The Os are wise to be reluctant to deal Pie. The OF is our biggest strength and with plenty of room for growth too. Let's try to build the rest of the team up to our OF, not tear it down to patch other parts.

Hope there is no trade for Gordon. May be a bust, belongs in AAA right now. Butler is a good hitter, but very average fielder at first. He is still young and could develop more power, but does not have a power swing.

Let me guess. The several members of the organization reluctant to deal Pie would be Andy Macphail and whichever relative or friend he brought with him. Come on, Man!...If the Orioles can fill one of there needs let's not get sentimental because AM thinks he stumbled upon the second coming of Willie Davis when he brought Pie over from the Cubs.

Pie's trade value may never be higher, especially now that American League pitchers have had some time to think about the holes in his swing. No doubt he is a talented kid but if there is that much interest in him, exploit it to the fullest.

Gil -

I'm with you, but I don't think Pie should be dealt unless he's part of a package that would bring in a power bat or a top of the rotation arm.

Basically, unless you're trading Pie (and others) for a known quantity, it doesn't make any sense to trade him.

In other news, the Rockies didn't tender a contract to Garrett Atkins. I'm not a fan of his home/away splits or his downward spiral over the last few years, but I think he could settle in as a Luke Scott type hitter with a bit more consistency. Plus, he can play both corner infield spots. So let's sign him up for a couple of million and then trade Scott for some bullpen help.

Felix Pie was the best performer on the Orioles the last couple of months. Many of the outs that he made were hit hard. I hope that he is given a chance to blossom. Since there aren't many good options available in the free agency the Orioles should consult Reimold and see if he is willing to play first. But I'm a little surprized that the O's aren't interested in Billy Butler. He could fit the bill of a right handed power hitter that Mr. Trembley is seeking.

Pie? (insert Iverson talking about practice). We're talking about Pie?

Please stop it! Gil's right - get what you can get for him - now.

Time for the Orioles to open up the books. Ticket sales, masn, sponsors, advertising...the entire lot.

No, we can't spend like NY or Boston, but this is NOT a small market folks (look it up). That markets like St Louis spend a ton more than baltimore simply shows PA's commitment.

Time to show the fans the books PA, you gutless jerk. We're tired of your countless lies.

So often over the past 12 years, you've been quoted in the Sun as saying "I promise this club will improve greatly'. Never though, have you apologized for season after season of losing.

Either you or one of your silver spoon sons need to step up now and show the fans the books. OR, sign Cabrerra and a 'real' # 1 pitcher.

One or the other - if you have the guts!

Sudhir -

I'm sure that the O's are interested in Billy Butler.

The thing is, the Royals have no reason to move him.

He's young, he's cheap and while he's a very good player, he's not yet good enough to attract a package that would be better for KC in the long run.

At this point, it makes the most sense for them to hold on to Butler, as well as Greinke, Soria, Gordon and their top 10 or so prospects (especially Mike Montgomery, Aaron Crow and Tim Melville, all starting pitchers) to see if they can put a solid team together in the next two or three years.

My guess is that if KC doesn't field a competitive team by 2013, they'll start shipping out their young players.

Go Wayne, Go!

Awesome suggestion that even the blind positives can't argue. Awesome!

wayne -

Since Orlando and Daniel are the only free agent Cabrera's, I'm assuming you're talking about Miguel Cabrera.

Unfortunately, you can't "sign" a player who's already under contract with another team, and the Tigers don't seem too keen on trading Miguel.

Jeff, Andy MacPhail has publicly expressed that is his preference is to keep Pie. Since Grienke is obviously off the table, the only Royal I'd have an interest in is Butler. It would take more than Pie to get Butler (in the unlikely case that Kansas City would consider trading him) and I'm not sure the Orioles would be willing to give up too much to get him.

wayne, don't answer that. you've explained what you meant about cabrera already. I get it as i'm sure others do. And yes, they should in fact open the books. Bird staffers like notbrooks don't hear those suggestions however, for they make too such sense. Yours are the only post worth reading wayne. i loved the gutless jerk part by the way. about time someone tells it like it is in this town.

