tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly/282 2009-06-24T11:11:59Z Hang out. Share your thoughts. And then skip out on the tab. Movable Type 3.36 tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.200042 2009-06-23T21:18:34Z 2009-06-24T11:11:59Z

Editor's Note: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar is moving to the friendly confines of the Toy Department. Dan will continue to post Daily Think Specials and interact with readers, you'll just find his new offerings under the Toy Department banner. To...

Dan Connolly Editor's Note: Connolly's Corner Sports Bar is moving to the friendly confines of the Toy Department. Dan will continue to post Daily Think Specials and interact with readers, you'll just find his new offerings under the Toy Department banner. To read his latest entry, click here. ]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.198962 2009-06-19T01:53:15Z 2009-06-19T03:12:42Z

It was an absolute landslide. Michael Dukakis thought it was the worst blowout he had seen. Baltimore loves the cartoon bird, or at least this bar does. I asked Thursday about the best Orioles’ bird logo, and there was...

Dan Connolly I asked Thursday about the best Orioles’ bird logo, and there was no question that you people loved the cartoon bird. I remember a few months ago when we discussed “Baltimore” on the road jersey and some of you said the next step should be bringing back the cartoon bird. I agree it was the best logo -- absolutely classic. But do you really want it back now? Or should it be left to a different era? I think I’m OK with having it retired, maybe at least until the Orioles are more relevant in Major League Baseball. But I’m sure some of you feel going back to the cartoon bird will trigger good karma. I was going to do a golf post today, but we’ll let this run all weekend. We’ll make it an informal poll. Maybe someone in power pays attention. Or maybe not. Daily Think Special: Would you like to see the cartoon bird return full-time to Orioles' hats next year?]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.197734 2009-06-18T01:41:58Z 2009-06-18T01:53:38Z

In two days we have managed to talk about fat and slow players and guys who just didn’t look like they belonged in the majors. And we did a little trashing of Alanis Morissette. Not bad at all for...

Dan Connolly fat and slow players and guys who just didn’t look like they belonged in the majors. And we did a little trashing of Alanis Morissette. Not bad at all for a midweek. Since you guys have been especially impressive this week, I am turning the floor over to you today. Or to TJ, anyway. TJ, one of our patrons, has suggested a pretty interesting topic. He wants to know which is your favorite Orioles bird logo? There are probably three main choices here: the classic ornithologically correct one from the old days, the original cartoon bird of the 1950s or the late 1970s-80s cartoon bird. Because I am a child of the early 80s, it’s an easy choice for me. I remember once talking to now deposed lefty Jamie Walker last year about the 1970-80s cartoon bird. He told me he won that hat at a carnival in Tennessee when he was a kid and refused to take it off for weeks. It was just too cool, he said (actually, he used much more colorful language but this is a family fake bar). I am in agreement with Walker. Daily Think Special: Which is the best Orioles bird logo of all-time?]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.197442 2009-06-17T04:24:25Z 2009-06-17T11:33:50Z

A huge day at the bar Tuesday. Which is a tad ironic considering the topic was slow. Or maybe that’s not ironic. There was a day when I knew the difference, but then Alanis Morissette screwed everything up. You’ll never...

Dan Connolly Daily Think Special: Which Oriole least looked like a pro ballplayer? ]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.197001 2009-06-15T21:04:46Z 2009-06-16T01:22:59Z

We’ve gotten the accolades out of the way for base runners, mentioning the best in Orioles history Monday. Let’s take a bit of the flip side Tuesday. The obvious question is who is the worst base runner in Orioles history,...

Dan Connolly mentioning the best in Orioles history Monday. Let’s take a bit of the flip side Tuesday. The obvious question is who is the worst base runner in Orioles history, but that is such a tough call. Certainly, we remember specific boneheaded plays from the likes of Jack Cust and Melvin Mora. But are they the worst base runners in club history, or makers of memorable gaffes? So let’s just analyze the slowest Orioles position players over the years. Catcher Gus Triandos is legendary. He had one stolen base in a 13-season career, but he was a perfect 1-for-1. Boog Powell was a big man who had to carry a cement bag behind him. And Lee May in his later years was the Big Bopper for a reason. Then there was Harold Baines, for whom the term “balky knees” was created. For my money, I am going with a guy I covered: catcher Geronimo Gil. He did have two stolen bases (and twice was caught stealing) in his six-season career. But that was early on. By 2005 I am convinced I could have beaten him from home to first, and I am not exactly Ben Johnson (before or after stanozolol). Gil was that slow. For giggles, I looked to see if “The Chief” is still playing ball, and he is in the Mexican League, batting .303 with eight homers, 11 doubles and a triple (wonder if that one is on You Tube). He has attempted to steal four bases and has been thrown out three times -- in the Mexican League. He is now listed at 240, which was about his playing weight in 2005 when he was listed at 200. Anyway, the Chief is my call, with an asterisk for Triandos, who I never saw play. Daily Think Special: Who is the slowest Oriole of all time? ]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.196723 2009-06-14T23:13:36Z 2009-06-15T01:41:15Z

