Interesting choice of words. Kind of like pulling a bandage off of an open wound. PA, if you're listening, you're the gunk covering the wound in this pitiful analogy.

Well...if the Orioles do not sign Teixeira, and also did not even put in a competitive offer, then it will be "imminent" that I am no longer a fan. For what it is worth Pete, your reporting has been much better then ESPN altogether, which is pretty amazing as you have done better then an entire network!

" . . the folly of letting your emotions run wild every time one of us starts talking about what might eventually happen. It'll be over soon enough."

Geez, Pete, I feel like I am waiting to be executed at the guillotine!!

I am slighting ESPN, ESPN is an over saturation of mediocre journalism attempting to fulfill unrealistic desires of fans. Rather than just not report they speculate to often about the many personal facets of every major league. If people would just take a minute and hold ESPN to a higher journalistic standard their ratings would fall off in the CNN/SI network range. Teixeira may or may not go to the Red Sox but who cares until he does? Stop leading speculating for the Red Sox espn. I had to get that off my chest. Anyway thank you Pete for at least holding yourself to a higher journalistic standard. Its a rare thing in this fast paced media world.

you know, at this point, if Boras really hasn't revisisted Baltimore for further negotiations, I would feel much better if the Os just pulled the offer and saved our franchise from the humiliation. Derek Lowe is still out there and he could be better for us than Big Tex.

Perception is reality and Mr. MacPhail needs to realize that after 11 straight pathetic seasons O’s fans need a reason to be energized and ownership needs a reason to get convince fans to get in the seats. Mark Teixeira would accomplish just that. There is nothing Baltimoreans love more than a homegrown superstar; they are few and far between. People leave Baltimore for work or school, but always come back and the fan base would embrace Mark Teixeira in a way that Boston or New York could never do. Cal Ripken is a God here, not only for his HOF accomplishments on the field but the way he embraced his Maryland heritage and the hometown fans. Mark Teixeira would have been worshiped here, and his signing would have bought the O’s management a few more years of fan patience and commitment. That cannot be quantified with dollars and cents, because at this point it is priceless. I understand that negotiating through the media is a risky game to play, but Mr. MacPhail must see that the effort thus far, from our limited vantage point, is apathetic at best. Like I said, perception is reality, and the reality to date is that we just mailed this one in. It is a truly shame and a completely weak effort, and this is one O’s fan whose patience has run out.

Most O's fans have been trying not to allow hopes to climb. As I read these posts, many say such things as "put me out of my torture", "Just get this over". In reality, I am guessing that the Sun webmaster would claim that hits are off the charts. That's because there's been nothing to celebrate,hence read about for so long. Now, a hometowner who really is not going to make a win loss difference, merely stands for past versus hope, whether it's Flanagan or McFly, whether there really is change in the wind. Hand us the envelope please.

HEY!!
All you non fans jumping ship: Leave and do not come back. Thanks for nothing. You where never fans to begin with or you would still be fans no matter where Tex signs.

Ever think Tex may not really want to play in Baltimore? (no matter how much money is on the table)

Leave and do not come back, I am so sick of reading all you jumpers. "If we do not sign Wieters I am done...." Now same for Tex and this years draft pick Matsuz.

You seem to need a reason to quit being a fan:

How about you were never a fan and never will be. So you need not give up on your team as they never have been your team. You can just leave and nobody will care or notice.

Go buy a Red Sox hat and join that bandwagon.

If the Orioles wanted to reel in Tex, then they would do it.

It is becoming all to obvious that this club is in a salary reduction mode. Not extending B-Rob, not wrapping up the Markakis contract, not extending Cabrera arbitration, and making a half-arsed attempt to negotiate for Tex.

It is all too obvious!!!

mike-

For the last time, their first offer was a competitive offer whether he takes it or not.

It's not like they lowballed him by offering him say 67 million for 5 years. It was a $20+mil a year offer for 7 years. That's not a lowball at all.

