Just exciting to see House get some AB's.....Let's hope Trembley gives him a lot more. And Redman is showing a lot more than Gibbons has. Nice to think with possibly Reimold coming along and Redman that we may be in better shape in the OF next year than I thought.

Any word on extending Bedard, CPat or BRob?

Yes, the O's will have to evaluate Hoey's abilities and his confidence very carefully. Ideally, he'd hit a rough spot and then recover effectively from that and thus show us he's got the mental makeup that's necessary to close.

Speaking of Hoey, does anyone have any idea what he may have ingested (or inhaled) moments before this official photo was taken?

http://www.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=460597

If he's as relaxed on the mound as he looks here, we may well have ourselves a closer.

Roch,

Don't you think what we saw today Hoey in the 8th and Baez closing IS what they are evaluating for next year? I think they want to see if Baez can do the job.

Roch - I agree. Give Hoey a look this year. I certainly feel better with his unknown than Baez known going into next season. I think Baez has streaches where he's very good but not consistent enough to be a closer again....temporary role at best...

Frankly I think it is more important to see what their big investment in Baez will bring them. I like Baez and recognize his first half was disgustingly bad but also recognize he has been a valuable bullpen component for most of his career. If he continues to do a respectable job closing, I am satisfied seeing Hoey as a setup guy and proving himself there. Let him build confidence there while Baez continues to put the first half debacle behind him. Then they can fight for the closer's job in spring training when they can both come in with some confidence. If Baez falters, than it puts the kibosh on that whole plan but following a comeptent closing role appearance. I prefer not to rock the boat any more than necessary.

Can Tike play CF? Are they looking for a possible replacement for Patterson? I think they are kind of in the same mold. I'd like to keep Patterson, personally.

And is Bill Ordine okay? I haven't seen a post by him today. By now I've had to look at 37 of them.

Everything's coming together for this team, Trachsel's steady, Bako, Redmond, and House are hitting, Baez is our closer... yep that's our team, the uh, hmm, uh, which team is this again?

Absolutely right Roch...
Nothing worse than your closer walking the bases loaded and then having a HBP to force in the losing run...

You gotta love it anytime the O's beat the team I despise almost as much as the Red Sox. To make things even better, the Canadian Sports Channel quoted the legendary Aaron Hill as saying it was frustrating to lose to a guy like that(Tracshel). Maybe if you learned how to throw Aaron!!! Jays are pretty cocky for a team that's one game over .500. Let's beat their ace tomorrow-Guthrie is due to get back on track...
On another note, are the White Sox out of their minds giving Dye 22 mill over 2 yrs. Here's a guy who is clearly on the downslope of a mostly mediocre career, with the exception of 2 decent seasons. This just shows that 'master-mind' Kenny Williams ranks up there with the likes of mouthpiece JP Ricciardi in terms of stupid signings. At least the Chi-Sox have a World Series but I don't think they will compete again any time soon. They have an aging, one dimensional team that is better suited for slow-pitch softball.

I might get skewered for this, but I'm sure grateful that the Orioles found Trax this past spring.

When guys started dropping like flies (Benson, Wright, Loewen, Penn), there was Trax, sitting at the top of a trash heap. Out of desperation, we put him to work and, except for a few undistinguished starts just before the break, he's done an admirable job.

No one knows what the future holds for this team or these players. We all seem to prove that here everyday (except JPA, he's a savant). But you won't find me on the "Dump Trax" bandwagon. Not yet, anyway. Save me a seat, though, just in case.

And I also have been impressed enough with Hoey this go-around that I, too, would like to see him close this September. He looks confident and mean. I wonder if he's cold blooded enough to stare down Big Popi while clinging to a 1 run lead in the 9th.

I also wonder if he's related to the obscure guitar virtuoso, Gary Hoey.

Roch, don't spend that 5 cents all in one place. Although wouldn't it be nice to see more of these two; perhaps there's a place for them on next year's roster.