Not Brooks,

You are absolutely correct, that's what it would take in order to trade Pie. I think Wayne in his own inimitable style may have been referring for a way to acquire Miguel Cabrerra through a trade plus salary dump on the part of the Tigers.
TerryP had some interesting idea along those lines on the "Macphail Comes Home" thread and Wayne was right in the middle of it spreading hope and faith for the 2010 season. Har Har.

Look, I like what I have seen from Pie and maybe we just hold on to him and build a strong outfield as Bob C. suggested.

In my mind this this offseason is the most interesting and intriguing in years for the team. Now the Orioles have top prospects{recognized by Baseball experts} on the way up, some to deal if need be, and we can actually focus in on the three or four areas the team needs to concentrate on. In past years, during the offseason the Orioles had more issues than Meet the Press on and off the field with so many of the current and ex players fingered in the drug bust, and Sidney Ponson getting picked up for DUI every saturday night..

Here's a thought, bear w me: Considering BRob was a College Shortstop that upon coming up to the bigs got his chance when Jerry "fragile" Hairston gor hurt in May of 2003. The following Sprin Hairston hurt yet another part of his body and BRob broke camp as the starting 2nd Baseman. Miggy of course was at short. When Hairston was healthy he was moved to the outfield. Point being, why not ask Brob if he'd take a go at short so we could trade for Uugla who would seriously help the lineup. TRADE Izturis or platoon him at 3rd w someone like Atkins who was just nontendered.
Just a thought.

Brob at SS? Interesting idea if we get Uggla.

Pie? Andy made a good point and wanted to see their Outfield (all of them) stay healthy for an entire year.

The question is,Is Pie a starting CF or a 4th OF because he didn't show he could play LF every day. If Andy and co. feel Pie can be a good every day player,start him in CF and move Jones to left in spring training and see what we have for a whole year. But don't waste him on the bench because he needs to play every day for some one.

Gil: When I said I'd be reluctant to trade Pie, I wasn't saying that I wouldn't under any circumstances. You have to have an open mind about any offer you get.

I just think that with injuries taking their toll, as they always do, having a 4th outfielder who can play CF as well as LF and RF is hardly a luxury. Just look at how many games AJ missed last year and ask yourself whether you'd have preferred Pie's 430sl% or Fiorentino's 297sl% coming in to replace him.

I think that the interest other teams are showing in Pie indicates that he is more highly regarded by baseball insiders than he is by some Os fans. Maybe we should listen to them.

Keep Pie - provides lots of position flexibility and pinch running/hitting.

Find 1st & 3rd base position solutions via free agency. Send Bell & Synder to play 3A ball and force their way to the majors.

Don't like reading that Uggla isn't interested in switching positions - he will use this as a crutch for his defensive inadequacies all year and it will cause resentment amoungst the pitchers. Uggla can stay in Florida and play before the 5,000 or so fans they might have on a regular basis.

Bob C.,

You raise a good point about Jones, and come to think of it, Reimold. Jones reckless style may cause him to end up on the D.L a few times every year. You remember how promising a career Bobby Valentine had ahead of him before he started crashing into walls and busting himself up.

Injuries are what delayed Reimold's ascent to the Major leagues and last year was the first year he stayed healthy enough to play an entire year, although achilles surgery is not the best way to end the season.

Felix Pie faced a public relations nightmare when he was forced into the lineup because he was out of options.

He was way too anxious at the plate and took a bad route to the ball in an early series at Fenway

Then he was inexplicably buried for 3 months, playing only when Jones was dinged up.

The two major gaffes he committed were way overblown by the media and Trembley alike. Everyone, including Markakis and Roberts, screwed up in ways that were nothing short of embarrassing.. But no one came under such suffocating scrutiny as Felix Pie.

