I've said this a few times before, but it says a lot about the deep-seated interest in the Orioles that a three-paragraph non-update on the Matt Holliday free agent situation has generated more than 200 comments during the height of the college bowl frenzy.

Guess Iowa State vs. Minnesota doesn't float your boat.

Just thought I'd give a shout out to Wayne, whose consistent negativity occasionally gets under my skin, but who does such a good job getting under everybody else's skin that I can take the day off to watch football and the debate just hums along without me.

I'm pretty sure the Orioles aren't a serious player for Holliday, but you've got to love the way Scott Boras manages to keep even the most unlikely teams in the conversation. And it cracks me up that all it took was a rumor the O's offered Holliday $130 million to get certain people mad at Andy MacPhail all over again just because he wouldn't let them fool themselves into believing it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (103)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail vehemently denied a report today from Foxsports.com that said the club had made an 8-year, $130 million offer to free-agent outfielder Matt Holliday.

"There's no validity to that report whatsoever," MacPhail said.

The Orioles spoke with Holliday's agent, Scott Boras, during contract negotiations with reliever Mike Gonzalez, and had brief discussions about Holliday, but they have no interest in Holliday unless his price tag drops significantly.

-Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (242)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Believe it or not, I actually have more confidence in the Ravens in the aftermath of Sunday's mind-boggling performance in Pittsburgh. If you're interested in the logic behind that, check out today's column in the print edition or you can read it right right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

Here is the list of Ravens who were chosen for this year's Pro Bowl, according to WBAL and WBAL-TV's Gerry Sandusky, who announced them tonight on the John Harbaugh Show:

Ray Lewis

Ray Rice

Ed Reed

Haloti Ngata

LeRon McClain

Ben Grubbs (1st alternate)

Terrell Suggs (2nd alternate)

Matt Birk (2nd alternate)

Tom Zbikowski (3rd alternate)

Schmuck plug: If you want to talk about the Ravens, join me and Jonathan Ogden on Sportsline on WBAL (1090 AM) and WBAL.com tonight at 7.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Just football
        

Today's featured comment is a thought-provoker from Chuck in Hawaii, who saw me on one of the MLB Network Prime Nine shows and wanted some direct feedback on the subject of the most unbreakable records in baseball:

Chuck's take:

Hey Pete,

Don't mean to change the subject here but I just watched you on MLB Prime 9. I was just wondering if you agree with the top 5 "most unbreakable records?"

With the way the game has changed I can't see anyone breaking the top 5 but I was just wondering what your thoughts on the most unbreakable records was.

MLB's Top 5:

#5 Nolan Ryan strikeouts (5,714)
#4 Ricky Henderson season SB (130)
#3 Yankees 5 straight WS victories
#2 Cal's Ironman Streak (2,632)
#1 Cy Young wins (511)

Mine:
#5 Pete Rose hits (4,256)
#4 Nolan Ryan strikeouts (5,714)
#3 Yankees 5 straight WS
#2 Cal's Ironman Streak (2,632)
#1 Cy Young wins (511)

Thoughts?

Pete's take

Strangely enough, I would say that I agree largely with both lists, but would take exception with two from each. I'm fairly confident that Cy Young's 511 wins, Cal's consecutive games record and Nolan Ryan's strikeout record will all stand forever, because the game has changed to the point where it's all but impossible for anyone to challenge them. Of those, I think Cal's record is the only one that is even plausible, because the game itself hasn't changed in a way that would prevent anyone from playing every game. The sport has changed from the standpoint that nobody is going to start every other game and nobody pitches in a four-man rotation anymore, so I'm pretty confident that Cy and Nolan are safe.

I don't think Rickey Henderson's record is unbreakable, because it is possible another guy with Rickey Henderson's basestealing talent and makeup will emerge and have a huge season at a time when there is a shortage of strong-armed catchers. I also think that the Yankees record of five straight World Series is breakable, though it's certainly much more difficult to get to the World Series than it was when they set that record.

I'm on the fence when it comes to Pete Rose's hits record, because it's probably doable if somebody as talented, determined and durable as Rose comes along who wants to play for 24 years. That's highly unlikely, but not impossible.

Let the debate begin.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
Categories: Just baseball, Today's featured comment
        

Though I wish I had some Orioles news to report, this is a traditionally dead time for Major League Baseball, so I just popped back in to compliment everyone for the way you've kept the debate going in this information vacuum. The last time I looked, my most recent Orioles entry of any substance (and that's arguable) has garnered nearly 300 reader comments.

In short, you've kept the same conversation alive right through the Christmas holiday and well into the final week of the year. If I were Andy MacPhail, I think I'd jump on the idea from the blogger known as Not Brooks and reward you with the surprise signing of Matt Holliday. Of course, I'm not Andy (I'm much taller because of what Jeff Zrebiec calls my "huge head") and he's not me, so I wouldn't get your hopes up.

The next few days figure to remain very quiet on the baseball front, but things should start to pick up on Monday. The Orioles probably will be in a wait-and-see mode for another week or two, but they caught me by surprise with their flurry of activity earlier this month, so I'm not ruling anything out.

I'll apologize in advance for concentrating on the Ravens a little more right now, with Sunday's road game against the Raiders dead ahead. That game, by the way, really is a must-win situation for a change.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (192)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Nobody listened to me when I said last week that the Ravens/Steelers game was not a win-or-else situation. If everybody had been paying attention the past month or so, you would have known that the Miami Dolphins would step aside at their pivotal moment. Everybody else has.

That's only small consolation, because real Ravens fans probably cared as much about beating the Steelers at Heinz Field as clinching that playoff berth. But it didn't happen, so you'll have to move on, as John Harbaugh said about a hundred times in his postgame news conference.

I hope the Ravens forget this game in a hurry, but I hope they remember that a little self-discipline goes a long way. I saw Kelley Washington's quote about how the DB wasn't in range of Willie McGahee when Kelley's holding penalty caused one of two touchdowns to be called back. If he really knew that at the time, he might have wanted to let go of the guy's jersey. I mean, when your opponent is waving at the official and pointing at your clenched hand and the play is way past you, you might want to just let go. And don't even get me started with Terrell Suggs.

Stupid stuff loses football games and the Ravens lead the NFL in stupid stuff just about every year.

The good news: If the Ravens beat the Raiders on Sunday -- which will be no small task -- the Pittsburgh loss will have relatively little effect on their postseason potential. The way the dominoes have been falling, the Jets will probably lose to the Bengals on Sunday night and the Ravens will get the fifth seed anyway.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
Categories: Just football
        

The game ended when Tom Zibkowski intercepted Ben Roethlisberger and returned the ball to a place where the Ravens would have had a great opportunity to score, but the officials called Frank Walker for illegal contact even though Big Ben had scrambled out of the hold of Trevor Pryce and appeared to be out of the pocket.

You could lip read John Harbaugh, who was yelling at the officials to "read the rules,'' but that was that. The Steelers were able to kneel it out at that point.

If that was all that happened, maybe you could pin this one on the officials, but the Ravens ran up triple digits in penalty yards and most of the time, the replays confirmed the penalties, which confirmed that the Ravens remain a very undisciplined team.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (61)
Categories: Just football
        

Well, I wanted to see Joe Flacco win a head-to-head battle with a premier quarterback, and now he's going to get his chance. He'll get the ball with five minutes or so left and needing to get at least a field goal to give the Ravens a chance to win this game and -- I'm pretty sure -- lock up a playoff slot.

Let's see what happens.

Instant update: Oh well. If you run on second and long and don't get any yardage, you put yourself in a box. Twice they've taken themselves out of field goal range with poor execution since getting back into the game. That's how you lose to a good team on the road.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Just football
        

It's starting to look like the only team that can stop the Ravens from winning this game is the Ravens. That's two touchdowns negated by penalties that probably would not have had an impact on the outcome of either play. Willis McGahee blew threw that hole on the left side and was more than five yards from where Kelley Washington was clearly holding the jersey of the Pittsburgh defender.

Now, Derrick Mason just dropped a ball in the end zone that was just too easy and Joe Flacco just had to burn another time out because the Ravens got to the line late. This has got a chance to turn into a very discouraging finish -- or am I just being negative?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens lead the NFL in third quarter scoring, and they showed why by streaking back into this game with 10 unanswered points. Could have been 14 if not for a block in the back by Terrell Suggs on the interception return by Dominique Foxworth. Still, you've got to be very impressed with the way Joe Flacco and the Ravens offense have responded to the challenge of being down by double digits coming into the second half.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

It's hard to believe that the Ravens have put themselves into the situation they are in at the end of the first half. If they don't get overanxious and jump offsides inside the Steelers' five, there's no way Ben Roethlisberger risks that long pass that put the Steelers into position to score one of the most disturbing one-minute-wonder touchdowns you're going to see.

The two big plays both exposed the Ravens secondary. Frank Walker was out-classed on the long third-down pass and Dwan Landry overplayed Santonio Holmes off the blitz to surrender the touchdown.

Now, somebody is going to have to explain to me why the Ravens keep calling time outs deep in their own territory and then running the ball. What, are they trying to see if they can fumble it away and give up another score?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens defense has stopped the Steelers twice in the early minutes of the first quarter, but they'll still need to shore some things up if they want to keep Ben Roethlisberger under wraps. The Steelers have failed to convert on three pass plays already where the receiver was open -- most notably the quick pass over the middle to Rashard Mendenhall that should given Pittsburgh a touchdown off the turnover.

Considering the circumstances, being down 3-0 right now isn't half bad.

Instant update: 3-3 isn't bad at this point either, but that miscommunication between Joe Flacco and Demetrius Williams on that third-and-2 pass near the goal line may come back to haunt the Ravens.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

Maybe I'm just stupid -- which my wife insists is the most likely scenario in virtually every situation -- because I continue to disagree with John Harbaugh and his brothers in the NFL coaching community about the wisdom of kicking off if you win the coin toss.

There was a time long ago when everybody wanted the ball first. Now, it seems, almost everybody -- including the Ravens -- wants it to start the second half. I think that's crazy and I've been beating this drum since the Ravens deferred and handed the ball to Peyton Manning first in the game against the Colts at M&T Bank Stadium.

Here are some facts that may or may not be relevant to this debate. The Ravens have kicked off in 12 of their 14 games and they are 7-5 in those 12, which would seem to slightly reinforce the prevailing philosophy that it's better to take the ball second. Of course, it's a stretch to derive a cause-and-effect relationship from the first play of every game and it's hard to conclude anything from the fact that the Ravens are just barely above .500 -- since that's consistent with their overall record -- so I'll conveniently dismiss that statistic because it doesn't support my argument.

Let's instead take a look at the nine games the Ravens have played so far against teams that are either already headed for the playoffs or still have a chance to get there. In those games, the Ravens are 3-6 and the offensive unit has started with the ball exactly zero times. The only time in those nine games that the Ravens accepted the opening kickoff was in New England and they fumbled it away, allowing the Patriots to start on offense first.

In those nine games, by the way, the opposing offense scored before the Ravens offense seven times, though the Ravens did score first in one of those games on a second-quarter interception return. On the road, the opposing offense scored first every time.

Like I said in the previous post, if the Ravens win the toss and defer to Ben Roethlisberger today, I'm going to kick the TV and go to a movie.

Instant update: My television is safe, but I don't know if the same goes for the Ravens. The Steelers won the toss and elected to receive.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

The big showdown with the Steelers is just a couple of hours away and my mind is swimming, so I thought I'd post a few early thoughts while I psych up for the game:

-- If the Ravens win the toss and defer possession to the second half, I'm going to kick my TV, which could damage thousands of those little mirrors that make DLP so crystal clear.

-- This game is not about the two defenses, for a change. It's about the two offenses. The Ravens need to score 26 points to win. They need to get to it right away.

-- Oh, just remembered. I'll be on the Ravens pregame show on WBAL (1090 AM and WBAL.com) at noon with Keith Mills, Pete Gilbert and Jamison Hensley. If I win the toss and defer, feel free to kick your radio.

