This is a bunch of CRAP! Cabrera does not deserve a suspension -- especially not 6 games! He better appeal and the *!@%* league better reduce the suspension to 1 game or less.

Ramirez only get three games? Why? Because he missed?!? His ball was worse then D. Cab's.

And Schmuck -- don't tell us not be be outraged. Obvious Yankee favoritism. If you are not going to defend our team, then you don't deserve to have this blog.

That's so absurd, I don't even know what to say.

I think Cabrera's incredulous response to the ejection says it all. Had a warning already been issued? That's the only excuse I can think of for Fairchild's actions. I guess MLB feels compelled to cover Fairchild's rear by issuing a suspension? Dispicable.

I hope that this means Edwar Ramirez is going to get at least 6 games off himself, because his pitch was much more clearly intentional, and while it didn't hit Millar, it was escalating the situation. If he doesn't get a similar suspension, then the Orioles really have a reason to complain.

I am still outraged. Yeah, they suspended Ramirez too, but his was obvious, and it was only for three games while Cabrera's is for six and was not an obvious head-hunting incident. It was obviously an intent to come inside but not necessarily hit him. If he hadn't been leaning over the plate and into the pitch - which is why you try to move the guy off the plate with an inside pitch - he wouldn't have gotten hit in the upper arm. If it had been the other way around - Millar got hit, A-Rod got buzzed - it probably still would have been the same result - the Oriole starter suspended for six games, the Yankee reliever suspended for three. THAT is what gets me steamed.

Besides, "it's just one start", but the Orioles have a shortage of capable starters in the organization ready to pitch at the major league level, as you may have noticed.

Just watched your Dodgertown video. Is there any chance the O's will be there next year?

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Brian, my gut feeling is no, they'll play in Lauderdale one more spring and then move to Dodgertown. Pete

I completely agree that Cabrera didn't seem to have intent by any means, and that Ramirez's was obvious...

Also, I'm tired of people saying Cabrera doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt at this point.... In the past, yes, he threw at people, but he has been a different pitcher this year... and correct me if I'm wrong, I don't believe he has intentionally thrown at one batter this entire season. I think that has to count for something.

And while I completely disagree with Cabrera's suspension, the reason Cabrera got 6 games and Ramirez got 3 is because Cabrera is a starter and Ramirez is a reliever. Suspending Cabrera for 6 games is really suspending him for 1, while suspending Ramirez for 3 games is probably suspending him for 1-2 games, depending on how much he would have been used.

Boo-Hoo, did Mr April get his wittle back and feelings hurt? I understand that he probably got tossed due to his past, but Cabrera has been nothing like that this year to warant a suspension.

Has there been any kind of word on Brian Matusz? Signing him seems to be taking longer than people anticipated...

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Mark, I don't have any special insight, but my experience tells me he gets signed during the second week of August. pete

This is the most ridiculous suspension I recall ever seeing. No warnings were issued, Cabrera throws inside and hits a batter and gets tossed. The ejection was tenuous enough, but by suspending him the league has just told pitchers everywhere not to pitch inside to marquee players. Ever, because you do it once and you get suspended. That's complete garbage. I know the argument that 6 games is like 1 for a starting pitcher, but please. How many games did Gomes get for the Rays-Sox brawl? Coco Crisp and James Shields?

My opinion of Girardi is lower than low. We are so insanely lucky he was a prima donna moron and turned down the Orioles and we got someone with class and fire. I'm hoping beyond all hope that the Orioles win the last game of the season at Yankee Stadium, and that said game is the one that knocks the Yankees out of the playoff race thus insuring no more games are played there.

If it were anyone else, I'd say "he didn't mean to hit him because it would make no sense to let them back in the game", but Cabrera is definitey dumb enough to hit him intentionally and I think he did do it on purpose.

Hopefully this gives a AA guy a start.

