What a load of BS.

Perhaps you guys should be asking Kranitz why these guys are successful in AAA, but can't cut it here. Perhaps you should be questioning his methods. Perhaps you should take a look into organizational philosophy to find out what these young pitchers are missing on their way to the bigs.

Instead of this non-news filler, can you guys please start asking Andy MacPhail what in the world he's doing? Since The Plan™ is an epic failure, what's the new plan? What is he going to do to turn this franchise around?

PS - Nice headline by the way.

Other headlines from the week:

- Financial experts say that money is green.

- Biologists say that water is wet.

- Teenagers say that they like to send text messages.

here's a great article on arrieta for anybody interested.

http://www.fangraphs.com/fantasy/index.php/arrietas-early-struggles/

"They can’t control the wins and losses, but you can control where you throw the baseball..."

Um, Rick, have you been watching? They apparently can't control where they throw the baseball. Therein lies the problem. Your job is to help them find solutions.

Anyone want to conjecture which O's pitcher is best chance to lose 20 games?

Lou

I think Kranitz is going to be the next one to go. Also, why can't Peter Angelos admit that he messed things up?

It would be so refreshing if Peter called a press conference and said:

1.) I am sorry.

2.) I am going to reassign Andy MacPhail
to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for the remainder of his contract.

3.) I am selling the team to the City of Baltimore at cost. In addition, I am going to renovate Pimlico Racetrack so I can enjoy my retirement and my Horses have a nice place to run.

Boy wouldn't that be nice!

...and fans say coaching needs to step up.
I doubt anyone believes that all 25 of our players are this bad. Coaching, you are on notice, not the players.

Pretty sad (from a couple posts back) that Kranitz says he's in Canada and his cell phone doesn't work there. Boo friggin' who! How much does this guy make (assuming its his personal cell)? Or, why doesn't the team spend the $5.99/month and 99 cents per minute it might cost to give the coaches access to their phone when in Canada? This is 2010! More utter, unexplainable cheapness by the AngelO's. "Uhhh ... sorry fan base, we wanted to trade for A Gonzalez but we were playing the Jays in Toronto and you know those darn expensive, futuristic cell phones don't work there."

Send Kranny to Norfolk and bring up their pitching coach. Kranitz hasn't showed me anything. The pitchers seem to improve for 1-2 starts after the Norfolk shuttle, but then revert back to old habits after being back up again. While we're at it, send Thorne and Flanny down too. Can't stand listening to those two. If they were half as funny as they think they are they would be ready for SNL. Bad baseball and bad announcers make for a poor product to watch. At least Lowenstein/Proctor made ANY game enjoyable.

This assembled mass of the talentless & brainless running & being a part of the Baltimore Orioles is absolutely unacceptable.
Please make it go away!

Jeff, I appreciate all of your hard work keeping us informed.

I know that this is off topic, but I was hoping you could answer this question for me anyway. Is there any update on Scott Moore? Has he cleared waivers or was he claimed? If his waiver period is not up yet, when will it be? Thanks.

...............................................................................................
Jeff Z's reply: He cleared today and has accepted assignment to Triple-A.

Has there been any discussion of just doign what the Rangers did last year with their young staff--basically lay down the law that guys aren't coming out of games early no matter what. Seems to have worked out pretty darn well given how their staff has performed this year. Nolan Ryan was right: guys don't learn how to pitch by coming out of games early, but rather by having to go out there and pitch. These guys have clearly nothing to gain by going back to AAA and they're not being served by getting yanked early in games--Arrietta gives up a granny after 4 innings and comes out, what does that do except burn up the 'pen? They need to make these guys go out there and stay out there until after 6 innings minimum and learn how to get it done at the big league level. You've got to be able to learn how to pull it together and give your team a chance after giving up runs as well as learn to pitch out of trouble, but these guys are getting coddled. As far as everybody who's in a panic over the plan, dont kid yourself--teams would trip over themselves taking Matusz, Arrietta, Tillman, Guthrie, Jones, Markakis, etc. off our hands if we were willing to deal them.

I agree with Big Al. We should designate Kranitz for assignment (or option him Aberdeen) and bring up Mike Griffin. He certainly seems to get most of the young pitchers on track at AAA.

I'll say it again:

These young pitchers are acceptable when they get here from AAA. Then they regress each start until they start getting hammered.

They go back down...get back on the straight and narrow, return to pitch somewhat decent and then wham...they start getting hammered again.

Hey Rick,

I hope you have another gig lined up. In this economy, you might exhaust your 99 weeks of unemployment.

Lou, I'll take your suggestion one step further.. Let's see if we can get four 20 game losers.. Kind of a reverse of the good old days when we had four 20 game winners.. Let's go with a four man rotation to make sure we get this done....

Maybe they are just not that good, a bit overated at best!

Well I could told you they need to step up. If it really takes him this long to figure that out he needs to change his career path.

If what he is saying is that its totally up to the pitchers to be successful,what he really is saying is that coaches don't have any impact. If that's the case, fire all of them. Use the savings to drop ticket prices! If coaches Do have an impact, then the conclusion is that the coaches have failed. Therefore, fire all of them! Rick, you can't have it both ways.

Rick, I think this is where you are supposed to coach 'em up!

Is there ANY chance of this happening? If so, when?

Kranitz should be fired. There is absolutely no spark on this staff. None. And he's the guy that must lead the charge.

The pitchers will step up when Kranitz step out. Same thing with Crowley. Kranitz doesn't have a clue. I'd reassign him as the groundkeeping coach!

Really????? Must be some pretty bad baseball fans with amnesia in this forum! Look at what Kranny did in FL! Look at what Mazzone did in ATL! It is the organization not the coaches. Why do you think crow is still here? It isnt because we cant hit, it is because these 2 are some of the best in the game at what they do. Not one of the posters are in the cage or bullpen to know anything about either of them.... its pure speculation and of course the new American way... somebody has to be blamed!!!! it couldn't be the players...... they made it to the bigs they must be good, has to be the coaching and FO!!!!! same ol... same ol from the disappointing fan base in Baltimore!!!!!!

Is this an indictment of Wieter's game calling? The pitchers seemed to be showing signs of life while Tatum was the primary backstop.

That's it? You mean all this time it was just a matter of telling them to "step up"? Wow, that's seems easy enough...why didn't you say that to them around the 27th. of April?
Two things Mr. Kranitz, 1.) Clean out your locker. 2.) Get a cell phone that works...even in the Great White North.

There has to be another Jim Palmer on the horizon. He was awesome at just 19 , his first year. Come on guys step up; be the man!!!!!!!
Mike

Derek,

How little do you know about baseball. Go look up the 06 Florida Marlins pitching staff, it was a joke that Kranitz won any award for that staff. Name me one of those pitchers who went on to have even a decent career, or better yet who are even still in the big leagues. The jewel of Kranitz 06 staff was the great Dontrelle Willis, how's he doing now?
Mazzone, no one wanted to get rid of him but that bum Trembly. No O's forums were calling for his head. In fact the O's would be much better off with Mazzone.

Wow, you are clueless Steven. He had a staff of four rookie pitchers that all won TEN games...it's never been done before. He deserved that award and will not have any trouble finding another job in the bigs after parting ways with this joke of an organization.