We lost on opening day. No big deal. The Orioles will play much better than most observers expect them to this season.

Look for 73-89 though 75-87 is my optimism ringing true.

2010 will be the year it all comes together. And then Baltimore will be back and respected once again as it regains its winning ways.

Sorry Roch, Huff earned it. It's the opening day of the season, don't tell me it's already tired. It'll be tired if it's still going on in May. Huff made his bed, now he's got to sleep in it.

Here's another Lady Terps angle now that they have been bounced from the tourny (which is sad for me because I enjoyed following a winning team in this area)-- they should have tried the hidden ball trick on Stanford's Candace Wiggins who dropped 41 points on them! Yes-- she is the late Alan Wiggins' daughter.

Speaking of embarassing moments, were Mora's plays as bad as they sounded? That guy is talented but has made some horrendous decisions over the years.

Totally agree about the Huff comments. The guy is immature. Who cares if he hates Baltimore with every fiber in his body? I don't hate this city. You probably don't. He's not our mayor. He just got hired by the team that plays its home games here. He spoke his mind as did Bedard. I find it oddly refreshing though his comments are not inspirational to children--keep in mind that no children (and few adults) would have heard about without rampant internet coverage and local talk radio. Let it go. I had forgotten it was still an issue before today.

I agree with you Roch. We need to find something better to do than boo our own players. The guy who stood up in the first base side lower box seats and tried to start a big "Huff Sucks" cheer (that never caught on much thankfully), in front of a bunch of children, looked like the real horse's a**. The game wasn't much after the first inning, but I took solace in some bright spots--Albers did look great and along with the hit from Scott it was nice to see some return on the Tejada trade from day one; Jones at least looks like a star in making--rocket arm and he crushed the ball in this last at bat, albeit at the right fielder; Hernandez flashed some leather with a nice diving catch and stopping a sure hit up the middle that Tejada would never have touched. I am not sure he's the answer, but he does have more defensive skill than we have had at the position since Cal left it. And of course B-Rob was superb--what a class act. Although I think the right move is to trade him when all is said and done, he's certainly a guy you love having on your team. Finally I loved the Killers song "When You Were Young" as the intro yesterday. Calling up the memories of the past amidst the emphasis on the youth movement was a nice touch. Could it be the O's have finally hired someone with marketing acumen? No more "Baby Birds" crap!

I don't know that I'd worry too much about Huff getting booed. There probably won't be enough fans in the stands to make much noise.

I have to disagree with you, Roch, on the fans voicing their displeasure with Aubrey Huff. He may have made those comments a long time ago in the memory of those in the press box, but I think as a normal fan, booing him at the ballpark is the perfect way to make your displeasure known. While we are in the age of blogs and instant media gratification, most fans still enjoy the outlet that is the ballpark for the feelings about their home team and its players. It will probably be like this for the first week or so of the season before it dies down, and I, for one, think he does deserve it. I really don't think Huff was contrite enough following that controversy, and I would love to see him join Jay Gibbons on the waiver wire.

Now, as for the "action" of Opening Day, this season is going to be a long one offensively. If your 3-4-5 hitters produce the way they did yesterday, the Orioles will be well on their way to 100 losses. Also, Albers was pretty good. Guthrie, on the other hand, left everything up in the zone after one time through the lineup.

For what it's worth I completely agree with not making this booing a continual thing. I understand where it's coming from and I do believe that it's only natural to expect it for a little bit, however, yesterday I got quite uncomfortable listening to it every time Aubrey came up. It felt less like Camden Yards and more like I was watching a game in Yankee stadium. Aubrey goofed big time and deserves to have to win the fans back...but after seeing the way he was making an attempt to interact with people at Fanfest and his acknowledging that he right royally screwed up, I'll give the guy credit for TRYING to get back into Baltimore's good graces.

I'm actually more interested in hearing how Adam Jones (as well as the other new kids) liked his reception at Opening Day. It was kind of cute watching him as he ran down the red carpet, he looked like he was about to blow chunks.

It must have been bittersweet for Brian to get the ovation he did considering all that's gone down this offseason.

I am usually an optimist as far as the O's go, but I give the O's a 65% chance of losing 100 games or more this season.

Roch , your right , I think the 'Huff Thing' should be over now,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,lets go on from here,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,can someone please calm Jennifer down..................
it's only baseball Jennnifer........................

Was Huff your drinking buddy in Miami or something Roch? Don't tell us who we can and can't boo. The Orioles should just be happy we showed up to see that sorry effort. I guess they didn't learn how to move runners over in spring training. Someone needs to tell Mora that he is batting second and not fourth or fifth. His job is to get Roberts over, which he failed to do four separate times.

