Reed said that he should have never came back last season and that he probably shouldn’t play at all this season, and then says that he could see himself playing for ten more years. Reed claims the Ravens previously took him off the PUP prematurely and without consulting him…he also compares the team’s mistreatment of him to that of the Tennessee Titans when they locked Steve McNair out of their facilities. Reed then compares his relationship with the Ravens to a marriage that’s just hit a minor bump in the road. Oh yeah, and he wants a new contract. Despite all his health issues and erratic statements he wants the Ravens to restructure his current deal which locks him up through 2012.

I’m all for giving players who produce like Reed a pay day. In his eight season he has 46 INTs and 11 defensive TDs, not to mention a highlight reel packed with devastating hits and tremendous special teams plays (despite all the ill-conceived laterals). But if I was Ozzie Newsome I wouldn’t restructure Ed’s deal at this point, it’s just not a sound business move. He has the nerve impingement in his neck that looks like a permanent condition, his hip was just reconstructed, and lately he’s been acting like a flake. I’m not saying that something can’t be worked out financially for Ed at a later date, but right now it’s time to look at things from a business standpoint. The Ravens are one of the best managed teams in the NFL, because they aren’t afraid to make the hard decisions and hold their ground.

At the same time I can’t fault Reed for wanting a new deal; when healthy him and Pittsburgh’s Troy Polamalu are in a league of their own. Safety is one of the lowest paid positions on the field, but Ed Reed isn’t just another safety, he’s (cliché alert) a game changer. The reality of the NFL and sports in general is that it’s a ‘what have you done for me lately?’ business. Coaches, agents, AD’s, GM’s…they’re like vampires. Athletes are only coveted when they can produce.

I guess I’m a bit torn on the issue. Bottom line, I think Reed has a good heart and will work things out with the Ravens; however, I’m not so sure he’ll physically be able to contribute much this season. I’m just thankful that two drafts ago the Ravens invested third and sixth round picks respectively in Tom Zbikowski and Haruki Nakamura; not to mention the off season signing of Ken Hamlin. The Ravens are pretty deep at the safety position and that should get them by, but there’s no replacing Ed Reed.

~ Pat Cary

Walt Harris is a very good signing for this team. Lardarius Webb and Fabian Washington are progressing well through their respective rehab efforts, but everyone knows that football players, especially speed guys, are not quite the same the first year back from an ACL. The Ravens need a proven vet to be available to start at corner. Remember two years ago when the Ravens were forced to start Frank Walker in the AFC Championship game? Or last year when Chris Carr and even Cary Williams saw their names in the starting lineup? That’s a scary scenario for a team looking to make a deep playoff run.

I realize that Harris is turning 36 and coming off his own knee injury, which forced him to miss the entire 2009 season, but he looked good in a tryout with the Ravens and has 13 years of starting NFL cornerback savvy. Harris has some pedigree as well. He was a first round draft pick by the Bears in 1996; has started just under 90% of his career games; and made the pro bowl in 2006. I’m not getting overly excited here, I actually hope the Ravens never need Harris to make a signal start. I’m just satisfied with the Ravens’ options should Webb and Washington not be available.

I’m also pretty happy with the Ravens other pro bowl signings. Ken Hamlin is a hard hitting safety that could step in should Ed Reed not fully recover from hip surgery in time for the season. Hamlin has some left in the tank at 29 and seems to be hungry to prove that he is still a starting safety in the NFL. At very least, he will push Dawan Landry.

Marc Bulger doesn’t come cheap at $3.8 million, but he is a significant upgrade over Troy Smith and Jon Beck. Hey Troy, you still want to get traded to Cleveland? Well I’m sure they’re not interested, but hopefully we can get a sixth rounder for you. I can’t stress the importance of having a competent backup QB, it’s the most important position in sports. Bulger, even as a backup, is well worth the money.

The NFL is a league of attrition, which is why the Ravens front office deserves a hand for their recent signings.

