I haven't heard or read the calls to dismiss Crowley, but if those are out there I feel like it is a smear campaign. The guy has developed and helped some good hitters. Over the past 5 years or so, its hard to argue that the Orioles lacked hitting, it has always been pitching. I may have my facts wrong, but I could have sworn that Crowley also helped develop one of the scariest hitters this decade - Big Papi.

So let's not jump to any rash conclusions about Crowley, he's a good hitting coach and young players seems to react well to him once under his wing.

Let's not forget folks, that pitching is what has done this team in over the past 10 seasons, not the hitting.

Also the Orioles had some significant holes in their lineup for a few months at the beginning of the season. Pie was hitting under .200, anyone playing catcher was hitting poorly and both SS are below average hitters. Throw in a poor first half from Mora and it isn't surprising they are having trouble scoring at times.

Too many people just can't understand baseball and how up and down players are during the course of a season. A .300 hitter like Markakis will have some months where he hits .250 ish and others .350.

Also someone like Adam Jones had 9 HRs and hit .270 last year yet when he hit .359 and .333 the first 2 months of this season people seemed to think he was suddenly a .330 hitter. Instead he hit .229 in June. These things even out in a baseball season.

Patience and common seldom doesn't seem to be a virtue among many in the US. Everything is what have you done lately.

You get standing applause from this corner, Pete.

The knee-jerk reactions are always soooo predictable after losses: If it’s not Trembley, Crow must be at fault. ... Roberts doesn't care. ... Let the starter pitch the ninth. ... Trade or bench Mora (... wait a minute, that last one makes sense!)

Thanks for reminding us that sometimes the team in the other dugout may just deserve a little credit, too. They get paid to do what they do, too.

I agree with your main point but I would correct you on one thing. While the Orioles are indeed 8th in team batting average, they are only 15th in runs scored, dead average. The reason is because they are 16th on OB% and 14th in SL%.

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Pete's reply: True, and they are not an average team. They are a last-place team which is assimilating young talent, which is why 15th isn't so bad.

Pete,

I think I want Crowley gone because he is part of the old regime. It seems like a football coach not having his own coordinators. Its taken the Orioles 11 years to get rid of Davey Johnson's organization. Not my best argument, but there it is.

That said, I wouldn't put Pie on his list of accomplishments.

Seems like we have a bunch of Phillies fans here!. The O's woes are not the fault of the Crow and not Dave Trembley. Some of the talent on this team is developing at the Major League level and some is on the down side careerwise. Every season there are games like last night. We've had more than our shareover the last 11 seasons so it seems, but let's be supportive of what is shaping up to be a competitive team for many years!

How do we improve vs left handed pitching?

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Pete's reply: By facing a lot of it and adapting.

Using the same thought process Kranitz should be fired for the poor pitching performances. Crowley is not the problem. He's no the one swinging at the first pitch all the time or getting caught looking on third strikes.

Even though the manager and coaches always get the blame, it's the players who play this game. Almost every hitter constantly pull the ball. Trembley has spoken in recent past about playing small ball. I haven't seen much of the small ball in recent games. When do they ever bunt, hit and run or even pull a double steal? Answer is quite simple, they don't. They constantly try to hit the long ball. That is a big reason why the Angels are winning because they play small ball. To the hitters, stop trying to do things that you can't do in every at bat. They all need to hustle on every pitch from start to finish. If they do that then we will see a lot more wins. If you jog to first base on a ground ball and the fielder makes an error and see's you jogging and you get called out still, then who's the blame. The hitter obviosly, then the hitter should be benched and maybe his eyes will open up.
Onto the pitchers, stop throwing down the middle so much and the HRs will stop. Attack the hitters weaknesses and attack the corners of the plate. Be agressive in every aspect of the game.
Most of the mistakes being made are not from the rookies or the young players but from the veterns. Far too many base running mistakes are being made.
This is what I think is what is hurting the Orioles so much. If Trembley is a teacher then he needs to start. If a player needs help in a certain area, that is what the coaches are there for. It's really bad when your best pitcher is a rookie who was called up a few weeks after the season started. it's also bad when the pitcher who is supposed to be the best hardly had spring training because of the WBC. Once he came back he never got untracked. And now he still seems lost at times. Sometimes the Orioles are using players that are hurt because they have no idea because that player never came forward. The guys have to realize if you are hurt and then try to play hurt, you are only hurting yourself as well as the team.

In the words of Jim Rome:

Scoreboard, Baby!

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Pete's reply: Is there some way for me to block Jim Rome quotes?