We're all ready for it to be over, but don't let your frustration change the facts of the situation.

well pete thanks for keeping us updated throught this whole process, its the orioles fault again they put one offer out there and when every one elses is higher they dont raise it, when everyone else raises it well the orioles dont raise it, we were never really interested in him the oriooles management just thinks the fan base is stupid and actually think we felt they tried and THEY DIDNT, this was the orioles 1 chance to bring in a franchise player to bring fans back to the ballpark. you look at the free agent class next year there is noone that even is thinked of as a superstar, like i said this was there chance to make fans happy, to do what the fans wanted this one time, they had the money,they needed a 1st basemen, they need to put fans ion the seatsit all seemed perfect. Yex did have an attraction the baltimore he would be ripkin or ray lewis here he would be a god and the orioles dont see it that way, they just seem paying a gold glove, 40+ homeruns(in candam yards) 120+ RBI 28 year old franchise 1st basemen 180 mil to much. i hate to see how much jones and markakis ask for when they become stars and even worse how much wieters ask for cuz looks like the oriooles would just let them walk if they ask for a triple digit contract. its sometimes sad to be an orioles fan all we want is the old orioles way, we will have 19 sellouts this year, opening day and yanks and sox games, =( all we wanted for christmas was tex, was that to much to ask? instead we are getting mark hendriksen

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Pete's reply: 19 sellouts? They don't sell out the Yankees and Red Sox anymore.

ON XM RADIO TODAY BUCK MARTINEZ SAID HE THOUGHT TEX WOULD SIGN WITH THE ORIOLES.

I personally, am looking for a valiant effort by the Orioles to sign Tex. I do acknowledge the possibility that Tex does not have a sincere interest in playing in Baltimore or that Boras has too much power in this decision. However, I would sincerely hope that the Orioles would improve their initial 7yr $140MM dollar offer to at least match what Boston is considering. It's scary to think that the O's will not make a STRONG push to sign a Severna Park native who is a 28yr old MLB All-Star that plays a position that the O's definitely need. So I ask, if not Tex, then whom is deserving of P.A.'s money?

Peter- SO....On one hand you have Boras, who wants as many offers as possible. He wants to see what the top one is, but....they don't even talk to the O's? Even After Macphail says they are flexible? Something STINKS AND IT SMELLS LIKE PETER ANGELOSSSSS.

I love that MacPhail is sticking to his guns. I think the Orioles offer was fair and it shows they're not going over pay and be on Boras' puppet strings.

Boras is definitely manipulating "sources" and trying to create more and more bidding. Tex is a great player and wish him all the best. I hope the Nats pick him up and he can be traded in 2 or 3 years with some ridiculous $200 Million contract.

I am hoping that MacPhail jumps in the end of the bidding just push up the price for the Red Sox or Nats.

I've also heard through Mt. St. Joe's grapevine that Texeira has no interest in being the next Cal Ripken.

O's should just pursue Texeira Lite with Adam Dunn.

Hey Peter,

I think the "imminent" line actually came from one of the SportsCenter anchors, but you're right it isn't in the article itself...

Not sure why anyone gives a crap anymore.

Mark Teixeira is not signing with us. He doesn't want to play with us. He never said that. He probably did, at some point, say something like "It'd be awesome to play for the Orioles someday." But he's not going to take a huge contract discount for us, particularly since he'd be playing in a mostly empty stadium and losing 95 games a year for at least 3-4 more years. He'll sign with the Sox, you know it, I know it, we all know it. If the Sox start to suck and the Orioles ever start to contend, we can trade for him in the future, and you know Boras is whispering that in his ear. "You're not closing any doors here, Mark. You're just doing the best thing for yourself and more importantly, for your family. And think about how great it will be to put on that storied Red Sox uniform!"

Signing Tex wouldn't do anything for us anyways. We still have precisely ONE middling starting pitcher.

Awful, awful....on the contrary Doug M. I am a lifelong fan. It just seems that the Orioles can't get out of their own way. No second offer? How bad was McPhail's sales pitch?

Doug, you are just the fan that Angelos wants, a fan that hangs on to nothing while he lines his pockets. Tex made sense for a lot of reasons. He would have filled the park and brought integrity back to BMORE. I'm done if he doesn't sign until PA sells the team. It is only going to get worse from here. They are low balling Markakis an Roberts and are the laughing tock of MLB. Thanks for nothing Peter Angelos. SELL THIS TEAM NOW!

