Eldersburg Estate??? Do you mean the Piney Ridge townhomes?

Where's Millar's Porche?

I'm here in Eldersburg, of course. I'll "Run" by there today before we get deluged tomorrow. Key still under the mat?

Roch, I thought the same thing the first time I saw Adam Jones in an O's uniform, tracking a fly ball. He does look like Eric Davis. As far as BJ Surhoff....I love it when he's a guest on 98 Roc(h)k's morning show. He gives Mickey fits and busts his chops every chance he gets.
I'll be in Eldersburg on Saturday morning helping my father-in-law hang sheet rock. I could scrape the ice off your sidewalk.....for a price.....

About this Patton thing.... he was the key guy in the trade supposedly, so I say MacFail....failed here. You don't trade your all star SS for damaged goods & 4 other guys that probably won't make much impact or even the team. A torn labrum is serious, we are not talking tendonitis here or a sprained ankle. Like many others here, I say, what happened to the infamous potter physicals? Hell, the Asstros shut the guy down last Sept, didn't that raise any eyebrows here? More incompetence by the FO. The dance partners change here but the song remains the same.

SLAP repair:
A SLAP repair is an arthroscopic procedure that uses sutures with anchors attached to resecure the torn labrum down to the shoulder socket. A SLAP repair is best suited to patients with an otherwise healthy shoulder who want to remain athletically active.

What is the rehab after a SLAP repair?
Rehabilitation varies depending on factors such as the strength of the SLAP repair, and the preference of the surgeon. Most often, a period of time of restricted motion is maintained for about six weeks following a SLAP repair. During this first phase of rehabilitation, some passive motion is allowed to prevent shoulder stiffness. In the first phase, the torn labrum is healing into its proper position.

I had this done, the above info is quite accurate in the pain felt, the procedure, & down time. I also had a large bone spur on the AC joint & some fraying & atrophy of the rotator. Patton doesn't have this hopefully. I am obviously not a ML pitcher, but I do play ball & lift weights, so I wanted to be able to continue to do so. My surgeon knew this. I am glad I had the surgery too. The pain was bad before it & for the most part gone now. I may have lost a bit of strength & not throw quite as well as before, but I am not 22 either. I was 43 when I had the surgery. Patton should come back from this, but it won't be this year. I was not completely "back to normal" for almost a year. In any case, this probably won't go away without surgery, they should just do it now & be done with it. I tried various means to get this better for 3 or 4 years before I finally gave in & had the surgery.

Roch, show the guy the tag inside! :-) I have gotten that too sometimes, wise guys asking you if you have a medium size shirt on. Then when they persist, I show the jokster the XL tag in the collar, sometimes it's even XXL depending on the shirt's cut ,& then they shut up....

I hope Jones HITS like E Davis did, in his prime, not in his twilight years with the O's.

Roch, be glad you are there, we are not having good weather here & tomorrow may be a clusterfu..

This and that has to be the title you have used the most, right?

The Patton report has an omnious ring. Here is some information on Slap Tear injuries:
The area of the labrum where the SLAP tear occurs is susceptible to injury because it is an area of relatively poor vascularity. Other area of the labrum often heal more easily because the blood supply delivers a healing capacity to the area of the tear. In the area of SLAP tears this is not the case, and chronic shoulder pain can result. Typical symptoms of a SLAP tear include a catching sensation and pain with movement, most typically overhead activities such as throwing. Patients usually complain of pain deep within the shoulder or in the back of the shoulder joint. It is often hard to pinpoint symptoms, unless the biceps tendon is also involved. In cases of SLAP tears with associated biceps tendonitis, patients may complain of pain over the front of the shoulder. Most patients with SLAP tears will respond to conservative (meaning non-surgical) treatments. Any patient with a SLAP tear will be advised to rest after the injury to allow the injured tissue to cool down. A period of rest will allow inflammation to subside and may help to alleviate symptoms. SLAP tears often occur in conjunction with other shoulder problems such as rotator cuff tears, and even shoulder arthritis. In these cases, surgical treatment is needed. A SLAP repair is an arthroscopic procedure that uses sutures with anchors attached to resecure the torn labrum down to the shoulder socket. A SLAP repair is best suited to patients with an otherwise healthy shoulder who want to remain athletically active.
Let's hope rest and anti-inflammatory medication will work in his case or we might just have traded for another Kris Benson

It is great to have BJ Surhoff back in anyform. Few have ever loved the Oriole uniform as much as he does. As far as I'm concerned he and Cal were some of the last to really understand and practice The Oriole Way. Let's hope he can impart that on our new guys.

