Just got back from the game and it was one of the best baseball games I've ever been to, definitely the best Tuesday game ever. The crowd was roudy and into it. Non-Bird induced O-R-I-L-E-S chants. Thats the way its supposed to be. The Orioles need to stop catering to families who live 30 miles away and come 3 times a year. Look at the Ravens, they don't care about families (charity absolutely) and they are thriving. Bring in the twenty somethings who live w/in walking and cab distance who can EASILY show up 12 times a year. The team has lost those in their 40's and 50's...just like the team, its time to get turn to the youth.

That is 2 wins in three games that can be laid at the feet of Johnson. There is no way the 07 team wins that game. Over the course of the next 25 games , keep an eye on the critical situations wherein a Johnson is so valuable. The game has become a battle of bullpens and sometimes you need your stopper in the 7th.

Tremblay did the same thing with Guthrie in Seattle . I guess JG is one of those guys who inspires confidence. Where has Sarfate been lately? He is going to have to pick up some slack here.

Now that brings a question. Will Trembley use Johnson for that power arm between Olson and Burres?

If they don't want to move Traschel to the bullpen, demote him to Triple A, and have him help the pitchers down there.

It all works out for everybody!

I want to add to my comment.. well, not add but expand....

I think we could use some Lucky Charms, continuing Roch's theme!

Isn't that last line from somewhere about Christmas? If it is, we're a long time away from that, Roch, but I will take it anytime!

What an amazing game! Great O's crowd-- certainly not Fenway South as predicted by some.

Johnson had one on the best battles with Ramirez that I have seen in a long time. Never gave in and never got behind. I love him right where he is at, helping the team win 2-3 times per week. What's not to love about the Johnson to Sherrill combo? Maybe if Ray can be an efficient setup man you think about the move.

Walker... wow... what's left to say?

Let's stick to the positives-- we pummeled Beckett. Scott, Roberts, and Jones busted slumps and Millar and Payton contributed-- though the defense was ugghhh.

Are people bringing brooms to the game tomorrow?

Fernando Tatis (O in 06) is back, but this time with the Mets. NY brought him up today and so far he's batting 1.000 in one at bat. Wow, think we could trade for him? Fernando Mania is back in the majors, but this time his last name's not Valenzuela.

Before I go into my post game rant I must say two things:

1. If I ever saw Jim Johnson on the street, I would run up to him and scream "Never leave us!" He is amazing and I was praying that they were putting him in after Guthrie was taken out but no, it was Walker. My beer started brewing in the tummy and I was sick to my stomach until that inning ended.

2. I must have super psychic powers. When Luke came up to bat, my brother said "isn't he supposed to be a power hitter" and I said "He was sick, but he'll bounce back.... Homer right here!" Boom! Homerun! I'm telling you, I should be at every game!

Okay now that I got that out of the way I must say something to everyone here. This is not something I usually do, but I am admitting that I was wrong about something. Last summer I stated that Yankee fans were the worst people I have ever had to deal with. Well.... I was wrong... and I am sorry for that.

After tonight's game I would rather treat a Yankee fan to dinner and movie than have to deal with what I did tonight. It came down to me getting in a fight with a female BoSox fan over absolutely nothing!

It's bad enough that she's in OUR HOUSE, but to yell at a bunch of O's fans for rooting against the Red Sox.... is just borderline insane. A group of male O's fans were just joking with this BoSox fan who had his last name on a BoSox jersey. Well this woman got up from her seats and said they were terrible fans and were rude and inconsiderate to her children. Well, yes maybe cracking jokes can be mean, but when it's all in good fun, I don't see the problem. She then, with baby in hand, curses us out for using bad words around her children. Must I remind everyone that not one "bad" word was used tonight. I think "Red Sox suck" was the worst thing screamed. So she comes up to me as shes walking up the stairs and says I should be ashamed of myself. So not letting a Sox fan tell me off like that, I ripped into her. Not only did she pick me out for no reason, but she's yelling at us for cursing when shes dropping the f bomb, the a bomb and the s bomb like its nobody's business. I'm not a parent, but I'm pretty sure its not right to curse at people when you have a child in your hands and beer in the other.