-- This doesn't have a thing to do with the game today, but I hope Urban Meyer is okay.

-- If you get a chance, read my column on Joe Flacco in today's print edition or check it out on the Web site right here.

-- There sure are a lot of plugs on this site.

-- Is it just me, or does it feel like all the end-of-the-decade lists are a year early. When I count to 10, I don't usually start with zero.

-- The Orioles' 30-3 loss to the Texas Rangers on Aug. 22, 2007 is listed among the "Honorable Mentions" on our list of the 10 top sports stories of the past 10 years. Don't know what's so honorable about that.

-- USC beat Boston College last night in the Emerald Bowl and even I didn't care.

-- Just 105 minutes to kickoff...pass it on.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Just football
        

Stand by for my Sunday column, which will be up on the Web site soon and in the print edition in the morning. In a sense, I'm calling out Joe Flacco, but in a good way. I know he's done as much or more than anyone could have expected from a guy in only his second year as an NFL quarterback, but I'm looking for him to take another step forward in tomorrow's showdown with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field.

The one thing Joe Cool has yet to do is prove he can go toe-to-toe with the elite quarterbacks in the game on a consistent basis. Of course, no one could reasonable expect him to do that in his rookie season -- or his second season, for that matter -- but as Year Two winds down, he has a chance to make a big statement against Ben Roethlisberger and solidify the Ravens' playoff standing in the process.

And it's not just about Flacco. The Ravens have not scored a big win against a playoff-caliber team on the road since Week 2 in San Diego. This would be a good way to warm up for what figures to be a postseason spent entirely on the road.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

I'm sure everybody overslept today, especially if you stayed up to watch the San Diego Chargers absolutely crush the Tennesee Titans on the road to lock up a first-round playoff bye. That puts an end to the Titans' dark-horse playoff run, though I still think you have to give Jeff Fisher credit for keeping his team focused after that horrible 0-6 start.

So, you might as well start your day at noon with Sportsline on WBAL (1090 AM). We'll continue to size up tomorrow's big game between the Ravens and Steelers and look back on the sports year that was 2009. I'll be soliciting calls from local fans ranking the top stories of the year. If you're not in signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Today's column: You can do your homework by reading my year-end "News item" column either in today's print edition of The Sun or by checking it out right here.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and give a special shout out to all of you who believe there's a liberal media conspiracy. You're not just being paranoid. My daughter has blown the lid off it with the accompanying photo of me in my Soviet writing uniform.

Actually, that's a mekhovaya shapka, which is Russian for -- you guessed it -- "fur hat," and it comes direct from the old country, where my girl has been going to school off and on for the past year or so. It's one of the coolest (and warmest) Christmas gifts I've ever gotten, and it will certainly come in handy over the next few weeks.

I'm pretty sure it's real fur, so I won't be taking it on my next play date with Pamela Anderson, but I'll wear it proudly until the weather warms up.

Obviously, there doesn't figure to be any O's news today, but in case you aren't counting, there are just 55 shopping days until pitchers and catchers report to the Orioles' new spring training location in Sarasota.

In the meantime, if you got or gave someone an interesting or off-the-wall Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah gift, why don't you tell us about it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

It's amazing how much talk radio you can listen to while you're sitting in holiday traffic, and it's amazing to me how fatalistic everybody seems to be about Sunday's game in Pittsburgh. I've heard caller after caller bemoan how the Ravens are going to get smoked at Heinz Field and knocked out of the playoffs.

Of course, that's possible. The Steelers, despite their recent five-game losing streak, are a good team and they certainly had the Ravens' number last year. Heinz Field is always a difficult place to play and the Ravens are pretty banged up, though that isn't unusual for anyone at this point in the regular season. And, if you want a truly objective opinion, the oddsmakers posted the Ravens as a slight underdog.

All that said, I'm going with the Ravens this week. The Steelers needed a miraculous comeback on Sunday to end that long losing streak and they're plenty banged up, too. They're still alive in the playoff hunt, but only mathematically. Even if they go 9-7, they need the Ravens to lose to the Raiders next week (and a lot of other dominoes to fall in place) to stay in play.

The Steelers are a 2 1/2-point favorite, but keep in mind that the betting line is impacted by the geography of the game and the breath of the respective fan bases. If you figure that home-field advantage is worth about three points, the oddsmakers were saying that the Ravens are a slightly better team on paper...and that was before factoring in a much larger national following for the Steelers, which also helps drive the betting line toward Pittsburgh.

Maybe I'm nuts, but In think the Ravens make a very positive statement on Sunday and head into the playoffs on a roll.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
Categories: Just football
        

Maybe it's just snow-induced cabin fever, but the past week has seen an amazing polarization on the blog. It's like we've reached the intersection of Can and Can't, and the traffic lights just went out.

I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, because it's an indication that passions remain high about the Orioles -- in spite of 12 straight losing seasons -- and it's also a reflection of a team that is in a state of change. Whether that change brings success or more frustration remains to be seen, but I don't think anybody can argue that this is the same organization that it was a couple of years ago.

Does that mean I'm totally on board with the Andy plan?

Yes and no.

I've always been on board with the notion that the Orioles had to start doing business differently to have any chance of climbing out of the hole they put themselves in for the decade after the 1997 wire-to-wire season. Somebody had to suck it up and install a long-term plan, even though the fans had already waited long enough for a decent team.

MacPhail, ever the conservative operator, was honest about the no-pain, no-gain strategy and he has delivered on the pain part of it. Now, we're in the period (2010-2011) when we're either going to see the gain part of it or recognize the absolute hopelessness of trying to compete in the AL East without $300 million in annual revenues.

So, yes, I was on board with that and will stick out the next year or so to see whether The Plan really can bear fruit. At the same time, I can't tell all the cynics out there that it's going to work because the mountain may be too high...or the ownership may not really be willing to commit next winter when the time comes to cough up a $100 million contract that might complete the competitive picture.

Of course, the most jaundiced of you will never believe that Peter Angelos will do the right thing when the brass ring is within reach, and I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise. It's hard to argue with recent history, but he spent wildly when the Orioles were good in the mid-1990s. Guess we'll have to just wait and see.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (294)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If the Ravens can sweep the home-and-home series against the Steelers with a victory at Heinz Field on Sunday, they'll all but lock up a playoff berth, but the notion that it is a must-win situation is just not accurate...unless you're talking about the Steelers.

The Ravens need to win for a lot of reasons, but they would not be eliminated from playoff consideration if Ben Roethlisberger jacks up another huge game like he did on the way to last Sunday's miraculous victory over the Green Bay Packers.

The only other 8-6 team in the AFC wild card hunt is the Broncos, who also face a tough road game (Philadelphia) this weekend. There are six teams with 7-7 records, and only two of them -- the Dolphins and Texans -- will be playing each other, so there are too many scenarios to reasonably contemplate.

Of course, the best way to reduce the variables is to win out. Both the Ravens and Broncos make the playoffs if they win their final two regular season games. But both are listed by the oddsmakers as underdogs this week.

It's been almost surreal the way the Ravens' wild card competitors have been falling by the wayside over the past three weeks, and that could continue in Week 16. Only two of the 7-7 teams (in addition to the Steelers) are posted as favorites. Is that parity or parody?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
Categories: Just football
        

The Orioles just sent out a bulletin that the Garrett Atkins signing is official. Atkins and Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail will be holding a conference call with the media at 4 p.m.

Quick plug: My show tonight starts an hour later, so join me at 8 p.m. on WBAL (1090 AM) for an hour of "Sportsline." The schedule is a little different this week because of the holidays, but we'll look ahead to this weekend's game between the Ravens and Steelers, and also talk about the Atkins signing and other moves the Orioles might make. If you're not in signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (71)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Quick update from Orioles beat guy Jeff Zrebiec: The Orioles newest player, corner infielder Garrett Atkins, is expected to undergo his physical tomorrow in Baltimore, which means he'll probably arrive here sometime tonight. If all goes well, the club will be able to finalize his contract and maybe even hook him up with the media.

No word on whether there will be a press conference at the Warehouse. Atkins probably will want to get right back on a plane and head home for the holidays. I know I'd like to get right back on a plane, but since I live here, I'll just keep shoveling.

The physical is probably a formality, but teams do them for a reason, so I guess you can never take anything for granted. Just ask Mike Lowell.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (98)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Not exactly sure what to make of the Ravens' lopsided victory, since the Bears did everything in their power to get themselves blown out, but back-to-back blowouts certain should make for a confident team heading into Pittsburgh next week.

The victory put the Ravens in very good position to claim one of the AFC wild card berths, though there still are a lot of teams still in range. Beating the Steelers again probably would lock it up.

Joe Flacco looked very confident from the moment he stepped onto the field, and coach John Harbaugh has to be happy with the way Demetrius Williams has stepped up with Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington inactive. Williams battled through two defenders to make the spectacular touchdown catch that put the Ravens in control of the game.

Throw in the big performances by Todd Heap and Ray Rice and the Ravens suddenly are on a very encouraging late-season roll.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens appeared to be short in the receiver department with Mark Clayton and Kelley Washington inactive, but Demetrius Williams has stepped up to fill the void. He battled two defenders to catch a long touchdown pass that gave the Ravens a 21-7 lead and Derrick Mason just caught another one to capitalize after Bears return man Johnny Knox fumbled on the kickoff.

Joe Flacco has now thrown four touchdown passes to set a career high. His previous high was three against the Kansas City Chiefs in this year's regular season opener here at M&T.

Instant update: The Bears just turned the ball over for the fourth time in the game. Running back Matt Forte fumbled deep in Chicago territory and Haloti Ngata recovered to give the Ravens the ball just outside the red zone, setting up a 40-yard field goal by Billy Cundiff. It's all Ravens right now.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Just football
        

The Ravens defense made a big stand at the goal line to keep the Bears off the scoreboard, but the Ravens were content to run the ball three times and punt out of the end zone.

So what happened? Their conservatism came right back to haunt them in the form of a 49-yard punt return by Earl Bennett for a touchdown.

Come on, if you thought the Ravens would walk through the Bears today, you haven't been paying attention. Nothing has come easy this year for the Ravens, except against the Browns and the Lions.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

It's great to see Todd Heap playing a huge role in this game. Joe Flacco hit him over the middle for the first Ravens score and went right back to him in the right side of the end zone to roll up a quick 14-0 lead. Heap also had a great diving catch at the sideline during the second touchdown drive.

So far, the Ravens have not missed Kelley Washington and Mark Clayton, who were both listed as inactive before the game.

Flacco is 4 for 5 for 56 yards and Heap's three catches have been good for 41 of those yards, but running back Ray Rice has been the driving force in the Ravens offense through the first quarter. He already has 77 yards on six carries.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Just football
        

By the time the Ravens lined up for the opening kickoff at M&T Bank Stadium, two more of their wild card rivals had fallen in dynamic fashion. The Atlanta Falcons came back in the final minutes to knock off the Jets and the Tennessee Titans staved off a huge comeback to defeat the Miami Dolphins in overtime.

The Ravens still have plenty of work to do to get to the postseason, but the path has gotten a lot clearer over the past few weeks. It's uncanny how the other playoff teams have stepped aside one by one.

Right now, the Ravens just need to get it done today against the Bears and they'll be in excellent shape going into the final two weeks of the regular schedule.

Instant update: They're off to a great start. Dominique Foxworth intercepted Jay Cutler on the Bears first possession and the Ravens marched right in to score on a pass from Joe Flacco to Todd Heap.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Just football
        

Though I would not complain if the Orioles suddenly jumped up and signed Matt Holliday to a rich contract, I'm not on board with the notion that he's the cornerstone player that would take the team to the next level a year or two quicker than Andy MacPhail apparently has in mind.

Holliday is a very good player and run-producer, but he's getting the most buzz this year because he's one of the best offensive players in a thin free agent market. If agent Scott Boras has his way, Holliday will get almost as much per season as Mark Teixeira, and I don't think they are comparable players.

