Luke Scott "dude."
Adam Jones "dude."
Luis Hernandez "DUDE!"

Too bad about Redman. I expect somebody will scoop him up and I wouldn't blame him for going if it means another Major League opportunity. I still believe there are a lot of Tike Redmans out there, though, and they can be signed at any time. Yes, he played well down the stretch last year, but he could also easily hit .250... or .220. He's got a .315 lifetime OBP and no power. And he's 31 years old... not exactly the type of player you try to rebuild around so if he moves on, I'm happy for him. He's a better fit on a different team. And if no one does grab him, he's a great insurance policy for later in the year, though I'd rather see a kid get a chance.

The vitriol directed at Jay Gibbons in this blog is ridiculous. Yes, he is overpaid, but that is not his fault. Was he supposed to tell the GM who overevaluated his talent that he really wasn't that good? Yes, he could very well be past his prime already, but he has always played hard. Let's not forget that some of his injuries have resulted from his hard-nosed play. Yes, he's admitted to using PEDs, but he's been very up front about that. Furthermore, let's face it: If he hit .300 last year with 30 homers, 95% of the people tearing him apart in this blog would be willing to excuse that behavior and say, "Well, but he's a stand-up guy." Yes, he should be released and if it weren't for his salary, he would have been. I hope for his sake, however, that he accepts a minor league assignment, finds his game, and makes it back to the big leagues. Critique his game, sure--call for his release--sure, but the man has done nothing to warrant the verbal tar and feathering he has taken from Oriole fans.

I love Burress as the number 5 starter. This is a great move and one I see providing dividends throughout the season if he is given a long enough leash.

Burress got a bit of a raw deal last year. Like Guthrie it seemed that whenever he had a good outing, the bullpen managed to blow it or the bats could not produce more than one or two runs. Had the pen been even slightly better I think Burress would have accumulated 4-5 more wins at least.

He pitched very well for the O's last year and alongside Guthrie gave us some hope in mid-season before the 30 run debacle and downward sprial that ensued. I like this rotation although maybe I am just drinking the orange kool aid.

Shame about Redman.

He'd contribute a lot more to this team than Gibbons. Wish you the best Tike. I'd much rather have you here than Payton or Gibbons, but bad contracts sdeem to rule here.

Maybe the Mets Pitcher, took it easy, to avoid the Extra innings

Maybe the Mets Pitcher took it easy to avoid the Extra innings.

DROP PAYTON OR GIBBIONS or both. Keep Redman and Moore. (yes I know Redman was already sent down)

Thanks Roch, for another great season of ST coverage from Florida! In the old days, we never got any information other than those ST box scores.

I'm still hopeful our lineup is solid enough against RHP (very few LHP in the AL East) that the 100 loss predictions are way off. I still expect 5th in the AL East, but 70 wins isn't out of the question.

Jeff Conine has signed with the Florida Marlins for one day before retiring. Wikipedia said he'd be in tonight's game against the Yankees, but so far he's not in the lineup. Now I find out that in January he suffered a broken collarbone and broken ribs while training for October's Ironman World Triathlon. Huh? I thought he might have flu-like symptoms if anything. Oh wait that's the Orioles roster. Marlins ahead 4-2 in the 4th inning against Mussina (O in 91-00).

Please tell me Adam Jones isn't Jeff Stone.

Roch - a couple thoughts on Redman:

1) They out righted him to give him a chance to find a deal to be on a MLB team this season. If he can't get the deal he can always go to Norfolk?

2) Jim Hunter was right - the O's have a deal or claim pending and needed the roster spot?

3) The Roberts deal is closer than we realize and the O's needed the extra spot on the 40 man?

4) The O's want the spot available in case they need/want to call up a player not on the 40 man?

5) Despite everything, they still handle moves in as clumsy a way as possible?

I would bet on #1. Your thoughts?

I am inclined to give Scott the benefit of the doubt.

The word from many scouts is that he is a weak LF but it is hard to match that with how well he did in RF in Houston. My felling right now is that he is still making the adjustment.

Never-the-less, I would not mind seeing him take some balls at 1st...

I guess "Niner" didn't play because of he's not healed yet. What a bummer. At least Mussina lost.

Tike Redman must be wondering what a decent guy needs to do to avoid getting screwed by a steriod using, good for nothing, light hitting, fielding abomination like Jay Gibbons. Scott Moore will be feeling the same way Sunday.

Bill in Elkton,

I have just one question. Have you heard anything about Jeff Conine playing for the Marlins in an exhibition game this year? Just wondering.

