Sure, put Etch in the Orioles HOF!
Remember, he was that "other" good Orioles player to don # 8.

"massive change" and the Crow is still there...unbelievable.

I know it's been a few days, but I STILL can't believe that.

Some word on why would be nice. But the FO is making some moves and they are not done!

How about hiring Rip as a coach on all levels!

Will the Baltimore Cubs be any better than the Chicago Cubs?

If the firing of people like Etchebarren is what the Orioles are coming to then I'm not sure I want to bleed orange and black too much longer. I 've been an Oriole fan for 45 yrs. We need to keep people that work hard do anything and remind us that the Orioles use to be the cream of the crop.

As much as we hate to see an old friend like Etche go, the sad fact is that this franchise has had 10 years of failure. Every single player, coach, manager and general manager who was been through here holds some responsiblity.
That sounds harsh and of course, it doesn't apply to everyone, but the results are on the scoreboard.
There is nothing left of the Orioles' legacy except in memory.

I recall him being Davey Johnson when he played for the Orioles back in the sixties, but then again, my memory isn't what it used to be either.

McPhail wanted him gone, an explanation is not needed. The club is going in another direction.

I'd put Etch in the Orioles Hall of Fame. He did save Frank Robinson from drowning in 1966, after all. That alone is worth something.

Firing Etch is one of those baseball mysteries that makes you wonder if the people running it have to fail an IQ test to get their jobs.

I seem to remember an article early this season where almost everybody in the FO including the doorman and janitors were saying what an asset he was to the young players.

But that was before McFail.

When the O's announce Juan Desconocido or Philip Space is the new Aberdeen manager, I fully expect the press relaease to say "...was a coach in the Cubs system...."

It should not matter if Etch is one of McFail's boys. What should matter is whether the guy can do his job better than anyone else we can put there.

I agree with both Jennifer and Tracy -

Anita should have asked Kevin some tough questions and not let him get off so easily.

But Anita is not a journalist. I was just surprised the interview went on as long as it did before she brought it back to herself.

Millar has a credibility problem.

For instance, whether the president of Fox or the president of the Chico Escuela fan club asked him to do a promo, Millar referred to the Sox as us or we in his promo. Is he saying the president of Fox told him to say that? He talked right past that one.

I also agree with Tracy that he should just shut up.

Millar may be a great guy in the clubhouse and all, but after you hear him doing one of these things you have to wonder. The more he talks the worse it gets.

I remember him being both Dave and Davey. I think it depended on whether he was hitting or not.

I like that Kurt Birkins shuttle joke....

Jennifer... beautiful post last blog, you hit the nail on the head....

Anita Marks is a suckup to an extent, but I think she may have to do that in order to get the guests on her show. She is still trying to gain a foothold in the market & can't afford alienation yet is my take on this. She does better than some other talk shows out there, I say the jury is still out.

Roch, maybe they ran out of places to "hide" Etech, the Dempsey analogy would fit here.... it's a shame, anyway, I hope he gets another job somewhere & he probably will.

Poor Etch, I don't like seeing him go either. I wonder which Cubs guy will be taking over for him. Would it be too much to ask to at least bring in a couple of Twins people? At least they've won a couple of WS titles in the last hundred years or so, lol.

Seriously, I'm willing to give McPhail a certain amount of leash and I'm trying to not rage against change just because it's uncomfortable...I'm just really hoping that if they are going to be so bold with the changes managerial-wise that they do the same thing with next year's 25 man roster!

Etchebarren has a long history with the organization, but sometimes change is needed. I think that's basically the explanation. Terry Crowley is sticking around, because he meshes with Trembley, and that's the way it should be. i guess Andy didn't mesh as well...

For the first time in awhile, the manager is able to have some say in their coaching staff. MacPhail likely will bring in people to fill the minor league positions that he is familiar with and will carry out his philosophy.

I'm hoping that the Orioles are active at the winter meetings. It seems that the Mets would like to replace Paul Lo Duca who is a free agent....and they may have interest in Ramon Hernandez. Ramon did have an off year, but catching is so thin, he still may have some value. I know I will see someone post..."Who do we have to replace him?" As of now, there is nobody, but a one year or two year cheap stopgap that is a plus defender could work until Wieters is ready. It's too bad we don't have Adam Donachie anymore (joking).

Tejada should go now for the best offer. Other than that, I think Roberts and Bedard will stick around for now. Signing Bedard is far down the list of priorities for the next several months atleast, and if Johan and Sabathia are available, it would be wise to wait until they are off the market anyway. Roberts would get some good value in return and he will be approaching the downside of his career at free agency in a few years at the age of 32, but I don't see the demand for a solid second baseball like him going away anytime soon, as he is still in his prime. We'll see what happens....I think pitching and defense is going to be the future of the team and I think we'll start to see that at the winter meetings.

Maybe they fired him because he went to Elrod's funeral. McPhail's just trying to mop up unfinished business.

I'm with Roy. The Cubs have been nothing to imitate.

McFail should resist trying to recreate his former employer and start working on actually recreating his current one.

Tom D,

Your cynicism, and your own IQ, are priceless. I'm interested in the coaching prospects you mentioned. Deconocido especially. Any biographical information on them?

"e" is for eeetch!

And yet Flanagan has his job??

And Juan Samuel is still the third base coach even though he set a ML record for number or runners tossed at home with less than 2 outs.

Okay I'm not sure of that but I know he did it at least 3 times. The first time he was supported by then manager Perlozza, who said "I thought it was a good shot"

Huh, you never, never get a runner thrown out at home with less than 2 outs.

