I'm sure a lot of people would like to see the Orioles boldly go where they haven't gone before and pony up the big money it will take to sign Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman, but I wouldn't hold your breath.

There are several indicators that point in the opposite direction, which likely means that the club's meeting this week with Chapman and his agent is more public relations than aggressive international player development.

Don't misunderstand. I'm not saying the Orioles weren't really interested in talking to the guy, but when you consider what it could cost to sign him -- some say $40 million or more -- it's hard to imagine the Orioles really being in the ballpark with some of the other teams that have shown interest.

The club wants to have a solid international presence, but came up about $1 million short on promising Dominican infielder Miguel Angel Sano when the competition for his services was relatively light and he signed for only $3.15 million. If they would balk at Sano at that price, what makes anybody think they'll be a real player at $40 million for Chapman?

The Orioles did pony up $10 million for Japanese pitcher Koji Uehara last winter, but they aren't exactly bragging about that acquisition anymore...and we're not hearing a lot of chatter about their new emphasis on international player development like we heard at this time last year.

Hopefully, the team is still just as committed to a global approach, because the O's are going to have to keep every avenue open if they are to have any chance of competing with the Yankees and Red Sox on a yearly basis. They probably will never be able to out-spend them, so they're going to have to out-scout them, both here and abroad.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (88)
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This is the lull before the storm. This is the time when major league front office people tie up loose ends, take a few days off and catch their breath before offseason begins in earnest following the World Series.

That's why the biggest baseball headline in The Sun today is about negotiations with reliever/swingman Mark Hendrickson, who almost certainly will re-sign with the Orioles -- which is fine because he's a versatile role player on the pitching staff, but it's not really news when you consider he's from nearby York and not many other teams will be beating down his door this winter.

The Orioles had an extended conversation with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman yesterday. That's an interesting development, but we all know that he's going to end up in Boston or New York. The thing that's most significant about the meeting is that it signals that owner Peter Angelos no longer has strong reservations about negotiating with Cuban players, though I guess we should have figured that out when the Orioles gave all that money to Danys Baez.

The biggest story of the week was the official decision to decline the option on Melvin Mora, which was no surprise to anyone. Melvin told us he wasn't coming back a couple of months ago when he publicly blasted manager Dave Trembley.

Basically, this is roster crunching time, and the Orioles have moved a bunch of players off the 40-man roster, including pitcher Rich Hill. Seems like a long time ago that the O's were hanging tough with Hill because they were afraid someone would take him off waivers. His 7.80 ERA pretty much took care of that. The club also outrighted Alfredo Simon, which means they can monitor his recovery from surgery and bring him back later if they think he's still got some promise.

Frankly, this is such a soft news period that it might be time for another warm weather vacation.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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Most of you probably know this already, but I thought I'd clarify the Chad Moeller situation for anyone who didn't get to the end of Jeff Zrebiec's story on the subject. The Orioles declined his $850,000 major league option yesterday, but that does not mean he will not return as Matt Wieters backup next season. In fact, I would guess that his return is fairly likely.

The option was declined to free up room on the 40-man roster in anticipation of the finalization of the club's reserve list. The O's have to determine by Nov. 20 who will be protected in anticipation of the Rule 5 draft in December. That's also why several players were outrighted yesterday and a few more may be today.

The club has told Moeller that it will basically honor the terms of the option that was declined if he later accepts a minor league deal and then makes the major league roster out of spring training. He has the option of accepting a guaranteed roster spot from another team in the meantime, but the Orioles want him back and he is open to coming back if somebody doesn't offer him a more secure situation.

Moeller isn't an impact player, but he bonded well with Wieters last season and seemed to have a positive effect on his development. He's also a terrific guy who is well-liked in the clubhouse, though that's not an important reason to keep him.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
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Jeff Zrebiec has already posted stories on the long-expected decision by the Orioles to decline Melvin Mora's option for 2010 and also the choice of former Indians coach Jeff Datz as the new O's bench coach.

The club also declined the $850,000 option on catcher Chad Moeller and outrighted some guys to free up room on the 40-man roster. It's probably still possible that Moeller could be re-signed. Doubt there's any chance that the Orioles will try to bring Melvin back for less.

The only surprise, really, is the selection of a relatively unknown coach to replace Dave Jauss. I think a lot of O's fans were hoping for somebody more familiar, but Datz apparently came well-recommended by some of the people Dave Trembley consulted around the major leagues.

I'm sure he's a fine coach, but I'm pretty sure there are going to be some people who will view Datz as a guy who was chosen because he will not pose an obvious threat to Trembley's job security the way a Bob Melvin or some other former major league manager might. I'm pretty sure that's not the case -- because Dave knows that this is a do-or-die year for him no matter what-- but I'll leave you all to your opinions.

What do you think?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (45)
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Cliff Lee's performance in Game 1 was so impressive, I'd like to change my World Series prediction to the Phillies in five, but I won't because that would just give me a chance to be wrong twice.

You don't see all that many complete games in the postseason in the era of bullpen specialization, but Lee tamed the Yankees lineup so completely that he'll be very much in their heads when he comes back around in the rotation. Meanwhile, A.J. Burnett has to go to the mound tonight carrying a lot on his eighty-million-dollar shoulder.

If he struggles with his control in the early innings -- and that would appear to be a possibility since he has walked 10 batters in 18 1/3 innings in this postseason -- the Phillies are going to smell blood.

Now that I think about it, I probably doomed the Yankees when I picked them in six before the start of Game 1. I don't think I've guessed an outcome right since I gave the points in the presidential election.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
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...will be over by Thanksgiving -- I promise -- but the Yankees and Phillies might cut it close if this fall continues to be as rain-soaked as it has been the past few weeks. I'm particularly sensitive to that because I've spent the day with a caulk gun filling cracks around the foundation of the house and tearing out a bunch of soggy carpet padding in the basement. Please forgive me, but I'm getting a bit nostalgic for Southern California, where they don't have either rain or basements.

If anyone has any advice in this area, I'm all ears, but I'm going to take a break from proving I'm a Renaissance man to give you my quick take on the World Series, which begins tonight at Yankee Stadium.

First off, if I knew the Yankees were going to play host, I wouldn't have rooted for the American League in the All-Star Game, because I think the home-field advantage probably will be enough to put the pinstriped pariahs over the top. Both teams have star power and both teams can hit the ball out of the park, but the Yankees may be able to neutralize the Phillies' advantage at Citizens Bank Ballpark because they have nine players who can hit a long fly ball -- and you know what happens to long fly balls in Philly.

Yankees in six.

Sorry. I don't like it any more than you do. If the Phillies win and prove me wrong, I'll promise to root for the Eagles a couple of times this year.

Personal note: I'm heading over to Chipotle Grill before the game. I have a friend who won that promotion where you get to bring nine friends for a free meal. I'm guessing not one member of the current Orioles roster shows up, but I feel an obligation to be there.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
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President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and his staff are getting their ducks in order for a very important offseason -- and the team needs to make some significant moves to be more competitive next year -- but the winter landscape seems forbidding.

If you want to read more about that, check out today's column here and let me know whether you think the O's have a real chance to improve with the right offseason trades and free agent acquisitions.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (69)
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It's a petty little tempest in a teapot, but I still have to respond to the post-Brooks-bash "controversy" over how many current Orioles showed up at last night's event at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. There were 1,500 people there, including myself, and there were at least a dozen people who were definitely in attendance that I looked for and never saw, so I couldn't say with certainty who was or wasn't there.

Frankly, I think it's terribly disrespectful to Brooks to shift the focus from his great night to some opportunistic Orioles axe-grinding. I didn't see any current O's there, but I didn't see any current Ravens there either (doesn't mean there weren't any, just that I didn't see one), and -- if we're going to get technical about this -- doesn't Brooks transcend baseball as one of the most important sports figures in the history of Baltimore?

Of course he does. That's why Sandy Unitas was the one who convinced him to take part and that's why there were a bunch of former Colts -- Art Donovan, Tom Matte and Bruce Laird, to name a few -- in attendance. So, I guess if you're going to rip the Orioles, who were one of the principle sponsors of the event, you've got to take a shot at the Ravens, too, for not having a particularly visible presence. Except that you don't have to take a shot at anyone, because it wasn't about that, and making it about that distracts attention from what a terrific and touching evening it was.

By the way, to be fair, the place was full of Orioles and MASN employees, so the notion that Brooks was being ignored by the current organization is ridiculous. I'm pretty sure the Ravens were also supportive, but if your priority on Brooks' special night was to take roll of who was and wasn't there, I guess you've got to count everybody. Open question: Were there any current Blast players present?

And one more thing, to compare this to the Elrod Hendricks funeral is just plain wrong. The criticism of the current Orioles roster at the time -- which was represented at the memorial only by Melvin Mora -- was legitimate, because Elrod was a major figure in the Orioles clubhouse and a friend to every one of those guys.

The "Evening with Brooks" was a trip down memory lane for all of the long-time Baltimore fans and sports figures, so I don't know if you can expect the players who don't have any personal or nostalgic link to Brooks to fly across country just to be seen.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (69)
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Just want to say that the "Evening With Brooks" at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall last night was truly special and a lot of congratulations are due -- and not just to the guest of honor.