I think it's come down to Boston vs. Washington. LA is out of it, and so are the Yankees (their offices are closed between Christmas and New Years). The average money per year is there from each of the 3 teams left - it's just the total amount of years that is off.

Pete - no one has really asked this, but does Mark (or Boras) know about this blog? Do you they know how desperate the fans are for a winner here, and much Mark will be beloved for coming home and helping us out?

One last question: What DID we get in exchange for Bradford from Tampa Bay? Anything?

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Pete's reply: I think they got a cash payment for Bradford, but haven't heard anything final.

I've always enjoyed watching ESPN but their non-reporting on Tex is getting a bit ridiculous. On the other hand... THE NATIONALS!!!! No F-ing way. They have less hope than the Orioles. Please tell me Andy Macphail isn't going to become Andy "McFAIL" and let this him go there....

I can't believe how many so-called fans are swearing to end their allegiance to the O's just because Tex doesn't sign with us. A true fan sticks with their team no matter how bad things are(belive me, I am (still) a Detroit Lions fan!).
Is it so bad if Tiexeira isn't an Oriole? Maybe he doesn't really want to come here anyway and is just using the O's to drive him value up. Personally, I think he is over-rated and tying up 180-200 Mill for one guy is foolish when we are in the 'rebuild' mode and won't gain the full benefit of his presence for at least 2 years.
There are some fans here so desperate to see Tex in the black and orange that they have lost touch with reality. I can't beleive anyone woiuld suggest an opt-out clause to entice him..that makes no sense as we give him the chance to bolt just when the team becomes competitive???
And I had to laugh at the suggestion that attendance at OPCY is going to dramtically increase-based on what assumption? Many posters here are knowledgeable but ask the average Baltimore resident about this and they have far more important things to worry about these days than whether they will go to more O's games in '09 if we sign tex. I bet many have never heard of him and if they did, they may continue to stay away in form of protest once they knew he will make 20 mill/yr.
Borderline fans will likely come to see a winner or young exciting team rather than just to see one guy bash a few HRs. Those same fans that vow to stay away from the Tex-less O's will be the same fans jumping back on the bandwagon when they finally do improve.
I'll continue to follow the O's like I have since '64 . After seeing all the patch-work approaches(reckless spending/season long try out camps/bargain basement pick-ups/waiver wire trolling) I am convinced that the correct way is rebuild with predominantly young talent.

Get ready for some coal in that stocking, O's fans. It looks like our biggest acquisition this offseason is going to be Cesar Izturis.

Doug M, no one needs you to establish the credentials for what constitutes being a fan. There are many Orioles "fans" who simply do not approve of the meddling and inept management the current owner has consistently displayed for over a decade. Your blind loyalty is your prerogative, but it does not make you superior to a fan who makes an informed choice to base his or her support on how the club is being run, both on and off the field.

I'm not sure I understand why Tex is worth $178-$184 million to Washongton but not Baltimore. We own their freakin' TV network. That being said, this whole process is lunacy. A 9 digit salary for a player who has never helped any team win anything but a pennant and then lost in the first round of the playoffs - that's crazy. Go to Washington or Boston or wherever - baseball is dying in this town and it will be dead by the time the Orioles are competitive again. I'll continue spending my money on the Ravens - being good every other year is better than being terrible for 10+ years. Go Ravens!!

Being a fan is different then being a mindless Zombie.

I was a fan of the show Heroes and the WWE. When they stopped being worth watching I turned to something else that entertains me. I do not throw my time, money and energy to something thats just going to disappoint. You telling me you still watch the same shows you have every year?

Baseball is not a religion where bad things can keep happening but your faith will be rewarded in the end. Look at all the Cubs fans who have lived without a WS. We aren't the lovable losers. We are the KC Royals the Pittsburg Pirates. We are a team in need of a kick in the pants.

But if this bad economy does not affect you then feel free to continue to throw money away on something that does not try to get better when the funds and players are available.

