Let the Slaughter Begin

     At 1:15, I came home from my American Literature Exam and promptly turned on the tube, in hopes of hearing any news on the Mark Teixera deal, if one had been made. At 1:16, I let out a blood curdling scream that caused all dogs in a five block radius of my house to run to the front door and bark incessantly. God Damn Yankees. Those corporate sponsered millionaire hacks in pinstripes got what they wanted, again. A.J. Burnett, C.C. Sabathia, and some other element of the alphabet, officially joined the Yankees today. In a related story, the casino won out again in black-jack and a kitten was drowned in a sack. No, I'm not bitter.

     I shouldn't be surprised. This is a typical Yankee move. They have all the money in the world to throw at any player they choose, and they refuse to develop any players. They want something, they buy it. They are like Varuca Salt from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory; and Brian Cashman is happy to play the rich father. And yet, it's hard to accept. The Orioles are a relatively small market team, especially with the division we're in. We don't have ability to simply pick and choose the players we want. But you lnow what? We are better for it. Would I like to win a penant every year ? Yes, but not if the team I supported was an impersonal phalanx of hired hitmen.

     There is no doubt that the Yankees have significantly improved their chances of competing this year, and odds are, when we play them, we will have to face one of their three aces (Wang is an ace, despite popular opinion), not to mention their vaunted offence that may soon include Manny Ramirez. So, with spring training 56 days away, it is time to get out the tape and study these guys, although 56 days may not be enough time to study two 17 game winners and the most convincing Cy Young cantidates that the Yankees have produced in the longest time. May God have mercy on our souls.

Merry Christmas

Frickin' MASN

At seven o'clock Wednesday night, I was revved up to see some Birds Baseball. In fact, I was ready for some O's action since I woke up that morning. So imagine my surprise when I flip over to the game and I see the Nationals-Phillies game. So I flip around the stations and can't find it, and, needless to say I'm disappointed. So when I was flipping around the stations when I was ironing my clothes for Thursday, I am exstatic to find the game on MASN 2, which is MASN, but a later edition. Despite the fact that there was 1 out in the bottom of the 8th when I turned the game on and I have no clue how the first eight and a half innings panned out, the circumstances I am about to describe warrented the writing of this article.

Picture me this...

One out. Bottom of the 8th. Orioles 5, Rays 6. Del Rey on the mound. Mora on second. Millar at the plate. I'm practically standing on the ironing board as Kevin spanks a ground ball up the middle that catches some leather off the mitt of the diving second baseman. he pops up onto his knee to make a throw, but the ball stubbornly sat on the ground comfortably situated in the dirt. The fielder agressively picks up the ball, but doesn't even attempt a throw as Millar stands upon 1st. Up next, Aubrey Huff.

In the sixth, Huffy smacked a a two run homer onto the flag court to trim the Rays lead to one. Now, in the eighth, Huffy would eliminate the Rays lead entirely. Huffy CRUSHED a 1-2 pitch into deep Right Center Field that took an NBA hop off the wall, over the head of center fielder BJ Upton, and by the time the dust cleared, Huffy stood on third with two runs driven in on what they called a double with an error. After a Ramon sac fly to score Aubrey, and Adam Jones knocking in one more run, Bandon Fahey struck out to end the inning.

Our newly acquired closer, George Sherrill, gets to attempt at his first save of the year. After walking the timid Aki Iwamura on a questionable check swing, Sherrill struck out Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena and got a pop fly out to Adam Jones off Johnny Gomes. George Sherrill, I knight thee George "Scare on the Hill" Sherrill.

Jamie "Sky" Walker got the win and struck out all three batters he faced.

So, at the end of the day, Huffy got 4 RBI's, his first homer of the season, his first clutch hit of the year, and a readmittance into the hearts of O's fans. And you know what, he deserves it.

Rubber Match on Thursday. Stay tuned.

Intro

Yesterday, the Orioles opened up their season to the newly named Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 on a day where the fog was so thick, that bicyclists began to float away into the lingering precipitation. As we approached Camden Yards ( or, rather, as we went where we thought the Yard was...) I couldn't help but recognize the buzz of excitement that surrounded the stadium, which, incidentally, led us to stadium like a guiding light (really more like a giant game of Marco Polo).

The stadium was, as it always is, well kept and overflowed with hopeful Baltimorons. We worked our way up to the seats, only to find two brand new High Definition Scoreboards. Sweet! Anyway, the day was kicked off by the traditional Orange Carpet Ceremony, with two mentionable highlights...

Kevin Millar entered with the Ray Lewis dance, a permanent fixture at the ball park's opening day ceremonies (I hope).

