Roch - that was awesome how they just went up there beat the tar of the HOF reliver! The showed some gritt on Friday night too. This is a diffferent team, but still a team with no bullpen.

What happened to Walker? It's all evening out, he's drifting back toward his career ERA. He got his ERA down to 2.4 with all those scoreless outings. Not fair to expect him to post that all year long. He is still a solid reliever. The real question is what happened to Baez. Two of those runs were charged to him and his ERA is back above 6.

You go with Bradford. He hasn't given up a HR all season (jinx!)

Walker has been overused.

2 weeks until roster expansion. Shut down or limit Guthrie and Walker.

That was a hell of a win. A hell of a series! I love this game.

I almost cannot believe they came back and won and that 9th inning. Took 2 of 3 from the Yankees in New York almost had a great comback in game 1. This is what I like about this team over the Perlozzo managed team.

Still would like to see Wieter's signed...

Now, the perfect end to the perfect day, SIGN WIETERS!

I imagine the Yankees will be giving credit where credit is due and say Beddard is one of, if not the best in the AL right now. Damn shame he did not get that win. Gutty performance going back out for the 7th with over 100 pitches in the can. Great win. I can't believe how great he is pitching right now. And can we go ahead and just sign Trembley to a long term deal? This guy is doing an absolutely fantastic job of getting his (often handicapped) team to be competitive in every game. Imagine what he does with some more pop in the lineup and a bullpen. Now get Wieters signed!

Is it just me, or does everyone else stop breathing in fear everytime Danny Baez throws a pitch?

The Yankees still won today, because they signed their Boras-client first round draft pick, and the Orioles chose not to sign Weiters. I guess it was more important to give that $10 million to Danys Baez, or to Jay Payton. For crying out loud, Orioles!

Good game from the O's. I have noticed they continually play hard for Trembley. Just need to fix the bullpen (again) and find a power hitter. I hear there is one from Geogia Tech that swings a power stick.

amazingly, Bedard should have what, 17 wins right now had the bullpen not imploded in about 4 or 5 of his starts?

i wonder if this will have any impact on his decision to remain in baltimore when his contract expires. It could be argued that the bullpen will be responsible for costing him the Cy Young Award. Not that he seems to care if he wins, loses, or even plays...it must be in his head sometimes that he needs to be virtually perfect to secure a win.

How do these relievers look Bedard in the eyes after each meltdown they have when he pitches? The O's don't need to get a former [decent at best] closer like Baez, or a 2 pitch [though it seems to be just 1 straight fastball] closer in Ray...or letting your lefty specialist face a righty.

the o's should give Hoey the opportunity to close now that it's midway through August and the O's are out of contention as always. Nice to see them come back, but you see Bedard dominate through 7, Hoey shut them down in the 8th (including a rare Jeter double play) and then you see 3 relievers struggle through the 9th. it's painful

Roch! Seriously, no one wants to talk about this game right now. Its the implications of not signing the Wieters kid. A lot of people are goign to see this as and end to the O's shot at Texiera and to be a legit ball club. We can't outbid the Yanks, but can't we sign who we draft. Losers!

The last couple of years the O's would have given up. I'm really impressed the way these guys are fighting. It seems that Trembley has lit a fire under the players. It's august and they haven't done their annual late season swoon yet.

Fatigue

I still like Walker, quite a bit. He's facing someone whom the league knows nothing about. The league knows all about Walker, however. I still like his presence and think he can come right back out the next night and get the job done. It's also great to have Bradford late in the game, particularly because he steers clear of the long ball. Giving up fewer hits, of course, would help his cause greatly.

According to Michael Kay and Ken Singleton (calling the game for the Yanks on their network), this is the first time the O's have taken four straight series from the Yanks since 1982! Sure, they faced a Mariano who isn't what he once was, but good teams take advantage of those weaknesses and the O's went for the jugular today.

Simply put these guys don't play scared anymore (anyone else notice the cool-headed 3-4-3 out by Huff and Roberts). This is a very big win for the O's and one that translates directly into next year. It is, after all, precisely the kind of win that competitive teams need to learn how to achieve. The White Sox and Indians of years past both had trying seasons such as ours, yet they grew immensely during those seasons with wins like the one this afternoon.

This O's team simply gives off an attitude of increasing confidence. Even when they lose now, there's a sense that permeates the club that seems to suggest they can go right back out there and win the following night. More often than not, they're doing just that.

Now let's turn our hope to Wieters and him getting signed by the O's. That'll make today's win all the sweeter.

