Of course Randor Bierd is going to make the Orioles! This bullpen has room for Beird, Fernando Cabrera, Dennis Sarfate, Jim Hoey, and closer Greg Aquino, as well as Chad Bradford and Jamie Walker. Give us your tired, your poor, and we'll add 'em to our major league roster.

The Orioles think that people are going to pay money to see them play? That's crazy talk. I'm looking forward to going to Aberdeen or Frederick to watch Matt Weiters play, but that's about it for this season.

Is the FAA worried that the prop wash would knock Fahey down too much?

Should have spring training in Sarasota after Reds leave. Minor leaguers already here. Stadium is fine other than clubhouse which could be redone inexpensively. Sarasota is a city as opposed to Vero which is....Vero.

Roch,

The Athletics this offseason have dealt Haren and Swisher and have gotten back a KING'S RANSOM of prospects. Why can't we do the same?

I just don't understand how the Athletics can be so good at getting returns for their players this offseason, and the Orioles can't even make a move.

Having spent a weekend at Spring Training last year, I agree that Fort Lauderdale is a lovely place, but you're right. It's ridiculous that the Orioles are the ONLY team that doesn't have a minor league complex on-site. I was not aware of that until Sam Perlozzo mentioned it in the Q and A with fans.

looks like the A's got some good prospects for Swisher, maybe this will loosen up the market a bit and the O's can finish a deal for Bedard or Roberts. I don't know if Seatle would go for this, but Bedard for Morrow, Jones and Clement sounds like a pretty good deal for both teams. Maybe the O's could throw in a sweetener like Olson or Liz to make it happen.

Can't imagine that it will too difficult to snag Orioles tickets this year, except for the Red Sox & Yanks games. Their fans probably already have their phones on speed dial.
I've been to some parts of Florida but not Vero Beach-is it some sort of retirement/shuffleboard community?
Maybe the Fort Lauderdale leaders would rather have no team at all if the O's are the only option. I presume that most Florida cities would bend over backwards to have MLB teams because of the tourist bucks. Maybe Fort Lauderdale is so prosperous that it doesn't need the $$$ and the headaches and there are obviously better things to do there.

Sadly, you raise the point perfectly. Fort Lauderdale has left the O's with no choice. Vero Beach is a better option in terms of facility quality and proximity to its minor leaguers. The move would give us security in our spring facility, and allow us to focus more concretely on outreach elsewhere like the Dominican Republic, rather than fretting year after year expending energy and money over improvements the city of Ft. Lauderdale would not make.

Wow, what a hot stove winter this has been!!! I'm glad McPhail isn't cooking dinner we'd all starve to death.

Thanks for the info, Roch.

One day after hearing about the latest hot prospect just given away to Andy for nothing more than "cash considerations", I'm sure the front office expects us to just run right out and scoop up those tickets.

How about passing on a hearty NO THANK YOU from the rest of us, thanks.

"v" for these hot stoves are very cold.

Roch---what's your take on the recent revelation that the Orioles raised the ticket prices for some season-ticket holders, and didn't notify them of the increase?

Is this another instance of the complete lack of professionalism and class that the organization USED to have, or is this some kind of over-reported glitch by the ticket office?

Vero Beach..... Roch, that place as hot as Lauderdale? I don't mean the weather either! I say, not so much.....
You might as well learn the phrase...blue plate special! It will be the highlight of the day. Just icing on the cake huh? :-)

I go each Jan. , leaving in 12 days, 15 hours, 25 min, to a baseball tournament in Fla. It's been held in Sarasota the last 2 years at the Reds training complex. Last year , the tourney director mentioned in the locker room one day that he might move the site to Vero Beach for '08. There was a near riot. You couldn't get near the guy to voice an opinion, too many guys got there first. It's at the Reds complex once again this year. Rumor has it he is moving it, probably to Vero, next year. I am sure he will announce it this time via email.
The main complaint was the difficulty in reaching it from major airports plus the fact no team is there anymore, thus the fields would probably not be in ML shape like they are in Sarasota. The blue hair scene was an issue too. We do enjoy a beverage or two in the evenings at various watering holes plus some guys take in the infamous local entertainment facilities. It was doubtful to many that they had those in Vero as they do in Ft Myers, Tampa, Sarasota, etc.

Take awhile? The FAA is a gov't agency isn't it?