~Pat Cary

First Base in Major League Baseball is defined as the biggest power position of any of the eight fielding positions. Ryan Howard, Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez are just of the same of the power bats that define the position. This season, every Major League team except for one, the Baltimore Orioles, has at least one home run from their first base position. The combination of Garrett Atkins and Rhyne Hughes has yet to produce one single round tripper twenty nine games into the season in a combined 153 at bats. Not only have they failed to hit a home run but they only have nine extra base hits and 10 runs batted in combined. Suddenly, Aubrey Huff’s 72 home runs in three and half years in Baltimore, doesn’t seem so bad.

Prior to this season Garrett Atkins had a nine home run, 48 rbi campaign for the Colorado Rockies. His reward, was four million dollars and the starting 1^st base position for the Orioles. By no means was Atkins the long term answer at 1^st base for the team, and nobody expected him to be, but his declining numbers, in the thin air of Colorado, should have been a sign that his better days were behind him. Atkins hit 29, 25,21 and nine home runs in his last four seasons in Colorado and got benched during the 2009 season.  Colorado is known to be a hitter friendly ball park and Atkins had a lot of protection in the Rockies lineup. Those things could not be overlooked as major contributors to his stellar home run and RBI numbers in the three seasons prior to the 2009 season. Huff on the other hand, played in Camden Yards, which is not as hitter friendly as Coors Field and he had no protection in the Orioles lineup. What exactly did the Orioles thing Garrett Atkins could give them that Huff couldn’t? Moreover, what distinguished Atkins from the likes of Adam LaRoche and Russell Branyan who had better seasons, on worse teams and in tougher ballparks? 

Would the Orioles offense be a juggernaut with LaRoche, Huff or Branyan? Certainly not, but they definitely would not currently be the only team in baseball without a home run from their first baseman. 

Andy MacPhail has made a lot of good acquisitions during his tenure in Baltimore, but paying Garrett Atkins four million dollars to play first base for the Orioles this season, was not a good one.

The days of Boog Powell are long, long gone, but given Atkins ineptitude this season, Orioles fans like myself are longing for the days Aubrey Huff. Something I am sure nobody though they would say.

The best thing you could do Garrett is to give back you four million dollars so the Orioles can use that to sign Prince Fielder or Adrian Gonzalez, but instead, I am sure you will continue to pick up your paycheck in a ski mask, because you are robbing the Orioles.

Where’s Aubrey Huff when you need him? 3,000 miles away playing for a playoff contender, that’s where. 

Starting a collection to raise enough money to bring in a legit first baseman- The Little Roman

The next three teams to pick all traded up to make their selections.  The 49ers leapfrogged Miami to get big Anthony Davis; San Diego came all the way up from 28^th to select Ryan Mathews; and the Eagles hopped up 11 spots to take Brandon Graham.  I like the Davis pick, even though most projections had Bulaga rated higher.  Davis has much more upside than Bulaga, whose likely going to be a career right tackle.  I thought the Chargers could have got Matthews at 28, so I have no idea why they would essentially give up a 2^nd to make that move.  Moreover, why didn’t they draft a better player?  Derrick Morgan, Brandon Graham, Jason Pierre-Paul, and all the CBs besides Haden where available for the taking.  Philly gave up two 3^rd rounder’s to move up and nab Graham, which is a steep price, but I like the move.  Graham is going to start and play well for years to come and Philly had a surplus of draft picks to work with. 

I believe there were seven trades in the first round alone, but none was more shocking than Denver’s move to acquire Tim Tebow.  The fact that Tebow went in the first round surprises me, but what’s more shocking is what Denver gave up to get him.  The Broncos sent 2^nd (43), 3^rd (70), and a 4^th(114) to Baltimore to make the move.  The Ravens didn’t have to think twice about taking that deal…Ozzie said that it was so sweet that they would have probably still done it even if Bryant was available. 