I obviously don't think Garrett Atkins is even close to being a comparable player with either one of them, but you can twist statistics every which way and make it seem so if you were so inclined. I'll give you an example:

Holliday has averaged one RBI for every 6.15 plate appearances in his career. Atkins has averaged an RBI for every 6.52 plate appearances. That's a fairly large statistical difference, but if you are gambling that Atkins' 2009 season was an anomaly -- which is what the Orioles are doing -- than you throw that year out and he is averaging one RBI for every 6.31 plate appearances, which is a more marginal difference at a huge discount in price.

Atkins generally batted fifth for the Rockies and Holliday batted third, so a better comparison might be somebody like Hideki Matsui, whose career ratio is almost identical to Atkins if you eliminate Atkins' down season.

Of course, you can't really eliminate a season, but the O's are gambling on a bounce-back year, and it isn't a bad gamble at the price they paid.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Maybe everybody got cabin fever during a whole day of being snowed in, but that isn't any excuse to turn the blog into an attempt to determine who has the most testosterone. We're discussing baseball (mostly) here, which is a form of entertainment not to be taken so seriously that anyone has to challenge anyone to throw down in the M&T Bank Stadium parking lot before today's Ravens game. Save all that energy for the Bears.

I'm doing my best not to censor the comments section, but if I have to start taking down threatening comments, I'm going to block those URL's from further participation. I doubt that will be much of a deterent, since there are thousands of blogs out there that will accept whatever anybody wants to put into words, but we've had a great group of people conversing here for the past 16 months and I really like the tenor of 99 percent of the conversation.

It doesn't matter if you think I don't know squat about baseball or you agree with everything I write. The fun is in the debate, as long as nobody's trading addresses or using gross profanity. Let's try to stay in that spirit. And, for the record, I definitely know squat, but I don't like his OPS.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Sure enough, the great editing staff at BaltimoreSun.com has put up the column I wrote for Sunday's print edition. I'm sure everyone -- particularly Wayne -- will enjoy it immensely. If you want to read it right now, click here.

Since you're snowed in, I don't think you have any excuse for not reading it and not submitting a response, so get to it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (70)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If you haven’t noticed, there’s at least a foot of snow on the ground outside – looks like about 1 ½ feet at my house – so I’ve been forced to cancel many of my normal activities. Here are some of the things I won’t be doing today:

2:15 p.m.: I won’t be making my usual trip to 7-11 for a Diet Dr. Pepper and a Go-Go Taquito at halftime of whatever non-descript bowl game is boring me to tears. Tried to shovel the driveway. Realized after about 10 minutes that these hands are much to valuable for such menial work. My wife, however, disagrees and is refusing me lunch. Claims this is a perfect opportunity to get some cardiovascular exercise and ice my repaired Achilles tendon at the same time.

2:20 p.m.: Probably won’t be able to blog for a few minutes, because I’m going to jump on WBAL (1090 AM or WBAL.com) with Greg Bianco and Jim Duquette to talk about the Orioles offseason moves. By the way, I’ll have a column on that up later today, if it isn’t up already.

3 p.m.: My afternoon Dorito run to Safeway isn’t looking good either. My daughter’s car is actually parked on the street, so I wouldn’t have to clear the driveway, but I can’t see it from here, which is a bad sign.

4. p.m.: Was planning to do some first-minute Christmas-Hanukkah-Kwanzaa shopping this afternoon, but the neighborhood plow truck just increased the height of snow in front of my driveway to about four feet. Two or three more passes and we’ll be able to rename the area Schmuckie’s Bluff and sled off it.

5 p.m.: Still planning on answering blog mail during this hour, but stay tuned for further weather-related announcements.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Or, at least, there’s no place like home this side of Antarctica. Returned last night and just made the last connection through Chicago to get back to Baltimore ahead of the blizzard. Rode in with dozens of Chicago Bears fans, who weren’t the least bit concerned about the long airport delay as long as they kept the bars open at Midway Airport.

Frankly, I’m a little worried about tomorrow’s game, at least from a crowd perspective. Bears fans are used to getting drunk and standing around the stadium parking lots all day in three feet of snow. I’m pretty sure Jamison Hensley will be giving them the advantage in the “Ravens Drunk Disgusting Fan Behavior vs. Bears Drunk Disgusting Fan Behavior” section of his Ravens Scouting Report in tomorrow’s paper.

I sat near one Bears fan who acknowledged that, even though the game had been moved back to 4:15 p.m., he and his group would still begin drinking at 8 a.m. It’s some kind of rule.

Quick teammate plug: Before I do anything else, I want to thank Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly for keeping the home fires burning on the blog this past week, while I took my lovely spouse on her birthday trip to California and Oregon. Tried to leave her there, but she always manages to find her way home.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Baseball America has released its list of the Orioles top 10 prospects for 2010, so I thought you'd like to know who the publication thinks are the best of the best in the O's organization. The No.1 prospect shouldn't surprise anyone, but I think it bodes well that third baseman Josh Bell is rated No. 2. Here's the list:

1. Brian Matusz, lhp

10. Caleb Joseph, c

My flight from Chicago to Baltimore is delayed -- what a shock -- so you'll have to continue to talk amongst yourselves.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (129)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The people over at MASN are in the early stages of their search for someone to replace Buck Martinez in the broadcast booth, and there are some intriguing possibilities. The network reportedly has talked to Mike Flanagan -- who would seem to be an obvious candidate -- but continues to consider a number of other options. Among the tantalizing names that are being thrown around behind closed doors are Bill Ripken, Brady Anderson and even Yankees broadcaster Ken Singleton, depending on his interest and contract situation.

There apparently is no rush to get someone in place, since spring training is still about two months away, and you may be hearing more names before the final choice is made. But for now, let the debate about the aforementioned candidates begin.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (58)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Baltimore has a storied sports history, so we thought it would be interesting to come up with a Top 10 list of the strangest moments in the annals of Charm City.

1. On Dec. 19, 1976, minutes after a playoff game between the Colts and the Pittsburgh Steelers, 33-year-old pilot Donald Kroner crashed his small plane into the upper deck at Memorial Stadium. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured, in part because the Steelers crushed the Colts that day and a lot of the crowd had left early.

2. Bob Irsay’s midnight ride March 29, 1984, would rank at the top if this were a list of the most shameful moments in Baltimore sports history, but it will have to settle for No. 2 on the list of strangest moments. Now, if he had crashed a Mayflower van into the upper deck, that would be different.

3. Precocious 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier helped keep the Orioles out of the World Series when he reached over the fence and deflected a fly ball by Derek Jeter into the stands for a home run in Game 1 of the 1996 American League Championship Series at Yankee Stadium.

4. 1950s-era Baltimore Colts star Buddy Young was so fast that he was once roped into a footrace with a real colt. He reluctantly agreed to the publicity stunt -- which reputedly was dreamed up by Baltimore sportswriting legend John Steadman -- and defeated the horse in the 100-yard dash.

5. The Orioles set a modern major league record for runs allowed in a game when they lost, 30-3, to the Texas Rangers on Aug. 22, 2007, which would have been odd enough even if it hadn’t happened on the same day the club extended the contract of manager Dave Trembley.

6. Orioles manager Earl Weaver was known for his frequent run-ins with the umpires and dozens of ejections, but he took his on-field histrionics to a new level when he disputed a call by tearing up the rule book under the nose of an umpire in Cleveland.

7. There probably are enough classic Bob Irsay moments to fill this whole list, but his belligerent January 1984 news conference at Baltimore-Washington International Airport stands out for sheer surrealism. He blasted the Baltimore media and insisted that he did not intend to move the Colts out of town.

8. Baltimore’s famous “Fog Bowl” pitted the Colts against the Miami Dolphins in a game Dec. 14, 1975, that went into overtime as the cloud cover intensified. Kicker Toni Linhart would win it for the Colts with a 31-yard field goal that -- according to eyewitness reports from the 400,000 fans who claim to have been there -- could not be seen from the stands.

9. Orioles catcher Rick Dempsey created one of the best-remembered funny moments in Baltimore sports history when he would dress up as Babe Ruth during a rain delay and use the infield tarp as the world’s biggest Slip ’n Slide.

10. With time about to expire and the Ravens leading the Cleveland Browns, 30-27, on Nov. 18, 2007, the Browns’ Phil Dawson kicked a 51-yard field goal that hit the left upright, bounced over the crossbar, struck the support post and bounced back over the crossbar toward the field. An official initially ruled the kick was no good, and the Ravens headed for the locker room. After conferring, the officials ruled that the kick was good, sending the game to overtime. The Browns won, 33-30.

Do you agree with the list? Share your ideas below.

Here is a link to a previous post with other submissions from readers.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Orioles reliever Jim Johnson has been busy renovating the bathroom in his Sarasota home, being a father to his baby daughter and starting his offseason throwing program. He pays little attention to any of the transactions during the Hot Stove season, and that includes ones involving his own team.

Johnson had no idea that the Orioles have agreed to terms with left-handed free-agent reliever Mike Gonzalez -- or third baseman Garrett Atkins for that matter -- until he was informed by a reporter late Thursday afternoon. The move certainly affects Johnson, whose brief tenure as the Orioles’ closer will likely end with Gonzalez on board.

"I don’t know what their plans are for him, but a left-handed guy who can throw late in the game, that’s a pretty good thing to have in any bullpen," Johnson said. "They signed him to help our team. ... If it's a move that makes our team better then, I'm happy. It's fine by me."

The Orioles won’t publicly anoint Gonzalez as their closer, preferring to make him earn the spot during spring training. However, it's considered little more than a formality as they didn't pay the former Atlanta Braves closer $12 million over two years to serve as a setup man.

Johnson, who inherited the Orioles’ closer role when George Sherrill was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July, went 6 of 9 in save opportunities after the deal was made. He had a 10.61 ERA in 11 games in September/October, although the right-hander disputes the notion that the pressure of being a closer factored in his struggles.

"It was the whole month of September that I wanted to forget," said Johnson, who lives about 10 minutes away from the Orioles’ new spring training complex in Sarasota, and has been working out at Ed Smith Stadium. "It killed my season. That’s kind of an incentive for me to really work hard this offseason and make sure I’m ready to take the whole season on. I’m not saying that I wasn’t last year, but you can always improve yourself and get better in the offseason."

Asked if he’d be bothered if he was returned to the eighth-inning role, Johnson said, "You have to earn time to play, you have to pitch, you have to get guys out. If you’re not doing your job, you’re not going to play. That’s what it boils down to. It doesn’t bother me. It’s the fact of life.

"I wouldn’t be disappointed. I have to do what I can when I get an opportunity. Nothing is set in stone so we’ll see what happens. I’m sure in spring training, some things might change. You never know what’s going to happen. You have to be ready."

- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
Categories: Just baseball
        

First, it was the Ravens, who couldn't seem to win when I was in town. Now, it appears that the Orioles front office moves more efficiently with me on the opposite coast. Maybe I should just hang out in Oregon for a few more weeks and wait for the O's to acquire Adrian Gonzalez and sign Matt Holliday.

Doubt that's going to happen -- and I don't think you can make a good case that the Orioles have made real progress in their attempt to close the competitive gap with the Yankees and Red Sox -- but their three recent acquisitions do make the team more competitive. They probably aren't ready to make a big jump in the standings yet, but I think they will have more of a puncher's chance day-to-day, especially if Andy MacPhail can add one more corner infielder with some run-production potential.

Obviously, an Adrian Gonzalez or Holliday would have a big impact on the offense, but it's pretty obvious that there's way more smoke than fire in the rumors that have surfaced recently concerning the two of them and the O's.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (86)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez will arrive in Baltimore Thursday night and take his physical Friday before his two-year, $12 million deal with the Orioles becomes official.

He already can barely contain his enthusiasm.

“I am real excited,” Gonzalez, 31, said in a telephone interview. “I wish it was spring training tomorrow.”

Gonzalez, who was 10 of 17 in save chances for the Atlanta Braves last season but was 44 of 49 in past years, said he views himself as a closer, the role he will most likely assume with the Orioles.
But, he said, he’s taking nothing for granted.