The setting was terrific, all the speakers struck the right tone, a combination of reverence for Brooks and recognition that he's never been about that kind of thing. Lots of stories. Lots of fun. Lots of love for a guy who has given way more than he has gotten over the course of his life.

The Orioles and Crown Petroleum got together to sponsor the night, which benefitted the Babe Ruth Birthplace/Sports Legens Museum and the American Cancer Society.

Kind of felt sorry for Brooks, who isn't comfortable listening to people say nice things about him. He had to do that for a couple of hours, but at least he had his lovely wife (of almost a half-century) Connie there at his side for the whole night. Then he had to speak, which he always does well.

"This is a lot tougher than my Hall of Fame speech,'' he said.

He proceeded to tell everyone that this event was just an another example of why he made the right decision way back when he first chose the Orioles over the Cincinnati Reds. They were the two teams that offered him a major league contract when he was an all-around high school standout in Little Rock, Ark., in the 1950s. By the way, that wouldn't be the last time he disappointed the Reds.

He was asked at various junctures during the evening for his personal favorite career moment, everyone undoubtedly expecting him to say the 1970 World Series. He had a little bigger one in mind.

"Sometimes I get that question from someone,'' he said at the end of the program. "I've been out of the game for 32 years, and the more I think about it, the thing I'm most proud of is the fact that I played longer with one team than anyone else in baseball, along with Carl Yastrzemski. He played 23 years with the Red Sox and I played part or all of 23 years with the Orioles...Believe me, it has come back tenfold for me."

Of course, Brooks always had things in perspective.

"The biggest highlight of my life was meeting my beautiful wife Connie,'' he said."I met her playing for the Baltimore Orioles. You can't ask for more than that."

It was a great night.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
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It was typical Brooks. He might be the greatest third baseman who ever lived – and certainly one of Baltimore’s most beloved figures – but he had to be all but dragged to the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall on Monday night for “An Evening with Brooks” – a night of testimonials for the benefit of the Legends Sports Museum and the American Cancer Society.

“They had to twist my arm for about a month,’’ he said.

Everybody knows the story by now. It took some special arm-twisting by Sandy Unitas to get Brooks to show up. It didn’t take much persuasion at all for anybody else, and just about everyone who is anyone in Baltimore sports was on hand to honor “Mr. Oriole.”

Sportscaster Scott Garceau and Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer served as Masters of Ceremonies for an event that was broken up into nine “innings” and featured stars from the entire spectrum of Baltimore sports history as well as some of the Cincinnati Reds players who competed against Brooks during the 1970 World Series which cemented his reputation as the “Human Vacuum Cleaner.”

Maybe you’ve noticed that I haven’t bothered to address Brooks by his full name, but that is no accident. Brooks will suffice in a sports town where he needs no further introduction. If you’re a Baltimore sports fan, you’re more likely to say “Madonna who?” than ask “which Brooks.”

“He was a very special player both on and off the field,’’ said Palmer. “As Davey (Johnson) used to say, ‘He’s just so unassuming.’ That’s Brooksie. That’s what made him so appealing.”

How unassuming? The guy just doesn’t feel comfortable being told what a great player he was and what a great guy he still is, but – in the end – he just couldn’t say no to the opportunity to raise money for the museum and the American Cancer Society, especially after his recent brush with prostate cancer.

“I’ve had enough adulation,’’ Brooks said. “I though that was over. My heart can’t take much more of this. But a lot of people have come a long way to be here…It’s overwhelming, to tell the truth.”

The guest list was too long to list here, but you know who we’re talking about. Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver held court on the second level of the Meyerhoff, describing how well Brooks treated him when Weaver was an up-and-coming minor league manager and how Brooks helped him get to Cooperstown.

I mean, how great a guy do you have to be to make one of the most irascible managers in baseball history go all soft and cuddly?

“It’s goes all the way back to Paul Richards when I would go down as a minor league manager,’’ Weaver said. “You watched him work, and he went from being a good ballplayer to a great ballplayer to probably, you’d have to say, the best defensive third baseman that ever played the game.

“I remember him when I was a minor league manager and he was always so polite. He always was like that. I’ve never seen him say no to anyone. There probably is not a person in this room who hasn’t shook his hand or got an autograph from him. I don’t think you’ll ever see anybody else like Brooks.”

If you don’t believe Earl, consider that even former Cincinnati Red Bernie Carbo jumped at the chance to travel to Baltimore to be part of an evening for the guy who robbed him and his teammates of a possible world title in 1970 with his highlight reel performance at third base.

“Brooks Robinson treats you like you’re the Hall of Famer,’’ Carbo said. “Very kind. Very humble. The thing I remember most is being a 23-year-old kid sitting on the bench with my teammates and watching him make those plays and wishing he was on our team.”

Baltimore Sun file photos

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (54)
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Guess you've got to give it up for the Yankees, who took care of business in Game 6. The Angels did not go down quietly, but a defensive meltdown in the eighth inning stretched a slim Yankees lead, and how much help does Mariano Rivera need, anyway?

Though I certainly would have prefered a coast-to-coast World Series, you can't deny that the upcoming matchup between the Yankees and Phillies is an interesting and attractive one. Both teams have considerable star power and both play the game the way it is supposed to be played.

The Yankees are an impressive (and expensive) group, but if you watch them day in and day out, you have to admit that they are more than just a huge payroll. The thing that has impressed me the most during this postseason is how well they've scouted their opposition, which is reflected in the seemingly perfect positioning of the fielders.

Can't count how many times Mark Teixeira has stolen a hit halfway between first and second base. In the top of the eighth inning tonight, Torii Hunter hit a hard shot right up the middle for what normally would be a hit, but Robinson Cano was playing right over the bag at second. That's great advance scouting and dugout coaching. The Yankees spend a lot of money, but they also develop great talent and they do their homework.

It's hard to root for them -- and I won't in the World Series -- but you have to give them credit.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (71)
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The Minnesota Vikings had a first and goal from the 1/2 yard line, but apparently they have turned the playcalling duties back over to Brian Billick. How else do you explain a team that has Adrian Peterson in the backfield, throwing the ball on second and third down and then settling for a field goal?

While I'm ranting here, I thought I'd irritate the Steelers fans with a little more official bashing. On the last kickoff return, a Pittsburgh player jumped onto the pile at the end of the play and ripped the helmet off one of the Vikings underneath him. There was an official standing right there looking at the play and the helmet flew right by him, but I guess that's not a penalty at Heinz Field.

And, let's see, didn't a Steelers defender just kneecap Brett Favre? Instead of a flag, the official quickly explained over the PA system that the Vikings player was holding and threw the guy into Favre's legs...except the replay only showed that Tom Brady is in London.

Really, the officials appear to have just decided this game. They took away a touchdown from Favre on a bogus tripping call -- the replay showed it wasn't -- and the Steelers have turned it around with a huge fumble return to take a 10-point lead. The officiating has been awful in this game and -- though it may be a coincidence -- just about all the bad calls have favored the Steelers.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (45)
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Before we embark on a Raven-less afternoon of NFL football, I'd like to take a moment to reflect on yesterday's college football action:

Congratulations to the Midshipmen of Navy for defeating Wake Forest for their fifth straight victory. Coach Ken and his undersized crew again are proving what you can do with great preparation, great discipline and great desire.

Now that I have that out of the way, I totally disagreed with the decision to punt on fourth-and-1 at the Wake 39. I just hate it when a team builds a lead with strong, aggressive play and then suddenly goes defensive at a pivotal moment. Wake was back past the 39 in about 30 seconds and put the game back in doubt with a very quick touchdown. Navy gets one yard there, the Mids run at least another 2 1/2 minutes off the clock in a two-score game. I know it was raining, but I never like handing back the momentum. Turned out okay, but I still didn't like it.

Sort of the same thing in last night's game between Tennessee and top-ranked Alabama. The Volunteers were driving toward a huge upset victory, but went conservative during the last 40 seconds because they were out of timeouts. The Vols sat on the ball when they had time for one more play and a spike, content to take their chances on a medium-long field goal after missing two of their previous three in the game. The kick was blocked, so I guess you could try and make the case that it wouldn't have made any difference, but it certainly did because of the lower trajectory of the longer kick.

I suspect that Florida will be back on top of the AP poll this week after a fairly handy win at Mississippi State. I am always rooting for an upset so that my USC Trojans can get closer in the BCS standings, but who am I kidding. They scored a lot of points and won at home last night, but they had no defensive answer for Oregon State, which is pretty troubling.

There's a lot of college football left to play, of course, and a couple of the undefeated teams will eventually lose a game. I'm starting to think that Iowa might just run the table, though they would have to defeat Ohio State on the road. Even if they do, however, they probably would still be blocked out of the BCS title game because of their strength of schedule.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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The decision by MLB to postpone tonight's scheduled Game 6 at Yankee Stadium would appear to be to the advantage of the Los Angeles Angels, who would be in a position to bring back ace John Lackey on Monday if they can defeat Andy Pettitte tomorrow night and extend the series.

