If Melvin is open to a trade, I would be more than happy to drive him to the airport.

Just makes it more exciting to look forward to the Winter Meetings...

However until something happens I wont be impressed with what McPhail has done so far....

I am willing to give him plenty of time, but something has to happen before the end of the year...

Phillies would be a good fit. They need a thirdbaseman and they are just up the road, Melvin wouldn't even have to move. But their farm system is worse then ours; can't see them moving anything but prospects or another overpriced contract in return.

Jim P

Guilty as charged!!. I was one of the “pay the man”crowd.

However in my defense I didn’t care for the NTC and at the time Mel seemed to be a team player going to Elrods funeral etc. but really seemed to do 180 after getting the moolah.

I quess hind sight is 20/20

Can Melvin be asked if he will play left field?

c is for change

Roch, no thoughts on Aubrey Huff's declaration that "Baltimore is a horse**** town"? Where's the journalism?

How many more times to we have to be subjected to freaking morons mouthing off about how much they love another team in our division or how little they like Baltimore or whatever ridiculous thing is going to happen next that makes me embarrassed to root for these guys. 2007 has been brutal to the Orioles, and even when the season ended we have to put up with Kevin "Mascot" Millar and Aubrey "Horse****" Huff?

Are you kidding me?!

The rumor is that Lowell wants 4 years and $60M. Kinda makes Melvin's remaining 2 years at $16M look like a bargain, huh? Don't misunderstand me - a team of players comparable to Mora in salary and skill would just be another 4th place moderately pricey Orioles. I see this as another indicator that signing free agents is usually a bad idea, unless you really are at the point where you can wisely add that one good piece to a talented roster. If your team is composed of young talent you developed or acquired in shrewd trades, your payroll is easily under control and you can afford to overpay that free agent in the event you don't have the hot prospect ready to step in.

We can hope that the Sox and Yanks hurt themselves: overpay Lowell and be stuck with him, overpay Posada, overpay Rivera...

Roch - thanks for your reference to probably the greatest comedy routine of all time.

IF any of you have never seen it (and there are some out there who haven't) or if anyone wants to see it again, it can be viewed here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M

Naturally.

I have been curious about whether we fans are fickle or whether we simply speak up at different times. There are surely some who proclaimed "pay the man" and it became the overwhelming consensus of those posting. But not the unanimous opinion. And the dissenters may have simply stayed quiet. Now that the contract looks awful, the dissenters and others are posting, while perhaps the initial supporters are remaining quiet.

It could be simply a case of who speaks up when. (I am not sure why St. Louis had no player named When. They still need a right fielder.... but I digress)

Thanks to those honest enough to say "I was one of those who said x but now I think not-x". That shows an open mind and a person who is still thinking.

Hypocrisy is not the same as changing opinions or conclusions. (And neither is that flip-flopping, by the way). Changing opinions and conclusions is better described as "learning" or "growth" or "evolution".

Hypocrisy is feigning belief or behaving as if you have a belief that you do not have. Acting in contrast to your true beliefs.

The flaw in the approach of those who shouted "pay the man" and may now be shouting "trade the loser" is not hypocrisy. It is speed to judgement, or confusing "probable" with "absolutely right". Watch out for folks who are "sometimes wrong but never in doubt".

Of course jumping on bandwagons, front-running, sheep behavior is closer to hypocrisy, since we adopt and espouse positions of which we are really not too sure.

sorry for the ramble. "C" for more Considered judgement.

I think Tom D is the same poster as that "Earl" guy. He was fond of name-calling, and posted at mind-numbing length, too.
Anybody who faults AMcP for trading away Chris Gomez doesn't understand how lousy this team is, and probably has become a part of the culture of losing.

TVPDX.... I have to say, I have had the same thoughts on our friend Tom D. However, if he is G of E , at least he was reincarnated as a better poster here this time around. I tend to agree with alot of his ideas... with G of E... not so much.
Now, I do think you are dead wrong & without merit on your C Gomez comment. That was a weak attempt at putting people down for not thinking like you do. Just because some of us thought it was stupid to give away a solid utility guy that produced for NOTHING back from Cleveland doesn't mean we don't realize the team was lousy & it certainly doesn't mean we are part of the losing culture. Your premise there is too large of a leap with no evidence.
Furthermore, I was glad to see the team hire MacPHail, but to think of him as some baseball deity is another leap. He had mixed results in Chicago. Furthermore, he is hamstrung here by the meddling, control freak owner. Connie Mack , Paul Richards, Harry Dalton , it wouldn't matter as long as potter (can I still use that apt moniker?) is around to screw things up.

