With Gilligan...

The Mark Teixeira deal is by far the most important that has actually happened so far, and even if you know who gets you know what to you know where, it'll be the deal that has the most impact on the potential World Series winner.

I straight up hate the Angels. I don't know why. I really respect Mike Scioscia as I feel he's one of the few managers who deserves any substantial credit for his team's success, and I like their starting pitching a lot, and Vladimir Guerrero is cool because he used to be sort of like a comic book character that had weird super powers.

But Vlad Guerrero (.285/.347/.480) is aging rapidly. He needs to DH full-time, honestly -- he's posted a .781 OPS as a right fielder (267 AB) versus a .939 mark as the DH (108 AB) this season. Small sample size, yes, but any fool can see Guerrero is not the physical marvel he used to be. He's big, awkward, and not aging well.

So the Angels, as good as they are, just didn't seem like a real threat to me. Yeah, they can pitch, but who was going to hit for them when the chips were down? Garret Anderson (.735 OPS)? Gary Matthews (.649)? Casey Kotchman (.774 before the trade)?

Teixeira's big bat gives them a genuine masher in the middle of the lineup, a guy that can bust one open. With Teixeira (.283/.390/.512) in the lineup, the Angels probably have to be considered the legit front-runner in the American League. If you can trade a player like Casey Kotchman for a player like Mark Teixeira, you do it every day and twice on Sunday, no matter what. If you don't re-sign Teixeira, then that stinks, but this is a chance to win the World Series. If he leaves at the end of the season, you can find a Kotchman-level guy fairly easily. Not saying they're dime a dozen, but they're not that rare.

...the Skipper, too...

Pudge Rodriguez is a New York Yankee.

I'm going to guess he'll have to change his number.

It's a deal that makes plenty of sense for New York, as accepting someone as bad offensively as Jose Molina in a starting role is just not going to jibe with aspirations of making a playoff run.

Pudge isn't the best player anymore, but he's far better than Molina, who hasn't even cracked a .600 OPS this season. Rodriguez has raised his OBP back up to his career average after that dreadful .294 number he posted in 2007.

Plus, let's face it, all they gave up was Kyle Farnsworth, who will return not-so-triumphantly to the team he once left behind.

The Yankees are very much in the race. Boston is playing like crap, the wild card race is wide open, and through all the ups and downs they have managed to stay in the thick of the AL East. Upgrading Molina with Pudge is a pretty healthy step. Even good Pudge nowadays is no healthy Jorge Posada, but that's not even the question.

Look out, everyone, the stupid Yankees are on the move.

I'm a bit surprised that the Tigers are so willing to make a move like this, though. Their season has been a monumental disappointment, no doubt, but they're only five and a half out in the Central. Brandon Inge will take over as the everyday catcher, and it seems strange after all the spring talk of moving Inge that they've actually gone ahead and made room for him while he hits .227. Well, maybe they were kind of forced into it.

As for Farnsworth, you can count me out of any bullpen that features him and Todd Jones. If those two don't get into a fistfight (which Farnsworth would win handily) I'll be really disappointed.

...the Millionaire, and his Wife...

Will they? Won't they? Will he make them? Won't he?

Will the fans boo? Will they cheer? When nothing happens, will they somehow find it in their gracious hearts to accept and respect this man who must be absolutely f-ing tired of hearing his name bandied about in trade talks every single g-d m-f-ing year?!

There is an old saying about doing something or getting off the pot. The proposed deal makes some amount of sense, I suppose, with Jason Bay headed to Boston and Manny to Florida and Hermida to Pittsburgh and prospects all around, hooray, beer, but I just can't bring myself to actually care about this, because there are so many factors in play.

First of all, they won't trade him. He'll be gone after this season. They will not trade him. They never have before. Secondly, even if they wanted to, we're talking about a Jeff Loria-controlled franchise ADDING a big name instead of letting one go in hopes for the ever-changing future. That's not going to happen. Third, the Pirates are stupid.

Nothing's happening. Avert your gaze, onlooking citizens, and go about your business. Care about the major things that are happening and don't buy into this Boston soap opera bull puckey.

...a Movie Star...

OK, so like I was saying in that quick blurb below this post, I don't get this deal for the White Sox.

Like Rosenthal said, Griffey can't really play center anymore, both OF corners and DH are covered, he's old and not that good (serviceable OBP, some power left, no legs and doesn't hit for average), and this would, I suppose, signify the start of the Paul Konerko: Sunflower Seed Chewer era. Not that Konerko doesn't deserve to be taken out back and Old Yeller'd for his play, but man, what about grinders and grit and blue collar lunch bucketry? Will the White Sox sell out their image??? Maaan??

Griffey is atrociously bad in the field, and we're talking corner outfield duty. Sticking him in center would be suicide. It's not like Swisher's some Gold Glover, but he's a better glove than Griffey, and it's not even close. Dye and Quentin have the other two OF spots locked up, Thome still hits enough, and Konerko is really bad.

It's a shame -- and kind of dumb -- that Griffey never learned first base. He should have five years ago, probably.

To be honest, this seems like another dumb Kenny Williams move designed to grab attention. Should the deal go through, Ozzie Guillen will probably jump for joy until he realizes it's not 1995 anymore.

Just based purely on offense, let's look at it this way: Griffey has a 9.5 VORP this year. Swisher is at 7.3, and then you have Thome (28.3), Quentin (35.4) and Dye (36.2). And THEN you have Konerko, at negative-6.6. So if you kick Konerko to the curb for Griffey, then you do win offensively. And there's always defensive subs late in the ballgame.