Yankees manager Joe Girardi has decided to stay with Pettitte in Game 6 instead of going back to C.C. Sabathia, even though the Yankees ace would be back on regular rest. This way, Sabathia gets an extra day after pitching on short rest in Game 4. Lackey would be on short rest if he gets the opportunity to face Sabathia on Monday.

Perhaps a case can be made for moving Sabathia up and trying to avoid giving the Angels a chance to build some more momentum, but it would have been a tough sell when you consider that Pettitte owns a share of the major league record for both series-clinching victories (4) and total postseason victories (15) and could take sole possession of both marks with a victory tomorrow night.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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Angels manager Mike Scioscia managed to avoid his Pedro Martinez moment last night. He pulled bulldog starter John Lackey right before the Yankees scored six runs in the seventh inning to wipe away a four-run Angels lead in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

Lackey was livid. You could read his lips when Scioscia came out to get him with two outs and the bases loaded.

"It's my game,'' he said. "Mike, you told me this game was mine."

The Angels hitters had Scioscia's back, rebounding quickly to score three times in the 7-6 victory that forced the ALCS back to New York. The Yankees remain a prohibitive favorite to reach the World Series, but Yogi Berra had a saying about this kind of situation.

Lackey hadn't even calmed down after the victory. Fox's Ken Rosenthal asked him at what point in the game he was able to get past the anger, and he basically said he was still ticked off at his manager.

I think the Yankees will hold on, but it sure would be fun if the Angels took Game 6 and made them sweat through those pinstripes. If the ALCS goes seven, they Haloes would have to beat C.C. Sabathia, who would be back on regular rest after the extra offday Wednesday. Even better, maybe we could get a rainout and have Sabathia and Lackey go head-to-head on Monday.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans, who are headed to the World Series for the second year in a row. It must be nice. The better team definitely will represent the National League in the World Series, though I'll admit I was hoping for either a Dodgers/Yankees matchup or a Freeway Series in Southern California.

No disrespect intended toward the Phillies, but I'm a Southern California native and spent a large chunk of my youth dreaming of a Dodgers/Angels Fall Classic. The Dodgers/Yankees thing was just based on the delicious possibility of Joe Torre making a triumphant return to New York. Didn't happen. Jimmy Rollins took care of that with his dramatic game-winning double in Game 4. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth did the rest.

Seems like yesterday that Werth was the sappling catcher the Orioles drafted with their first pick in 1997. Pat Gillick thought he was going to be a star and he turned out to be right, though Werth ended up an outfielder and Gillick ended up his GM in Philadelphia instead of Baltimore. Funny how those things work out sometimes.

Getty Images

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
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If you haven't already, take a look at today's column about the continuing economic disparity in baseball. I'm not exactly splitting the atom, but it bears repeating that baseball's evolving revenue-sharing system has not succeeded in closing the competitive gap between the big-revenue and small-revenue franchises.

Not that there's much that can really be done about it. I can't see the owners trying to shove another salary cap proposal down the union's throat, especially with overall industry revenues more than triple what they were when ownership tried to implement a salary cap system during the 1994-95 labor disaster.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
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The O's announced earlier today that midwest crosschecker Deron Rombach has left the organization for a similar position working under former Orioles executive Tony DeMacio in the Atlanta Braves organization. DeMacio was just promoted to scouting director by current Braves GM and former Orioles GM Frank Wren.

There will be no search for a replacement for Rombach. The Orioles already have promoted amateur scout Jim Richardson to the position.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Several posters took issue with my prediction that the Ravens would figure enough out over the next few weeks to win the next three games and go into their M&T Bank showdown against the Indianapolis Colts with a respectable 6-3 record. Two of those posters -- Gil and Mike B -- even went so far as to wonder if my blog has been chemically enhanced:

Gil's take: That is a very interesting prediction. Other than beer, I have never partaken in experimenting with serious controlled substances,however I would like to stop by and sample what you enjoyed just prior to starting this blog.

MikeB's take: You don't look like the type to do drugs, but to think the Ravens will be 6-3 when the Colts get here one would have to be on drugs! With this defense the Ravens will be lucky to go .500 for the season, and if anyone thinks they are going to fix things because they have a bye week, they are sadly mistaken!

My take: I did take some Advil yesterday. Does that count?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
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Everyone here knows that I am not a big proponent of instant replay in baseball -- heck, I don't really like it that much in the NFL, either -- but if you're going to have umpiring crews that do not work in concert and are not willing to confer and overrule obvious bad calls, then Bud Selig's going to have to do what he did with the weather delays. Change the rules on the fly.

Tim McClelland took his medicine after two horrendous calls in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series last night. He took part in the postgame news conference -- which you can watch here courtesy of MLB.com -- and admitted his mistakes. That's fine. Guys make mistakes. That's part of the human element of the sport, and I don't want to install contact sensors and laser beams all over every stadium to take human judgment out of the game.

But the two calls -- both of which could have been very important to the outcome of the game if the Yankees had not blown out the Angels in the late innings -- might have been corrected in real time if McClelland had been willing to confer with home plate umpire Jerry Layne to make sure he got each of them right.

The most damning aspect of the call in which Nick Swisher was ruled out for leaving third base too soon on a tag-up play is that the replay shows that McClelland was not in great position to see the runner at the time. He clearly was looking out toward left field to see the catch and depending on his peripheral vision to pick up the departure of the baserunner as he backpedaled toward Swisher.

That's what the third base ump has to do to see both ends of the play, but he was late getting into position to be able to get a decent look at both players and may have been fooled by Swisher's shoulder movement before he left the bag. McClelland mildly disputed the validity of the split-screen replay after the game, but it's hard to make that argument when you're head is turned so far away from the runner.

The second play, in which Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano were both caught off third base on a rundown play, was totally obvious on replay and should have been pretty obvious on the field. Again, McClelland can be forgiven for not being able to keep his eyes on both tags and both sets of feet around the base, but Layne should have been able to see the play from home plate. Cano was well to the right of the base when he was tagged, which was visible to all, but Posada was the only guy called out.

Turned out that it didn't have much of an impact on the outcome of the inning or the game, but that's not the point. In the end, the Angels actually got the better end of the two bad calls, but the point is to get all of them right. There should have been an umpire conference on the double tag. It's the postseason.

The replay monitor is already available for the border calls. There's no good reason not to use it on plays like these if the opposing manager requests a review. If you're concerned about slowing down the game, consider that it doesn't take all that much more time for the crew chief to look at a replay than it does to listen to 40 seconds of expletives from an angry manager who knows he got the short end of a bad call.

We all knew when MLB approved limited replay that it would be a slippery slope. Might as well enjoy the slide and get those calls right.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
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It's way more fun to be a baseball fan than a football fan when it comes to the trading deadlines in both sports. The NFL's trade deadline passed at 4 p.m. with no activity of note, which probably came as a great disappointment to frustrated Ravens fans who were hoping that Ozzie Newsome would pull a cornerback out of his hat.

Trouble is, I've never seen Ozzie in a hat, so he would have had to find one somewhere else and that's no small trick in a league where in-season trading is relatively rare. I didn't think Ozzie would pull the trigger on a deal because most NFL trades involve draft choices and the Ravens hold onto their draft positions jealously.

Even if the Ravens wanted to make a deal, their timing was awful. They've lost three straight games and their defensive issues are well-known around the league. Opposing teams smell weakness like a shark smells blood in the water, and nobody is going to feel sorry for a team that was No. 1 in a couple of prominent power rankings three weeks ago. The Ravens were in a poor leverage position to pick up a high-quality player, so they stood pat. Can't criticize them for that.

Personally, I don't think they are in such bad shape from a playoff perspective, especially after the Chargers, Jets and Bengals also lost over the weekend. The Bengals are the only potential wild card team that has a better record than the Ravens right now, so it's more a matter of shoring up than catching up.

Here's this week's rose-colored prediction: The Ravens will be 6-3 when the Colts get here on Nov. 22. Book it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
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That loss is going to sting for awhile, and it should. The Ravens put their greatest strengths and their greatest weaknesses on display over the course of the game, which may be instructive for the front office over the next couple of weeks, but the outcome leaves the team looking at a much more difficult competitive landscape going forward.

Still, I wouldn't start doing the mathematical calculations just yet. Somebody wrote in and said that the Ravens will have to go 11-5 to reach the playoffs -- which would leave them needing to win eight of their last 10 games. I think that probably would have been a legit observation a few weeks ago, but the situation in the AFC has changed a lot over the first six weeks of the season.

The Tennessee Titans, who were one of the chief wild card possibilities when the season started, have dropped off the map. The Jets and Bengals both lost yesterday. The only team running away right now is the Denver Broncos, which might actually be a good thing if they can hold on to edge the Chargers in the West, since the Ravens hold the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Chargers if they end up competing for a wild card spot.