5 of Mora's kids are what 4? 5? I doubt they would care or barely notice where they live.....

TELL Tejada & Mora where they will be playing for the good of the team, they still get paid to play the game, what position is silly. This culture of letting the players dictate goes back to Cal & Brady... enough. It hasn't worked.

Hot corner Roch.... Not in Baltimore at least.... :-)

Why not try this.... Tejada to first, all he has to charge then is the occasional bunt during a sacrifice & he can concentrate on hitting, move Mora to LF , upgrading that spot from last year, try Moore at 3B, & Mr "I'm a Red Sox fan" Millar can DH.
That works if they can find a good fielding SS & if Moore can play in the bigs as a regular. If not , you move Mora back to 3B, & put someone else in LF.

Thinking about Tejada and his location in the interim, is they any sense of urgency to move him now, before the Mitchell Report comes out? I have a feeling his name is going to be featured prominently in the report, and he might become one of those players who's untouchable in 2 weeks or so.

Also, to comment on a couple of people who still didn't seem convinced that the team needs a complete overhaul. While it's going to be no fun watching a bunch of AAA players and re-treads on the field for the next few years, I'd rather watch these guys then some of the over-priced players (read: Aubrey Huff) go out and under-perform. Further, if you ever want to have a competitive team again, you have to build players through the farm system. You need good players to get good players, not only to make the team a more attractive destination for free agents, but also to have the pieces to get impact players through trades. Its never bad to have more talent. Since we aren't going to win now, if you can trade someone now and get a package of players that will be more talented in 2-4 years from now, when the team will be competitive, you have to do it. In the meantime, you can cut that salary and put it to use scouting around the world so the birds can add pieces in that way too.

The whole idea of having players switch positions is to make the team better overall. So does moving Tejada to 3rd and Mora to left really do that?
Who plays short? I guess the answer is Luis Hernandez but can he produce offensively? He's not going to hit with the power and average of Tejada so his defense better be gold glove caliber.
There's also no guarentee that Tejada will make the smooth transition to 3rd. Switching positions isn't a lock-look how bad Javy Lopez looked at 1st for example. Maybe Brian's suggestion of moving Miggy to 1st makes more sense but personally, I can live with keeping him at short. The offense outweighs any defensive shortcomings.
Moving Mora to the outfield is a questionable move because while he played there before, his declining offense is a concern. Can our limited offense carry a 15 HR, 60 RBI guy at a power spot? I'd rather see Mora gone completely and take our chances with Moore but his hefty contract and age makes him untradable.
So moving guys around is something the Orioles should take a hard look at.

Looks like Bedard may not be untouchable this offseason. From Jayson Stark:

Meanwhile, other clubs are reporting that the Orioles are listening closely when teams inquire about ace Erik Bedard. It might take three big-time young players to get him. But MacPhail has been telling teams he's willing to talk about Bedard or anyone else on the roster. Which could make the Orioles a major auctioneer this winter.

UH! Honestly are you people still angry over the Millar thing? I thought that fire died with the final game of the World Series. It's time to get over it. Who cares if he has another favorite team? I like the Cowboys, but I also root for the Ravens. Are you going to chase me out of town? If anything you should all be pissed at Aubrey Huff. I would like to know when and where he said that "horse s**t" comment. Because if that is true, then WOW, he should be the one getting booed come opening day... not Millar. At least Millar says he likes being in Baltimore. I've never heard him say anything bad about our town.
If someone has a link to the Aubrey Huff thing, let me know.

And Roch..... the hot corner is on the first base side in section 18 where all of the Canton Ladies sit! : P hehe

I can't imagine our team without Melvin. Anyone should be ashamed of themselves to say that Mel should go. He is as much as our team as Miguel and Brian. Where are all the Orioles fans out there???