Watching Robert Andino steal home Sunday afternoon is today’s inspiration. I’m not sure I have seen that a whole lot. Corey Patterson was the last one to do it for the Orioles, back in 2007. Andino did a nice job...

Dan Connolly Daily Think Special: Who is the greatest base runner in Orioles history? ]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.196235 2009-06-12T02:21:16Z 2009-06-12T04:08:47Z

There’s been a pervasive thought for much of this young Orioles season. This club doesn’t have the pitching to compete with the big boys of the AL East yet. But the belief has been that they could swing the...

Dan Connolly Daily Think Special: How would you jump-start the scuffling Orioles offense?]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.195922 2009-06-11T03:24:40Z 2009-06-11T03:29:39Z

We are going to move beyond the baseball draft today, because, let’s face it, none of us really knows what we are talking about. That’s never stopped me before, of course, but I am not too old to try...

Dan Connolly Daily Think Special: Which current players would compel you to tip your cap? ]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.195612 2009-06-10T04:13:13Z 2009-06-10T11:34:44Z

I spent much of the evening paying attention to the minor league draft. Boy, have times changed. The Orioles made three selections Tuesday: California high school pitcher Matt Hobgood with the fifth pick overall, Tampa-area high school shortstop Mychal Givens...

Dan Connolly California high school pitcher Matt Hobgood with the fifth pick overall, Tampa-area high school shortstop Mychal Givens in the second round (54th overall) and Florida International University first baseman Tyler Townsend in the third (85th pick). Another 27 rounds will follow today with the remainder ending up Thursday. Let’s start by saying this is not the NFL draft. I’ve never seen any of these kids play. Not one. So I can’t properly evaluate the picks. That said, because Hobgood was listed as the 18th right-handed pitcher by Baseball America in their draft preview and, because he wasn’t in the top 10 in mock drafts, some fans are bemoaning this as a terrible reach. This kid was the Gatorade National Player of the Year this year, however. He went 11-1 with a 0.92 ERA at Norco High School in suburban Los Angeles. He struck out 101 and walked 26 in 68 1/3 innings while hitting 21 homers and batting .475 as a first baseman. He’s huge – 6-foot-4, 245-pounds – and throws in the mid-90s. He’s apparently got a great attitude, which in part comes from the fact that his father died of cancer when he was 13 and he had to grow up quickly. And he's a good interview already, pleasant, upbeat and well spoken. So I am more than willing to give Joe Jordan and his staff the benefit of the doubt on this one. Are you? I am curious as to whether you were disappointed when you heard the pick or if you formed no opinion because, well, it’s the baseball draft. Daily Think Special: What’s your take on the Matt Hobgood pick? ]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.195220 2009-06-08T20:48:38Z 2009-06-08T22:56:41Z

Major League Baseball’s draft kicks off Tuesday night, and it is now a made-for-TV event on the MLB Network. God help us all. I remember back in 2001 standing around a writer’s cell phone -- the only one with...

Dan Connolly the Orioles are on the proverbial clock with the fifth pick. It looks as if all-world San Diego State pitcher Stephen Strasburg will go to the Washington Nationals, and then the Seattle Mariners likely will select University of North Carolina first baseman Dustin Ackley with the second pick. If either of those two falls, the Orioles will grab one. But they won’t drop that far. With Ackley off the board, there really isn’t a position player that is a slam-dunk at No. 5. Georgia high school star Donavan Tate (who has a dual football/baseball scholarship to UNC) is risky but intriguing. USC shortstop Grant Green had an uneven collegiate season and may have dropped out of the top ten. That means with the fifth selection in the first round, the Orioles will take ... a pitcher. It could be a high schooler. It could be a collegiate one. But they are going to get another pitcher. Bank on it. It goes with Andy MacPhail’s philosophy of “growing the arms.” Still, the organization is devoid of top hitting prospects, and that is a concern. So, if it were you, would you go with the best hitter out there, even if he is not as much of a sure thing (as if there is a sure thing in the baseball draft) as the top pitchers? Or is MacPhail right and you keep piling up the arms? Daily Think Special: Would it bother you if the Orioles took another pitcher in Tuesday’s first round? Bonus Think Special: Any idea on which player you want the Orioles to draft?]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.194881 2009-06-07T03:05:17Z 2009-06-08T11:48:30Z