What I'd worry about as a Sox fan is nostalgia and hope winning and some sort of Swish/Konerko platoon installed while Griffey bumbles around in center field waiting to hurt himself before things return to where they were.

...and The Rest!

The Astros are assuring Miguel Tejada they won't trade him, which assures me that the Astros have no idea what they're doing. The Red Sox had expressed interest according to the Houston Chronicle, in the event that they traded Manny Ramirez. The Astros also traded for LaTroy Hawkins.

Tim Hudson is going to join John Smoltz on the ATL's season-over DL squadron. Their injured rotation is a lot better than the one they have to use. Mike Hampton's back, though. Oh, wait, nope. I think I just heard him get hurt again.

Rocco Baldelli will be returning to the first-place Rays, which is a nice feel good story, but if he doesn't hit you kind of have to, um, get rid of him, don't you? I'm not hating because I like Rocco and am really glad to see he'll be back on the field, but that team's too good to mess up.

The Marlins might send Mike Jacobs to San Francisco for Bengie Molina.

The deadline isn't until 4pm today, so we'll see what shakes out. The O's have no plans to do anything until August, apparently, and I guess that's OK by me.

8:05 on FOX, y'all. Let's take this stupid, pointless day as a chance to talk a lot of B.S. about players that have no real bearing on our team. Rock and roll, hoochie koo.

	Today's Starting Pitchers	GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	BAA	HR	BB	K	W-L
	Ben Sheets - RH - Brewers	18	123.0	2.85	1.11	.235	13	28	108	10-3
	Cliff Lee - LH - Indians	18	124.2	2.31	1.03	.234	5	20	106	12-2

	National League	AB	AVG	OBP	HR	RBI
1	Hanley Ramirez - SS - Marlins	373	.311	.391	23	45
2	Chase Utley - 2B - Phillies	364	.291	.372	25	69
3	Lance Berkman - 1B - Astros	334	.347	.443	22	73
4	Albert Pujols - DH - Cardinals	286	.350	.466	18	50
5	Chipper Jones - 3B - Braves	298	.376	.472	18	51
6	Matt Holliday - RF - Rockies	309	.337	.421	14	51
7	Ryan Braun - LF - Brewers	377	.286	.324	23	66
8	Kosuke Fukudome - CF - Cubs	326	.279	.383	7	36
9	Geovany Soto - C - Cubs	316	.288	.369	16	56

	American League	AB	AVG	OBP	HR	RBI
1	Ichiro - RF - Mariners	391	.304	.366	3	21
2	Derek Jeter - SS - Yankees	352	.284	.345	5	42
3	Josh Hamilton - CF - Rangers	377	.310	.367	21	95
4	Alex Rodriguez - 3B - Yankees	279	.312	.392	19	53
5	Manny Ramirez - LF - Red Sox	328	.293	.389	18	60
6	Milton Bradley - DH - Rangers	269	.316	.440	19	57
7	Kevin Youkilis - 1B - Red Sox	328	.314	.381	15	63
8	Joe Mauer - C - Twins	301	.322	.418	5	41
9	Dustin Pedroia - 2B - Red Sox	395	.314	.357	9	47

Just for kicks, since I looked over the catchers, here's a look at the VORP numbers for all the O's.

If you're still unfamiliar with what, exactly, VORP is, then here's a quick primer:

Value Over Replacement Player. The number of runs contributed beyond what a replacement-level player at the same position would contribute if given the same percentage of team plate appearances. VORP scores do not consider the quality of a player's defense.

Roberts, Huff and Markakis have unquestionably been the three keys to the team's success offensively. In 2007, these same three players posted VORP numbers of 48.6, 15.8 and 38.4, respectively. Roberts' career-best mark was 62.0 in 2005, and he's on pace to wind up somewhere between that number and what he did last year. Huff is way up over last year -- which he should be, considering he's already hit more homers than he did in all of 2007. Markakis is Markakis.

The big disappointments start with Mora, who has become a complete detriment to the team offensively. It's been a couple years since he was making a real difference, anyway, but this is a new level of crap. He was at 33.5 in 2005, but has put up totals of 8.9 and 13.4 the last two seasons. If he can rebound up to that level it'll be a minor miracle. He's been terrible.

The shortstops have been led by Cintron's nifty 0.8, which is the only positive score of the bunch. Bynum has been a disaster, and Hernandez was every bit as inept at the plate as advertised, really. This is a big step down from Miguel Tejada's disappointing 31.8 in 2007, which was hampered by injuries. PECOTA's seven-year forecast doesn't have Miggi reaching these levels of suck until 2013, but they also never updated it for his adjusted age, so maybe a couple years before that. Tejada, for the record, is currently at 17.1, which makes the trade look fine for us after the age debacle and the fact that Luke Scott is contributing.

Elsewhere, Kevin Millar continues his slow, entertaining plod toward retirement.

And the pitchers:

Jim Johnson wouldn't have been in my top 15 choices to be the Orioles pitching VORP leader on July 5 (the date that this data was updated), but there he is.

Sherrill's 6.8 might seem low, but it's really sort of a testament to how non-elite George has been. He has a lot of saves because we play a lot of close games. He's done a damn fine job as the closer, about as good as you could expect. But he gives up too many big flies and his walk rate isn't exactly inspiring for a closer. There are several closers in the league that are better than Sherrill, and a whole lot of guys around the league that could do the job he's doing with similar results. He's absolutely perfect trade material, with a counting stat that inflates his actual value. I love the guy and he's been a-OK by me, but this is the sort of player that this sort of team really ought to trade.