Hi Pete, I agree it's silly to call for Crowley's ouster after one bad game. But I have wondered how he has kept his job so many years. (And I am one who is happy with what MacPhail has done and think the team is close to breaking out) But I think the team has simply not produced offensively. So I went back and looked up the O's AL ranks in runs and OPS since the last winning season. The ranks are out of 14 teams:

Year Runs OPS
1997 6 6
1998 7 6
1999 8 5
2000 11 10
2001 13 14
2002 13 12
2003 10 11
2004 6 7
2005 10 5
2006 10 9
2007 9 10
2008 8 7
2009 10 10

We have to consider the talent he has had to work with. But especially this year, offensive talent has not been the major problem. So I think Crow's job at least has to be debated after all these years.

I agree PETE, w 99.9% of your thoughts on this one, like most. The Old Crow is not to blame. SEA has the best pitching in baseball, next up Bedard, who barring a hangnail, or headache will blank us again tonight. BUT we ARE in last place in the American league east in case ya hadn't noticed, and the lack of walks shows the impatience of O's lineup. Yanks, Sawks, Rays all work the counts CONSISTENTLY, so somebody on our coaching squad must be to blame. I'd like to nominate the top coach, Trembley, who sends the batting signals to the 3rd base coach.
All in all, the future looks bright

Every few weeks you write that everyone needs to take a deep breath. You should be a pulmonologist,

I guess when their team is on the way to another 70 win season (.434 ball), you should be a psychiatrist. Thinking this team is any better is being dillusional. Then again, thinking it will get better under the current ownership is dillusional as well.

Fans are going to be sour and call out everyone and get meaner the more we lose. It all depends if AM and DT still want the crow.

Grew up in Baltiimore, live near Buffalo but an Oriole fan forever. I see a lot of games on MLB. Two things stand out to me
1. The pitchers rely to much on fastballs - no deception with two strikes.
2. There is a lack of enthusiasm. We have some great young players but the hustle seems to be lacking. Is Trembley the right guy to really motivate these guys. I;'m starrting to have some questions.

We're young but not this bad. Is Trembley the type of motivator we'll need going forward. The other thing tht stands out to me is we rely to much on the fastball, no deception with two strikes

Is there any way we can get moved out of the AL east? There is no way we will contend in the next 5 years with the other teams that are in it. I'd like to be proven wrong, but Boston and New York will continue to spend and get the best players, and Tampa and Toronto both have strong foundations to be solid teams for years to come. Seems like even if we were decent one year we wouldnt even have a shot

We're young but not this bad. Is Trembley the type of motivator we'll need going forward. The other thing tht stands out to me is we rely to much on the fastball, no deception with two strikes

Pete's reply: Is there some way for me to block Jim Rome quotes?

Yeah Pete call Jim Everett

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8&feature=PlayList&p=3716E054E10E6E1F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=1

If the O’s keep playing bad expect somebody to be the fall guy.. Doubt it wall be Andy or dave…

There are a couple of trends I have seen over the last few years that are somewhat disturbing...and I want to be the first to blame Billy Beane and Moneyball.

Why is everyone so worried about players needing to take walks? Yes, OBP is important, however, what good is an inning that goes down like this: K, BB, BB, BB, DP...that's a .600 OBP in one inning with zero runs (there's a reason the OPS allstar Oakland A's don't get to the Series while other comparable spending teams do). This argument could go on forever, but the fact is, a lineup with all or nothing qualities rarely provides a winning team. You need some free swingers and all-or-nothing guys. Without them, you don't get the 3-run homer or the 2-run double, you get K, BB, BB, BB, DP...

Yes, getting on base is important, but not to the detriment of scoring runs. There are far too many statistics in this game to focus squarely on OBP or AVG, or even OPS (which is a great stat but does not predict run potential).

I gotta say, The Crow has done a very good job keeping this group hitting collectively. Pete, you are right, the alls for his head are inappropriate, but an argument can also be made that a gutting of the entire regime is necessary at this point (I disagree, but the argument can be made that nw coaching needs to come with new players).

Working the count is nice, but not necessary each and every time up. Adam Dunn, Mark Reynolds, Alex Rios, Carlos Pena, Jason Bay, Ichiro, Ian Kinsler are all considered very good or better hitters and help their teams more than hurt them, yet, each one can also be considered a free swinger.

WIth all that said, The O's have the lead story on ESPN's MB page right now.

I know, off topic but, is it just me or does it make too much sense to trade Brandon Synder for Brandon Wood straight up?

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Pete's reply: It might if Chone Figgins wasn't about to become a free agent.

Terry Crowley is most definitely NOT the Orioles' biggest problem right now. In fact, he isn't a problem at all. His body of work over a long and successful career as a batting coach speaks for itself.

A couple of things...

First of all, what the bleep is a pulmonologist?

Secondly, I would put Pie on his list of accomplishments. Since Reimold pretty much took over LF, Pie has hit 375/400/500 in 24 ABs. Thats hard to do when you are a young, raw player not getting regular playing time.