There's no way to sugarcoat what has happened the past three weeks. The Ravens have gone from a slam-dunk playoff entry to a team that will have to find a way to pull itself together during the bye period. The good news is that no lead is safe against them, which is quite a change in the competitive personality of the franchise. The bad news is that no lead is safe for them, either. They need to either find help in the secondary or make some serious system patches to account for the way Brett Favre carved it up yesterday.

Oh, and one other thing: The kid missed a kick. That doesn't make him a bad fellow or a choke artist. Guys miss kicks. Matt Stover missed kicks, though he made his living off kicks like that one. I understand, however, how hard it must be for Ravens fans to deal with that missed kick just days after Stover signed with the Colts.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (61)
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Well, if that wasn't the most heartbreaking regular-season loss in recent Ravens history, you'll have to tell me what is.

Steve Hauschka misses a potential game-winning field goal -- which would have made this a victory for the ages -- and now the Ravens have to go home and think about that for the next two weeks.

Unbelieveable game.

Unbelieveable finish.

Joe Flacco showed he is destined for greatness, but the Ravens may not be if they don't get their defensive issues figured out before the Denver Broncos get to M&T Bank Stadium on Nov.1.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (77)
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The Ravens have made an amazing comeback in the fourth quarter, but all that has done is put them in the same situation they've been the past couple of weeks. They got the lead and they put the ball in the hands of the defense, which was not been equal to that task against the New England Patriots and Cincinnati Bengals.

So, what happens? Brett Favre makes another huge throw and the Vikings are in field goal range.

All those questions about the Ravens secondary apparently are legit. The pass defense can't seem stop anybody when it counts.

It's been exciting, but this is also very hard to watch.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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You know, I promised myself I wouldn't mention the officiating this week. I'm tired of it and the Ravens aren't playing well enough for it to be making much difference right now, but I'm just surprised that it continues to be so mediocre.

They eventually got the call right on that incomplete pass that was originally called a fumble, but the Vikings appeared to be way offsides on the next play and there was no flag. The defensive tackle on the left side was in the Ravens backfield before the shotgun snap came into view.

Instant update: And I'm pretty sure the Ravens would have liked to have two flags picked up on the same penalty once in awhile the way the Vikings just did on what looked like a garden variety block in the back. Maybe you people aren't just paranoid.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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One of the biggest questions facing the Ravens after two straight losses was the porous secondary, and that question is not being answered the way Ravens fans might have hoped today at the Metrodome.

Brett Favre went right down the field and scored on the Vikings' first possession, finding a wide-open Visanthe Shiancoe for a 21-yard touchdown pass. He did the same thing on his second drive, marching into the end zone against minimal resistance. Bernard Berrian was wide open for a four-yard touchdown.

This has got to be Greg Mattison's worst nightmare. The Ravens needed to find a way to slow the Vikings quick-strike offense, but they've looked almost helpless on those first two Minnesota possessions. It's starting to look like the wrong team is not as good as its record.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
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First off, I've got to give credit where credit is due. I wouldn't have remembered that today is the 20th anniversary of the Loma Prieta Earthquake that killed 63 people in the San Francisco area and delayed the 1989 World Series unless Roch Kubatko had mentioned it yesterday during one of the history classes at the School of Roch.

Frankly, it's not often you get a history lesson over there. I once checked Roch's course catalog and almost every class was listed as Sex Education 101. Just signed up for a new seminar called "Speed Dating at the Arizona Fall League."

Anyway, Roch asked the "Where were you" question and I thought I would answer it here. I was in the upper deck at Candlestick Park when it seemed like the whole world had become the School of Rock. I was a native California guy covering the Fall Classic for the Orange County Register, so I pretty much knew what was going on, but you really couldn't tell how bad the quake was because the upper deck of a stadium like that has some built-in earthquake flexibility.

When it started, my first thought was that it was the vibration from the sellout crowd getting excited about the start of Game 3. It was common at my home stadium -- Anaheim Stadium -- for the fans to intentionally make the upper deck rock by stamping their feet during playoff games. Of course, it quickly became apparent that something way more serious was going on.

My most vivid recollection was climbing up to the concourse to get a look at the San Francisco skyline, and that's when I knew the thing was really bad. In the distance, plumes of smoke were rising all across the horizon. It looked like the city had been bombed. The next few days are a haze, We stayed in the Bay Area for awhile to cover some earthquake-related stories and then headed home to wait for the resumption of the World Series.

Wonder how many Baltimore fans ever considered that if a certain weekend in 1989 had gone better for the "Why Not?" Orioles, it's possible they would have been the team facing the Giants in the "Earthquake World Series."

The other Orioles link for me: Just two weeks later, I got a call from Baltimore Sun assistant sports editor Pete Baker asking me if I was interested in replacing Tim Kurkjian as the beat writer covering the O's. In December, I interviewed with sports editor Marty Kaiser and in early January I decided to move away from the beach in Southern California and settle in the Baltimore area. Truthfully, I never intended to stay this long, but you all had me at hello.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
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If you stayed up last night to watch the NLCS opener between the Dodgers and Phillies, you probably had a George Sherrill flashback, and not a good one. Sherrill came on with the Dodgers down by a run, hoping to hold the line to give his team a chance to get at the so-so Phils bullpen.

The Dodgers actually did make a run later in the game, but they fell short because Sherrill delivered a full-pack performance that started with back-to-back walks and exploded with a long home run by Raul Ibanez.

Nit-pickers beware. I'm growing weary of the semantic hair-splitting that sometimes goes on here, and I'll give an example. When I talk about the law of averages, it should be pretty obvious that I'm using it as a cliche to reference the feeling that the pendulum of fate may be ready to change directions.

It's never meant as a real mathematical concept, so let's get over that. The spelling and punctuation stuff also is getting tired. It's a blog, people. I don't have a copy editor and I'm not perfect, so if you're tempted to write in and tell me how you can't believe I could make a mistake like that, I'll take that as a compliment, but I'd like it better if you would -- as Archie Bunker used to say -- stifle yourself.

Still haven't heard from Kevin Cowherd, who has an open invitation to respond to my verbal assault on him in this space yesterday. Come get your whuppin'.

All's still quiet on the bench coach front, and it will continue to be quiet for quite some time, if you take manager Dave Trembley at his word. He said when most of the coaching staff was renewed -- and Dave Jauss wasn't -- that he and Andy MacPhail could ponder that hire well into the offseason. Lots of blog support for B.J. Surhoff, who would be a great choice if he wants to get back into an everyday job this soon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
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Not sure what it is about Kevin Cowherd, but he seems to take some perverse pleasure in delivering the opposite opinion whenever I take an unassailable stand on an important local sports topic. Today's column, which you can read right here, basically is another case of Cowherd just being difficult, and you know how these disputes always turn out -- with me strutting around like Chad Ochocinco. I'm working on a special touchdown dance to do at his desk on Monday.

Remember what happened the last time he tried this. I believe he wrote that Dave Trembley would -- or should, I can't remember -- be fired at the end of the baseball season. I, of course, delivered the eloquent, winning argument that Dave should be retained, which I'm sure was the deciding factor in the club's decision to pick up the 2010 option in his contract. If that wasn't enough, Kevin and I had a video debate, which may still be floating around cyberspace somewhere, in which I had to browbeat the poor, feeble old fellow to a bloody pulp.

Obviously, he's not one of those guys who learns from his mistakes, so after I wrote that the Ravens would go into the Metrodome and toast Brett Favre and the Vikings, he comes back today with a column talking about how the Vikings won't go down quietly (sweet play on words by our headline guys, by the way) because of the noise at the Metrodome.

We'll see, but if the noise is such a big advantage there, why are the Vikes only 16-10 at home over the past three-plus seasons?

OK, to be fair, Kevin does not have a blog to defend himself, so I'll offer him this space for a rebuttal in the next day or two, and he can have a chance to dance if the Ravens all come back from Minnesota wearing hearing aids.

Free Cowherd plug: If you want to hear Kevin debate someone who has never won a sports argument in his life, check him out when he joins Jerry Coleman on the radio. Here's a link to a video of a recent show.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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I'm pretty impressed. We really haven't even started a real debate about who should be the next Orioles bench coach and I've already seen some outstanding possibilities discussed here. The one that really jumps out at me is former Orioles catcher Bob Melvin, though I don't know that he would have any interest in coming back unless he doesn't get any better offers.

The trouble with Melvin, if the choice is being made by Dave Trembley, is that he would probably be viewed by many as a manager in waiting, since he has quite a bit of experience in that capacity. Obviously, he would be highly valuable both as a strategist and a guy who could help in the continuing education of catcher Matt Wieters.

I doubt Rick Dempsey is a possibility. He wants to manage, but I think he probably would rather be a broadcaster than an everyday coach. I certainly would consider B.J. Surhoff or Chris Hoiles terrific candidates, but don't know if either one is ready to get back in the game on an everyday basis right now.

So, let the conversation continue.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (51)
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No matter how you feel about the possibility of Rush Limbaugh becoming a part owner of the St. Louis Rams, you have to chuckle at Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay becoming the first NFL owner to stand up against him on principle.

Irsay (left) said this week he definitely would not vote to approve an ownership group involving Limbaugh because of the right-wing talkshow host's sometimes controversial comments about race and the NFL.

