this is going to be a long year

How can the Orioles justify having Gibbons on the roster? He has no position, and can't hit. Other than those 2 minor things he's a great asset to the team.

His contract is dead money. Why keep someone just because of there contract if they can't produce. They might as well just release him and have someone on the roster that at least has the potential to produce.

I'm glad to see Scott Moore is going to get some time at second base. I was hoping that we would get to see how he does there should we trade Roberts some time before his 50th birthday. If he was drafted as a SS why is he not even an option there? Is he that terrible at SS? Why play him at second if he is a defensive liability?

Roch,

While you were reading lips, could you tell if it was "Sean Gallagher" or "Comedy Central showin' Gallagher reruns" or it was "Ronny Cedeno" rather than "the coffee ruined the danish."

But was it "Felix Pie" or "I feel like Pie." OK, I know the pronouncation is Pie-A, but an O's fan can hope.

Very entertaining post. Very speculative, but fun to read.

Baron-- on a previous thread you said that you are one of the few people who wants to give Gibbons a chance at "redemption". Who are you going to send back to the minors? Whose developmental progression will you cut short on your gamble that Gibbons will suddenly become a dynamic power hitter who can field his position. Even if we got a nice comeback year from him, what then?

I guess it seems noble to root for a guy being picked on by fans, but you have to crush a young guy's dreams to do that. How noble is that? And like others have said the money should be a non-factor. It's lost.

I like the possibilty of collecting insurance through HGH withdrawal syndrome though-- thanks Jim!

So Roch, as reported in BSun web space today, the Cubs have named Kerry Wood their... closer.... and announced that Jason Marquis will be their fifth starter. I've also heard that the Cubbies could be turning their attention to the Nats for 2B needs with Felipe Lopez needing a better home.

You still hearing that B-Rob (& Co.?) to the Cubs is destined to happen? Is this press exactly what they want MacPhail to see in order to light a fire under him? I don't see the Cubs sweetening their current offer to the O's for B-Rob and Payton alone.

Gibbons will need at LEAST 30 days of rehab at Bowie AFTER his suspension.... that is my comment to him if I am MacFail. Take that or be cut.

Leicester has to think this over? Where else is he going to be where he has a better shot at a starting job in the majors this year than with the O's? AAA is where he will be no matter what team so....

Giles has drank himself right out of the majors. He couldn't win thr 2B starting job in Colo. & is about to be cut or sent to AAA. It's pathetic, a waste of God given ability & I have no respect for it. Sign him here???? Why, so he can hang out in Canton partying?

I like the idea of Salazar on the team vs Gibbons...or Payton. The guy can hit, that's good enough for me. He's a righty too, they need one off the bench. As for his defense.... he is probably a huge upgrade over Gibbons. Bench players are needed more for hitting than D, especially on this team, this year.

Think they don't need a Salazar? Look at those stats Roch posted on our phenom Jones & Scott. Where did those 2 come from again? How did we get them? Just brilliant...

BTW... Gallagher got cut & couldn't even make the Cubs staff..... but we almost dealt an all star 2B for him & some more relievers.

was that injection Lidocaine or Nandrolene ?

"And I haven't written a decent story in days."

Roch, let me help you out of your slump by referring you to some of the following tried-and-true quotes...

"Im just going to work hard and take it a day at a time."

"I don't pay attention to what others are saying. I just want to give it a 110 percent and let the chips fall where they may"

"Last time I checked, there is no i in team, We're all in this together and we can't afford someone not pulling their weight."

Use any of these in a future piece and you'll be out of your slump in no time.

If Roberts is still here on Opening Day, I'll eat my tickets . . . on top of my hot dog after I get in.

Yesterday in the season opener for both teams Boston beat Oakland 5-6 in 10 innings. The game was played in Tokyo, Japan... Tokyo?!

There is something inherently wrong with having a regular season game played not only on a neutral field, but in a country that doesn't even have a major league team. For me that gives the game more of an exhibition flavor and isn't good for the sport.

Of course, MLB is more interested in baseball as a business than anything else, which is what's behind a travesty. Even for Bill Veeck's sideshow moments, he never took advantage of the game that way.

Roch, you get me McPhail's cell number and I'll have the tap up by mid day.
- Lester Freeman

JPA - A lot can change between now and the time Gibbons is ready to rejoin the club. Roberts could be dealt. An injury could happen, so you may not have to "crush anybody's dreams." If that isn't the case, then maybe Scott Moore - who has been fabulous in spring traing - is hitting .050. Or perhaps Fahey or Hernandez are struggling. There are a lot of different scenarios that can play out before making a $12 million dollar decision.

If a guy is clumsy on defense, that can be impossible to change so I'm not looking at any contributions from Gibbons with the glove. And I do maintain he needs to move on, but rather than jump the gun, I think it's prudent to try and salvage something from the situation. It's not a matter of rooting for the underdog.

If no one gets hurt and all the bench players are contributing to the max, then the decision gets tougher. I don't see that happening though.

Part of being a professional is being patient and waiting for your chance. All these guys know it often comes down to a numbers game. That means not being crushed when you know you have options left and it's simply a matter of waiting your turn. If I am Andy MacPhail, I make darn sure all the fringe players know this.

Say the club sticks with Gibbons and he's released June 1 after hitting .188. I don't think anything has been lost. There's too much money at stake. That's my humble opinion, and I realize I may have severely damaged any chances I have of becoming a Major League GM.