Roch,
On an unrelated subject, what is the deal with the O's and Wieters? Are they going to sign him or not?

I dont see how the O's can keep claiming they are trying to turn the organization around when they let a talented prospect like Weiters slip through their fingers.

"The real question is what happened to Baez. Two of those runs were charged to him and his ERA is back above 6."

I was just practicing my slow-pitch softball delivery. I've been watching Chad and getting jealous.

Great Win! However I cant get the fact that they are not going to sign Wieters. Seems like McPhail has no idea what he is doing. No free agents will want to sign here, especially if Boras is representing him. Bedard and Roberts are definately watching. I cant believe what they just said on the Anita Marks show that they had a deal ready and McPhail cam in and said no. I am completely disgusted! Does McPhail want to sabatoge this team? Can the league step in? Oh thats right McPhail wants to become commissioner more than fixing he Orioles. I have never jumped ship on the Orioles even though many of my friends have becasue of Angelos. But this debacle has made me to start seriously considering jumping ship.

Wieters update courtesy of Baseball America "We're hearing the O's have upped their offer to 8 mil but will not get a deal if Boras sticks to his 8 figure demand"

Roch - How ridiculous is it that the O's can't sign their 1st round picks? Why pick a guy if you aren't going to bring it to the table? Someone needs to relay to these knuckleheads that most Orioles fans have had enough of the same old stuff every year. Attendance has significantly fallen off over the past few years, people have stopped watching the games and fans are even changing their allegiance to other teams. I no longer go to O's games as I do not wish to line the pockets of the greedy Greek. Enough is enough. People should boycott the remaining games this season if the O's fail to sign Wieters.

Think the NY press corps will bother Trembley to comment about the Yankees' resiliency again, like they did Monday night? How about they ask Torre about what the O's accomplished. That's 4 out of 6 against the Yanks and Sox, with all six essentially being road games. Three of those included gutsy, memorable comebacks, and one of the losses featured one of those as well. It's not quite gonna lead to an 85 win season this year (unless they really kick it into gear), but it's a neat little start.

I think this shows how fed up folks are, we just had a thrilling win to take a series on the road in NY and all folks want to talk about is Weiters.

They really need to get this done...

Roch,
First it's a disaster that they can't nail Wieters, this kid is for real. Second, anybody think Hoey's ready to try to be our closer now? I think Hoey's gotten out of his jams, he's looked really good with his fastball and he's shown signs of being capable of doing a better job of replacing Ray than Baez by a mile.

Bedard gets another "no decision" attached to another great start then sees the warehouse doesn't sign Wieters.

If you're Bedard, what are you thinking? I can't wait to leave this Mickey Mouse organization.

Also, too bad the division representative isn't determined by the number of division wins. The O's are 2 back of Boston if it came down to that stat hahaha, just a bright spot.

Hey "Hoops - DC," please keep Angelos's Greek ethnicity out of the discussion; there's no room for stereotyping here. As for your baseball point, though, you're exactly right--I won't go to any more games as long as Angelos owns the team if the O's (Mac)Fail to sign Wieters, either.

from Fox sports:

"Left-hander David Price, the No. 1 pick in baseball's amateur draft, agreed Wednesday to a six-year, $8.5 million contract with the Devil Rays, according to a major-league source.

The value of the deal could max out at $11.25 million if he remains in the major leagues for the entire length of contract."

Sigh, even the rays are signing folks

eric - where did you hear/read that bit about the o's going up to 8?

If it's true, that's the most promising thing I've heard all day.

Even Angelos and Boras should be able to settle a 2 million dollar dispute in 6 hours...

Weiters should be content with 8 million... it is about 4 times what the was suggested... I hate greedy people and sports are teaching young athletes to be greedy as hell.

I think the general consensus is obvious...no matter how entertaining a single victory might be in the grand scheme of things it means nothing. Today is the day that the direction of the franchise will be announced to one and all. Ten straight years of losing is unacceptable and now it is being made obvious that a new fall guy has been hired to take the heat for the lack of investment made to develop a winning program. I smell a back room deal where McPhailed will move back to the commissioners office in an upper level management position while he attempts to parlay his family name into the commissioners position.Meanwhile he is just taking the heat for Pete in return for an endorsement in the future. This stinks as once again the fans of BALTIMORE turn out to be the losers.