“Every year is a competition, man, as far as I can remember, even back in Little League Baseball everything was a competition,” said Gonzalez, a native Texan who was a 30th round draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1997. “If there is no competition, there’s no real reward to it.”

Although the Orioles won’t officially name Gonzalez as their 2010 closer yet, it’s highly unlikely Andy MacPhail would give $12 million to a set-up reliever.

“I have never had anything given to me, and I don’t expect it will be given to me now,” Gonzalez said. “I will go out there, do what I do, and I don’t think there will be any question” about his role.

Gonzalez doesn’t know many of the current Orioles; he was a teammate of Ty Wigginton’s in Pittsburgh and played in the Arizona Fall League years ago with Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Roberts.

But he said he has heard good things about manager Dave Trembley, and, “I definitely see an upside in the team. … That young offense, those guys can hit.”

He added that he’s not intimidated about playing in the American League East. In fact, he says it’s one of the reasons he wanted to come to Baltimore.

“Everyone calls the AL East, ‘The Beast,’ it’s the best division in baseball,” Gonzalez said. “And to have an opportunity to go there and get it done against those horses, I definitely take it as a challenge. I have always been a competitive man and I feel really good about that challenge.”

-- Dan Connolly

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

First Mike Gonzalez, then Garrett Atkins, and now Matt Holliday? Foxsports.com reported early this morning that the Orioles have “jumped into the bidding” for Holliday, the slugging outfielder who is regarded as the best bat on the free-agent market.

Don’t get too excited. The Orioles, according to sources, did have some discussions about Holliday with agent Scott Boras during their negotiations regarding Gonzalez. Any team would be interested in such a player, especially a club with a glaring need for a right-handed power hitter. However, the Orioles are quite realistic about their chances of landing Holliday. And privately, they have no expectations whatsoever that Holliday will be with the team next year.

The Orioles still feel his price tag will far exceed what they’re willing to pay, and they have no interest in being involved in a bidding war. That doesn’t mean they won’t stay on the periphery of the bidding and keep in touch with Boras. That does mean that barring a seismic change in the free-agent landscape and Holliday’s asking price, he will not be an Oriole.

Now, there are a couple of factors in the Orioles’ favor. Holliday is close friends with Atkins, the third baseman who was his former teammate with the Colorado Rockies. He is also very good friends with Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. Before Roberts signed his extension with the Orioles last year, he was scheduled to hit free agency at the same time as Holliday. Roberts once told me that the pair had discussed how cool it would be play together, sort of like a package deal.

There is another connection. Holliday’s father, Tom, is friends with Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz and was one of his baseball coaches at Oklahoma State.

So, it does make a lot of sense in some ways, many detailed by the Foxsports.com reporters. But I wouldn’t hold my breath.

- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (59)
        

According to an industry source, third baseman Garrett Atkins' contract with the Orioles is one year for $4 million with an opportunity to make as much as $5 million in 2010. The deal includes a one-year club option for $8.5 million, with a $500,000 buyout. Atkins could earn $250,000 more in 2010 if he has 550 plate appearances and an additional $250,000 for 600 plate appearances.

The Orioles haven't decided whether Atkins will play third or first base.That decision likely will depend on other moves the club makes this offseason.

The signing will become official once Atkins passes a physical.

- Dan Connolly

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Disregard everything I just said about Andy MacPhail moving deliberately in his pursuit of free agents. Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly are reporting that the Orioles have reached agreements with former Braves reliever Mike Gonzalez and non-tendered Rockies corner infielder Garrett Atkins. You can read all about it right here.

The Orioles have now added veteran players in three of the four areas that Andy MacPhail identified as the club's top priorities. They still need another corner infielder, but retain the flexibility to acquire either a first baseman or a third baseman, since Atkins probably can be used in either role.

Depends on whether MacPhail is willing to gamble on somebody like Carlos Delgado to provide more pop, or would rather go with a workmanlike acquisition such as third baseman Joe Crede. Guess we could find out any minute the way MacPhail is cranking out the transactions this month.

Of course, it would be more fun if Adrian Gonzalez was a more likely possibility, but Atkins has some upside and the bullpen appears to be more secure. Still can't say the Orioles are keeping pace with the Yankees and Red Sox, but it's refreshing to see them getting busy before Christmas.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (80)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If you haven't read Dan Connolly's latest update on the Orioles offseason machinations, you can take a look at it right here. Andy MacPhail has been in touch with some of the interesting players who were non-tendered before Saturday's deadline, but -- in typical Andy fashion -- he's holding his cards close to his vest.

Actually, I've never seen Andy in more than a sweater vest, but you get the idea. He's a conservative fellow and he's not going to start throwing names around and challenging other teams to outbid him. I wouldn't be surprised if he picks off one of the relievers over the next week or so, but if nothing happens by then, you can probably stand down until after the New Year. Baseball teams generally go dormant during the week after Christmas, though there are exceptions.

Our baseball beat guys seem to think that Joe Crede has moved up the Orioles wish list and could be one of the stopgap corner infielders in 2010, though the club has made contact with the agents for just about everyone whose name has come up in the last month of free agent speculation.

Trip update: I've completed the Sideways portion of my West Coast trip and am headed up to the southern coast of Oregon. It has rained for the last three hundred miles and looks like it isn't going to relent any time soon, though I don't expect any sympathy. I would appreciate it, however, if BLancione would stop calling Human Resources at The Sun and asking if I've been fired yet.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (56)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Jeff is doing such a good job keeping everybody up to date on the Orioles that I'm starting to worry that you might not miss me, so I thought I'd pop in and give you an update from not-so-sunny Southern California. I'm not going to just come right out and tell you why I'm here, but there are two clues in this post -- one verbal and one visual -- that will give you an idea of what's going on here.

I'm on vacation, of course, but the notion -- spread by some of my coworkers -- that I go on vacation every month is slightly exaggerated. This is a special holiday trip in which we (my wife and I) are visiting some places that we never experienced while we lived here. In some cases, we're finding out why. I do enjoy traveling the backroads and checking out the odd roadside attraction, and this particular location would certainly qualify.

Just want to point out that no matter where I go these days, I'm plugging the Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge to benefit Maryland Special Olympics. Check out the jacket in the accompanying photo.

Okay, back to the subject at hand. From the small handful of clues provided here, I want you to tell me exactly where I am in the picture and the significance of it.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (42)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

The Orioles met with the agents of Japanese pitcher Hisanori Takahashi at last week’s winter meetings, but it’s too early to tell how serious their interest is. I don’t know too much about Takahashi, though two things about the pitcher should certainly pique the Orioles’ interest:

1. He is a close friend of current Oriole pitcher Koji Uehara and former teammate of his with the Yomiuri Giants.

2. He is left-handed.

With his own masseuse and interpreter, Uehara certainly has a solid support staff in place in Baltimore. However, it couldn’t hurt to add somebody else that he’s close to, especially if that somebody can get left-handed hitters out. Like Uehara last offseason, Takahashi would prefer a shot to start somewhere. The Orioles and international scouting director John Stockstill see him more as a left-handed swingman type, sort of in the Mark Hendrickson mold.

Either way, I think the Orioles will wait a couple of weeks and see what other moves they make, including potentially re-signing Hendrickson. If Takahashi is still out there by mid-January and they could get him maybe even on a minor league deal, it would probably be worth the gamble.

Stockstill, by the way, is in Houston, where he will watch Cuban left-hander Aroldis Chapman throw a bullpen session today. I still would be utterly shocked if the Orioles sign Chapman, who already has an offer in hand from the Boston Red Sox according to ESPN The Magazine’s Jorge Arangure Jr.

- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (88)
Categories: Just baseball
        

It was kind of weird going to the winter meetings and not having to chase down any Brian Roberts trade rumors. It had become a rite of the offseason to hear about all the teams interested in the two-time All-Star second baseman and the Roberts trades that were reportedly imminent. But all that mercifully ended in February when Roberts signed a four-year extension with the only major league team that he’s ever known.

I spoke to Roberts the other day and got his reaction to the Kevin Millwood trade. He’s been busy in Arizona, working out and playing a lot of golf and I sensed that he’s thoroughly enjoyed not being pestered with the daily trade rumors.

“It’s a little helpful,” Roberts said. “It’s nice for once not to have to deal with it and know where you are going to be and not having to be on call. My wife and I love Baltimore. I’m excited that hopefully in the next year or two, we can get this going in the right direction.”

As for his reaction to the Millwood trade, Roberts was pleased that the Orioles were able to land a veteran starter .

“He was never high on my list of guys that I wanted to face,” Roberts said of Millwood. “He is a big guy. I don’t think he throws as hard as used to, but he’s learned how to pitch more. He’ someone you feel like you’re going to get six or seven innings out of every time he takes the mound.

“They put a lot of burden on [Jeremy] Guthrie last year to go out there and be that guy to lead the young guys. I think that was a burden that was too heavy for him and Kevin has been in that role before. I think he’s gone through that whole cycle of being mentored by some of those great guys in Atlanta. I think he’s learned from that and probably passed that on to a lot of young guys.”

- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (42)
Categories: Just baseball
        

There was a ton of buzz about Orioles sophomore pitcher David Hernandez at the winter meetings as he was one of the players other teams asked about the most. The Rangers, for example, wanted Hernandez in the Kevin Millwood deal before both teams settled on reliever Chris Ray.

As a rookie, Hernandez went 4-10 with a 5.42 ERA in 20 appearances (19 starts) and kind of faded as the season went on. But the level of interest from other teams doesn’t surprise me because teams love big strikeout numbers and Hernandez has been among the league leaders in Ks pretty much everywhere he’s been before the majors. He’s also a big, strong kid with life on his fastball.

If the Orioles are going to keep him -- and it appears that way -- they’re going to need to make a decision on his role. Plenty of baseball people -- both inside and outside the organization -- think the 24-year-old would make a pretty effective seventh- or eighth-inning guy, and I concur. With youngsters Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman and Brian Matusz projected to be in a rotation that includes veterans Millwood and Jeremy Guthrie, and prospects Jake Arrieta, Brandon Erbe and Zach Britton on their way, it makes sense for the Orioles to make that decision sooner rather than later.

Whether Hernandez becomes a reliever or not (and I think he eventually will), there will be quite a battle to win jobs in the Orioles’ seven or eight-man Opening Day bullpen. I don’t know if there are any certainties for the group beyond Jim Johnson and Koji Uehara, assuming the latter is healthy. Even after they traded Chris Ray and nontendered Brian Bass, the Orioles’ 40-man is stocked with relievers -- Matt Albers, Alberto Castillo, Armando Gabino, Luis Lebron, Cla Meredith, Kam Mickolio, Wilfrido Perez and Dennis Sarfate. Several of those names could be roster casualties this offseason.

The Orioles will likely acquire a closer and a left-handed specialist. They’re still expected to bring back versatile reliever Mark Hendrickson. And a couple of the starters that don’t make the rotation, potentially Hernandez and Jason Berken, could be added to the bullpen mix as long men candidates. Pitchers and catchers won’t report to Sarasota, Fla., for another two months, but the battle for the bullpen spots could get pretty interesting.

- Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (47)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I've been looking over the list of players who were nontendered yesterday and there are some more interesting names out there now -- as some have already pointed out here. I think right-handed closer Matt Capps, who was nontendered by the Pirates, is an interesting possibility. The guy was terrific the previous two seasons and would have had solid numbers this year if not for the three outings in which he gave up three runs or more. Throw those out and his ERA would have been in the 3's.

The dramatically higher hits/innings ratio is the real red flag, but I don't think the other numbers are quite as bad as they might look. The big question is how much he was affected by the line drive he took off his elbow early in the season.

The other nontender guys I find interesting are Ryan Garko and backup catcher John Buck. I think everybody already knew that Garrett Atkins would not be tendered. His name has been floating around for awhile now in connection with the Orioles' opening at third base.

