Hi, Peter,

I'm glad you all came through the fllght okay. That was an adrenalin rush you didn't need.

Look on the brighter side - at least you didn't have a line of people slapping and shaking you, like in the movie "Airplane." And your cabin crew didn't pass out from food poisoning. :)

Terrifying!

Was on the same flight and you're being nice PS. In my row, the only thing we were waiting for was the dreaded 'brace for impact'.

Didn't notice you on the flight. If I had though, I would have spared you the introduction. You were probably frazzled enough!

The best thing about todays blog? It makes us realize how close we're getting to 'Oriole Free Blogs', at least for awhile......hopefully!

Reading about the Orioles is about as close to oral surgery as it gets.

By the way, if the Ravens win, it's ok to smile in the press box. Just think of the Boston fans who visit the Yards. A little pay back would be nice.

Good assignment by the way. Means you don't have to cover the O's last game which is possibly one the 3 worst assignments in the country tomorrow....

Good call on DTrem.

Fans want Dave to make a three course meal but all he has to work with is 10lbs of ground chuck and a can of tomato sauce.

Overall I did not see enough out of the young pitchers to make me think 2010 will be a whole lot better. Bergy and Matusz showed flashes but that was about it. Hernandez, Berken and Tillman were terrible down the stretch. Bergy had a good half year but who know if he can do it again. Rodrigo Lopez anyone?

The bullpen is a total disgrace. Real hard to say anything good about anyone in this group... Though it would have been helpful if we had any starters at all that had a chance to get out of the sixth inning.

I was hoping the young starters would show enough in the 2nd half to get McPhail to spend some money in the off season. Probably hard to justify now. Too many holes to fill with free agents on the O's budget. No starting pitching to speak of (I am talking about guys who have a history of success at this level), no bullpen and no corner infielders. We have decent outfield and second baseman, a light hitting SS and a good looking catcher.

If we had the Yaks or Suxs payroll, no worries. If you are going to do it the Smith Barney way and "earn it", we have more "earning" to do...

" static discharge " , I've had that before ..... check that , that was some other kind of discharge .

Excuse me for showing up one last time pete but i still am in complete shock over this rehiring. Even though i got the feeling that he was going to be rehired only because andy's plan has been derailed and is so far behind in completion that he might have 2 more plans put in place before it's all over with .The thing that really makes me laugh and is quite understanding because everybody always wants to be on a winner.,is the fact that The last couple of weeks between your blog and roch's all these so called front runners were calling for dave's head, now that he has been rehired there are very few that still say that it's a mistake. These are the same posters that will show there ugly heads next year when this all goes south again, and make no mistake it will go south.Even andy changed the perimenters for which he was suppose to judged dave, but that ok he is a smooth talker and that won't be the last time that he will do it to the fans of this town. In conclusion all i want to know is how do you not change managers after another disastrous second half collapse and one of the worst season's in team history, how do you not change managers when the mandate was to get better as the season progressed and avoid the usual post all star game meltdown and neither one happened.How do you not develop a winning attitude with your young players when there is no change in leadership after a season that included in conceivable base running blunders, fundamental fielding mistakes and veterans who seemed to mail it in at the end And furthermore how do you keep telling your shrinking and demoralized fan base after 12 straight losing seasons that things will get better just trust us something that has been pushed down our throats for ever.As i stated in my previous postings i just can't imagine how you can go into the off season with the same manager and try to fire up the fan base for next year. What message do you send your players , who will have 5 months to shake off this terrible season. The players say that all like the decison , i quess they do because he treats them as his son't instead of making them be accountable every time they step between the white lines. This will stay with me for along time but i am tired of fighting city hall and all you kool aid drinkers that somehow have learned to accept losing something that this town never did before. To cb coach, james c, slugger,and the many more that have been on here good luck and remember who told you so.Take Care

Off topic, but this trade keeps jumping back into my head.

Chris Tillman, Nolan Reimold and Zach Britton for Adrian Gonzalez.

The Padres get a big league ready starting with huge talent, a starting left fielder with pop and another very good pitching prospect.