Guthrie put up a 38.2 last year -- he's on his way to being in that area again. He's a hell of a pitcher. Cabrera might not be exciting anyone of late (save for that last start), but this has been a pretty nice bounce-back year for him all in all. Last year, his VORP was a slimy 2.2.

The bullpen contributions from Johnson, Albers, Sherrill, Sarfate and Cormier have been huge. Poor Steve Trachsel was on his way to an historically awful season before getting cut.

Probably nothing you wouldn't expect, just reaffirmations of the good, bad and Mora.

via www.qualitycards.com

There has been much (very deserved) talk this season about the totally inept players the O's have run out to the shortstop position. Currently, veteran Alex Cintron is occupying the spot, with Trembley and Co. threatening to recall Brandon Fahey from Norfolk, which is just terrible, terrible, terrible news. I assume it has something to do with his positional flexibility, mythical or not.

Fahey will play shortstop, second base, third base, left field, and has volunteered in the past to serve as an emergency catcher, so I suppose that does make him a shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, left fielder, and emergency catcher. And I also suppose if you sent him into a space a few times, that'd make him an astronaut. But other than that, he is no more a major league shortstop, second baseman, third baseman or left fielder than he is an astronaut. (tip of the cap to Bill James and those that spotted the reference, and a virtual high-five of sorts to those that know the former Oriole who was the subject of the original James joke)

For this, we have to ignore defensive ability, and to be perfectly and brutally honest, knowing what we do now about the values of hitting and fielding to the overall outcome of the game (and there is still much to learn, yes), it is rather hard to defend Mark Belanger as a very good player no matter how great his glove was. He had a couple years where he was around league average offensively, but most of the time he was terrible. He was a Gold Glove guy to be sure, but give me a competent fielder that can hit.

Let's take a look at what The Big Three did this year before Cintron thankfully was awarded the job. You can't say he won it, only that everyone else lost the hell out of it.

Not a pretty picture! But despite the fact that the Orioles do have a rich history of shortstops, including two Hall of Famers (Ripken and Aparicio), the truth is that some of the bigger and better names are about to pop up on the next list: all-time crappy Oriole shortstop seasons.

Notes:
1957: Miranda (314 AB) was at 30
1958: Miranda (214 AB) was at 40; Foster Castleman (200 AB) was at 37
1959: Chico Carrasquel (346 AB) was at 64; Billy Klaus (321 AB) was at 86; Miranda (88 AB) came in at 22

Conclusion: Willy (or Willie, depending on the listing) Miranda was f-ing terrible.

Past Ripken and the contemporary Miguel Tejada, the best shortstops in O's history (post-STL Browns) are largely considered to be Belanger, Aparicio and Bordick. All three were glove men who generally carried a weak stick. Aparicio would be ridiculed as a leadoff hitter in today's game -- if there were blogs in Luis' heyday and the same statistical understanding we now have, he'd be Adam Everett. Simply put, if the game were the same then as it is now, Aparicio would never have even sniffed the Hall of Fame. He was not a bad player; he could run and he could field like crazy. But Hall of Fame? No disrespect meant to Mr. Aparicio, but his credentials are fairly shaky.

Belanger was the heir to Aparicio, and was simply a taller, caucasian version most of the time. That and he didn't steal a whole lot of bases. And he had a lot more truly awful seasons at the plate. Bordick had one freaky good year with a 113 OPS+ (2000), which is how we wound up with Melvin Mora. Thanks again, Mike!

Just so this isn't all gloomy (if you choose to take it that way, anyway), here are the ten best offensive seasons by OPS+ in O's shortstop history. It's a pretty exclusive list.

* Ripken played 94 games (813 innings) at SS in 1982, and 71 games (604 innings) at third base

A few things to take with you tonight......

1. Sweeps are Birdland!
2. Alex Cintron WANTS to be Birdland, but he can't quite get the hang of it
3. Nick Markakis Bobble Heads are totally Birdland.
   
4. Watching 80% of Camden Yards flip up their bills when Shutdown Sherrill enters the game? You got it. Birdland.
   
5. The totally loud section in the upper deck that spelled out O-R-I-O-L-E-S countless times most certainly met the criteria to be Birdland.
   
6. My favorite Birdland in Birdland tonight? After Brian made that awesome play to throw out Miggi, he totally gave Miggi the "spotlight" claw that they used to shine on each other as teammates.
   

Tomorrow night former Oriole Miguel Tejada makes his triumphant return to Charm City, his first appearance since being traded to the Astros this past winter. One would think that unlike his former teammate Erik Bedard, Miggi won't be faking any injuries to get out of facing his old team.

Since his departure, Miggi has been through quite a bit. The tragedy of losing his brother in a motorcycle accident, his appearance in the Mitchell Report (and the subsequent federal investigation), and the revelation that he is actually two years older than he'd claimed his entire career.

Despite all that, Miggi has responded well to the change of scenery. He's currently batting an even .300 with 9 HR, 41 RBI, and an OPS+ of 112. It's not surprising, really. Though Miggi's luster had faded a bit by his fourth year in Baltimore, he left us an above average player worn down by years of losing, unfulfilled promises, and clubhouse controversy.