Ravens fans everywhere where salivating at the thought of Dez Bryant falling all the way to 25.  Once Denver opted for Demaryius Thomas at 22 there was only one hurdle to clear.  New England had greater areas of need and are notorious for trading down, but Dez Bryant might have been too good for them to pass up.  And then Jerry Jones and the Cowboys leapfrog the Ravens and scoop up Bryant…the best value of the draft so far. 

That left the Ravens out of the first night, out of primetime, but with seven picks.  So, what do we do now with the 11^th pick of the second round?  None of the top corners are left, but Virginia’s Chris Cook is out there.  I don’t know if Cook is worth the 43^rd overall pick.  The fact that both Clausen and McCoy are still out there helps the Ravens.  The Vikings, Browns, Raiders, and Bills all pick before the Ravens in the second round and they all have QB needs.  Clausen and McCoy will take up two of the ten spots prior to the Ravens pick, which will increase the odds that a Carlos Dunlap, Everson Griffen, or Sergio Kindle will be available. 

I will be extremely happy if the Ravens could get a first round defensive end in the second round, but I just don’t know if that’s going to happen.  I won’t be too enthused with a second rate CB, a TE, or Terrence Cody.  We shall see…should be an exciting day two.

Side note: I LOVE when teams draft two offensive linemen in the first round.  Bravo San Francisco.  The casual fan will think this boring and redundant, but the 49ers just solidified their line and became the favorite to win the NFC West. 

~ Pat Cary

Rick Krivda, Rocky Coppinger, Daniel Cabrera, and Matt Riley are just a few of the “can’t miss” pitching products that were supposed to make the Orioles legitimate contenders in the AL East. However, these guys were more known for their inability to pitch at the major league level then for their success. These guys are not alone, not just for the Orioles, but for all of baseball, as we have seen prospect after prospect not live up to the hype. The problem is obvious. Certainly these guys have the stuff to make it to the major league level, but most lack the most important thing required to make it in the major leagues: mind set.

Brian Matusz has been touted as the next future ace of the Orioles rotation, and has been impressive since he came up last season. While Matusz has the raw ability and stuff to make it in the major leagues, the most impressive aspect about him is his mind. He pitches, he doesn’t throw; and most importantly, he doesn’t let mistakes by his team in the field or struggles by his offense effect the way he pitches.

Matusz won his first start of the season and then took a lead into the 8th inning before giving up a few runs and watching the bullpen fail to bail him out. In most cases, losing a lead like that and ending up on the short end of the stick would phase young pitchers, but not Brian Matusz. Instead, he toed the rubber on Sunday in Oakland with his team enduring a nine game losing streak, and he dazzled.

The Orioles found numerous ways to lose games during their nine game losing streak, so people would have understood if Matusz came out tight, felt the pressure, and just tried to the throw the ball by hitters. However, Matusz pitched. He changed speeds, challenged hitters, worked inside and out as if he was pitching for a team that was 11-1 instead of 1-11. With a 6-3 lead in the game, Matusz induced a lazy fly ball that should have been an easy out. However, a misplay by Adam Jones caused the runner to reach with a single. With two men on base I texted some of my friends, saying “here we go again” as I fully expected that mistake to open the flood gates to a big inning . However, I forgot who was on the mound. Matusz didn’t let that mistake phase him and he got another out before eventually being pulled.

Numerous pitchers have come up with lots of fan fare only to be gone before anyone even knew their name. Pitching is more then just about how good a fastball or change-up or slider you have. It’s about your ability to pitch with the pressure or battle when things aren’t going well. It’s more mental then anything, and that is where Brian Matusz excels.

His mind, not his arm is why Brian Matusz is going to be so good.