I beg to differ, Roch....us pretty girls sit behind 3rd base, not the dugout. So it really IS the "hot corner"! ;o)

While moving Melvin would in fact make the team younger and leave open the possibilities for guys like Moore...I'm less concerned with him and his future on this team, because he at least WANTS to be in Baltimore. How about that Aubrey Huff??

I’ll freely admit that I was one of those supporting “pay the man” for Mora. I was also against acquiring Mike Lowell back when we could have. Both players seem like they were on different trajectories than they ultimately ended up on.

Mora’s 2005 season, while a decline from his stellar 2004 numbers, seemed like it was indicative of what you could expect from him: 25+ HR, 85+ RBI, an .800+ OPS. Not spectacular, but decent enough, and okay for a guy who seemed to be a nice enough guy to have around, and it didn’t seem possible that we would be able to acquire a player with those numbers if Mora left. It seems like almost immediately after the ink dried on his contract, though, he’s been in a steady decline.

Lowell, 2 years younger than Mora, had a disastrous 2005 season (and it was disastrous at the time he was being offered up in a trade). A paltry .658 OPS, 8 HRs, .58 RBIs, 236 avg.. Lowell hadn’t been in a multiple year decline—the big warning bell for a player you shouldn’t acquire—but his drastic drop-off was frightening. Now, ever since he landed in Boston, his career has been on an incline.

Boy, I was wrong on both counts! Oh, well, it happens a lot. I don’t get paid the big bucks to be a GM and am just a fan sitting at a keyboard making assessments based on things I think I know from following baseball for years. Now, here’s what the O’s must do to turn this thing around….

TerryP,

Sad to say, but 15 and 60 out of LF is a significant offensive upgrade over the likes of Jay Payton!

I'd hate to see any players except Mora traded within the American League...we'd eventually have to face them, and you know how Orioles do when they leave Baltimore.

Mora and DCab need to go. I dont like their peronalities any more, and I dont think either are good for team chemistry here. Mora wants to win, but he wont have the team around him to do that here. DCab wants to throw at the opposing teams' star players and fight every batter that steps into the box. He's got a bad attitude and he's not very smart, so ship him out, no matter what you get in return.

Bedard...trade him at the deadline to a desperate NL team. The NL is so even that a pitcher of his abilities would set any of them over the top, and the O's would likely get a lot in return. This only happens though if he gets away from the injury bug. If they dont want that risk, and Bedard doesnt want to be here, then get rid of him now. He could bring in a decent CF and probably a good 3B prospect.

People need to understand that getting younger and cheaper is a definite good thing. It will give the O's the ability to go after Texieria and some other free agents in the coming years. Guys like him, who WANT to play for Bmore, are guys MacPhail HAS to go after, and he can't do that with a bunch of reject veterans that can't play in the present and look at their past accomplishments as what happened yesterday.

I think either Tejada or Mora would look good in a St. Louis Cardianls uniform. They need a 3B since Rolen is leaving.

So far I think all of the coach and front office hirings are very good. All thats left is convincing Potter that he can't win with the current team and adding any of this years free agents would only make his team worse. I think we will start winning halfway through 2009, when a few of those position prospects start coming up through the system. Can't wait for Wieters, Snyder, and Arrieta (he will be a closer someday, a very good one)

TerryP: Do we move around average at best defenders with declining offensive skills and risk having players who not only have average or worse offensive skills but also average at best defense learning to play new positions? It’s not like asking A-Rod to play a new position. Even if his defense hurts you some, you’re still getting MVP-level offense. Average/declining hitters who are out of position seems like something you wouldn’t want, but if the team hangs onto Mora and/or Tejada, they may very well have to have them switch positions to (1) allow players like Moore and L. Hernandez to play and (2) perhaps show to other teams that Mora/Tejada can play different positions (even if they are only average at their new positions). It might be a bit ugly, but I think we’re going to stomach a lot of unpleasantness the coming season.

If the O’s are in rebuilding mode, they at least have the luxury, if you can call it that, of seeking out young players who have above average defensive skills (hopefully, they also seek out guys who also can hit).

