A major blowup has been needed since 1998, they have always tried to improve with bandaids. Blow it up (miggy, mora, millar, cabrera), start fresh.

We sure need to do something different. I guess all the guaranteed money really paints them in a corner: unlike football they can't just jettison guys who aren't performing without eating the whole contract.

Perlozzo has made some pretty bad calls in terms of moves during games this year, but I don't see how shoving him out the door is suddenly going to make us better, either.

I guess I was hoping we'd at least get to the All-Star Break before we could well and truly say, "Maybe next year." Well... maybe next year.

But I have this sinking feeling that next year's Opening Day will be marked with an abundance of veteran LF/DH/1B players on the roster, uncertainty about the quality of the bullpen, and everything else that we've all heard before.

I'd be shocked if Mazzone stuck around next year. I actually wouldn't be too surprised if he left before the season is out. Hiring Andy McPhail may be the smartest thing that Angelos has ever done as the owner. I'm thinking McPhail will talk Angelos into getting rid of both Flanagan and Duquette, if for nothing else other than spending an insane amount of money on a bullpen that is now pretty much useless. One thing is for sure, this team needs to get serious about rebuilding, and stop this business of having one foot in the rebuilding pool and one foot out. They need to take the plunge, and do it now or else this team is NEVER going to be competitive.

Let me get this straight: the meddling owner who ran off Davey Johnson after a manager-of-the-year season, now wants to hire a former manager of the year who was run off by a crazy owner.

If you were Girardi, what would you say - especially after turning down the Nats job because of a lack of interest in rebuilding a team?

This does not add up.
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Don't you just love sports?
--Bill O.

It was bound to happen....things have been snowballing for a long time and not just this year. Big changes need to come.....not only players....but the way the whole organiztion is going about things....everything that was said in the blog is needed...the only thing unknown is to what extent will it come about....right down to the players we draft...scouting....you name it it needs fixing....back to the Orioles Way...some how....all this is sad but true....I have been a fan since 1966.....Perlozzo is a good guy....lots of players and coaches and mgr have come and gone that are good guys...but good guys finish last....time to do whatever it takes....how ever unpleasant or good even.....

With a last name like "McPhail", this dude is definitely coming to the right place.
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Give that man a kewpie doll.
--Bill O.

:-(
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The magic of the Internet.
--Bill O.

HIRE GIRARDI!!! This will be the last year of losing.

Bill,

I think this team still has potential, a blowup would set us back ages. All we need is a big bat, a dangerous bat in the lineup changes everything about the last 30 games. We've gotten the runners on base, If we can drive them in, there are 15 occasions where the bullpen isn't really a factor.

Maybe what should happen is MacPhail in, Duquette named GM (he really knows his stuff and has been hampered by this weird two-headed situation), and Flanny in some other role - though I doubt he'd take it.
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Bobby,
I wish I could share your optimism about how just one big bopper would make a huge difference. First, I don't know how you get him (whoever he is) without giving up some players of substance, especially starting pitching, that are your building blocks. And I think that what we've seen here over the last month are some serious problems with the clubhouse as a whole. If there's a quick fix, I hope they find it.
--Bill O.

angelos needs to sell this team. he has no idea what he is doing. the orioles need to decide what direction they want to go. without a salary cap or a worldwide draft they are in the wrong division.under the present economic conditions they can not compete with the skankees or red sox.

This team will never win unless they stop going back to that "oriole magic" stuff and get some new blood in who knows what they are doing. Those Os of the 60s, 70s and 80s are long gone, happily living out their retirement years.

Does Peter Angelos answer to anyone? The buck obviously stops with him. Why isn't there more of a demand that he sell the team? He is as inept an owner as there could possibly be. If he doesn't go, the team will not be long for this world.

". . . Mazzone is Sam's friend". This is a major peice of the equation that I can't help but think has been completely overlooked, not only by all of the hordes of inbittered, head-hunting fans, but the front office that continues to dig the grave of this once-great franchise.

This move is as much of a joke as the predictabilty of a late inning 5 spot surrendered by the bullpen, or the 9 innings of magic that opposing pitchers seem to be able to cast over Our anemic offense. Another joke in a long series . . .

Better start looking into those Nats tickets for next season. Can't wait to see the new ball park. It's something to see anyway, and I can't say that about any team playing in Baltimore for the past 9 - wait - 10 years.

Finally.

Forget all the Monday morning "quarterbacking" (ha ha).

The fact is that Sammy is a really nice guy who has been a great minor league manager and satisfactory major league coach. But he could not handle, push, or otherwise direct the prima donnas that comprise this Os team.

Manager is a very different job and requires many more leadership skills than a coach. A coach is a player's buddy, a friend, a confidant. A manager is not a players friend, and it always looked to me like Sam wanted to continue friendships he had as coach.

Sam just seems to not have the kick-butt fire that a manager must have --- not a profanity-based personality like a Leyland, but a focused, no nonsense attitude that apparently is not part of Sam's personality make up. That's not a knock at a good guy; it's an observation.