Congrats to JR

I am encouraged by the ability of the Orioles to find some key complementary parts like House and Redman who can come in and contribute in some big, big ways right away. Championship teams need those types of pieces to compete and win games.

Once the O's can build up a more powerful core of position players, being able to find pieces like Redma will be key. But not yet!

Hey Roch,

In Boston it can be tough to get a feel for what is going on with the home team. It seems that this has been one of the best Augusts in recent memory though.
Im wondering about Dave Trembley? I love the way he speaks to the media, and about the Orioles being Baltimore's team. He seems very candid and forthright. And it seems like he has respect for all (calling everyone Mr.) What does the media think of him and how have the locals taken to him? Trembley seems like a guy we want around in the future.

I'm thinking Jim Hoey definitely is related to Gary Hoey, but how closely is another matter. Jim was born in Trenton, NJ and Gary in Lowell, MA, with Gary being the older of the two. I haven't seen any bio giving date of birth for Gary, but he was auditioning for Ozzy Osbourne around the same time Jim was born.

I Googled to see if I could find anything mentioning a connection, but came up empty. Anyway, here's a photo of Gary looking not a little like Weird Al Yankovic and a whole lot more in touch than Jim (hey, maybe he didn't get enough sleep the night before). LOL

http://images.music.com/images/dmc/person/gary_hoey/1/images/bio.jpg

But there definitely is a resemblance, especially the chins, which are dead-on. Here's a photo of Jim when he was with the Baysox, looking awake and, if anything, even more like Gary.

http://baysox.com.ismmedia.com/ISM2/NewsManager/3112.jpeg.300.jpeg

Roch, please do your reporter duty and solve the great Hoey mystery for us! Oh, yeah, the way he's pitching, it looks like the guy is ready for the bigs, doesn't he?

Hatepaste--great post. Tyke could probably fill Corey's shoes which doesn't say much. The problem is that none of us know how much the team is willing to spend so we can't really make judgments on how to spend our FA dollars. Since I imagine we have limited dollars based on our historic inability to sign top tier FAs, I don't want to waste cash on Patterson. Rowand 2008.

Ken

Dunno too much about Gary Hoey, but I am really impressed with Hoey thus far. He has gotten knocked around at this level and has bounced back, and seems to have harnessed his breaking ball command at least for the moment. He might be that big set up guy we needed to push Walker and Bradford into 7th inning/situational roles

Roch,

Why did I see Mark Viviano interview Jeff Zerbiec on TV about Trembley getting mad at Tejada and Payton for being late for pregame stretching, but it wasn't in Zerbiec's notes piece, or this blog?

Also, last week I was watching the Tom Davis Show, and he said letting Chris Gomez go isn't even a big deal, because they can get him back in the off season. I hadn't even seen that in any Sun story, notes piece, or this blog. I'm not doubting either Tom Davis or you, but if that's true, why wasn't it brought out in here, rather than just questioning the team for letting him go for $20,000?

Actually I will clarify that, Zrebiec (sorry about previous misspelling) did not name names NOR did he put it in notes, so we don't know who it was, and for that matter, those who only read the paper and didn't see the game don't even know it happened. Most curious.

Ray won't be around next season?

C'mom guys. Tike is hungry and up right now. Everyday OF'er? Have you seen his defensive gems the last couple of games? Whoever said he'd be a great CF'er must be watching someone else.Also I'm thinking thaqt after 100 AB's he at the "Mendoza line".I do like his hustle, but we gotta get that big boppin LF'er and ditto for 1st base.

Everyone already knows what Beaz is about. Let Hoey close out the 07 season as the closer and go fromthere. As far as Bedard and Roberts go what is the status of any contract negotiations?

Roch,

It's now Sunday, and I've read Zrebiec's story leading with Trembley's angry lecture to the tardy players.