The O's get a 28-year-old power hitting first baseman who should see a big boost in production moving out of the worst hitters park in the game and hitting with Roberts, Jones, Markakis and Wieters. Oh, and Gonzalez is a Gold Glove defender as well.

And the O's would still have Jake Arrieta, Brandon Erbe, Troy Patton, Pedro Beato, Rick Zagone, Cole McCurry, Ryan O'Shea, Oliver Drake, Nathan Moreau and Matt Hobgood in the pipeline.

b,

Here's the problem. Although that would be a good trade, you make the same mistake others like to make.

That is..... run off a bunch of names that have done absolutely nothing in the major leagues.

They're prospects b, and chances are, none of them will be anything at all. Every team has a list of names as well. It just so happens, the O's have their own list for now.

To suggest what you and others suggest however, is simply a dream. You act as if Arrieta is the next Palmer. Remember, Tillman was as well, yet he's not close (see stats).

Keep listing the names though b, especially if it makes you feel comfortable.

b,

Why would you trade 3 players who should play here for 10+ years each for a guy who would leave 2 years after we trade for him?

Save your money for Roy Halladay

Went through that ordeal and still hungry for clam chowder? Some people can eat anytime, anywhere . . .

What do blancione and Brett Favre have in common?

Alright posters who can come up with the best answer.

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: They both go away a lot, but always come back.

One of them was a Packer, the other still is.

Trembley did not excactly get a glowing vote of confidence from Macphail.

To paraphrase Macphail's remarks" The team stunk this year because of me. But since I am an acknowledged rebuilding genius, if the team still stinks next year it's your ass. Yeah, I tore it up and spit it out, and the only reason I didn't fire you months ago is that our pitching staff couldn't stop the Perry Hall American Legion team".

"My deals better start working next year because the Head Lawyer is getting a little ancy over all of the empty seats. If the team gets off to a bad start next year after all of my brilliant moves, you'll be going down faster than Bill Clinton's zipper in a room full of interns."

"So have a nice winter and pack lightly next spring"

I too am surprised DT is back and was on the bandwagon to not bring him back, even though the team he had to manage wasn't going to compete no matter who was the mgr. GMs can make a statement by firing a mgr, a mgr can make a statement by firing a coach or two. Crow does fix hitters, but they seem to lack a plan and the patience to exectue the plan. Most winning teams are at the top of the league in OPB and Slg pct...get em on and drive them home. A 284 average with RISP is nice, if you've got a bunch of runners in scoring position. NY and BOS can hit 260 with RISP and still outscore the Os.

b, thats not a bad trade. Teams like the Padres and the Brewers need young, major league talent they can control for a few years. You'd have to add another player like that or someone else who is clclose. Fielder is probably more likely to be available.

As far as DT, you don't have to be a jerk to be stern. Of the Roberts popup gaffe, you quickly pull him aside and remind him that's not how we're playing baseball around here...if he does it again, you pull him. I'll beat this drum again, Joe Maddon pulled BJ Upton twice last year for not hustling on ground balls. Maddon didn't yell, just 'managed' the situation. Tough for DT to do when its not his MO.

Ravens 26-20.

Pete - Congrats on joining the Mile High Club. (static dis-charge, yeah right, wink-wink)

Good thing you weren't flying with Preston. LOL

ok, so who had 29 minutes in the "How long will Blancione's farewell last?" pool? Three final posts in less than 24 hours? lol

Pete-
Glad you're OK.

Hate to sound pathetic but I'm following tonight's game pretty closely to see if we can secure 'not losing 100 games' tonight.

but how 'bout Wieters OPS in September??? .936 or something. gotta love it. and yes, you lose 13 games straight in Sept when you shut down basically all your major league pitching

Glad to see Hendrickson go out well - from whipping boy to steady vet.

Well, thanks for small favors, the Orioles won # 63 tonight. Weak tea for a season that started out with so much hope, but you take what you can get I guess.
I wish Dave Trembley well, and I hope he proves me wrong next year.

