I have been cheering and hoping for every Oriole loss over the last 2 weeks and continue to do so in the remaining games. I want the Orioles to draft as high as possible next year, and it looks like a lock on the #5 spot now (with an outside chance we could move up or down 1 position). Just 2 weeks ago, it looked probable that we would draft anywhere from the #7 to the #11 position. I know it is a bit frustrating to watch our team lose every game, but it is for the greater good of the rebuilding process at this point. Could it be Trembley is intentionally misusing his relievers to lose games and grab a higher spot in next years draft? Could be, except this is how he managed the bullpen all year, so I don't think so.

Pete--Aren't these quotes coming from Joe Maddon?

Though, there was a time, earlier this season, when Dave Trembley could have said the same thing.

Those were the days, my friend.

...............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Sorry, that quote was from Longoria. I clarified it. My bad.

It's pretty bad when we get pep talks from the manager of one of the former classic bottom-feeders in MLB. I suppose the rationale is that anything is possible but it's also just as possible that the mighty Tampa Bay team will slide down to .500 next year. Who scares you offensively besides Pena, Longoria or Crawford or maybe Upton. Their rotation is decent but nothing special(a lot better than ours of course!) so it's one of those cinderalls stories but give credit where it's due. No one in Tampa seems to care though but their franchise competitive-wise looks brighter than Baltimore.
I guess you could argue that we are now more like Pittsbugh or KC with the consistent losing and with rosters full of unproductive vets that can't catch on anywhere but the BIG 3! Hopefully, this off-season will prove me wrong and we continue the rebuild by immediately releasing guys like Walker/Ramon and stop trolling the bargain bin/waiver wires.
I am also hoping that the massive DL is cleared up so we get a true picture of our pitching situation.

Hey Peter,

Just a couple quick thoughts-
I've noticed no shortage of pessimistic comments on your various posts lately, and I think your readers need to grow up. Nobody seems to be able to keep things in perspective--namely, the season the Orioles have had. Given the outlook at the beginning of the season, I don't think anyone would have predicted the level of success the team has had this year. While some seem to think success is directly correlated to wins versus losses, this simply is not the case for this team at this time. I understand the recent swoon has had a dampening effect on both team and fan morale, but for those complaining of "11 straight losing seasons," I pose this question: at the beginning of the season, what did you expect? Quit griping and look at the big picture.

Fickle is the name of the game.

Also, Jay Payton plays as hard as anybody on the team. I don't understand why he is criticized so much.

Dave Trembley is a great manager. I'll leave it at that.

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Thanks. We can use an upbeat post or two, but I think people are just more motivated to post when they're frustrated, and they have a right to be frustrated at how the last few weeks have gone. Still, there is a big picture and we'll see over the next year or so whether it's going to be a pretty one.

Guy,

Seattle (118m), Washington (55m), Pittsburgh (49m) and San Diego (74m) are currently ahead of the Os in the draft. Their current payrolls are given in parentheses. Of these teams only Pittsburgh appears to be unwilling to pay the price for a high dollar draft pick. They are also the only remaining team the Os have a chance of undertaking. So it is likely that the Os will get the 4th best player in this years draft. We'll need to wait until the hot stove league heats up sometime in November to find out who that might be.

I'm upbeat! Woo!

See.

I want to see the O's get a high draft pick. Many of the other picks over the last 10 years have not gone too well. The more recent ones look to change that.

Rusty, I understand we will not improve beyond 5th overall draft pick. But if we had a good last 3 weeks of baseball, we could have gone as low as 11 or 12 overall draft pick. This is the point of my comment ... surprising you couldn't tell ... I thought it was pretty clear