Hope you had a good weekend. Even with the Orioles and Jeff Zrebiec on the West Coast, I watched a lot of baseball – went to a couple of minor league games and managed two Little League ones. Guess you...

Dan Connolly a great discussion about the Orioles’ most intimidating pitcher -- not necessarily the best, but the fiercest on the mound. Let’s flip it today. Who was the most intimidating Orioles hitter of all time? I am talking about the guy who dug into the box, glared ahead and made the pitchers go, “uh-oh.” There have been several of those guys to put on an Orioles uniform. Love him or hate him, Albert Belle was undeniably scary when he was holding a bat and scowling (really, he was scary and scowling no matter what he was doing). And in the late 1960s, pitchers just weren’t used to seeing a guy of Boog Powell’s size digging in at the plate. But, for my money, this is a two-horse race -- one that may divide generations. Frank Robinson or Eddie Murray? Both are Hall of Famers. And both scared the bejeesus out of pitchers. I am going with Frank, partially on a conversation he had with me and a few other writers years ago when he managed the Washington Nationals. We were talking about purpose pitches, and we asked him how often he thought about charging the mound when he got hit by a pitch. “I didn’t have to. I’d get my message across,” he said, and then made a swinging motion and pointed toward the sky, his way of saying that in his next at-bat he’d homer against the offending pitcher. We all laughed, and someone said, “But Frank, you might have to wait a couple innings to retaliate. Didn’t you ever want to do it instantaneously?” Robinson paused and then said, “Oh I got plenty of revenge running from first to second. I’d send a clean message to the middle infielder trying to turn a double play, and word would quickly get back to the pitcher not to hit me again.” Yes, people. We have a winner -- in my mind, anyway. Does someone beat that? Daily Think Special: Who was the most intimidating hitter in Orioles history?]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.194506 2009-06-05T02:46:47Z 2009-06-05T12:04:20Z

I am writing this a few hours after San Francisco Giants lefty Randy Johnson picked up his 300th win, becoming the 24th pitcher in baseball history to reach that milestone. (Sorry for closing the bar without warning Thursday. Blame the...

Dan Connolly San Francisco Giants lefty Randy Johnson picked up his 300th win, becoming the 24th pitcher in baseball history to reach that milestone. (Sorry for closing the bar without warning Thursday. Blame the weather and the Nats’ front office, not me.) I have covered a no-hitter, a 3,000th hit and a 300th win in my career. I am still looking for a perfect game, a triple play and a winning August or September at Camden Yards. You can’t rush history, I guess. I was talking with a colleague in the press box about whether the 6-foot-10 Johnson was the most intimidating presence ever on the mound. Bob Gibson might win that race, though Johnson, Dave Stewart and Goose Gossage have to be in the discussion. That got me thinking: Who was the most intimidating Orioles pitcher of all time? Jim Palmer was the best. But I am not sure he intimidated opposing hitters with his mere presence. Tim Stoddard was definitely a big guy who cast a daunting shadow. Alan Mills sure had a greet scowl (and a solid right hook). Maybe this is one for the old-timers to add their two cents. Daily Think Special: Who was the most intimidating pitcher in Orioles history? Bonus Think Special: Who was the most intimidating pitcher in baseball history?]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.193844 2009-06-02T20:45:38Z 2009-06-03T00:34:12Z

Great Erik Bedard discussion on Tuesday. Not sure you pushed me off the fence one way or the other, though I agree with those that argue you can’t have enough pitching. I think it will come down to how much...