Don't think I'd get too excited about pitcher Chien-Ming Wang, though he's technically available after the Yankees nontendered him. The Yankees say they want him back, and they usually get what they want.

Wang had a series of problems last sasonthat stemmed from a foot injury he suffered running the bases in an interleague game. He's not expected to be ready for spring training. Obviously, if he does leave the Yankees, he's an intriguing guy.

Peter Schmuck

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (55)
Categories: Just baseball
        

It’s becoming quite apparent that the Orioles are more than willing to wait out the closer market, feeling that the supply far exceeds the demand.

By my calculations, the Orioles, Blue Jays, Tigers, Marlins, Nationals, Astros and Pirates are the only teams with uncertainty at closer, and pretty much all of those teams have internal options.

The Astros recently acquired Matt Lindstrom, who GM Ed Wade said will at least share the closer role. The team that traded Lindstrom, the Marlins, appear more than content to go with Leo Nunez, who closed for much of last season. The Blue Jays have three relievers – Jason Frasor, Scott Downs and Jeremy Accardo – that have served as closers before.

The Tigers want a veteran with closer experience, but they can opt to use youngsters Ryan Perry or Daniel Schlereth in that role. And the Nationals have prospect Drew Storen on the way.

Meanwhile, Mike Gonzalez, Fernando Rodney, Jose Valverde, Kevin Gregg, Mike MacDougal and Matt Capps are all free agents, and Kerry Wood, Bobby Jenks and Francisco Cordero are all reportedly available in trades.

Of the free agents, Fernando Rodney probably makes the most sense for the Orioles because they wouldn’t have to give up their second round pick to sign him. And the Orioles did meet with Rodney’s agents at the winter meetings.

Gregg, whose agent also met with the Orioles earlier this week, would probably be an unpopular choice with the Orioles fans as he’s blown 16 saves the previous two seasons and lost his closer job last year with the Chicago Cubs to Carlos Marmol.

Still, Gregg’s got a big supporter in Orioles pitching coach Rick Kranitz, who worked with the right-hander in 2006 when Gregg converted 32 of 36 save opportunities for the Florida Marlins. Kranitz loved Gregg’s confidence and toughness. Still, some Oriole officials see Gregg more as a setup man.

Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
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It is no secret that the Kansas City Royals would like to have Felix Pie patrolling center field. Kansas City GM Dayton Moore made that clear to his beat guys a couple of times during the winter meetings. But according to several people I spoke to, the Royals and Orioles never engaged in formal trade talks in Indianapolis, unless you count a couple of quick lobby conversations among scouts and other team officials. So no, the Orioles didn’t ask for Royals first baseman Billy Butler or third baseman Alex Gordon. It’s clear that barring somebody becoming available that hasn’t been anticipated, the two teams are just not a good fit.

Speaking of Pie, there are several members of the organization that are very much against trading the talented but raw outfielder. I’m not saying he won’t be traded because there are enough teams interested and the Orioles are deep in the outfield, but I am saying that the Orioles are going to have to get something enticing back to deal him. Pie’s strong second half has earned him some believers in the organization, and probably justified the team’s decision not to trade him to the Chicago White Sox last year for third baseman Josh Fields.

Speaking of overstating trade talk and I’m guilty in this case as much as anyone, but if the Orioles are hot and heavy on Florida Marlins infielder Dan Uggla, it wasn’t apparent at the winter meetings. Sure, team officials talked about needs and exchanged ideas in the lobby, but I’m told there was no formal meeting between the two front offices. That could mean nothing but it probably means that neither team think it’s very realistic. Andy MacPhail doesn’t want a defensively-challenged third baseman and Uggla, a natural second baseman, has said publicly anyway that he has zero interest in playing third anyway. I just can’t see this happening unless the Marlins’ asking price comes down or the rest of the Orioles’ third base options dwindle.

Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (59)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Before the final game of 2009, Chris Ray shook the hands of a couple of the team’s regular beat writers and thanked them for being fair and not piling on him too much during what was a nightmarish season for the reliever. It was a classy but hardly surprising gesture by Ray, who was a good guy and a great teammate.

Most of the attention on the trade that sent Ray and Rule 5 pick Ben Snyder to the Texas Rangers for starter Kevin Millwood and some cash was on the Orioles fulfilling their long-time quest to add a solid veteran to the top of their rotation, and rightly so. But let’s not forget that Ray had a couple of pretty good years for the Orioles

I distinctly remember a game during the 2006 season when the neophyte closer threw a 3-2 slider to Hideki Matsui with the bases loaded and two outs and the Orioles’ clinging to a one-run lead. Matsui took the pitch for strike three and Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter raved about Ray’s guts to throw that pitch when a walk would have meant a tie game.

Of course there were some tough moments for Ray, many of them coming against New York or Boston. He pitched hurt in 2007 before eventually having Tommy John surgery and he was never right this past season, when he had a 7.27 ERA in 46 appearances and endured one stint on the disabled list and another in the minors. But he never made excuses or hid from the media, even after the toughest of blown saves.

I spoke to Ray the night of the trade and he had nothing but great things to say about the Orioles. He said he owed his career to them, thanked them for believing in him and acknowledged their need of a veteran starter like Millwood. He didn’t say a bad word about the organization that traded him on the same day he represented the Orioles at a team-sponsored Christmas party for students, unfortunate timing for both parties.

Ray’s fastball velocity started to come back as the 2009 season progressed and he said that he has put on eight pounds of muscle this offseason to get some strength back that he felt he lacked last year. He said his 2009 struggles have provided great motivation. The bet here is that he’ll return to form and be a pretty effective reliever for Texas.

Jeff Zrebiec

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Just baseball
        

I'm heading to BWI to catch a flight to California this morning, so my participation here may be uneven for the next few days, but I have some very good news. Orioles beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec has agreed to help me out a little bit and keep the blog fires burning. He'll be posting a few entries -- and he has an interesting take on departed reliever Chris Ray ready to pop in the next half hour or so -- so there's still going to be good reason to stop by for your daily baseball fix.

I'm not going to be completely out of pocket either. I'll be chiming in from time to time on the Orioles offseason machinations, and I may even give you my take on the Central Coast wine country as my wife and I visit family from Los Angeles all the way to the coast of Oregon. It's going to be a whirlwind trip and I'll be home in less than a week, but I'm pretty sure Bob (blancione) will have me fired by the time I get back.

Just a couple more words about Jeff:

Be gentle.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

If you haven't checked it out already, Jeff Zrebiec has an update on the departure of MASN color analyst Buck Martinez and some news about former general manager Mike Flanagan, who is a candidate to fill that role in 2010. Read Jeff's story right here.

I'll have my Saturday "News item" up soon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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Andy MacPhail is back from the Winter Meetings, but I doubt he's going to spend today Christmas shopping. If he is, I'm hoping for a new Blu-Ray player, but if I know Andy, he's going to be picking up the phone and picking up where he left off in Indianapolis.

The next day or so could be pretty interesting, because of all the teams that will be trying to move arbitration-eligible players that need to be tendered contracts by tomorrow night's deadline.

There was a published report during the meetings that the San Diego Padres might non-tender third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, but don't get your hopes up on that. He's not being shopped because of his salary, which is minimal, or his arbitration salary potential, which is modest. He's being shopped because the Padres have very good organizational depth at third base and he's blocking some people.

They won't be giving him away or they already would have traded him, since several teams have expressed interest and a couple have made real offers. Still, I believe this is a deal the Orioles can make if MacPhail thinks Kouzmanoff is the answer at third. He's an unorthodox fielder with so-so range, but inside his range he makes every play. He also has good power and run-production numbers the past three years in a big park.

If the O's are trolling for a non-tendered player, the name that has been floating around this week is Garrett Atkins, who is likely to be let go by the Rockies. He's a fun-with-numbers guy, since you can make the case that he has driven in an average of 94 runs the past five years at post-humidor Coors Field, but he's coming off a down year.and made $7 million in 2009.

Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla isn't out the question either. The Marlins claim that trade talks are "simmering," and the Orioles have been mentioned as a suitor, but I don't know if the Orioles are willing to risk a potentially rocky transition to third base.

Maybe we'll have a better idea by Sunday.

Radio plug: I'll be back on the air today at noon for The Week in Review on WBAL (1090 AM). As always, if you are out of signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (61)
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The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network released a statement a couple of hours ago confirming that Buck Martinez is leaving the network to join the television crew of the Toronto Blue Jays. His replacement has not been announced, so all's fair in the race to speculate on who will move into the color analyst role.

The statement referred to MASN's "deep bench," which could mean a lot of things. I'm sure a lot of people are wondering if this is the opening they've been waiting for to insert Mike Flanagan back into the picture. We've already spent way too much time trying to figure out that situation, but he would seem like an obvious candidate. Of course, pregame/postgame commentator Rick Dempsey probably would like to be considered and former general manager Jim Duquette -- who has a morning baseball show on XM Radio -- is still living in the area.

In this economy, it's also possible that MASN will simply increase the responsibilities of the current members of the extended broadcast team, creating more play-by-play opportunities for Jim Hunter and adding more games to Jim Palmer's schedule.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (184)
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Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is about to board a flight back to Baltimore, content that he addressed one of his top priorities with the acquisition of veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood. Apparently, however, he wasn't as interested in free agent third baseman Pedro Feliz as everybody thought.

Got no problem with that. MacPhail has made it clear that he's going to add at least one corner infielder, and Feliz wasn't going to sell any season tickets. I really don't have a feel for which way Andy is going to turn, but I think they should stay in play for San Diego Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, who is a low-cost arbitration candidate that is only available because he's blocking a top prospect.

The O's have shown some interest in Dan Uggla -- who would have to move from second to third -- and have some free agent options, but nobody is a perfect fit. The market has narrowed and it wasn't that star-studded to begin with, so we're all guessing right now. If I had to guess, I'd go with Kousmanoff, but I have no new information to back that up.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (80)
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Hate to divert your attention from the final day of the Winter Meetings, but The Sun is putting together a list of the 10 strangest moments in Baltimore sports history -- which could include anything from Jeffrey Maier's rude reach to that plane that crashed into the stands at Memorial Stadium.

I'd like to have your input. What do you think was the strangest incident in local sports history (and it doesn't really have to be confined to the Baltimore city limits)?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (134)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Pitcher Steve Johnson was sleeping when the San Francisco Giants magically turned him into a major league pitcher today, but it didn't take him long to process the implications of his selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

"It can't be bad,'' he said in a quick telephone conversation a few minutes ago. "Worst-case scenario is, I come back to the Orioles and that's not a bad thing. It's an opportunity that didn't think would come this soon. I'm excited about it."

Steve was awakened by his dad when the pick was made. Former O's pitcher Dave Johnson was monitoring the draft and also was pretty stoked that his son is going to be a second-generation major leaguer.

"He's excited,'' Steve said. "He wanted me to be picked up by somebody and get a chance."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
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Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said he was not particularly surprised that Double-A pitching prospect Steve Johnson was selected by the Giants in the Rule 5 Draft today.

"Not really,'' he said. "We knew it was a possibility. The kid is truly a prospect. I don't think there is any doubt about that. The question is whether he can stay at the major league level. We just don't think he's that close."

Though the Orioles have a handful of players on the 40-man roster who probably could have been outrighted to make room for Johnson on the O's protected list, MacPhail would not second-guess the decision to leave Johnson unprotected.

"Our judgment was that he just wasn't close enough to be able to stick with the big league club all year,'' he said. "The odds are we'll get him back. That's what happens with the vast majority of (Rule 5 draftees)."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
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The San Francisco Giants have chosen Orioles prospect Steve Johnson with the 23rd pick in today's Rule 5 Draft.

Johnson, the son of former Orioles pitcher and current Orioles broadcaster Dave Johnson, was acquired from the Dodgers along with third baseman Josh Bell in the deal for reliever George Sherrill.

The Orioles knew they ran the risk of losing Johnson when they left him off their protected list, but gambled that no major league club would be willing to keep him on a 25-man roster all season since he has never pitched above the Double-A level.