Why not move to Sarasota to link up with their minor league facility? It would be much closer to other teams & ST travel for games would be cut down alot? I heard last year the Reds were contemplating a move from there. It's not state of the art but it's not a dump either.

The Orioles should have looked into moving to Arizona for spring training. Newer facilities, no long bus rides, rarely any thunderstorms/rain issues, no humidity and most facilities within 1 hour or so of the airport.
No ocean but you can throw in a weekend to San Diego or stop at Vegas.

Maybe Jose could name it "Power Juicers" - but Jack LaLanne might sue him for copyright infringement.

Are you guys sure we didn't get Roberson so he could be our bat boy?

Long Time O's Fan: A well-put rebuttal a few posts back. You're correct that it is wrong to blanket the Warehouse in criticism. The organization has many conscientious, hard working people who do a great job day in and day out. "Warehouse" should only refer to Angelos and the Law Firm. MacPhail should not be included in that mess. He is not involved in dealing with the media and marketing on a daily basis. We're all for giving him a chance to be a success. It should only happen.
True, Rosenthal was a twerp who did hatchet jobs on the owners family and business interests and The Sun thought that was okay because it sold papers. So a pox on both Rosenthal and The Sun. My only point was that when a media outlet like WBAL Radio pays to carry the games and promotes the team, it would be nice if they got to "leak" major news. Then again, it's far from a perfect world. Go O's.

You want to talk about an absurd arrangement.... well, how about Oriole fans having to watch mediocrity year after year after year...... a decade of losing is just about as absurd as you can get.

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.

The fact that Angelos has let the split spring training locations go on as long as it has is testament to his abject incompetence.
Let's face it. He may be a good lawyer, but he is one lousy baseball owner. Is there one thing he has done right?

Wait! We should throw in a sweetner when we DEAL Bedard? That would imply that we are trying to get rid of him and no one wants him, which certainly is not the case. Besides, I'm not sure that would be enough of a return to entice MacPhail....

Let me know when we have hit "Roch"bottom. Looks like things continue to spiral downward for this team. Maybe by 2010, when we ditch these worthless contracts, that we can start to really rebuild. Until then it looks like AA baseball vs Major League=out of contention by Mother's Day, signing Zambrano for another year. I can't take this anymore....

So are you saying Vero Beach is a horsebleep town?

Do any of you really care about where we play in the Spring. I care about where we play in October. The O's need to focus on getting the team better, no getting the team spring training facility better. I live in Tampa during Spring Training and the Red Sox facility is a joke yet they seem to win the WS. Let's focus on important stuff, what do you say, Roch.

Roch,
Where can I order spring training tickets for individual games without buying a package deal?

Remember how Ted Williams opened a Hitter's Hall of Fame down in Florida? Well, maybe Canseco could follow suit with a Juicer's Hall of Fame!

Roch, you wrote, "...you can't blame the Orioles for losing patience and seeking a better deal. They weren't anticipating the FAA taking so long to render a decision."

Seems like the FAA has adopted the new "Oriole Way." Which is, no sense of urgency or direction, to drag your feet so long it forces the other side to either give up, or give it away.

I can't wait to hear about the Ice Box Show on MASN tomorrow night!!!!

NOT!!! What needle sticking, under-performing, has been player are we looking at now? Which we'll over pay?

Maybe Fahey can juice up to 225 lbs and hit his weight!

I want to submit my slogan early this year for the Orioles... "See tomorrows has beens today at tomorrows prices!"

See you at the Yawn!

I have been following the Orioles for the last 50 years. Thru thick and thin. It's pretty thin now. I live in Boca Raton, about 15 minutes from the antiquated Ft. Lauderdale Stadium. In the late 80's I would plan my days in February and March around the Oriole spring training games. Now I use any excuse not to go to the games. It's too hot, it's too humid, it looks like rain, maybe the beach or the pool would be better. I yearn for the days of Brooks, Cal or Johnny U. Maybe at 63 your values change. I do miss Chuck Thompson and those wonderful crabcakes.

Like John Angelos would move to Vero and be away from South Beach.

Considering that Jose Canseco took a lot of crap as the messenger but his message turned out to be full of truth and the impetus for the examination of MLB's steroid era, why not call his sequel "The Canseco Report."

LOL, EXCELLENT point Peter! I was thinking that too , but I assume they have martini service in Vero too.

I told the Sun that the FAA is screwing it up, but all my close friends know that I screwed up the Ft. Lauderdale negotiations, like I do everything (and everyone) else. Hello ladies!