll make 2 or 3 more free agent signings, along with maybe one or two more minor league ones. As for the identity of the corner infielder, it could be any one of a number of a guys. My guess would be Joe Crede simply because the Orioles would prefer using Atkins at first and Crede is one of the few 3B still available
But as you say, if they’re looking for Atkins to play 1B, then I’m really confused. We’d have:
- Atkins: Can’t see him being on the bench much.
- Wigginton: At least at first, he doesn’t scare me defensively.
- Aubrey: Like his glove, and I’m glad Zrebiec says they want to see him play more.
- Hughes: Might just be AAA fodder, but who knows?
- Scott: Still don’t know why they decided “the experiment is over.”
- Snyder: Probably safe to assume we’ll see him at some point this year, and probably needs to play every day once he’s called up.
That’s a lot of guys to potentially play first. I don’t know how they’re going to evaluate them all. Granted, we don’t need to evaluate Wiggy or Atkins, but I would think since they bothered to sign him, Atkins is going to be in the lineup regularly. I’m starting to think they should’ve gotten a dedicated glove guy at 3B like Feliz or Crede and left room to cycle the various guys that need at-bats through 1B and DH.
Weaver's Fourth Law: Your most precious possessions on offense are your twenty-seven outs.
Sample Lineup... what's behind the Pié hype?
2B Brian Roberts
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
1B Adam Laroche (?)
DH Luke Scott
C Matt Wieters
LF Nolan Reimold
3B Garrett Atkins
SS Cesar Izturis
I know some of you guys follow Adam Jones on Twitter
My friend (TalllGuy) was the 1000th person to follow AJ on twitter. For reaching that milestone, this was my friends reward:
I was going to follow Adam Jones but then I remember Stacey said something like, “I love Adam Jones but after following him on Twitter, I have to remember he’s a jock.” Thanks Stacey, I could have been the 1000th follower.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
ahahah sorry
But some of the things he says are kind of annoying. More that he’s a 23 year old than a jock, really. He says things like “hella bick” which is some slang I guess for cool. He makes me feel 100 years old. Sometimes I copy and paste his more ridiculously worded tweets to a friend of mine and he’s like, “Can you please stop trying to make me hate Adam Jones?”
OMG, that's awesome. Adam Jones is so the man.
Vizzini: Let me put it this way. Have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?
Man in Black: Yes.
Vizzini: Morons.
Mayor Dixon resigns
"I doubt he could reach [second base]...mostly cuz his fucking arm was in Aybar's nuts." – twistedlogic
I've been disappointed in that whole thing
I mean, here’s our one chance to get Baltimore on the map for some crime other than murder. With all the stuff that’s surely going on in the town, the best they could come up with to get headlines was some gift cards? At least if you’re going to get busted for corruption, make it something worth getting nicked for. Go down in the book of Maryland legends like Spiro Agnew and whoever else.
Seriously though, the whole thing was so tawdry. Let’s see… Mayor Dixon (then City Council Prez) goes about soliciting donations of gift cards from developers, who will naturally be bidding on city contracts that she wields no small influence in doling out. No doubt some of them went to legitimate uses. We learned in the trial there was really no formal recordkeeping process for this whole program. I might almost buy it if all the gift cards were for, say, grocery stores. But once you start getting into Best Buy, and these just happened to be the ones that she kept and spent for herself… I mean, come on. How stupid does she think people are?
Cry havoc and unleash the Esskay hot dogs of war! - The Wayward Oriole, Opening Day 2008
by Eat More Esskay on Jan 6, 2010 5:24 PM EST up reply actions
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