I really get tired of all of the negative “stuff” that some of you folks in Baltimore (especially the media) put out about the Birds. I am originally from Maryland, now living in North Carolina, and have pulled for the Birds since they move to Baltimore. I have been with them through thick and thin. We have to remember that “Rome was not built in a day.” Lets give the new president of baseball a chance to put the pieces together—rebuild the farm system and secure a few key free agents—Teixeria, for example. Then, we will be legitimate contenders. Yes, we are going to continue to take out lumps, just as Atlanta, Detroit, and Cleveland did—does anyone remember? Let’s be patient and not pile on. Trembley has the right idea. It takes time to create a new attitude with a team and as well with the fans. Not being on the winning side of the ledger is no fun and being there for ten years exacerbates the problem. We are on the right track, let’s be patient (media included) and support these kids so that they can continue to gain the confidence that they need to be successful.

Let me say...

IT FELT AMAZING BOOING HUFF...He deserved EVERY second of it....What he said hurt and that was MY own opportunity to voice my displeasure. If he were to say that while a member of the sux or spankees they would have had to remove him from the team asap.

I will stop booing him after his post game discussion over the fact he made a big mistake...I needed to hear it again. But, I also needed the opportunity to tell him in person. I got to do that, so I'm done now.

On to baseball, I agree with a lot of other people:

Where was the pitchers name?
Where was the pitch speed?
Good to finally see a continuous pitch count, but they have a ton of screen now, so where are the pitches?

We are going to lose a ton of games, but a lot of the young guys RAN to first...good to see.

Does anyone now wonder why Bedard wanted out ? Some players just want to be competitive , and play major league ball,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Huff should be booed at every home game until he's traded in July.

aubrey is alright in my book.

The Huff booing stuff will fade away into a few scattered boos here and there, provided he does nothing else. What he said was outrageous but it only has so much fuel. People needed to get it out and might do so the next few weeks, and beyond the Bedard and Tejada trades this offseason, his comments were among the offseason’s top stories. Of course, the booing will fade, but poor performance might elicit a different set of boos from the faithful.

Here’s a hint to Huff and other players: don’t go on radio shows called “Bubba the Love Sponge” and make off-color remarks and say anything that might be construed as detrimental to the city you play for and you won’t get booed as much. No one’s expecting you to be boy scouts, but exercise a little judgment, for crying out loud.

Albers and Burres both pitched well yesterday. A good bullpen showing this season will make it all more palatable, and they might be able to win a few more games than most expect. If they could get that bullpen ERA down to about 5.00 this year—a modest improvement over last year—I’d be ecstatic. No more 30-3 games or Mother’s Day Massacres, please.

ROCK THANK YOU FOR YOUR BLOGS. I ENJOY READING THEM. I ESPECIALLY ENJOY YOUR OPTIMISM. I AM REALLY TIRED OF READING NEGATIVE COLUMNS IN THE PAPERS NOWADAYS. YOU MAKE YOUR POINTS AND GIVE OPINIONS IN SOMEWHAT OF AN OPTIMISTIC TONE. I WISH THE OTHER SPORTSWRITERS IN TOWN WOULD FOLLOW YOUR LEAD. I WILL CONTINUE TO READ YOUR COLUMNS. THANKS

Roch and others...I agree that we shouldn't be booing Huff or any Orioles this early in the season.
It's a lot better to try and be positive, especially for the few rookies/young guys we have. It's probably hard enough for them to get over nervousness without hearing boos in the stands.
Most of you seem to be from Baltimore and should consider yourselves lucky to be able to attend MLB in a great park. Up here in snowy Ontario, we still have tons of snow on the ground, with no end in sight.
My nearest live baseball fix is 5 hours away in Detroit(or slightly farther to see the hated Blue Jays) but I fully intend to return to OPCY someday soon.

I can only hope that Terry Crowley will teach the hitters to have a little more patience at the plate than some posters have with the team on this blog.

How many of us are tired of hearing athletes' cliches when they are interviewed? We bemoan the fact players can't put a little more thought into their answers.

Then we boo the team on opening day, wear brown paper bags over our heads, and predict the team will surpass the 62 Mets in terms of futility.

Hello kettle... let me introduce you to pot.

Just keeping my fingers crossed for Jones. I think he's the key to everything right now. No pressure though...

Ramon got doubled up swinging at a bad first pitch. I did not like that. Cmon dude, wait for something to hit.

Markakis green light 3-0 was ok, I guess...the result - not ok. But you have to like the attitude.

Let's see how the Pen does in a close game.

We're only 1 game below .500.

Matt Albers and Brian Roberts were the positives of the opening game. Albers pitched impeccably and Roberts was his usual masterful all-star self. Long may Brian remain an Oriole, we should be building around Roberts rather than trading him away! What an example Brian is to the younger players on the team?

Have a hangover when you wrote this? Sound a bit angry. What are you Huff's drinking budddy now?