Johnson was 3-2 with a 2.84 ERA in seven starts for the Baysox. He was 12-7 with a 3.41 ERA overall at the Class-A and Double-A levels last season.

This doesn't necessarily mean he won't eventually break in with the Orioles, since the Giants have to keep him in the majors or place him on waivers. If he's put on waivers and goes unclaimed, he has to be offered back to the Orioles for half the $50,000 draft price.

So, actually, there's a fair chance he'll be back in the O's system at some point this year.

In the Triple-A phase of the draft, the Orioles chose right-hander Jose Duran out of the Houston Astros organization and lost shortstop Rodolfo Cardona and left-hander Jake Stevens off the Bowie Baysox roster.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
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The Orioles chose left-handed pitcher Benjamin Snyder from the Fresno roster of the San Francisco Giants with the third pick in the Rule V Draft.

Don't get too attached to him, because there are reports that he is headed to the Rangers as the player to be named in the Kevin Millwood deal.

The Washington Nationals had the first pick in the draft and chose outfielder Jamie Hoffman from the Dodgers, but he also will not stick around long. He is the player to be named in the Brian Bruney deal and will be sent to the Yankees.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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In a half hour or so, baseball executives will gather at the nearby Westin Hotel for the Rule 5 Draft -- or, as they call it in Pittsburgh, the free agent market -- and pick through the closets of their competitors.

The draft, which is named after the rule that created it, allows teams to draft minor league players who are bottled up in other organizations for $50,000. The rub, of course, is that the new team has to keep that player on the 25-man major leagues all season. To send out a Rule V draftee, the drafting team has to send him through waivers or offer him back to his original team for $25,000.

So much for the particulars. The Orioles obviously have a pretty high first pick and they will choose someone, but there's no sense getting attached to him. He isn't going to be with the club when the season opens. There's a riddle hidden inside a mystery buried under an enigma here, but it'll all be clearer very soon.

The Orioles, by the way, owe the Texas Rangers a player to be named later in the Kevin Millwood deal. That may become clearer pretty soon, too, and I'm pretty sure it's not Chad Bradford.

The Washington Nationals have the first pick today, but the player they pick will be traded to the New York Yankees as the player to be named in the trade for reliever Brian Bruney.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
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Andy MacPhail displayed a knack for international diplomacy when some Japanese reporters cornered him after the Millwood press conference last night and peppered him with questions about free agent Hideki Matsui and also Orioles pitcher Koji Uehara.

They wanted to know if there was any possibility of the O's signing Matsui to fill the run-production gap in the middle of the batting order, which was a fair question after manager Dave Trembley spoke highly of Matsui during the annual Managers Luncheon earlier in the day.

“I don’t think there’s any question he is still a very productive hitter,’’ MacPhail said. “It’s always a possibility. We’re definitely going to look for a middle of the order bat. We’re concentrating right now on corner infielders, but we can always use a good hitter.”

If it sounds like he is really open to the idea, I wouldn't get too excited about that possibility. I’m pretty sure MacPhail was just being polite.

He also would not entirely rule out Uehara as a member of the starting rotation, though it's pretty clear that the club is leaning toward using him in a bullpen role. Uehara's role, he said, will be determined based on what the club feels will allow him to stay healthy all season. I think that's already fairly obvious.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
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The Orioles downplayed the likelihood of making a significant deal at the Winter Meetings -- and I suppose there are some people who are going to downplay the significance of the deal they made -- but acquiring veteran starter Kevin Millwood was a pretty good way to kick off Andy MacPhail's winter upgrade program.

No, he's not Roy Halladay, but he's a solid veteran who was a good influence on the young players in the Texas Rangers clubhouse last season, and he's the guy who is going to take the monkey off Jeremy Guthrie's back in 2010.

Guthrie did everything he could to fill the No. 1 starter role the past two years, but everybody knew it was too much responsibility for him, and he wilted under the weight of it last season. Millwood will assume that role, which should make everybody in the rotation more comfortable in their own skin.

The trade is just as important from a public relations and marketing standpoint because it sends a signal that the Orioles are serious about improving the team for 2010. MacPhail has to follow up with several more acquisitions over the next couple of months, but he has made good on a key priority with plenty of time left to concentrate on upgrading the corner infield positions and the bullpen.

He may not even be done with the rotation. He was adamant when the first question was posed about the possibility of gambling on one of the risky free agent starters -- such as former Oriole Erik Bedard -- contending that the Millwood deal made that more rather than less likely.

"We're still in the pitching business,'' MacPhail said. "I don't think with the first move, we could afford to have that kind of risk. Now, we have some latitude to take a flyer."

That's good news. The Orioles are going to have to catch a little lightning in a bottle to be more competitive this season. If they could get lucky with one of the high-risk pitchers on reasonable terms it would open up the possibility -- however slim -- of a competitive breakthrough.

There's still much to do, but it has to be a big relief for Orioles fans to know that some real work has begun.

Associated Press photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (83)
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The GMs for the Yankees, Tigers and Diamondbacks will take the stage in the press conference area at 4:30 p.m. (EST) to discuss the three-team, seven-player deal that sent outfielder Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and pitchers Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to the Diamondbacks.

The Tigers got outfielder Austin Jackson and left-handed reliever Phil Coke from the Yankees, and pitchers Max Scherzer and Daniel Schlereth from the Diamondbacks.

The deal has pretty much been in place for a couple of days, but it took awhile for the teams to review all the medical information.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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The Rangers have remained largely silent on the Millwood situation, perhaps because they are waiting for the medical report on Chris Ray, but it's not like they weren't aware that Ray is just a couple of years removed from Tommy John surgery.

I suppose it isn't impossible that the Rangers medical staff could veto Ray, but even that wouldn't necessarily scuttle the deal. There are other names that could be plugged in from the Orioles side, since the most important acquisition for the Rangers will still be the $9 million or so they'll be stripping off their payroll.

Millwood's agent, Scott Boras, held court with the media a little while ago and said that the deal has not been finalized.

"It's not done, but I'm sure they are in discussions,'' he said. "The only thing I know yet is it's not done yet."

Boras pointed out that Millwood has limited trade protection, but later admitted that his client's no-trade clause could not prevent him from being dealt to the Orioles. He had the power to name 10 teams he would not play for, but the O's are not on that list.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
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Orioles beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec is reporting that the O's are very close to closing the deal that would send reliever Chris Ray to the Texas Rangers for veteran starter Kevin Millwood and some cash to offset Millwood's $12 million salary for 2010. Stay tuned. His first story is up on the Web site right now and you can read it here.

Several sources have confirmed that the framework of the deal is done. There are several procedural hurdles still to clear. Both sides want to see medical records and the cash involved in the transaction has to be approved by the Commissioner's Office, but that's usually a formality. The deal should be announced today.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (57)
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Peter Schmuck took a break from blogging from the winter meetings Wednesday and participated in a live Orioles chat. You can read the full transcript below.

Posted by Baltimore Sun sports at 1:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

I'm pretty amazed at the interest that Orioles fans have taken in this year's Winter Meetings, when you consider that there's no Mark Teixeira or A.J. Burnett to fantasize about. To me, it's a clear sign that you're still mentally engaged with the team, even if you don't physically show up as much in the stands.

If you want more of my meanderings on that subject, you can read today's column right here and let me know what you think.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
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It seems like Orioles officials are getting more confident that they can complete a deal for Texas Rangers veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood. Conversations have been going on between the Orioles and Rangers throughout the Winter Meetings and a possible scenario has developed in which the O's would send reliever Chris Ray to Texas and pick up most of Millwood's $12 million guarantee for next year.

Don't know if it can get done here over the next 24 hours, but it remains a real possibility.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
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I'm really not sure if it's because the word is out that the Orioles have a lot of payroll space or just that it's apparent the O's need a quality veteran starter, but good teams are beating a path to their door to try and unload expensive arms.

Of course, everybody knows they've been holding trade conversations with the Texas Rangers about right-hander Kevin Millwood, but there also have been other overtures. The Atlanta Braves are dangling Derek Lowe just a year after signing him to a big free agent deal and the Phillies would like to unload Joe Blanton to avoid a salary arbitration hit.

Millwood still seems to make the most sense if he can be picked up for a medium pitching prospect, because he has just the one year left on his contract and the Rangers might be willing to absorb $3 million of his $12 million guarantee. Blanton made $5.475 million last year and stands to get a pretty good raise in arbitration after going 12-8 with a 4.05 ERA and 163 strikeouts, but he probably would require more talent in return.

Lowe won 15 games last year and has averaged 15 wins over the past eight years with the Red Sox, Dodgers and Braves, but his hits/inning ratio was very high and -- more importantly -- he has three guaranteed years remaining on his $15 million per year contract. That's a lot of cake for a 36-year-old guy.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
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There were not major revelations during Andy MacPhail's 6 p.m. media briefing. The Orioles, he said, are not so close to any deal that it is "a phone call away," but he indicated that today has been a very busy and productive day of meetings with agents and clubs.

He did confirm earlier reports that he had met with the representatives of Aroldis Chapman, but said that Alan and Randy Hendricks are retracing the steps that Chapman's previous agent already had completed, so the process is still in its early stages and the Orioles are still involved.

MacPhail also confirmed the meetings with SFX -- which represents, among others, Erik Bedard -- and multiple conversations about a potential pitching deal, presumably the possible trade for veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood.

The Orioles do have the medicals on Bedard and have no ruled out making him an offer, though there are rumblings out of the Mariners organization that he won't be ready to pitch until late next season. It's not surprising that the agents and Bedard's former club would have differing opinions on his outlook, but the MacPhail said in all cases involving injured players the O's would go with the evaluation of their own medical staff.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
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The San Diego Padres reportedly are getting a lot of inquiries about third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, perhaps because he would be the most inexpensive option for a team needing a decent third baseman.

The rationale is logical. The money that Chone Figgins and Placido Polanco have commanded may be driving up the price of the other free agent third basemen on the market, including Pedro Feliz, who is high on the Orioles shopping list. Kouzmanoff is eligible for arbitration after three solid run-production years, but still doesn't figure to cost much more than $4 million next year.

Andy MacPhail disputed the notion that the market for third basemen has changed significantly in the past week or two.

"To this point, there hasn't been anything that has evolved that has taken us by surprise,'' he said.

The Padres are believed to have heard from up to eight teams, including the Orioles, Giants and Twins.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
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Felix Pie continues to draw surprising interest from other clubs, though it doesn't look like the Orioles are in any hurry to move him unless it's in a deal that fills one of their priority positions or enhances their overall pitching depth. There has been speculation connecting him to the Kansas City Royals, who need a versatile outfielder at a bargain salary, but the Orioles apparently don't see where the two teams could match up to complete a trade.

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail will meet with the media in about an hour. He's been meeting with clubs and agents throughout the day. I'm hearing that one of those meetings was with SFX, the agency that represents Erik Bedard, Vladimir Guererro and Adam LaRoche.

Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (25)
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The Orioles have not been particularly focused on third base during the first couple days of the Winter Meetings, but it appears they may be expanding their horizon at the hot corner. The free agent name that has been most prominent lately is free agent Pedro Feliz, but the Orioles also have expressed interest in San Diego Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff, who had 18 homers and 88 RBI in 141 games last year.

The Padres are slashing payroll and they've got a handful of players who are headed for arbitration. Kouzmanoff is one of them, and there have been published reports that it's not entirely out of the question he might end up being non-tendered. I think that's ridiculous, but he's definitely available and not necessarily at a heavy price in trade.

He might be more than a one-year stopgap -- he's a 28-year-old guy with good pop and great hands at third -- but that doesn't mean he wouldn't be a fit for the Orioles, who can't be sure that both Josh Bell and first base prospect Brandon Snyder will be ready to play regularly by 2011.

The Padres are trolling for pitching prospects, and they probably wouldn't demand the cream of the Orioles' crop.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
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Doubt it means a whole lot, but we're hearing that the Orioles may be meeting right now with the agents for Cuban pitcher Aroldis Chapman. The O's are not expected to be the highest bidder for Chapman, but he told club officials during a face-to-face meeting last month that he has been positively inclined toward the organization since the Orioles visited Cuba in 1999.

