looking at that lineup makes me want to puke. I'm venting today. Bedard should rest until we are over .500 -

Roch-

Does the warehouse know there is a baseball community here? That LOVES the orioles, and are in suicide mode when the team plays like this?

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

our Os sure are pampered

Roch: Team Photo? Remember the guy who wrote in last year and said he overheard the photographer tell the guys to move closer and someone said "how much closer?" To which the photographer replied, how about 15 games. That was one of the funniest, most clever and wittiest posts I've ever read on this blog, besides yours of course.

Glad to know everything is the same. Lineup, oblique muscle, and our Ace's out for the time being, and of course, with the bullpen.

Can anything else go wrong? It's just shockingly hilarious these days....

Hopefully, Hoey has been removed as the primary set up guy. Why Trembley put him in that role in the first place is enormously puzzling but better late than never.

Thank God it wasn't a paper cut on hie left index finger. I was worried. Exhail now Herb.

I WANT TO SEE RUDY MAY PITCH FRIDAY AND STEVE STONE ON SATURDAY INSTEAD OF THE TWO ROOKIES. AT LEAST THEY WOULD HAVE AN EXCUSE WHEN WE LOSE, THEY HAVEN'T PITCHED IN 15-25 YEARS!!!!!!

OK, here's a suggestion for next year's pitching staff. I know, off the wall, but could it be worse?

10 starters and 1 closer. Two starters for each game. This way each starter stays on the five day schedule and we get 4-5 innings of work out of each. No worries about having the "young" starters working out of the bull pen and not being on a starter schedule.

Crazy huh?

A lot of good stuff has been said here today concerning Cabrera's maturity and Hoey's confidence.

These guys obviously have amazing physical tools. But so did Benitez and Julio, a couple of can't miss home growns (I think) that exasperated us all to the breaking point.

No scout that's out there day in and day out, making a living beating the bushes for talent, can miss a 95 mph heater. There's an unmistakable sizzle and pop. And then a little red number on a radar screen.

He attends the games, radar gun and notepad in hand, and watches the kid dominate anyone who dares get in the box. And on the scout's repeated recommendations, the Big Club finally signs the newest Can't Miss Kid.

Despite the Kid's dominance at every level of minor league ball, most impressive and notable at AAA, he struggles mightily when his much anticipated big league debut finally occurs. Oh, he'll have a promising outing or two, enough to convince everyone that he's on track and just needs a little more experience at this level.

But after several more appearances, things seem to be getting worse, not better. Nothing about his performance is consistent from one outing to the next.

He has no command of his otherwise unhittable stuff. He visibly sulks when things go wrong. Or maybe worse, starts trying to throw it to hard or be too precise.

So they try to fix him. Send him down. Coach him up. Give him another shot. Send him back down or, eventually, just get rid of him. Everyone is at a loss to explain why the Can't Miss Kid couldn't cut it.

Turns out the scout missed something. He has never realized, nor did the Big Club, that there's a whole lot more to finding and fulfilling true big lead promise than a number on a radar gun. They completely overlooked The Kid's lack of savy, competitive passion, emotional maturity, coachability and, maybe most important, an unflinching killer instinct.

This seems to me to be just one illustration of the current Oriole Way. We all just got lucky with Erik Bedard.

Of course, it might save some wear-n-tear on the bullpen if our starting pitchers could somehow manage to get out of the first inning without throwing 25 or more pitches every single night....

np: "And The Beat Goes On," Sonny & Cher

Many here are critical of Dempsey as an announcer. However, if you listen to what he has to say he is often on target. Tonight after Corey's rbi single he suggests that against a pitcher like Shields(who doesn't give up many runs and is a groundball pitcher) the O's need to be aggressive(i.e. Corey should be stealing). What happens? Even with the count 2-0 on Markakis, Patterson still doesn't run and Markakis hits into a double play. End of rally. These are little things that lose games .

Dempsey has been right all along about the lackluster play of Ramon Hermnandez and many other things about this team. He may not be the most articulate guy, but he still knows the game inside and out.

they talked to Jared Wright on Wired Wed., and what do would you all think about Jared Wright becoming Orioles closer for 2008? Kinda like what Smoltz did.

Let's hope this doesn't give people an opportunity to jump on Bedard again for not being tough enough. He certainly has pitched well for the last 3-4 weeks, but it just doesn't make sense to not tell anyone about the injury.

Missing even one start certainly doesn't help his Cy Young chances.

My biggest concern about the latest Orioles ineptitude is that it diminishes the chance that the team will sign Bedard to an extension during the off-season. I think he'll be much more likely to wait and see what direction the team takes and how much success the team has in 2008. A week ago I felt good about our chances of him signing an extension. Also doesn't help our chances with other big-time free agents.

I like alot of what Trembley has done as manager, but I'm still not sold on his handling of this atrocious bullpen. Why did he leave Hoey in to self-destruct last night and give up the lead. The doubleplay was in order the entire inning and who better to get a groundball than Bradford.

Most importantly as stated by another poster earlier today he rarely questions an umpire. There have been some blatantly bad calls in the last month and he often just sits there. Friday night when Payton was incorrectly callled out for the final out of an inning, he did come out to talk to the umpire. And that's what he did, he talked, for a good minute. He didn't seem to raise his voice and he certainly wasn't antimated.

His team is getting their butts kicked night in and night out. Do something. Show the players you care. Show the fans. Light a fire under someone. Ten days ago when several players showed up late to stretch, he ripped them. The team responded with a solid win. Show the players you have their backs!!!

I think Bedard has made his last start for 2007. He's not going to risk his zillion dollar arm and career in meaningless September games for this pathetic group. Look for more injuries in the next week or two.

Why is Jamie Wlaker pitching in the 7th? He's the only guy in the pen who has the guts, the stuff, the savvy, and the attitude to get thru the 8th. Maybe he'll come out for the 8th?

Not to question Bedard's talent because anyone who knows baseball knows he amazing, but I'm hoping he's not quitting on us right here. Just seems interesting that he seemed more than fine playing games at Brian Robert's Baseball Bash Sunday night post-game with his girlfriend (which was a job well done to B-Rob by the way) but then when game time comes against the Sox he's injured.

bedard is a massive Silly-Nanny that has ruined my trip to Boston this weekend... I think I may skip Fenway and go to the Bar instead.

What a silly nanny. can't believe him... the Orioles should offer the gutless wonder 2/3's of a contract because that is all he is good for6-7 innings ... freakin silly nanny