My food tasted better this morning thanks to that O’s win- Marco “ the little Roman” Romanell

During the first couple years of the Andy MacPhail tenure, we heard that wins and losses don’t matter, but rebuilding the team the proper way does. This season however, MacPhail publicly stated that this season, the team, and Dave Trembley would be judged on wins and losses, and that was the only thing that mattered. Eight games into the season the Orioles stand at 1-7, and are already five games behind the division leading Blue Jays. I know it is only the second week of the season, but given the Orioles tough schedule for the rest of April and the first couple weeks in May, it does not look like it is going to get better any time soon.

So when will MacPhail reach his breaking point and start letting go of people who aren’t producing? Who knows, but at the rate things are going, it may be sooner than expected. If the Orioles are 5-25 thirty games into the season or somewhere in that neighborhood, expect MacPhail to start cleaning house before he loses whatever fans the Orioles still have left. Even it does not change anything, it will at least show he is making a legitimate effort to win.

Why isn’t Dave Trembley managing like his job is on the line?
Someone may need to alert Dave Trembley that his job is to win baseball games, and if does not start doing that soon, than he will be out of a job. Certainly he can make excuses and point to the fact that Brian Roberts is hurt, the middle of the lineup isn’t producing, and the bullpen has blown four games this season. But, it is his job as the manager to fix these things and push the right buttons. If the lineup is not producing, shake it up. Move people up and down in the order, bench players, send a message that says you are in it to win it and won’t tolerate poor performance. If you do this and the players don’t produce, it is on them, not you. If your 12 million dollar closer is not producing, why continue to bring him in the game in the 9th inning when you have other pitchers who are having success?

Trembley is managing by the book and playing it too safe. The Orioles do not have the horses to compete with the top teams so shaking things up may be a way to compensate for that. I would have more respect for Tremblay if he made a major shake up that didn’t work, than just seeing him trot Albers out in the 7th, Ohman out to face a lefty, Johnson in the 8th then Gonzalez in the 9th and listen to him say “it’s not my fault the players couldn’t get their jobs done.” If you’re going to accept this kind of managing, you might as well just run a contest that lets a different fan manage the team each game, or hire a 12-year-old like the Twins did in the movie “Little Big League” because when you manage by the book, it doesn’t really matter who is at the helm.

Comments:

You can’t just assume the Orioles offense is going to turn it around:
Prior to the season, Oriole fans exuded a ton of optimism about this version of the Baltimore Orioles. The main reason for this, as many stated, was because of the offense. The statement “I am not worried about the offense” was seemingly uttered from every person who called into any sports talk radio show. Outside of Nick Markakis and Miguel Tejada, who has a track record that shows they are going to consistently produce? And can you rely on to hit that 3-run homer late in the game, when the Orioles are down by two runs? Nobody.

As much as I love Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold and Matt Wieters, I will not be ready to anoint the Orioles offense as a strength until they show me they can consistently put up numbers. Another problem is that your two most proven hitters, Markakis and Tejada, will likely produce the fewest number of home runs of any #3 and #4 hitters combined in the division. To make things worse, the Orioles table setter Brian Roberts, and his 50 doubles and 25 stolen bases a year, are sidelined for at least the next two weeks. This will probably mean that the heart of the order will often come to the plate with nobody on base, leaving very few RBI chances. Hitting solo home runs won’t win you many games. This will be even more evident when the Orioles face the Yankees ,Rays, and Red Sox and score three runs on nine hits while those three teams will hit two home runs with runners on base, and win the game.

I don’t believe the Orioles offense will be this anemic all season, but I believe runs will be at a premium for 162 games, especially if Tejada is the home run and rbi leader.

The bottom line is that another season is already getting away from the Orioles. Can the Orioles heat up and compete over the next month? Will the O’s be 10-15 games below .500 by May 15? Should Tremblay just quit and save himself from further disgrace?

Marco Romanell – good thing Ryan is betting on these jerks and not me.

Masters: Which do you think is the better story: celebrating the victorious return of a golfer that left the PGA tour because he cheated on his wife, or celebrating the 3rd green jacket for a player that left the tour to be with his wife while she battled breast cancer?