The last two months he showed much more plate discipline, allowing him to showcase at least a glimpse of his potential, that of a dynamic impact player.

I would bet that Terry Crowley is one of those within the organization that wants Pie to stay.

Sizemo and Anonymous:

Brob doesn't have the arm to play shortstop.

i am sure I am in the minority and I like Jones, but I'd be more open to trading him than Pie at this point. Jones has 2 years of not being able to stay on the field consistently so far (see Jeffrey Hammonds) and yet might be able to fetch more in a trade package than Pie would. Doesn't mean that Pie is the answer, but all of Jones injuries so far kind of scare me for his long term potential.

Hi Wayne,

On another thread someone remarked that you frequent other Oriole related blogs and you seem just as angry. Since this is the only blog that I have time to get on other than the Raven's insider blog, I looked at the other blogs to see if you were there and what you had to say.

Now, you know from reading my posts over time that I share your general dislike for the Angelos crew and what he has done to the franchise. But here is my question to you and please give me an honest answer:

What happened to you that makes you hate everything related to the Orioles in such a visceral sense?. I taught my five children never to use the word "hate". That is a powerful word and it is not healthy for the people who receive it or use it.

Dont freak out at me, but honestly some of your responses are borderline physchotic. I don't mean to insult you, but i think that is a fair observation.

What happened between you and the Orioles that causes you to go on these blogs and taunt and make fun of people who are trying to have a serious conversation? All of us see what you see and none of us are doing handstands over 12 losing seasons.

What happened with you?

Who did AM get for George Sherrill again? You remember.... that O's closer who was tearing it up?

I mean surely he was able to secure quality, especially when teams covet bullpen help. Surely AM got someone who fits the plan, right?

Not being negative! I just can't remember who they got.... Hmmm

Hey Jeff, Great update! It sure sounds like a lot happens in the hotel lobby at these things. Ever considered sticking a microphone in a potted plant? Or maybe you could disguise yourself as a bellhop

SportSpoof.com.

Wayne, Wayne you just don't understand. Lets talk about earnings which equal revenues minus cost. Over the last 20 years. the highest earnings in baseball by a team for any given year has been 43.7 million. Next year with all the payroll coming off the books the Orioles earnings will be 60 million, blowing the record away. Don't you want the Orioles to set a record. Our gate receipts for 2008 were 47 million. Our earnings are so high next year we could let everyone in for free and still make 13 million, which would rank us a little below the middle of the pack. Wayne from 2002 to 2008 the Orioles have in total the third highest earnings in all baseball. After 2009 and 2010 they have a real shot at being number one. How can you begrudge Peter Anglos these records.

Perhaps gutless are all the media types that let Angelos get away with this.

Personnally if Angelos is going to do this I suggest a 75% tax on earnings over 20 million.

Gil:

I can't remember the number of times over the years when teams I liked ending up floundering, not so much because of a lack of good starting players, but because of the poor quality of the backups who stepped in when the inevitable injuries started happening.

Maybe I'm just a dreamer, but if the outfielders we have can reach their upside potential, we may just have an outfield that is talked about as one of the better units in the league within the next year or two. I'd really hate to mess with that if I didn't have to.

I'd much rather see the Os sign a couple of guys for first and third, rather than deal away the depth we are starting to develop.

I guess that's why I'm a little happier than some people here are with the job AM is doing. I'm starting to see that depth in both our outfield and starting pitching. If we could sign another starter, we'd have say Tillman, Arietta, Hernandez and Britton at AAA pushing the guys on the big league club and ready to step in when needed.

I'm sure you're no different than me. I'm not here to see an 81 win season, although I'd settle for that this year, but to see us win 90+ and have a chance of winning something. To my mind that will not happen until we have real depth. I'd rather spend PA's money to fill in the holes.

sometimes i love the acrimony on this message board. Wayne cracks me up. Gil, good questions...I hope you get a serious response.

what I really like is when Wayne has his minions come to his defense. Like this guy Rob. Did Wayne put you up to that?
did he pay you to say that? Or...are you actually wayne posting under a different name????

