Peter,
Can you post who the 29 guys left includes so we can play manager and think about who else gets cut?

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Pete's reply: Not right this minute. Gotta go talk to Dave.

I'm very disappointed that Lou Montanez and Scott Moore never really had a chance to make this team out of training camp. Pie has been handed a job that he has yet to show he has anywhere close to earned, all the while Montanez has kept up the tear he was on last year. Very disappointing. I understand the options situation, but when you have a relatively young guy in your system who has shown he can produce at the Major League level, he deserves a chance. If they end up trading Montanez because the outfield is full I will be sick.

It's a shame that Lou has to go back down. I thought he showed enough consistancy and improvement to be able to hang on but with all the extra left fielders and guarenteed contracts I guess there was an unavoidable numbers crunch.

Maybe we can use him and Liz in a package for a decent starter.

How do you play Pie ahead of 3 or 4 outfielders that are better players (Montenez, Riemhold, Salazar, Scott). Other than being out of options what has he proved?

So, does this mean scott moore won't make the team? I think that's ashame, I think he should be the 4 bench player.

Hey Peter,
If the season follows how spring training has been going, do you see Pie being replaced by Montanez during the season?

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Pete's reply: If so, it will be in July, but lots of stuff could happen to get Lou back here.

After twelve years of questionable decisions I really have to rank keeping Pie and demoting Montanez as one of the worst.
I have lived and died with the Orioles for 55 years and don't think I've ever seen any decision so ONE MANS OPINION in that period of time. It like Andy can't admit that he might have made a mistake when he Cubs drafted Pie and he's determined to make his decision come out right no matter what. They aren't even playing him in LF. Right now my fan standing as an O's fan is at an all time low. Hopefully for the Orioles sake, I wrong.

Peter,

I'm sorry, but, Ryan Freel and Felix Pie DO NOT make the O's a better team.

If they truely believed in a youth movement, Montanez, Salazar and Moore would go north and The O's would either waive those two or eat the contract.

And I'm not so sure I am willing to wait until after the trade deadline for Melvin Mora to start hitting. I believe he is in the last year of his contract, therefore the O's should look at moving him now.

Montanez would have given us some pop off the bench. I guess we don't want that on our team this year?

well if pauley cleared waivers i would think penn would too but it would look like he may have to go the double a to start or be in the bullpen at norfolk. i think montanez will be with the orioles after the first 50-60 games to play in place of pie.

Why Lou the guy can hit has a little power and can handle his position. Is this guy Pie who looks totally lost chasing down fly balls the answer?

I don't get the fascination with Moore. What did he hit at Norfolk last year? I don't remember him doing very well.

Montanez was at AA last year. It won't hurt him to dominate at Norfolk for half a season.

I'm sick of everybody bi***ing about Felix Pie. The guy may not have proved anything yet but he has a much higher upside than Montanez or Moore. I'd much rather see Pie try to figure out how to hit this year (especially since our team is going to completely blow anyways) than have him sent down and picked up by another team only to bloom into a superstar.

I love Montanez as much as the next Orioles fan but we have a logjam in the outfield and I think they made the right move. The Orioles should look at Montanez at third base. If Chipper can move between Left and third why can't Lou? Melvin is getting old and his tenure is almost over here.

I don't what MacPhail & Trembley see in Pie. The guy's a .240 hitter w/no power. Reimold on the other hand has produced at every level & led the team in HR's this spring in only 28 AB's. No wonder this organization is on the way to a 12th straight losing season

You gotta be kidding me, Moore and Montanez earned their way onto this team. I would much rather see Mora traded and Freel and Pie cut so we can give these guys a chance. Yet another lame decision by this organization. And just when I thought the organization had a clue and a real plan. Well... they are what we thought they were... idiots

Youth movement?

Do people realize the Pie is younger than Montanez, Salazar and Moore?

Not too mention he makes the outfield more athletic. Unless you're expecting to compete this year, you play the players with more upside first.

Geez, stop complaining.

Please tell me it's not true that AM sent Lou(a much better hitter) and kept Pie because he didn't want to be embarrassed about making a bad deal. That's a great way to build a ball club.

This is the first time I have ever said a negative word about Trembley. His declaration at the beginning of Spring Training that there would be an open competition to see who makes the roster was just a boldface lie, as evidenced by the demotions in recent days. Pie on this roster is evidence of Trembley's lack of integrity in this matter.

Moore had one of the best springs, Montanez is a stud,--- who do you take in a seven game series the Tides or the Orioles?