"I, myself, couldn't even consider voting for him," Irsay said, according to the Associated Press. "When there are comments that have been made that are inappropriate, incendiary and insensitive ... our words do damage, and it's something that we don't need."

I'm staying out of the political side of this debate, but I think longtime Baltimore sports fans are going to find it humorous that Irsay would suddenly get all high and mighty after his family yanked a beloved NFL franchise out of Baltimore and gave little thought to the horrible effect that would have on this community.

I guess the real irony of the situation is that Limbaugh has joined the effort to help keep the Rams from moving out of St. Louis.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (49)
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It wasn't the best-kept secret in the world, but the Orioles made it official today that Dave Jauss would not be returning to the coaching staff. Everybody else will return in their current incarnations, which means that Dave Trembley is searching for a new bench coach.

Don't know who that might be, but I think it would be nice to have somebody on the staff with some major league catching background, since the Orioles have no one on the major league staff to oversee the development of Matt Wieters. If nothing else, I think they need to bring back Chad Moeller in the reserve role.

Don't have any hard info on why Jauss was let go, but if I were to guess, I would think it was a staff chemistry thing.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (55)
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There's a poster on the blog who calls himself The Reaper who has called me on the carpet for my prediction that the Ravens will bounce back this weekend against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. He raises some fair points (you can take a look for yourself by clicking on the comments section of my previous blog entry) and wonders just what evidence I have to support my opinion.

I have to admit that there is little in the performance of the Ravens on Sunday to indicate that they are going to go into Minneapolis and knock Brett Favre on his frequently retiring rear end, but that's because they played very poorly for the first time this year. They didn't play great the week before, either, but it was against the Patriots and they were one or two 10-yard pass completions from overcoming a mistake prone game to score a big comeback win.

My opinion is based on their overall performance and some intangible concepts that aren't very logical. The Ravens, for instance, are coming off one of their worst performances of the John Harbaugh era and the Vikings are on a big roll. One of the things that makes the NFL so interesting is the way momentum can shift at any moment -- sometimes for no apparent reason.

I just feel the Vikings are ready for one of those bad Brett Favre days and the Ravens will be in their us-against-the-world mentality. Apparently, I'm not alone, because the oddsmakers have the Vikings posted as only a three-point favorite, which basically just accounts for the home-field advantage. The guys in Vegas think these teams are dead even on paper, and I think the pendulum will swing in favor of the Ravens this week.

Call me crazy. You wouldn't be the Lone Ranger.

Sun plug: Good column by Mike Preston today. He thinks that the Vikings game is going to be one of those defining moments for Harbaugh -- one way or the other. Get Mike's take right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (55)
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Following yesterday's late loss to Carson Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals, I'm sensing some anxiety from Ravens fans about what the Ravens will be able to do to stop red-hot Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson in Minnesota this week. It's a fair concern, but I wouldn't get all hinky about it.

The Ravens have played very well on the road during the John Harbaugh era and I believe they'll bounce back this weekend. The Vikings are not a super team -- though they are obviously pretty good -- and there won't be a protective halo around Favre. The Ravens will flush him and then it will be a matter of whether they can force him into mistakes.

My take: This will be the week that Brett does what Brett does sometimes, throw two or three damaging picks. It's early in the week, but I'm picking the Ravens to win and I think you'll be surprised at how well the defense handles Peterson and the Minnesota running game in the wake of Cedric Benson's great afternoon yesterday at M&T Bank Stadium. It was a wakeup call and I believe Greg Mattison and the defense will wake up.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
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There were few complaints about the officiating in the Ravens lockerroom after the game, perhaps because they all recognized that they didn't play nearly well enough to win today. The pass interference call during Carson Palmer's final drive -- which was on Frank Walker, not Ed Reed -- was a tossup, but everyone seemed to agree that the game should never have come down to that final drive in the first place.

"I want to give a compliment to the Bengals,'' said coach John Harbaugh. "They are a good football team. They came into a tough environment and did what they needed to do. We didn't play well enough to win. We didn't play well enough in any of the three phases of the game."

For most of the game, the only points on the board for the Ravens came from Reed's interception return early in the second quarter.

"We made some plays, but they made more,'' said Terrell Suggs. "In our stadium, that's unacceptable."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (54)
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Thanks, in part, to an unnecessary roughness penalty on Ray Lewis late in the drive, Carson Palmer and the Bengals completed another late comeback to take over first place in the AFC North with a 17-14 victory over the Ravens.

No doubt, there will be more gnashing of teeth about the officiating, but the Lewis penalty was legit. He hammered a defenseless Chad Ochocinco, knocking his helmet off, as the ball sailed well out of the reach of anyone.

There were three defensive penalties on the final drive, which evoked a stadium-wide chant that the referees, well, stink. Don't know if you can blame this one on them. The Ravens never looked particularly sharp in this game, and they were fortunate to be leading in the final minutes.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
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The Ravens appeared to be in full self-destruct mode when Ray Rice was called for a chop block to take them out of field goal range. Rice made up for it in a hurry, catching a short pass from Joe Flacco and breaking out of a scrum to sprint all the way into the end zone. The 48-yard touchdown pass put the Ravens back in the lead with just under seven minutes to go, but they've shown some cracks on defense in the second half.

It's Carson time, which is a frightening proposition when you consider that he's been the kind of the last-minute victory this season.

Rice update: Rice said after the game that he didn't need any redemption because he wasn't anywhere near the play that he was called for that penalty. "If I get fined, I'll definitely appeal,'' he said.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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Mark Clayton just let go of the ball as he went down near the Ravens 20-yard line. The ball was picked up by Bengals safety Chinedum Ndukwe and returned to the end zone, but Clayton was ruled down by contact and that call held up on replay.

What a break for Clayton, who had the big drop last week in New England. The replay was very marginal. It looked like the ball was starting to come loose before his knee touched the ground, but it was not conclusive enough to overturn the ruling on the field. Conversely, if the original call had gone the other way, I doubt it could have been overturned either.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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The Ravens defense set Carson Palmer up by over-stacking the left side and Ed Reed streaked in front of Chad Ochocinco to pick off the ball and sprint all the way home. It was Reed's sixth career interception return for a touchdown. He is the franchise leader in that department.

Oh, and by the way, I'm starting to like the 8 1/2 points again.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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In essense, the Ravens and Bengals each gave back three points in the first quarter. The Bengals -- thanks to a series of clutch catches by Chad Ochocinco -- drove to within range of a routine field goal on the opening possession of the game, only to have Kelly Gregg deflect the kick.

Joe Flacco drove the Ravens right back down the field, but his third down pass intended for Todd Heap in the end zone was plucked out of the air by Jonathan Johnson at the last moment. The ball was right on target, but Johnson made a terrific effort to catch up to the ball and make a fingertip interception.

So, we start from scratch in the second quarter. Don't know if I like the 8 1/2-point spread anymore.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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My old colleague, John Eisenberg, wrote this weekend on the Ravens Web site that today's game against the Cincinnati Bengals is a "must win" situation for the Ravens. I'll have to disagree with him, but first, a shameless plug for both John and I.

John is a sports author of note, and he has a new book coming out later this week on the 1959 Green Bay Packers. Berg is going to join me on Sportsline (WBAL 1090 AM) on Tuesday night at seven to talk about the book and all things Vince Lombardi. If you're a student of NFL history, you'll want to join in that conversation and pick up a copy.

Okay, now that I've buttered John up, I'll continue with my contention that this is probably less of a must-win game than any other the Ravens have played so far. The Bengals are 3-1 and the winner will take over first place in the AFC North, but there will be 11 regular season games left afterward and the competitive challenge facing the Ravens will not change at all.

With all due respect to what the Bengals have done so far, I'm pretty sure the Ravens (whether they win today or not) will come down to it with the Steelers at the end, and the Steelers were nice enough to lose two of their first three games this year to give the Ravens (and, I guess, the Bengals) a little early season cushion.

Of course, when you play in your own division, every game is very important for a variety of reasons, but this particular division game does not have the make-or-break quality that likely will be attached to either game against the Steelers.

Certainly, if the Bengals win today, it will give them a huge credibility bounce going forward -- and a leg up in any future tiebreaker situation -- but that's really more about them than it is about the Ravens. Now, if the Bengals win today, then we'll be able to talk "must win" when the Ravens visit Cincinnati next month.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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I'll have to throw a shout out to DJ for pointing out that the terrible foul call on Joe Mauer's ground-rule double last night happened on the 13th anniversary of the Jeffrey Maier incident at Yankee Stadium.

Umpire Phil Cuzzi whiffed on Mauer's soft fly ball, which fell about a foot inside the foul line in left field and bounced out of play. It should have been a leadoff double, and Major League Baseball should extend the replay system to fix something that egregious, but it wouldn't have been challenged because the play wasn't visible from the Twins dugout.

It is rather curious that the Yankees seem to have this kind of thing happen in their favor more than other teams, but it's probably just because they're in the postseason a lot more than any other team. So $200 million buys you a winning team and the occasional bonus call.