Because of the state of the Baltimore Orioles after the 2007 season, the Tejada trade was marked as a success by pretty much everyone. Everyone knew Miggi had to go for the good of the team as well as for the good of Miguel Tejada. Obviously the long term benefits of the pieces that came back to the Orioles won't be known until we have more than just a few months to evaluate Matt Albers, Dennis Sarfate, Luke Scott, Troy Patton, and Mike Costanzo, especially since what was considered the centerpiece of the trade, Patton, currently sits on the shelf after having season ending shoulder surgery.

The most immediate benefit of the trade is Luke Scott, for he finally put a stop to revolving list of mediocrity in LF.

List of players who spent time in LF for the Orioles in 2007: Jay Gibbons, Kevin Millar, Jay Payton, Jon Knott, Tike Redman, Freddie Bynum, and Brandon Fahey.

In 2006? Jeff Conine, Nick Markakis (he played 24 games in LF in '06 in case you forgot), Luis Matos, David Newhan, Eddie Rogers, Brandon Fahey, Luis Terrero, Jeff Fiorentino, and Fernando Tatis.

2008? It's been just Luke and Jay Payton. Luke, with his sky pointing and his home run hitting and his fighting with LaTroy Hawkins, has easily become my favorite player of the 2008 season. We still have a lot to learn about Luke. Can he sustain his success? Can he hit left handers? But everything I've learned so far makes me happy. In addition to his competence offensively, Luke really enjoys being in Baltimore. It's obvious every time you hear him talk. Every post game interview, every newspaper article, it shines through. Luke is having fun in Baltimore, is thrilled to have an opportunity.

If you've been to Oriole Park this year and sat in left field when Luke is playing, he has probably waved in your direction. He loves hearing the fans call his name and he acknowledges it. Personally, my favorite seats are in left field, have been for years. This year, that area has become something of a Luke Scott fan club. From the guy in the Darth Vader costume to the dozens of people who shout his name when he runs out onto the field, Luke connects with the fans, and I think it's awesome.

I know Luke, at 30, is a little older than the players most of us want to rebuild with, but I think he can continue to be a valuable part of this team. His attitude, his work ethic, and his desire to be here all point in that direction.

It was clear at the end of Miggi's tenure in Baltimore that he no longer wanted to be here, and it's clear that Luke does. So hopefully this is just the beginning for him.

So the Blue Jays straight up told Frank Thomas, "Go to bed, old man!"

Gutsy, I suppose. If you missed the story, Thomas got sat down the other day and refused to shake hands with teammates after they won, then got all, "Let's let the people decide about Frank Thomas!" by going to the press all angry about it.

Unfortunately for Frank, the only people that really matter in whether or not he keeps a job for the moment decided that he doesn't really need to have the one they can supply. So he's out there and available for whatever AL team might want to grab themselves a DH who's a constant injury risk, 39 years old, has more than once exhibited some attitude problems, and, to be totally fair, can still knock the crap out of the ball.

It's not like Frank didn't hit .277/.377/.480 with 26 homers last season. Park-adjusted OPS+ was 125. He VORPed 31.5. Not bad for a 39-year old man who can't actually legitimately run.

J.P. Ricciardi called it "a mutual agreement." You have to wonder if a little part of agreeing to it wasn't Frank Thomas knowing he could get a job somewhere, and it not being in Toronto. I'm not slamming Toronto, but a 40-year old man might not want to really spend most of his year there at this stage of his baseball career.

Dudes that played with him in Chicago think he'll find work. They're right; he will. Let's look at the possibilities.

Yankees: Hey, this could be fun. He did play Tom Selleck's replacement for the Yankees in Mr. Baseball. The only problem is the Yankees need that DH spot for Damon, Matsui, or whichever of the regulars is hurt but not so bad that they hit the DL, so Girardi decides that hitting and running isn't taxing or risking injury or anything. Probably doesn't fit.

Twins: Well...they've hit eight home runs this year, five by Morneau and three by Jason Kubel. Yeah, they could use him.

Mariners: I know the weirdos out there in dead singer/guitarist land just love Jose Vidro, but maybe they could find some room for The Big Hurt. There are exactly two guys in their starting lineup (Betancourt and Lopez) that are under 29 years old, so it's not like Frank is getting in the way of a youth movement. They're trying to Win Now with Richie Sexson, Jose Vidro, Brad Wilkerson, and that bullpen of theirs. Gambling on Frank isn't going to hurt them.

Angels: They're also in Win Now mode, but that'd be a LOT of money to be wasting on Gary Matthews just to have him sitting on the bench. Don't think they can do it.

Beats me where Frank'll wind up, but I'd bet on Seattle or Minnesota if I were a bettin' man. I'm not.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Dan Connolly (On Baseball!) wrote an article over at the Sun that says Miguel Tejada should be remembered in Baltimore more fondly than he is and/or will be.

After being confronted - some might say ambushed - by an ESPN reporter holding a birth certificate, Miguel Tejada admitted to the Houston Astros that he was two years older than he had previously claimed, meaning he turns 34 next month, not 32.

For the life of me, I don't understand why I'm supposed to feel BAD for Tejada in this case. The "some might say ambushed" part irks me. He was confronted with something he'd been lying about for 15 years, and he knew he was lying. And he continued to lie before he knew the facts were being presented. He lied! He was a liar! For 15 years! It's not the most awful thing ever, mind you. I'm certainly not saying that. But he lied!

