Maybe they should all drop out of the bidding! When is all this nonsense with these absurd contracts going to stop, what baseball needs is a salary cap like football. Even without revenue sharing , a salar cap would at least put all of this nonsense into some sort of perspective, Of couse the chance of that happening are slim and none, and you know what slim just did! Am I the only one who had abotu all I could take of this stuff , and not just now, a long time ago, it is why the O's have not gotten a penmy of my money in 15 yrs. and I used to be a huge fan. At least with football form year to year every team has somewhat of a chance, of course the O's would probably figure out a way to screw it up even with a cap!

Hey Pete,

Not sure if anyone has mentioned this, but with the Ravens playing at Dallas Stadium this weekend, Baltimore has a chance to be the answer to quite the trivia question:

Which city is home to baseball and football professional sports teams that played the final game at two of the most historical stadiums in their respective sports?

Hopefully the Ravens will fare better in their contest than the O's did in their finale!

If Tex goes to The Sox after all of this running around, I may need psychological counseling... At this point I don't care where he signs, just make is stop!

Is Ta-Scare-Ya (Teixeira) really that good? Or is it a case of the 'Hype Factor.' Hmmm, can you say Glenn Davis, Albert Belle, Jimmy Key? Forget Mark, lets get Dunn, Sheets, Lowe. Guys like Scott Boras & Bernie Madoff areEXACT examples of the downfall of the US Economy. I understand that greed is good, but this is not greed. This is downright lies and robbery of the American People. 200 million? To play baseball? Go tell that to Detroit or any of the thousands who are out of work. Everything is backwards. I mean, its snowing in Vegas Baby!!! WAKE UP MLB!

One impression I get from Andy is that he plays his cards real close to the vest. I'm sure he knows exactly what he's doing.

I can't take much more of this. To Tex, Boras, the Orioles and all other players in this, I simply say, "... or get off the pot."

Let's hope that the O's get off their deliberative butts quickly enough to step into the void before the Pink Sox change their minds.
PS
You have been pre-empted by the Navy football game. You're not scheduled to be on the air until at least two.

I still say 90% chance Tex is in Boston, because I believe odds are 99% Boras was trying to screw up the price. I admire the Sox management for the way they have handled this!

It seems like a no-brainer to me: Tex will make more $$ than God wherever he signs, so why not go with the team most likely to be a prime contender for the W.S. for every forseeable year of his contract? And a fanatic fan base, besides? He is walking into a great situation that will only get better.

And with the $$ he's making, he can afford to commute to work by jet from Bal'more every day anyway, so... no-brainer.

For those of you scoring at home:

ESPN: Ravech says Teixera has a strong attraction to playing in Baltimore.
ESPN: Olney - Orioles are falling behind and won't up their offer.
MacPhail: Who is Buster Olney? We are not out of it yet.
Red Sox John Henry: We are not a factor due to the size of the other offers.
Boras: Umm, my mistake Mr. Henry, I was just kidding, your offer is the best. Sign here and here. (awkward chuckle).

That radio show must have the worst ratings ever

Nine years, $193 million, get it out there, McPhail.

For what it's worth, Torii Hunter says the Angels came in with a huge new offer

http://www.latimes.com/sports/baseball/mlb/angels/la-sp-teixeira19-2008dec19,0,2549148.story?track=rss

It gives Orioles another stab at it; hope they go for the kill this time.

Pete—We are out of the running for Texeira. If we were still in the mix McPhail would not have publicly stated the O’s are willing to improve their offer. That is something he would have told Boras, but there is absolutely no reason to make this public if you are truly trying to sign him. Why let other teams know you position and tell others you are willing to improve your offer? As a negotiator you would never let other bidders know your position. MacPhail made this statement to appease the O’s fans and make it seem as if they are willing to make a run at him—but it must have become too rich for them. The other reason you would go public with a statement is to try to drive up the costs for other bidders.

Boston went public with their position to also let their fans know they made an aggressive and fair attempt to sign him. They also publicly called Boras’ bluff and they let the Yankees know they are no longer pursuing him in hopes that the Yanks do not sign him.