Dan Connolly Great Erik Bedard discussion on Tuesday. Not sure you pushed me off the fence one way or the other, though I agree with those that argue you can’t have enough pitching. I think it will come down to how much he is looking for. The Orioles won’t be getting a discount, so it’s likely they’ll be outbid. But if all things are equal, I believe Bedard would consider Baltimore. Yes, the Toronto Blue Jays would have the edge. But Bedard says publicly -- as well privately to some old teammates -- that he really liked it in Baltimore. So you can’t dismiss a return here -- if the money is right. To another pitching topic: On Wednesday night Randy Johnson goes for his 300th win, and he’ll attempt it against baseball’s current Homecoming opponent, the struggling Washington Nationals. Conventional wisdom says he gets it Wednesday, but baseball has never acquiesced to conventional wisdom. That said, Johnson will get 300 eventually. If not Wednesday, then a start in the near future. And it’s possible he’ll be the last one to reach that milestone. The next closest is Jamie Moyer, who has 250 wins and is 46 years old. It’s possible, I guess, but he’d probably have to do it at age 49. Including Moyer, there are only seven pitchers who have between 150 and 299 wins: Andy Pettitte (age 37, 220 wins), Pedro Martinez (37, 214, currently without a team), John Smoltz (42, 210, hasn’t pitched in the majors yet in 2009), Tim Wakefield (42, 184), Bartolo Colon (36, 153) and Livan Hernandez (supposedly 34, 151). There are no definites on that list. In fact, I don’t think any of them get there. Looking ahead, CC Sabathia is the only pitcher under age 30 with at least 120 wins; he has 122. Sabathia could do it, or maybe Roy Halladay (age 32, 139). But they’d have to pitch well into their 40s. So I’m not sure it gets done ever again. Daily Think Special: After Randy Johnson, will a pitcher again reach 300 wins? If so, predict the pitcher. ]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.193550 2009-06-02T01:12:18Z 2009-06-02T02:00:08Z

Slap me the next time I try to engage you people in a civilized discussion about the NBA. As Jack tried to put it politely, that talk just doesn’t fly in here. This is a seamhead and pigskin joint....

Dan Connolly a civilized discussion about the NBA. As Jack tried to put it politely, that talk just doesn’t fly in here. This is a seamhead and pigskin joint. We should stick with that, for the most part. So it is back to baseball, and to a subject we’ve knocked around a little in the past. Erik Bedard. The Surly Canadian, as we jokingly referred to him in his days in Baltimore, pitches against the Orioles on Tuesday night for the first time in his career. Right now, he is still with the Seattle Mariners, you know, the organization that gave you Adam Jones, George Sherrill and Chris Tillman. By the end of July, Bedard will probably be somewhere else. The Mariners aren’t contenders, and they’ll probably try to get something for Bedard, a free agent this winter. The Orioles wouldn’t trade for him this year. There is no point. But I am curious as to whether you’d want him back for 2010 and beyond. Bedard is a pretty darn good pitcher when he is healthy -- though he’s only had one 30-start season in his career. He won 28 games for the Orioles in his final two seasons here, posting a 3.76 and 3.16 ERA, respectively. And he is 3-2 with a 2.48 ERA through nine starts in 2009. He turned 30 in March. For perspective purposes, he’s just one year older than Rich Hill. Given all that, Bedard likely will get a pretty lofty contract. Consider that Bedard’s Mariners’ teammate, Carlos Silva, wasn’t as accomplished and received a four-year, $48 million deal two years ago -- and that’s probably your going rate. My guess is that Bedard will get between $10 and $15 million per year in free agency. He’s making $7.75 million this year. He could make more if he decides to go to the highest bidder, but I’m not sure Bedard does that. I think he’ll be pretty picky about his landing spot. He likes being comfortable and left alone by the media, and he won’t get that in the big markets. So Bedard could be intrigued about coming back to Baltimore at the right price. He still has plenty of friends here, and there’s always a special place in a ballplayer’s heart for his first organization. I assume there are two camps out there regarding Bedard: One, his left arm would be a great addition to a promising young staff. Two, his attitude and fragility aren’t worth the millions he’ll command. My take: I am not sure he’s a pitcher you build around, but he is awfully good when he’s in a zone. Call me torn. Daily Think Special: Would you like to see Erik Bedard back with the Orioles in 2010 and beyond? Or have you moved on?]]> tag:weblogs.baltimoresun.com,2009:/sports/connolly//282.193195 2009-05-31T22:40:54Z 2009-06-01T11:42:35Z

We have done plenty of baseball, the old standby, and we’ll be back tomorrow with an oldie/goodie. I promise. But I am venturing back to the NBA for a moment. I think Dwight Howard is a wonderful young player and...

Dan Connolly Daily Think Special: Does LeBron’s absence affect your interest in the NBA Finals?]]>