No Prob, B-Rob, or Why My Juiced-Up Middle Infielder is Better than Your Alternative

There are a lot of overly optimistic/semi-delusional posters on Oriole boards right now spreading rumors about the swag the Cubs are willing to fork over for my personal favorite Oriole, Brian Roberts. Evidently, the Cubbies are champing at the bit to hand Baltimore Felix Pie, Sean Gallagher, Kerry Woods (circa-1998), and an American Legion team from Skokie. All they ask in return is Roberts, and possibly George Sherrill, just to appease the baseball gods.



And of course that's insane. Who would trade two top-tier prospects and a bunch of could-be's for a 29-year-old slap-hitting second baseman with speed? As my brother points out, as soon as Roberts hits 30, he will automatically lose 20 SBs a season. At 33, he'll lose a step getting to the hole and a split-second turning the double play. And at 35, his bat speed drops off a cliff. Right?



Well, don't tell Omar Vizquel that. Between the ages of 35 and 40, Vizquel hit .274, stole 107 bases, and won two Gold Gloves while playing full-time SS for the Indians and the Giants. Playing second for those same Giants teams, between 30 and 35, Ray Durham hit .276 with 89 HRs and 66 SBs. Now, Durham and Vizquel aren't getting to Cooperstown with those numbers, but they're still functioning, steady, everyday players, with arms and legs and everything.



Obviously, I wouldn't trade the farm for Vizquel or Durham, unless they are suddenly made to be bionic, but I wouldn't flush them down the crapper either. Which is what a lot of Oriole faithful want to do with B-Rob. Aside from the aforementioned erosion of skills with age, there seem to be two schools of thought at work here:

1. By the time the Orioles are in position to contend again, Roberts may be well into his forties, so ditch him now for whatever prospects get thrown Baltimore's way; and
2. He used steroids!!!!!!!

First, Nick Markakis, Hayden Penn, Jeremy Guthrie, Adam Jones, and every other player currently coming up in the Orioles' system may be in their forties before the Orioles contend again. They are that bad, and the Yankees and Red Sox, and, increasingly, the Blue Jays are that much better than them. And who else is in the pipe to replace Roberts? I'll tell you: Eider Torres and Paco Figueroa. No, no -- put away the foam fingers; I can see the collective goosebumps from my desk.

Sure, Dave Trembley could plug in Brandon Fahey or even Flashy Freddie Bynum at second base, but why? Since he came up in 2001, Roberts has been active in the community, hasn't pissed and moaned about any of the bizarre moves made by the front office, and has become a clubhouse leader. He hustles in every aspect of his game, and probably likes kittens and orphans.

The only knock against Roberts, as a player or a person, is that he admitted to juicing, once, and he's repentant about it. Sources quoted in a Rivals.com article on steroid testing in high school athletics estimate that 30,000 to 80,000 high school athletes are "involved" in steroids. These kids will take more away from hearing one professional athlete say, "Yeah, I used HGH. It was one time, I was young, and it was a mistake," then from a thousand doctors, parents and coaches preaching about steroids.

When my kids are a certain age, and one of them comes home smelling of Mad Dog and Kool- Aid, I hope I'm honest enough to tell them, "There was a time in my life when I would have swallowed antifreeze filtered through Wonderbread to catch a buzz. But I was very young, and with age came a bit of wisdom, and a lot of moderation, and now I only drink when it's dark, and nobody else is home to interrupt me." Because that is what my children will absorb, not me saying I spent my youth studying the Kabbala and volunteering at MADD rallies. Trust me, lectures can't penetrate the Wubbzy-induced haze clouding their brains.

That's why Brian Roberts is still the best choice at second for the Orioles. His character is irreproachable. A young player, stuck in a platoon with Jerry Hairston, tried to gain an edge, then thought better of it. Now he owns up to it and faces the music, without simpering or playing to the media. If you want an example for young players to grow up with, I can't think of a better one than Roberts. As far as I'm concerned, Roberts is the face of the Orioles now, for better or worse, and should continue to be.