Why does ESPN always point to the red sox or Nationals in this. And the Orioles offer isnt really that bad, maybe 1 less year, but the its still above 20 mill. And last I heard we've been hearing these reports like Pete said over and over we have know idea which one is true and what is an exaggeration. So far as I know there's only 2 real offers, from the O's and from the Nationals. Also if Tex doesn't come to Baltimore it's not the end of the world, There's still Adam Dunn yes he strikes out a lot, but just think of how many homer runs he would hit with the short porch at camden yards.

There is a difference between being a frustrated fan who is told year after year the O's are in rebuilding phase and one who is ready to jump ship if one player is not signed. It is a figure of speech, Doug, a way for the fan to vent.

McFail is just the latest in a line of the P.A. lackeys. I am not quite sure what the ownership is trying to do with the team???? We do have some excellent players coming down the pike, I actually think signing a few good pitchers is a better idea than signing one player to a long term deal. With the media coverage the way it is, he won't live up to expectations no matter where he goes (see Alex Rodriguez, circa Texas Rangers).

Calm down, Doug, it'll be ok.

Hey Peter,

After reading Jeff's latest article, it's pretty clear that the O's haven't been real aggressive in pursuing Teixeira. This is a team that has lost 11 years in a row and offered the LEAST total dollars of any proposal and yet they think that Boras and Tex are going to come to them? I just don't see how a team in our position can reasonably expect to land a player of Teixeria's caliber while offering the LEAST money and not pursuing him aggressively. Am I unreasonable in thinking this way?

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Pete's reply: No, but the alternative is to offer him $30 million more than anybody else, which might make it tougher to do anything else. Tex won't put the O's in third place without some pitching help, and $30 million could be a Derek Lowe for three years. You have to play this game to win, not just to make a public relations splash. That said, I'm not letting them off the hook until it's clear that Tex never wanted to sign here. If that is the case -- and I suspec it is -- it doesn't matter what they've offered.

(from another post)

"Pete's reply: What about this situation makes you think he wants to come here, other that the mere assumption that he should."

Look, he clearly doesn't want to play for Washington. He apparently didn't want to play for Anaheim, either. And a little while ago, Boston told him they were tired of the games, and they weren't going to be doing any more negotiating, one possible interpretation of which is that Teixeira's interest in them isn't that great and they were picking up on that. We've been told that this was just a negotiating ploy by the Red Sox, and that they are still the favorites to land him, but the people telling us that are the same ones who have been saying Teixeira to Boston all along. I find it fantastically interesting that Buster Olney's "sources" who say that Teixeira would need to take a "major hometown discount" never say, in Olney's columns, that they think that that is unlikely. Olney seems to reject the possibility out of hand, but I get the feeling that if his sources were telling him that they got the feeling like that wouldn't happen, Buster would have that in his "articles" as well (I put "articles" in quotes because articles are supposed to have something to say, whereas Buster has just made a perpetual repetition machine out of himself).

Does any of that explicitly spell out a desire to come to Baltimore on Teixeira's part? No. But taken with the statement by Karl Ravech about Teixeira's "enormous attraction" to Baltimore and several statements made by Mark in the past, and all of a sudden things seem to make sense, in a way not being reported on ESPN (company motto: all Yankees/Red Sox, all the time!).

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Pete's reply: The stuff I've heard the last couple of days indicates that he has given no indication during negotiations that he's particularly interested in playing for the O's.

Great post Doug. Main reason I hated the Redskins because they have the worst "fans".

I enjoy having a whole row to myself and being able to put my legs up during the game. If they win, great. If they lose, I'll be there next game. Is PA taking my money and ripping me off, oh yeah definately... but seriously if you aren't a fan of the Red Sox, Mets, or Yankees... does it even matter if your team is "trying".

You can't get mad at the O's, its just how baseball is set up. Atleast they're not like the Raiders or Lions.

Hey Peter,

Great coverage on this story.

If the O's miss out on Tex, do you get the sense that they'll take that money and spend it on other free agents. Maybe an Adam Dunn, who may only get 3 - 4 years and $10-12 million per year based on reports? Or Lowe, or anyone else legitimate? With the free agent market down, the O's could really pick up some nice pieces at reasonable prices, being one of the only teams with real money to spend.

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Pete's reply: I'm sure they'll spend some of it, but I think they're treating Tex as a special case. They haven't budgeted $150 million for free agents in general.