Thanks for replying to my comments about the train and Roch getting kicked off and riding the rails of blogging, etc.
I never read a story of why the clock stopped ticking. I never heard a peep. A buyout just reminded me of my old photo editor being told to take the money and run or get fired. He took the buyout. I thought that was what Roch was dealing with. You made sense of it.
It's a shame Daniel gets this 3 days rest. Yes the A-Rod Protection Act, as you put it, seems to be in effect. The Yankees seem to do no wrong.
Keep doing what your doing as you know how. Your no rookie, you know what we want, so I hope you don't take the critics too seriously. Just keep us informed, even it is a little nugget. Even about things like former Orioles Geronimo Gil (O in 01-05) hitting his first home run while playing first base yesterday for Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Triple A Mexican League. They won 7-2 over Piratas de Campeche. I guess they start the second half of the season from scratch.

Hey Pete,
What's your favorite Gilligan's island episode?
I'm guessing one that had the proffesor as the main character. The one's with dream sequences?

Your bio does say "we can expect a little of everything" on this blog.

Cabrera throwing at someone? Outraged, impossible, infesitisimal???

When you've thrown at peoples heads in the past, you will not get a pass

I'm so in favor of him starting the least amount of games possible, so it's a win win for all concerned.

Earlier in the day I post here what was supposed to be my last word on the D-Cab/A-Rod incident, but then another thought occurred to me and then word of the suspension.

I've been arguing that Cabrera wasn't throwing deliberately at Rodriguez, but after watching the video of it a few times, now I'm not so sure.

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200807293221808&c_id=bal

If it was intentional, what was the motivation: retaliation for the homer or reminding the Yankees not be throwing around the head of his teammate (Millar had to duck a Edwar Ramirez--Edwar, buy a consonant!)? Whatever the case, if Daniel did hit him on purpose, it shows his mind wasn't in the game the way it should be, because smart pitchers don't give the Yankees a free baserunner.

What could possess him to do it? Maybe he was thinking that he was pitching so well that it didn't matter, as he could come back and dominate the New York lineup at will. If so, that's not too smart, either.

Even if it was deliberate, though, the suspension/fine are based on him throwing at A-Rod's head. Now that;'s a very serious allegation, because it implies that he was trying to do bodily harm. If that's the case, then the punishment is too light because it's attempted assault with a deadly weapon and he should be facing permanent expulsion from the game and possible criminal charges.

Of course all of this is patently absurd. Yes, the pitch came in too high, hitting A-Rod near the shoulder. (The cardinal rule, should a pitcher seek to intentionally hit a batter, is that the pitch has to be around the legs and offspeed so there is little to no danger of serious injury.)

Watch the video and you'll see that A-Rod doesn't act as though D-Cab was headhunting: He spins away from the plate, then makes his way to first; not even for an instant does he make a move toward the mound. (Granted, some Orioles fans may argue that that's only because Alex is a wuss who's too afraid to tangle with Daniel! LOL) If he thought Cabrera was throwing at his head, he'd be out to the mound in a heartbeat, as would half of the Yankee (just like in Boston last season when D-Cab went after Dustin Pedoria and the Red Sox poured onto the field).

A more likely scenario is that while A-Rod's homer was on Daniel's mind, he wasn't trying to hit him, but simply push him off of the plate with a pitch high and tight (a little "chin music"), since the last thing D-Cab would want would be for Rodriguez to be able to get comfortable at the plate and get his arms extended.

In other words, it's quite possible that Daniel was pitching smart, but just had bad execution on that pitch. If so, the good news is that he's learning more how to pitch, rather than just throw, as he did in the past.

Clearly, he should appeal this, and if there is any justice (and sanity) in the commissioner's office, his appeal should prevail. He needs to make his next start, because he needs to build on an otherwise excellent outing.

It's absolute BS that Cabrera was ejected at all, much less suspended. If anyone should be suspended, it's Joe Girardi for ordering Ramirez to throw the retaliation pitch at Millar.