Get Well Soon Roberts! And PLEASE stay away from everyone else.

The last thing we need is some virus being passed around during spring training.

Someone get these players some Airborne! (it's gross but it works)

I'd like to see what Luke Scott can do when given a chance to play every day. He'd be my pick over the also-rans (Gibbons, Payton, et al).

Adam Jones can look like Eric Davis all he wants, as long as he can stay on the field more than ED did over his career.

Can I request the obligatory D-Cab update? Every day I hope that this is the year he pitches up to potential... He could still be a valuable spot on this roster some day.

Roch, I have to agree about Patton. I don’t think the Astros were trying to slip one past us since it seemed to be known there was a shoulder issue. Now, it’s fair to criticize the O’s for trading for a player who had a shoulder issue and just what their thought process was. In the end, though, I still think the Tejada trade overall is going to be beneficial long term more to the O’s than the Astros.

As for Jay Gibbons, I can see the desire by some to give him a chance to see if he plays well and be worth more in a trade by July 31. Personally, though, I think the O’s should be done with him. One way or another, the O’s are going to be stuck paying his contract because no matter how well he performs, no other team will want to get stuck paying a pricey contract for an oft-injured, often mediocre performing, mostly position-less player and give up any young players that are worth a dime. I think the O’s would be better served giving a roster spot to someone different and eating a contract they’re going to have to pay anyway for someone who’s been a continuous source of frustration.

Don’t be fooled by the big powerless, poor hitting catcher that is Ben Davis. I know, some of you are thinking, maybe with a little work, a little guidance, that big guy can find himself and at least be that big power-hitting backup catcher we’ve always been looking for ( I prefer solid defense in my backup and not so much on the hitting). It’s tempting but I say forget about it. That .672 career OPS speaks volumes. I guess we should all look at Matt Wieters and pray that he isn’t another Ben Davis (yeah, the thought of that hurts).

do labrums un-tear themselves? this is kind of dumb. somebody please make a decision on patton's shoulder before june.

we have like twelve left fielders.

Good blog today Roch. Keep us entertained with those little tidbits of info. Liked hearing about Roberson and Scott.

Guys, this Patton thing is getting ridiculous. I don't think when anyone looked at this trade the DAY AFTER THE MITCHELL REPORT you would have cared if it was for a bag of baseballs.

If Trembley really is a guy who is about respecting the game and getting guys to compete for spots, we did just that. Tejada (our All-Star Shortstop as some people refer to him) was not going to make this team better in the long run. We added 5 guys, and Patton was not the only guy that was important in this trade.

We are talking about starting Luke Scott potentially in left and we have several open spots in our bullpen. Also Sarfate is being talked about as having a "closer mentality" and great stuff.

Part of the negative mentality in the area starts with all these fans who are saying Patton is the first failure of the McPhail regime. That's what got us to where we were before, how about we assess the players that have a chance to play this year, let them compete for their jobs and then go out there and show us what they've got. For the first time in a long time the Orioles are acting like they've got something to prove. Everyone's job is on watch now, and I'm excited to see what guys can do, instead of complaining that one of 6 guys that could fill our number 5 spot in the rotation may or may not be injured.

I'd rather be worried about whether or not a guy who does not have a guaranteed roster spot is going to be healthy instead of having the Tejada circus in town for another year.

It's kind of ashame we haven't heard much about Scott to this point. I haven't even seen a picture of him in orange and black. Do we like his attitude? Is he gelling with management and the clubhouse? He's got a lot to shoulder this year and I'd be curious to see how he's handling himself. It probably helps that Pacman showed up to steal the lime light and Patton's arm is flying off on the side.