Sometimes I don't know what I'd rather see: The O's win so wayne and his doom and gloomers have to eat crow; or, the O's lose, so the D&G'ers can prove to us that they actually hate the team, and prefer to see the team lose.

Wait, that's easy. Go O's!

does anyone know who else besides kansas city is interested in pie? I'm just wondering.

Gil:

Wayne isn't "borderline physchotic". He crossed the border a long time ago. People like him simply don't fit in anywhere and are miserable because of it. He likely has no wife, girlfriend or other friends. (Who could stand being around him)

Wayne has two goals in mind by acting the way he does.
1/ He makes himself the center of attention which he seldom is in life and 2/ he relishes the chance to be disruptive so that he can drag others down to the level of misery he lives with every day. Misery loves company, remember.

Someone on another thread gave very good advice. Don't feed the troll. Ignore him and he will eventually go away. That's advice we'd all be wise to follow.

Flanagan on MASN. PLEASE don't do this to us. We will never win as long as Flan, Palmer, Dempsey and Tyler ars here. Get rid of the old and get some new fresh people here. PLEASE!

Flanagan on MASN. PLEASE don't do this to us. We will never win as long as Flan, Palmer, Dempsey and Tyler ars here. Get rid of the old and get some new fresh people here. PLEASE!

Wayne,
Josh Bell.

Holy crap. Herb, did you really blame the Orioles losses on the BROADCAST CREW?

Holy crap. Herb, did you really blame the Orioles losses on the BROADCAST CREW?

Troll Wayne,
Go ahead and open your private books to the public, maybe Pete will then too. Make sure you delete your adult credit card charges before you post it.

Nobody is forcing you to follow this team. If you hate everything about the O's so much there are plenty of other teams. You have to be the biggest crybaby that has ever been on a blog. Boo hoo, get a life loser

mstrchef13 - Sorry, you are right.

Gil,

i've been a long time full ticker owner and I simply hate what angelos has done to this organization and city.

Here's a taste though.... I happen to know a few things that others don't. One thing in particular is knowing how someone in the angelos family, in a very, very high position simply does not care if the orioles win.

Laugh and joke all you want, but this particular person frequents NY often (where I work a couple days each week), and has fit into the local scene quite well.

Let's just say he likes to hang with the upper class and let's just say he's a talker. A big, big talker!

Without going further, I will tell you we had a little spat. But only after I got to see deep inside.

I guess you could say it became easy to connect alot of the dots. A couple of friends of mine have even let go of their season tix because of what they now know.

I hate losing Gil! AM was brought in because he knows his way around a budget. He's an expert salesman.....and it's working in Baltimore.

By the way, this is the only place I blog, and only sometimes at that. You won't find me on any other site.

Sure, I vent in ways that I know the O's feel. Blogging here though is just for fun! Guys like bob c just make me laugh....and in a good way actually.

That's it for now. Just please wake up everyone. You don't have to know what I know to see what's happening. If you love baseball like I do, just keep your eyes open, then do what you can to help change.

Don't wait until year 6 of AM's plan.

Let me start by saying I would trade Pie for either Gordon or Butler preferably Gordon. I have seen the progression of these 2 guys and some might say Gordon is never going to live up to his potential but I can't do anything more then say 'trust me' the kid is a beast when healthy and in the zone and same for Butler who when 'in the zone' is a scary hitter which came out the second half of last year. This, IMO, would be something the O's front office should really, really, realy consider.

Let me start by saying I would trade Pie for either Gordon or Butler preferably Gordon. I have seen the progression of these 2 guys and some might say Gordon is never going to live up to his potential but I can't do anything more then say 'trust me' the kid is a beast when healthy and in the zone and same for Butler who when 'in the zone' is a scary hitter which came out the second half of last year. This, IMO, would be something the O's front office should really, really, realy consider.