Kind of amusing how many people are upset that McPhail hasn't done more. The way to fail is to make rash decisions.
McPhail wisely got familiar with personnel (on and off field) then has started to make changes in the non-playing personnel and in the structure of the organization.
Once he has his structure and personnel in place then he can go about getting the right players into the system. While most people here seem to think you simply add/subtract a player here and there haphazardly thats the recipe for failure as we've seen for the last 10+ yrs.
Unfortunately this team and organization are several years away from constantly contending. Too many people here, once again think the team is just a player or 2 from contending. Its still a team with no LF, CF, 1B, DH, closer, a couple of starters missing and no depth at the major or minor league levels.
Its a long process, get use to it. Maybe this time McPhail will be the one given enough resources and time to succeed.

Yeah Roch, I'm not really sure why everyone seems to think that Tejada would make such a good third baseman. Charging the ball is not his thing.

Tejada might not be the best shortstop, but I'm sure he's better there than he'd be at third. And why move Mora-- a very good third baseman-- to the outfield just to make room for a guy learning a new position at age 32?

I guess what this boils down to is that we have to trade Tejada. If he comes back to the Orioles, it should be at shortstop.

tvdpdx - Regardless of what I say about the Orioles CEO - or whatever the title is - I do not call YOU names. I will thank you to extend me the same courtesy.

Ghost of Earl had a few interesting things to say, but mostly he was just rude. I do not call people names because they disagree with me. I may respond in kind to personal attacks but I do not throw out insults for GP. (Well, I did respond emotionally to JPA about an emotional topic that I have since apologized for..)

Also, I have noticed you tend to use more than a few words in occasional posts yourself. Kind of a cheap shot putting that in there, too. You like Steinbeck, I like Faulkner. So? No one makes you read anything so I guess you might actually want to...?

You are upset with me for calling him McFail? OK, that is your prerogative. I did not, however, hear your voice when the common term here was PerLOSER (which I did not use and which I spoke out about). What's up with that? McFail deserves respect but Perlozzo did not?

Maybe you should do some research because your tactic is the classic definition of ad hominem. Ad hominem means attacking your opponent personally rather than his argument. You do not have a counter for my argument so you try to nullify my argument by minimizing me. "He is that Ghost of Earl guy using a different name,” I don't know, I guess I expected more from you.

On the other hand, if you accept that McPhail's argument is that the team needs to trade its veterans for "prospects" and rebuild the team entirely, you may notice I am indeed countering it. I am saying it is not the right strategy for right now. I do not know how anyone could miss that fact.

Of course I am swimming upstream on this.

This is a blog where 99% of the people believe this team is on par with the 1961 Mets and the whole franchise needs to be burned down and rebuilt. To say in this climate that the correct move is to build around the nucleus we already have by adding experienced and competent players is heresy. And, as typically happens here, heresy invites personal attacks. I am used to that. As always, I consider the source.

By the way, calling him McFail has 2 advantages. First, it is easy to type and even I can spell it. Second, it hopefully reminds people that this guy is not the genius everyone has decided he is. He has a track record that is so-so at best - you can look it up.

And so far this guy has been a bump on a log. I know all about the review of the organization and all that. I worked for a guy who used that as an excuse to go take a nap.

So dumping Chris Gomez is his signature move? Please! Now who is being disrespectful? (Buy the way, where did this come from? I had no problem with Gomez leaving or how it was done.)

He arrived in a situation where the O's had the obvious best candidate for manager already in place and he immediately started to court the most over rated managerial candidate of the new century. Then he let Trembley dangle for a couple months before finally making the move a smart, decisive CEO would have made in his first week.

When the pitching staff was falling to pieces we got Victor Santos and Victor Zambrano. They could have traded someone like a Paul Bako for an AAAA pitcher who would have done better than these clowns. They had a guy in AAA who may even have done better but never called him up.

This was not a time for review but for action and if this was him acting I hope he doesn't do that too often.

And what is the point of firing Sammy Snider? He wasn’t one of the boyz? That was just petty.

Everyone says he has a plan. What is it? So far all we know is that he is not going to sign any top level free agents and he wants to trade Tejada. That's a plan? If that is the case, THIS HAS BEEN OUR PLAN FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS!!!!!!! What is so great about that?

Did Aubrey Huff really say Bmore is a horsesh-- town?