I'm ok with us not making any moves. Huff can definitely help us next year and beyond; in fact it makes a lot of sense to extend him for another 2 years.
Sherrill is a decent arm and like others noted, we weren't likely to get much for him anyway.
Let's hope we cut bait with the non-productive guys over the winter and start fresh. Actually, we've played a little better lately so maybe we can build on a strong finish and at the same time, see whose worth bringing back,etc..

How do the Yankess do it? They get Nady and Marte for some low level pitchers and an underachieving prospect with a bad attitude. Does anybody think Farnsworth will help the Tigers' bullpen the way I-Rod will help the Yankees? Why can't people say "No" to the Yankees' GM? Is there money involved we don't know about?

I'm also surprised that the BoSox think Jason Bay will help their stretch run more than Manny would. Manny just might be enough to push the Dodgers to the top of a weak NL West. And what do the Pirates get out of the deal? Not much, again.

The Orioles were smart to stand pat rather than make a bad deal.

BULL@##t!!!!!!

why did cabrera get 6 games and the yankees pitcher who obviously did get 3? he may be a reliever, but last time i checked they dont issue suspension lengths based on how much it can hurt a particular team.

probably did not help that the Baltimore TV announcers criticized the Ump for throwing Cabrera out of the game - they also pointed out he was a minor league ump and over reacted.

On another note, it was disappointing no trades were made prior to the deadline - same story for the last number of years. Team plays over their capabilities for 2/3 of the year and then collapses the last 1/3. Trembley is great - but he is limited to the cards dealt to him or players, that is.

This is a belated response to the "MacPhail speaks" posting earlier today.

People who are criticizing the perceived "failure" of Andy MacPhail to make a move and who say that Oriole players are regarded as "junk" by other teams, I have this to say: Get a clue!

There's way too much anguish over MacPhail not doing what you wanted when you wanted, but you're all missing the bigger picture. Last year around this time the O's didn't get rid of two "junk" players, Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada, so according to your reasoning the team "failed." Fortunately, none of you are calling the shots, and by waiting until after the season, MacPhail was able to garner hauls for those two players that were nothing short of extraordinary.

Really, it's to the team's benefit--not it's diminishment--that no big trades were pulled off. Does anyone seriously think that not trading for a shortstop at this time is going to make or break the O's season? Get real.

Frankly, I hope there are no trades between now and the end of the year, either, because it will give the front office a much better idea of where the club stands and enable it to determine which positions can best be improved via the trade route, which will take free market signings, and which can be filled through players coming off of the DL or brought up from the farm system.

After a decade of following losing teams, it's easy to become impatient, but if Andy MacPhail has shown us anything so far, it's that he's not going rush into a deal that doesn't bring back equal return or better, that doesn't aid in the overall rebuilding process, that doesn't bring the franchise a solid winning team.

Or maybe you haven't seen Adam Jones play or George Sherrill pitch! LOL

Even the Yankee TV announcers said it was absurd that he got tossed from the game... just proves what we all know about the MLB front office and their beloved Skankees..

Even the Yankee TV announcers said it was absurd that he got tossed from the game... just proves what we all know about the MLB front office and their beloved Skankees..

Sorry Peter, but yes he is entitled to the benefit of the doubt at this point - or should he be suspended any time he hits a batter for the rest of his career? Even A-Rod said he didn't think Daniel was throwing at him

The Orioles are better without him

Who cares about a vacation for Cabrera? His suspension is a vacation for O's fans from Cabrera. Perhaps fans will see a minor league pitcher who is a possible future O's starter. Should be more interesting to watch than yet another Cabrera outing.

Okay, Daniel and the Orioles definately got screwed here. Big question now is . . . who pitches Sunday. Great opportunity to get Bergeson his first start, low pressure, in Seattle, against an opposing pitcher with a 4-12 record.

pace yourself. it's only your first day.

I was watching MLB tv , the YES announcers was on, Paul O'Niell etc,, they all said it wasn't intentional and was saying "Whats up with this Ump?" That wasn't a purpose pitch, we was hanging on to the game.

