Camden Chat: FanPosts

Earl Weaver--Sports Illustrated

2009-07-09T22:22:31Z

In the latest Sports Illustrated there was a really enjoyable "Where are they now?" feature on Earl. Roch talks about it here. Basically the article talks about how innovative he was as a manager. It mentions how he was a proponent of OBP well before even the earliest Moneyball theory began being developed. It also talks about how vehemently he opposed practices such as the hit-and-run and the sacrifice bunt. Meanwhile, the article sprinkles in great quotes from the Earl of Baltimore.

Some memorable quotes from the piece below the jump:

"I never had a hit-and-run. No sign," Weaver says. "Here's the deal. I hear it on the radio and Joe Morgan, for crissakes. Get a guy on first. He walked. The pitcher is 2 and 0 on the next batter. 'Perfect time for a hit-and-run,' the announcer says. If the pitcher could throw a strike, don't you think he would have thrown it to the guy on first?"

Weaver: [To his team at a closed-door meeting] You guys don't want to win bad enough! I never failed to get a guy in from third base with less than two outs!
Pitcher Dave McNally: Yeah, and you never played higher than Double A.

Weaver: And another thing, if you don't make the last out of the game, you never lose! I never made the last out.

[Pitcher Jim Palmer raises his hand.]

Weaver: What?

Palmer: We all know why you never made the last out, Earl.

Weaver: Why?

Palmer: Because they always pinch-hit for you.

Weaver: Aw, you ruined the mood, Palmer!

On the field in fromt of him, the Orioles throw out a runner at first base by a step. Weaver smiles at the perfection of the mundane. "Doubleday made those bases, home to first, just the right distance," Weaver says. "They're all out by a step."

And finally, while watching Adam Eaton pitch in Spring Training:

Whack! "Mix in a wild pitch or something!"

This was a draft I had after last Wed day game- enjoy it since there is no game today.....I tried and tried but....

2009-07-09T20:47:56Z

I couldn't take anymore crap! I Just got home from the game and I am mad!!!!!! Not so much at the O's but those damn Sox fan's!!!!!!!!!!!! I had a pretty good day until the bottom of the ninth, I had 4 Sox fans in front of me, PLUS ALL AROUND ME, but those guys in front of me talked some darn good baseball, no crap talking, just the game itself. So anyway back to what i was saying, bottom of the ninth..... Nolo was up and someone around me says "who the F*** is this bum!" I turned around and said probably rookie of the year and that erupted some fury!!!!! Guy behind me says LEAVE this is SOX NATION..... Excuse me this birdland. Of course I didn't leave, I stayed to the end like any O's fan would. Before the game was over I heard, your attendence sucks, if your team was good there wouldn't be any empty seats! I am done with this crap, is it ridiculous. We are rebuilding and I don't need to justify to any other team what we will be(it is coming O's fans). And to all of you "so called Sox fans" stay out of our Yard if you can't show some respect!!!!!! It is so disgusting to me, like I said before.....Thank you CAMDEN YARDS for letting me keep my first born and letting her be able to enjoy the O's since birth!!!!! Also BIG UP'S to Brad Bergensen, What a game baby! O yeah Nolo when you get ROY I will personally find those SOX FANS and take care of business!!!!!!!!!!!

What a bummer

2009-07-09T12:09:39Z

So I'm going to Boston this weekend to see the Red Sox vs the Royals. We're going to the Sunday game, and I was just wondering if I might possibly get to see Zack Greinke and thus perhaps a Royals win. I went to the probable pitchers page and see....

Thursday: Luke Hochevar vs. Brad Penny (so far so good)

Friday: Brian Bannister vs. Jon Lester (still have a chance)

Saturday: Gil Meche vs. John Smoltz (all right! I will probably get to see Greinke!)

Sunday: Bruce Chen vs. Josh Beckett (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!)

I guess if I was paying any attention to the Royals I'd know that Greinke pitched last night, but still, what a letdown. And I mean seriously, Bruce Chen? Of all the pitchers!

Here's My Recap. I took the time to write it and you're going to read it!!

2009-07-09T02:17:19Z

(I know duck already wrote one, but it took me like a half hour and I'm too selfish to just delete it)

Orioles 5, Mariners 3: Jose Lopez Giveth, and Jose Lopez taketh away.