A Bit About The Blackbird

First let me say hello to our readership of 15 or so. I'm happy to be a part of a burgeoning O's fan blog, and look forward to molding this into a sanctuary for baseball lovers and S&M afficionados alike while Desert O is away from his post. I plan on doubling our following over the next year.

Like Desert O, I also am a displaced Oriole, and long for the days when Jim Palmer in his underwear struck fear in the hearts of American League hitters. Unlike my partner, I am not an endurance athlete. My athletic talents lend themselves more to short bursts of almost other-worldly strength. You might say I am Ray Jackson to Desert O's Frank Dux. For the sake of loose ends, we'll call Peter Angelos Chong Li. (Go for the stomach. And stay away from his right leg.)

Anyway, this difference will shine through in my writing style. You'll see: I'll get a good head of steam going, then I'll get bored, or sleepy, and just sort of peter off...

Defensive shortstops

I keep reading that Luis Hernandez is going to be a defensive whiz at short; a Latin Mark Belanger. I have great memories of Blade, but could a modern team go to the post season with an offensive liability like Hernandez at short? I scrolled through recent World Series SSs to see if anyone had made it to the big stage with a guy like Hernandez. For the purposes of this very unscientific study, I am assuming that Luis will finish up the year with numbers like he put up through his minor league career. .246/.301/.323 with minimal speed on the basepaths.

The Red Sox carried Julio Lugo into the Series last year. His .237/.294/.349 is pretty close to what we might see out of Hernandez. He has great speed, but his penchant for making routine defensive plays look difficult probably offsets that. Going back from there, Tony Womack with the '01 D-Backs was questionable at .266/.307/.345. The year before, the Mets' Mike Bordick was bad enough to lose at bats to Kurt Abbott. The Braves' 1999 two-headed monster of Walt Weiss and past-prime Ozzie Guillen was bad enough to make Luis Hernandez look like A-Rod. That's it.

Ten years, twenty World Series shortstops, four of which were comparable to our projected starter. Based on that, I would have to say that the "defense first" shortstop is still a faint possibility in today's majors. The catch is that some other area has to be outstanding. The Red Sox were strong in almost every other area last year. The Braves and Diamondbacks had overwhelming starting pitching. So if the plan is to keep Hernandez around until we are contenders again, we had better be sure we have enough other assets to offset his dubious offense.

Sandra Dee

Look at me, I'm Danny C, missed the plate, missed Dustin P.,

Just because I can force doggerel lyrics into an old Grease song doesn't mean I am going to nickname Daniel Cabrera "Sandra Dee." She has better control and a lot more movement on her changeup. Besides, Trembley thinks Danny will be good this year. A few days ago, he was quoted as saying "I just think this is the year he is really going to turn the corner...I believe it's going to happen." So its going to be all right. Wait a minute, that sounds familiar, doesn't it?

At the beginning of last season, our former manager claimed "If Cabrera can put three good starts together at the start of the season, there is no telling what he can do." I guess that could have been true. We'll never know as Danny never put three good starts together.

In April 2006, Leo Mazzone compared 2006 Danny C. to John Smoltz' 1991 breakout second half. "You're going to see the same thing here with Cabrera."

Way back in 2005, the Washington Post projected Cabrera as the number two starter, ahead of Erik Bedard. The article was titled "O's Cabrera is on the Move." It quoted catcher Sal Fasano as saying "I think he has a chance to be pretty special in this league."

Did Fasano mean the Grapefruit league, because Cabrera always plays well in Florida? The rest of the states sure give him trouble. I'm not buying it this year. I'm not listening to the Spring Training reports that tell me how strong he looks in three inning "starts." I'm sorry, Mr. Trembley, I'm not on board this time. What am I going to do about it? I'm going to be an impotent, whiny bitch because the rotation is so thin we have no choice but to run him out there every five days. And if, by some miracle, he does have that long-awaited breakout year, I'm going to go back and delete this post, then type about how he was always my favorite 6'9" Dominican pitcher.