MacPhail is a very shrewd guy and knows exactly what he is doing. Believe me, we are no longer in the running and Tex is not coming here. You can bank on it. Being from Severna Park, I hoped he wanted to buy a house on the bay and raise his kids in an incredible environment. The Orioles have a lot of talent coming and will be able to compete with anyone in 2 years with Tex. And Tex and Boras know this. It is very disappointing because Tex is ultimately going for the money. Hopefully he will find as good of an environment for his family wherever he lands, because it does not get any better than living in a great house on the water near Annapolis with a great school system with his immediate family nearby.

How do we know the red sox were outbid? I haven't seen one quote from red sox management or ownership saying they were outbid. I know owners and GM's choose their words very wisely when speaking to the public so "not a factor" could mean several things.
Hopefully this is an attempt to squeeze a little more money out of Angelos and HOPEFULLY Angelos understands the significance of this signing.

Someone needs to go down to DC and liberate a pair of ruby slippers from the Smithsonian, take them down to Tex in Texas, put them on his feet (they'll have to fit, this is a fairy tale after all) and get him to click his heels togeather while saying "There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Hope I'm wrong but I think the Orioles and Nationals are being "played". My guess he ends up with the Angels. I'll be back home in Baltimore tomorrow for a week. Hope the weather is better than Omaha's ice and snow!

I have no inside information, but my conjecture is that Boras is just trying to play Boston into more money by saying there are other teams that had offered more than Boston. Boston has now called Boras' bluff. Boras is now stuck. He can't go back to Boston and accept this lower offer, because it will hurt his negotiations with future free agents. So now he has to find another partner willing to go above Boston's offer, which I doubt anyone would (except maybe the Nationals?) If that doesn't happen, Boras is forced to have Teixeira sign with Baltimore, where he could save face by saying Tex wanted to take a lower offer to play at home. It seems the only way Boras (and Teixeira somewhat) can save face without a higher offer on the table.

Peter - It may be that John Henry and Scott Boras are engaged in a bit of liar's poker, at everyone else's expense, of course.

Everyone has to remember that we're dealing with the "Grand Manipulator" in Scott Boras. He's the guy who conned Tom Hicks into a bidding war against himself for A-Rod's services to the tune of 250 mil.

I believe nothing and no one, but I'm firmly in the camp of 'Tex will follow the money.'

Is there any other blog/message board on the Internet that makes you wait hours to see your post and the posts of others? This really isn't conducive to a running conversation.

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Pete's reply: Sorry, I actually slept last night for a change.

pete this is all crazy earlier this week espn said tex has a HUGE attraction to baltimore then they are out of it, boston was bout to sign him last night now they are out, as of right now noone has come out an said they raised their offer, do you think boras is working behind the scenes with a team? do you think tex could of went to boras and said look i wanna play in baltimore so see if they will raise there offer befor i sign with the sox? is tht a possibiltiy that boras gave the orioles a chance to make another offer? cuz on the angels and nats front everything is quiet and neither team said they rasied their offer and the yanks said they havent bidded on tex

Sorry, Peter, I didn't mean that as a slam against you, I meant it as a comment on the Sun's software that doesn't allow for things to be instantly posted. I answered this post at maybe 12:30 or so, and I imagine plenty of others did as well, but for 90 minutes, it sat there commentless. I didn't realize that was on you.

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Pete's reply: Sorry, it is my fault, because I could have turned the comments over to someone else while I was out of pocket. Just overslept and had to rush to the radio station.

Boras doesnt eliminate anyone until the deal is signed. So the O's or Sox are in it up until Tex signs wherever.

Peter don't listen to "alphanumerics" - you are doing a stand-up job with this overheated soap opera. Seeing how things are playing out, I will be very surprised to see Teixeira in an O's uniform next year, but you never know. Even if he does end up in Baltimore, I hope that the fans now foaming at the mouth for Angelos to sign him at any cost don't look to lynch anyone when the One doesn't lead the Birds to the World Series in '09.

On to a different subject, after the Teixeira mess gets straightened out one way or another, who do you think the Birds will target to complete their rotation? Have you heard any talk about Ben Sheets? I know he has had injury problems, but the potential upside might outweigh the risk.