COURTESEY OF AUBREY HUFF:

He appeared on Bubba The Love Sponge out of Tampa...I didn't have time to go into a full-length report in my blog because I'm doing a radio show...I've covered everything he said this morning on the air...The guy said to him, "well, you're not in Tampa anymore - you're in Baltimore, that must be better for you..." and Huff said, "nah, Baltimore is a horse-**** city..."

Brian - Thanks for the props, I think.

I have thought about Tejada to 1st also. But Tejada is 5'10". At 5'10", Steve Garvey was a decent 1B, as I understand, but there have not been too many under 6'.

If they start working Tejada at 3B now, my thought was to try Mora at 1B.

But I think Roch is right. Our best move may be to convince someone else he can be a good 3B.

Does anyone have a grasp of what Andy MacPhail (and for the umpteenth time, people, it's MacPhail, not McPhail--get it right please) is attempting to accomplish? I mean REALLY have a grasp.

Yes, we're told that he wants to rebuild and that NO ONE on the team is untouchable when it comes to trades. He mentioned Erik Bedard at the same time, but if his words are to be taken literally, then presumably that means Nick Markakis is fair game in a trade, as well.

Yeah, I know there's such a thing as blowing up a team, but, come on, this amounts to nuking it. Rebuilding a team still implies keeping a core of key players that lends itself not only to continuity both on the field and in the clubhouse, but maintaining a fan base.

On to specifics, as per the unseen Peter Angelos directive, MacPhail has said the club won't spend money on free agents to get better, but will work at coming out on top of some trades and build for the future. Who will be left wearing the Orioles' jersey when the smoke clears?

Again, that's anybody's guess. I doubt at this point whether MacPhail's all that certain, which leads me to wonder whether's really a master plan or if this is simply a paint-by-numbers operation.?

Consider the following. MacPhail talks highly of Miguel Tejada, but is this because he genuinely hopes the moody shortstop will once again be the positive energizing force he once was or is he just hyping him as a selling point for a future trade?

On the other hand, MacPhail's spoken of the importance of strong pitching, but defense isn't Tejada's strong suit. Well, there's the possibility of moving him to third.

But wait! Miggy's already said he isn't interested in moving to third for the O's unless they make the sort of upgrades needed to contend. MacPhail's pretty much nixed that idea. So what about Tejada?

If MacPhail wants to keep Miguel, then what? If there's anything we've learned since he became Orioles is that a happy Miggy is a productive Miggy. Once he's convinced that the club isn't really interested in improving, he becomes sullen Miggy and his numbers suffer pretty much across the board.

Still, with Tejada and Melvin Mora we know that they can put up decent numbers, if not great ones, even when their heads aren't completely in the game. Turning to their prospective replacements, Luis Hernandez and Scott Moore, there is no such assurance. True, Hernandez looked pretty good at the plate, but what's he going to do when pitchers make adjustments? With Moore we really don't have much of a sample. At times he swung the bat well, but struggled just as often. He didn't excel at Chicago, either, so there's reason for concern as to whether he can hit big league stuff.

Hernandez is a good enough fielder that he could be left out there even if he isn't hitting, PROVIDED that the rest of the lineup is solid and dependable. That is unless the Orioles decide to model the team after recent Oakland squads, where the emphasis has been on pitching and defense. Even with the A's, though, there were always a couple of decent bats.

The trouble is, the Orioles DON'T have a great pitching staff, not even a better than average one. They have the nucleus of one, with Bedard, Adam Loewen, Jeremy Guthrie and, possibly, Daniel Cabrera (haven't totally given up on him), but the seeming front office uncertainty, as in the desperate willing-to-trade-anyone mentality, ought to concern all O's fans. (MacPhail's never given us an outline of the direction he wants to take the team, except to make it younger and cheaper.)

Change for the mere sake of change is never good. Let's hope that a REAL plan for the future of the franchise is being formulated and not just a haphazard bringing in of new faces.

TerryP, you make a good point about the pointlessness of shuffling the deck chairs.

Hernandez would be a horrible hitter, possibly the worst in baseball, and his defense can't make up for that.

However, Mora is going to be mediocre no matter where he plays, and 3B *is* a power position.

I think Mora is gone after his comments anyway.