Sorry but that's just wrong. Usually if people, especially O's fans, are using bad words and there are children around, I will tell them to ease up on the foul language because that is rude. But it took every ounce of my energy to not choke this woman. I officially hate BoSox fans. Okay I am done, it is time for bed. Go O's. I love Luke Scott and George Sherrill!!! Great win for Jeremy Guthrie!!!!!!

Enter I for I really wanted to hit her... : (

i admit, i was worried.. i went to the gym for 2 hours.. and had to ask my wife when i got home who won..

thankfully..we did -- rays win the division? o's take the wild card ; ) the stl game this weekend where i get to see the smoking hot rays seems to be a good ticket so far now!

c

How about some love for the job that Jim Johnson did? The battle between Johnson and Janny in the 7th was easily the higlight of this season so far. Props to Jim Johnson, unsung hero, for not giving an inch in that AB. Manny had no clue. And don't you dare move him into the rotation, Mr. Trembley.
Jim Johnson, through 39 games, is a top candidate for team MVP so far.
Bet.

That answer about Guthrie really reminds me of Weaver. He always wanted to stick with the guy who had the best stuff and frequently a tired Palmer was a better option than a bullpen arm. I hope this team can avoid the long losing streaks that last years team endured and they remain competitive, this is entertaining. No other sport has the tension of bases loaded, no outs, HOF batter vs a young pup firing bullets and with each foul ball the tension rises until the kid retires the great hitter on a comebacker.

Gutty Guthrie performance.

More great Earl ball! Keep it up O's. Three run home run again, starting pitcher throwing 115 (though would have been 130 in past) pitches, and a closer who goes 5 outs (just like old times) no doubt. Roch great job in giving us the link for Duquettes charity and props to your readers who gave.

Tonight’s win in two all caps words—JIM JOHNSON.

Getting out of the bases loaded, no-out mess in the 7th, facing Manny and battling him through 10 pitches, challenging him with a 95 mph fastball. Great stuff, Jim. And then, the pitcher’s best friend with the bases loaded—a come backer to the mound, a sharp throw home, and an impressive gun to first by Guillermo Quiroz. Johnson then breaks in a curve on the inside corner on a 2-0 pitch to Mike Lowell before inducing Lowell to fly out to left.

David Ortiz’s moaning about his checked swing K has no substance considering that Laz Diaz should have barked him out on a freezing knee-high fast ball from Sherrill earlier in the at bat. And we all know Laz knew that.

Hitting heroes? Luke Scott, Kevin Millar, Brian Roberts, Jay Payton, and Adam Jones.

Jamie Walker certainly needs to regroup. If he is hurt, let’s get him healthy.

George Sherrill—what a job! George inspires confidence. His quirky angle toeing the rubber and his locked in, no sweat, demeanor—good stuff.

Finally, please keep Jim Johnson right where he is right now—the bridge to the closer. This clamoring for him to be made a starter or Grand Minister of the Intergalactic Federation misses the point by light years. Here we have a guy who is performing lights out in a vital role. Do not fool with him. This is what Mariano Rivera did before he became a closer; this is what the Yankees hope to get out of Joba Chamberlain right now. Johnson, with his hat pulled down low, and his in-control, quick-working rhythm reminds me of Sammy Stewart.

Thus far for the Baltimore Orioles, Daniel Cabrera, Garrett Olson, Brain Burres, and Jim Johnson have grabbed us with their gutsy pitching.

I loved watching this win tonight with my sons. The Birds showed grit. As Charles Portis would have called it—“True Grit.”

Truly creepy ex-O's sightings from yesterday:

--Armando Benitez gives up a PH HR to Jason Kubel. BJ Ryan did a fine job closing, but it's still creepy to see these two on the same staff somewhere else.