No 100 loss season., thank goodness! Would have heard about it for then next year from all of you that predicted the century mark in losses.

Anyway Bob, Nice to have you back! You managed to stay away for 12 hours! Excellent...

Pete,

Be careful, man this must be painful typing.

Come on folks,

This is what its come to? Celebrating falling short of 100 losses? Are you people kidding me?

Are you so use to losing in baseball and in life that you actually breathed a sigh of relief at 'only' losing 98 or 99 games?

The media has actually set this up so that losing less than 100 would be a victory for this team.....and you folks fell right in line.

You should be ashamed of yourselves, right behind PA and AM.

Have some pride!

Pete,

I am not ashamed of myself and I have a lot of pride. If you were reading post here for the last month there were several people routing and betting on it. I am not ashamed of myself, nor should the fans that did not want to see their team reach that magical number, the ones that did say they will loose 100 they should be. And does losing 100 games bring you happiness?

The media did not set it up by the way, it was brought up by the media, but setup.

sounds like "calm" chowder might do nicely as well....

Well Pete,
I have to say I thought maybe Trembley should go based on in game management and some other things, but it's obvious Macphail knows what he is doing so I think it's only fair DT gets another shot. Good thing is, it does sound like it will be more about wins and losses next year....
With Matuzs Bergesen and Tillman Weiters etc... the future is really quite bright for this team

No CB, the question is..... does losing 98 or 99 bring you happiness?

Your (and many others) huge sign of relief, as ridiculous as that even sounds, is very telling....

Ravens--23
Patriots--20

Reed returns an interception 42 yards for a TD. Hauschka kicks a 49-yard field goal to win the game.

You do not get it Pete. As I stated if you were on here before you know how people were routing for it. You think that all the years I have been involved in the game I like losing, I hate it but what I hate more is people betting on it. Like it would bring them gratification if they hit that number, if you were not looking two weeks ago, I see where you are coming from, but if not......

Imagine being chris tillman, 21 yrs old, go from AA to the major leagues in 2 years(with less than a year at AAA), and people want to give you crap about your less than stellar performance in all of 12 starts.Maybe instead of comparing him to Pamer, we could possibly find other HOF pitchers who had worse numbers than Tillman and make a point about what a great start Tillman has had.. But what would be the point of that? Or maybe someone can ask Palmer what he thinks about him. He seems to carry some weight around here, though he's never posted i don't think.
I'll bet that when the O's go inquiring about Gonzalez or Fielder or anyone else, that Tillman's name comes up in every one of those conversations.
And yes, people are willing to trade ML players for prospects, last time I checked.

somebody tell blancione, that when you start a sentence with 'In conclusion...', it should be the last run-on sentence in the rant.

pete the poster, not Pete the Blogger -

yes, losing 99 or 98 is better than losing 100. you know why? b/c it meant we won one more. there you go. believe it. and you know what else? this team win 90 by 2011. i've got a naked lap around Camden Yards riding on it.

Hey Jim,

What about Bob?That is a great movie fit for him! He will not go away. To tell the truth I hope he does not, but do not tell him, because he will never know he does not read this stuff any longer!

It's sooo warm and fuzzy.... Why? The O's win 2 in a row and avoid a 100 loss season. People in Balt are celebrating... Why? They're use to losing!

Embarrassing!

Dang Pete,

Get your facts straight they won three in a row. Nice to have them finish on a good note, you do not agree? Everything we went through this year? Also as I said " I do not look at 98 losses a good thing", I am glad that this shut up all the people on here that were routing for 100 losses, are you that foolish to think that equals out that I am happy we lost 98,

There will be more improvement, believe i tor not,

The bloggers who delight in predicting 100 losses are the same cowards who boo their own pitchers who load the bases with no outs. They don't deserve the moments of jubilation such as when George Sherrill struck out 3 consecutive batters against the Cubs last year.

Teams deficient in talent lose 100 games or more but the "losers" are the ones who don't care either way. Go put on your Yankees hat or suck up to the Ravens - as long as they're winning.