BTW... Gallagher got cut & couldn't even make the Cubs staff..... but we almost dealt an all star 2B for him & some more relievers.

Posted by: Brian | March 25, 2008 10:35 AM

Perhaps McPhail knows what he's doing after all!! Let's not crap all over the guy just yet!

interesting point!!!!

Gallagher getting optioned out is not really that telling. It just shows how many arms the Cubs have. That the Cubs would want Gallagher to get innings in Iowa rather than languishing near the bottom of a 12-man staff is not surprising. We did the same thing with Penn and others and our staff isn't nearly as good as the Cubs.

Oh, and while I'm on my rant about the A's-Bosox Tokyo game, there's the scheduling of it. Why have a regular season game--ANY regular season game--being played when all the other teams are still in Cactus and Grapefruit League play?

Not only is it bizarre to have one season opener being nearly a week before most of the others, but what about roster moves? Oakland and Boston are given less time to finalize what 25 players are going to make the last cut. Leave it to Bud Selig.

terpfan -- I don't know why you're defensive about the Brian Roberts situation, but it seems you really want to see the O's get rid of him. That's your prerogative, of course, and many fans agree with you on it, but whatever side of the question one takes, time is ticking on this deal.

You scoff that I'm assuming that Ken Rosenthal knows all, which isn't true. What is true is that as a nationally-recognized baseball writer, he is privy to information that most of us aren't. That said, a week-and-a-half ago or more, he was writing that the deal was close to complete. So he only knows so much.

Someone else I cited, however, DOES know quite a bit about the situation, and that's Lou Piniella. If he's preparing like it isn't going to happen, it probably isn't.

So, it looks unlikely, perhaps even more so since Sean Gallagher didn't even make the club. One glimmer of hope for those who want the deal to happen is that on Sunday Robert's agent talked to Andy MacPhail and wasn't told anything definitive one way or another.

By the way, Rosenthal also reported that contrary to reports the Cubs aren't interested in acquiring Felipe Lopez. Even if the O's don't trade B-Rob, Lopez might be worth getting because he'd be a huge offensive upgrade over either of the current alternatives at short. The trouble is that he's a poor fielder.

One last thing, terpfan. I'm also a Maryland fan and have a question for you: After that stunning win at Chapel Hill this season, what in the world caused Gary's boys to go back into their shell? It looked like a different, poorer team was wearing their uniforms.

Back spasms for Roberts?

Please get that man a lighter bowl for his oatmeal.

Jennifer...the crap seems to be in the guys he dealt for this winter. Not one of them has been overly impressive & one of the most sought after may never be the P he might have become due to an injury at the time of the deal.

Anybody know where B-rob came from in the first place? Did the Os draft him? Did they trade for him? Just curious.

Perhaps the Cubbies sent down Gallagher to get more innings like Penn... HAHAHA RIGHT! Mr McPhail I think you did your homework on this one. Trade an allstar 2B, one of the best leadoff and base snatchers in the league- not to mention a great guy who everyone likes for.... AAA players.... Wait for a better deal!

Roch: you're OK on segues, it's just the transitions, methinks :)

P.S. Where has Tom D gone?

Maybe the O's and MacPhail be wise to wait till , say 2nd week of July , evaluate all the vets , including Roberts , put out notices to other 29 clubs , then start wheel and dealing them for future prospects . I believe its hard to bargain when the Cubs are your only partner .

Baltimore Fan - to answer your question. . .Brian Roberts (I do like B-Rob. . .lol) was drafted by the Orioles when he was a senior at the University of South Carolina. That was back in 1999.

His first appearance in the Major Leagues came in June 2001 when he replaced Mike Bordek (due to an injury) at shortstop. Yes, Boo was originally a shortstop!

Funny, I do not remember or even knew Brian was on the team until 2004 when he became a permanent everyday player at 2B in the majors.

Yeah, I'm a Cub fan, and probably one of the few that Doesn't wanna see Brian Roberts traded over here. Yeah he is all those nice wonderful things people say, and I don't care about the whole roid issue. My problem is the guy has had a very roller-coaster career, one year great the next, not so much. Also, he seems to be a little injury prone.
Sean Gallagher, seen him pitch with my own two eyes. He definitely has the right tools to develope into a Major League pitcher, like a Maddux, he's a smart pitcher who doesn't blow guys away but gets his outs with little damage. Ronnie Cedeno, I guarantee this kid is gonna be a star sometime very soon. He's been just killing the ball and stealing bases like a madman after healing. Donnie Veal, well I don't know too much about him. But Jose Ceda, this guy is a monster. He's extremely young and huge. He's built like Lee Smith. In his first year of A ball, he ended the season with 23 and two thirds of HITLESS innings, not just scoreless but HITLESS. That's what makes him a prospect, not just a prospect but thee prospect.
Anyway, these are the types of things you trade a guy like Roberts for. Especially now, while your rebuilding. You trade someone who is gonna leave for free agency anyway to try and get at least 1 or 2 guys out of 4 or 5 to replace him(value-wise).
I'm very thankful MacFail moves at a snail's pace although I don't like the trade talk effect on our players.
P.S. Gallagher is a starter(with options left mind you) which is why he was optioned to AAA. Who did you expect him to replace, Zambrano? It's called development. Maybe the O's should try it sometime instead of going and trading away anything of value like a junkie at the pawn shop.
Again, thank you Mr. MacFAIL that back injury to Roberts makes me feel all the better this didn't happen. And if it does, you'll be one lucky team