--The Mets call up Fernando Tatis from N'awlins after keeping him down there all last year. Will he be the new David Newhan for them ('cause he sure won't be their Bordick)?

--After Jeff Keppinger busts his kneecap, Jerry Hairston, Jr., comes in from RF to play short. Ryan Freel shifts over to right so that defensive specialist (seems to be his main role now) Corey Patterson mans CF. Corey gets a couple hits coming off the bench, cracks the Mendoza line, and both he and Hairston steal bases in defeating the Marlins. Will Keppinger's injury be the big chance for Paul Janish (something like the 8th or 9th best prospect Cinnci has) to come up from Louisville, or can we still try to dump Fahey on some desparate team that already keeps at least two O's retreads around? (They've also got Jim Brower down in Louisville in case Legionnaire's Disease wipes out the Cinnci pen.)

He had Albers and Johnson.

In what alternate universe was Guthrie the best option to start the seventh?

Great win though.

I dont know if anyone watched the 11 o'clock sportscenter, but after the highlights of the O's-sox game and yanks-rays game they showed the AL East standings with the order of 1 then 2 then 4. The O's, who are in third, dont even get put up there or mentioned...i dont know about you guys, but thats messed up, especially after beating boston and taking two out of three from new york earlier this year...hopefully trembley can use this as a sort of motivation

Hey roch when are you going to join the club . Whne are you going to admiot it's time for the orioles to bite the bullet and release lamie walker. He is finished and everybody knows it but dave trembley.I guess when his ineffectiveness starts to costs ballgames then maybe just maybe they might wake up. HE STINKS.

Johnson and Albers in the 'pen is like the old days for the O's, when pitchers paid their dues with a year in the 'pen before they got to start. A nice situation to be in.

Now, if we could only get a few hitters (infielders)to go with the pitching we seem to have, we'd be that much closer. Maybe trade Cabrera for a few hitting prospects, if he continues to impress, to speed the rebuilding process up. With Loewen, Guthrie, Olsen, Albers, Johnson, Tillman, Arrieta, Liz, Spoone, Patton, Beato, etal, you could afford Cabrera, who'd bring in a huge haul. Then maybe you could entice Teixeira to sign.

p for plentiful possibilities

Jim Johnson is the real deal! Keep him in relief for now, but he might be another one of those young gun starters eventually.

Luke Scott is going to be one of the gems of that trade. Loved his interview last night. He is humble and direct. Too bad Dempsey had to make fun of Luke giving God the glory for his abilities. Get a clue Dempsey.

Atlanta needs arms, package a few for Mark Teixeira for a trade and sign deal now before he hits free agency. If he won't sign with us now, why would we think he would sign later? Adding his bat behind Nick Markakis and in front of Aubrey Huff and Luke Scott would be a nice lineup. JMHO.

For as much as I love Trembley for preparing his team for a game and keeping communication open, his in-game decisions leave a lot to be desired. I was thinking "what the hell" when Guthrie came out to pitch the 7th. I wanted Johnson from the get go. I would never have brought in Walker either. I would also have walked Manny in the first to get to Lowell. It would have worked if Huff had any idea what that leathery thing on his hand was used for.

An ace stays in that game & gets the job done. Thats what Trembley is grooming Guth for. I have no problem with it. Starting P's are pampered these days.

Jim Johnson is for real , and we finally have some real pitching options , lookin' good O's,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Andy's trades are lookin' real also , real talent , life is good,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

no one is thanking Jamie Walker for walking Ortiz instead of giving up a 3 run dong. Unfortunately, Ortiz owns Walker (7 for 16, 3 hrs and 10 rbi) and giving up a walk was probably the best thing that could have happened.

The best part about the game was watching a BoSox fan get pummeled with lefts and rights out in the left field upper deck to the chant of Red Sox Suck durning the sixth inning.