Most of the action today centered around Jose Lopez, both good and bad. In the bottom of the first his two run HR put the Mariners on top, where they'd stay until the top of the 9th inning. He also doubled in the bottom of the 8th inning and scored on Oscar Salazar's error, thus having a hand in all three Mariner runs that looked like they'd be enough to shut down the Orioles once again.

Happily for the Orioles and their fans, Jose Lopez wasn't done mixing things up when the O's came to bat in the top of the 9th. The offense had been stymied by Jason Vargas and his merry band of relievers, managing just four hits and zero runs going into the 9th inning. It looked as though David Hernandez's solid start would be wasted. Hernandez pitched 6 innings, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs while walking 2 and striking out 3. His start wasn't particularly efficient as he never had a 1-2-3 inning, but he was certainly effective. I'm still waiting to see the strike out artist that Hernandez was in the minors, but for now I'm happy enough with him.

I personally missed most of this game as I was having dinner with my grandfather for his 86th birthday, but as we finished up I flipped on the TV to see David Aardsma warming up and the Mariners with a 3-0 lead. Granddad and I looked at each other, shaking our heads at the Orioles ineptness, and sat down to watch the top of the 9th.

As it turns out, it was the perfect time to tune in. Melvin Mora doubled and my brother-in-law and I mockingly revered Melvin's power. Gregg Zaun walked and we made fun of Aardsma for being scared of the Mighty ZAUN. Oscar Salazar singled to left field, and suddenly we weren't laughing anymore. We were looking at each other thinking that the O's had a chance. When Adam Jones "singled" to third base we started shouting at the TV. Sure, it was tough play, but it could have been made. I crowed that Melvin would have had it as the man himself scored the O's first run. It was then that Jose Lopez decided to get in on the action. Markakis hit a high chopper to 2nd base. It wouldn't have been a double play unless Markakis fell down on his way to first, but in his haste to get it to 2nd, Lopez dropped the ball! We started laughing again and thanked Jose. All runners were safe as Zaun scored.

Next up was Ty Wigginton. Not wasting any time, Wiggy singled up the middle to score Adam Jones and Felix Pie and give the O's the lead. The living room erupted in cheers (ok, so most of them were mine). But it's fun watching winning baseball with other people, isn't it? The mustachioed Aubrey Huff grounded into a fielder's choice. As our good friend Jose Lopez took the throw at 2nd he was completely upended by Wigginton. Getting slid into that hard by a man with Wiggy's girth is no joke. Good job Wiggy!

Just to remind us that it was the Orioles batting in the 9th inning and not some other, more competent team, Aubrey Huff got picked off of first for the 2nd out. With two outs and Markakis on third base, the under the weather Brian Roberts stepped up to the plate. Now, I know it's a baseball game and not a beauty contest, but Brian did not look good. I suppose the paleness was due to his illness, as well as what appeared to be some sort of gross cold sore in the corner of his mouth. But to top it off, little Brian is also growing a mustache! Don't do it, Brian! Yuck.

Brian had a pretty good at bat, but ultimately grounded out to 2nd base where Jose Lopez made his 2nd error of the inning. The ball hit the dirt and skipped away from Russell Branyan as Markakis crossed home plate and sicky Brian Roberts was safe. Luke Scott wasn't ready to end the inning, singling to center field, but Melvin Mora was tired and ready to go home, so he grounded out to end the inning. Don't get too mad at him, though, since it was his double that started the rally.

With the two run lead, George Sherrill came in and did his thing. He allowed Ichiro to reach base, but who doesn't? With two outs the Mariners bizarrely sent Ken Griffey Jr. in to pinch hit. Not that Chris Woodward is a great hitter, but Sherrill eats lefties as a snack and this is 2009, not 1997. Griffey grounded out to end the game and the O's improbable win was complete.

Brian Bass got the win in relief, David Aarsdma took the loss, and George Sherrill earned his 19th save of the year. I hope the O's sent Jose Lopez a nice gift for his contribution to their win.

Who Would YOU Trade??

