gibbons is no-dimensional.

re McMuffin and Popeye: Which came first?

Who died first, the Chicken or the egg?

Anyway, read this..http://www.suntimes.com/sports/mariotti/863680,mariotti032708.article

I pray that Trembley means Gibbons has no place on this team.

The O's should bring in Alex Cintron to play SS - he was just released by the Cubbies. Let Luis Hernandez go back to AAA...where he belongs.

g is for "Gibbons No More, Please"

"Trembley also said he can't have guys on this team who are one-dimensional."

So does that mean Gibbons is gone?

Brian F - I'm with you. If the Orioles keep Gibbons, how could they honestly say that he has a dimension? He can't field and he can't hit. I would much rather see Scott Moore, Aubrey Huff, Melvin Mora or Brandon Fahey in LF in an emergency situation than Gibbons.

"I'd like to see him move some feet," Trembley said.

Sure he wasn't talking about Gibbons leaving town?!

One dimensional? Gibbons, Huff? (Iiability at almost any position), Payton? (outfield). I think this remark would make them ...

g for GONE!!

LOL. Did you mean zero-dimensional?

Roch,
You should ask Dave if hitting is considered a dimension. :)

Mariners are letting Arthur Rhodes go . It's either minors or nothing...can't be released for some reason.

He had two K one inning outing the other day.

gibby didn't make the trip...bummer

except for a ball rolling up his sleeve, he can do just about everything you'd want an outfielder to do

can't say i'm not disappointed that he's not getting a chance to show he can do that , or, to put a positive spin on that last sentence...I'm quite disappointed that JG is not getting a chance to show he can do that too...

g, it'll be a shame to flush that money

Will someone explain why JG should be given amnesty because of the Mitchell report, when he was suspended before the report came out? He accepted his punishment fairly contritely too.

Maybe they should rescind Raffy's suspension and give him his salary back. He was in the report as well.

Roch, can you ask Trembley what I consider a good question.... why isn't Gibbons on this trip & playing? If they have to decide on the guy & if he needs ABs, why isn't he playing? What an opportunity this game is for him. Payton too for that matter. I know the usual...vets don't make long bus rides mantra, but come on, does that apply here & with this overpaid guy (Gibbons)?

Roch, did Tremblay mean if Fahey has to play many positions, does that mean Gibbons is on the team and not Scott Moore? I hope they just flat out release him. There is no room on this team for Gibbons.

Gibbons should not be given the benefit of the doubt he can improve. He has a career that’s been marred by injury—in 3 of the last 4 seasons, he’s played in less than 100 games, and his numbers haven’t been good. Now, we have the added detriment of him having been busted on steroids and human growth hormone. So now we’re left to speculate that not only is he a cheat, but his best years, which weren’t that spectacular anyway, only existed because he used performance enhancers. Are we now seeing what you get when he’s got nothing to help him? I realize that it’s difficult to unload an established player with a huge contract—the players’ union is powerful and has made such a move difficult. But I think that giving him every courtesy because he’s owed a lot of money and/or that the club somehow thinks he’ll improve his trade value are flawed strategies, if that’s what the club is doing.

As for Payton, he should realize that at this point in his career, he’s only going to be a starter for a team that’s as bad as the O’s (Pittsburgh seems ideal for him), and on a decent team, he’s going to also be a fourth outfielder like he is here (and probably get fewer at bats). Take away his Colorado years, he’s got a full career of part-time worthy numbers. Perhaps he’s putting up a case this spring, but he sure didn’t put up a case last year in over 400 regular season at bats.

I think the club did a good job this offseason making rebuilding steps in the Tejada and Bedard deals. They failed, though, in purging the club of overpaid mediocre talents such as Payton and Gibbons; this should’ve been part of rebuilding, even if it meant eating substantial money and getting little if anything in return. I think they were wise to let Corey Patterson walk, but it looks silly to cling to players such as Payton and Gibbons while Patterson is somewhere else (I’m not a big Patterson fan, but I’d take him over these two). Perhaps it’ll all make sense in the end, but right now I just don’t see any benefit to going into the season with Payton and Gibbons on the club.

Gotta Love the O's.... a guy like Brandon Fahey plays awesome in the preseason, but still has to earn a bench spot.

While Luis Hernandez does jack, expect play SS during the mop up duties at the end of last season...

By the Way...Why rebuild if you're going to keep locker room plagues like--
Gibbons, Payton, and Huff around?

If Trembley wants to give the starting SS job to Luis Hernandez, that's his right. But if, by the end of April, Hernandez has either a) 5 errors or b) an average beneath .220, he needs to be benched faster than you can say "Deivi Cruz."