New blood

I love posting here and I am happy I have been able to do it frequently. I like spreading other people's good ideas and I enjoy throwing out my own thoughts and seeing what other people have to say. Sadly though, I will be traveling extensively this summer and won't be able to be a part of the conversation about the Orioles new team. I hope to check in occasionally, but it won't be often. For that reason, I am bringing in another author. For that reason and because the new author is a terrific writer. Stay tuned.

Old School Sunday

Brooks Robinson, Mark Belanger, Davey Johnson and Paul Blair posing with their 1969 Gold Gloves. I didn't realize Gold Gloves were that big and gaudy.

I had this pic nicely enlarged and then when I transfered it to Blogger it shrunk back down.

Blogger+my limited Html knowledge=creative cussing

This and that

Troy Patton--At first I thought MacPhail and Ed Wade screwed each other. They traded a 'roided up shortstop for a injured pitcher. Now both are saying the trade was made with full disclosure. Wade knew about Tejada's baggage, Andy M. knew about Patton's injury. What a pair of horse traders. Either way, I hope the Orioles err on the side of caution and take care of Patton's shoulder. If it needs surgery, lets do it. Its not like losing Patton this year is going to keep us out of the Series.

George Sherrill--Roch says he tweaked his hamstring. Seems like nothing to worry about. I'm a distance runner and I can say with authority that you always know the difference between a "tweak" and a real hamstring problem.

Adam Jones--The young man says all the right things. He has a career in broadcasting when his playing days are done. He looks like he will turn into a popular player and maybe even a vocal team leader. I hear he can hit too.

Most intriguing players in Spring Training--Adam Jones, the New Ramon Hernandez, Dennis Sarfate and Mike Costanzo. At least those are the guys I'm liking.

From the Official Site--I'm not a big fan of Spencer Fordin's writing, so I tend to avoid the Official Site, but there have been a couple interesting stories in the last couple of days. First, his article on Garrett Olson seems to indicate that Trembley is spending a lot of time and attention on the young man. I know its early, but if I am reading the tea leaves right, Olson will get first crack at that fifth starter's position. Also, I liked Kevin Millar's diary. He is a bit of a clown, but a guy like that is good for the team. It keeps everybody relaxed and he keeps the press from focusing too much on the young players who will benefit from being left alone. I don't buy one word of his defense of Jay Gibbons, but I think it is good for the players to think that way. You have to stand by your teammate.

While I am on the topic...--I am hypnotized by the extensive PED coverage and repelled by it. The same arguments get rehashed but I can't stop reading. I have one question I want to throw out there, even though I don't really want to see a witch hunt over it. I get why Selig got grilled and I get why the players are getting hammered. Fine. Why is the press and Congress ignoring the managers and coaches? Aren't coaches responsible for what goes on in locker rooms? Isn't it Joe Torre's job to know who Clemens is bringing in and what that person is doing? Aren't Torre's coaches supposed to be monitoring what is happening? It seems like most major league teams have more instructors and coaches than they do players. Nobody noticed that a drug dealer set up shop in the locker room? It seems to me that Torre should be sitting right next to Radjah on Capital Hill. Its called "Stewardship."

Jay Gibbons--Allegory for failure

Allegory
1.a. The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form.b. A story, picture, or play employing such representation. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Herman Melville's Moby Dick are allegories.
2. A symbolic representation: The blindfolded figure with scales is an allegory of justice.

Jay Gibbons’ career is an allegory for the Orioles’ failures over the last ten years. Every component of the team's fall from contention is represented in his career. He was drafted by the Blue Jays in 1998, the year the Orioles embarked on a ten year losing streak. He had an undistinguished minor league career and the Jays let him go in the 2000 Rule 5 draft. Like most Baltimore moves of that time, picking Gibbons up made sense on paper. An era marked by skilled veteran players was ending. Albert Belle was showing the first indications of the hip problem that would soon end his career. It made sense to pick up a young outfielder with power potential.