Good Post Roch! Thanks for the updates, funny u said Adam Jones looks like E.D. I was thinkin the same thing, not just looks though, but the potential- high average with power. Glad to hear Scott's tearing it up in the cages he seems like he might be ready to break out I guess Andy Mcphail figured this all along and viewed him as a stock that had potential to gain and could be sold at peak value.

Well said, Flash.

"we have like twelve left fielders"

Posted by: the Wayward O | February 21, 2008 10:50 AM

Wow, we really do. But where else are you going to stick these guys. Center and Right are permanently taken!

Markakis is God and doesn't need a back up! Hopefully Jones will be fine by himself in center!

And Roch..... any D-Cab updates? I hate him, but I would like to know how he's throwing this spring!!!!

Flash - You hit the nail on the head. Tejada is damaged, and possibly indicted, goods. I do agree that Patton should just have the surgery now so he will be completely ready next year. Pitching on a tear, partial or otherwise, always does more damage in the long run. There is a great deal of stress on the muscles, tendons and bones when pitching. That's why so many pitchers need surgeries. To hope it will go away on its own is risky and just plain dumb.

Amen to that, Flash. Patton is 22 years old and has already proven he can pitch in the majors. If we take care of him and he misses this year, oh well. He was one part of that trade, and one that still could pay off handsomely long after Tejada would have been gone anyway. The labrum issue would appear to be the reason Houston included him in the deal, but acquiring him is a fantastic low risk move for us. When you factor in Scott (compare to Jay Payton), Sarfate (pick your Victor or other bullpen garbage from last year), Constanzo and Albers, being critical of this trade is foolish - even if Tejada puts up solid numbers this year.

If you look on MLB.com they have a write up on the Patton situation. The O's knew exactly what the situation was and shared info with the Huston doctors, a third doctor has also looked at him.

"Their team physician and our team physician spoke, and they traded records," said MacPhail, explaining the process. "We were cognizant of the different issues, and it had an impact on how the deal was put together."

Flash, I think you make some excellent points. I try not to get down on the fans because in some ways, they have a tough job. Many of us live and die with the team... in a way we live vicariously through them... and there's not much more we can do. So anxiety is the norm, and its difficult not to have a reactionary approach. For the pros and the management, I think they have to take a methodical and patient approach to everything they do. It's like a game of poker. You can't tip your hand, even when you have thousands of people screaming over your shoulder. That can be tough to watch. In Patton's case, we have to remember we have a young man's livelihood and future on the line here. I'm hoping he is being honest and forthright with the team and any medical professionals he may be consulting. If I were in his shoes, I'd not only be anxious, but frightened by the prospect of surgery. I don't know of too many responsible health-care professionals who would advocate surgery before carefully exploring all the other options - including more rest if necessary.

Flash--Well said.

Presumably Brian and Deke stayed at the same Holiday Inn Express last night?

The Adam Jones looking like Eric Davis comment is the greatest thing I could possibly hear.

Eric "44 Magnum" Davis was always my favorite player through my pre-teen-teen years...I wanted nothing more than to have him in an O's uniform though I knew it'd never happen.

Or so I thought! Maybe not in his prime, but absolutely one of my all time fave signing's. And his comeback during the first season (and pre-cancer treatment season), wow did the ball jump off his bat.
Certainly can't forget being there opening day and watching him smoke a few RBI's missing a HR by a fluke to Right center and settling for a double. He saved his HR for the next game I believe.
Another time I was there when he hit a routing pop up towards the bleachers/Wall in Right, he totally caught it off the end of the bat, and it soared as High as the stadium seemingly, and somehow into the front row of the wall. #24.
The pinch hit HR against Cleveland in the playoff's after chemo... Btw ROCH, what number is Jones wearing in camp? Does he have a "rookie" number (as if he hasn't made the team), or being that he's not a rookie and out starting CF, has he settled in on a number?? Could you do some research on that. I'm PRETTY sure 24 was available...