Speaking of George Sherrill, there's a guy every O's fan can get behind in the postseason. And man has he been dominant in the NL, which isn't really surprising because he was excellent in the much better AL.

pete -

Are you serious?

Aren't you used to losing after 12 years of it?

Come on, man. In this town, baseball mediocrity (81-81, a .500 record) would be celebrated with UMD style riots.

Damn right, we're used to losing. And I'd much rather lose 99 games than 100.

Bob,

And what, exactly, is a "perimenter"?

Hilarious stuff. Good on ya.

To further paraphrase Macphail's remarks and thoughts on brining back Dave Trembley,

"So Dave, since I planned to lose this year, it's important that next year that you and the media continue to coddle and rave about the prospects I have brought in to the organization and other such anecdotes to grow my legend. Because sooner or later the Old Man is going to start asking me some questions, like when are we going to start winning some games? That's when I'll know he gets it and my days are numbered.

"You see, this isn't about winning, it's about rebuilding. And rebuilding is not a program, it's a process, and a process has no beginning or end, it's just a continuous process of, well, rebuilding. It's never over"

"So by the time the Old Man wises up and cans me, hopefully I'll have another rebuidling job". I can now add the Orioles to my resume as a successful rebuilding job. No one ever asks me about the wins and losses my efforts produced, just my shake and bake style of roster turnover".

"Good luck next year Dave, you'll need it
because frankly we'll probably lose another 95 at least and you'll be gone by Memorial day".

"But I'll still be here, rebuilding"

Peter, can't you just let Trembley enjoy the moment without the new article about what message is MacPhail sending column? Oh wait I get it....it's called "our readership really really dwindling so let's keep agitating to get people to read" crap. Mike Preston does it with the Ravens too. Silly me I fell for it, but at least I wasn't stupid enough to pay the $1.50 for the rag.

.............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Yeah, I really spent a bunch of time Friday on my way home from a funeral in Southern California conspiring to pick your pocket. Listen, I'll take your barbs about what I write, but stop with the bull about some hidden agenda. If you don't like a column, that's fine, but challenge the info, not your own paranoid delusions.

"Good luck next year Dave, you'll need it
because frankly we'll probably lose another 95 at least and you'll be gone by Memorial day". Posted by: Gil | October 4, 2009 9:44 AM
________________________
How can DT have 95 losses next year and be gone by Memorial Day? Has the schedule been increased to 500 games? Do the math.

Pete - I am sorry that you feel any actions I or any other stranger can take is embarassing to you. I know I am not embarassed by all the losers who have been celebrating that the Orioles would lose 100 games. Why would I be embarassed by anything you do, say or believe? For weeks we have heard from "your side of the aisle" how meaningful the number 100 was, how it was such a huge step worse than 99 losses. So the team steps up and shows some long doubted pride, backbone and spirit to avoid this huge symbolic stain, and the worm turns. It is not a big deal, it is no accomplishment, it was never the big deal so many said it was. I am tired of both sides flip flopping with the daily news to turn every minute detail into incontrovertible proof that they were right all along. You say they are a bad team. I agree. You say that numbers show they are getting worse and numbers dont lie. I say numbers lie all the time and the wins & losses are not the proper metric to judge them on right now. Business uses different metrics to judge different businesses. For retail it is year over year performance of stores open 12 months or more. For REITs it is EBITDA. For a rebuilding team, you judge them differently than a perennial playoff team. This just isnt a difficult concept. With no large victory to cheer for 12 years now, I am sorry you are so cynical and jaded that you begrudge the team's fans this small opportunity to smile.

Dear regular poster with another made up name:

I didn't say we would lose 95 by Memorial Day, but a 20-31 start at that point will probably send him packing.

95 losses next year is a better bet than 81 at this point, unless, as Pete points out, Macphail knows something that we don't know.

I'll say this...if Adrian Gonzalez is indeed traded, we must make every effort to make sure he is traded to Baltimore.

Gil,
Pretty much pass by your continuing rants against Macphail and Angelos. If you don't recognize the umprovement in the organization, you frankly don't know what you are talking about and just like to be negative which is boring