Our minor league system was weak in those years and there was little competition. Gibbons got lots of chances to play and he was OK. Now we know that the Orioles locker room in those days had more “B-12” than it did jock straps. Gibbons’ mentors were unethical and the Orioles had traded away the next generation. Remember Alex Ochoa and Damon Buford for Bobby Bonilla? Gibbons’ first few years with the Orioles were just like those of his team. Not bad enough to be a total loss, not good enough to go anywhere. With no young outfielders coming up, Gibbons held a starting spot in the outfield when he was healthy. The B-12 shots helped.

Eventually, like a woman marrying the wrong man because she has nobody else, the Orioles gave Gibbons a big contract; another problem emblematic of those years. The rest is recent history that we all know. We had the Grimsley affidavit, denials, serious injuries and finally inclusion in the Mitchell Report. Gibbons ended 2007 just like the Orioles did. He was not skilled enough, he was injured and he was embarrassed. Now, like the team, Gibbons promises a fresh start and apologizes for the lost years and mistakes. He is a symptom, a cause and the natural result of the team’s failures. His decade in professional baseball paralleled that of the Orioles. There was wasted potential, key injuries, ethical failures, a dumb contract and mediocrity. Now both are trying to rebuild. I think it is fair to call the last ten years “The Gibbons Era.”

For me, the saddest moment of the 2008 baseball year so far was watching Jay Gibbons and Brian Roberts give their collective mea culpa during a Spring Training interview. Gibbons represents past mistakes that the team should be leaving behind. His allegorical representation of the team should have ended already. The Orioles can get younger; refresh and rejuvenate. Gibbons can only age and creak under the weight of physical deterioration and past mistakes. The new era will be defined by other careers. Hopefully, it will be marked by great young players like Nick Markakis, Jeremy Guthrie or a fresh face like Adam Jones. That is who Orioles fans want to see. Lets put the Gibbons Era behind us. Get rid of him, even if we eat a huge chunk of his salary.

Bird Flu

Sad to report, Desert O has a touch of the bird flu. I might have to stay in the nest today. Luckily it isn’t as long lasting as the Orioles fever I caught as a child. Even Dr. Angelos’ strongest medicine (Syd Thrift) couldn’t cure that. I can’t complain though. Dr. A did a great job curing that pennant fever I had ten years ago. Not a hint of a recurrence since.

I’m out of metaphor. Back to bed.

Five fun things

Five fun things about Spring Training. Because this team won't be very good, but they will be fun to watch. In fact, they will lose lavishly, but every now and then one of the young pitchers will have a great game or Adam Jones will hit one 425 feet and we'll get a glimpse of the hoped-for future. Here's to Spring Training. Its all about hope.

1--Guessing Nick Markakis' ceiling. Screw Brian Roberts. He's old and tainted by steroids. Kakes is the Oriole I am excited about these days. He got off to a slow start last year. If he gets in the groove faster in '08, he'll put up numbers that will actually get noticed outside the state of Maryland! He's the new Mr. Oriole.

2--The horse race for the back of the rotation. I know everybody is talking about it; so what, I'm not original. Its fun though. There ought to be a board for this at my local Vegas sports book. I'd like Garrett Olson at four to one please.

3--The young studs. Adam Jones and Matt Wieters are both saying and doing all the right things. They both appear to be good citizens and smart guys as well as great prospects.

4--Anna Benson is working on her own website! Sure, its only marginally related to Spring Training, but I bet after its all said and done, I'm not the only Orioles writer who links to it.

5--Trying to learn the new players. The fun is that nobody knows them all. The Sun runs captions like "Ramon Hernandez and a teammate..." I love it.

Things you won't see

Lots of people will give you a preview of the season but only I will give you a Spring Training preview. Today, the top five things you won’t see in Spring Training. Tomorrow, the top five things you will see.