Chapman has drawn a lot of interest from big-market major league clubs, but baseball officials dispute the huge early estimates of what it will take to sign him. Still, the chances of him choosing the Orioles seem remote.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
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Unfortunately, the Orioles are not involved in the big three-way trade that appears ready to pop at the Winter Meetings. The deal, which appears to be close, would send speedy outfielder Curtis Granderson to the Yankees, Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to the Arizona Diamondbacks and three players -- Phil Coke, Max Scherzer and Austin Jackson -- to Detroit.

The acquisition of Granderson would be huge for the Yankees, who stand to lose either Johnny Damon and Hideki Matsui -- or both -- to free agency.

Maybe New York is the center of the sports universe. The Baseball Writers Association of America announced today that Bill Madden, the long-time baseball writer for the New York Daily News, has won the J.G. Taylor Spink Award and will be inducted into the writers wing of the baseball Hall of Fame.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
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No, not Daniel. I know a lot of Orioles fans would like to have him back -- just for comic relief -- but this is an update on Miguel Cabrera, whose off-field problems this past season raised hope in some remote quarters of Birdland that the Detroit Tigers would try to dump his big contract on somebody.

Apparently, that's not going to happen. We've been checking around and there is absolutely no indication that the Tigers are trying to unload him. It certainly was not an illogical concept, since they would be stuck with that massive contract if he can't get his personal life back on track, but he's arguably the second-best player in the game and that kind of talent doesn't come along every day.

While we're on the subject, it's hard to imagine Peter Angelos signing off on a player like that at a price like that. He's two years into an eight-year, $152.3 million deal that still has a guaranteed $126 million to go.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
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Just trying to get up to speed this morning in Indianapolis while wondering if I'm the only one who knows that the shortest distance between two points when it's first and goal from the 1 is a straight line. I'm still marveling at how hard the Ravens had to work to lose last night's game in Green Bay, but I've got smaller fish to fry here at the Winter Meetings.

Right now, I'm waiting to see if the Orioles can put together a trade with the Texas Rangers for pitcher Kevin Millwood, who would fit my description of the kind of veteran pitcher who would help stabilize the young Orioles rotation. I'm going to speculate -- and this is only based on baseball logic and the overall economic situation -- that if the Orioles get a deal done, they'll give up one of their next-level pitching prospects and assume about three quarters of his $12 million guarantee for next season.

If I had to guess, the chances of Andy MacPhail completing a trade for Millwood here is probably below 50 percent, but when you're talking about deals for veteran players, 30 or 40 percent would be a pretty good probability.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
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What seemed like routine speculation on Monday morning could crystalize into the Orioles' first real deal of the offseason. The O's have had discussions with the Texas Rangers about veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood and may be getting closer to acquiring him for one of the Orioles second-level pitching prospects.

Depending on the quality of the prospect, the Rangers would likely pay some of Millwood's $12 million salary for 2010.

Today's ceremonial first rumor: The O's are believed to also have at least a passing interest in free agent starting pitcher Joel Piniero, who went 15-12 with a 3.49 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals last season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
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The Orioles were hopeful that free agent closer Rafael Soriano would decline salary arbitration with the Braves, but he accepted arbitration by the midnight deadline and will remain in Atlanta for the 2010 season.

That leaves to O's to consider several other possible closer candidates, but Soriano's decision is a bit of a setback because he looked like a very good fit and his exit from the market reduces the number of suitable relievers available.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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The Orioles are waiting to see which free agents accept arbitration from their original teams by tonight's midnight deadline, and they are believed to be particularly interested in right-handed closer Rafael Soriano, who was 1-6 with a 2.97 ERA and 27 saves for the Atlanta Braves in 2009.

Soriano stands to get a one-year deal worth about $7 million if he accepts the Braves' arbitration offer. His agent, Peter Greenberg, is talking with clubs to gauge outside interest before the deadline, and it's probably fair to assume he'll talk to the Orioles at some point tonight.

He would be a good fit for the Orioles, who could then move Jim Johnson back into an eighth-inning setup role and -- health permitting -- use Koji Uehara and Chris Ray in match-up and middle relief.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 7:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
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President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail just concluded his first media briefing of the Winter Meetings, but did not have a lot to report. He pointed to tonight's deadline for free agents to accept arbitration as a potentially important point in the week, but didn't get specific about any of the players who might come off the free agent market by accepting salary arbitration from their original clubs.

He did confirm, however, that the Orioles are reviewing the medical information on former O's pitcher Erik Bedard along with the medicals on a number of other free agents with injury issues. That's standard procedure, he said, and should be considered only a routine preliminary review that might precede any substantive discussions with the agents for those players.

MacPhail ruled out the Orioles as a player in trade talks for Tigers starting pitcher Edwin Jackson and Marlins reliever Matt Lindstrom, both of whom are rumored to be on the verge of being dealt to unidentified clubs. He also indicated that the Orioles have had no further contact with the agent for pitcher John Lackey and are not hot on the trail of Marlins infielder Dan Uggla.

Stay tuned for an intriguing update on the arbitration deadline.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
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My blog day started with some speculation about the Orioles interest in veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood, but as the day has unfolded, I've reached the conclusion that it isn't just idle speculation.

The Orioles apparently are quite interested in Millwood, who would provide a stable veteran presence in an otherwise youthful rotation. The trick will be figuring out what the Texas Rangers would accept in return and who pays how much of the $12 million he is guaranteed for the 2010 season.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 5:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Dave Trembley took questions for a half-hour today from both the Baltimore and national media and gave his opinion on a number of subjects. Here are a few highlights:

On the free agents he'd like to have: "There's a few, and it's the names that everybody's been talking about."

On O's interest in John Lackey: "Myself personally, I would think the Angels would really make a concerted effort to try and keep him. I don't see that (the O's being seriously involved in the bidding) happening. I've got to try to be realistic."

On the development of Matt Wieters:: "I think people are going to expect that I'm going to hit him third or fourth. I think Wieters will be more like you saw the last month of the season over the course of six months in the big leagues next year. I think the thing that probably was most impressive about him towards the end of the year was his defense, his catching and his throwing. Especially his throwing. I think that's more in line with what you'll see. Offensively, he'll probably hit some more home runs. His power, as he gets a little older, will probably get better.

On the possibility of reacquiring Erik Bedard: "I had a very good relationship with Erik. Like anything else, you'd like to find out as much as you can where he's at health-wise and go from there.

"I think you need to know that a guy can be counted on to pitch every fifth day. He's coming off a shoulder issue, so I think our medical staff [will handle that]. His name's on the board. There's a lot of other guys names on the board and I think that's one of the first things that people look at: Where are these guys medically? I don't think we're in a position to get a guy and he can't pitch until June. If we're going to get a guy, we need a guy who's going to pitch in the beginning of the year."

His biggest pet peeve: "People that don't give 100 percent all the time. I think that's everything. Not just baseball, that's life. Give it all you've got. Appreciate it."

Biggest turn-on: Romantic walks on Daytona Beach.

Biggest turn-offs: Angry third basemen.

AP Photo

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Dave Trembley indicated during his managerial press conference today that there has been a lot of interest from other clubs in outfielder Felix Pie, and there are rumblings here that he could be part of a trade for pitching help.

What a difference six months make. Andy MacPhail was criticized early last season for force-feeding Pie into the Orioles starting lineup, but Pie improved steadily over the ensuing months and showed signs of the terrific potential that had gone unfulfilled in the Chicago Cubs organization.

Since the Orioles seem very reluctant to experiment with Nolan Reimold at first base next spring -- something Trembley also confirmed today -- Pie is a surplus part who could aid in the MacPhail rebuilding plan more by leaving than staying. That said, Reimold is coming off surgery to repair a frayed Achilles tendon, so the Orioles would have to be pretty certain of his readiness for spring training to deal Pie.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Orioles manager Dave Trembley -- almost 20 pounds lighter than he was at the end of his stressful 2009 season -- met the national media today at the Winter Meetings, and confirmed that he plans to be a tougher, more consistent manager next season.

Responding to a question about whether he might have been "too nice" last year while some players appeared to lack intensity, he took responsibility for the performance of the team and promised that things will be different.

"I don't know if 'nice' is the right word,'' he said. "I think I might have given people the benefit of the doubt to a fault. I tend to think people want to be treated the same way I want to be treated, and that isn't always the case.

"Maybe I can get a little more out of people by being a little bit different. Maybe I've got to stop worrying about hurting people's feelings. I don't think I can be what I was when I managed Bowie...You can't give the impression that it's always okay, because it's not okay to not do things right."

I'm giving Trembley credit for not dodging the issue when I pressed him on his evolving disciplinary philosophy.

"I think that needs to be communicated by me much clearer than I have in the past,'' he said. "I think we probably shyould be a little bit more consistent on following through with that no matter who it is."

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network announced today that every regular season Orioles and Nationals game in 2010 will be broadcast in High Definition. Since I chided the network for taking so long to get on the Hi-Def bandwagon, it's only fair that I give MASN a shout out for adding an overflow HD channel that makes it possible to go total HD.

Gotta say, it would have been nice if they had done it last season, when I was stuck on the couch recuperating from my latest middle-age-crazy sports injury, but at least I can put my health at risk this summer knowing that I'll have two Hi-Def ballgames every day to go with my regular schedule of Gunsmoke reruns.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Just baseball
        

There was a blanket of snow on the ground here in Indianapolis this morning, which reminded everyone that there was a time when the Winter Meetings took place in warm weather locales. In 1982, for instance, they were held in Honolulu. That year, the winter tradefest lasted five days, but I didn't get home for nearly three weeks. Told the office my flight was delayed.

Of course, it really doesn't matter what it's like outside. These meetings are an indoor affair, and the lobby at the Downtown Marriott was packed early this morning with baseball people and media. Everybody is trying to figure out what everyone else is doing, which is all part of the fun, if you want to call it that.

Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail has been involved in Hall of Fame stuff all morning. He'll get back to club business this afternoon and will brief the media at 6 p.m. I'll lay 8-1 he says the word "ongoing" a lot and dances around all our questions about potential free agent signings and trades. That's also part of the fun.

The closest thing to news out of the Orioles camp: Club officials are still interested in Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman and are expected to make contact with agent Alan Hendricks in the next 48 hours. The O's met with Chapman several weeks ago, but Hendricks apparently is embarking on a new round of conversations with interested clubs this week.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The Hall of Fame Veterans Committee just held a press conference to announce that long-time manager Whitey Herzog and umpire Doug Harvey will be part of the baseball Hall of Fame's class of 2010.

Herzog led the Kansas City Royals to three division titles in the 1970s and won three National League pennants and a World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1980s. He also had brief tenures managing the Texas Rangers and California Angels. Harvey umpired for 31 years and was named to six All-Star Game crews.

Candidates needed 12 of the 16 votes from the selection committee for managers and umpires. Harvey was named on 15 of the 16 ballots. Herzog was named on 14 of the 16 ballots.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just baseball
        

During the opening night of mingling here in Indianapolis, a former Orioles executive told me the big name he's hearing connected to the Orioles right now is veteran pitcher Kevin Millwood, who has one year remaining on his contract with the Texas Rangers at $12 million.

That's not a surprise. Millwood was among the players of interest that Orioles beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec put together for his Winter Meetings preview. He fits the Orioles need for a quality veteran starter to anchor their young rotation and wouldn't require a long-term commitment. Millwood was 13-10 last year with a 3.67 ERA in 31 starts.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Just baseball
        

There was speculation in the New York Post over the weekend that the Orioles would be one of the big spenders at this Winter Meetings. We can only hope my favorite New York tabloid knows something I don’t, because everything I’m hearing points in the opposite direction.

If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you know that I had no problem with Andy MacPhail’s reluctance last year to spend significant money on short-term free agent gap fillers. The Orioles weren’t close to competing and there was no reason to waste resources on players who wouldn’t be around when they might be ready to accomplish something.