I think it was divine intervention at Augusta this past weekend. Phil Mickelson played some of the best golf I have ever seen in my life. His shot during the final round on the 13th hole was epic. Phil not only handled the pressure, but thrived and conjured up his best play.

The whole world had to be extremely moved as “Lefty” hugged his wife after walking off the 18th green a winner. In my Masters preview, I was hopeful that Tiger would use spite as a catalyst for success. However, the real emotional story was Phil Mickelson and his wife. It seems like only yesterday that Phil was labeled as the best player “never to win a major”. Moreover, how many affluent, country club and silver spoon individuals can capture the affection of so many Americans that otherwise typically embrace the blue-collar underdog?

NHL: The Washington Capitals won the first “Presidents Cup” trophy in franchise history by posting the best regular season NHL record. The 121 points earned by the Capitals is the most EVER for a non Original-Six hockey team. The Caps will play Montreal in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, and this is the million dollar question: Do the Caps have the defense and goal-tending required to hoist the Stanley Cup?

UFC: Dana White is furious in the aftermath of UFC 112. After watching Frankie Edgar pull off a historic upset to capture the UFC lightweight crown, White sat and watched Anderson Silva prance, dance, and run from Demian Maia in a battle for the Middleweight championship.

This is my take on both fights: B.J. Penn must have been injured before his loss to Frankie Edgar. B.J. was not himself, and entered the ring with a wrap on his knee. Because he made excuses following the “Grease-gate” loss to St. Pierre, I am sure Penn was reluctant to bring up the injury at post-fight interviews for fear of being criticized again. I will tip my hat to Edgar for being quicker, and for putting together a good game plan; but he shouldn’t have beaten a healthy B.J Penn. The Lightweight division will get interesting in the next 18 months, as one of my favorite fighters, Kenny Florian, will certainly get the first shot at the title. Can you say Florian vs. Penn II in late 2011?

This is my take on the Anderson Silva debacle: most fans think that Silva should apologize to them and Dana White for “The Spider’s” ridiculous display on Saturday night in Abu Dhabi. I think the UFC should apologize to Silva for failing to produce even one fighter that can remotely challenge him at all. Maia had ZERO chance of threatening “The Spider”, and I think that he is simply bored and irritated that over the course of his Octagon career, not one single fighter has given him a real fight. Chael Sonnen, a friend of the show, will likely get the next shot at Silva and the Middleweight belt. Reached for commentary post-fight, Sonnen said that it was his “moral obligation to beat up Anderson Silva.” Sonnen is a warrior and will not be afraid to stand and bang with “The Spider”. Hopefully he can present Silva with a viable challenge, so that fans get to see Silva perform at his best. Sonnen has been very outspoken and critical of Silva, so it should give “The Spider” a reason to give his best. If Silva moves up to Light Heavyweight full time, it is conceivable that a bigger fighter with heavier hands could stun him with a shock knockout. But I doubt it….

MotoGP: Nine-time champion Valentino Rossi won the 1st race in the 2010 Moto GP season with a victory in Doha, Qatar. Australian Casey Stoner, who has won this race the last three years running, crashed out after grabbing the lead 10 laps into the race. The race was tightly contested, but Rossi remained undaunted and made no mistakes in taking the checkered flag. Americans Nicky Hayden and Ben Spies (the latter is in his first year on the GP circuit), each put forth a great showing and just missed the podium, finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

MLB: Last but not least, the Orioles are just AWFUL. Mike Gonzalez took ALL the wind out of this team’s sails, and the Birds are now 1-5 and facing the most difficult stretch of their season. The O’s may very well be 10 games below .500 by mid-May. New faces, new expectations, new Spring training facility—same old results.