I think congratulations are in order for Randor Bierd on making it to the big leagues! Way to go Randor! Get those out pitches ready!

on the note of gibbons suspension...i think the only thing that sucks about the delay in his suspension is that the organization sees it as a problem for the orioles...it should be a problem for norfolk because gibbons shouldnt hold a roster spot on the ML roster

Chris(Baltimore). I'm with you on the makeup of the '08 O's-WAY too many 'veterans" but it all comes down to $$$$. I read somewhere that for the next 2 years, we are committed to the tune of 60 mill as follows:
Mora(16), Huff (17), Gibbons(12) and Ramon Hernandez (15)-dishonorable mention to Payton's 5 mill this year.
Of the names above, the only guy that should play everyday is Ramon because we don't have a decent option. Mora seems to have 'new; life but there's no reason not to throw Moore out there...
We could plug in much cheaper, just as effective options for Huff, Gibbons, Millar and Payton but the O's are showing that dollars are more important than being committed to the 'rebuild'. The sad thing is that we are likely going to see many of the same old faces in '09 because of their contract status. These guys aren't going to get any better and ironically, most of our regulars will be over 30.
The only 'young' regulars in the next 2 years will be Jones and LHernandez and while the pitching staff is younger, there needs to be some youth injected in our pathetic offense.

Glad to hear Huff is pitching in with his usual commitment to team! Cheering to go home. Way to go, Aubrey. Some good porn waiting for you there?

once annie oakley drops a few more balls in left, redman will be back.

HGH Gibbons is on work release for ten days , if they decide to keep him,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,actually if you read Jeff's article today words from Andy could indicate he has asked Peter the Great to let him go free and release him,,,,,,,,,,,,you have to read between the lines when he states 'Peter has been good about these things so far' , we will see real soon,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I can't believe they would keep him over Moore , what a terrible decision if this happens,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,They already are gambling on Redman becoming a free agent or not with him now clearing waivers , I just don't know if they know what they are doing , I don't see it anyMoore.........................

First-- great segment on A-list as usual. For those of you who have not caught Roch on HFS, it is a good listen and not really redundant with the blog.

With my complement out of the way, did you let your daughter help with the title to this entry?

So here we are. Let the joyride begin. Unlike some folks, I fully expect the sloppiness to continue throughout the season. If you have to teach a 29 year-old outfielder to run to a spot instead of gradually tracking a ball, what else do we need to go over before the season? I have compiled a few to get the coaching staff going:

Don't bunt with 2 outs and runners on base.

Don't make the 1st or last out at third.

If you are on second, don't take off for third on a ground ball to the left side of the infield in front of you.

If an outfielder is charging towards the infield and and picks up the ball before the runner has even reached third base, don't send him.

**special note to Jim Hunter and company-- do not praise the aggressiveness or "creativity" of the Orioles' players or coaches in these situations as it will teach the remaining viewers that this is intelligent baseball.

Almost Former, Wikipedia wrote the Conine would play in one exhibition game and then retire. I guess it was like the Billy Crystal signing and getting one at bat, but Jeff is the real deal. Anyway, the Marlins should be giving him a tribute tomorrow night for their home opener against the Mets.

Austin:
Right on! It's nice to see that we have some decent human beings blogging on this site who can put things in perspective. Gibbons was once a decent hitter and did get injured putting in extra effort going after some fly balls that resulted in some of his injuries. Hopefully, he will go to the minors and try to ressurect his career.

Hey TerryP---what about Markakis? He's young, isn't he?

Austin,

"Critique his game, sure--call for his release--sure, but the man has done nothing to warrant the verbal tar and feathering he has taken from Oriole fans."

Couldn't agree with you more...only one thing - they aren't Oriole fans just sorry individuals.

Austin , I hate to burst your bubble , but HGH Gibbons is a fraud................he entered into his contract under the influence of HGH and represented this as his actual level of play , this is fraudulent............he cheated and lied to get his contract , he is a failure in every sense of the word.................. but fear not , Peter the Great will keep him on the roster , just for you..............

Agreed Jim in D. Gibbons was also never open and honest about it until after he was busted. Prior to that he took a boldfaced lie of a stand against steroids and HGH while he was using or had recently used.

Jim from Dundalk -

I think you really missed Austin's point on Gibbons. He's not condoning what the guy did, just some of the out of line comments posted on this blog towards the Gibbons. There is no question that juicing today is cheating. But I hate to burst your bubble. Do you honestly think that if HGH had been around and available for the last 50-75 years, that some of the guys in the HOF wouldn't have usedf it? If you said no, you are either a liar or dellusional. The idea that the game's history is full of pure & wholesome individuals is nonsense. Just look at guys like Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle or Pete Rose.

Again I'm not conding the fact that Gibbons juiced. I look at the guy's performance and say to my self, he had a couple of decent seasons, and parlayed the power numbers into a big payday for him. You tell me that 5 years ago if the O's could have had Roger Clemens, you would not have approved of the O's going after him? As I previously stated, if your answer to that was a no, you are either a liar or dellusional.

I think we can both agree that Gibbons shouldn't be any part of a rebuilding team. And quite frankly, his career, pretty much is done. However as I posted in an earlier blog, MLB executvies typically don't eat 2 year contracts with nearly 12 mil. hanging in the balance. I understand the call for cutting Gibbons, but it's not likely gonna happen. Ultimately Gibbons may pay the price for juicing with possible health issues in the future. No way to tell, but I'm not going to lower myself to the standards of some who call for tossing the guy out of a plane over the Atlantic. Absurd!