1—You won’t see a third base competition. Despite my fondest dreams (of a non-erotic nature), Melvin Mora appears to have the third base job wrapped up without having taken a springtime at-bat. Scotty Moore is learning to play left and Mike Costanzo is working out with the catchers. I know Mora is pretty much impossible to trade but that doesn’t mean we have to start him. Let’s set Mora up to be the backup left fielder and let the young guys take the at-bats. Please?

2—You won’t see an established closer. BTW, I don’t think that is a bad thing. George Sherrill had a good year last year and might be ready to close. Every report says that Dennis Sarfate is throwing the HELL out of the ball. I think Greg Aquino is a skinnier Danys Baez, but give him a look also. Open it up and maybe Ray will have some competition when he comes back.

3—You won’t see Danys Baez. His elbow is so screwed up that he will spend Spring Training at a rehab facility. I feel bad for him because injuries suck and because he tried his best last year. I feel good for the team because his best was pretty poor.

4—You won’t see Nolan Reimold. Our top power prospect didn’t get an invitation to Spring Training. The team says there is a plan in place for him but, speaking as a fan, I would like to see him against major league pitchers.

5—You won’t see the missing 10 or 20 pounds of Ramon Hernandez. Judging from the pictures I’ve seen, he’s coming in ready to churn and burn. A prime, motivated Ramon Hernandez would allow us to bring Wieters along slowly, a huge luxury for the organization.

I sure wish the Orioles spent spring in Arizona so I could watch.

Tonight, let it be...

That hair had to drive Earl crazy.

Be my Valentine, Anita Marks

Anita, you are an absentee fan's best friend. I love the silky purr of your voice on the podcasts. I love the way you interview my favorite Orioles. I was so turned on by the way you teased Chris Tillman for not knowing anything about Baltimore or the Orioles. You broke him down. You made him admit "I don't know much about the organization, but I'm excited." I was too.

I know I'm not the only man after you. I heard Adam Jones tell you "you're going to see my best." I heard him promise "hustle and fire." I can bring you hustle and fire too. You don't want a puppy like Adam Jones. I know that Brian Roberts thinks he has a chance with you. I know he was on your show yesterday. He isn't stable enough for you, sweetheart. He'll have his way with you then pack up and move to Chicago. Besides, he's too insecure. He is afraid that Sexy Traxy will steal you away. That's why he told you "He [Trax] doesn't have the best stuff..." He's right, but soon Brian will be gone. Its you and me, Anita.

I remember the day I found you on a 1300AM streaming webcast. Sexier than a young Linda Cohn, more Orioles-savvy than Jeff Zrebiec. You had me from the moment you introduced Nick Markakis as your special guest. Be my Valentine, Anita Marks. Come on out to Vegas. I'll show you the town; I'll take you for a moonlit walk in the desert. We'll hold hands, gaze into each others' eyes and whisper lovingly about the Orioles' young outfield. I'll be waiting for you Anita...you know how to find me. See you soon.

Jorge is 29 in March

Happy 50th birthday wishes to Jorge Julio. Did he look this old when he was in Baltimore?

Does signing Trachsel mean that a Roberts-to-Cubs-for-pitchers is dead or at least in a long holding pattern? Doesn't seem that we would bother with Trax is there were two pitchers coming over from Chicago.

Trachsel redux

Stevie T signed a minor league contract with us. "I would be surprised if he didn't come north with us," MacPhail said.

I'm trying hard not to view this as a big vote of "no confidence" towards our young arms and I can't quite make it. If Andy said "Trax will start the year at AAA, ready to be called up in case of injuries," I would feel good. I would even be OK with "Steve will be given a chance to pitch his way back into the rotation in Spring Training," but that isn't what Andy said. Big Mac stopped just short of guaranteeing Trax a spot in the rotation.