And for those of you that think the Orioles have good offense, think again. Let me reiterate that Toronto walked our #3 hitter to get to our clean-up hitter! What a joke…This team has ZERO power, and will have to win National league-style games with suspect pitching and erratic defense. The O’s cannot hit with runners on base, and Tejada offers ZERO protection to Jones & Markakis, who are both off to horrible starts themselves.

By the way, how do you feel about Jones blowing a bubble right before he dropped the ball in the 1st inning against Toronto, on Opening Day?
Typical O’s.

Woodman – at least I have the NHL playoffs & NFL draft to cheer for

I would be remiss if I didn’t write an interactive piece regarding Oriole closer Mike Gonzalez. The new orioles closer seems to be a magnet for 9th inning drama. Oriole fans used to call former closer George Sherrill “Mr. Excitement.” Maybe fans should call Gonzalez “Mr. Heart Attack.” I have seen Melrose Place season ending episodes with less drama.

Can someone please figure out who scouted this guy? I don’t like his stature, his demeanor, his delivery, his stuff, or his velocity. Frankly, I don’t think the guy is any good. A quick peek at his career stats startled me for a moment: 2.62 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, more strikeouts than innings pitched (333-282), and only 1 walk allowed for every 2 innings pitched. However, last season as a closer for the Braves, Gonzalez blew 7 saves in 17 attempts. Regardless of what his history would suggest, he doesn’t attack the strike zone, isn’t intimidating, and gives me zero confidence that he can do the job of a major league closer.

While I am piling on the O’s, can I please reiterate my skepticism regarding the Oriole offense? Last night the Rays walked Markakis to get to our clean-up hitter. Think about that for a second…..I know it created a righty/righty match-up, but would the O’s walk Zobrist to get to Longoria? How about walking Teixiera to get to A-Rod? Tejada hitting clean-up for the O’s is a complete joke. Hopefully if Atkins or Reimold can continue to produce, they can give the O’s a lift in the middle of the line-up.

On a positive note, top of the rotation starters Kevin Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie gave the Orioles a chance to win in their respective season debuts. Future ace Brian Matusz uncharacteristically walked five batters and struggled to get through five innings. But, even when he was not at his best, Matusz still struck out seven and surrendered only two hits and two runs in collecting his first win of the season. Also, Matt Wieters seems to be picking up where he left off last year and is on track for a very good season. This town needs one of it’s young stars to live up to the hype! The bullpen aside from Gonzalez has been solid, and the Orioles defense (aside from not having a 100% healthy left fielder) has been good. Matusz picked off two runners with the help of solid 1st base play from Garrett Atkins. I still have my doubts about Atkins, but he has played well this season including a big two RBI single yesterday which broke open the game. Furthermore, Oriole fans shouldn’t worry about Nolan Reimold duplicating his offensive output from last season. Reimold can flat out rake.

The Orioles open their home schedule today against the Blue Jays with Brad Bergesen on the hill. Hopefully the Oriole bats will come to life so Gonzalez won’t have to close another tight game. My heart can’t take it.

What are your first impressions of the O’s this season?

Woodman – diehard O’s fan for life.

The anticipation and excitement of Opening Day has been hanging in the air for months. Oriole fans want, need, and expect this year to be different from the last 12; but after watching the game last night, maybe Oriole fans should prepare for more of the same.

The Oriole hitters produced 3 solo home runs, but went 0-11 with runners in scoring position.

Kevin Millwood produced an excellent first start as an Oriole and got outstanding bullpen help, until new Oriole closer Mike Gonzalez blew the save by allowing two runs in the bottom of the ninth.

Garrett Atkins failed to deliver an RBI with runners on 1st and 3rd and no outs, and later tried to score on a ground ball from third with one out and was thrown out at the plate.

As much as Oriole fans want this year to be different, I am nervous that it will be more of the same. If an Oriole starter does well, the bullpen will blow it. If the Oriole bats are hot, the pitching will give up 10 runs. This franchise needs a definitive moment to usher in a new era. The Oriole roster is full of players that make it worthwhile to make a trip to Camden Yards, but whether that translates into wins remains to be seen.