Aubrey Hu... Hu... HuCHHH (cough cough)...Sorry folks, I was choking... Huff was welcomed with a chorus of boos, prompting me to say to my father " The real fans KNOW..."

The first inning for Jeremy Guthrie wasn't too bad. 1 hit, but no damage. Jimmy Shields first inning was considerably less impressive. 2 runs came across the plate thanks to a Millar double that glanced off the glove of Carl Crawford. It looked like the boys were rollin', until a one and a half innings later where Jeremy Guthrie's wheels fell off and the rest of the team went with him. The Rays would score three in that inning, with much help from a Mel Mo error. The Rays would bang in another run from a solo shot in the 4th. 2 more in the 6th gave the Rays a 6-2 lead, one that would not come close to being touched as James Shields went on to have a stellar day with 7 IP and 2 ER. Despite the final outcome, a few Orioles had some fine preformances. Kevin Millar's dazzling glove work kept the O's in the game. B-Rob went 2 for 2 and was the front end of a double steal with Nick Markakis. Slick Nick, in addition to the steal, had a base knock and showed off his glorious cannon of an arm as he threw a man out at second in the third.

As the ninth inning came, and neither Nick nor Kevin could successfully get the ball through the thick air, Huffy came up to bat and spanked a grounder that was handled kindly by Carlos Pena. The pitcher covering mishandled the toss and kept our hopes alive. Despite his best efforts, Huff Daddy reached base. The faint trickle of hope still left in the remaining fan's minds laid rest in the bat of Ramon Hernandez. Ramon CRUSHED a long fly ball to left field that would have gone the distance if it didn't have to swim to get there. Carl Crawford gloved the final out and gave Guthrie his first loss of the season.

The Good News- Dan "The Man" Cabrera is pitching Wednesday, you want need to bring a snorkel to see the game, and we have a chance to tie the series.

The Bad News- We'll have to settle for a 161-1 season.

Build it Anyway

I was sitting in the Doctor's Office, waiting for the doc to call me in for my throat exam. So, like any self respecting blog owner/operator, I looked in the Sporting News to steal a story. Of course, I am just kidding.

Wink Wink.

So, as I was saying, I fished through all the old editions of Home and Garden and The Cosmopolitan until I came across salvation in the form of the February Edition of the Sporting News. So I am flipping through the articles, skeptically analyzing the moronic writing styles of less gifted journalists, when I come across a ranking of each major league's infields. I read each analysis intently until I reach the fifth or sixth ranked infield. See, cause thats when I realized the Orioles had not yet been mentioned. I feared the worst. I reluctantly turned my attention to the bottom right corner of the page. There, the regular black ink used in the magazine seemed to glow a bright neon orange. To the right of the number 14, the number of teams in the American League as well as the number of teams listed on the page, was the name Baltimore Orioles.

I sighed. What else could I do? I was in public. I closed the magazine and put it down. I tried to deny it. It couldn't be true. A strong infield (both fielding and hitting) was always part of the Oriole Way. Think about the great infielders the Orioles have produced: Cal, Eddie, Dave Johnson, Roberto Alomar, and of course Mr. Oriole, The greatest fielder ever, Brooks Robinson. And thats when I realized, that is the past. The Orioles aren't the Orioles of Old, the "gritty but suave", "pitching and defense", "Oriole Way" Birds that we wish they were.

Angelos is rebuilding. We can all see that. He trades away our two most well known players (Miggy and Beddy) for a bunch of rookie/washed up pitchers and light hitting outfielders. He is sifting through mud and hoping to find diamonds. He has the right idea, but the wrong execution. The thing that made the Orioles so great in the past was the Farm System. Most of the best O's of all time were playing for the Rochester Red Wings at some point, or maybe some other O's affiliate. Cal did it. Eddie did it. Brooksie did it, too. Bedard was brought from the farm, and so was Markakis. Looking for diamonds is smart, but taking coal and turning it into diamonds is, in many ways, smarter.

So where do we go from here? I think we should take a page from Shaq's newest book and start to focus on defense. But what do I know. I 'm a traditionalist. This is a new kind of baseball that we are heading into. But maybe not as new as you'd think...

Thanks to the Mitchell Report, steroids use is going to crawl back from wheres't it came. The game will be less power and more finesse, more speed, more pitching, more defense. A nice change of course as far as I am concerned.

Let's be honest, we aren't exactly a frightening spectacle. B Rob is our only threat on the base paths(because we have yet to resign Corey Patterson). Power Hitting Responsibilities falls onto Markakis and Millar. Fielding is solely displayed through the miraculous works of Ramon Hernandez. Beddy was traded away for five Mariners (Help me Daniel Cabrera, your'e my only hope). It's not hard to say we are in need of some reconstruction( is this how the people of New Orleans feel?)