After reading the articles again today, I believe the surprise announcement from last night means nothing...

Teixeira is no closer to signing with the Orioles then he was before the Red Sox staff flew to Texas. I also believe that Boras does not have a significantly better offer (if he even has one) then the Red Sox offer.

In the end, Teixeira will play elsewhere next season...and after looking at our potential starting rotation on opening day, that might be very good for the Orioles, as it is obvious we need more starting pitching.

We probably should be courting Ben Sheets more then Teixeira.

Mr. Schmuck how dare you sleep? Next you'll be wanting to spend time with your family, how can you be so selfish? :)

After the latest news form Beantown(assuming that it is true), it still looks to me like Tex will end up with the Angels. The Nationals coughing up major coin makes even less sense that Baltimore doing so. They are in worse shape talent-wise than we are so tying up so much $$$ for one player is foolish when they have so many holes to fill. They are not exactly fillling up their new stadium so maybe they are dillusional in thinking having Tex is suddenly going to make a big difference. If they can't draw decent crowds now, with the novelty etc, I would say that Washington's loing term success is questionable and paying 200 mill on a long-term contract is financially crazy. I highly doubt that the Nats are going after him just because the O's are-they have other problems more pressing.
The Angels have a huge hole at 1st and they seem to like character guys,etc so I can't believe they would want any part of Manny. They also traded away Kochtman to open up a spot for Tex so that has to factor in as well, along with the fact that their offense needs a boost.
As I stated before, I question the wisdom of taking on such a huge contract in light of our rebuilding plan. We've been burned countless times with free agents but we've also never paid this much before, so the tie up of our resources will have a bigger impact. Let's pass on this deal and 2-3 years form now, we will be glad we did.

Why is it the Baltimore Sun has no insider or anyone getting any information from the Orioles. It seems their version of reporting is to read other sites and report what they are saying. Pathetic.

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Pete's reply: Not true. We've got people working very hard to unearth stuff, but the O's have not been prominent the past few days so the news has come from elsewhere...and not much of it has been accurate.

As one of the leading reporters of sports in Baltimore I am disappointed that you can't give us ANY insight as to that the Orioles are doing. All we are left with is the 24X7 ESPN Red Sox love fest. Get us some real info!!!

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Pete's reply: Well, technically, I'm not a reporter. I'm a columnist and a blogger. I do make some inquiries and do some reporting, but there are only so many hours in the day. I depend a lot on Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly for some of that, and they do a fine job. Sometimes, the exact numbers are not gettable. I mean have you heard anything from anywhere that has turned out to be accurate?

After reading some of the messages here, I've come to the conclusion that I don't really care where any of these guys sign. I'm a fan of the game and I'll follow the O's as long as they exist. That being said, I know there are far more important things going on in the world. This whole debate about "Tex" is reminding me more and more of the sort of thing we all see in the supermarket tabloids. I'm done! Wake me when it's spring (training).

I just saw on a report from ESPN that TEX is now eliminating teams, which would mean its down to Angels, Nats and Orioles? What does the Nats have to offer better besides money? Last I saw they finished in last place too last year? Or am I that off base on my thinking?

Seems like Tex is going to be an Angel. One problem for the O's would be if they actually sign him -- I would then not be the least bit surprised to see Markakis outhit him next season. Then what would we do? Also sign Markakis for $25M per? Please extend Markakis now.

the frustration over the comments is over the fact that there even is an approval process-- oddly enough, even Roch's blog on MASN has the same issue. You wouldn't think they would need to do the same thing, not being a family newspaper. OTOH, USA Today lets your comments show immediately, without approval, at least on their Idol Chatter site.

Wish the Sun would do the same thing.

Btw, Peter, I really appreciate the quality and especially the frequency of your posts-- as well as the featured comment of the day. I was sad when Roch left, but I've become a big fan of yours.

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Pete's reply: I wouldn't mind if the comments went straight up, but we're still responsible for the content of the blog and I do get a handful of really offensive (and sometimes libelous) things that can't be posted. Thanks for hanging in with me, however. There are some gaps in the posting process, but overall I think I'm pretty responsive.