Roch.. I think Walker is one of the steadier guys in the 'pen but he is being used more than even he expected. He went from being a career left-handed specialist with Detroit to a jack-of-all trades with the O's. Overall, he's done an admiral job and I'm willing to give him a pass for the occasional meltdown.
On the other hand, Baez has shown time after time that his mediocre career is done. Thus, it's time to quit using him in any remotely close game as he has a habit of making things real ugly, real quick. Teams are like sharks around blood when he enters the game.
Trembley has to revamp his 'pen or all the good things that have taken place under his regime can be negated. We can't be expected to come back from demoralizing 'pen blow-ups night after night.

I am currently ignoring the Weiters situation and basking in beating the Yankees in NY (despite Danys "Addin Fuel to the Fire" Baez's best efforts to the contrary).

Suddenly, I feel an irresistable urge --say it with me, "The O's will finish in third place! The O's will finish in third place!"

I know it's pathetic, but it gives me something to root for during the rest of the year.

I love all of the excuses offered up when an Oriole(s) player screws up... That all the time peaches and cream stuff is down right nauseating.

Roch--I love the way Trembley has this team playing--if he'd been manager from the beginning we might be on he wild-card radar----no way we should trade Tejada--but let's take the 10M Weiters wants and right now put it toward 4years/65 million for Bedard. Free agents would see Angelos is serious, and others (Hunter???) would follow I'd pay 10M for a proven player, but not one who has only swung an aluminum bat...

A great win, although it was almost ruined by Shelley Duncan. That was her greatest performance since Peter Pan. Does she still do those Wheat Thins commercials?

I think the O's should give Wieters the 10 mill. Who cares that he's probably never handled a piece of wood in his life? I mean, it's not like they've ever been wrong on a first round pick.

Most all of you here are wrong. You have assumed Peter Angelos goal is to win games. That is totally incorrect. Peter Angelos goal is to make money from the Orioles, at which he is greatly successful. Lets compare his profits (defined as operating income or earnings by Forbes) for five years with the Yankees and Red Sox. All figures below from Forbes in millions of dollars.

____________ ORIOLES________YANKEES________RED_SOX
_________PROFIT___RANK___PROFIT__ RANK___PROFIT__RANK
2002 ______12.4 ______ 4_______16.1______ 2_______-2.1_____19
2003 _______9.1_______6______-26.3_____ 29______-11.4_____23
2004 ______34.0_______1______-37.1_____ 30______-11.3_____ 27
2005 ______21.0______11______-50.0_____ 30______-18.5_____ 29
2006 ______17.1______17 _____-25.0 _____ 30 ______ 19.5_____12
TOTAL ____93.6_______2_____-122.3_____ 30 ______-23.8_____27

We think the Orioles have failed because of 10 straight losing seasons. Angelos thinks he is a big winner. For the last five years, the Orioles have the second highest profits in all of baseball, barely behind Cleveland at 96.1 and well ahead of third place Seattle 79.9. Over the last five years the Orioles made 215.9 million dollars more than the Yankees. The Yankees and Red Sox have been losing money to win games. The Orioles have been losing games to make money. The Orioles are literally awash in money. They easily could afford Wieters and much, much more.

Peter Angelos won his world series in 2004 finishing first in profits. A disturbing trend has developed over the last two years with 11th and 17th place finishes. This is why MacFail was hired, to get Flanaquette back in line and restore profitability. He was not hired in the middle of a losing streak to win games as we all assumed. This is why Chris Gomez was let go for nothing to avoid incentives, and why Wieters will not be signed.

The only hope the Orioles have for winning is for Angelos to sell the team. He will only do that if he loses money. To do that we must all boycott the team and stop going to Oriole games. I have been a fan since 1961, it will hurt but it is our only hope

I know the bullpen is responsible for this no decision for Erik today, but before we go blaming them for his "lost" chance at being a Cy Young winner this season...let's look at how many of those games Erik actually lost or got a no decision because our offense not giving any run support?

The Devil Rays just signed their first round pick.

Is it so bad in the warehouse now that we can't kepp up with the D-rays???

Sorry for my atrocious spelling today. Trying to do to many things at once.

Funny how walker is taking the grief for todays blown save when he shouldn't even been in the game at that point. Put him back as the lefty specialist and one batter. Make Hoey the closer. I don;t want to see another ball in Baez hand other than mop up duty.

SIGN WEITERS!

Seriously, did his demands suddenly change after teh draft? The O's knew what they were getting into. They KNEW. And now they're playing poor-mouth?

I swear, I may never wear an O's hat in public again if they don't sign this kid. This non-signing would set the O's back 5 years at least.