With Bedard gone, Guthrie, Loewen and Cabrera are locks for the rotation. Excuse me while I stifle tears. *Sniffle. Cabrera, a sure starter? Whine...sniffle...moan.* OK, I'm back. That leaves two spots. Excluding Trax, the pitchers who seem to have the most realistic claims are Burres, Patton and Albers. Andy is saying that Trax is a better bet as a starter than two of those guys? Behind them are some long shots who can't be counted out in our wide open staff. Without Trax in the picture, Olson, Penn, Liz as well as every pitcher who started a game in AA and up would get a look this spring. With Trax in the rotation, those guys probably don't have a chance. Our man deserves major league starts more than the youngsters? This move seems to signal that our young guns aren't as developed or as talented as we had hoped. Am I seeing this wrong? If so, tell me and make me feel better.

While you are educating me, can anyone direct me to an authoritative explanation on how MLB's waiver and option system works? I am confused.

The Jones Trade

In the interest of Oriole-centricity, I would like us all to start calling it “the Jones trade” instead of naming it for that Mariner. OK? Cool.

I don't know when I will be done talking about the Jones deal. A few weeks ago I referenced Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas and I wasn't even alive for that, so I'm guessing I won't tire of this for a while.

I’m totally excited to hear Andy talk about expanded player development in the Dominican. Even more so to hear about new scouting efforts in Asia. It’s about time. There is a huge pool of players that has been getting away from us. Maybe we can get ahead of our competition on that.

I think Andy was wrong to upbraid the press for rumor mongering over the last couple of weeks. He gave them nothing but blanket denials for two weeks. What did he think would happen? Newspapermen have to write something, radio hosts have to say something, fans have to discuss something. When that "something" isn’t coming from the Warehouse, it will tend to be speculative. Maybe such secrecy from Andy’s office really is important. If so, fine, but no fair complaining about the natural consequence! Wayward Oriole has an excellent post on the relationship between the media and the team.

Quick Hits on the Jones trade:

Adam Jones—The Stud. Athletic and smart. The Mariners have a rep for rushing prospects though and he will have some OJT to do on offense and defense. Still, he’ll be fun to watch. His power and speed are undeniable.

George Sherrill—The Veteran. He talks like he doesn’t want to be in Baltimore but he might enjoy the opportunity to anchor a bullpen.

Kam Mickolio—The X-Factor. Some call him a worthless throw in on the Jones deal, others think he is the sleeper that makes the last two weeks of uncertainty worthwhile. What we know is that he is big and strong and put up good numbers on the farm. For some reason, many scouts seem cool towards him.

Tony Butler and Chris Tillman—The Twins. Since they have never played in the same place at the same time, they might be the same player. Big, powerful, talented, young, raw and a little wild. As pictured above, they/he are hoping to require THEIR VERY FIRST SHAVE this year! Is that really a professional team’s uniform? I hope that isn’t a coming trend. It looks like the fine fans of Baltimore's minor league affiliates will get to enjoy their play for the next couple of years.

Old School Sunday

In July 2001, my brother and I were living in Atlanta, Georgia. The Orioles were coming to town and we got tickets. It was a hard ticket to get because it was Cal’s farewell tour and even in a National League city like Atlanta, it was a big deal. We got off work late and had a cross-town drive to get to the park. Of course all the parking was full so we had to try to park in a residential neighborhood nearby. Some kid charged us $10 to park in a lot through an alley. There was no lot and nowhere to turn around to beat the kid’s skinny tail. I finally parked the car in some dicey and probably illegal spot and hotfooted it to the stadium, crazy late. As we walked up to the entrance we heard all kinds of cheering. Clearly something significant had happened so we asked someone as soon as we got in. He told us that Cal had hit a home run. We were pretty depressed at having missed it and considered searching for the kid with the parking scam and taking it out on him. We settled for drinking too much beer and getting belligerent with the Braves faithful. In the eighth, Cal came up again; the last time I would see him hit in person. I quit arguing with the drunk behind me and scooted forward in my seat to see one of my childhood heroes. I remembered how my father, a Massachusetts native, used to talk about Ted Williams. I wondered if I would tell my kids about Cal Ripken in the same way. Just then, Cal poked another homer just over the left field fence. Flash bulbs popped all over the stadium. People cheered like he was with the home team. Despite that, I always thought the second one was for me and my bro.