I just realized how many parentheses I used in that last paragraph.

Let's stop examining my choice in grammatical punctuation and get to the point. The O's are rebuilding, and this building may take a few years to finish. And who knows what could happen? The building could go up without a hitch, or is could crumble and fall onto the unsuspecting construction workers below. But I am willing to put my faith in the possibiity that, despite the evidence that surrounds me that proves otherwise, the building will be built strong and tall, with corner offices and classy elevators with descent music, with a big penant that stands proudly at the top, blowing marvelously in the wind.

I am so naive.

An "Off" Offseason

Hey there BaltimOrons! Z is back my friends, and I'm sure you understand the meaning of the article I am about to write. If not, please quickly reexamine the title, smack yourself upside the head, and continue reading.

Done? Good.

Now, I'm sure you could go to MLB.com to find the same information on some sort of message board written by a guy named Gary who lives in Utah, who works in a pharmecy and is the worlds biggest baseball expert. Instead, you came to me. And I appreciate that. And on this site, unlike in Gary's post on the message board, I can give you the true in sight on how the region is responding to whatever boneheaded move Angelos thinks of in the offseason...

(Angelos in a meeting) "What do you guys think about Ushers in rollerskates?"

Ugh.

Let's continue.

As of this point in the offseason, there have been two major developments for the Orioles, and I wanted to write an article for each, but thier proximity didn't allow me to do so, so I simply combined my thoughts into one moderatly sized MEGA-ARTICLE. Enjoy.

15 Game Suspension, Eternal Damage.

Jay Gibbons, run producing outfielder of the grand sports franchise that is the Baltimore Orioles Baseball Club, got caught doin' the juice! Damnit! Well, it was only a matter of time until the "Water Retention" excuse would no longer explain his massivly bloated body. We couldn't dupe them forever.

Jay Gibbons, or as he is affectionately known around the Chesapeake Bay area, Gibbo, has been a constant (more or less) for the club that calls The Yard it's home. I am not ashamed to say that I proudly rooted for this guy as a member of this ball club, and I'm sure alot of you guys have, too. When I heard the news, I went into a state of shock, which was especially not good because I was riding my bike and listening to my transistor radio that I had strapped to my handle bars. Don't worry, just a few minor abrasions.

Sure, I was suspicious that Jay had been on the roids. But then again, I'm suspicious of everybody! After what the game has come to in the last couple of years, wouldn't you be? Quite frankly, I dont see how they thought Gibbo was juiced anyway. The numbers aren't there. Over the last four seasons, Jay hit a total of 55 homers, about 19 a year. In those seasons, he also has a total 200 RBI's, 50 a season. Hardly MVP numbers. And, to tell the truth, his numbers in the last 4 years have been very similar to those of his first three, so either he has been taking the roids his whole career, or he just started them up in the offseason. Which seems more realistic? I'm not saying he is innocent, and the proof is in the urine samples. All I'm saying is he may not have cheated in the regular season. And that may make it easier to forgive him. Which I will.

Eventually.

5 Astros for 1 Fallen Star

Okay. I get it. this is a joke, right? Am I being Punk'd?

.....

Guess Not.

Truth be told, when I first heard the news of this transaction, I took my own advice from this article and smacked my palm to my head. Miggy is gone? And whats worse, to the Astros?

I cannot yet determine if this trade was wise or not. I say ths because we traded Miggy for a bunch of kids. Just so I can make really show you the severity of the immediate damage, take a look at the guys we got for Miguel and their stats from 2007.

Enter Troy Patton. 3 games, 12.2 INN, 0-2 record, 3.55 ERA.

Say hello to Outfielder, Luke Scott. Last year, 132 games with the 'Stros, 94 hits, 64 RBI, .255 AVG, 18 HR.

New Righty for the Rotation, Matt Albers. 4-11, 5.86 ERA, 110.2 INN, 71 K's, all in 31 games.

A new toro for the pen, Dennis Sarfate. 15 games, 16.2 frames, 1-0, 2.7 ERA.

And rounding out the pitiful group is Michael Costanzo, and untested rookie.

Need I say more.

Whether it is necessary that I do, here I go again.

IN THE NAME OF ALL THAT IS HOLY, WHYYYYYYYYYY!

Trading away Miggy may be a blessing in disguise. This Luke Scott could be the next Frank Robinson, Albers could learn a thing or two from Mazz and become a 20 game winner, and Costanzo could be rookie of the year. Some how, I doubt it.