2009-07-08T21:17:08Z

With the trade deadline approaching, I am getting the feeling that the Orioles need to make a trade. Now I know there have been rumors about the Orioles trying to ship Pie, Salazar and Sherrill but I think they still need to make a blockbuster trade for a position player. Andy McPhail's philosophy has always been, "Build the arms, buy the bats," and I could not agree more. The Orioles have an array of young pitching talent who are close to becoming MLB regulars, not just pieces of the Orioles future. So even though we have a boatload of young piching talent, we are lacking in young star position players. But in order to acquire these young talented bats, we need to trade away some of the players on our team that don't have a significant role in our future, as the Orioles try to build a winner. Players in my oinion like Aubrey Huff, George Sherrill, Luke Scott, Melvin Mora and Ty Wigginton.

Now I know some of you readers are thinking I'm crazy and should sign off the Internet forever but I'm not saying we have to trade all of these players. The Orioles demonstrated that they want to ditch some of their older non-important huge pricetag players in the past. In the last few years they cleared millions of dollars in cap by parting ways with Ramon Hernandez, Jay Payton, Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard. To me this meant the Orioles were headed in the right direction. All these players were not going to benfit the Orioles in the long run. And so far, the trading these players has completly changed the dynamic of the Orioles organization. With all the young players being thrown into the organization has undoubtably put the O's on the path to success. Now here are my reasons for trading the players on the current Orioles that I mentioned earlier.

Aubrey Huff- His stock is rising and a condender could use him right now instead of him waiting about two more years until the Orioles are really good. I think if the Orioles should trade anyone this year, it should be Huff. Plus, Brandon Snyder is waiting to replace him.

George Sherrill- Any contender could use a good closer. And with talks about converting Jim Johnson to closer, a deal would be beneficial to the club. But if the Orioles weren't to trade Mr. Flat Brim I would still be fine with him bering on the team.

Luke Scott- Let's face it, he is 31 and that bat isn't gonna be belting homeruns forever. With young outfileders in the organiztion like Felix Pie who needs to play everyday to develop into a great player and Xavier Avery who has unbelievable potentional, trade LUUUUKE might be good for the team. Keeping him for the time being would be fine but when those younger players develop some more, it might be time to let him go.

Melvin Mora- He can't hit anymore and Wigginton is a better fit. He just should not be here anymore.

Ty Wigginton- If the Orioles decide to keep Aubrey Huff, trade Wigginton because he won't be put to use. If Huff leaves he will recieve more playing time.

So, what do you think?

Poll

Which Oriole should be traded this season?

The other shoe drops on Yankees' & Mets' new stadiums.

2009-07-08T19:01:36Z

The bubble is bursting. Try to contain your Schadenfreude.

The NY Times Bats Blog reports that season-ticket subscriptions for the Yankees and Mets are likely to take a significant drop next season, as the "new stadium" allure wears off, and season ticket holders adjust to the fact that the secondary market isn't what it used to be.

Turns out a lot of entrepreneurs in the past bought season tickets and made a tidy profit on resale. That's not really news (it happens everywhere), but it creates an unreliable impression of the true durability of a team's fanbase. These people were setting up small businesses for themselves. It worked well for years, but this year it's not, because the Yankees & Mets jacked up all of their prices in their new stadiums. Oh, and there was this thing called a recession.

"In the past, the tickets were easier to resell," said Donne, who last year paid $120 each for seats and had no trouble reselling them for twice as much. "The Yankees totally overpriced them. When you go on StubHub, there are seats all throughout the stadium."

Michael Bahn is in the same position as Donne, only his ticket prices at Yankee Stadium increased to $75 each, from $45 last year.

"Last year, it was the last year of the stadium, a good economy, I did pretty well," Bahn said. "So I figured, I did pretty well last year, it’s the first season of the stadium, the economy wasn’t terrible and the team looks better, let’s see what happens."

Now Bahn said he would be lucky to break even, largely because of the profit he made selling his opening day tickets.

So now these folks who turned a profit in the past are suddenly having a hard time even getting face value for their tickets. They're basically losing their shirts. And they're not going to buy next year. (See some of their comments here).

The problem for the teams is, they financed the new ballparks themselves, largely using bonds that demand they keep season ticket subscriptions at a certain level:

To be sure, the bonds issued to pay for Citi Field are backed partly by revenue from luxurysuites and premium seats. Because the companies and individuals who buy them sign multiyear contracts, the Mets are in no imminent danger of failing to meet their obligations to bondholders.

But if the team goes into a swoon that lasts several years, the situation could change, said Kurt Krummenacker, a vice president at Moody's Investors Service, which rates the bonds issued to pay for the stadium at Baa3, the lowest investment grade.