In regards to Aubrey Huff I think the fans made their point. Now I think it is time to move on. In a year that may once again test Oriole fans, lets start by showing a little forgiveness to a player that I am sure has seen the error of his ways.

Stay classy Baltimore..

I would expect Huff to have interviews like this from here on

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/jerrybrewer/2004318942_brewer01.html

If you want people to be candid with the press , you have to accept their idiosyncracies and opinions.
Remember the Chi Chi Rodriguez quote " Why do they make wallpaper?...because people are different"

The booing will be a distraction. The team has enough adversity as it is .

Move on.

Actually, Huff has never taken back what he said. He's just said it was a mistake to SAY it. NOT the same thing.

I agree with you Roch. We need to find something better to do than boo our own players.

^Agreed.

Considering these are the same fans that still continue to disrespect our National Anthem, what do you expect.

Roch- have to say i also agree with your Huff commentary. Huff apologizied , O's management gave him a good lecture , and this spring , Huff seems playing and hitting better . Of course , i didnt like Huff's dissing our fine town either, but it is time MOVE ON . If anything , we should be rooting for Huff to hit like Babe Ruth , so MacPhail get some decent trade for him come july deadline . Then we can contiune rebuilding the O's .

Matt Albers - you done outstanding job yesterday , thank you

I was at Opening Day, and yes, the booing got tired. Heck, it got tired by Huff's first at-bat. Never mind when Huff got booed when he got on base (wha?).

We lose one game, the first one of the season, and already people are ready to crap all over the O's. ONE GAME PEOPLE! All of the articles in the Sun this morning were negative. I mean come on..... it's one game! It's not like it was a huge embarassing loss. There were good plays and bone-head plays but that happens with every team. We got to see Albers and Burres throw brilliant innings! That double steal with Markakis and Roberts was SUPERB! Millar gave us a great double! It's only one game! Give it a rest!

By the way, does anyone else think Tampa Bay let Aubrey Huff get a single? He should have been out, but they fumbled the ball. I think they felt sorry for him because of all the booing.

Thank you, Roch.

I couldn't agree any more about Huff.

Huff was booed yesterday because that was the first time fans have seen him since the incident. Not only did he deserve the reminder that we are paying attention, but it was also a reminder to the front office that Huff represents what is bad with this team. Overpriced under producing veterans that are keeping jobs away from young talented guys who want to be here and play. Gibbons was a great start and Huff should be next.

Jennifer , you are a true fan... good for you. What section does this Clancy guy work anyway?
I am with you on the Huff booing....enough already. Support the guy, this team needs him hitting & happy more than he needs friends in the stands. Think about that....
If he can be booed why not Mora for botching a key SLOW roller & being stupid enough to walk in front of the catcher on a SB attempt. He had to have seen the sign or at least the runner going... or why not boo Roberts too? He lied & used steriods too. If you believe it was just one needle, one time, you are quite naive.

Roch, I think poor Mr Huff, who I joke about here too, is the lightning rod for a fan base that is fed up, knows the team will s#ck this year, & needs an outlet to express their frustration. It isn't fair & I would not take part, but that is part of it no matter what people say. I am with you & hope it ends, it makes this area look much worse, to visiting fans & visiting teams, than anything Huff said about the cutting edge nightlife of good ole Bal'mer.
I'd be willing to bet more than a few of the O's are less than thrilled with the Bal'mer lifestyle options, they just haven't said it on satellite radio.....
Bal'merians are just too sensitive if you ask me. If everyone is so p!ssed at Huff, then ignore him, don't look like HS kids who can't get over one comment.

terpfan, that stir was sort of noticeable on TV. Lots of people were looking that way in the stands. I figured it was just some idiot that had been in Sliders all day & was at his first game. Now we know it was some dolt messing things up for everyone.

Huff is the face of the last decade of this franchise: untalented, stupid and boorish...and a lifelong loser. He is the perfect whipping boy, the wrong guy to blame for all these years of frustration, but a convenient one.
Even though I've been out of Baltimore since 1997, I understand the psychology. It never changes. We may not be the best city in the country, and we may nearly lead the league in murders but, damn it, if somebody's going to slam us, it'll be one of us...not some dumb jock.
Boo him. I would.
Until Angelos suits up, or does laps around the warning track before each game as penance and we can boo HIM, Huff will have to do.
Poor little millionaire.

Hi Roch,

If the fans pay real money to watch the 2008 Borioles, they can boo who they want when they want. Aubrey needs to lay off the porn movies and booze on the road, get a good nights sleep and hit the ball. Until then, I will be leading the boos, as I did yesterday. Don't be an apologist for that over rated out of shape jerk.

I'll tell you one thing after reading some of the bellyaching comments posted on here after only one game of the season... I'm less likely to be embarrassed by the way the O's play this year than by the way the "fans" react.