Gil:

I'd be curious to know what you think after you have a chance to read Wayne's response to your very good question.

Do you buy into his claim that he knows an Angelos family member, (and even got into a beef with him), who quite proudly announces to the world that he doesn't care whether the Os win. I sure don't, nor do I believe that such a family member would announce it to the Wayne's of the world even if he did feel that way. Very bad for business since in this day and age, such public pronouncements from a loose lipped guy in his position would have found its way into print by now.

Personally, I think the safe bet would be that Wayne is lying through his teeth because without coming up with a story like that, he really has no answer to your question about what special hurt he has suffered that would justify feelings far more critical than anyone else. By itself, that's suggestive of a person with a problem.

On the other hand, it is always possible that he's telling the truth. Unfortunately, that would say something far worse. Spending ones hard earned money buying Os tickets, thereby lining the pockets of an owner who would think like that, would be truely crazy.

bob c,

Fair enough.... and quite logical I might add.

Bottom line - I do lose a tremendous amount of cred since I do in fact pay my yearly chunk. Guilty!

I'll keep going however, to as many games as I can. Three things to count on though......

I'll always be respectful during our anthem, I'll never boo Tex, and I'll enjoy watching the game of baseball with my friends.

I do hope I'm wrong and the positive bloggers are right (you have no idea how I wish such). Why? Because winning is awesome!

It's enough already about 2 bit "sluggers" and empty promises. It's time to build the team the way it used to be. Oh sure, letting the young ones develop is nice, but PITCHING not hitting wins games. Period.

Get known #1,2 pitchers. Do not take no for an answer.

Get known bullpen pitchers. do not take no for an answer.

Then, go and hit three run home runs!

Go earl, go!

Wayne is right about a lot regarding the ownership. They spend less time in the warehouse than Fed Ex delivery person.

It's all about the money.

Their interest's are elsewhere when it comes to investments. The Post reported Sunday that "...word has spread that Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos might be angling to put slots at another location in Anne Arundel if the zoning measure fails."

On Dec. 4th, an entity associated with Orioles owner and attorney Peter G. Angelos, who owns property near the Superblock site, filed a suit arguing that a private group's plan to redevelop land near Howard and Lexington streets should be scrapped and the city should seek new proposals for the property. He wants his property value to go up and his is bitching about who won the bid. He did the same thing with the covention center hotel site when he was not awared the development. Then to be spiteful, he told MASN to not show the hotel on TV. True story.

He has the right to earn all he wants and that's why he is schrewd businessman. He made a sly deal with MLB about the Nationals. But the Orioles franchsise is just an investment to him, and if the fans accepted that, it would make the losing more understandable.

Wayne:

If I could make you understand something it would be this. Everyone on this board wants to win. Everyone is tired and frustrated by 12 years of losing. Those of us who post here are the diehards who deeply care about baseball and the Os.

The sense of optimism that some of us have may or may not be justified. Time will tell. You're entitled to your opinion about that and have the obvious right to express it. Who knows, you may well prove right.

What you do not have the right to do is to label people who see it differently than you do as being a bunch of losers, suckers etc. Those are cheap shots pure and simple handed out to people who share your passion for the Os, people who would be otherwise naturally inclined to be your friend.

From a purely self serving way to look at it, it is never wise to turn someone who would be your friend into someone who doesn't like you. You can only pay a price and never receive a benefit. I've made that mistake a few times in my life. Don't make it yourself.

Joefoss:

PA deserves a lot of criticism, but I think you go too far in saying he has no interest in winning. Remember when Gillick wanted to unload some bodies and PA over-ruled him. That is simply not the action a guy who didn't want to win would have taken. PA spent money on a lot of guys, including huge deals for both Belle and Miggy.

