HAPPY BIRTHDAY STACEY!!!!
THE BIG STORY
Orioles Insider: Duchscherer passes physical; O's announce deal
The day's top story, of course, is the addition of two-time All-Star Justin Duchscherer. He passed his physical and signed his contract. The deal has a $700K base with incentives that could reach $4.5 million. Oh, and the O's signed some old guy to DH as well.
Steve Melewski: MacPhail: Duchscherer passed two-day physical exam
It seems The Duke didn't get a grab-and-cough special. He underwent two days of testing before the O's would close the deal.
NOW, THE PART OF THE PROGRAM DEVOTED SOLELY TO VLADIMIR GUERRERO...
Orioles: Vladimir Guerrero, Orioles reach one-year, $8 million deal - baltimoresun.com
In other news, Vladimir Guerrero will be an Oriole. Just thought I'd pass that along.
Orioles reach agreement with slugger Vladimir Guerrero | orioles.com: News
"Orioles manager Buck Showalter -- who joked about hoping to use his eraser on some mock lineups -- got his wish."
Orioles Insider: Oriole players applaud Guerrero addition
Interestingly enough, Felix Pie and Nolan Reimold weren't available for comment.
The Schmuck Stops Here: Guerrero: Eight (million) is more than enough
"The upside on Guerrero is way up. The downside is $8 million wasted." No, the downside is wasted player development. But I made that point once or twice yesterday, so I won't belabor it here.
School of Roch: A few thoughts on Guerrero
"The front office was adamant about sticking to its first offer - I didn't just make that up - so I tend to wonder whether somebody else got involved and pushed this deal to its conclusion. Or maybe it's always been $8 million with incentives, but $4.5 million was the base." Roch, really, you can say it - this is a pretty big sign that Peter G. Angelos, Esq., got on the phone and said, "Andy, pay him what he wants." It's not proof, but it's a supporting detail.
Baseball Video Highlights & Clips | MLB.com on what Vlad will bring to the Orioles - Video | MLB.com: Multimedia
MLB.com Orioles reporter Brittany Ghiroli talks about what to expect from Vladimir Guerrero's potential impact in Baltimore in 2011.
Twitter / @Jeff Zrebiec: With $8 million deal to Gu ...
The O's are looking at a $93 million payroll for 2011, up about $20 million from 2010.
Twitter / @Jon Heyman: vlad pulls miracle getting ...
Jon Heyman calls the contract a "miracle" for Vlad, and notes his 1.011 OPS at OPaCY.
AND IN OTHER NEWS...
Steve Melewski: Luke Scott talks about his defense in left field
Luke Scott is pretty stoked to get the everyday left field job. "The facts are that I play solid defense. I had a year in Houston when I got moved to right and had seven or eight outfield assists, threw a guy out at first base in 368 at-bats - you know, limited playing time."
Twitter / @Brittany Ghiroli: Also, nothing new on Luke ...
No deal is imminent for Luke Scott, so he and the O's are still heading to arbitration.
FanGraphs Audio: Rob Neyer, Person You’ve Heard Of | FanGraphs Baseball
It's an interview with Rob Neyer concerning his new SBN gig.
ONE LAST NOTE...
As our community gift to Stacey, NO POLITICS in the Open Thread today. No matter how innocuous the comment, it will be deleted. We can go politics-free for one day for our head mod, don't you think?