Seems to me all the time on the bench talking to the coaches just might be helping Pie learn what he needs to learn. If you can't play everyday, absorbing information from a very knowledgeable coach would seem to be the next best thing.

When he is designated(it would seem to be the logical move when Izturis comes back, as much as I hate it) some team will be getting a Pie who has learned and benefited from from Crow's advice. Here's hoping the guy gets to play on a regular basis and shows he can be a useful major league player.

Lastly, with Sherrill and Jones major parts of the club, Mickolio here for a while(and did he look good in his one inning last night) and Tillman supposedly on the way, does anyone know anything about the fifth player in the deal, P Tony Butler?

He's not listed on baseball-reference's minor league section, and I looked him up on the O's website, all I can find out was that he's on the seven day DL, but didn't say for what or when he went on.

Anyone know how this 22 year old, 6-7 righthander is doing? I know it's almost too good to be true that four out of the five appear to be capable ML players, but five out of five would be unthinkable.

I predicted 69 wins this year at the beginning of the season and that was not a difficult prediction for any pragmatic fan to make.

But the dog days are here and it is hard to watch these games as the team stumbles and staggers it's way toward September. Many of these players can't wait for the date when they can clean out their lockers and escape the stench of another ugly season.

There are certainly reasons to be optomisitic about the future but it will be very hard to stop the losing mentality and personality the team has deveolped over the last eleven and soon to be 12 years.

After supporting Trembly since he became the top dog, I now believe it is time for a change. He is good with the young ones but seems to be only average motivating the vets, which is stunting the play of the "boys". With that said, I dont think he can lead the O's to the top. Plain and simple. Nice person but not THE one....

Some coaches are good but not good enough to take teams to the top. Seeing and hearing about the play of the Os this year, from the veterans to the rookies, I think Trembs falls into the latter category. In order for us to rise up and challenge for the title next year, we will need another leader. The q is, when to make the change? And, of course, WHO?

Crowly is ok but if we can do better, then go for it-ASAP!

I am enjoying this season and look forward to next year....with a slight change....

Pete, what do most of you think about the SS situation? Should Adino sit when "the other one" comes back? Or should we try to trade one? You have till Friday to start a post on this one....

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Pete's reply: That's a really tough one. It's a good problem to have, but it will be a problem, I think.

Pete,

Why can't Trembley just mandate that Melvin take the first pitch? If he were seeing the ball very well and in a "zone", that would be a different matter. He obviously isn't, and appears to be pressing. The only way to prolong every at-bat is to take the bat out of his hands until the pitcher throws a strike.

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Pete's reply: That's just not practical. If you take away a pitch from a hitter, it will just make it that much harder for him to be productive.

I have one argument with your statement, Pete. The O's seem to be on the losing end of a lot of pitchers that we just need to "tip our cap to." I have never seen a team hit so many pop ups in my life. Whatever happened to line drives? I will agree, however, that it is not the Crow's fault. I think that the hitters are swinging for the fences every time and getting under the pitch.

Being a math teacher, I can tell you the word "average" is one of the most misleading terms in the English language. What you need to use in the case of sports stats, is to use the kind of average(median) which will best represent the majority of the data in this case the majority of the games we are looking at. When you kick out the highs and lows in the data set, in this case throw out the very low scoring games and the highest scoring games you will begin to see that the majority of the time the Orioles offense puts up somewhere between 3.5 and 4.5 the majority of the time. How do you expect a team to even play close to .500 when the majority of the time the offense puts up those kind of numbers? And here is another thought. What if a year from now those same young players the Orioles are banking on to improve the team have not shown any improvement at all?

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Pete's reply: So, wouldn't the Red Sox and Yankees have to throw out the high-scoring and low scoring games, too?

Talk about perspective! Pitchers like Hill and Guthrie give up 5 runs in 7 innings and they and others say they pitched a good game! Really! Maybe that is the problem, out expectations are now so low that we consider giving up only 5 runs in a game as a "solid" performance. All we need is a real #1 and #2 starting pitcher and we will be fine. I hope they are in our minor lg system and will get here soon!

The point of my Rome quote is to say that in any sport the only thing that matters is the results on the scoreboard.

All of the near misses and sincere efforts mean nothing unless the team wins.

The Orioles need 2 elements to resume their place as one of the preeminent franchises in sports--

1) Consistent pitching, and;
2) Davey Johnson

I think the Crow connects well with young players but not so much with the over-the-hill types like Mora. Get some better players and the Crow will look great. You can't make a washed up 3rd baseman, with more power in his spermatazoa than his bat, into a productive offensive player no matter how good a hitting coach you are.

it's certainly, not crowley!
july's fire sale should include mora, wittington,huff and sherrill.
bring up tillman, rowel and snyder.
this team winds up last anyway, so give young blood it's chance

Hey Peter,

Great post...very good perspective. Crowley is just fine in my opinion. I do think they'll need to buy a bopper in free agency at some point.