Jennifer - I agree with your opinion regarding poor parenting skills and a certain other fan. Don't generalize and assume that all Sox fans are like that, though. There's plenty of rude Yankee fans, too!

Bob - Walker does look bad right now. But releasing him would be very foolish. He's not that old, he has a several year history of being a very good lefty specialist, and at this point he's had one bad month. If you release him, you're telling players everywhere that the Orioles dump their veterans at the first sign of adversity. Who would want to play here? What does that say about the organization's confidence in and support of its players? By your logic, David Ortiz would be on waivers right now. Use Walker in less pressure situations, make sure he's healthy, and if he continues to not get the job done for a few more months then you've got a good case for releasing him. Right now, however, the guy deserves our support and encouragement.

Bob, I think you're a one-man club. Although there's no defending Walker's recent performance, 36 year old pitchers who have been very effective for several years just don't go from great to done over night. Look at Walker's stats over the last three years--

2005 DET 4 3 3.70 66 0 0 0 0 2 48.2 49 22 20 5 13 30
2006 DET 0 1 2.81 56 0 0 0 0 0 48.0 47 15 15 8 8 37
2007 BAL 3 2 3.23 81 0 0 0 7 13 61.1 57 25 22 6 17 41

You don't release a guy like him this early in the season. We need him to work through his problems and do his job as a left handed set up man. That's what Trembley was hoping for last night and it didn't happen. That doesn't mean it won't. We don't have anyone else for that role, so we're going to need to let him work through it. Ortiz was batting under .100 not long ago. The stats of proven veteran players almost always end up where they have been in the past. Teams that give up when they are stuggling mightily usually are the ones that get to watch them play their best baseball for someone else.

I'm concerned w/Jamie Walker's performance of late. It reminds me of shades of Buddy Groom...who was lights out the first few years w/us and then couldn't get anyone out. I hope we get him on track and trade him. A good Jamie Walker should bring you something in return.

Hey Scott H,

I saw that 11'oclock SportsCenter too. Its almost laughable now that they give the O's no credit. I'm not even surprised anymore. ESPN is the Yankees-Red Sox network. They are always kissing their butts, and never show us any respect. If we weren't playing the Sox, Scott's homer might not have even made onto Baseball Tonight's "Touch Em All". Don't even get me started on those two morons John Kruk and Steve Phillips. I don't think that Nutri-System thing worked out so well for Big 'Ol Krukker.

I'm very impressed with Guthrie. He's a solid pitcher performing well in his current role. In my opinion, he's not an ace and shouldn't be groomed as one. He's a good number two or three pitcher.

i have to say after reading Jennifer and Matt's bogs , the Red Sox fans are the worst baseball fans .

my friend in arizona , who is Yankees fan , told me lots of stories about Red Sox fans , none of them good , mind you .

Go O's , lets extend the Sox losing streak

Except that Guthrie had already reached his limit with 108 pitches. He'd only thrown more 3 times, 109 twice and 116 once. It made even less sense when you consider that Johnson and Walker were warming up and none at all once the 1st man got on base. Trembley should savor this win because his bacon was saved by Johnson. He's certainly been given a pass because we did win. Who knows what happens if the O's lose another heartbreaker to the visiting team.

matt -- haha, saw that! It was great! Another wonderful moment at the Yard!!! Grrrr I hate those Red Sox.

This blog is starting to develop into something I would expect to see and hear on MadTV. First , we have ILLITERATE BOB ranting and raving about his I hate Jamie Walker club a club of which he appears to be the only member. Then we have the mad visualization of Jennifer in a battle royal with a loud mouthed Boston fan holding a baby and a Bud Light. Hopefully we can get Dr. Phil to mediate this dispute, if he is not to busy with Britney. My favorite though was from the previous blog where Laz Diaz was referred to as one of baseball's best umpires.That may just be the funniest thing I have ever read.So keep up the good work and hopefully we can all participate in making Roch a Hollywood screenwriter.