Who knows whether the Twins would have scored and won the game. Mauer ended up hitting a single and the Twins loaded the bases with no one out, but failed to score and left a total of 17 runners on base in the game, so it's kind of hard to blame one bad call. It is, however, easy to blame the umpiring crew, since it is expanded in the playoffs to put a guy on the left field line. It wasn't even a tough call.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
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The baseball gods always make you pay for the kind of mistake the Twins made to cost themselves a run in the fourth inning. It looked like they might get away with it when they entered the ninth inning with a two-run lead and brought on Joe Nathan to nail down the win, but they hadn't paid the gift tax yet.

Nathan, who came into the game with 47 saves and a 2.10 ERA, grooved a fastball to Mark Teixeira for a leadoff single, then fell behind 3-0 on the count to Alex Rodriguez. That was the moment when the TBS broadcast crew came up with the statistic that Nathan had not allowed a home run with a runner or runners on base all year, and anyone who has heard Gary Thorne throw out a "never" stat like that knows what happened next.

Nathan got the first strike, but served up another straight fastball to ARod and he launched it over the center field fence to tie the game. If that wasn't bad enough, Nathan came back in the 10th to wing a pickoff throw into center field to put the winning run at third base with one out, but the Yankees made a baserunning mistake to help the Twins out of the inning.

Now, let's see if they pay the gift tax.

Instant update: Apparently not. The Yankees seem to have the baseball gods at their feet. Joe Mauer bounced a ball into the stands to lead off the 11th and umpire Phil Cuzzi called it foul, even though it was at least a foot fair and shouldn't have been that tough to see for one of the outfield umpires who is supposed to be out there for just that type of play. The Twins still managed to load the bases with nobody out and not score, running their LOB total to 17. You know what happened next.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (32)
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Last night, it was Matt Holliday muffing a relatively routine line drive to left field with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. If he catches the ball, the NL Divisional Series between the Dodgers and Cardinals would be even going back to St. Louis. Instead, the Dodgers are in control and need to win just one of the next three games to advance to the National League Championship Series.

Tonight, Twins outfielder Carlos Gomez just made a huge baserunning error that cost his club both the final out of the fourth inning and a run that was about to cross the plate. Delmon Young was streaking home on a two-out single by Matt Tolbert when Gomez rounded second and fell down. That might have been forgiveable, but he tried to get up and return to second base, where he was tagged before Young crossed the plate.

It was a unusual sequence of events, but Gomez has to know that in that situation, he should be trying to continue on to third to protect the lead runner. The TBS broadcast crew criticized Gomez for even rounding the bag, but give center fielder Melke Cabrera credit for making a heads-up play and a perfect throw behind him.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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It just dawned on me that I'm a Ravens jinx. I was looking back over the past four games and it just sort of hit me. During the time I was laid up with my Achilles injury over the summer, the Ravens went undefeated in the preseason and had a fairly injury-free training camp. Then I show up for the regular season opener and they inexplicably struggle against the lowly Kansas City Chiefs.

So, I head out of the country for 10 days and they score a nice road victory over the San Diego Chargers and hammer the hapless Cleveland Browns at home, only for me to return in time to join them in Foxborough (which I believe is right next to Foxboro) for the frustrating and controversial loss to the Patriots.

I'm going to test this theory by attending the game on Sunday against Cincinnati at M&T Bank Stadium. The Ravens are a pretty solid favorite to break the tie at the top of the AFC North standings with the surprisingly 3-1 Bengals. We shall see.

If the Ravens lose, I think it's pretty obvious what I'll have to do -- move back to the Middle East for the remainder of the football season. Baltimore sports fans have suffered too much over the course of the baseball season for me to put the possibility of a Ravens Super Bowl run at risk.

I hope it isn't necessary, but I've included the accompanying photo to give you an idea of what I'll look like if anyone decides to head over there and look for me. I won't be wearing my usual floral prints, because you really don't want to stand out too much in such a volatile region, but I doubt I'll be too hard to find.

Not surprisingly, my absence had the opposite effect on the Orioles, who did not win a single game during my trip to Israel, then won four straight to close out the regular season upon my return and also picked up the contract option of manager Dave Trembley. I'm sure I'll get a nice bouquet any day now.

Photo courtesy of Robert Johanson

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
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No, I'm not referring to the fact that the Orioles ranked 28th in the major leagues with 64 victories. I guess it's just a coincidence that Baltimore was just ranked No. 28 in a poll by The Sporting News to determine America's best sports town. Here are the actual rankings, which are particularly galling when you consider that Pittsburgh rankes first and Washington (Are you kidding me?) ranks 14 places ahead of Charm City.

I love this stuff. TSN is one of several publications who rank the various sporting communities every year or so, with criteria that ranges from the performance of the local teams to the enthusiasm of the local fans. I guess if you go by the number of pro teams here and the fact that only the Ravens have had any success over the past decade, I guess I can't argue that Baltimore should be in the top five, but I can't believe it's twice as far down the list as the home of the Nationals and Redskins.

Hey, I'm back on the air: Just wanted to remind everyone that I'm back on WBAL (1090 AM) after what was basically a 2 1/2 week absence for vacation and other personal reasons. Tune in at six and we'll discuss the upcoming game between the Ravens and Bengals and get your thoughts on the TSN snub. If you're out of radio range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (57)
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The conventional wisdom going into tonight's Division Series opener between the Minnesota Twins and the New York Yankees is that the Twins are both undermanned for this matchup and emotionally drained from last night's 12-inning playoff marathon against the Detroit Tigers.

It's hard to argue with that. The Twins left everything on the field at the Metrodome, then left more out there in the postgame celebration, then had to fly to New York to open a best-of-five series against C.C. Sabathia after using much of their pitching staff to complete their terrific September comeback and win the AL Central title.

That said, don't discount the pressure that is on this Yankees team to get back to the World Series after years of $200 million near-misses. If the Twins can somehow find a way to split the first two games in New York -- which admittedly looks like a longshot -- they could make things very interesting at the Metrodome.

If you're a Yankees hater, you can only hope.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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If you came here through the Baltimore Sun Web site, you may have checked out Jeff Zrebiec's final grade report for the 2009 Orioles by now, but you can take a look at it right here if you haven't already.

I thought Jeff took it easy on Adam Eaton -- I would have given him a G or an H -- but I'll stand with my beat guy on the rest of his individual evaluations and give you all a chance to chime in with your opinions and letter grades.

I'm particularly interested in what grade you would give Brian Roberts, since opinions have been so mixed about him throughout the season. There were some posters here at midseason who were regretting the club's decision to re-sign him longterm, but he ended up setting a major league record for doubles by a switch hitter and bounced back from some physical issues early on to remind everyone that he is the guy who makes the O's offense go.

Bring it on.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (62)
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Okay, I know the Orioles offseason began yesterday, but I was on a plane back from Providence and I was so happy that it wasn't struck by lightning and nobody smashed my fingers in a luggage bin that I took the rest of the day off.

Also, it just won't feel like the offseason until the AL Central race is decided later tonight.

So, where do we go from here. The Orioles already have made their managerial decision, so all that's left for October are a possible coaching change or two. There has been some speculation that Dave Jauss will be replaced as the bench coach, but I doubt anything will happen until Andy MacPhail gets back from vacation next week.

I'm sure there are some people here who think that Juan Samuel should be on the chopping block, too, but I don't see him leaving unless he's offered something better elsewhere. He could, however, end up moving onto the bench beside manager Dave Trembley and being replaced at third base by a new face on the coaching staff. Just a hunch.

The Orioles had some interesting adventures on the bases which put Samuel in a negative spotlight this year, but my sense is that he's well-respected inside the organization because he's a no-nonsense guy who isn't afraid to tell it like it is in the clubhouse or during a coaches meeting.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (32)
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Nobody likes to lose and nobody likes to think they got jobbed by the officials, but yesterday's loss to the Patriots also was full of signs that this Ravens team has places to go and things to do this year.

Obviously, the biggest downside was the four mistakes in the first half. Whether you think the Suggs roughing penalty was legit or not, the Ravens hurt themselves in enough ways before halftime to lose a game to just about anyone. They fell behind by a couple of scores to the Patriots on the road and that probably should have been that.

Of course, the good news is that it wasn't. They forced a fumble that got them back into the game in the third quarter and went nose-to-nose with a very good team the rest of the way. If Mark Clayton catches that last pass -- and he should have -- they were very possibly looking at a one-point victory at Gillette Stadium.

I don't care about the woulda-coulda aspect of that. The Ravens are 3-1 and in great shape going forward. I just like the way they reacted to all the adversity. Lesser teams get blown out when things go that bad early in a game against a tough opponent on the road.

The one caveat going into the game -- as people sorted out whether the Ravens really belonged on the top of the ESPN.com and SI.com Power Rankings -- was whether they had played good enough competition to consider their 3-0 record all that impressive. It was a fair question, but I think they answered it, even in defeat, against the Patriots.

