Bring him up!

Let's hope Tuesday's child is full of grace.
And doesn't fall flat on his face.
If it turns out he's full of woe.
Then it's back to the bushes he must go.

The End (Thank God.)

There is NO way it is Johnson...that would make absolutely no sense Peter. If they were considering that, he would have been used a long time ago. My hunch is it will be Penn...they're being patient with their young players and I think going against the Angels and their running style that a starter with major league experience makes more sense.

Pete: Thanks for the video of Travis Snider having a Bo Jackson moment. (It's good to see you embedding, something Roch never did, as it makes for a more lively blog.)

I agree that Brad Bergesen makes more sense, and for the reasons you give. Also, I think to bring up Hayden Penn would be putting too much pressure on him, since he's been back less than a year after his 2007 season was shut down prematurely,

My post on "Close enough to touch" criticizing Dave Trembley for pulling Garrett Olson when he did generated some backlash. Fair enough, that's what makes these blogs fun. Below are my responses to comments in the order received:

Austen -- Okay, granted I'm no psychic, so I can't claim to know his Olson's innermost thoughts, but I've never heard of a starter who was happy about coming out of a game. Starters don't want to come out of a game because of their competitive drive; they all have it. And this is something so basic that it doesn't require a Kreskin to figure out.

Ron -- I know what you're saying, but keep in mind that I'm a fan of Dave Trembley's, who thinks he the right man for the job for the most part, but last night he had a Sam Perlozzo moment and overreacted. As for your suggestion that someone is going to be on Trembley no matter what he does. Perhaps, but I'd also be one of those calling him wrongheaded if (to cite your examples) he'd pulled Olson in the eighth for pulling him too soon or allowing him to get up to 130 pitches and seven runs for leaving him in too long. My point again, though, was that the value of a complete game shutout (which pumps up the starters and saves the bullpen) far outweighs the worst case scenario, because even with a grand slam (after which Olson WOULD be lifted), the Mariners are still down 10-4 and if I'm Trembley I'll take my chances any day that with only two outs left Seattle isn't going to rally with another slam and two-run homer off of my bullpen. "Ain't" going to happen. Say the highly improbable happens and Kenji Johjima lights up Olson for his fourth homer of the season, after which Trembley goes out to the mound. What does "Skip" do then? He pats him on the back for pitching a good game and maybe remarks about how Garrette was getting a little tired. Lance Cormier comes in with the bases empty and closes things out. Olson still ends up on a positive note (okay, so we know that Jim Palmer's record is safe-LOL) by getting the win, and, I'd go so far to say, even by knowing that Trembley gave him a chance for the rare complete game shutout. Bottom line: This would have been an opportunity for Olson to mature, to build character and mound presence, but Trembley tossed it all away with a wave to the bullpen. (Dave, quit turning your pitchers into wusses! Quit managing scared!)

Lucky Horseshoe -- Yes, you're right, he was given the chance to get the second and third out, but what he WASN'T given was the chance to decide his own destiny by actually pitching to the man who could make or break his shutout bid, and that's what my comments are all about. Trembley should have given him that chance; then it's either, "Hey, great work! Congratulations, you got it!" or "Garrett, you gave it a terrific effort, but you'll get more chances for your shutout down the road."

TX O's Fan -- Let's talk about "ownership," to use a popular buzzword. Baseball's changed considerably over the past quarter century, but the coddling of pitchers is one of the changes for the worst. I'm someone who's on the same page with Kevin Millar about the need for players to "cowboy up," by looking adversity in the face and not backing down. That's about respecting the game (as Dave Trembley likes to say), about playing all 27 outs, about OWNERSHIP. Pulling Olson when he did is telling me that on this matter Trembley is doing what lots of "new school" managers do. But playing all 27 outs should also include starters when the opportunity arises (ever heard of Roy Halladay?), especially when the opportunity is with a 10 run lead in the ninth. That should be a no-brainer, because the game isn't even remotely on the line. The plus side of letting Olson stay in, one that outweighs any negatives that any of you can throw out, is that if he gets the complete game shutout, then his self-confidence will rise, since he's proven he can do it at the highest level of baseball. A complete game shutout is an achievement in this or any era, and shouldn't be devalued. Let the young man have his chance for a little glory!

TX O's Fan - I'm with you on the Yankees. Cashman did as well as he could in his deals, but they are a flawed team. I think they stand a better shot this year than they did last year at this time (fewer teams to pass in the wild card chase), but I see them falling short. Marte is a big help, but other than he and Rivera their bullpen isn't good and has lost a lot of depth lately (Ohlendorf, Hawkins, Farnsworth). They rely on two old starters in Mussina and Pettitte, have recently given jobs to Ponson and Sexson, and outside of Phil Hughes I don't see their minor leagues supplying anything of use in the next two months. I'm not sure I'd trade Ramon for Ivan Rodriguez at this point (ouch!).

That is the type of video we are looking for!!! The Orioles dominating another team/player....not Manny hitting his 500th against the Orioles!!! Thanks Peter.
Vero Beach or Lauderdale in 2009?

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Del: I'm pretty confident it's one more year in Lauderdale. pete

Hey Peter, I know what McPhail said, but do you think the O's should go after CC Sabathia in the offseason?

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JMC: I certainly would want him, but it's not my money. pete

It's Penn--pulled after 2/3 of an inning tonight--alebeit after giving up three runs. I think it's the right call, although I cannot express optimism about how he'll do on Tuesday.

If it's Penn and it appears to be, then he is being sent out there as cannon fodder to try and save the bullpen some innings. What is the over/under for number of runs scored off him before DT goes to the bullpen.

terpfan, I could have done without that little tidbit of info you posted @ 8:30. You reckon Penn simply crumbled at the slightest whiff of a callup? 3 runs without getting out of the 1st...heaven help us.

It's been mentioned a number of times right here in these pages before, but I think it needs to be revisited. Jim Johnson. Nastiest stuff on the entire staff. Unbelievable numbers. Bulk of his experience has been as a starter. Evil twin of Jeremy Guthrie.

Why in the name of Joba haven't we been stretching JJ out the last couple of weeks? Because we'll lose our set up guy? Are you kidding me?

Please, somebody, anybody, Pete, the new guy, what don't I get here?

"j" for JJ.

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Jeff Zrebiec mentioned JJ when he was on WBAL with me this afternoon. He thinks its a longshot, but Trembley said there were two major league candidates for the start and nobody other than Cormier seems to make sense. So, I guess it's not entirely out of the question. pete

Ken Francis -

To borrow your phrase, ever heard of Sparky Anderson? He wasn't what you would call a new school manager. He didn't have any problem going to the pen and worrying whether some kid fresh out of the minors got his feathers ruffled for not finishing the game. Look we know most starters want to finish what they start (excluding Bedard). But let's face it, there are biggers issues to consider on this club than whether Trembley should have let a struggling rookie, who by the way is no Roy Halladay, finish his game.

OK enough on this subject. I'll respect your opinion, even if I don't necessarily agree with it. Not picking on you, as I generally enjoy reading your posts.

your blog is getting better )