The Orioles still are far from being a playoff contender, but I think the club is at a juncture in MacPhail’s rebuilding program where it’s okay to allocate some real money for players who might help them be more respectable this year. But I mean real money, not Mark Hendrickson money.

I’m all for taking a chance on an injured pitcher like Erik Bedard if the O’s can figure out the right balance of guaranteed money and incentives. If the Orioles have to “waste” $10 million next season in a gamble to add 10 wins and get to a place where somebody in next year’s free agent crop can imagine that he can make the difference, then it would be money well-spent.

Obviously, there are some people in the front office who think a losing season is a losing season, but everybody else knows it’s a lot more complicated than that. If the O’s lose 95 games again in 2010, they will not only continue to alienate a dwindling fan base. They’ll also be burning the prime years of some of their best players without any tangible return.

Don’t you agree?

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 6:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Baseball's winter meetings, which are just getting under way in Indianapolis, will never be what they once were.

The days when Bill Veeck and Roland Hemond set up a table in the hotel lobby and put up a handwritten sign that said "Open for Business" are long gone. But this year's offseason convention has a chance to be more of a traditional tradefest than the usual free-agent free-for-all.

Commissioner Bud Selig's announcement last month that some major league teams lost money this year seemed to signal another round of baseball belt-tightening, and there are rumblings that several budget-conscious teams are willing to part with their expensive players.

It is against this recessionary backdrop that the Orioles will begin the next phase of Andy MacPhail's long-term rebuilding program, which now is focused on filling some key holes in the 25-man roster while the youth movement takes another significant step forward.

The Orioles have some specific needs, and they have the wherewithal to fill them by either trade or free-agent acquisition. The accompanying chart identifies some of the players who might be available on the trade market and could be prominent in Orioles trade speculation during the next four days.

Whether the Orioles are truly in play for any of them will depend on just how reluctant MacPhail is to dip into the club's pool of young talent to upgrade the batting order, the starting rotation or the back end of the bullpen.

MacPhail has made it clear he's not interested in dealing any of the Orioles' top prospects, and he has downplayed the likelihood of any major moves this week. But the winter meetings have been known to create unexpected synergies that lead to surprising deals.

Back in 1990, for instance, the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres started out discussing a lesser deal and quickly completed one of the biggest winter meeting trades in history - the Blue Jays dealing stars Tony Fernandez and Fred McGriff for likely Hall of Famer Roberto Alomar and eventual World Series hero Joe Carter.

Orioles fans can dream that MacPhail finds a way to pry Miguel Cabrera out of Detroit or Adrian Gonzalez out of San Diego without setting back the Orioles' youth movement. But the O's are far more likely to be spectators if any truly blockbuster deals are completed.

Either way, there figures to be plenty of speculation and intrigue, because - no matter how much MacPhail tries to temper expectations - anything is possible.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 4:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Some more opening comments now that I've arrived in Indianapolis for the start of baseball's annual Winter Meetings:

I’m not going to question anybody’s motives. Andy MacPhail doesn’t want to create any expectations for this week because it’s going to be hard to get anything done without dealing prime prospects, but – as I alluded to in today’s column – I think it’s a mistake to publicly discount the possibility of something dynamic happening at the Winter Meetings.

The Orioles need to start creating expectations, not dashing them. That doesn’t mean they should make moves just to make moves, but it does mean they can’t buy into the fatalistic notion – even if it is rooted in reality – that aren’t in a position to trade for any top-quality players and no good free agents want to play here.

Stuff happens here. It might seem like Adrian Gonzalez and Miguel Cabrera are unobtainable without seriously undermining the progress the club has made in player development, but stranger things have happened at the Winter Meetings. If the Orioles aren’t afraid of a big salary (and they claim that they aren’t), then they are positioned well to talk trade with any of the teams that looking to reduce payroll.

Whether they actually want to do that will remain an open question for disenchanted fans until the front office starts looking beyond the marginal players that are available and steps up its game.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Okay, maybe it just seems like there are 500 people from the Orioles and the local media on the 11:45 a.m. Southwest flight to Indianapolis for baseball's annual Winter Meetings. Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail is already there, but most of his staff is here at BWI waiting to board.

If you haven't already, you can take a look right here at my column about the Meetings for today's print edition. I hope the Orioles are more aggressive than they are hinting they plan to be this week, and I lay out the reasons in the column -- not that you need any help from me to figure that out.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Just baseball
        

If you're wondering whether there is more than one way to interpret the headline on this item, you're pretty sharp. Orioles beat reporter Jeff Zrebiec and I are leaving for Indianapolis tomorrow morning to bring you minute-by-minute coverage of baseball's Winter Meetings, which officially start on Monday and run through Thursday.

The Orioles have been downplaying the possibility of any major moves during the next four days, but we can only hope some other team locks Andy MacPhail in a room and convinces him to accept a middle-of-the-order hitter.

That's not out of the question, since there's talk that some teams are hurting financially and are going to be trying to get off some big contracts. The O's have room on their payroll -- they better have at this point -- if an attractive deal comes along that doesn't require them to trade Brian Matusz, Chris Tillman or Jake Arrieta. I'm guessing the momentum for anything like that would have to come from another team, based on the noises coming out of the Warehouse, but we can dream.

What do you think will happen?

Radio plug: Tune in at noon for a marathon Saturday edition of "Sportsline" on WBAL (1090 AM). I'll preview the Winter Meetings with Zrebiec and I'll bring in Jamison Hensley to break down Monday night's game between the Ravens and Packers at Lambeau Field. If you're not in signal range, go to WBAL.com and click on the "Listen Live" icon. Of course, we'll be taking calls at 410-467-WBAL and 1-800-767-WBAL.

Column plug: My weekly "News Item" column for today's print edition is also up on the Web site. You can read it right here and let me know what you think.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 11:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (59)
Categories: Just baseball
        

Take a careful look at this cover of the January issue of Golf Digest, which leads with a story titled "10 Tips Obama Can Take From Tiger."

In fairness to the magazine, the January issue was printed in mid-November, well before the Tiger Woods scandal broke, so there is nothing the folks over there can do but take their lumps and try to laugh about it. The rest of us sure will.

Of course, the likelihood of something like that happening was pretty high, considering Woods' status as the golf media's go-to cover guy and the seemingly minute possibility of anything coming about that would alter his status as the most popular athlete in the world or smudge his squeaky clean public image.

I'm just waiting to see if President Obama invites Tiger and Elin over to the White House for a beer. It has worked before.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
Categories: Schmuck being Schmuck
        

Commissioner Roger Goodell sent out new league guidelines aimed at protecting players who suffer concussions -- which you can read here -- and they call for some concrete changes in the way teams handle concussed players. The new policy, however, does not set a minimum period of inactivity for any player who has been diagnosed with a concussion.

I'm pretty sure league officials will say the decision to add an independent neurologist or neurosurgeon to the medical staff of each team with the power to keep injured players off the field puts the decision in the right hands, but it really doesn't. The evaluation of a concussion requires input from the player involved -- who is the only one who knows if he has a persistent headache or is experiencing dizziness -- so the new policy still leaves open the possibility of a player hiding the effects of the injury to stay on the field.

That's why Goodell should have mandated a minimum two-week sideline period for anyone diagnosed with a significant concussion. It wouldn't be great for business, but it would have been the right thing to do.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Just football
        

The Orioles just released their schedule for their first spring training in Sarasota since the early 1990s, and it's making me all nostalgic for my early days as the beat writer covering the team. You can check it out right here.

If you haven't counted yet, the Orioles will play the Yankees four times and the Boston Red Sox five times during the exhibition season. They also play the Phillies three times and go across the state to play their old exhibition rivals -- the Cardinals and Marlins -- once each in Jupiter.

The most surprising thing about the just-released schedule: Despite the MASN partnership, the O's have scheduled no exhibition games for the upcoming spring against the Washington Nationals.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Just baseball
        

The news that Tiger Woods is actually a flawed human should not come as a great shock to anyone who has seen so many of our celebrity heroes show their unseemly side. Doesn't make him a particularly bad fellow -- just a guy with the same weaknesses as a lot of other guys and a lot more opportunity to surrender to them -- but it does require everyone who had put him on a pedestal to re-evaluate him as a role model.

The thing that stands out for me is fairly simple: We want our sports heroes to be the same people in private that they are in public, which is a pretty high bar for a guy whose image has been crafted so carefully to simulate personal perfection.

Don't get me wrong. That doesn't let him off the hook for embarrassing his wife and family and disappointing his public. He can talk about his right to privacy all he wants, but he's the one who -- quite literally -- put this tawdry business on the street and he's the one who has to clean up this mess, though he'll certainly have a lot of high-priced help with that.

I'll give him this, his latest statement -- which you can read right here -- is the first thing he's done right since the one-car crash early Friday morning that set off the media chain reaction which led to his apologia today.

His refusal to be interviewed by police for several days and his decision to hire a high-powered lawyer to handle a relatively minor traffic offense just ramped up suspicion that there were deep, dark secrets behind that nasty fender bender. That suspicion apparently was warranted, but Tiger's generic admission that he had committed personal transgressions that let down his family would have rang truer a few days ago, before he created the impression that he viewed himself as being above the normal legal processes the rest of us have to go through in that kind of situation.

Really, do you honestly think you could have turned the police away from your door three days in a row under the same circumstances? And, for that matter, since when is driving your car into a tree on your neighbor's lawn at 2 in the morning not "probable cause" for a blood-alcohol test?

There is a part of me that actually feels sorry for Tiger, though I feel a lot sorrier for his wife and family. He willingly made the devil's bargain to live in a gold-plated cocoon his whole life, so he got what he's being paid all those millions for. He can fly anywhere in the world on a private jet any time he wants and he can afford to buy or do anything his heart desires, but there isn't enough money in the world to buy him a little anonymity when he can't live up to the outsized expectations he has created for himself.

I know you won't believe this, but I wouldn't trade places with him for all the tee boxes at Turnberry.

Getty Images

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 1:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
Categories: News of the day
        

Can't say I'm surprised that Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow informed Ralph Friedgen that he will be returning for his 10th season as Terps football coach, considering all the factors that argued against a decision to replace him.

There was all that money that Fridge was guaranteed, of course, plus the amount Maryland would have to pony up to get a new coach. There also was the history involved. Friedgen took the Maryland football program to a new level when he got here and had a very good overall record before you factor in the 2-10 finish of the young, injury-riddled 2009 team.

It was an agonizing decision for Yow, whose own legacy is also on the line here, but I think she made the right decision. Based on the various non-scientific internet polls I've been checking out, I think the majority of Terp fans agree. Here's Jeff Barker's updated story.

Posted by Peter Schmuck at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Just football
        

Sometime today, you're probably going to find out the fate of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen, who has been meeting with Athletic Director Debbie Yow over the past 48 hours. I'm guessing Fridge stays, under some new conditions, but that's just a guess and the the rumor mill has been churning in both directions.

My opinion: I would give him one more year to turn things around. He's got a young team and a decent influx of new talent, and I don't know if you can overlook what he did for the program when he got here. But I'm slow on the trigger when it comes to firing managers and coaches, because I think that's often -- but not always -- a simplistic substitute for the hard work of fixing systemic problems.

While Friedgen was twisting in the wind, Notre Dame surprised no one by firing Charlie Weis, who became the latest coach to wilt under the weight of a program that can no longer live up to its tradition. Maybe the next guy will be different. Did I see Brian Billick's name being thrown around?

The other big college football coaching story is breaking in Florida, where there is intense speculation that 80-year-old Florida State coaching legend Bobby Bowden will announce his retirement today. He's had a great career -- one of the greatest, in fact -- but 80 probably is enough.

While we're on the subject of job changes, here's Jeff Zrebiec's story confirming that Orioles executive Wayne Krivsky, who is special assistant to Andy MacPhail, has left the team to take a similar position with the New York Mets. No early word on how or if the O's will re-fill that position.