I love that your posts are generating lots of replies as well - good for you - do you have a blogging coach, or is just your charm???

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Pete's reply: I can't tell you who my blogging coach is, because people will start to call for him to be fired.

There is ONLY one reason to swing at the first pitch, and that's if it's exactly the pitch you were expecting and it's located exactly in your wheelhouse.

How often in 4 trips to the plate does that happen to the same hitter?

Not often!

Somebody needs to relearn the art of hitting. Maybe they should all be required to read Ted Williams' book!

Mike Bohle,

Bring up Billy Rowe? Are you insane? Rowel is perplexed by single A ball, you must have him confused with someone else.

All these people complaining about crowley are cracking me up, the manager though needs to go i've never been a fan of trembley it just doesn't seem like the players respect him at all

Ken, Butler had arthoscopic surgery on his left shoulder in April. In April, the word was that they were hoping to get him pitching in the minors in August, but I'm not sure what the outlook is like now

I think it makes the most sense to see what we can get for Wiggington or Huff, but if the deals not there. They are not bad to keep around. And if we can't resign Huff, we get a draft pick.

Baez, I think is definitely gone. Lots of teams need RP, and he has shown he is back. (Except recently). Sherril is a good reliever, so if someone loves his saves I say trade him.

I have a soft spot for Mora. The guys been here through all the really lean years. Though if we could trade him to a contender in need of a 3B, (Seattle?) then it would be nice to see him win something.

As you know Pete, I've offered up my own dose of vitriol at times, ....and right about now the mid-season malaise is already setting in and everyone is searching for their own personal scapegoat. Crowley is the last person to persecute ; he has worked wonders with so many of the young players through the years. Surely these folks can do better than attacking him. In my mind he's one the best there is.

PLEASE PLEASE I RESIDE IN ATLANTA BURBS SINCE 1987
THE ORIOLES ARE NO WHERE NEAR A WINING SEASON ( ITS SAD )
WHAT HAS ANY ONE RELATED FOR THIS TEAM THE LAST 22 YEARS HAVE TO BE PROUD OF NOTHING NOTHING
THEY ARE STILL MY TEAM I WAS THERE WHEN PAPPAS WAS A YOUNG AND HE AND ESTRADA AND BARBER BEAT THE THE YANKS OVER A WEAKEND IN 61 AND I WAS THERE WHEN FRANK PUT ONE IN THE PARKING LOT
THAT IS THE PAST
I AM SO TIRED HEARING PALMER TELLING US ALL THAT LOCATION IS IMPORTANT
IT IS FRUSTATING GOSH IT IS FRUSTATING

Well said Peter, the Crow has had some success. And I like the idea of a Rome blocker. I think there could be a market for a product like that; you better apply for a copyright.

Luke Scott has arguably been the team's best player this year I just have to wonder why he isn't playing everyday the lineup could obviously use the power, he is the team's best power threat but nope he sits every other day for no good reason.
He has shown he can hit left-handers this year, there is a DH for a reason he should be in there everyday except maybe once a week to get other guys in but every other day is absurd.

I agree I was at the game in Seattle with my kids last night to enjoy major league baseball with a minor league atmosphere..(The electroinic scoreboards were down the entire game)..noting that Washburn's stuff was great (I believe he threw one change up and everything else was the two or four seam heater). He has pitched great this year and not had run support. He also did not start to run out of gas in his usual 6 or 7th inning. As for the O's the only thing I saw that could have gone better was the basic managing of the game. With Washburn hot maybe batters could have tried to run his pitch count up more or gottten some help off the bench and maybe had the infield and outfield not playing in so tight with the bases loaded. (Riemold playing deeper on Wodwards double is an out ) but with Washburn's stuff last night I do not know if anything would have worked any better. Bergy pitched great the HR was on a 3-0 pitch and most players take that pitch, the Reimold misplay for a double, the Reimold position on the Woodward double and the Andino error where the difference in this game. The better team won last night we were out pitched, out hit, out fielded and out managed. Period
As a side note Washburn is in his last year and best year of his contract. Fans want him traded now and I believe the feeling is mutual about Bedard. Bedard has not built up a fan base and has yet to make it through a season without going on the DL, Washburn on the on the other hand has been a huge disappointent here until this year and fans don't think it will last. Any talk on the if the O's have interest?

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Pete's reply: I don't think they will be able to acquire starting pitching at the halfway point, because you won't get any for older rental players

Pete,

Are you kidding me???