PA's problem was that he thought he knew a lot more about baseball than he did. He should have got out of Gillick's way and let him run the show. Hopefully he'll stay out of AM's way and let him do the job. We'll see where that leads us but at this point I think you'd have to admit that the signs have been positive in that regard.

Wayne-
What's your plan to make the Orioles competitive?

Wayne-
What's your plan to make the Orioles competitive?

By the way BRob debuted at ss when Mike Bordick got hurt.

Bob C.,

I can see reasons why Wayne's story has credibility. I have expressed those same thoughts myself about the rebuilding plan, and when Macphail was actually going to try to put a team on the field that can be competitive in the American League East. Let's be honest about it, Andy Macphail has been pretty much given a free pass by the majority of the long suffering fans who look to him to be the messiah who leads the franchise back to greatness.

As far as Wayne is concerned, unfortunatley there is no grey area in his story: He is either a pathological liar hell bent on doing harm to the franchise by running off addditonal season ticcket holders, or..and this is the part that bothers me, he may be on to something. And the longer Macphail dithers and adds only washed up veterens at a cheap price rather than first line talent, his story gains credibiltiy. Let's be honest about it, who, other than our own players, has Macphail signed or traded for that had established star staus elsewhere. Certainly not Kevin Millwood. We tried to sign him 5 years ago when he was in his prime

Macphail's strategy has become known as "The plan" and maybe Wayne is using Macphail's actual strategy to weave his story.

As far as I am concerned, we will know soon enough. If Peter Angelos wants to put a winning team on the field in 2010 we will know when we look at the opening day roster.

If, as Wayne says, Andy Macphail was brought in to manage his way around the budget, we will also know by looking at the opening day roster. And if that roster looks capable of delivering 75 to 77 wins at best , I will have my answer.

How about Jones for Greinke? Pie in CF.

Adam Jones is a better player than Reimold and Pie . So if you want to keep Pie you had better trade Reimold and leave Jones on the Orioles

wayne...

are you really Brian Roberts??? the way you say "I" hate losing, you must be the longest tenured Oriole who has never been on a winning team. Can I get you autograph? Is this the way you vent with out getting benched?

Need to detach yourself a little. We and I don't need anything, They, the O's need things... "I" would like to see a winner, but "we" can't be a winner.

Sham,

'We' refers to pride in your city. You get that, right? I'm detached enough to understand that most players could give a damn about baltimore or its fans, but when I'm in a place like LA and espn shows highlights of a baltimore win, that feels good, because i'm from baltimore. That's the 'we' part. Nothing more, nothing less.

bob c, I hear you but I really don't believe everyone puts stock in winning like you suggest. There are fans who seem to thrive on constant rebuilding efforts, who love being able to roll off prospects names, declaring them as the significant future. These same fans will be doing so in 2014 and they'll be perfectly fine with it.

Then you have the fans who blame it on the division the O's are in, blind to the fact that the O's get their axs's handed to them by teams like Oakland and Detroit as well.

The heavy dose of optimism just continues to let the warehouse off the hook. AM made some really bad decisions going into the 09 season (terrible), yet he's treated in this town like he's Gillick - someone who's shoes he couldn't polish.

FInally bob c, joefoss is absolutely correct. He points out valid area's, but there are so many other ways to show how PA has seperated himself winning. I believe he cared years back, but as he began relinquishing control to others in the family, things changed, allot.

Gil, you're right sir. Time will tell the story. It really doesn't matter what I say or who I know (not as a friend mind you). What matters is what we'll be be able to see with our own eyes.

AM has been very lucky with players like Bergesen and Reimold, players he didn't bring in who have performed well so far. If he's fortunate that all the young pitchers will come together, then he'll look like a genius.

Problem is, such rarely works. While people want to look at the Rays as an example, that situation was dramatically different than the current O's. Not even close, yet people want to believe what they want to believe.

AM is a great salesman. He's been able to live off his Twins success for nearly 2 decades. Problem is, that was a different era . The game has changed - AM hasn't!