Moore should play 3rd everyday at Ottowa while Mora and Huff try to have a good enough first half to get traded. Hopefully we will get a major league ready shortstop and a minor league pitcher for those two. Moore comes up to play 3rd and won't have the rust on him he would have if he'd sat on the bench all season.
Next step would be to sign Texeria in the offseason. All 4 infield spots accounted for without losing anyone else we like a.k.a. - Roberts.
Gibbons should not make this team and keeping him sends a terrible message.

CRB--very well said! it would be really nice if the Orioles could produce some sort of coherent response to that if in fact they end up keeping a Gibbons or Payton on the roster. This sort of non-move really undermines the message they are attempting to send. Again, it won't really change this season's bottom line but it suggests to me they are still operating under certain financial principles that are not conducive to championship-caliber baseball.

Who went first, the chicken . . . (wait, I think I've read that somewhere before).

The guy we should have playing shortstop this year homered off of Trax to lead off for the Nationals today--Felipe Lopez. He's expendable and dependable. We could get him for a low level prospect. Oh, btw, Fahey doubled and Hernandez struck out in their respective first at bats. At least Hernandez hasn't thrown one in the stands . . . yet. Hard to understand why he would be handed the starting job.

Check that, our version of Chuck Knobloch did make another error. That's our opening day shortstop. Glad my seats are behind the O's dugout, good souvenier territory with him out there.

One hit through the first four innings today. This is turning into a disturbing pattern. I wonder how many hits the Orioles have had during the first four innings of the past 15 games. I realize we have the B-squad out there today, but sheesh! On the other hand, Trachsel's done well through the first three innings.

Ahhhhh. Luis Hernandez committed his 6th error of the spring. Can we just go with Fahey at SS for now?

So Jay Gibbons is fighting for his baseball career and he doesn't make the trip? Huh? Wha??? My only hope is that the clown has finally been cut. Well actually, I have one other hope... and that would be for Gibbons to be chained to a chair (like Sloth from Goonies) in the flag court on Monday so fans could walk by and throw tomatoes at him.

Is Gibbons the most delusional person EVER? He can't possibly still think that everything should be handed to him on a silver platter after what he's done and after the way he's played since he cheated his way to millions, right? RIGHT?? I mean, if my career was on the line, you'd have to pull me off that bus kicking and screaming in order for me not to go.

Anyway, reading between the lines at Trembley's comment about 2-dimensional players... my guess is that it was, in fact, a direct shot at Gibbons, which was then indirectly intended for McPhail, but moreso, Peter G. Angelos. Well played by Trembley if that is what he's actually doing.

If Trembley could actually pick the team himself, I have a feeling that he wouldn't just cut Gibbons, he'd beat him sensless with an uglier stick (if it is even possible for Rocky Dennis Gibbons to get uglier) before shipping him back to Cher and the motorcycle gang.

I just finished reading Schmuck's article on Gibbons.

I guess my mentality is this: I realize that Gibbons will probably hurt this team's performance and everyone wants to see him go. I also realize that it would place Angelos in a more favorable light with the fans if he swallowed the contract and appeared to be on board with the rebuilding process.

However - what's the point? I realize that he's taking a roster spot away from Moore or Redman, but who cares? Why not let Moore and Redman get regular work in at AAA? Why the urgency to put one of them on the major league roster? We're gonna lose anyway. Why not just send them to AAA and let Gibbons play?

Worst case - he continues to play badly and the O's lose. Best case - he plays well and gets trade value, a younger player is promoted and the O's still lose.

It seems to me - in order to rebuild, the younger players need to play everyday at some level. Not sparatically at the major league level.

CRB,

You've put together an excellent summary of the current O's situation.

I just don't see the point of keeping either Gibbons or Payton. Neither offer anything that Redmon or Moore can't provide (okay, with the exception of MLB experience). I'd rather see the Orioles stick with hungry players anxious to prove something rather than two veterans sitting on guaranteed contracts.

I realize that the 2008 Orioles do need some veterans to fill roles, both leadership-wise and ability-wise (Millar, Mora, Trax should be able to amply fill these roles), but why do they insist on keeping a couple of guys that don't actually strengthen the team? I believe that the Orioles take a weaker team into the dugout with Payton and Gibbons on the bench than with Redmon and Moore. That just doesn't make much sense.

What's the deal with this guy Salazar. I know he's almost 30, but all he does is get hits. His last stats are from the Tigers in 2002.

i think it might be a stretch to say Fahey has played awesome
He's played better than his competition perhaps, but let's hold the praise.

L. Hernandez is a lifetime minor leaguer............I guess that means he makes the club........they really do look like a triple A ball club............. Peter the Great must be proud............

Did we all just assume Luis was a defensive wizard because he is small and can't hit or does he have an amazing fielding track record? He was solid last year but has anyone followed hime for the past 4-5 years?