"We only have one year of revenue to work off of, and that’s benefited from the bump of the new stadium and the new-car feel," he said. "But what happens next year is an open question."

The problem is a little better at Yankee stadium, but not much:

Revenue from premium seats accounts for about 40 percent of the money pledged to paying debt service, the report said.

“The share of projected revenues that is dependent on luxury suites could be a credit weakness in the current economic environment,” the report said. “However, Moody’s understands that only seven of the suites that were available are unsold as of June 2009.”

The stadium has a total of 47 luxury suites.

So, 15% of their suites are completely empty this year. If that number grows significantly next year (which seems very possible), more and more of the opayroll will have to be diverted.

How bad is it? This year's subway series didn't even sell out. And Yankee stadium has actually only had one announced sellout all year (opening day).

So the teams are caught between a rock and a hard place:

Lower ticket prices and you create more demand for tickets, but give up revenue you were counting on; or
Keep ticket prices where they are, and you can weather the storm for a little while, but eventually it will catch up to you. Fewer and fewer fans will come to each game, and suddenly you're not as relevant to the town as you once were.

Already, there are gripes about how ugly some aspects of the new Yankee Stadium are, and Kevin Millar, who loved playing in the old place, says the new one is kind of a dud: it's too quiet, the corporate fans are too polite. Read the comments of any of the stories I've linked and you'll see that average New Yorkers, many of them die-hard fans, are outraged at the turn events have taken.

But really, should this surprise anyone other than the Steinbrenners? Both teams (but the Yankees in particular) have escalated payroll to newer and newer heights, all with the purpose of "winning now". It's a fine strategy as long as the people keep coming to see you play. But you can't "win now" forever, no matter how many CC Sabathias and Mark Teixierias you buy. Once there's a chink in that armor, once you've had two straight seasons out of the playoffs, do you really think the average working-class New York fan will continue to shell out $100+ for tickets? Do you really think companies will continue to buy suites to entertain clients? And do you really think that some "mystical aura" will get premiere free agents to sign with you to play in a half-full stadium for less money? Because it will be less money when you have to dedicate half your payroll to your current aging players and satisfying the bondholders who financed your $1.5 billion stadium .

As one of the more senior members of CC, I can tell you that the Yankees in the mid-80s were a laughingstock, and their stadium was perpetually empty. In a town where the heights can be dazzling, the falls to earth are a bit harder than in other places. And in the same way that the poorly-built MacMansion you bought in Florida in 2006 is now hardly worth the foundation it's on, the Yankees and Mets risk becoming the great sports stories of the next five years....for all the wrong reasons.

Try not to cry too hard.

105.7 The Fan proposes trades for Halladay

2009-07-08T18:12:29Z

While channel surfing I heard Mark Zino, producer/engineer for the Bruce Cunningham and Scott and Anita show proposing a Nolan Reimold as a player to include in a trade for Roy "Doc" Halladay of the Blue Jays. What do you think? Maybe we should call him and tell him the Orioles are not going to trade the future for a guy we can not sign or would only want to play in Baltimore anyway. I personally would not trade Reimold but you never know.

We went out last night....

2009-07-08T17:22:21Z

And played a heck of game. Heck fans we even picked a knew player! Yes,I said a new player, who you may ask is that??? Well it's none other than AubreyHuffs PORNSTACHE! This little guy came out of no where, I never seen him coming-did you? It's like hedumped some rogaine and just for men on after Mondays loss and POOF instant Pornstache. Yes I know there was much more to last nights victory, but that little guy had me mesmerized the entire game. I have been racking my brain to give him a nicname, any suggestions? I can truly say now with the proof to back it up-DON"T HASSLE THE HUFF!!!!!! Anyway, way to go guys! You kept me up late and it was well worth it!!!!

Poll

My own fav's from last night-vote if you like....

Orioles absent in the media

2009-07-08T15:09:32Z

This really isn't much of a post but it is something that has been getting to me lately. I am starting to get tired of only hearing what oriole players have to say only through masn and the newspapers like the baltimore sun. The orioles really need to fix this problem. I think the orioles are really hurting them selves. One of the reasons we love the ravens so much is because we kind of feel a connection with the players and i just don't feel that with the orioles. I think it is total crap the the Orioles don't allow there players and coaches to speak anywhere else except for oriole owned networks. Like Nick Markakis he has this great new charity foundation and he is not allowed to advertise it anywhere else except through the orioles. It is just frustrating and if anyone from the orioles reads this you really need to get this changed BIG TIME!!!!!!!. Let me know what you think as a fan!

