Ah, yes, Paul Bako ... when he played in Baltimore last year, I would have been happy to see one of the pitchers pinch hit for him. Now he has six homers and is coming off a 2-homer, 5-RBI night? I doubt anyone saw that coming (although some clairvoyant out there is probably saying, "Yeah, I said we should have re-signed Bako").

And to think, Bako has more HRs almost as many RBIs and is batting 15+ points higher then our catcher's combined.

ha, glad to hear Paul Bako's doing well in Cinci -- it's too bad Griffey stole his thunder last night.

Paul Bako had the first multi-homer game of his career.

See you in Cooperstown.

HAHAHA! Nice! I was thinking the same thing!

That stinks for Griffey though! He was away and the stadium was practically empty. It's Ken Griffey for crying out loud. One of the best baseball players out there. And he has the greatest Nintendo game ever! Congrats Griffey!!!

I just came up with interesting question for everyone ..........

This coming Offseason , If the O's fail in their pursuit of free agent Mark Texiera , Should the O's make a run at Ken Griffey Jr ? Think he fit in O's?
He will be free agent , 38 yrs old , bats lefty , perfect for OPACY .

Congrats Griffey on your 600 homer mark yesterday .

Jerry Hairston? Isn't he on the DL again?

Fantastic line about Benson!

Here's some random stats-- there is about a 1 in 500 chance that a .500 ballclub would lose 9 times in a row on a specific day if all other factors were held constant (which they are not). Pretty remarkable feat for our Birds. That being said, there is still a 50/50 shot we will win this upcoming Sunday for you gamblers out there. :)

Isn't it sad that Ken Griffey Jr. will probably receive half of a blog entry for his 600 legitimate HRs? This is no slight to you, Roch, because for some reason (lack of hype or build up? the injuries? he plays for Cincy?) I don't really care that much either. However, Junior was one of the best pure baseball players I have ever seen and his legacy already seems to be fading. Sad, that's all.

So, is everyone voting 20x for Bynum also. It really is a toss-up between he and Lugo. Even Boston fans think Lugo stinks which makes this voting such a farce.

Ben's point yesterday was that NL voters seem to understand that the point of voting is to help your league have the best representation-- not to win some petting pissing contest between Boston and NY about how much fan support they have (here and worldwide). Think-- if Lugo (or some undeserving player from either empire) did win somehow, he is helping to determine an extra home game in the WS. They just don't get it up there sometimes.

What happened to the Keys losing 16 out of 18. What happens to all these pitchers. How in the world do all these pitchers come up hurt,You seem to need 50 pitchers to get 2 to the major leagues that are any good. Somebody need to explain to me how in the old days pitchers never got hurt as much, pitched complete games and then came back after 3 days and pitched another complete game. today we are on pitch counts if you go 5 innings then you did your job, , this guy has a torn labrum,tightness in his back,it's just amazing. It really is a wonder why teams even draft pitchers in the 1st round , hardly any of them ever make it.

Good blog, Roch.

"The fan went nuts" Brilliant!

I'll be in Frederick tonight too, Roch. Hopefully, the weather holds out for us all...the report is not looking too pretty right now!!

Congrats to Junior!! He's always been one of the good guys in the game, so it's nice to see him get his due.

I know that things can change in an instant in baseball world...but right now I'm absolutely loving the fact that here we are in the second week of June and (the proposed "worst team in baseball") is in a three-way tie for 3rd place in the AL East, only 5 games back of the division leader in the loss column and overall playing .500 ball without the eminent feeling that the bottom is just waiting to fall out from under us. Granted, it's not exactly the playoffs, but for the first season after a solid rebuild effort was put into place, just being able to realistically hope for a chance to end the season with more wins than losses is something that I think most O's fans can be happy with.

to Glen in Va who dared to answer my question about who is leading the Os in hitting. This is from the Sunpapers stat page.

Batters BA SLG G AB R H TB 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS E
J.Fiorentino 1.000 1.000 2 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
A.Cintron .333 .333 12 27 0 9 9 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 2
N.Markakis .287 .478 61 230 32 66 110 14 0 10 29 38 55 8 3 1

Gibby,,,ugh, how awful

It just goes to show how bad our front office was before McPhail. I mean, they gave this guy a multi year deal and nobody else will touch him.

prediction:

a t-storm will delay tonight's "early" start in boston and game will start at ....

wait for it ...

7:05 p.m.

EatMoreMeat:

So who's the leading hitter? Fiorentino or Cintron? They don't qualify because they don't have more at-bats. So, the only man left is Markakis, which is pretty standard for him. He's always been at that average in his career. So it's not that shocking as you mentioned.

Roch,
I enjoy your writing, but you need to cool it with the cheesy jokes, its making it tough to read your blog. Stick to what your best at, good baseball tidbits.
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One man's "cheesy" is another man's good humor. Or at least so-so. That's why Baskin-Robbins makes 31 flavors. I promise to keep it dry tonight - though the forecast calls for rain - Roch

From the Seattle times.....