SIGN WEITERS! WRITE THE GOSH-DARN CHECK!

if wieters isn't signed we need to egg the field the last game of the season just to show peter what we think of the product he puts on the field year in and year out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roch --
Can you explain how it is the Wieters is allowed to go back to school if he doesnt sign? If a college basketball player comes out hes only allowed back to school if he doesnt sign with an agent, and he has to make the decision before the draft. Same with college football. Mike Williams from USC had to sit out a year because of a situation like that. This is an NCAA rule. Why would they allow baseball players to come back to school even though theyve been drafted and have agents. Makes no sense. Also if Wieters doesnt sign and gets hurt next year, i wont feel bad for him. Why pass up 5-8 million bucks? He's set for life if he signs, yet he could go get in a bad car accident tomorrow and it could all be over.

there was a healthy number of Os fans in bronx today

not like the reverse, of course, but still...

wayward O took a few pictures ->

If Wieters isn't in Baltimore now the deal is not getting done. He has to sign the contract, pass a team phyical and have the contract approved by the players association and the commish. My bet is Kansas City signs the #2 and Wieters is the only first round pick that doesn't sign. Pathetic.

Some people are under the mistaken idea that if the Orioles don't sign Weiters that they will lose the pick. The new rules are:
"– the new rules award teams that don't sign the current year's pick one in the spot below the next season –"
So you lose a year of development but still get a pick back. Of course there isn't any guarantee they will sign the guy next year either. Plus it sets a bad example for the fans/supporters not to sign a first round pick.

Forget Wieters and stop simpering. It's easy for you to spend a lot of someone else's money on a guy you've never seen. Remember Glenn Davis. Or Ben Johnson. If the O's had a pen they would be a contender this year. Yeah, I'd like to have Wieters. But I'd spend that money in a heartbeat on closers who could shut down opponents from the 7th on.

Roch this was not the night to go bowling, we need Weiters updates every half hour!!!!!!!!!!!!

From SI: Top pick David Price and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays agreed to a six-year, $11.25 million contract...so O's, what's the HOLDUP?!?!?!?!?!?!

Here's the latest:

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20070815&content_id=2150688&vkey=news_bal&fext=.jsp&c_id=bal

The quotes from Joe Jordan are pretty darn disheartening, to say the least. I think both Angelos and Boras both come accross as imbeciles if the deal doesn't get done. It's in the interest of both to get the deal done. (Fingers crossed....)

WRITE THE CHECK. Did Wieters change his demands after the draft? If not, then the F.O. knew what he wanted. WRITE THE CHECK.

Wow, stressful... but another great win. This team is really responding well to Trembley. I hope he gets a shot next year if everything keeps going in a positive direction.

By the way Roch... I see that Sunday's game is listed as "TBD" for the O's starter. Does that mean a Trachsel waiver deal is near with a team like Colorado, or am I just jumping to conclusions?

If the O's are talking trades like that right now, they shouldn't be! They should be trying to sign Wieters!

Take care...

Dear Angelos,

As a fan of the Baltimore Orioles I am pleading with you to sell the team. In the years you have owned this team we have been a laughing stock of MLB. Free agents don't even consider Baltimore because of what we have done to Mussina and other loyal players. Signing Wieters could be your last shot to prove to the fans that you care about us. If you fail to do so than please sell the team or move it out of Baltimore so we can start rooting for Washington, who has atleast made some moves to try and find a winning team. I am sorry but failure to sign Wieters means you have lost the fan base because you care more about profit then spening the money to succeed. We can't take anymore of this and remain loyal no matter if we grew up as fans. I would put a bag over my head and root for the team but I'm afraid that I wouldn't want to cut any holes to breathe. I would rather suffocate.

Yours Truly,
A fan at least until midnight.

Roch,

I was present at the glorious O's victory at Yankee Stadium this afternoon, and had many reasons to be proud. Our guys had the Yankees' fans heading for the exits more than once. Especially loved the drilling of Jeter by Bedard -- I was seated pretty close to the infield on the first base side, and Jeter definitely had something to say, but he said it without making it obvious to whom he was speaking. Bedard handled it even better -- he just ignored Jeter's chirping altogether. You'd think Jeter was a Sun reporter!

Yeah, Baez and Walker had off days, but Hoey and Bradford came up big. Relief pitching -- it's a fifty-fifty proposition at best.

And how about that clutch hitting!?!