He was 'the man' in chitown because unlike others, he had a Plan. The Plan failed, miserably! Well, that Plan is anew in Baltimore, and we'll just have to wait and see....

All that said, he's doing exactly what the Angelos family 'prefers', while buying time until he becomes mlb's commish.....a job he's perfect for.

Go Ravens........ now there's a class organization - top to bottom!

hey how about pie to kc and kc gets kougmanoff from san diego for the orioles

bob c - When was the Miggy deal? 2003.

By thw way, when Gillick wanted to unload Wells and Bonilla . They both left after the season for free agency!!!!! By the way, Bonilla was 1-for-20 in the American League Championship Series.

Maybe now everyone has a better grasp of Gillick's rationale for wanting to trade Bonilla and Wells. That stated the decline of this franchise.

Intersting headline from 1995..

PRO BASEBALL
PRO BASEBALL;The Rich Get Richer As Orioles Get Wells
By MURRAY CHASS
Published: December 27, 1995

"The Baltimore Orioles got stronger yesterday -- again. This time they did it at the expense of the Yankees, with whom they have had a monthlong competition for players in preparation for their seasonlong competition for the American League East championship."

Just shows how much money the man has banked.

Wayne,

That's the most reasonable you've sounded. Still ridiculously broad and unspecific, but less poisonous.

Allow me to request specifics on a few of your points:

1. What really bad (terrible) decisions did AM make going into '09? If you plan to scream the "starting rotation," then tell me his options...not "he should have gotten proven major league starters"... names.

2. I don't care to see the Orioles model this franchise after the Rays, but tell me why, specifically, the Rays situation is "not even close" to the Orioles? Isn't the crux of the comparison that the Rays relied on talented young prospects and young players and the Orioles seem to have a fair number of those now? If anything, the Orioles are in a better position than the Rays since they are blessed with some very talented young players (many of the best have come on while MacPhail HAS been in charge incidentally) and they have historically had more spending power. Explain specifically why the Rays situation is not instructive. Answer: With some differences, it is nevertheless instructive.

3. Finally, I agree that relying on the development of A young pitcher or even TWO young pitchers is an extremely risky way of proceeding (see Adam Loewen, Daniel Cabrera, etc for recent examples). How would you respond if Andy MacPhail said to you, "Wayne, you're correct to point out the risk. That is why the organization has consistently focused on pitchers in the draft (both before and during my tenure) and in trades and has been reluctant to part with young pitching in trades. As a result, we now have Tillman, Matusz, Bergesen, Hernandez and Arrieta, to go along with some even younger guys. We believe it is likely that at least one or two of these five (only 20-40%, not 100% Wayne) could hit it very big and at least another will settle in nicely on the back half of a staff. For this group, we believe the future is now. Millwood and whoever else we may get only provide some stability while they adjust in 2010 to the major leagues. We no longer need ALL of our prospects to succeed like we did when Flanagan and Beattie were in charge. We have enough high quality youth-- a quantity of quality-- that there is some safety in numbers." Isn't that sound reasoning? Isn't your argument with the Orioles of five years ago, without this organizational depth? Answer: To both questions, the answer is yes, it is.

Wayne,

I asked how you would respond if MacPhail gave you that explanation of the "plan" as it relates to pitching. I already know that answer.

YOU would respond, "McFAIL, you suck, you loser!"

Which says it all...

By the way, it is fascinating to watch you already hedging your bets. You say, more or less, "if he's fortunate that all the young pitchers come together, he'll look like a genius." Too funny! If that happens (and Wayne, it almost sounds like you don't want it to, you fan you), Andy would be "fortunate," but not really a genius. Wayne, you're trying to have it both ways ALREADY. That's called a blink. Stay strong Wayne for all the other irrational Andy-haters..."ain't no way this clown will win." Keep it real for your boys.

breadhead, seriously?

I never say 'you suck'....

You're thinking about those who scream 'O' during our Anthem.