Why are people blaming MacPhail? Because he doesn't want to tie up a huge amount of money into Texeira? Honestly, does he come to town and automatically the streets are paved gold? We still have so many question marks in our starting rotation that we could sign two Texeira's and be 3 starters away from competing.

MacPhail is doing it the right way and it's long and painful. Baseball is not football, there's no salary cap and the draft picks do not have immediate impact. Look at the Tampa Bay Rays and see how they were able to put pieces together without ever breaking the bank and now they are perennial contender because they built from the ground up.

Besides, looks like right now the Yankees are the frontrunners for Texeira. http://www.fannation.com/si_blogs/hot_stove/posts/35164-yankees-on-verge-of-signing-teixeira

Pete,

I've been sitting at Connolly's all day slurping down cold ones, thought I'd pop in over here. Interesting comments. I like the guys that think Ripken should pick up the phone. This was never his style....he's not a rah-rah guy and he went with an agent that epitomized class in Ron Shapiro.

Tex is looking more and more like a buffoon every day. If I'm McPhail, I call Borass and say take our offer or make a counter offer or we will be the 3rd team to release a statement to the press, essentially pulling out of negotiations for your client's services.

Tex is like the CEO's who flew in private jets to Washington for bailout hearings. Is this really the time to play selfish free agent? His image will pay the price if this drags on too much longer.

I date all the way back to when we got Reggie Jackson for one year, in the hopes his Mom would lure him to stay in Baltimore. Reality was, we were suckered into giving up Don Baylor and Mike Torres for someone who "wanted to play for the Orioles my whole life", but, in the end, was all about the money.

I would love to have Tex in the middle of the Oriole line-up. Why hasn't the Orioles or Cal Ripken told him how great life is even AFTER baseball, having been loyal to Baltimore / Maryland? It seems that the Orioles just don't care about us loyal fans and FORMER season ticket holders of the last 40 years.

I guess I just have to keep telling my kids how good it USE TO BE, being an Oriole fan.

If Tex doesn't sign here , my anger will be twofold . One at Peter the Great for not going all out to sign him . And two at Tex with all the supposed talk of playing for his childhood team .
By the way I'm nearing the jump ship mindset as well as a few others here . And no I'm not 25 years old and only knows of O's history from what they read about . I'm in my 50's and have followed them since my childhood . If something doesn't change soon with this team ( Angelos ) , I'm done . And after 40+ years of being a fan , I dare anyone to call me a "fair weather" fan .

Hey folks....... Tex just agreed to a $170 million dollar deal over 8 years with the Yanks..... It's not about hometown nostalgia, it's about winning and winning right now. Tex never really wanted to come home to play professional ball, just except it and move on.... Hey Pete, where does that leave us?

Now drops word that the Yankees are making a significant pitch on Texeira. Geez, Angelos and McPhail, do you want him or not? We could have him, with the right money (again nine years, $192 would likely end the discussions) but now we'll be left with going over leftovers. I'll now finally take the advice of some of you guys and come to grips with fact that we can watch Tex in some other uniform as he rakes our pitching for next decade.

Done. Tex is a Yankee. Can't blame him for taking the money, but don't see him fitting into the big city; while he may excel with the team, he seems as though he is too blue collar for the lights of downtown loft living. Good luck and Merry f'n XMAS Mr. Angelos. I'll be sure to stop at your house for caroling; you still live at Roland and Charles, right?

I can't believe he's going to wear pinstripes and call himself a Yankme. He says he was a Oriole fan, he is a disgrace to O's fans everywhere

"Sorting News" reporting Tex to Yanks signing .

Just read on SI.com that BIG TEX has reached and agreement with the Yankees! Guess all of our worst fears have come true!

See I told you the guy never wanted to be here! You all and play the blame game all you want on Andy MacPhail, but in the end, he did the right thing. Because down road there will come a time when he does have a realistic shot at a Boras client. Andy knows that all too well.

I'm not crying in my beer. Boo-hoo we didn't get little Markie, our hometown hero. The guy just diss'd all O's fans and he's smiling all the way to the Yank, er bank, while everyone else here blames Andy & Peter Angelos. How pathetic!