And ESPN didn't do it "for ratings." Trust me -- no one at ESPN is banking this quarter's success on a Miguel Tejada age story. They did it because sports journalism is their job. Why can't there be "investigative journalism" involved in sports? They found something that was certainly worth looking into and talking about, and they brought it up to Miguel Tejada to his face in front of God and everybody. Tejada reacted poorly. Tejada then "admitted" to the Houston Astros that his age was wrong.

It also will be another example used by Tejada bashers on why he shouldn't be remembered fondly around here.

That's understandable, but it's a shame because Tejada was one of the most talented and gracious players to wear an Orioles uniform in the past 20 years. In four seasons here, he made the All-Star team three times, was the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player once, won an RBI crown, two Silver Sluggers, two Most Valuable Oriole Awards and set the club's single-season hits record.

The losing ate at him, and though he won't admit it, there's no question his energy, hustle and focus slipped in his last two seasons here.

That's what many fans will remember.

Let me tell you how I'll remember Tejada. I am going to remember him for exactly what he was: a very talented player, did a lot of great things on the field, and complained, then backtracked every time someone thought, "Well, that's a shitty way to go about your business, isn't it?"

Frank Thomas just got FIRED by the Toronto Blue Jays for stuff that is somewhat similar to a lot of things Tejada did: going to the press with grievances before talking to anyone on the staff is just not the best way to handle something, I think we can all agree on that.

And when something came back to him, Tejada was always misunderstood, didn't say what they said he said, blah blah blah.

He was a very emotional guy. I don't hold that against him. But when you're perceived -- wrongly so, and it wasn't his fault -- as the savior of a franchise and then they keep losing, it's going to be hard to get away with complaining. It's hard to get away with complaining if you're a winner. Of course, those guys don't complain as much.

One e-mailer wrote last week that he thought Tejada was "just like Albert Belle. He was supposed to walk on water while he was in Baltimore and fell flat on his face."

There's no question Tejada has made poor decisions and gotten some terrible advice, but he's no Belle, one of the surliest men to ever walk on a diamond and one whom many of his teammates avoided.

I have had it with the Albert Belle stuff. On what planet did ALBERT BELLE fall flat on his face? He fell flat on a degenerative hip condition, yes. He killed the ball for the Orioles, the same as he did for everyone else. Miguel Tejada played very well for the Orioles, the same as he did for the A's, the same as he's doing for the Astros.

This idiotic idea that Albert Belle could've done something to prevent a degenerative hip condition boggles my mind. But people remember what they want to remember, and I think this is where Connolly and I would actually agree, although he doesn't do Albert Belle the favor of debunking the ridiculous idea that he was a failure in Baltimore.

People want to remember Belle as a bum who crapped out on his team when it was his body that crapped out on him. Do you remember watching Albert Belle play baseball? 110% -- all the time. ALL THE TIME. He never took a day off unless he had to, he was a tireless worker, and he came to play. But he never much cared for sportswriters, so that's a big strike against him.

Tejada over the last two years, as Connolly notes, played lazy a lot of the time. I'm not ga-ga for hustle, but Tejada was very noticeably dogging it on many occasions. This is something everyone could see.

Yeah, Albert Belle was and probably still is a moody asshole. But if someone remembers him ever letting his teams down with a failure to play hard, then they're fooling themselves. It's probably not the greatest compliment in the world to most people, but Belle was a modern day Ty Cobb, a great player complicated by a frequently unpleasant (in some cases, that's kind) demeanor, which was probably what made him the player he was in the first place. Some guys play angry.

Tejada was not Albert Belle. Albert Belle wasn't even "Albert Belle."

And on the second point, what is the terrible advice Tejada got? "Tell them you're 17, Miguel, not 19"? Frankly, I'd say it was pretty good advice. Look at him, he's a 34-year old millionaire who will make millions more. If he told them he was 19, does he get signed? Maybe not. I've said it before, this is a case where I don't think Tejada is right OR wrong. It's a case that very much is what it is, and that's all it can be.

We're off today. I just wanted to talk about some baseball.

If you haven't heard or read the FanPost to the right or seen it on TV or whatever, Miguel Tejada has been forced to admit he's about to turn 34, not about to turn 32, coming up on May 25. 

I say forced because that's exactly what has happened. Everyone saying Tejada was a big man and went to Astros GM Ed Wade with the information to get a burden off of his chest is full of it. ESPN asked Tejada how old he was. He said 32, referring to his upcoming birthday. They asked when he was born. "Dominican Republic. Bani." That was his reply.

He was presented with his birth certificate from the Dominican government, at which point he became upset, said he didn't want to talk about that "stuff," and left the set.

Then -- and only then -- did he approach Wade with the information, because he knew it was going to get out anyway.

Tejada now has quite a history of PR gaffes and strange personality quirks that make him seem a little bit less than a shining example of a good dude. He was given credit as being a team leader in Oakland, which is a big reason the Orioles signed him to a rich free agent deal, and then when things didn't go so well in Baltimore, he moaned and complained to the press, asked for trades, and then when pressed about it, every time he had miraculously been misunderstood. No, not a trade. He wants to stay in Baltimore. He didn't say TRADE, necessarily. He just wants to win.

It always reeked of B.S., and so does this situation.

Listen, I'm not trying to say Tejada didn't have a good reason for doing this 15 years ago. He was, as he said, a poor kid trying to get signed to play baseball in America. He was advised by a coach at age 19 to say he was 17, and that has been the case for numerous players from the Caribbean. I do not really blame Tejada for lying about his age. And he's had a great career, made a ton of money, and will be set for life, which goes for his family, too, which if you know anything about the Dominican people, you know is a very big deal.