That was obscured by their complaints about the seemingly uneven officiating, which may have been warranted, but immediately becomes irrelevant after the game. The way I look at it, if the game came down to a ball spot that was 18 inches short, you probably didn't play well enough to win.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (44)
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If you get a chance later tonight, you can check out my column in which Ray Lewis goes ballistic about the lengths NFL officials are going to keep quarterbacks from getting hit in the pocket. In fact, Ray might just get hit in the pocket for speaking out publicly about the officiating in today's game.

Hard to argue with him after the damaging penalty that was called on Terrell Suggs for brushing past Brady's knee during today's game.

Brady, not surprisingly, disagrees that quarterbacks are getting a free ride, but he may have made Ray's point with his light-hearted response to the complaints by the Ravens that he -- and some other marquee quarterbacks-- get special treatment from the officials.

"Certainly not,'' he said with a smile. "Are you kidding me? They've got to find ways...We're holding the ball, we're unprotected, just sitting there defenseless, so they've got to stay away from me. They deserve to get flagged."

He clearly was having some fun at the Ravens' expense, just as he did during the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
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Once again, the NFL replay system proves itself to be something less than dependable. The Ravens challenged the spot on that fake field goal in the fourth quarter, which might have given them the ball before the final Patriots field goal, but there was no clear angle and the officials let the play stand. It looked like the Ravens stopped the play, but the Patriots got another in a long series of favorable spots and the Ravens lost a timeout.

To add insult to injury, after the replay was denied, the referees gave Willis McGahee a very stingy spot on the fourth down play at midfield, but the Ravens didn't have a challenge remaining.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
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John Harbaugh doesn't like his players acting out, but he has been all over the officials during the course of this game, and it's hard to argue after the offensive pass interference call that was just dropped on Derrick Mason.

Mason went downfield and faked right into the defender before turning toward the sidelines and catching a pass for a big gain. The play was called back and a 10-yard penalty assessed.

Why is this a big deal? Because Patriots receiver Wes Welker did the exact same thing on the third play of the third quarter and Chris Carr was called for illegal contact for standing his ground, which led to so much chatter from the Ravens bench that they also were called for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It'll be interesting to see who Harbaugh handles questions about all of it after the game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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Just about the time I was going to post an item about the way the ball has been bouncing in the direction of the Patriots today, Terrell Suggs forced that fumble, Dwan Edwards fell on it in the end zone and it's a whole new ballgame.

I'm guessing, up to that point, Ravens fans were seeing it the way I was, especially after Kevin Faulk fumbled that punt and the ball bounced right into the hands of teammate Leigh Bodden. The play looked just like the Chris Carr fumble on the opening kickoff, except for the uniform of the player who fell on the ball.

By the way, Suggs was credited with a sack on the Ravens touchdown that gave him the all-time club record for sack yardage.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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The interception that Joe Flacco just threw at the New England 8 yard line was the fourth serious mistake the Ravens have made in the first half. No way to sugarcoat that. The Patriots are too good to beat on the road making a couple of key mistakes in a game, much less a handful like that.

There was an obvious miscommunication on the play, since Mark Clayton turned into the end zone on the pump and Flacco threw the ball to the sideline, where Patriots defender Leigh Bodden made a fine play to grab the ball and stay in bounds. That mistake cost the Ravens at least three points. The other three gaffes each contributed to a Patriots score.

Not good.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Offensive tackle Jared Gaither apparently suffered a neck injury and is being removed from the field on a stretcher. The nature and severity of the injury is unclear, but coach John Harbaugh seemed to be saying "He's okay" as he came off the field.

The reverse angle replay showed Gaither's head slamming into the back of quarterback Joe Flacco, who was sandwiched between Gaither and a couple of New England rushers after throwing an incomplete pass. Flacco was not shaken up on the play.

Patriots fans gave Gaither an ovation as he was wheeled off the field. I'm sure we'll have an update soon.

Instant update: Gaither was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston for further evaluation of his neck and shoulder. The team announced he does have movement in all extremities.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
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The Ravens continue to be their own worst enemies in this game. They had the Patriots stopped on their second drive of the game, but Haloti Ngata clubbed Tom Brady in the head as he let go of the ball on a third-and-long in Ravens territory, keeping the drive alive.

It was the kind of mistake that makes coach John Harbaugh lie awake at night, but it was a heat-of-the-moment situation rather than a bonehead play.

What I'd like to know is what Ray Lewis was doing after the Patriots got that first down at the 1-yard line at the end of the first quarter. He made the stop to keep Sammy Morris out of the end zone and rushed out of the pile to celebrate the tackle, even though the Ravens failed to keep the Pats from getting the first down. The only thing I can figure is that he had a brain cramp and thought it was fourth and goal.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
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The Ravens opened the game in a no-huddle offense and Joe Flacco just drove them 81 yards for a touchdown -- teaming with Derrick Mason on a terrific 20-yard TD pass and catch with 8:01 left in the first quarter.

The bad news: Mason landed very hard on his upper back and was down for a long time in the end zone. He left the field under his own power, but it looks like he may have injured the left shoulder that was repaired during the offseason. It would be a tremendous loss if he cannot continue, but don't count him out. He played with that painful shoulder separation all last season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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What a way to start a game against the Patriots on the road. Chris Carr fumbled the opening kickoff to give the Pats the ball at the Ravens 12 yard line. You knew this game would come down to a big mistake, but the Ravens have to hope they can overcome a three-point giveaway.

The good news. Trevor Pryce just sacked Tom Brady on third-and-long to force the Patriots to settle for the field goal. Well, there's the point spread, so it should be a pretty evenly matched game the rest of the way.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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The Orioles are ending the 2009 season on a tiny upswing, their three-game winning streak averting a 100-loss season and allowing Dave Trembley the opportunity to enjoy his contract renewal out from underneath their long September losing streak.

Can't remember the last time I was this eager to get a season over with, and I'm guessing I'm not alone. The past month, in particular, has forced everyone to consider the possibility that the current rebuilding program is not quite as far along as some had hoped, though Andy MacPhail will doubtless be burning the midnight oil in October looking for ways to speed things up and position the O's for a more respectable 2010. Godspeed.

Somebody called me out today for writing a column wondering just how we should interpret the decision to rehire Trembley. No disrespect to Dave was intended, and I'm sure it didn't diminish his ability to enjoy at least one more year of job security, but I think it's fair to ask about the team's intentions going into next season.

Inquiring Schmucks want to know. Do you think MacPhail will be able to make enough offseason progress for the Orioles to be competitive next year? To define our terms, I'll set the bar for competitiveness rather low, at a 15-game improvement over this season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (68)
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It started out as an uneventful morning, if you consider a ninth airplane flight in the last two weeks uneventful. I was headed for New England with our Ravens beat reporter, Jamison Hensley, when stuff started to go wrong.

First off, I boarded the plane and -- because of my banged up ankle -- needed to steady myself to wedge into my middle seat, because I was on another flight yesterday (from LA to Baltimore) when everybody else did their on-line check-in. So I reached up to grab the edge of the luggage bin just as another passenger was slamming it shut. That would have been bad enough, but the guy assumed when the door wouldn't close that he just didn't slam it hard enough, so he did it again. I have to admit, it would have been funny if it had happened to someone else, but my second career as a concert pianist is probably a no-go.

Wait, it gets better, or worse, depending on how you look at it. The weather wasn't too great and about halfway through the flight, there was a bright flash and a loud bang right outside our window, about where the engine attaches to the left wing, which was kind of a mood-changer for all the Ravens fans on the flight. I'm sure the Patriots fans weren't too keen about it either, but most of them were passed out already since it was almost 11 a.m.

I think Jamison was a little apprehensive, though I couldn't ask him because he was busy converting to several of the major religions and a couple of the lesser ones I didn't recognize. I even heard him mention Tom Cruise at one point, though I couldn't tell if that had something to do with Scientology or some sect based around the Mission Impossible movies.

All's well that ends well. The pilot explained that it was something called "static discharge" and said that it happens all the time and there was absolutely never anything to worry about. I'll take his word for it, but I've flown about 2,000 times in my career and that was a first for me. Anyway, we got down safely and are looking for a place to get some clam chowder.

Today's plug: Keep an eye out today for my Sunday print column on the Dave Trembley rehiring. I weighed in on the situation in the blog yesterday -- and that post was picked up in the paper -- but I'll go at it from a different direction today.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (43)
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If you recall, there was a school of thought – related here – that the decision to retain Dave Trembley was made before Andy MacPhail traded away closer George Sherrill and cleanup hitter Aubrey Huff. I don’t know if that was actually the case, but it was logical in the wake of earlier statements by MacPhail that Trembley’s future would depend, at least to some degree, on the performance of the team during the final weeks of the season.

The rationale: MacPhail is a fair man and it would not have been fair to put the carrot and stick in front of Trembley at the start of the season and then pull the rug out from under him in the second half.

This decision certainly has disappointed a lot of fans and message board people, who have been hoping for a new manager for months. Now, they’ll have to wait and see what transpires over the offseason and lay in wait for Trembley when the 2010 season starts next April.

This is not exactly a high-risk play by the Orioles. If they don’t show any progress early next season, it’s not like Dave is signed to a rich multi-year deal. He’s a reasonable priced manager who now has another year of security. If the O’s decide to make a change in-season next year, it’s not like it’s going to break the bank.