This make sense?

Boston is NOT out of it. They're Boston, so they told Boras what they will pay TEX for the honor of playing there. My guess is that its more than the Angels and Os and less than the Nationals. The Nationals have made the biggest offer and the SOX are daring them to take it. Won't be surprised if he does end up in Cali. Big bucks, no pressure and they'll compete every year.

Cnnsi.com reports that Red Sox are still in on Tex. I believe he will sign with Red Sox or Angels, but the media is trying hard to get him to sign with the Red Sox and refuse to believe that the Sox are giving up. The Media and (ESPN is takes the cake on this)thinks that all Big money free agents/stars should be signed by the Red Sox or Yanks and that there are no other teams in MLB. It's really pretty sad and disappointing.

Pete - hearing PA offered 9/225 with a 3 year opt out....sound right?

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Pete's reply: If he did, he's even crazier than you are.

forget tex, bring ripken back with brady, hoiles, and the legend that was jefferey hammonds

forget tex, bring ripken back with brady, hoiles, and the legend that was jefferey hammonds

I just heard on a Baltimore station that someone in the Texas Ranger organization is saying the O's are going 10 years 200 mil. That the O's are the front runners. Anita Marks says this came in an email from a fan. So take it for what is worth. Fans have as good a guess as ESPN experts. I'm tired of the national media trying to force the issue so Yankees and Red sox can keep up the rivalry. Buster is a fool

In addition, we only have ONE starting pitcher?! Tex means nothing with NO PITCHING. UGH, SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE OUR BIRDS!!!!!!

Think of this a minute, I went to boston, and yankee blogs and the amount of bloggers compared to are blogs are at least 10-1. That should tell PA and MCP just how relavant this team is to this town right know. I would love to know how this signing is going to effect the pitching were after.I want TEX just as much as everyone else in here. 9-180. Those young pitchers aren't to far away folks. 2yrs tops.

I think I'm in the minority here and really hope Teixeira doesn't come here. I think giving him 20/mil a year will really slow our rebuilding process. The O's had no problems with offense last year. I do believe they do need one more solid offensive player but hopefully that will come from Weiters or sign Burrell or Dunn for a short term deal. Resign Nick, trade Roberts as much as I love him but we need a few more pieces. There are a few posters that get it... we need PITCHING. We have a nice lineup, a great bullpen, but we have no starting pitching.. we really don't, we just have one starter right now.

The Rays didn't turn great because of Longoria, Upton, Crawford, and Pena (they didn't hurt), but they had Jamie Shields, Matt Garza (from a trade), Scott Kazmir and now David Price coming up. McPhail gets it, we finally have a decent group of starting pitchers come up since probably Mussina and McDonald. We're gonna be two years away no matter WHO we sign. The Yankees have shown us how to screw up a franchise by signing players for 100+ million.

"Mark" my words.. Tex will sign with our O's and they will contend for the playoffs in 2010. He is the missing piece to restoring this once proud franchise.

If Tex really wanted to be near family, why is he still living in a house in Texas in the off-season?

Rumor has it that Teixeira doesn't like the new uniforms.

"What does the Nats have to offer better besides money?"

Oh, you mean besides, money, money, money, and money? And if you don't get that, I repeated it so many times because money is a huge factor, don't let any quote tell you otherwise.

The Nats have a brand new stadium and they play in a weaker division than the AL East. So if the Nats got Tex, upgraded the pitching which they have money to do that with in the next coming season or two, they could jump up the standings pretty quickly and compete.

Meanwhile the Orioles still have no pitching, and have to climb over every other team in the AL East.

I say they get a meeting together. Tex and Boras on one side. and Angelos McPhail Ripken and Phelps on the other. littel hometown support.

Pete, good to see that people here know Tex will sign with the O's and guarantee it. When there are writers like these, who needs the Jeffs and Dans? Shhhh, though, don't tell Mr. Zell.

I keep hearing how we NEED pitching and we should ignore Tex.