Watching an oriole game is like having a three hour heart attack!

Brian Matusz: Seeing is Beleiving

2009-07-08T05:13:10Z

This evening (Tuesday, July 7) I was treated to the pitching performance of the year for the organization. In front of a somewhat sparse crowd in Bowie, MD, Brian Matusz made the Harrisburg Senators look like a junior league team. Granted, the Sens are the AA affiliate of the Washington Natinals and are not very talent-laden. But hey, eight innings of one-hit ball is nothing to sneeze at no matter who the foe.

The weather was wonderful and the Baysox were having their version of t-shirt Tuesday with a sparkling white Matt Wieters edition. Matusz was on his game from the start, recording strikeouts (many looking) early and often. Contact was few and far between, with many weak foul balls and pop-ups for easy put outs. Brian was toying with the Senators, featuring a low-mid 90's fastball that was spotted with ease and a sharp-breaking curve ball that found the zone with consistency. When he needed to, Matusz turned to a relatively effective change-up that left some hitters buckled.

Another thing that had many fans taking notice was the fact that Brian was waiting for his teammates after each inning on defense at the dugout to show his appreciation for their defensive efforts. He was also leading the cheer from the bench during the various offensive outbursts. Following the game Matusz greeted fans along the home-side stands, signing autographs and briefly chatting. I was able to congratulate him and obtain a few sigs before he continued into the clubhouse.

Great day in what will hopefully be a great career...Go O's!!

Sht sandwich v. Sht sandwich w/ cheese v. Bacon cheese Sh*t sandwich.

2009-07-08T01:20:42Z

So, according to MLBTR (http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/07/royals-dfa-luis-hernandez.html) the Royals have DFA'd Luis "Squared" Hernandez in order to make room for Ryan Freel. While a little closer to home, Blake Davis has completed his rehab assignment and been assigned to Norfolk.

Now, I have nothing personal against Blake Davis, but for all the talk about him being some kind of answer for the O's, one must wonder what the question was. His best offensive numbers in his minor league career have been produced during his rehab stint as a 25 year old at short season Aberdeen where he posted a slightly less than robust .777 OPS.

Now in all fairness, Robert Andino, who was basically acquired to take the role that seemed Davis's for the taking, was hardly an All Star in the minors, but, hey...the mere comparisons to Brandon Fahey which Davis has garnered are more than enough to give me nightmares.

Bring Back The Cartoon Bird, SIGN THIS PETITION

2009-07-08T01:10:34Z

I have a petition gong to bring back the cartoon bird. Please help spread word. Sign your self and tell your friends! I think if we try very hard this might work! I can already imagine Chris Tillman and Jake Arrieta and all the other guys with the cartoon bird on thier hats! It would look awesome. So please sign the petition.

The Link for the petition is here:
http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/cartoonbird/

*********************************************************************************************************************************

THANK FOR THE SUPPORT, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT!

Poll

Do you want the cartoon bird back on the uniforms?

Halladay on the block

2009-07-07T23:47:36Z

The news that Roy Halladay could be dealt for the right package is dominating MLBTradeRumors.com today. I can't even imagine the package it would take to get him, and the few mentions on there of him possibly going to the Yankees makes me want to vomit. I'm not even kidding about that. If I see a headline that Roy Halladay has been traded to the Yankees I will literally vomit. He is one of my absolute favorite current players.

Halladay will be a free agent after the 2010 season at the age of 34 and the Blue Jays have said they will probably not be able to afford him. Let's hope he goes to the National League. Or maybe to the Orioles? Nah, guess he'd be too old and expensive for us. Old and expensive...sounds perfect for the Yankees. *yack*

The Young Guns....Future Rotation?

2009-07-06T21:33:11Z

Ok, Orioles have been lacking a consistant rotation since the glory days. And to be honest, the pitchers and rotations since then have been....pretty bad to say the least. But as an Orioles fan, you have to be excited. We have 5 or more great young potential rotation guys.