Dude, you are from Severn so no wonder you want the Huff thing to die. It's hard to have pride when you really not from here. When I was a kid Elway did that too, called Baltimore a Sh$% town. We threw eggs at him. Huff showed no respect, so he gets none. I don't care that he missed a homerun by a few feet. He is a bum.

Roch,

Maybe they were saying, "Booo-urns."

Just a few comments / questions on booing your hometown team or players:

1. I know every fan has a right to boo, but if you are a fan of the team and want them to win, how does booing your own team help? What purpose does it serve?

2. Do you honestly think that Huff cares about what Baltimore fans think? Seriously. My guess is that he goes home, laughs about it and lights a cigar with a thousand dollar bill. (Of course, I'd hate to think about what he really does when he goes home.)

I was born in Annapolis, grew up in Severn, attended the Univ. of MD., attended my first baseball game in the '71 World Series, booed Elway at his first game in Baltimore, cried from my seat at Memorial Stadium during the Field of Dreams ceremony after the final game, have worked at The Sun - located in downtown Baltimore - for almost 21 years and have spent so many nights in the city, I should run for mayor. I'll need a ruling from the judges on this one, but I think I qualify as being from "around here." It's not like I just flew in from Chicago. Believe me, I understand the reaction from fans here. I'm just saying it happened in November, he keeps saying he made a mistake and regrets it and wants to move on. He took the booing like a man. Now it's time to find another cause. IMO

Charlie R, I suppose he can light a cigar one handed.....

Roch, you qualify.... :-) Christian was probably the guy in the first row yesterday trying to organize that classy chant....

I think the first two rounds of boos yesterday were warranted, but I agree that it's time to let it go. He made his mistake, he apologized, the fans had their say, now let's let it go.

Booing Huff isn't going to make this team any better...

THANK YOU BRIAN! You took the words out of my mouth. I think the fans are so tired of blaming Angelos season after season, they've decided to pick at anything whenever the opportunity is presented. What if Markakis says Baltimore roads are crappy? He's seen better! Are we going to take that as a personal attack towards the City of Baltimore? Oh my God, he hates our roads, he must hate our city. He's not a team player. BLAH BLAH BLAH!

Let's just start the season fresh and leave the drama at home. No more grudges. Just baseball!

And Jimbo, I'm calm! You'll know when I'm in a foul mood!

Oh, does anyone know what happened to that person in the field box by first base. Someone got drilled by a line drive. Even B-Rob had an "Ouch" face!

And Sir Clancy works the lower field boxes from like Section 12 all the way around (I think). I'm always by first so I see him. I'm not sure how far around he goes.

Where were these apologies? All I remember in the paper was something to the extent of "Must be a slow day in Baltimore to make a big deal about this. I'm sorry if anyone took it the wrong way. I'd do it again if I were asked".

I didn't follow the story much after the first week or so, but his immediate response seemed to be defiance.

I didn't boo him because I'm not going to boo an Oriole, but I'm not gonna say that people should lay off the guy. I just can't see someone like him being all that sorry. I firmly believe in his heart-of-hearts that he thinks Orioles fans overreacted and he's just saying the right things now to get the people off his back.

I am once again amazed (re: Huff) that so many people in our culture get so concerned with "morality" in a sexual context, imposing their own sexual mores upon others, while murdering people in Iraq hardly gets a rise, failing people in need in New Orleans hardly gets a rise, executing people gets support, torturing people gets support. Where are our true morals? Who cares what Aubrey Huff said on a sleazy talk show?

I thought yesterday was the April fools joke. I do not know what team Roch saw but I am sure they will lose at least 100 games and maybe have the talent to lose 108 and set an Orioles record. I been an avid O;'s fan since 1958 and I think this team is the worst I have seen. This team can;t hit, can't pitch and can't field. I ask you what is left?

I think somebody summed it up when they said that we're frustrated and that Huff is a perfect representation of the 1998-2008 Orioles... A former "name" who's seen his better days. He has little to offer on the field, and is a bit overpaid.

So this lump is getting paid AND he gets trash our city? Why are we supposed to be rooting for him instead of wanting to get him the hell off the team?

Tell you what... how about if he produces like a halfway decent major league player, then we stop booing him. Maybe he's in for another one of his notorious "slow starts."

The booing will stop eventually when we go back from frustrated ire to complete and utter apathy at the sad state of our beloved baseball team. Will that make all of you folks happy? Poor, poor Aubrey Huff... hope we didn't hurt his feelings...

Terpfan- In front of CHILDREN?? NO! Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children?? Of the children!!!

And Pops... not the national anthem crap again. It's a fun tradition. Stop being so danged uptight. I found this picture of you online.

http://individual.utoronto.ca/salvo/samflag.jpg