As for Mr. McPhail, Mr. Boras, and young Mr. Weiters, well, as I write this, there are still nearly two hours in which the day could be saved. Cross your fingers....

But what really got me writing this evening was your suggestion about trying out J.R. House with Garrett Olson as a battery, on the theory that they've already worked together pretty extensively. It reminded me that another Orioles pitcher/catcher duo once broke in together, and in the same game: Andy Etchebarren and Dave McNally debuted together on September 26, 1962. McNally pitched a two-hit shutout to beat the KC Athletics, 3-0. Etchebarren went 1-3 with an RBI. They were both nineteen. I hope House and Olson can find as much success as those two enjoyed.

Call me crazy, but I think we're going to sign Wieters. With an hour and a half left, I think it's going to happen. Just a hunch.

From Baseball America:
"The Yankees’ Deadline Day didn’t end with giving first-round pick Andrew Brackman a $3.35 million bonus as part of a $4.55 million guarantee big league deal that could be worth a staggering $13 million.

New York was just getting started. The Yankees announced the signings of five more picks in the first 10 rounds, for a combined total of $3.5 million."

How clever--load a risky contract with incentives to reduce its riskiness. Boras' goal would be to maximize the guaranteed money--but you have to try to be creative.

If the O's really offered $8 million that does seem within the acceptable range. It just seems so idiotic that they would have wasted this pick and a year of a player's development if they didn't have a clue of what it would take to get this done.

Maybe a deal will be done by the time this posts but if not, I wouldn't be surprised. MacPhail's first comments a month or so ago intimated that he was glad that team's now get compensation for unsigned picks. Great attitude.

Read this and tell me what you think.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7123784

Straight from Baseball America
"The Orioles reportedly have offered No. 5 choice Matt Wieters a major league contract worth slightly less than the guaranteed $8.5 million deal that No. 1 pick David Price got from the Devil Rays today. Wieters, also advised by Scott Boras, apparently is looking for more than $10 million"

I'm sure I will get flamed for this but its amazing how much negativity that exudes on the message boards, even after a big series win against the hated Yanks. I am a long suffering, probably longer than most posters, fan. There should be more optimism now than anytime since Davey Johnson had the team. We just beat the Yanks and Bosox in back to back series. Since Trembley took over there is a true team spirit not to mention the record above .500. Our starting pitching for the most part has been outstanding for the first time in years. Take away a few bullpen meltdowns and on-the-field miscues and this team could easily be above .500 and in the wild card race. As I have posted before we are not that far away. Mcphail knows what he's doing. How do I know? His lineage and the simple fact that he has already done it before. So trust him when he doesn't give away the farm to payout millions to some "can't miss prospect" like Wieters and his hot-shot agent. Can't-miss prospects have a way of falling on their face, anybody who remembers how hard it was to sign Ben McDonald only to see him have a short and mediocre career. Or Big Glenn Davis who was supposed to be the answer at first and we gave up guys who are still playing at a high caliber. The bleachers are littered with these prospects. Do not brand the Orioles losers because they are not willing to mortgage the outfield fencing for a guy, albeit a solid prospect, that will take several years to develop and may ultimately falter when he finally faces big league stuff. No, friends, do not brand the O's "loser" and think that one guy holds the key to baseball nirvana. Be patient that the O's have put together the kind of front office that got them their success in the 60's and 70's. Don't be so quick to jump on every move, made or not, as the answer to eveything. Stay positive!

I'm done with the O's. My brother gave up about 2 years ago. I always told him he'd regret it. But as always, he was right. Peter Angelos has stole my favorite sport and turned my favorite team into a laughing stock. I'm done with the O's until he says the team. Why even have hope when you have such an incompetent management structure.

10 minutes left to sign Weiters. Doesn't look good. Huge mistake. Er, I mean HUGE mistake. We've got starting pitching, speed, good-to-great defense, lately we're showing heart. We still need a bullpen and some extra power bats. $10M for Weiters is cheap compared to the dough we spent on the bullpen last year. Great post by DAVE on the real reason Angelos is the owner. The fans deserve a winning team, not an even richer owner.

Walker and bradford were never lights out pitchers in the past. They were both good pitchers, they pitched so well for so long it was ridiculous to think that would continue forever. They both had a bad few eeks earlier in the year too and they rebounded. They have been used too much, but there is no other choice. Baez has always been an enigma - he was never great but he should be better than he has been. Chris Ray and Baez getting hurt this year has really hurt the pen. But, trembley still has them playing with heart! He should get the job at the end of the year!!