The Patterson thing is 100% about money. He's looking for a multi-year deal, and one article I read even had him in the 3 yrs/$30 million range. Insane.

It's a safe bet he'd have signed somewhere - possibly even here - by now if his demands were more in line with his abilities.

Roch You could add Matt Riley to the disabled pitcher dinner party, along with John Parrish(who just signed a non-guarenteed contract with the Jays, proving once again that if your a lefty, just having a pulse gives you chance after chance!).
The jury seems split on bringing Corey back. My thoughts about it is that since we don't have anyone better why not? He's still fairly young and the argument about $$$ doesn't wash. He can be had for 3-4 mill/yr-chump change these days, especially since King Peter has the nerve to raise ticket prices. He can use those proceeds, along with the TV $$$, to at least try and field a reasonable facimile of a MLB team.
Hey, I've been a Oriole supporter since the mid 60's and just to remain a fan that long shows extreme patience(or stupidity!) . I must admit that I am going into this year more depressed than I can remember. Our current squad looks worse than the Tigers 120 loss team and they didn't have to face the RedSox/Yanks 19 times.
It's one thing to rebuild with a plan but bringing in marginal players with very little upside, doesn't seem logical.
I guess we should wait and see how spring training unfolds before unloading on McPhail too much but many teams have already pretty much made their moves.

TX O's Fan - I did not say the teams give up 20 - 23 yr old prospects readily.

What I said was everyone had the expectation that MacPhail was going to trade Tejada, Roberts and Bedard for a bunch of 20 - 23 year old prospects but the reality is we seem to be getting and/or going after older "prospects" who not only do not have the upside of some of the younger guys we wished for but also do not look much different from the guys we already have on hand.

MacPhail started the off-season talking about young "major league ready" guys. So far we have added one guy who could fall into this category and 1 other who is borderline. Everyone else added is the kind of player MacPhail said he was not interested in.

If the plan is to get guys to hold places while Riemold, Wieters, etc. develop why did MacPhail say the plan was something else?

And don't say it was to throw off the teams he might trade with. Statements in the press are 100% for the public. Once teams start talking trade with anyone the entire league knows what is up.

Either he was trying to mislead or, as I have said numerous times, there really is no plan other than to reduce payroll in the most palatable way.

Patterson's problem is that he hasn't made any significant adjustments at the plate -- adjustments that would allow him to get on base more and thus further utilize his speed. That stubbornness will now cost him literally millions of dollars, as well as a slew of potential suitors. Why would anyone want to deal with a Boras client who refuses to do what it takes to get on base consistently? One would think there would be enough fleet-footed center fielders of his ilk out there for much less, and that may be what the O's had in mind, however mistakenly, with the signing of Roberson.

Roch - Could it be possible the O's told Patterson they are going to bring him back if they cannot land someone like a Jones from Seattle in a trade and now MacPhail is so confident it is not going ot happen that Patterson is just waiting for the official offer (and, thus, not talking to other teams)?

Just a thought.

Sid Thrift siad he was going to bring a bunch of guys in to fight for roster spots and it would be winner take all. The problem, of course, was the guys brought in were already 1 foot into retirement.

Could Roberson be MacPhail's version of this idea? Get a few guys with some amount of talent and see what they can do. Plus, if he fails the O's can always trade him for something or get $50K back if he gets claimed on waivers.

I mean we can hope that is all it is....

Several people have commented both on Screech being only 24 while Roberson is 28 and Screech having 15 HR in AA while Roberson had only 4 in AAA.

I think this is where people get lost in the numbers. Fiorentino is not to be confused with a power prospect and being 24 does not equate to anything other than that he was born 24 years ago.

Did anyone really have him on their list of players to watch in 2008?

To say Fiorentino would be preferable to Roberson because of 15 HR at Bowie and 4 years less in age is the same as saying Cabreara is a sure Cy Young winner because he can throw 95 MPH. It just does not compute.

Roch,

Come on, you're the journalist. Don't you have access to Corey or information on Corey somehow?

Brian. Hilarious post re: Garvey!! I guess condoms weren't standard issue back then...
Didn't Wade Boggs get caught getting it on on a regular basis with some babe who later bared it all for Penthouse? Don't know if he ended up divorced but his much-publicized antics couldn't have made things too comfortable on the home front.
I also remember 2 Yankee pitchers(Fritz Petersen and Mike Kekich) actually swapping wives and families back in the 70's. That has to qualify for a high level of nastiness as well but maybe quite to the extent of pretty boy Steve.

Roberson or Swisher? Wow what a great pickup...

While I love the "Electric Boogaloo" reference, I'd slightly prefer:
"Juiced II - The Pajama Jammy Jam"?!?

Terry: You're thinking of Margo Adams, who provided details of her four-year affair with Boggs in a 1988 Penthouse tell-all interview. She also sued him for millions. And don't ask me why I remember this.

Tom D -

As for MacPhail and his plan, it's one thing to have one. It's another to execute it. I'm not saying I'm an expert, but I would guess that so far, Andy has not been satisfied with what potential trade partners are offering. Again, let's be realistic, he has 2 trading chips, and he needs to ensure he get's the most out of what he can offer. My take would be that Bedard & Roberts trade talks have not presented him with anything he felt comfortable going forward with.

I'm still willing to give Andy the benefit of the doubt. He comes from a classy baseball family, and has direct roots with the city. However, maybe you are right, maybe he made a deal with the devil (Angelos), and is just getting his rocks off lying to folks and hoodwinking all of us. I for one moment don't believe he's in the same class as Schuerholtz or Billy Bene, but I still think he wants to turn this team around. I'm just thinking he finding it harder to execute his plan then he originally imagined.

Lastly, I never indicated he was trying to throw off potential trade partners. Most VP/GM's know the predicament he is in, again my guess is that they may have made him an offers during the winter meetings, hoping he panicked. He may not have gotten what we hoped for in the Tejada deal, however it was obvious that both Miggy and the O's needed a change of scenery. Like you, I am also a Tejada fan and would have liked for them to work their differences out. However I also believe Miggy's disenchantment was not with MacPhail, but the Orioles organization, or more specifically Angelos.

Terry P

I believe the Fritz Petersen and Mike Kekich escapade was in spring training, 1972. I think Kekich was quickly traded to the Indians after the story broke.

If you read Jim Bouton’s Ball Four, his description of Peterson’s “out of the box” thinking explains why he would have considered such a move.