You have the stats...what's our won-loss record against lefthanded starters for the last 5 years? Check out the runs scored against lefthanders and then against righhanders. It's horrible.

If you are going to accurately use runs per game as a barometer of scoring ability then you need to do it separately for lefthanders and righthanders. Then you will see the trend.

And for the lefthanded batters, lets see how they're doing this year:

Markakis - .313 vs right; .263 vs left.
Huff - .280 vs right; .244 vs left
Pie - .250 vs right; .091 vs left

It continues with the righthanded batters:

Jones - .326 vs right; .267 vs left;
Weiters - .291 vs right; .238 vs left;
Mora - .268 vs right; .238 vs left;
Zaun - ..243 vs right; .237 vs left;

Now who did I leave out? Oh, yeah, Scott, Andino and Roberts.

Roberts is a wash - .276 and .274 respectively.

Scott is hitting .328 against lefthanders and only .283 against righthanders. And they wanted to platoon him so he didn't have to face lefties!!!

Andino is hitting .286 against lefties and only .221 against righthanders.

The only players on our team who hit better against lefties came from outside of this organization, and consequently have had the least amount of instruction from Crowley.

Take off the blinders. Ever notice how many of our players go into a funk at the same moment?

This blog is hilarious.. Pete if you can spin the Orioles you can do anything!

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Pete's reply: Facts are inconvenient things when you'd rather make knee-jerk judgments.

By all means lets fire the Crow and see how long he is without a job. There are many teams who would fire their present hitting coach who was a student of hitting as a player and now a scholar of hitting. The O's position in the league results from being in the absolute best division in baseball and the fact that the development of talent on the this team has come first in position players while the pitching is at best stopgap. The next level of development is in the minors and bodes well for the future. Unless you are going to gamble on free agency you can't rebuild a team from minor league development overnight. After being patient for several years now any Oriole fan should be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel so why not be patient for just a little bit longer. Peter Gammons the guru of baseball says the O's are but two years from having a premier line up in baseball. Dave Trembley and Terry Crowley are exactly what a young developing team needs. They don't need a Billy Martin style manager nor a a hitting coach who only knew two things in his career as a player: home runs or strike out.

I like Crow , but how about someone teaching these guys how to lay down a bunt ?

AGREED!!

If the Orioles can manage to take a few walks every now and again, then the On Base Percentage naturally improves. If they can also lower the team ERA by just 1-run per 9-innings, then I think you'll see a much improved .500 team with something to build on for 2010.

Mora and Wiggington are "Guess Hitters", not the hit it where it's pitch kind of players. Lately they've been guessing wrong, which is why you see the bad looking swings, and the over aggresive "swing at the first pitch" mode.

Unfortunately I see Adam Jones guessing at pitches. It's ok for your 7,8, and 9 guys to guess, but the top 6 hitters need to be contact guys.

The key stat there is on base percentage and walks, in which the Orioles are ranked towards the bottom of the league. You may not believe in Moneyball and the theory behind it but plenty of people do and on base percentage is highly valued. Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis used to be among the leaders in pitches seen per at bat. I'm not sure where they rank right now but especially in Roberts case he seems to be swinging at everything. It's funny but Reimold and Weiters seem to be two of the more patient hitters on the team. I seem to remember a manager benching a star player earlier this year "Tulowitzki???" because he was slumping and swinging at everything. The hitting coach worked with him to be patient and take the first pitch. He swung at the first pitch in an at bat the next game and was pulled from the game. Where is that kind of discipline and leadership on this team?

Does anyone think we have a good shot at signing chone figgins for next year?

I know he isn't a big power guy but he is a smart player, can really hit, and play good defense at any infield position and has experience on a winning team. I think it would be a great idea to go after him big time.

Andy, I would love it if the O's could sign Chone Figgins. He creates his own offense, steals bases, hit doubles and plays great in the filed, but I can't imagine that a guy like Chone, who has only known success at the big league level with the Angels, would want to sign in Baltimore.

Pete, can Andino play 3B? Cesar was starting to hit and steal bases so I don't want to see him sit nor do I want to see Robert Andino sit. I don't get the sense that Mora or Huff, will be in an O's uniform next season so I would like to know what in house options we have other than Wiggy.

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Pete's reply: I don't know whether Andino can play third base, but he doesn't hit for power and isn't Chone Figgins, so I doubt that's a likely possibility.

The only reason I would argue getting rid of Crow is that this team just might need a new presence in that role. Then again, the man is one of the most respected hitting coaches in the game. He's not the one swinging at every pitch; I'm pretty sure he's not telling them to swing at every pitch. And as for pulling guys from games and instilling discipline, that falls on...tah-dah! Dave Trembley. After letting a cooler head prevail today, it has become clear that Crow is not to blame. If we are ever to be taken seriously, we are going to need a manager who can get the most out of his players at all times. Hell, maybe even a manager who can eke out a few wins we would not have otherwise. I like Trembley, but I honestly do not see him as posessing those qualities.