Terry, among other things, 15 HR & 60 RBI from a LFer would be an upgrade....

Maybe it's just me, but I can't picture Melvin contending. His needs are too important to him. He's a great athlete that can really do some damage. Beltre is twice the 3b.

I personally would love to see the left side go. It's been long enough.

Sign a CF or else.

Sign Bedard or else.

Does Mcphail really have the energy necessary that it's going to take to do this?

I am scared.

Luckily my Detroit Lions are giving me hope.

Evidently Danae doesn't know Melvin.

Disgruntled O:

Oh My God! Aubrey said that?!!?!?!?!

Why aren't people pissed about that? He's not only hating on the team, but the entire city of BALTIMORE??!??!? OH NO HE DIDN'T!!! (Insert Ghetto Finger snap) I'm sorry but am I the only one who takes offense to that? YIKES!

Also, I don't know why anyone would consider Tejada at third. Melvin was amazing at third because he took the game seriously and put his heart into it. Plus the little guy is quick on his feet. Third base would be the WORST position for Tejada because he's simply lost the desire to field balls appropriately. If we REALLY need his bat (even though I wasn't impressed this year) then put him as DH! If he refuses to play DH then tell him thanks and let the man go. SEE YA!

We've got some really long winded posters on this blog - carve it down, fellas - it's "Roch Around the Clock" not "Tom D Around the Clock". You guys all make good points, but there's a lot of repetition and long-windedness. I read the comments for the stinging wit and the chance to mouth off about how I think Melvin Mora should be an usher - he professes a love for Baltimore and the Orioles, but he's surly and doesn't seem to like people or the fans - usher material.

In sum, shorten the posts.

Love,
Everyone who reads this blog

Brian, Jeff. You are correct about the dismal numbers put up by the '06 left fielders, with Payton the main culprit. The LF situation kind of summarizes our offensive woes in a nutshell. While Markakis is a force, the other 2 OF spots give us very little. CF can get a pass-Patterson was around average and he did bring some speed. Payton and his 5 HR-50 RBI is severly below average and while Mora might give us 16/60 that's still below what contending teams send out there from LF. Boston had Rameriz, Detroit has Sheffield, Colorado has Holliday-well you get the picture! If we had an Edgar Martinez type- DH, we might be able to absorb such abmysal hitting but we don't. Therefore, we have to get offense from some other spot. Mora's production-whether it be from 3rd or OF is below par; we can hope that he steps it up a notch to the 20-25 HR, 85-90 RBI days but what are the chances?
Bottom line is that we need another big bat, perferably 2. Tejada is one and for the sake of the team, hang onto him and leave him at short.
CRB/Phil. We share the idea of standing pat re: positions. There is also the downside of a player letting his hitting suffer if he is worrying about defense. That's why Huff is better off DH rather than him even having a glove. It would also be interesting to see how many star players are even asked to switch positions. I can think of Cal, ARod, Rose but who else?
And on a final note, what's up with the Huff comments? From Jennifer's reports, looks like he's the 'man' about town. Maybe the Baltimore lovelies aren't responding to his charms, which has soured him on the city? I've been to Baltimore a couple of times and had a great time; I'm waiting for the O's turnaround to return but may have to change that thought!

Everyone who is disturbed by the fact that it is hard to tell what direction MacPhail wants to steer the ship is overreacting. The one thing we know for sure is he wants to change the organization for the better, starting by working the draft and the minors to the maximum. Sounds good to me.

He is not offering many clues about the direction at the major league level, well, most likely because it's not a good idea to show your hand to everyone else. If we knew exactly what he was planning to do, that means so would all the GM's and executives in baseball, making negotiating more difficult. Let the offseason pass before judgement is passed, because as many of you have been pointing out, NO ONE knows what is actually in store.

Not to mention that the winter meetings, when things really start happening, are still a month away.

TerryP,

I'm not defending the move of Mora to left, just commenting on the sad state of affairs in LF for the past couple of years.

I'm more for eating Payton's contract and trading Mora anyway. Moore can play 3rd or left, I believe. Huff can play wherever Moore doesn't (if there's not too much horsesh*t here for him)

TerryP,

Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Craig Biggio, BJ Surhoff, Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Sheffield, Chipper Jones, Bobby Bonilla, Babe Ruth, Jerry Hairston (OK not a star), Alfonso Soriano...

