I really do have a wife and kids in Baltimore, Jack, but I think I was the only sportswriter around here who didn't go to see Bruce Springsteen on Friday night at First Mariner Arena. Made a pass at StubHub and found a single for $300, but I think you had to sit in your own car in the parking structure and feel the bass.

Check out Roch's blog for a rundown. He was there with Jim Hunter -- glad to hear they're dating again -- and they saw Ken Rosenthal a few rows away. I'll just assume he was standing on his chair.

Do I sound bitter?

All kidding aside, it sounds like it was another terrific show by The Boss. I've seen my share and never been disappointed. I'm glad my guys (though Roch, Jim and Kenny would probably bristle at that description) and any of you who were there had a great time.

Sun file photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

The Orioles claimed 26-year-old catcher Craig Tatum off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds today and designated left-handed pitcher Chris Waters for assignment. It's a minor transaction that gives the O's a good defensive guy to add minor league depth and maybe compete for the backup role behind Matt Wieters.

I still have to believe the O's will re-sign Chad Moeller to be the backup/mentor for Wieters. The club declined his option for 2010 to save room on the 40-man roster, but indicated that Moeller could come back under the same terms as last year. If that happens, it likely would be after the Winter Meetings in December.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The free agent market has been open for almost 12 hours and the Orioles still haven't signed John Lackey. What's the deal?

I'm just reinforcing the point that we wait breathlessly for the opening of the free agent market and then sit back and wait another month or two for something to happen. Of course, that didn't keep ESPN from trotting out baseball analyst (and former Sun reporter) Tim Kurkjian on SportsCenter right after midnight last night to kick off this year's free agent frenzy.

Obviously, the Orioles aren't in on Lackey, but they'll be in a lot of rumors. They'll be used by some teams and they'll have a legitimate shot at some medium guys if they really want to sign one or two of them.

I'll be interested to see if they are aggressive with some of those comeback pitchers like Erik Bedard. That's where a team could catch lightning in a bottle and be much more competitive than they might appear on paper. But it'll be awhile before we have a real clue.

Today's shameless plug: You need to rush to the radio right now and tune into WBAL (1090 AM) or WBAL.com for The Week in Review with me, Clarence Mitchell IV and state senator Jim Brochim. We'll be butting heads from noon to 3 p.m. on a variety of subjects, from Sheila to Oprah and everything in between.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (54)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Actually, I am a little worried about the direction the Orioles may take this offseason, because Andy MacPhail has painted himself into a corner with his stated desire not to trade any of the top prospects for offensive help. That wouldn't bother me if the free agent market -- which opens for business tomorrow -- was heavy with run-producing corner infielders that could be had for reasonable years and salary, but the choices are fairly limited and none of them is a slam-dunk fit for this team going forward.

I believe the Orioles have to go out and get at least one decent middle-of-the-order bat, and I'm starting to wonder if they're willing to spend even the medium money it would take to do that. I'm afraid there might be a disconnect between the front office, which may be dispassionately looking at the team and figuring that there's no point in spending much if there is little chance of competing for a wild card berth next year, and a disintegrating fan following that wants to see the team take a tangible step forward in 2010. In which case, we may see another half effort to upgrade the batting order.

There may be some nuts and bolts logic there, but you can't remove the fans from the equation. They need to be reassured that the club is really moving forward, and you're not going send that message by conceding another 90-plus loss season. That doesn't mean you have to throw the plan out the window, but you can't steer around every opportunity to improve because a player might block one of your unproven prospects.

The Orioles need to upgrade offensively at first and third base and they have prospects who have a chance to pop over the next two years at those positions. That is an argument against giving out big multi-year deals to fill both holes, but in the DH league, you still have the flexibility to sign or acquire one quality corner infield guy without really blocking anyone.

If we wake up in February with Michael Aubrey projected at first base and Ty Wigginton at third, it's going to be very hard to convince the paying customers that the team will ever be willing to do what it takes to really compete in the American League East.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (67)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Okay, you all know I'm not a negative guy. Just ask the unwashed horde of angry baseball posters who have been accusing me of shilling for the Orioles all year. But three days shy of the Ravens' upcoming showdown with the Indianapolis Colts, I just don't see how this team can walk out of M&T Bank Stadium with a win.

I suppose it's possible I'm being too pessimistic, because the Vegas oddsmakers opened wagering on the game Tuesday with the Ravens a slight -- very slight -- favorite. The line has moved back in favor the Colts, but it's still being bet as a surprisingly even game. I can't see it being particularly close. Sorry. I hope I'm wrong and everyone gets to take a shot at me here Sunday night for jumping off the bandwagon.

In the meantime, here's my full column on the subject, which appears in today's print edition and is up on the Web site.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

The Orioles moved six players onto the 40-man roster today in anticipation of Friday's deadline for submitting their protected list to MLB. The O's added pitchers Brandon Erbe and Luis Lebron and infielders Josh Bell, Brandon Snyder, Rhyne Hughes and Pedro Florimon, bringing the roster to a full 40.

