I wish nothing but the best for Duchscherer, but his signing was a pathetic excuse by the O's to address the need for a veteran starter.

I guess the Orioles will not sign a QUALITY (one who is healthy AND skilled, unlike Duchscherer and Millwood) veteran starter anytime soon, preferring instead to stock the rotation with "grown arms" (how's that working out for them so far this season?).

Our "bought bats" - Lee and Guerrero - are hardly paying off, either. Signing aging veterans with injury concerns is a low-cost gamble this team can no longer afford.

This team has a core of decent players (Jones, Wieters, Markakis, Hardy, Reynolds) but it won't be anywhere close to being competitive unless greater talent is added to the other positions.

I don't understand the FO's reluctance to aggressively go after A-list free agent players, especially when the farm system doesn't have many promising players in the pipeline. C'mon, Peter Angelos, you can't take it with you!

Wake me up when the O's get their 82nd loss.

Dan, Jeff

I can read between the lines and as I told Jeff today, you guys know a lot, and there is much you could say about the organization that you would rather not. Whether or not Macphail was the right man for the job or not has become moot, because ownership has asked Andy to run this organization with one financial hand tied behind his back.

Fact: Angelos does not want to spend the money necessary to scout Latin America. That puts the organization at a huge competitive disadvantage. Andy says he can do the job without us going down there. He is covering for Angelos

I have an old family friend at the warehouse in a management position who has told me that a condition of Andy's hire was that he not tear apart the exisiting front office, many of whom are paid on the low end compared to other execs in similar MLB positions. They also are under financial constraints for scouting and player develoment expenses.

It's not just about spending money on marquee free agent talent. It's about the owner investing sufficiently in all areas of the organization, something that at he has so far been unwilling to do. The spring training facility in Fort Lauderdale would have been condemned by the city if the Orioles were still there. Peter and John Angelos did not think it was worth spending the money merely on a "training"facility.

Therefore the obvious conclusion is that Angelos does not want to pay top dollar for his front office, scouting, player development, or marquee talent talent from outside the organization. Andy was brought in to bring a respected name to the organization, but on the condition that he keep expenses to a bare bones minimum. He covers well for Angelos, which is why he was brought in, why he is still here, and why he can stay as long as he likes.

Am I getting warmer?

Duchscherer,
What's it like to earn $700,000 doing what you're doing?
Any fool could have seen that you would never play again. You see Andy McPhail believes that he is smarter than Billy Beene. McPhail was under the impression that Beene would be stupid enough to let a good pitcher walk out of the door who had a chance to ever return from injury.

Hopefully Scott gets a brain transplant at the very least.

Angelos completely stopped paying for good players (except Tejada) after Albert Belle and his steroid-induced arthritic hip left the Os hanging years ago. Now he actually allows McPhail to sign another player with the exact same problem. As badly as this team needs pitchers, and as much as it complains about spending, McPhail thought it would be a great gamble away $700 for a pitcher that anyone could see had already played his last game.

If i was Duscherer I'd stay awol. These Birds must be made of something real flammable. They look afraid of showing some kinda spark and spontaneously incinerating everything. Catching fire is good, combusting is not, it means to BURN. That's about how I feel getting emotionally involved against all better judgement.
If I hear 1 more time "If we could just stop doing this and start doing that" from players and coaches. You're adults and professionals, if you haven't been able to correct (fill in the blank) these iniquities, then you just plain create a vacuum. No fire, no fans. Gimme a reason to give a stool and I'll stay tuned. It's pretty offensive viewing right now and my stomach is not what it used to be.

Great thought, Chas.

If this Reimold experiment must continue (although God only knows why), then play Luke at DH and bench or dump Vlad.

Gil you are as warm as you are going to get.

If MLB is still considering contraction, the Orioles are probably the #1 candidate at this point.

The team can't compete without a true farm system, it's a joke now.

A lot of teams will ask about Vlad/Lee later in June, though a lot of Orioles watchers would be shocked to find that out. Everyone wants home runs, but this team needs to get the little things right. Guys who get hits, get on base, play the fundamentals, are the best guys on the team, not the guys who play one solid week then disappear.

Hey DSC, you may be right that someone will want those guys but the O's will get about as much back as they did in dumping Bradford a few years back. And, they'll probably have to thrown in some $$$ to offset a portion of the remaining salary due these guys.

Why is it the O's sign Justin and he can't even make it to the mound, and the Giants sign Vogelsong and he's an All-Star?? When did the Birds sell their soul to the devil!

DOUG....hate to say it, but it is obvious when the soul selling happened. The day Peter Angelos became majority owner the devil was the first one in line for a "free legal consultation". Angelos sold out and our beloved baseball franchise became just a tool to make Peter the Great more money. What a jerk and I wish him only the worst.

Nice comments for a sports blog, Chas & LittleMugsy06.

Maybe you can refer Scott to your surgeon.

What big name free agent has shown any interest in signing with the Orioles in recent memory? They can ALL get the money they want from a winning team, why would they want to get involved in this mess?

Andy McFail needs to be the next one on the chopping block. He's been doing everything to destroy this once proud franchise, from signing has beens (Guerrero and Duchscherer) to his ex Cubbie Buddies (Lee) to acquiring a minor league full of long shot to no chance prospects.

This guy is like "Anti-Baseball"

Hey Chas and Mugsy...can't you guys handle someone who has a differing opinion than yours?

Apparently the same Liberals who spout off about free speech and freedom of thought don't think those principles should apply to Conservatives.

I'd be happy to contribute to labotomies for you two.

Not only is the local 9 not even a consideration in free agent signings to improve the miserable plight of this failure of a baseball team, it falls way short of developing talent to make it to the bigs. Weiters being just about the only one to make a significant contribution. A handful of pitches, who have won a handful of games, but pretty much a bust up to this point. Now - look at the Red Sox - Youkilis, Pedroia, Elisbury, Reddick, Lester, Buckholtz, Papelbon - all from thier farm system, making huge contributions right NOW. As Lefty pointed out - when you skimp on scouting and player development, and don't really take part in meaningful free agent player services - this is what you get, Baltimore, crap.

have they signed Dylan Bundy ?? if not how much progress has been made
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Check back around Aug. 13. Thats when these things usually heat up.

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]Jeff Z;s reply: No and very little. Check back the second week of August.