1) If I have to choose between rented pitching for a possible few years with a higher risk of injury vs. a solid to great defensive 1st baseman w/ a big bat who hits for average and power and is a hometown boy (aka a possible heir to Cal) for a decade, I'm not taking the pitcher. Don't get me wrong, Sheets is a great pitcher when he's healthy, but does anyone really see him as a long term solution for anything? He'd pitch 1/5 of the games for a couple years if he's completely healthy. Tex can hold down 1st at a top rate for at least 6-7 more years. So you take a couple years when he's on the decline. Did anyone have a problem watching Cal out there when he was in his final playing days?

2) Is our pitching situation really as dire as we keep saying?

I keep hearing how we have 1 starter. I know I'm gonna get grief for saying this, but Olson can be a solid 4 or 5 if he's given a little confidence out there. He needs to not be pulled every time he gets in a jam. We're gonna lose games this year, why not let him work through some jams instead of giving him the hook when things get dicey?
We don't know about Troy Patton. I think he has a good possibility to come back this year and again, like Olson, be a 4 or 5 guy.
Switch out Liz and Johnson. I think if given to pitch every 5 days, Johnson could be a good #3. He's got the stuff and the intestinal fortitude. And I think Liz would actually be very effective in late inning relief.
So what are we missing? A number 1 or 2 guy. We can get a place holder for '09 and hope to cash in on some of our prospects making it to the bigs in '10.

But Tex is not a guy that is gonna come round every year, every two years or even every 5 years. A guy who is not only good for Baltimore on the field, but a guy who is a beacon for Baltimore as a city. Somehow, Tex coming to Baltimore for a price that was legitimately competitive with the offers being thrown at him would restore my hope in the good in baseball. Not only on the players' side, but on the team's owner's side as well.

That said, I'm ready for the coal in my stocking this Christmas.

I agree with all the posters who say that we need starting pitching to contend in the near future-2010. However, we must prove that we are serious if we are to get big time free agents at Camden. I know we have a set of great young arms in the minors, but we are also going to have to sign a strong veteran pitcher or two to compliment them in the early going. We will not get the big time FA unless we fork up the money and sign one or two top names now. Signing Teixeria makes sense. PA will not be wasting money on this sign. He is not ALBERT BELLE. Let's get our franchise player and start the REBIRTH of the franchise. Markakis, Roberts, Weiters, Huff, and Teixeria can become a strong offensive juggernaut for years to come.

Tex wants to sign for Boston but the $$$ aren't high enough. Boras tried to bluff the Red Sox into raising their bid, but Henry knows the score and called the bluff. They met Henry in Texas because that is the mid-point between Boston and Los Angeles. It was just symbolic posturing designed to hide Tex's true desire to play on the East Coast.

Baltimore and Washington are out of the picture. Tex knows he'll end up like Todd Helton at Colorado, a standout player on a non-competitive team due to budgetry constraints.

Hey Smucker,

Just read your article which posted Friday evening about the Tex thing and Orioles public relations. I think your article kinda reflected the whole scenario that is going on now, kinda convoluted. I'm not sure what you were trying to bring out. But hey, that's ok. Suggestion: Lets just stop writing and talking about this Tex thing until its over. The whole thing is annoying and dramatized. You must be catatonic by now trying to stay on top of it. We should all give it a rest! Please no mas!

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Pete's reply: Oh, how I wish I could grant your wish, but the coverage was lighter today.

Hey Peter, You may remember me, this is Bernie Harvey from old mill. Also the one who played ball with Dan. Just wanted to say that I love to follow everything you write. And, wanted to know, Where do you want Tex to end up? Hope you get this. Keep up the good work.

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Pete's reply: Bernie, thanks for the note. Remember you well and so does Dan, who says hi. Thanks for staying in touch. I hope Tex comes home, but I'm still not terribly optimistic.

I hope everyone is doing well. Tell Dan I said hi as well. I have sort of fallen away from MLB a bit but this is the one chance that I may come back. This whole Tex deal has got me obsessing in front of the computer most of the day. Its driving me crazy.

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Pete's reply: I hope it works out, too. This town could use some excitement.

i wish Texiera would make up his mind he would make a great face of the franchise, just like rip was.