That leaves a few recognizable players exposed to the Rule 5 Draft -- including shortstop Blake Davis and recently acquired pitcher Steve Johnson -- and leaves room to question why certain journeyman-type players are still on the 40-man. The Orioles kept pitcher Chris Waters, for instance, even though he didn't seem to be on the radar when the Orioles needed help at several points last season.

There is a plausible explanation: If there are some players still on the 40-man who seem more expendable than some who were left unprotected, keep in mind that somebody is going to have to be moved off the roster for every player acquired or signed during the offseason. If the entire roster was filled out with young players the team does not want to risk losing on waivers, that would create a disincentive to upgrade the roster through free agency.

The team instead is gambling that -- in the case of Johnson -- no major league club is going to pick up a pitcher who has never played above Double-A and keep him at the major league level for the entire 2010 season. That's probably a fair bet.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Believe it or not, most of the oddsmakers opened the action on the Ravens and Colts game with the Ravens posted as a one-point favorite. The line has fluctuated over the past 24 hours, with the early bettors moving the Colts up to -1 today and some outlets listing the game as dead even.

I'm obviously missing something. If you had told me yesterday that I could get the Colts as an underdog in Sunday's game -- or a pick-em -- I would have taken out a huge home equity loan and bet the house on them. I figured the Colts would be about a 6 1/2-point favorite, and I would have considered that conservative.

But the guys in Vegas are a lot smarter than me -- either that or somebody didn't get the memo on Terrell Suggs -- so that line should bouy the spirits of Ravens who could not take a lot of solace in Monday night's 16-0 victory over the Browns.

I scanned some of the internet betting sites, to see if I could get the lowdown on this, but I still don't see it. There's just no way to look at this from a pure football perspective and see it as an even game, though strange stuff happens every week in the NFL.

The only bit of gambling information that I found to support a line like this is the fact that the Ravens have been strong against the spread (13-5 in their last 18 games) after a straight up win the past couple of years. But that should be offset by the fact that the Colts have a similar recent percentage in the same situations. To further offset that, the Ravens are 0-5 against the spread in their last five Sunday games coming off a Monday night game.

All I can say is that I hope the oddsmakers are right and I'm wrong. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the Colts will be listed as a 3 1/2-point favorite by Sunday, which would be a pretty significant four-day shift in an NFL betting line.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
Categories: Just football
        

The opening of the free agent market on Friday won't generate nearly the same level of anticipation around here as last year, when fans could fantasize about big-ticket players Mark Teixeira and A.J. Burnett before the Yankees had time to snap them up. The Orioles have the same basic needs this time around -- a big-swinging corner infielder and a frontline starting pitcher -- but the dynamics of the market are considerably different.

Here's the latest list of free agent corner infielders that Andy MacPhail has to choose from if he doesn't want to give up any of his core pitching prospects to make a trade:

First base

Hank Blalock TEX
Russell Branyan SEA
Carlos Delgado NYM (B)
Nomar Garciaparra OAK
Jason Giambi COL
Ross Gload FLA
Aubrey Huff DET
Nick Johnson WAS (B)
Adam LaRoche ATL (B)
Kevin Millar TOR
Robb Quinlan LAA
Matt Stairs PHI
Mike Sweeney SEA
Jim Thome LAD
Chad Tracy ARZ

Third base

Adrian Beltre SEA (B)
Geoff Blum HOU
Craig Counsell MIL
Joe Crede MIN
Mark DeRosa STL (B)
Pedro Feliz PHI
Chone Figgins LAA (A)
Troy Glaus STL (A)
Jerry Hairston NYY
Mike Lamb MIL
Melvin Mora BAL (B)
Juan Uribe SF

If you recall, the name that was buzzing around late this last season was Nick Johnson, but I'm trying to figure out how to cast a guy who has a total of 13 homers over the past two years and has never driven in 80 runs in a season as an upgrade.

Personally, I'd like to see the Orioles make a real play for third baseman Adrian Beltre. The guy is coming off an injury-diminished 2009, but hit at least 25 home runs the previous three seasons. He'll be in some demand, but might consider the Orioles because of his close relationship with shortstop Cesar Izturis.

Our beat guy, Jeff Zrebiec, thinks that Pedro Feliz is the most likely third base possibility. The best player available at third is Chone Figgins, who would be an interesting choice if there was any chance he would consider Baltimore.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (94)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Well, I guess somebody was impressed with the Ravens' 16-0 road victory over the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, because they moved up from 14th place to 11th place in the ESPN.com NFL Power Rankings.

Of course, those are the same Power Rankings -- along with SI.com -- that had the Ravens as the best team in the NFL after Week 3 but who's counting. This week, ESPN ranks the Ravens as the best 5-4 team in the sport, jumping ahead of the Eagles, Texans and Falcons. They could jump back to No.6 or 7 with an upset victory over the Colts this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

If you're holding your breath on that, you might turn blue.

My first take of the week on the Ravens/Colts showdown will be posted on the Web site later today.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Just football