Just a few off the top of my head in less than 60 seconds that have changed positions. Not as rare as you may think.

I'm not one for trading off some of our star players, but if Andy can get us back to where we need to be than I'm all for it. I don't think we need to get rid of Bedard though. Lets hope The winter meetings bring us the talent. We've won with rookies before. The "why not" season of 1989 is still one of my favorites.

If you read between the lines, you'll realize Huff is a racist. Take that Aubrey (that's a girl's name there fella)! As far as I am concerned, he now must be let go. Solong Huff, Mora (what a prima donna who has lost touch with reality and lives in the past huh? Ha - he thinks he's a stud!), and Tejada. We lost a lot with you girls and we can't do any worse without you.

Tom D - what credentials do you have that give you the knowledge about what a smart CEO would do? Since you're so vocal and "complete" on here, why don't you divulge for us some of your personal accomplishments? I'm just wondering where your well-documented, immense knowledge of all things baseball comes from. I see a lot of assumptions in your posts.

I feel Rich hit the nail on the head with his observations.

If I were MacPhail I would ask the Mets if they'd trade David Wright, Lastings Milledge and a pitching prospect for Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts. Mets get the ace and 2B they need and automatically become play-off favorites if they can sign A-Rod at third. O's get a couple of nice youngsters and could even turn around and deal Wright for 2 more top prospects, or plug him in at third.

Hey Tom D

Your posts are too long and long winded.
You're name calling of Mr. McPhail is childish and your reasoning is silly.
Reminds me of a certain Ghost who used to call Sam Perlozza some strange things.
Many people on here are a little too full of themselves... and Pompous.
Once again, what is your G.M. experience and do your other G.M. friends make fun of Mr. McPhails name?
And if you can't spell his name correctly, should we really take your magnificent insight seriously?
It's really bush league

Bedard and Tejada to the Yankees for Hughes, Kennedy and Joba. Works for both teams.

Ha; if true, Monsieur Huff's comments need to be taken most seriously. Bubba the Love Sponge may admire him for his honesty, but we who pay Little Aubrey's salary don't have to like what he was honest ABOUT.

The barn's full of manure, it's time for a fall cleaning, and Huff's on top of the pile.

I agree with KG's post. I don't know if we will able to get angry at MacPhail for another couple of years. Seems unfortunate that there is no one to direct our frustrations at for a while. Apparently, Tom D will suffice. :) I too wish the posts would be broken into multiple shorter length posts, but to blame the guy for trying to be a GM--isn't that what most of us are doing with our suggestions? If anyone here does have front office experience feel free to pipe up. There are certain posters here who I agree with 99% and they help me refine my understanding of the club's status. Then there are people who I disagree with just as much, but if they present a solid argument for their stance, I learn from them as well or at least solidify my own position. I know blogs can quickly degenerate into flame-fests, but the bottom line is you can skip anything you want.

I was also against the childish re-working of Sammy's name, too. Especially since I'm Italian.
I tried to read Tom D's post but I fell asleep before I could get to the end.
I could understand it if he were getting paid by the word.
Grow up.

Jen

Did you ever hear that actions speak louder then words? I SAW what Millar did. Huffs statements I just saw in print and have no way to judge the intent of his words. So I am still saving my boo's for Millar.

I know its premature but I am already working on my heckle lines for him...here are my top three.

Hey Millar...whats the going rate on selling our signals?

Hey Millar...your next gig should be on CMTs "I want to look like a high school cheerleader again"

Hey Millar...We are going to let the bat boy "use" your number this year...at least he can carry some lumber.

What y'all think?

What is up with the "In a Huff" entry being taken down off the main page of The Sun website? For those of you who haven't read it you can still access it at this link http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/roch/blog/2007/11/in_a_huff_2.html but it is GONE from the mainpage of The Sun website when accessing this blog. Also the report around other O's blogs is tthat some comments about Huff have been deleted off this site. Why is The Sun censoring news about this? Why can't this press organization do their job for once in a decade about reporting on the Orioles?