Obviously there is more politics being practiced on this team than I ever imagined. It's simply wrong to just hand out a job to someone in January before they even show their wares.
Pie and Freel over Montanez?
Ridiculous.

Mr. Trembley just cannot pick them. He should be fired if they finish under .500 yet again. And I don't want to hear he doesn't have the players to field a winning team. He has the players, but let's them go.

People have to stop thinking that Montanez is some kind of saviour. Yeah, he had a great year last season - in AA at 27 years of age. Pie has more upside and is younger. If he flops then Lou gets his chance. If they send Pie down, he's claimed by another team and he may blossom with them. Then the people that bitch about keeping him up will accuse MacPhail of giving up on him too soon.

As for the Freel-bashing; I don't get it. This guy's a fire-eater - something the Orioles have lacked the last few years. He can steal you a few bases, rarely leaves a game with a clean uniform and can play a variety of positions. He's not a difference-maker but he's great off of the bench or in an extended role filling in for an injury.

In a blind stat test, let's evaluate.

A 24 year old who has been a stud in the minors vs. a 28 year old who has bounced around in the minors and had ONE, ONE great year IN AA playing against 21-24 year olds....HMMMMM, I think I'll take a shot on potential too.

Nothing against Lou, I have no doubt he'll be up in Charm City this summer when Freel (who is very proven, very valuable and very injury prone) goes down with an injury.

Seriously, rush rush rush is what everyone is about now. We all knew this was how it was going down, let's break camp and see how it pans out.

Unbelievable how any MLB team can bring 30 "pitchers" to S.T. camp, and not come up with even a 4 man rotation. Where's the scouting been? Why not just put an ad in the paper?

BobbyWoontz,

DT isn't picking them, AM is. Look at his quotes. Pie was promised the LF job when he was acquired. It was a foregone conclusion. Everyone knows that, even Lou. It isn't just, it isn't fair, it just is.

Honestly, in a 7 game series I'd lay offis on Norfolk over the O's every time.

Man, this time is gonna be terrible against left handed pitching this year. Just dismal, and they send down the best right handed power hitter they got. Unbelievable, but with the O's totally beleivable.

BobbyWoontz,

DT isn't picking them, AM is. Look at his quotes. Pie was promised the LF job when he was acquired. It was a foregone conclusion. Everyone knows that, even Lou. It isn't just, it isn't fair, it just is.

Honestly, in a 7 game series I'd lay odds on Norfolk over the O's every time.

Man, this time is gonna be terrible against left handed pitching this year. Just dismal, and they send down the best right handed power hitter they got. Unbelievable, but with the O's totally beleivable.

Let's cut Trembley and MacPhail a little slack. They traded for Pie to play him. A bad spring training isn't reason enough to cut a guy. The O's have to give him a few months, at least to see if he can figure it out. He is the same age as Adam Jones and he didn't exactly light the world on fire last year, but we weren't calling for him to be cut right out of spring training.

A little patience and perspective is in order. The O's are looking at what, best case 4th place this year.

Everyone just needs to chill out. Lou will get his chances and he still has options. Let him hit is way back onto the team in AAA and force the O's hand.

I'm certainly with the majority here about the Montanez/Pie situation.
For those few claiming that the team made the right decision because Pie has more upside than Montanez, I would love to hear an explanation of that. Other than the fact that he's 4 years younger I don't see it. Lest we forget that Montanez was the #3 overall pick in the draft at 18 years old. Upside doesn't get much higher than that. And it seems that just as he's putting it all together, this organization would rather gamble on Pie. Montanez admitted that he held himself back in the past and now he seems honest, humble, hard working, mature and oh the by way a freaking stud ballplayer. Triple Crown Anyone? I know double A stats don't automatically translate to the majors,but a triple crown? That's crazy. And he missed the last month and half of the season in the minors because he was busy batting .300 in the majors. I don't claim to be a professional evaluater of baseball talent but I like to think that I do have some common sense. As someone (like almost all of us here) who loves the O's and wants them to suceed more than anything, this decision with regards to Montanez is equally as disappointing as the 12th straight losing season we are about to encounter.

Pete, question for you. What do you think the future holds for Montanez? It seems like such a talented player needs to be on the major league club. I understand about Pie being out of options, but a minor league triple crown last year and a .314 average this spring is just too hard to ignore. My fear is that the O's will eventually cut him loose and he will go somewhere else and become a bonifide star.

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Pete's reply: I think Montanez stays here and plays here eventually.