But this isn't the first time Tejada has come off in a bad light. It's probably closer to the tenth. He's under scrutiny still thanks to the Mitchell Report, and as good as he was for the Orioles, it doesn't feel like he's a guy we're going to remember all that fondly, which doesn't even have much to do with the teams. Think about Brian Roberts, for instance, who played on the same teams as Miguel and was also named in the Mitchell Report. Roberts could be traded tomorrow and would be immediately missed. Tejada getting traded felt more like a relief than anything else. Even think back to a guy like Randy Milligan, who could walk out onto the field at Camden Yards at a random game to throw out the first pitch and probably get a big ovation (from all 612 fans in attendance -- very vocal fans, by the way, and kudos to those that have gone to the games for bringing their hearts with them).

It also needs to be said that Andy MacPhail's trade of Miggi looks better by the month. The Mitchell Report, this age thing, the fact that Luke Scott is one of three and a half Orioles that have been hitting at all, and then add in the rest of the players we got back, even bum arm Troy Patton.

I don't want this to seem like I dislike Miguel Tejada. I don't, really, and I actually find him very interesting. He seems to take things really personally, has trouble dealing with heat from fans, management or media, and keeps having his name attached to things that ballplayers would rather not be associated. And then you have the fact that he's a hell of a baseball player.

I wished Miguel Tejada all the best when we traded him, and I think most of us did. It was just something that didn't work out all around, and it was time for everyone concerned to part. I still wish him the best, partially because there's something very vulnerable and human about the guy. He does take things personally, he does get upset, he does speak when he probably shouldn't at times, but that makes him a lot more interesting than most players, too.

I don't think he did an outright bad thing in this case -- maybe he did fundamentally, but fundamentals in a case like this don't give you the whole story or even close to it. But he sure didn't do a good thing, either.

I thought it'd be peachy keen and a whole lot of good ol' fashioned fun to look back on the first two weeks of the 2008 season, so let's do it!

via d.yimg.com

The biggest surprise of the young season isn't the 8-6 Orioles, 8-6 Royals, or 10-4 Cardinals. No, those things happen. Poor teams, or at least teams that aren't expected by many to contend, get off to good starts for one reason or another all the time. Sometimes, they sustain it. Most times, they do not.

The biggest surprise is the 4-10 Detroit Tigers. I'll admit it -- I bought into the hype. While I wasn't overly impressed with their pitching (in particular the awful Dontrelle Willis), that lineup looked scary. I was talking with a friend during their Opening Day game, a loss to the Royals, and we were going on and on about how deadly that lineup really was. They were dangerous 1-through-9, even without Curtis Granderson. Brandon Inge is not a special hitter by any means, but that guy hit 27 homers a couple years ago. And he was hitting ninth that day.

Edgar Renteria went 1-for-5, Placido Polanco went 0-for-6, Miguel Cabrera was 1-for-5...and they lost. And then they kept losing. Only a couple of consecutive wins over the Twins (11-9 and 6-5) have them at 4-10.

All those 1,000 run season predictions are looking awful. And kind of foolish, the more you think about it. Gary Sheffield is 39 years old. 34-year old Magglio Ordonez is coming off of a total career season, and the same probably goes for the 32-year old Placido Polanco. 36-year old Pudge Rodriguez is an offensive zero at this point; not that Jim Leyland has noticed. And Edgar Renteria's only other year in the American League was a flop.

And that pitching staff? Goodness gracious, great balls of fire. Look at the ERA/WHIPs on their starters: Bonderman 4.58/1.64, Verlander 6.52/1.19, Rogers 6.75/1.91, Willis 7.20/2.00, Robertson 7.84/1.84.

They are sporting a 5.95 team ERA right now. Nobody can overcome that, I don't care if they DO score a thousand runs.

I've watched them play plenty. They look awful. They have been outscored 87 to 46. I don't think they can make the playoffs as they're currently built. This is a Titanic team.

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via d.yimg.com

The Chicago White Sox would scare the hell out of me if I were any of the AL big dogs.

Sure, Jim Thome looks like toast so far (.156/.240/.333 in 45 ABs). But a lot of these guys are killing the ball, and as bad as Jose Contreras is (6.17/1.97), they have a pitching staff that could cause trouble. Buehrle, Floyd and Vazquez are a fine front three, especially for a team that could hit like this one just might.

Nick Swisher was Kenny Williams' best move ever, probably. He's absolutely perfect for the Ozzie Guillen White Sox. Not only is he loud, noticeable, energetic and a real go-getter in every facet of the game, but he's also good. He is fast becoming the face of the White Sox. This was a guy that was born to be loved by modern day White Sox fans.

As for Joe Crede, just when you think he's out, he pulls you back in.

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The Arizona Diamondbacks are good. While they made the playoffs in 2007 with a lot of young dudes and a whole truck load of luck, they made the very smart decision to not rest on their laurels. Sure, that team was bound to probably get a little bit legitimately better anyway, but they went out and got Dan Haren (2-0, 2.50/1.00) to add to Brandon Webb (3-0, 2.14/0.86), and now they have Randy Johnson back in the fold. Johnson is older than dirt and still uglier than boiled sin, but what if you get five-to-six innings a night out of him and then save him for the postseason? That could be a deadly front three.

What's more than that, they've got some hitters. Justin Upton is swinging at a .388/.429/.712 clip so far, and Mark Reynolds is crushing the ball (.612 SLG, 5 HR). When you add in Eric Byrnes, Conor Jackson, Stephen Drew and Orlando Hudson, you could be looking at a pretty damn good lineup.