O's Fan in Nebraska: Well, Danny's a starter, so suspending him six games is the same as suspending him one - he will miss one start.

Hello...he's a starting pitcher people. Suspending a starting pitcher for 5-6 games is the exact same as suspending a position player for 1-2 games. What's the issue here??

Complete and utter BS!

douginalaska: The Yankees announcers apparently are about the only thing up there with any sense of class or playing fair.

Not only did all three of the Yanks announcers think that Daniel getting tossed was a joke, but the next day when Ramirez threw at Millar, they were shocked that he had no reaction one way or the other so to me, there's a big difference between Daniel and Dave, screaming at the Umps that he didn't throw intentionally and Ramirez just walking off the field, like oh well.

Joke!!!!

Technically, Cabrera IS available to pinch run or even (I can barely type this without dying from laughter and ridicule) pinch hit (pinch strikeout). You never know when your team is going to have a 25 inning game. 6 is 6. I don't like it. And if Girardi was the O's manager I would quit the team and learn to become a Tijuana Stinky Donkeys fan.

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Almost: That's not true. He can remain in the rotation while he appeals the suspension, but he can't even put on his uniform for those six games if it's upheld. pete

Well Pete have enjoyed the blog this far even though I occasionally disagree with you,I think you are a competent writereven if you do support the semi-pro USC Trojans.As far as the Cabrera suspension goes that just might be one of the biggest turds I have ever witnessed.It's a guy who has been historically wild throwing an inside pitch to MLB's version of Micheal Jordan and their beloved Skankees.The only thing that keeps Bud Selig from being the worst comissioner in baseball is the fact that Paul "get a museum" Tagulabutt somehow was named NFL commissioner.Bud Selig as comissioner always has been ,always is,and always will be a joke and a conflict of interest.Nice to know the fill in umpire is also a mind reader,will serve him well when he's out of work.Is it me or has this not been a continual year of horrible umpiring.It's time MLB held umpires accountable for their gross inadequacies.Almost makes you wish for Ron Luciano and Earl Weaver.At least that was entertaining and you knew it was coming,lol.Still remember him throwing Earl out beforehe ever even got to home plate with the lineup card.Luciano was an a** but it was funny none the less.If Cabrera gets 6 games,Ramariz should have gotten 12.

peter, luv ya man, but you're wrong, and anyone who says the O's are better off w/o him is a moron and an idiot. have any of you seen this staff the month of july? friggin ridiculous. 6 games is a joke! we were WINNING the game, there was no brawl, he was pitching lights out! say whatever you all want about d-cab, he was the only one other than guthrie all year who was giving us innings. i guarantee this suspension gets reduced. last thing. if he was intentionally throwing at A-rod, good for him! i don't condone throwing at the head, but its about time someone on this team shows some cajones, b/c no one else has the b*lls to do it.

Hey look, Pete...all this talk about Cabrera's suspension is just a bunch of 'Who Struck John'. I would rather focus on the Orioles' efforts to get into the playoffs this year. That's right.

I said the playoffs.

They've got the sticks, and the defense. They need a couple of these young studs in the rotation to step up and take care of business.

Don't count out those O's, hon.

I think the suspension isn't warranted, but it's pretty typical to suspend a starting pitcher at least 5 games. If he was suspended 3 games, he could take it between starts and it wouldn't even affect his turn in the rotation. For the Yankee reliever, 3 games is obviously keeping him off the mound when he might be used.

As Aubrey Huff might say, that suspension is horses%@*!

C'mon Pete. What I said WAS true. What I was saying was that 6 games for a SP is NOT just like one for a position player or relief pitcher. That's because a starting pitcher would be available for emergency sub jobs on his non-pitching days. Stop responding over those martinis man. Leave that to us.

Ramon could teach Wieters that you don't block every ball in the dirt or block the plate or even attempt to throw out base runners because like Jim Hunter says in the MASN commercial, there are 27 outs, you have to save yourself.