Andy M. is giong to make some trades and soon. Gotta go : Mora, Tejada, Gibbons, Patterson (or if he stays put a clause in his contract that says he has to bunt at least once a game). Gotta stay: Bedard, Markakis, Roberts, Lowen, Guthrie. Everyone else is expendible. Fix the bullpen and get a closer, or get baseball to shorten games to 6 innings.

Melvin can flash the leather...
While no Brooks Robinson, Melvin has evolved in a a good to very good defensive third baseman. I say leave Melvin at 3rd and move Miggy to left field. If lLF is good enough for Manny, then it is good enough for Miggy! I can just see Miggy barehanding a shot off the Monster and firing a strike to BRob at second to catch a trotting David Ortiz...

Hey John,
On your trades, you don't seem to realize the ones you want to "keep" are the only ones you can trade.
The ones you want to trade may bring in Bubba the Love Sponge and a marginal prospect, tops.

Note to self: Never ever say the words Bubba the Love Sponge again
Thanks Aubrey

Tom D -

OK, first off, some of your observations are interesting. MacPhail overall track record as GM does not exactly put him in The Hall. He does have a track record when it comes to focus on the organization, specifically the farm system and developing young players.

So now ask yourself, and be honest, just what top flight GM or whatever title you want to give him, would come to Baltimore. This organization is a mess. Not to mention a meddling owner who steps in and kills trades (good or bad). That's why we lost Gillick. Those in the inner circles of the sport know this organization is seriously flawed. There are pieces here or there, in terms of some players, and talent evaluators, however, no one seems to be on the same page.

Now as far as divulging "The Plan" to us the everyday fans, how does that assist him in improving this team. It's a good thing none of us so called GM are running this team (myself included). He needs to make trades that help this team, and has little to work with, in terms of players with the wrong kind of contracts on the wrong side of 30. MacPhail has stated that we are not 1-2 players away from competing. Thus he does not see entering a bidding war on players he's not getting anyways. If he can move some dead wood and get some potential talent in return, that's where he feels he can help the team, improve the depth. Recent past history has shown us that the only free agents considering this team are those you are not on competing team A-Lists, and are just looking to extend their career and pad their bank accounts. Been there done that. Don't like the results.

Now, I do agree with you that you don't just blow this thing up for the sake of making a drastic move. Making the moves the MacPhail envisions, take time. To evaluate what you have and what needs fixing, for one, and then start putting the pieces in place. Starting with non players first. We should certainly consider adding young talent to a core of veterans. I have clearly stated I'm not in favor of moving Tejada, because he is the one time big time bat this line up has. I also don't want to move Bedard or Roberts. However if the team starts putting a farm system together, and looks in terms of adding depth to the overall franchise. I think Bedard & Roberts need to concede that qualifies as progress and make their decision to extend based off of that.

I do not agree that we are a couple of acquisitions away from 90 wins unless we somehow can obtain J. Santana or a similar type pitcher and a power bat in the outfield such as Manny or Miguel Cabera. Just my opinion. The point here is that we really don't have the talent in the minors to pull off a trade that would definitely help us. And that's my whole long winded point. Our farm system needs to feed and sustain the major league team. Allow us to go out and get that bat or arm without depleting the system. Adding Andruw Jones or Torri Hunter is not putting us over the hump and would only give us another bloated contract on the wrong side of 30.

I do have to admit that I've rethought my time frame for rebuilding and feel with the right moves we can be competitive in 08 and make some noise in 09. However we really need to shoot for 2010 in terms of making a division title run. Not enough pieces in place, and too many question marks, like the bullpen, D-Cab, and outfield depth.

As far the Aubrey Huff thing goes? There was a reason why he was available so late last off season. This guy has some game, and can be a contributor, but he also has to grow up. I understand a young guy wanting to have some fun in the evening, he's single, and flush with cash. But those are thoughts he should keep to himself. But then again I've made my share of stupid comments at 31.

Hey TX,
You make the same mistake many of the people here do. If you don't want to trade Bedard, Tejada and Roberts, there is no one to trade, except Markakis and other young talent which would be foolish since those are the type players you are trying to keep. Bedard and Roberts and Miggy should be traded and I think will be in the next few months.
The only ones that I would say don't trade are Markakis, loewen. and Guthrie.