If you ask me, right now, at this moment, they are the best team in baseball.

 

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Quick Thoughts!

• The Chicago Cubs are not going to be a lot better than they were last year. Call it a hunch. Their rotation puts me off. I'd be way behind the Milwaukee Brewers to take that division in a surprising cakewalk, but I still recall the Brewers and Cubs locked in that deathmatch last summer to see who would decide to lose the division first. Kerry Wood -- oh, man. What you could have been.
• The Mariners are not contending for anything. Maybe it's because I watched us -- the ORIOLES, for God's sake -- sweep a four-game series against them, or maybe it's because I know Erik Bedard, and him being on the 15-day DL not only doesn't surprise me, but I have the sneaking suspicion it'll last a lot longer than 15 days. Maybe it's because their lineup lacks plenty. Maybe it's because I read Lookout Landing and those guys seem to have realistic expectations.
• If I were the rest of the AL Central, I reckon I'd keep my eye on the Kansas City Royals. Of the two legitimately midwest teams, they're the surprising above .500 club that I think has the much better shot at staying in that vicinity. Meche and Bannister are bona fide.
• The really notable thing about David Ortiz starting the season on a horrific schneid (.104/.246/.167) is that it makes Manny Ramirez worse, too. With Ortiz struggling so mightily, Ramirez has a 17-to-4 strikeout-to-walk ratio, which is way out of wack for him. He's crushing the ball, to be sure, and JD Drew is helping to pick up the slack, but the Red Sox are no unstoppable force right now.
• On the topic of last year's World Series participants, I hate to say it, but Rockies fans might want to get used to what they're seeing. That team was a miracle.
• The Yankees are run by a loud-mouth moron who recalls the golden age of "Mr." Steinbrenner himself. How long before this jackass gets himself fined or suspended by Major League Baseball? If you were ever thinking that the Red Sox had overtaken the Yankees as baseball's most hateable team, Hank Steinbrenner has come to ensure that no one ever tops the Bronx Bombs.
• Miguel Tejada went from one crappy orange team to another. Hope he's having a blast. Wait until mid-June, when he starts complaining.
• The Pirates are at .500. Thought I'd make note of that now. They're trying to tie a record for consecutive ineptness, going for their 16th straight losing campaign. The record is held by the 1933-48 Philadelphia Phillies. Part of me identifies with modern day Pittsburgh baseball fans, but the majority of me wants to see them tie that record. Go, Pirates, go!
• One thing I have learned about the Oakland Athletics, despite every TV commentator in the land and their smug sense of superiority over the fact that they never won the World Series and appear unlikely to do it any time soon: Never count a Billy Beane team out. Never.
• Cristian Guzman leads the poor Washington Expos in almost everything. Welcome to the new park. Same crummy team.

 

Only counting those that were "contributors" to last year's team.

2007 O's that didn't land anywhere this spring: Adam Stern, Todd Williams, Paul Shuey

Corey Patterson did, but there's not yet a Reds roster photo of that guy, so he doesn't get to be included in this magnificent feature article.

Miguel Tejada, Houston Astros

Miggi has been scorching it this spring: .353/.411/.627 in 18 games with two homers and eight RBI. Only Hunter Pence and Jose Cruz are out-hitting our former shortstop for the 'Stros.

I really wish Tejada nothing but the best, considering his baseball exploits might get worse before they completely calm down. Plus, his lack of hustle never really bothered me. The public whining did on occasion, but I've said this a trillion times. He signed here with the idea that he was THE centerpiece of a big-time attempt to get back into contention. They surrounded him with crap.

Erik Bedard, Seattle Mariners

We've heard about how badly E.B. has struggled this spring, but check the numbers. 18 IP, 9.50 ERA, 30 hits allowed, eight strikeouts, five walks, and seven bombs given up.

So what's Mr. Bay-dar hiding? Is he hurt? Is he just not the same guy? Is he a fluke? A flash in the pan? Does he suck? Did we trade him just in time? Will the Mariners have their own Glenn Davis? Will the Mariners and their fans be beating their heads against the wall for the next two decades thanks to Erik Bedard?

Yeah, probably not. It's spring training. He's not used to pitching in Arizona. Maybe he's had real bad gas all month. Maybe he's constipated. He'll be fine. Though I don't care if he's not. I liked Bedard, but screw 'im, he's with them now.

Jaret Wright, Pittsburgh Pirates

He's pitched in eight games this spring. For eight innings. So he doesn't look like he'll be factoring into the rotation any time soon. Actually, trying to use him in a relief role, where he could dial it up every few days instead of trying to go five or six innings with his bad stuff and worse arm, isn't at all a bad idea.

Well, it's a bad idea because signing Jaret Wright is never really a good one, but if you're going to (and it is the Pirates, our NL counterpart), at least...no, he sucks. He sucked when we sent Britton away for him, he sucked in his handful of appearances last year, and he sucks now.

But I do like that murderous glare he's got going.

Chris Gomez, Pittsburgh Pirates

Sub at short
Sub at third
Need Chris Gomez? Just say the word!
Sub at second
Sub at first
Chris Gomez! It could be worse

From the O's to the ALCS-bound Indians and now to the Pirates. Good grief, some men love baseball. He's slapping the ball around at a .324/.390/.405 clip this spring. He's aging remarkably well for a utility infielder.