All this worried about hitting, get some more decent starting pitching first. Hitting is alot easier to fix, but have to have pitching to keep you in the game.

I Love the guy who posts about cleaning out the Johnson regime. Um hello? If you have not looked recently, Davey Johnson was the last guy to guide the O's to a winning status. The single worse move of the Angelos era was to alienate Johnson and cause him to leave. We have gone downhill ever since.

Pete,
Just curious if either Aubrey Huff or Melvin Mora sign with another team next year, what if any type of draft pick would we get? Would that be better then any type of player we would receive now?

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Pete's reply: Huff would likely be a Type-A, so they could get a second-tier first-round pick if somebody signs him, but only if they offer him arbitration and he rejects it. Don't really know what Melvin's status will be after this year.

Absolutely love the idea of going after Figgins to play 3rd. But like with Teixeira, the O's won't be the team with the highest offer and I really can't see the Angels letting him go after losing Tex and K-Rod. I fear we are struck with Mora for 1 more season.

I am not saying that they need to fire Trembley, but is it just me or does Trembley always look like he just woke up from a nap when they show him in the dugout. I want to see some passion, because I dont' see it.

from a consistency standpoint, they're a wreck. what is frustrating is the promise of having a 10 run offense one night, 1 hit the next. The lineup should have enough talent to carry them close to .500. The 12 games prior to those 21 games? 22 runs, pulling your average from 5.4 to 4.1. Thats inconsistent. Plus, in the last 21 games you cited, the scored 11 three times, 2 three times and were shut out once. Their standard deviation is off the charts

Crowley needs to go. He has been on borrowed time for a while (same with Dempsey on TV). Why is Jones swinging at outside breaking crap and getting behind, Markakis and BRob high fastballs. That is poor discipline and coaching.

When the inconsistency and streakyness disappear, wins will come. All the promise they show with lack of delivery is why people are upset, they just dont know it

The Yankees and Red Sox stress the importance of making opposing pitchers throw a lot of pitches, and the value of walks. Crowley doesn't, and hasn't. His approach is aggressive. No matter how good the pitching gets, the O's will not contend if the offense isn't top tier as well, because we have to beat those teams. That means hitting for average, power, and drawing walks.

Look at the O's World Series teams - each ranked at or near the top of the league in ERA as well as runs.

Pete,

If you are averaging 5+ runs a game you should at least be able to play .500 ball.

I said before the season started that the rotation was going to be the achilles heel for the O's and it is.

I like what I see from Birkins and Bergenson but the bottom line in th AL East is pitching, pitching and more pitching.

Also, with the 100 pitch count now the norm, regardless of the inning, middle relief has an all new importance from a G.M.'s point of view.

If your starters can't get to the 7th inning on a regular basis, your still not going to win if you have to go to the pen night after night.

Pete,

If you are averaging 5+ runs a game you should at least be able to play .500 ball.

I said before the season started that the rotation was going to be the achilles heel for the O's and it is.

I like what I see from Birkins and Bergenson but the bottom line in th AL East is pitching, pitching and more pitching.

Also, with the 100 pitch count now the norm, regardless of the inning, middle relief has an all new importance from a G.M.'s point of view.

If your starters can't get to the 7th inning on a regular basis, your still not going to win if you have to go to the pen night after night.

When O's management finds someone who works as hard as Crow and who has people skills like Crow, I'll accept another batting coach. Current O's hitters look up to Crow with respect. They know that he does the preparation with them superbly but the execution is their job.
Current execution is lacking.

How can the O's be such perennial losers with so much baseball knowledge available from the stands?I used to think B-more had the best fans in the world, still do but now I'm wondering about which world. Why not find a new owner and then let those responsible for the team run the team? The owner is the problem, the big problem!!!

Pete--Thanks to your upbeat perspective, Terry has been activated and will be batting cleanup tonight. Dave is now a player-manager and will pitch middle relief.

Who says they can't hit and pitch for them?

Sure, the batting average is good, but we keep running into outs. If there was a stat to track bases lost by senseless base running, the O's would certainly lead the league. Crow isn't the problem, but the boys could stand to be more patient at the plate and make pitchers work a little harder. The guy who is responsible for fundamentals in the field and the guy who is responsible for base running need to be relieved. My 2 cents.

How about this from our all-star Adam Jones during a pregame interview with Jim Hunter.