With Chris Tillman having just pitched a shutout, Jake Arrieta getting better every start and Brian Matusz DESTROYING AA, the three potential superstars all seem to be on the right track. And also Brandon Erbe is still improving and the recent addition of Matthew Hobgood. Now with all of these parts in place, I think the Orioles still need to add an ace. I know Andy McPhail is against something like this because pitchers are so risky, but I disagree. So lets say the Orioles do pick up someone like Cliff Lee or Jake Peavy and you have to assume at least one of the big three isn't gonna make it, here is what the furure rotation could look like.

1.Cliff Lee/Jake Peavy/Another Big Name

2. Tillman/Arrieta/Matusz

3.Tillman/Arrieta/Matusz

4.Brad Bergesen

5.Jeremy Guthrie

This is subject to change depending on prospect progress and trades. You might be able to throw Erbe or Hobgood in there.

I still don't think this rotation is enough to contend. Go ahead and comment

Poll

Which young pitcher will be the best?

Chris Ray to DL, Kam Mickolio called up!

2009-07-06T20:16:02Z

Obtained via Roch's blog

I've received confirmation that the Orioles will recall Kam Mickolio from Triple-A Norfolk as Chris Ray's replacement in the bullpen and the 25-man roster, matching what The Sun's Jeff Zrebiec has reported.

That makes two of us. Run with it.

Over his first six outings with Norfolk, Mickolio surrendered nine earned runs in 8 1/3 innings, giving him a 9.72 ERA. But he hasn't allowed an earned run in 18 of his last 21 appearances, posting a 1.08 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 15 hits allowed over that span.

Mickolio was 0-1 with a 5.87 ERA in nine games with the Orioles last season. He's part of the bounty obtained from the Mariners in the Erik Bedard trade.

AHHHHH, The West Coast.

2009-07-06T19:53:46Z

So far this seaon the West Coast has been a terrible world for the O's. Well not just this season, many of them in general. I dread when I see the schedule and know we will be there for several games in a row. The Angels series was painful to watch, so many errors and just "lackluster" play. I know so many people are calling out B-rob and I don't find it fair. I belive the team as a whole has just been "eh". Now we go to Seattle, who have been fairly hot right now. What's the key to our success the next 3 games?

Poll

A few favorites from the past few days.....Take your pick!

Orioles videos?

2009-07-05T21:30:28Z

Does anyone know where I can find the video that the Orioles play before each game? It's the intro that they play where it goes through the years in Orioles' history projected up onto the Warehouse and on Eutaw Street and shows the parade, 2131, Brooks, (etc.), and it says "This is Birdland".

I think that intro video is awesome. Does anyone know where I can find it? I've been looking everywhere online and don't know where it is...

An open letter to Brian Roberts...

2009-07-05T12:52:31Z

Dear Brian:

When you first arrived in Baltimore, I loved the way you played. Your uniform was dirty by the end of the first inning. You ran out every ground ball-pity the poor opposing infielder who took his time getting the ball to first! You would bunt for base hits, dragging the ball just hard hard enough to get by the pitcher, but leaving the second baseman no chance. Coaching my son's team, you were the role model as to how to play the game.

But then something awful happened: a prima donna took over. Was it your first all star selection? The MIguel Tejada influence? The power stroke that produced 18 HR's in 2005? Your first big contract? You stopped bunting. You stopped running hard to first base on ground balls you percieve as routine. In the field, the routine plays were made with a nonchalant air. You seemed almost giddy when an opposing star stands on second base and you get a chance to chat with him. David Ortiz? Derek Jeter? It looks like you're almost rooting for them to get on base. It's embarassing to watch.

Brian, you can't turn on and turn off intensity without mishaps and last night's game in LA is a perfect example of what happens. Rushing a flip to second results in an error and an unearned run. Hitting a high chopper toward Izturis at second: your speed could have made it a close play. Instead, your jog down the line barely gets you halfway there. If you run hard, who knows? Maybe Izturis rushes the throw.... When was the last time that you used your speed to pressure the opposing infielder into an error?

Then comes the straw that broke the camel's back. You became a spectator, drifting out to get a closer look at Markakis running in to catch a pop up. Game over; we lose. How basic is it that it's your play until the outfielder calls you off? I guess when you're a "star" you no longer have to concern yourself with things such as fundamentals.