John Parrish, Toronto Blue Jays

Proof positive of the face upgrade that can come with just that little bit of facial hair that the Orioles think is so awful. Parrish now looks positively like a regular guy, instead of a porn star in 1983 that hasn't gotten over 1978.

Unfortunately for him, he still can't pitch, with a 7.36 ERA this spring. Parrish is one of the most frustrating SOBs I've ever seen, because he has the stuff to do some business out there as a reliever. But he's always picking at corners he can't hit, trying to be Tom Glavine.

J.R. House, Houston Astros

Dr. House has only gotten to the plate 17 times this spring, hitting .176 with a homer. He's not a major league player. He can't field his position, and his growth as a hitter was irrevocably stunted when he kept getting hurt and then tried to play major college football as a quarterback, like those schools don't recruit quarterbacks. There aren't many Chris Weinkes, but I suppose J.R. has time to try again if he wants to, since Weinke was close to AARP membership when he won the Heisman.

Everyone still in love with the idea of House has to give up the ghost pretty soon. He may have been a good prospect at one point, but that was almost a decade and way too many twists and turns ago. Forget it.

Victor Zambrano, Colorado Rockies

From the makers of Donald Trump for President and New Coke comes Victor Zambrano: Colorado Rockie!

I thought maybe Zambrano was the worst ex-Oriole still pitching in anything resembling the major leagues, but then I found out Jim Brower is at Reds camp with Patterson and Hairston, so it became a real race.

Zambrano has a 9.00 ERA and a 1-to-4 BB-to-K ratio in his five innings for the defending NL champs. He's about as likely to make the team as I am.

Paul Bako, Cincinnati Reds and Alberto Castillo, Houston Astros

If you have a buddy or relative or wife or husband or whatever that is a fan of another team, and they ever have a 1-2 catching punch so bad it makes them complain out loud in front of God and everybody, remind them of the time in 2007 when your team was starting Paul Bako and subbing in Alberto Castillo when Base Knock needed a day off.

Bako spurned the Pirates for the Reds, not that he had any real shot of making either team. This after he put up a season no different than any of his others, which followed a season in Kansas City that was just as terrible. And the Orioles gave this guy a guaranteed $900,000 contract last year, his highest salary -- by far -- ever. So here's another thing to remember: Never curse Andy MacPhail. When he went searching for your run-of-the-mill backup squatter, he came up with Guillermo Quiroz out of the super bargain bin and not a proven bum and former Maddux caddy.

Jon Knott, Minnesota Twins

Knott's in Twins camp with another eternal minor leaguer on the very fringe of a big league bench spot, the one and only Howie Clark. Two guys that I really root for to have a Tike Redman 2007 sort of season at some point.

Knott is slugging over .500 for Minnesota this spring, but that's also all he's doing. At 29, Jon is well used to awesome springs in the sun and then that inevitable call to the skipper's office to explain the red tag. Don't cry for the big guy. It's Knott over yet.

...

Gustavo Molina, New York Mets

He was barely an Oriole, and he's barely a Met.

He's got his uses as a backup catcher that can hit lefties a little bit, plus he has that last name which all but guarantees you years of service in the fool's gear in and around Major League Baseball, but anyone that caught for the O's in '07 was no damn good, so that means Molina is destined to stink forever.

There have been a lot of guys who have made very lengthy backup catching careers out of odd talents, like being good conversationalists in the dugout, dynamite pinochle players, or just all-around nice dudes, so I hope for Gus' sake he's got some of that extracurricular stuff down.

Rob Bell, Washington Expos

Everyone that yammered about wanting to see what Rob Bell could do got the answer that anyone would who'd seen what Rob Bell could do in previous major league stints knew would come. Rob Bell can't do nothin'.

He's pitched 6 2/3 innings for the Expos this spring, with an ERA juuust over eight. Same old story, same old song and dance. He's 31 years old. Game over, man.

In short, there are a billion and a half guys just as useful as Rob Bell to have around that aren't as old or as proven as him. It's possible to be proven in a bad way, too. And Rob Bell has done it.

Kurt Birkins, Tampa Bay Devil Rays

If they didn't want their team nickname to offend those that have just utter contempt for the dark lord, or whatever their stupid reason was to take "Devil" out of the name, then that's great. But signing Kurt Birkins is an affront to all mankind, isn't it?

Like all other ex-O's hurlers, he's stunk this spring. You could say he's made fans hurl. Birkins is assumedly hired to get lefties out, which has proven to be somewhat tough for him to do, but at least he's not going to be brought into pivotal ponts of games to face righties in Tampa Bay. Or is he? Can someone Sam Perlozzo their bullpen if they aren't indeed Sam Perlozzo? 

Victor Santos and Scott Williamson, San Francisco Giants

The other of the two late-season Victors that were pound-for-pound crappier than the two Jays, Santos has landed on his feet in the city by the bay, home of the roided up homer king and the Real World season that featured real world douchebag "Puck"! Not to mention the cartoonist that brought hate crimes into the world of the Green Lantern!

And he has an ERA over eight this spring, too.

Since the Giants are going to be as awful as anyone this year and have a team with a few good-looking young players and a bunch of retreads and chumps, they have one of those terribly transparent, pandering and pathetic slogans for the 2008 season. Theirs is, "All out, all season!" Williamson can't even go all out for four pitches, so I don't think he'll fit in. Or, unfortunately, he might.

The only thing I'm terribly interested in regarding the Giants this year is how long the rotting corpses of Ray Durham and Omar Vizquel can man the middle infield.

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