"I am happy that I get to go there with the road jersey rather than the home jersey cuz you see Orioles and that's been the trademark over the last 30 some years. That's all they've seen is Orioles. But this time it's going to say Baltimore. So I am representing the whole entire city, Baltimore County, all the way to DC. I am representing that whole entire area and that's a tremendous honor for me. "

That's a kid wise beyond his years.

A fired up Trembley gets tossed?
What?
Having the sound on his tirade on the MASN broadcast there was awesome. Looks like the guy does have a pulse afterall.
Yeah Dave, I like you for today!
"YOU'RE TELLIN ME MY GUY DIDN'T RUN HARD!"

Umpires blew the call. Reimold was clearly at 2B. And of course, Hunter didn't know the rule, he read the rule on the air, but he didn't read all of it. He's as bad as the umpires.

This was cut and pasted from the MLB rules website. As an umpire, I'm on it every day.

(g) Two bases when, with no spectators on the playing field, a thrown ball goes into the stands, or into a bench (whether or not the ball rebounds into the field), or over or under or through a field fence, or on a slanting part of the screen above the backstop, or remains in the meshes of a wire screen protecting spectators. The ball is dead. When such wild throw is the first play by an infielder, the umpire, in awarding such bases, shall be governed by the position of the runners at the time the ball was pitched; in all other cases the umpire shall be governed by the position of the runners at the time the wild throw was made;
APPROVED RULING: If all runners, including the batter-runner, have advanced at least one base when an infielder makes a wild throw on the first play after the pitch, the award shall be governed by the position of the runners when the wild throw was made.

Here's the link:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/downloads/y2008/official_rules/07_the_runner.pdf

great stuff, thanks Ken!

Nicely done Ken. Jeers to Hunter for missing that. I was surprised my man Palmer would be wrong.

Hey Pete, why is Roberts sitting tonight? I read something the other day about an illness... Or are they just giving him a rest?

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Pete's reply: He's been under the weather for a week or so with an upper respiratory infection. He's going to sit for a couple of days, I bet.

We are past it but now come Adam Jones does not get out of the box and where is the hustle going to first? I thought a nice change of pace to have him at leadoff but that is no way to set the tone when you are shaking things up. Jim Palmer did not say a thing.

How demoralizing is it when your pitcher (Guthrie) is given a 2-run lead against a good pitcher (Bedard) and then surrenders a 3-run home run in the first inning?

As I've said before, it looks like Guthrie is pitching stick ball with a tennis ball, i.e., home run...home run... home run.

Why does Melvin continue to play with Salazar hitting with some pop? Wigginton is a better third baseman than a second baseman regardless and Salazar is likely to cover more ground at 2nd than Wigginton. It would have made sense to give Mora some splinters in his tuches - particularly since he ain't putting any splinters in the ball. If - as The Sun reports - Salazar is possible trade bait, wouldn't it make sense to showcase his bat?

"Terry Crowley's lucky he's in BLEEPing baseball, for Chrissake. He was released by the Cincinnati Reds, he was released by the BLEEPing BLEEP Atlanta Braves. We thought that Terry Crowley could come in here and sit on his BLEEPing BLEEP for eight innings and enjoy watching a baseball game just like any other fan, and he has the ability to get up there and break one open in the BLEEPing ninth." --Earl Weaver, "Manager's Corner"

Kenny from Pikesville--Did I play you in tennis years ago? Was your brother a tennis instructor in Reisterstown?

Any way, I too have pointed out that Melvin should be given a head start on his second half resurgence by given a rest---right now.

Salazar gets little respect. His resume apparently was not done in the proper font or paper stock.

What gives with Huff's mustache? Is that real? Perhaps a beckoning to Bobby Valentine to return to MLB?

It isn't just one bad game that is the reason for firing Crowley. It's his record over the past 10+ years of complete and utter failure (see logiopath's post above for some proof). This failure is a direct result of his approach to hitting. Being "aggressive" at the plate basically gets you a lot of outs, not runs. Remember, Eisnstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. It is either time to make some changes or hire a shrink.

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Pete's reply: I respectfully disagree on all points.

Barry, my brother was most definitely not a tennis instructor in Reisterstown ... unless he was living a double life in an Aubrey Huffesque moustache outside our hometown of Randallstown. He's actually now an internist in Teaneck - a city where the moustache on the Jewish man is as commonplace as the yarmulke on his head. But, I digress.

I'm not really sure where everyone's getting it in their head that Crow is to blame for the O's hitting - or at times - lack of hitting. They've in recent years always been respectable at least on offense. And remember, they're not exactly trotting out All-Stars in their lineup. Pitching and upper management. That's how you win games.

Kenny from Pikesville--I grew up playing some spirited tennis matches against Kenny Rosenthal. His brother was a real good guy and a fine tennis teacher.