Erik Bedard continues to be a topic of interest in Toronto, which is about a three-hour drive from his Navan, Ontario, home. Bedard is set to become a free agent after the 2009 season, and there is widespread speculation he could sign with the Blue Jays. But sources in Toronto indicated on Monday that the team has cooled on Bedard and may no longer be interested in acquiring him -- now or later.
The Jays have had some public-relations issues the past few seasons with A.J. Burnett, a pitcher expected to use an escape clause to opt out of his five-year deal with Toronto after this season. Several Toronto-area writers requested to speak with Bedard during this series, but he declined through a team spokesman.

Andy deserves a raise just for getting this guy out of our town, then throw in what he got back in return and Andy should be the Os MVP, amazing.

Bob, you don't often say a lot I agree with, but you're spot on about pitchers being so fragile. Jim Palmer was the king of the complete game... the only pitcher left that seems to know how to do it is Roy Halladay.

Roch--
Good jokes, better blog. Even if Evan finds the them "cheesy" please keep them coming. Any idea if Matt Wieters will be moving up the farm anytime soon?
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Team officials continue to discuss whether to move him up to Bowie for the second half. - Roch

Ken Griffey Jr. can easily be regarded as being in the top five baseball players to ever play the game. Without having been injured for the last 7 seasons of his career, 600 home runs would easily be 700 and perhaps more. He had a perfect swing, played exciting defense, smiled all the time and loved the game. He played without being stuck up about things, stayed clear of the steroid era and is definitely the top player of MY generation.

Kudos Ken, it's players like you that make baseball worth watching.

Catching up on the blogs....

Jeff in S. P. rice post about your Grandfathers. Thanks for sharing...

Ponson is drinking again??? Shocking, just shocking....

Bill Hall for Trachsel anyone?

I was a huge Brooks Robinson fan, he was my idol. I could barely speak when I finally got to meet him. That said, I always felt bad for D DeCinces. TOUGH act to follow & he always got a hard time here I thought.

Burres can go back to the pen...IF they can find a worthy SP to take his place.

I am still not sold on Liz being ready or if he is even going to be a SP on this team beyond '09. Certainly not by '10.

Even P Bako flourishes when he gets away from here....

I like the fan crack Roch!

Benson, what a waste. The Bears kept a DL who was busted on repeated firearm charges a year or 2 ago, then waived him later, drinking is worse? Also, I bet a certain RB on the NY Jets is amused at this news....

Weeks for Roberts? That's not even a good joke. Tell them if the deal can include Trachsel & Hall, then maybe...

Jay who?

Roch, it sounds like Hebner is digging his own grave in Frederick....

Evan the fun stops here right?

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I totally disagree with Evan.......the dry humor and sarcasm is THE very reason that i enjoy this blog every day...Every where you look you can get "just the facts, maam" but you make me crack up at least once a day on here, Roch....so don't go changin'! Let the people looking for the dried up facts go to MLB for their info lol

I just looked at the Frederick Keys web site, and it states Loewen will be in Frederick for 3 days. I thought he would pitch the first inning tonight, but maybe they will bring him in later in the game tonight and possibly Wednesday and Thursday night. I am going to try to make it to at least one game.

I miss the discount beer night they used to have. I think it was Wednesday night.

Weeks is on the DL... no way we would trade for him...

I love the CHEESE, Roch...keep it up! You make being an O's fan bearable with your blog.

Keep the cheese coming Roch.

Cheesy jokes are the only thing that separates us from Red Sox fans.

Roch, it would probably never happen for a major league team, but that Frederick Keys promotion is the kind of innovative promotion that the O’s could use to get fans back in Camden Yards. It seems like the minor league teams over the years have always been innovative in terms of such promotions, whereas the major leagues seem to be a bit more conservative. Of course, major league baseball has been responsible for such disastrous promotions as Disco Demolition Night and 10 Cent Beer Night, so I can understand clubs wanting to go the reserved route.

As for any Brian Roberts for Rickie Weeks (and I assume other players) deal, just chalk it up to preliminary trade noise. July 31 is still 7 weeks away, so these types of discussions (whether they’re real discussions between teams or rumors put out there by the media), as you can see by scanning the major league news wires, are just starting. Of course, Weeks is on the DL now, so that pretty much shoots that rumor for the time being.

It almost seems like Manny Ramirez’s 500th home run garnered more press coverage than Griffey’s 600th. Gee, I wonder why that is? But these home run milestones, as has been noted a million times now, seem to be ho-hum now, and we can thank the steroid era and the overinflated stats for that. In the 90s, Griffey may have been the game’s best all-around player. Injuries have hindered his career this century, but overall, he’s still had a remarkable career. Unlike Bonds, Griffey’s career began its slide when he was around 32 and the regular injuries started, when he exited his prime years and when a player’s numbers begin to decline.