Personally, I approve of this move (as you all know) because I believe in stability and I don’t believe that Trembley was even remotely to blame for the team’s dismal performance.

That said, I would like to see a more relaxed Trembley next season and a more authoritative one. That may sound like a contradiction in terms, but the Orioles have sent a message to these players that the manager is the manager and the onus is on them. Now, Trembley needs to manage like he’s their boss instead of their uncle.

He doesn’t have to tell the players in advance exactly when they are going to play and force his own hand with a pre-ordained lineup. He has to get tough with anyone who lets up or loses focus. The fan-board complaints about the team’s lack of intensity and fundamentals during the first half was legit. Things improved after the All-Star break, but he needs to make sure they improve some more next spring.

I also think he needs to go with the flow of the game a little more, but that’s just an opinion. I’m not so presumptuous as to think I know more than he does about game strategy. He just seems a little too predictable at times.

In other words, the Orioles didn’t need a new manager, but they could use a new and improved Dave Trembley.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (138)
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Schmuck is on a flight from the West Coast to Baltimore but will check in soon with his take on the Orioles' decision to pick up Dave Trembley's option for the 2010 season. What are your thoughts on the news?

Here's a look at some highlights and lowlights of Trembley's tenure in Baltimore.

June 19, 2007 -- Dave Trembley's debut as interim manager

The Orioles suffer their ninth consecutive defeat, a 12-6 loss to the San Diego Padres, a day after naming Dave Trembley as the interim manager when Sam Perlozzo was fired. "For me, I'm very aware of who I am, what I am and where I've come from, managing in the minor leagues a long time," Trembley said at the time. "In my wildest dreams, I could never imagine getting the opportunity to manage the Baltimore Orioles."

Aug. 22, 2007 -- O's remove Trembley's interim tag, get crushed

Before a doubleheader with the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards, the Orioles remove the interim tag from Trembley's title and officially announce that he will return as manager in 2008. The Orioles lose both games to the Rangers, including a 30-3 defeat in the first game. The 30 runs scored by Texas is the most in a major league game since June 29, 1897, when the Chicago Colts beat the Louisville Colonels, 36-7. "It's been a long day today," Trembley said. "Whatever we threw, they hit it. They say hitting's contagious and that certainly was the case in the first game. I've never seen anything like it."

March 31, 2008 -- Trembley's first Opening Day as O's manager

To start his first full season as manager, Trembley requests that the coaching staff dress with the players in the clubhouse. Previously, coaches had lockers in a separate room. "We're all together," he said. "That's the way they did it here in the old days. I don't like it when people aren't accessible. We don't have closed doors here." The Orioles fall, 6-2, to the Tampa Bay Rays on Opening Day before winning the next six games.

May 27, 2008 -- O's outlast Yankees, 10-9, in 11-inning slugfest

The Orioles hit five home runs, including two by first baseman Kevin Millar, to overcome two four-run deficits and four longballs by the New York Yankees in a 10-9 win in 11 innings at Camden Yards. After falling behind for a third time in the top of the 11th, the Orioles score twice to beat former Orioles pitcher LaTroy Hawkins. "That was incredible," Trembley said after the win. "This is the best game I've ever been a part of to win. I'll replay it for a long time."

Sept. 5, 2008 -- O's fall again after picking up Trembley's option

After announcing that Trembley would return in 2009, the Orioles fall apart in an 11-2 loss against the Oakland Athletics at Camden Yards. The Orioles allow eight runs on one hit, six walks and a hit batter in the bottom of the eighth. "I never doubted one bit that I was going to come back because I'm dealing with people who it's important for them to [value] hard work, being fair, being honest -- all those things we've always thought were important. ... It's never been about me," Trembley said about the Orioles' decision to keep him as manager.

May 29, 2009 -- Matt Wieters' debut

In front of an announced 42,704 fans at Camden Yards, Wieters makes his major league debut in the Orioles' 7-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers. Prior to Wieters' arrival in the majors, Trembley said: "Really, the best is yet to come. We have better players on the way than what we've had in our system in a long time." Nine players have made their major league debut for the Orioles in 2009.

June 30, 2009 -- Orioles' 9-run comeback win over Red Sox

The Orioles score five runs in the seventh and add five more in the eighth to overcome a nine-run deficit in an 11-10 win over the Boston Red Sox at Camden Yards. It is the largest comeback in Orioles history. "That was probably the best game I've been involved in," Trembley said. "That was absolutely tremendous. When you talk about playing all 27 outs, that's tonight. Play all 27."

July 30, 2009 -- O's trade George Sherrill to Dodgers; Brad Bergesen hurt

Bergesen tosses seven innings in a 7-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals to pick up his seventh win of the season. The 24-year-old right-hander leaves the game, however, after being struck in the left shin by Billy Butler's line drive. "Makes you sick to your stomach," Trembley said about Bergesen's injury. "It was a sight I'd rather not relive, and I don't really want to talk about it." Following the game, the Orioles trade closer George Sherrill to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two prospects -- third baseman Josh Bell and right-handed pitcher Steve Johnson.

Aug. 25, 2009 -- Base-running blunders doom O's vs. Twins

Felix Pie is thrown out twice on the bases, and Luke Scott also commits a base-running mistake as the Orioles blow a three-run lead in a 7-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins. "I take full responsibility, but the player should be accountable," Trembley said before the following night's game in Minnesota. "What am I going to tell Felix Pie [Tuesday] night when he's at second base and there's a foul ball right in front of the dugout? Do you think you're invisible? Come on."

-- Dean Jones Jr.

Posted by baltimoresun.com at 5:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Everybody has been waiting a long time for the Orioles to play some meaningful games at the end of the season, which reminds me of an old saying: Be careful what you wish for.

The Orioles are 1-0 in October and the games this weekend at Camden Yards are very meaningful, though I don't think anybody was looking for this kind of meaning. The O's have to win two of three during Fan Appreciation Weekend to avoid the third 100-loss season in team history. Kind of makes you want to throw away all your Ravens stuff and rush right over to Oriole Park.

Well, at least the losing streak is over. The 13-game skid was the longest for the Orioles since they opened the 1988 season with a record 21-straight defeats. I guess that means next year will be another "Why Not?" season, though I think there are a few posters here who will be happy to tell you why not.

Attendance update: The Orioles will need to draw just over 100,000 this weekend to equal last year's season total of 1,950,075, but there's a catch. The 2008 O's ran up that total in just 78 dates, so even if the prospect of all those Fan Appreciation prize packages brings in three big crowds to match 2008, the average attendance this year would still be about 1,000 per game lower than last year.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
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Things are starting to heat up around here, with Dave Trembley's status likely to be determined in the next four or five days. The wolves are out and some of them want me on a slow boat to China along with poor old Dave.

That's fine. Everybody's got an opinion here and I'm glad that there is enough passion left in Birdland to care who's going to be the manager next year, but I'm troubled by a segment of the posting population here that doesn't think anybody else has a right to an opposing opinion.

The thing that makes a blog worth reading is the exchange of ideas. The fact that I'm not on the Blame Dave Bandwagon is a reflection of my opinion of how a manager affects a team and what really constitutes progressive change in a baseball organization. Obviously, you can make a compelling argument for a new manager, but I choose to view the situation a little bit differently.

I'm sorry if that offends some of the most strident Dave-haters, but I'm a little tired of the posters who have so little confidence in their own opinions that they choose to question the integrity of anyone who disagrees with them. And, though I welcome almost all comments and recognize that a blog is a fairly anonymous community, I'd like to compliment those posters -- particularly the ones who are hitting me the hardest -- who do it with some kind of consistent identity.

Oh, and one other thing. There's a poster here who actually believes that I put up two entries about Michael Vick to divert attention away from the Orioles' abysmal September to protect Peter Angelos and the front office. To that person, I just want to assure you that isn't the case and, while we're on the subject of conspiracy theories, I was not old enough to be one of the guys behind the grassy knoll in Dallas.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (126)
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Nike has just announced that it has not re-signed Michael Vick to a promotional contract, saying it has only agreed to supply Vick with its products, which it does for many other athletes who do not show up in the company's advertising campaigns.

Though that makes a lot more sense, the whole situation seems pretty fishy. Sounds like Nike is trying to have it both ways here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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Nothing really surprises me anymore, but I do find it interesting that Nike has decided to get back in bed with Michael Vick some two years after pulling out of his promotional contract because of his involvement in a reprehensible dogfighting operation.

I mean, what's the company's slogan going to be when it splashes Vick's face all over the sports planet? Oh, here's an idea:

Nike: Just don't do it anymore

Feel free to come up with one of your own.

I'm sure Nike has come up with a way to spin the whole thing into an interesting advertising campaign -- probably one of those dark, edgy shoots with Vick looking remorseful and talking about paying the price.

What I'm not sure of is whether Vick will ever regain his superstar status, as it relates to anything but his disturbing past. The Eagles used him in a number of situations last week, but he didn't exactly light up the stadium.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
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