Hey, if your brother doesn't play tennis, get him out there on the courts in Teaneck.

Wow--that Huff mustache is working magic!

Barry:

I'll take that as quite a compliment. Although I have a college background in journalism, it's quite an honor to be mistaken with Kenny Rosenthal. I'm sure Peter will agree.

Hi Pete, I agree with your big picture perspective. However, I am not pleased that the Orioles are 24th in walks and 16th in on-base percentage. When the day comes that we are top 10 ranked in both categories I will happily take up residence in Jimmyville.

Oh for crying out loud all of this talk about Terry Crowley. Honestly. What a bunch of hooey.

All of the stats quoted is a reflection of the nature of the players. Crowley isn't a little league coach teaching these guys how to hit. In fact, that's why he is a coach, not a teacher.

These players, warts and all, rarely stay in slumps. Given that these players face a different team every three or four games, play in a different ballpark every week or so, and everybody has a scouting report on how to exploit these weaknesses, attaining and retaining a positive approach 400-600 times over 162 games is tough and it's Crowley's job to keep things in perspective and fresh.

Want to change the nature of the beast? That's MacPhail's job. He needs to find players who are more patient, can hit righties and lefties equally well, expoit a pitcher's weakness, whatever.

That is a process. MacPhail is doing just that ... but it takes time. Meanwhile, let's hope there is proper teaching going on at the minor league level. Last I looked, Norfolk has a winning record despite the turnstile action between theirs and the parent roster.

Calm down about Crowley already. It makes no sense.

Fan complaints after 11 straight losing seasons doesn't exactly fit the description of a "knee-jerk" judgement...unless of course you're counting "slow motion" knee-jerk judgement...

For the record...this year makes 11 straight years for Crowley coaching the Orioles.

And during these 11 years how many offensive pupils of Crowley would have made the All Star roster if the rule was not in place for 100% team participation?

And to toss aside historical facts, also known as statistics, is a sure way of repeating the same mistakes over and over again, expecting different results next time.

Some call that insanity.

Wow, the O's scored 12 runs last night. Terry Crowley for President!!!!

Everyone knows the O's getting one-hit by Washburn isn't Crowley's fault. It's Bob Ehrlich's fault. Just ask the finger pointing "governor" Marty the Teflon Leprechaun O'Malley; he'll tell you who is to blame.

I've repeated time again Trembley doesn't know bullpen pitchers from little league starters. Furthermore get him out of the lineup or dugout early and the players can do with more incentives to play as they should. He continues to handle the club as if they were at Spring Training. They have the a decent lineup but must keep the batting practice pitchers out of late innings. They don't need rest
they need to play. Rest Dave.

I've been an O's fan for 55 years. The last 10 have been miserable but the future is looking better but for one thing that bothers me. Ths team is way more talented than their W-L record. They should be a .500 team, not 10 games under .500 !

When a team is not perfroming up to their level of talent people naturally look at the coaches and manager. Often it's not the managers and coaches technical ability but rather their relative inability to change the culture of a losing team. That is very difficult to do without changing the management structure and bringing in new blood. While I do not believe Trembley, Crowley and everyone else has done a poor job, my experience tells me for this team to jump to the next level and compete in the AL East they are all going to have to be replaced so the players can start believing in themselves. Not fair, but the way it seems to work.

Pete, I don't think this is the Crow's fault. Teams slump, it happens. However, there is a clear lack of hustle, and many readers have been upset at my calling out Trembley as the source. Last night I drove up and back from Portland to watch them in Seattle, and for the first time in my life as an O's fan, I was embarrased. Sure, they won and it was great, but they didn't show any desire/hustle at all. Yes, they hit a homerun and ran the bases and Mora had a diving stop, but I'm talking about other aspects. Walking, no... strolling, out to their positions to start an inning. Assuming other players are going to make a catch instead of WANTING to be the one to make the play, then watching the ball drop.
Not taking the time to set their feet to make throws to first and then sailing it into the stands. Those are the things I'm talking about. Those little things pop up and hurt a team throughout the course of a season, as we have already seen.
Am I the only one to see this attitude take over this club? Am I right in calling out Trembley? I'm just so frustrated that this team doesn't seem to WANT to be the best. And I'm not saying they could even be the best if they wanted to, but they should at least carry that attitude on the field. That would lead to respect around the league, a few more wins here and there, and a growing belief that they can compete with anyone. If you add a few good arms and a few good bats to all that, THEN you start to actually compete.
Where is this attitude and who is to blame for its absence?????

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Pete's reply: I don't know what to make of it. I certainly didn't see a lack of desire yesterday or in that big comeback against Boston. And, with that 10-1 deficit last week, I wouldn't have blamed them for going through the motions.

Blaming coaches when things don't go well is stupid and should cease.