Before I started typing, I looked up the box score to confirm my memory. Willis Roberts got the win, Buddy Groom the save. Batista went deep also. Fernando Lunar struck out three times. Remember him? Young Brian Roberts came in as a defensive replacement and committed an error in the ninth.

My car was neither towed nor burglarized.

Not that he's a frontrunner or anything

I hiked in these mountains today with a group that included a fellow in a Yankees hat. I asked him if he was a Yanks fan and he explained that he really wasn't. He came from Jersey and just wore the hat because the Yankees are his hometown team. What he is really passionate about is the Giants. That Eli really grew up this year. I bet if New York wins the Series in '08 he'll be telling me all about Joba and Jetah.

BTW, did you know Vegas had scenery like this? I live in paradise.

Now I can write about Bedard

But I think everything has been said. I only have a few original thoughts...here they are.

• Adam Jones' defense--One of the few bright spots in Baltimore last year was that we were better than average defensively. Swapping Patterson for Jones will hurt our team defense. Jones is a converted shortstop. No matter how athletic he is, expect some adventures as he tracks down fly balls in OPACY's spacious center field.
• Erik's goodbye speech--The following quotes are from espn.com's coverage. "That's the big thing. With Baltimore, it seemed like we were always going backward." How about this gem? "When I first got there it was fun, because we were signing a lot of guys and were looking forward to competing with Boston and New York. It all went downhill from there." I really liked watching him play. I wish he hadn't taken a crap on the franchise on the way out. It hurts more because he is right.
  
• Bedard the Mariner--How many of our young hitters do you think Bedard could K in a matchup this year? I'm setting the over/under at 12. I hear Jones is a free swinger.
  
• Jeremy Guthrie--I'm worried about him. In Cleveland, as a top draft pick with high expectations, he never really put it together. In Baltimore he had no pressure and he thrived. Now as the ace apparent, he is back on the hotseat. Further, he will spend his time on the mound dueling the Becketts and Bedards of the world. I still think he is our best, but he could take a statistical step back this year.
  

Bottom line. I said the only way I would come away from a Bedard trade happy was if the offer was too good to pass up. I say it was. We got the Mariners' Minor League Player of the Year and Pitcher of the year. In addition, we picked up a badly needed reliever and two strong-armed prospects. Bedard's farewell comments indicate that he was pretty much unsignable no matter what MacPhail did. We did what we had to and came out with a pretty good haul.

Still not writing about Bedard

Five years ago, my brother was writing for a now defunct sports webzine. One of his articles included an angry open letter to Peter Angelos. Today, while cleaning out the hard drive on an old computer, I found the letter. Except for the names being different, the same letter could be written today. As I have watched the team's off season moves, I've drifted into a "wait and see" optimism. Despite being burned by poor front office decisions for ten years running, I had started to believe that with MacPhail on board, things might be different. Reading a letter bemoaning five years of bad baseball and bad management reminds me of how long ten years really is. It also shows me how similar the mistakes we made in 2002 were to the mistakes of 2007. It makes me wonder if MacPhail can reverse ten years of momentum or even if he is any better than his recent predecessors. In ten minutes of reading and thinking, I've gone from cautious optimism to crotchety skepticism. Sorry about that Andy. Its one of the problems you run into when running a team with a recent history like ours. Anyway, here is the letter.

July 3, 2002

Peter Angelos, President
Baltimore Orioles
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Baltimore, MD 21201

Dear Mr. Angelos,

I am writing this letter to express my dissatisfaction with your company’s product. Over the last five years, you have allowed the Baltimore Orioles to descend into a state of abject mediocrity that is unacceptable to this fan, and I will be silent no more!