Etch knew that!!!!

If you thought what the RedSOx did was weird how about the Indians choice of national athem singer...http://www2.sportsnet.ca/blogs/martine_gaillard/

kevin is right. etch belongs for no other reason he saved f robby

It is hard to fault the desire to make major changes, but it seems like very bad karma to let a loyal foot soldier go w/o an explanation.

"i" is for ignominious

http://www.anitamarks.com/photos.htm

gaaahhh? ok i could have missed the boat / car / bullet train on this one, but i'd been hearing all the hoopla re: anita marks the last few weeks, regarding as not being a baltimore fan; a soft show, etc..

so i looked up this infamous person, first on the website (above) where there's some dodgy photo (don't think i need to point it out), and then i go to the always reliable wikipedia where they claim she appeared nude in playboy in 2002?

her 'athletic' credentials? playing quaterback for a professional women's football team? hmm how'd she get this gig? why in baltimore of all places when she's from miami???

i almost think jay mariotti having a show in baltimore would be better..

anyone who wants to enlighten me on the pro's and con's of the show are more then welcome...

in the meantime, i'm sticking with roch's blog in my own little world out here ; )

r is for ridiculous

I'm saddened by the Etchebarren release, he is the one old O I think should have been kept.
I am all for cleaning house however and if I never hear the phrase Oriole Way again, it will be too soon.
Now why in the hell is Crow and Flanny still here. That's the most confusing part to me.

I concur w/ the house cleaning or partial house cleaning, keeping Crow is a good idea (Markakis & Roberts, Patterson's improvement against lefties). Put Etch in, if for no other reason than having the longest name for a player on a winning Orioles team...take that Saltymocha or whatever your name is down in Texas! Do sports writers take "The Clear" so they can type faster?

Nothing has worked for a long time in the orioles organization. Change is needed. Something is happening! We all scream for change! But only changes that we approve of? We cannot beg for change and a better organization and then complain that a change was made!

He has been coaching in our system for a long time, what have the results been? nothing.......

Nobody In the O's organization should feel comfortable with there jobs.

Even Cal Ripken could not make this mess into an instant winner, if he somehow could buy the team. It would be a long and ugly road for him to even attempt it. AND HE COULD EASILY FAIL, and tarnish his resume.

Paul in stl, Wikipedia is right, I had the issue where Anita posed nude in playboy. I didn't know who she was until her Baltimore connection arose though. Anyway, after seeing the photographs, all I could say as I walked away was "she's a man baby!"

Just because he did what was asked, doesn't mean he did it well. It's obvious our minor leaguers are rarely prepared for any form of promotion or success.

With Molitor on deck in the 10th, Milwaukee manager Tom Trebelhorn (sound familiar?) sent in a pitch hitter to face Cleveland's Doug Jones (yep, future Oriole Jones). Rick Manning drove in the winning run and the Milwaukee home crowd booed. BJ Surhoff (who???) had 1 of only 4 Milwaukee hits on the day.

Yahoo Johnson: Thanks for asking.

There is not a whole lot of info on either, but from what I have been able to piece together, Philip Space is a guy who has played for just about every team on some level. In fact, one or more Oriole starters in September may have been his nephew.

Everyone has a story about him, but does not seem to remember too many details about him. But he does photograph well.

He has been a minor league coach or manager for some time.

Juan Deconocido has managed calss A baseball for 10,15,25 years, who knows? He did not star in the Caribbean Winter League during the 70's or 80's. He never got called up to the majors. Former teammates say it is like he wasn't ever there.

Why should anyone care if Etch is fired. He was a long time known player and coach but his record speaks for itself. I like the guy but such is life in pro sports. The club is trying to improve and there are going to be more toes stepped on of coaches and players. Any move that is made is at least trying to go in the right direction--right or wrong, good or bad. The O's suck and we need to sit back and watch the off season unveil and hope for the best. What else can you do....

Roch:

Firing Etch was totally uncalled for. Does anybody remember he won a game in the '71 World Series for us? He would have been the World Series MVP if we had beaten the Pirates that year. Of note, Etch was living in an apartment building that caught fire one morning before one of the home games during the World Series - I believe he escaped by climbing down a balcony; the Sun storyline was that Etch's hot day started long before the game started. Great memories, and a great guy. Firing Etch is another reason to dish this pathetic team... at least until it's sold to Cal.

Anita Marks is the worst sports talk show host I have ever heard. I think I counted 15 "uhm's" one time before she finished asking a question. The show is soft, she has no sports knowledge (especially local sports history). Without her co-hosts that show wouldn't even be about sports!!

Another one bites the dust. It's almost like there is something resembling accountability in this organization. Unfortunately, it's been absent from this club for so long, most folks who follow the team don't appear to be able to recognize it.

I watched Aberdeen play in Lowell last August - they were horrible. Booting balls all over the field, making idiotic base-running mistakes, etc. Maybe the new guy can teach these guys how to play baseball, and be more than just a nice guy and a hard worker.

Etchebarren soon will be seen on QVC [ no joke ] and hi wife promoting there new line of eye brow remover. The stuff is quick and will not hurt the eyes.

I can not imagine the the O's brass did not discuss this with the Ripkens. I do not mean that Cal & Billy agreed or even had a hand in the move, only that I am confident they were consulted in advance

AMcP's Cubs have been in the playoffs more often than not. The O's haven't seen the good side of .500 since 1997.
Shut up and let him work.