That play also raises the fear that, just as you learned how to be a star from Tejada, Markakis is learning the same thing from you. Who's next? Jones? Reimold? Wieters?

There are so many things in baseball that we can't control that can play a significant role in the outcome of a game: the line drive that hits on the line or an umpire blowing a check swing call (see the Boston game a few nights ago, for example). There is one thing, however, that we can always control and that's our effort. Who knows? That sprint down the line may cause only one error all year but it may be the difference in that game. Isn't that what you get paid to do? Isn't that what we pay to see? Isn't that how your Dad taught you to play?

I love baseball and would have given a lot to have your talent. As a child, like many others growing up in this area (especially back in the days; not so much now, unfortunately), my dream was to play for the Orioles. It irritates the heck out of me to see you (and others), whom God gave that ability, take it for granted. I used to go to several games a year. Now, I go to a few-I still haven't been this year. It's not because I don't want to go to the Yard. I just don't want to go and watch a lack of effort. I remember a comment I read a few years back made by a dad who wouldn't take his kids to see an O's game because he didn't want his boys to think that what they would see was how to pay the game. Pretty sad, isn't it?

Brian, stop acting like a star and start being a star.

Let's say we get Chone Figgins

2009-07-04T18:26:52Z

since he's a FA 3B (complete list here) next year. Who would you lead off with? What would the lineup look like?

They are the same age, 32 next year. Both switch hitters.

Both guys are consistently above avg in AVG and OBP, AVG comparison yearly

What's troubling for Bob is the trend in BB% and K% BB/K comparison

Who has more speed? G AB SB CS SB% AVG (career)

Brian Roberts 1055 4176 242 62 .796 .283

Chone Figgins 855 3272 262 87 .750 .292

Figgins has playoff experience, which has been shown to cause mid-30s career declines. (See Mora, Melvin and Walker, Jaime)

For me, Figgy swipes more bags, by a lot, so he leads off. It's a tough choice and a good problem to have. Here's a crack at the top halfish

Figgins

Roberts

Markakis

Huff

Jones / Reimold

Other 3B FAs include Adrian Beltre, who can pick and is injured and expensive. Maybe he'll get cheaper as an injury risk. Brandon Inge can pick and is a bad hitter having a good year at the plate, so his price is going up. There are others, maybe an obvious choice that I missed? Which leads me to the poll...

Poll

Who plays 3B next year?

Raffy Says He's Innocent & I Believe Him

2009-07-04T15:37:38Z

Former Baltimore Orioles first baseman Rafael Palmeiro said in a recent interview on ESPN that he stands by his claims of innocence regarding purposely taking performance-enhancing drugs. He says he was injected by a temammate, presumably Miguel Tejada, but with vitamin B-12 (or at least that's what he thought it was). Palmeiro says that he never took anything and you could see his production, from high school to college and the pros where he succeeded through hard work and did not cheat. If indeed he did test positive, he says that whatever he took, be it the B-12 injection or anything else, it must have been tainted and he knew nothing about it. Raffy also goes on to say that he hopes the so-called list of those who tested positive comes out as he wil be exonerated and had nothing to gain by taking performance enhancers at that point in his career.

And you know what? I believe him. Raffy has always been honest to the press, the fans and the public in general. He sat in front of the politicians and pointed his finger at them, saying, "I don't know how to be any clearer than this. I never took performance-enhancing drugs." He now is vilified because of that, while others in question neither confirm nor deny their accusations. Only because Raffy flatly denied involvement is he now scorned by the entire baseball community and embarassingly, his former rabid fans of the Baltimore Orioles.

Now is the time to make amends with him. Every Oriole fan should pull out their Palmeiro jerseys, t-shirts and memorabilia and stand up to support the man that was adored by legions of Bird fans during his two tenures here in Baltimore. We should be ashamed of ourselves for the way we abandoned him in his time of need. His records and efforts as an Orioles should be acknowledged and applauded, publicly, by the fans and by the team as well. If us fans can start a swell of emotion to recall his time as a proud Baltimore Oriole who has accomplished what only a handful of major leaguers ever did, then perhaps the team wil get off their high horse and follow in suit.

Now is the time, Baltimore. Bring back Raffy and let's get the ball rolling to put him where he belongs - back in our hearts and the Baseball Hall of Fame!

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