Your insistence on signing high-priced, overrated free agents such as Pat Hentgen and Will Clark is as reprehensible as your penchant for allowing proven talent like Rafael Palmeiro and Mike Mussina jump ship like rats from a burning garbage scow. Further, your arrogant resolve to control all of the club’s personnel decisions, in spite of your utter lack of experience and knowledge of the game, has driven away young prospects and led to numerous hair-raising trades. To top off these indignities, you have annually increased ticket prices, concession costs, and the retail price of Orioles merchandise to the point of requiring a credit check just to take a date to see the Orioles lose to the Devil Rays.

Aside from paying exorbitant amounts of money to watch a losing ball club, my tenure as an Orioles fan has been enjoyable. Sadly, unless you are quickly able to turn around the clanging, gas-guzzling AMC Gremlin that your team has become, I will be forced to transfer my allegiance to the New York Yankees; at least their despotic owner buys winners.

In retrospect, the bit about becoming a Yankees fan is hyperbole and we all know that Palmeiro isn't such a good guy, but otherwise it reads pretty well even today. The parallels between '02 and '07 are not perfect but I think you can see why I am shaking my head. Maybe I'll wake up in the morning, find out that MacPhail wrung an extra player out of the Mariners and feel better about everything. Could happen.

Tapping the refresh key

I woke up at six this morning and warmed up the laptop because that is nine Baltimore time and the front office could have announced a deal. Or they could have issued another blanket denial of everything. "Trade? Adam who? Physicals? Never heard of the Mariners. Are they a baseball team?" George Sherrill is wearing a trench coat and sunglasses right now, hustling through the airport and diving into a waiting cab driven by Andy MacPhail who has on a turban and fake beard.


I'm not behind trading the best Baltimore lefty since McNally, but I like the byzantine aspect of this trade. Its been fun.

Old School Sunday

Pitching wins pennants, 1971. Dobson looks pissed. I guess he didn't like the all orange unis.

The pen

I've come to the conclusion that the two most important things in life are good friends and a good bullpen. ~Bob Lemon, 1981

You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the goddamn plate and give the other man his chance. ~Earl Weaver

The bullpen was terrible last year, just awful. Does that mean that it will be as bad this year, even without additions? I say no. I'm as pissed off as anyone about the state of my team over the last ten years but I believe in blaming the right people and the pen is only a little to blame for last year. Remember when the season started, the pen was Guthrie, Burres, Bradford, Walker, Williamson, Baez and Ray. Except for Baez, not a bad bunch. Before you could blink though, three starters were down (Wright, Benson and Loewen) along with Williamson, so Burres and Guthrie were starting. They did pretty well but it left the pen weak. We called up some broken down vets and unproven kids and limped along. Next thing, Ray went down. He had been inconsistent, but at least he was a major league arm. After that it went to hell. Rookies and retreads couldn't hold the line. Bradford and Walker were overused then Baez went down. If that weren't enough, Guthrie and Bedard missed most of September and we were a threat to give up twenty on any given night.

What that means for next year is that we are not hopeless with just a little better luck. Bradford and Walker return and we hopefully will keep them in their roles this year. Baez being out is addition by subtraction. 'Cause he sucked bad last year. Burres can go back to the pen and that alone will help a great deal. If he wins a starting spot in Spring Training, that means that Albers and/or Patton, Liz, Olsen will be in the pen. Albers might even do better there than as a starter. I hear he only has two strong pitches. We still have the exquisitely named Rocky Cherry from the Trax deal last year. If we pick up Sherrill then we have another option. Some of last years' rookies should be stronger with experience and we picked up a couple of reasonable options through minor league deals and the Rule 5 draft (Yan and Bierd). We have a huge hole in the ninth inning, but we have choices this year. Sherrill will have a shot. So will Dennis Sarfate from Houston and Jim Hoey and Bob McCrory. The point is that there are lots of choices and the pen is one of the least of my worries for the year. IT will improve, even without an ace closer.

Quick question

What does Santana's reported 23 million dollar annual salary do to whoever is trying to sign Bedard next year? Yikes. The penthouse just got a little loftier.