"Izturis said that the presence of a novice third baseman won’t change the way he plays shortstop."

Uh, maybe it should. Just sayin'.............

When Tejada was one of the top Shortstops in the game with Jeter, A-Rod, himself, Nomar... I always felt he and A-rod were the best natural fielder of their position. Cal made the switch, A-Rod made the switch. No reason why he can't either...

I'm gonna need Orioles' fans...just fans in Baltimore to drop the "oh woe is me" talk and look on the bright side. We built a good young team the right way. Until we see out of all this young talent who pans out and who isn't....Andy is smart not to break the bank on Free Agents yet.

Using value laden language like "breaking the bank" and saying it over and over again even in answer to a blog that has nothing to do with free agency or fiscal spending does not make for a convincing argument.

Yes, the Orioles have hope on their side. However, they have obvious holes and obvious needs. They were not addressed when they could have been addressed. They were not even attempted to be addressed.

I won't lay the blame at Andy's doorstep because it still isn't clear what constraints he was given from Mt. Angelympus, but declaring him smart is at the very least premature.

Why not try and fill the obvious needs when you already know the young bucks in the fold aren't the answer? Counting the coins in the till is not my definition of smart when winning is the goal.

Derek Jeter lifetime fielding percentage at SS: .976

A-Rod lifetime at SS: .977

Cal Ripken lifetime at SS: .979

Cesar Izturis lifetime at SS: .980

Cesar Izturis as an Oriole at SS: .984

I'm just saying ......

Hey Pete,

While you're getting all the new news from Florida, this blog page still is showing 2009 Spring Training Photos and the "new" uniforms from last year. How about getting your trusty assistants to update this?

Maybe you modeling bermudas and a Hawaiian shirt with deck shoes should be included...

Good point Guru as we have all heard enough of who we should sign and who should we trade for all winter long....

We are setup with youth and we are in a good position to grow!

but I also understand there is much more to do should any roster crisis rear its ugly head!

Just to clarify my comment, I wasn't referring to Cesar's skill at shortstop. He's a great fielder. What I meant was that maybe he should change his approach BECAUSE there is a novice at 3B. (i.e. help compensate for whatever deficiencies Tejada may have)

Once again the Waspmnan has grasped the essence of the argument that has raged on the blog Since the Andy Macphail era began, and reached a crescendo this offseason. I can see both sides of it.

Frankly I think Ownership could have done better than putting the team in a position to win around 72 to 76 games realistically. However whether you agree with the plan or not, things will play out this year and I hope in a positive fashion for the organization and the fans.

If things go the wrong way and by late July the Orioles are looking to trade Tejada, Millwood, Scott and Atkins for prospects, then I think it would be fair to say that we have regressed. We shall see.

Some of you have been down in the dumps with the O's for so long you can't think logically. Who the heck were they going to sign to play 1B. LaRoche? Are you kidding? He would be a joke at 1B in the AL. Flat out joke. He's never been special in the NL...and what he's gonna turn into a star in the AL east? Did you want them to sign Holliday to be a $100+ M DH?
Just cause the team has holes does not mean they are being mismanaged. This team was at Rock bottom before that Bedard trade, and we're moving up the only way we can...slowly. Hopefully some of these kid starters are aces. If so I think we can compete this year.

Waspman- not arguing but have two comments. FIrst, while a profit is not YOUR goal as a fan, do you begrudge any owner for making it a goal? In my opinion,for any owner, a profit should be goal one and winning a championship should be goal two . . . and in most situations, those two should be complementary, not mutually exclusive, IMO. Second, Andy has a record and reputation that goes way past his brief tenure with the Orioles. Presumably he did not get stupid when he moved to Baltimore.