Ten Things for 2010:

10. Over/Under on Jeremy Guthrie remaining in the Oriole starting rotation after May 31st?

9. Over/Under Miguel Tejada hitting 10 Home Runs. By the way, he is the Oriole clean-up hitter. I am going with under.

8. Over/Under 11 wins for future Oriole Ace Brian Matusz? Will Matusz win AL Rookie of the Year?

7. Over/Under 2 the number of Oriole hitters that will have an .400 OBP?

6. % that Dave Trembley will be the Oriole manager after 2010.

5. Over/Under 12 blown saves for Oriole closer Mike Gonzalez? Over/Under 30 blown leads by the Oriole bullpen?

4. Over/Under 4 the number of Orioles who will hit 20 or more Home Runs?

3. % Garrett Atkins is even on the Oriole roster August 1st?

2. Over/Under 27 road wins?

1. Over/Under 74 wins for the season?

The Oriole season is one day old and I am already sick to my stomach. Maybe the Mayflower vans that moved the Colts in 1983 should stand by to move this garbage Oriole squad out of Charm City.

The Orioles have the most difficult schedule in MLB the first 40 games of the season. Oriole fans know that the team will swoon and lose 40 of 45 in August/September. We can only hope that last nights game will not be an indication of the month to come.

Woodman – crossing my fingers, but not expecting much

Why does finishing the season at .500 get people excited? I know the Orioles have suffered through 12 straight losing seasons and fans want to put an end to that streak, but what does it really mean?

You either make the playoffs or you don’t. Period. Do you think that finishing .500 will give you bragging rights to your college buddies that are Yankee and Red Sox fans?

Even if the Orioles won 100 games with donkeys like Millar, Conine, Daniel Cabrera, Sydney Ponson, Adam Eaton, Chris Gomez, and a number of other bush league jokers in the last 10 years, I still wouldn’t have fully embraced the team. More important than a .500 record is the reality that we have a team of players that we can root for and enjoy watching. Would you buy the jersey of any Oriole player other than Markakis or Roberts in the last 10 years?

How about going to Camden Yards to watch Brian Matusz, Matt Wieters, Adam Jones, Nolan Reimold, Chris Tillman, along with Nick, BRob, and Miggy? Are they worth the price of admission, and would you buy their jerseys? Of course you would!

Any realistic Oriole fan knows that this team will fall short of finishing .500 this year. But I GUARANTEE that you see marked improvement on the baseball field and that it will be fun to go to the Yard to watch these young studs play. It is a lot to ask of these young players to develop into every day major league players AND learn how to win all in the same year. MacPhail did a great job bringing Millwood, Atkins, and Miggy into the team to help mentor the young players. Hopefully these veterans can produce on the field as well.

I am tired of waiting. I am tired of always looking ahead to next year. I want results now. I want to win now. I don’t want excuses. I am tired of lip service by the Oriole front office. But, Andy MacPhail IS turning things around and building the organization and parent club into something we can be proud of every year. The Orioles have a nucleus of young, dynamic talent that will make the team an attractive free agent destination. When was the last time Baltimore was an attractive free agent destination? Don’t you think Prince Fielder would look at these young arms and picture himself in a lineup with: BRob, Jones, Markakis, Fielder, Weiters, Reimold, Bell, etc.? A rotation with Britton, Matusz, Tillman, Arrieta?

Everyone needs to get over the .500 fixation and just appreciate the young players the Orioles will send out to represent Charm City as they restore the pride to this once great organization. Also, can we please fill up the Yard with Oriole fans and send Red Sox Nation, Yankees fans, and any other away team fan back home where they belong? These young guys need our support and need our cheers, not jeers from some douchebag Red Sox fan.

Woodman – we aren’t finishing .500 this year, so get over it