I’m sure a lot of us remember back in the mid-90s when he broke his wrist, I believe, making a catch in a game against the O’s. And who can forget the 1993 All Star home run derby, when he hit the warehouse, and sliding into home in the 1995 ALDS, beating the Yankees?

I'll bet Evan is David Steele's user name here...

Bob/Anonymous,

Palmer was hurt a number of times when he was coming up through the minors, just like many our younger pitchers. Only time will tell if our younger guys turn out like Palmer or Halladay.

Had Ken Griffey Jr. not had all of those injuries, no one would be calling A-Rod baseball's best player. Pity about the near-empty stadium yesterday.

Good to see Paul Bako succeed. Watching him hit last season, I was always puzzled that he didn't do better. He had a nice-looking swing, but just didn't connect too often.

Now that Cedric Benson and Sidney Ponson are both looking for work, maybe the two could open a training center together, and teach highway and aquatic safety courses.

Roch--Here's another vote for you to keep up both your tidbits and cheesiness. As seen below, they're a great match!

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p195/kash1058/cheez-it-orig.gif

Brian--Who would that Jet's running back be? Emerson Boozer?

Jennifer...

I must disagree. The greatest baseball game on Nintendo was the original Bases Loaded. Haha

Roch,

Anyway you can let us know what the O's record is on Sundays the last couple of seasons???

keep up what you are doing..your
style of writing is refeshing and
fun to read.

Not a great night for Jerry Hairston Jr. He fractured his thumb.

I loved Nintendo's Bases Loaded.
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Whatever happened to Pong? - Roch

Hey Roch---dumb question, but what is the players' take on Trachsel as a "veteran presence"? I mean, he doesn't seem to be one of those pitchers that teammates credit for a tip or for correcting something in their delivery, and he's not somebody who is mentioned as being in line for a coaching job after he retires (soon, please!). Is there something we're missing? Is he good with younger pitchers, does he buy drinks after games (that might encourage Sidney Ponson to show up in Baltimore again)...what's the attraction that we're missing?

Also, the Ken Griffey sentiment is interesting. I listen to WLW (Cincinnati radio) on XM some during the day, and almost everyone on air despises Ken Griffey Jr. with a passion. They tell countless stories on how rude he is to fans on a regular basis...I'm not taking their word as gospel by any stretch, but the comparison between people who probably know KGJr better than anyone and the general fan base is interesting.

Keep up the great work, Roch...love the blog.
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There are no dumb questions, only dumb bloggers. Trachsel was credited last year for helping some of the younger guys. And I know people in the organization respected the way he prepared for every start, watching video and throwing. He had a strong work ethic and set a pretty good example. If he lost, it wasn't because he hadn't done his homework or he had been too "distracted." - Roch

Good one Barry! :-)

Thomas Jones, they gave him up after a good year to make room for Benson, the #1 pick, to play.

Sorry but Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball is the best.......

What other game can you play with a roided up BJ Surhoff and Chris Hoiles and watch them snap their bats over their knees and scream "Oh Come On!" when they struck out? CLASSIC!
(Plus the music was fantastic hehe)

I also loved how some guys on the team, who in real life were big bulky guys, looked like Brandon Fahey. Uh good times.

I think I might bust out the old Nintendo tonight.... I'm in the mood to play now!

Roch - I also had an Atari (Sears version) and the Pong Sports game cartridge way back when. Nintendo had it's share of great games though. Tetris was my major in college.

Hey Roch,I usually agree with you about 90 percent of the time,not exactly sure whether that is good or bad ,but you almost always make me laugh.And sometimes the cheesy ones are so cheesy they're funny anyway,lol.So tell Evan,who seems to be the only person here without a developed sense of humor to go find another blog to haunt.Keep up the good work,Roch.By the way what can you tell me about Nowicki in Delmarva,he's been swinging a hot bat all year,is he considered a prospect at all?Thanks.
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Don't know a whole lot about him. He's 25 and playing in the SAL. Signed as non-drafted free agent in 2006 out of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Hit .283 with eight homers and 41 RBIs in 69 games at Aberdeen last year and went 2-for-3 with a walk in his only game at Frederick. Made the NY-Penn League All-Star team. Don't think he's reached "prospect' status, but he's done pretty well with the chance he's been given. - Roch

Sometimes I wish for a moment that the Bases Loaded song that plays continuously from powering on to powering off could be my ring tone. The theme haunts my dreams. It's so beautiful haha.

Incidentally, if you go to youtube, someone with way too much time and patience recreated game 6 of the '86 world series on RBI Baseball. It's a beautiful thing to see...even with the appropriate foul balls, errors, hits, et al. search for it, it's not disappointing.

I wish classic games were talked about more often :)

Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for the Super Nintendo circa 1995 - wow, I forgot that one, it was a great game. I often skipped classes during my freshman and soph years at MD to play that game against my roommates. Better than Bases Loaded, which is also an unforgettable classic. NES Baseball Stars was the first where you could build your own players/team. Also good. Too bad MLB 2K8 for the Wii is only fun if you're a hungry goat.