I hope he finds a good place to land.

Don't like change much but how could this one be bad? Something had to be done. I like the two new names being referred to as Orioles Now all we need to do is trade for Adam Dunn to man 1st base next year, secure a little more pitching, and we will be right back in the middle of the East.

In all honesty, it seems that the only Non-pitcher player on the roster that has played as if he wants to win on a consistent basis has been Chris Gomez. Millar has lapses in the infield and brings more bite to the plate with his mouth. Ooo, Big Red Sox Millar is calling a player's only meeting. We'd better get it together. Miguel Tejada doesn't even hustle down the first base line and has missed out on numerous hits as a result of it. Once more, he is always trying to be too flashy in the infield with his unnecessary fade-away throws to first. We have been waiting for Jay Gibbons to crowd the plate and shorten his swing for years. He has had more than enough time to get it together. A bullpen that can't hold a lead. A manager that can't keep a starter in the game when they are dominating. Heck two of the pitchers who were originally supposed to be in the bullpen(burres and Guthrie) have been pitching as if they want to be the ace of the staff. Beattie and Flanigan who cannot make up their mind whether or not they want to win or rebuild and an owner who refuses to spend the necessary money. Here is what you do. You bring in players who truly want to play here and that will produce more on the field. Mark Teixera is the first that needs to come in. I will tell who you should be the manager and should have been the manager by now anyway. His name is Eddie Murray. Aubrey Huff can go, Millar can take his mouth and pull hitting elsewhere, Gibbons can go. There are so many changes that need to be made that this entire paragraph(if that's what I want to call it) has been nothing but the ramblings of a young man gone mad.

Okay, mixed feelings about this one. I loved Sammy P., and know that he was one of the best coaches on the team before he made the transition to manager. Sam Perlozzo was a very nice man, and was simply trying to bring his persona as a nice guy to his position as manager. Great idea, but when you deal with a lazy, overpaid staff like the one that currently occupies the clubhouse, the time for niceties and overall congeniality does have to go out the window.

It was time for him to go. As nice of a guy as Sammy P. is, there has to be SOMEONE that is willing to jumpstart this team. Perlozzo just simply was not it. You don't bring out a pitcher who is 2 outs away from a sure CG only to watch it collapse because of your closer. You don't cave in to your supposed ace (Bedard) asking out of a game because he's a little tired. You don't make significant changes to your lineup without notifying the people who may be affected well in advance.

We have our newest scapegoat, Samuel Benedict Perlozzo. Just the latest in a group of really good baseball guys who are finished before they even begin. Joe Girardi, unless he's an absolutely strong man and manager, will fall victim in like manner. You cannot win in an absolute sea of laziness and apathy. You cannot encourage an attitude of winning and contendership in fat, lazy, overpaid ballplayers who won't even step outside of the box to maybe play a little better and endear themselves to fans. Until the O's get some semblance of a killer instinct and a desire to do more than just get paid, we will continue to go insane, the seats at Camden Yards will empty out even more (to where there might even be less than 10k in attendance every night), and we will continue to watch the circular behavior that the Orioles still refuse to wake themselves up from.

Oh, and it wouldn't kill the club to do more things in the community than what they don't do now (Are the Orioles even involved in ANYTHING??????). Common Sense: How can Peter Angelos expect for the fans of this team to keep giving and giving and giving when there is NOTHING being given back to us?? When was the last time the O's had a community thing where a couple of the players made some public appearances or started a charity or SOMETHING??? Why can't we, as a city, get some type of outside recognition (Baltimore on our road uniforms?)? Again, they don't care. As long as they get their check...

I am amazed at how many of these comments are right on target -- except the one about just one big bopper curing all the problems. Bottom line is, as long as Angelos owns the O's, we're doomed. The only glimmer of hope would be to give McPhail full power, stop meddling, and FINALLY let baseball people run a baseball team. I can't imagine Girardi accepting the job unless he is convinced to do so by McPhail, who in turn, has been given written assurance that he is to run the team. Period. Girardi might work for McPhail. There's no way he'll work at Angelos' whim....

I think Giradi would have to have rocks in his head or lots of figures (8-9) to his proposed salary to take this job.

He will have many better options at the end of this season with other teams, than the sorry state of affairs he would walk into here.

i have been following the Orioles since 1954 and i have seen the great and the bad, but in baseball, softball, and even wiffle ball- its about 2 major things 1.-pitching, pitching, and pitching and 2. in professional baseball -the right management at the top. If you have the right management in the front office who make more right decisions than wrong- and draft, sign and develop pitching then it does not take great hitters to win most games. the top teams have the top pitchers. the Orioles seem to have some good young starting pitchers, but once they go to the bullpen then its scary.- and they do not score enough runs to allow much margin of error. It would be nice if Angelos stopped meddling or sold the team...but that is unlikely. obviously the GM's are not up to the job. Get the right people in the front office It's not about how much you spend, but what you spend it on.