Except, why can't we hear who was late? Does Trembley ask reporters not to do that, because if you do, that means individuals get embarrassed in the media, and then he, Trembley, risks losing respect? Secondly, it was interesting that the headline - even though I know you and Jeff don't write that - said NEWCOMERS respond. Does that mean rich guys and other veterans don't? I think I'd like to know who, if the story left out the names.

Are they the same players Trembley has spoken glowingly of in his postgame comments in the past, meaning different things happen behind closed doors than what is told to the media?

In other words, do you think he butters up Tejada in comments to the media, knowing he needs to keep Miguel on board, but actually it's Miguel who does lazy things and draws Trembley's ire?

According to the Rogers Sportsnet telecast that I am watching, Guthrie is consistently throwing his fastball at 97-98 MPH and has hit 99 MPH twice.

I am Jim Hoey's great aunt and as far as I know he isn't related to Gary Hoey. He is the great-great grandson of James Urban Hoey, Sr and the last in the family to carry the Hoey name.

Dangit! House needs to stop taking base-running pointers from Jack Cust.

I believe I would have walked Glaus, The Oriole Killer, right there. Winning run remains on 2nd, sets up inning ending double play. Yep, that's what I'da done.

I didn't see much of the game, but I'm guessing Guthrie pitched his way out of his recent funk.

Let's not talk about closers and free agency. Look what we got for $42 million dollars. Not Much. I would have to say that, maybe, Walker was the only one worth the money. Bradford and Baez could leave and it wouldn't upset me.

Losing Ray to Tommy John surgery is a bit eerie since we were all just discussing BJ Ryan going down with the same thing. I agree with you, Roch—giving Hoey a test in the role for the rest of the season makes sense. If the team is serious about competing next year, they aren’t going to let Hoey compete for the job in spring training. They’re going to go out and spend a lot of money on a veteran closer (they will overspend too) long before spring training because they’re not going to leave the job to an unproven young pitcher if they think they’re going to be contenders.

Other contenders have banked on rookie closers (Street for Oakland, Papelbon for Boston), either starting the season or at some point during the season, but I can’t see the O’s doing it if they think they’re going to contend in 2008. They’re going to go the conventional route, as they often do, and spend ill-advised money on a veteran and then go with Baez as a backup (or they’ll go with Baez as the closer and spend ill-advised money on a veteran as backup). The veteran they get will most likely be one of the many middle-of-the-road closers who fill the role on teams throughout the league, pitchers that are totally overvalued but might look good because they’ve posted 30 saves before (but you have to dig deep to see that they’ve blown 7 or 8 games to go along with those 30 saves).

As for Baez closing, JPA pointed out the flaws there. Look beyond the save numbers and see how ineffective he really has been. He’s a Doug Jones-Armando Benitez-Jorge Julio waiting to happen in that role. While Baez might have the most experience as closer of anyone remaining on the staff and might be okay as a short-term fill-in, he’s not a long-term (particularly, a full season) answer there. Everyone will come to regret it and we’ll be screaming for his head on a platter by the All-Star break next season (sort of like this season, even though he wasn't closing).

Why does the headlines say Millar extended his consecutive game streak of reaching base on a 9th inning walk, when he clearly reached 1st base on a fielder's choice in the 3rd inning? Am I missing something here?

CRB(and others). I agree with you that Baez is not the answer closing games. If we can see this so easily, why can't Trembley?
Let's not get fooled by Sat.'s save-even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in awhile. Other than Sat., I can't remember the last time Baez had a 1-2-3 inning.
I snuck peaks at Sunday's game and was impressed by Guthrie's outing. On a sour note, the umps were giving Halladay every borderline call and then some. Reminded me of the strike zones that Greg Maddux/Clemens etc have-like these guys need the extra help!!
Roberts was called out on a 3-2 pitch that was 6 inches outside. A walk at that point could have changed the game. Halladay is still a horse and when you get a guy like that on the ropes(3 straight hits in the 3rd) you have to get him. He settled down pretty quick albeit with some help from the umps.