What happen's if the M's sweep us - a very real scenario? 9-26... would anything change then? NO!!!!

And therein lies the root of all problems. Accountability. PGA has no accountability to the fans. AM has no accountability to the media. DT has... well, just a $hitty team, really.... and the players have no accountability to DT.

Why are we terrible. Because we, the fans, allow it.

Free the Birds. Next Monday, hosted by WNST.net. At least someone is doing something. Cheers, Nestor.

Pete,

I really believe that Peter Angelos is too smart a businessman not to have some breaking point in mind as far as Andy Macphail is concerned. No one can read his mind, but the fact that Andy emoted uncharacteristically last week is a likely sign that the owner has at least let him know that the current situation is unnacceptable and must improve.

It is simply not in Angelos' nature to stand by and watch his investments continue to deteriorate without stepping in. I'm going out on a limb, but I think if the Orioles fall to 20 games behind by late may or early june, Andy Macphail will be gone. What happens after that is anybody's guess. Angelos will probably try to run the team again after what he will view as a failed experiment too delegate.

Free the birds will get national TV coverage for sure. It did the last time around. I don't think it accomplished anything. Angelos doesn't care. But if anything will continue to expose Angelos for the villain that he is.

Nestor's "doing something"?

This guy claims to be so passionate about the Orioles and bringing them back to their winning ways by getting rid of Peter Angelos, yet he took a four year break from "Free The Birds" events after hosting just one. How is that "doing something"?

Unfortunately, the fact of the matter is that this isn't a democracy. It's a dictatorship. And Peter Angelos is the evil dictator. And it's going to take more than 2,000 fans walking out of OPACY to get Peter to sell this team. Heck, tens of thousands of fans haven't even bothered showing up over the past decade and Angelos couldn't care less.

In the end Angelos will sell the Orioles when he isn't making money off the Orioles any more. And with a bottom of the league payroll and a lucrative cable deal, that day isn't going to come for a very, very, very long time.

Not brooks,

That is something. What have you done for your team? Whether you agree with him or not, you should respect him for doing something he believes in, and something that obviously a lot of other fans agree with. No this won't get Angelos to sell the team, but you bet it will hurt his pocket book. The rally will get 5 minutes for national TV coverage, damaging Angelos image even further. Most importantly it will remind Angelos that this is our team not his.

I wish there were more Nestors in this world.

Pete, help me out in trying to figure out this "Free the Birds" campaign.

As far as I can tell, a couple thousand people buy cheap tickets and walk out of the park, no?

Not only does this look just dumb, but these people are buying tickets, thereby undermining the message that Angelos should be gone because they're filling his pockets with dollars.

Peter,
Thank Heaven there is ONE sports journalist in Baltimore who has the nerve to tell it like it is. This posting is one of your best. Kudos to you and keep up the good reporting!

Peter,
Thank Heaven there is ONE sports journalist in Baltimore who has the nerve to tell it like it is. This posting is one of your best. Kudos to you and keep up the good reporting!

Aside from not supporting Angelos with my wallet for the past four years, I haven't done anything for the O's, but I don't claim to be some kind of hero. Seriously, Nestor hasn't done anything for FOUR YEARS. Where's the passion that he overplays so much in his blog? I would most certainly respect him if he had followed up on Free The Birds '06, but the fact that it took him four years to do so leads me to believe that he's not as passionate as he makes himself out to be.

And by the way... How is FTB going to support Angelos' pocket book? By making this a "go to the game" event, Nestor is basically giving Angelos a couple thousand bucks in ticket revenues.

Finally, do you really think Angelos cares about his image? He hasn't done a damn thing over the past decade to make this team competitive, so what makes you think that he really cares about the fans? Sure Angelos will look like the bad guy whenthe rally will gets 30 seconds on ESPN (not even close to five minutes on national tv though), but he's been the bad guy since 1998 and everyone knows it. Remember all of the "worst executives lists"? You know how the Orioles are the absolute worst team in baseball? Everyone knows that it's Angelos' fault. It's not like it's a big secret.

Oh, and how is this our team? Angelos has been pulling the strings since he got here and, unless you've got a plan to convince everyone in the country to boycott MASN and OPACY, we can't do anything about it.

Oops. That should have been, "How is FTB going to hurt Angelos' pocket book?"

I laughed so hard when I read this posting! This surely beats the kool aid over at the "class of whiners"

It seems to me like the O's are sitting around waiting for things to get easier. Its not going to happen, your going to face top notch players every night. Excuses excuses w/ this boo hoo club. Please fire the marshmellow manager & get someone w/ guts in here. Get these guys in gear, everyone remains too relaxed.

The only effect Nestor and the 20 people who listen to his podunk radio station walking out of an Orioles game will have is that the attendance with drop by half that day. Nestor is as big a fraud as Angelos is. His only problem is that no one listens to his station enough to care that he is a fraud.

And Meso, the Orioles aren't our team anymore. They are the property of the troll in the warehouse. Nestor's publicity stunt isn't going to change that, period.

nb,

i always respect your opinions. respectfully, i must disagree. is it better to sit by idolly and type on this blg, or organize something, anything, no matter how small, to voice your displeasure. i opt for being in 'doers' category.

Joe,

seriously, dude? 20 people, huh, then how do you get 2000 for the last FTB? how are there over a 1000 signed of for the FTB fan page this time? Have you ever met Nestor? or PGA? for someone who doesnt listen to Nes, you sure are opinionated about him and his station. i wonder how he's managed to stay in business for 12 years with only 20 listeners. get a clue, dude.

Not Brooks,

I agree with you about Nestor and the latest "Free the Birds" gimmick. If anything it hurts WNST's credibility. Nestor forgot the prime directive as a journalist is to report and comment on the news, not try and make it.

NB, we Orioles fans seem to have the worst of both worlds. We suffer through ten years of meddling ownership as the whole franchise goes downhill. Then Angelos brings in a baseball executive with a storied name, hands him the mess and says "Your it." Macphail takes Angelos at his word that basically he has an open ended time committment to put a competitive team on the field. Therefore decisions to upgrade the talent level on the field are put off indefinitley with the anecdote" when the time is right." Macphail's snail's pace plan seems to lack direction other than trading veterens for prospects. No vision, just a 1960's rebuilding template that may never work.

Frankly I think three years is all the Macphail I can take, and I voted with my wallet and my feet like tens of thousnands of other fans. Nothing is happening witht his team and that is an understatement.

-7 days remaining

furthermore, Joe...

this sure sounds like someone who doesn't love the birds and is a fraud:

http://wnst.net/wordpress/nestoraparicio/2010/05/10/free-the-birds-is-one-week-from-tonight-where-will-you-be/

what have you done to voice your displeasure? that's what i thought.

Luke,

its not a walkout this time. just going for some fun. hope to see you there.

2,000+ more in attendance = extra ticket revenue.

This isn't a rally. It's an attendance boost. And it's being organized by a self-proclaimed rebel who thinks he's doing something to fight the dictator. Well, how are you fighting the dictator when you're directly responsible for putting more money in his pockets?

For those extra 2,000+ butts in the seats, Angelos might as well send Nestor a thank you card.

Gil,

I hear your point on the credibility of WNST and the FTB campaign. Personally, I think it helps the cred. Reason is, Nestor unabashedly admits to being a fan. And does not apologize for it.

The other media 'hags' in this town peddle suck-up garbage for PGA. Who do you trust in this market to cover the O's? Just wondering, not instigating. I'll go with the guy who best represents my own disgust. If a few more of our trusted journalists would challenge this ownership group, perhaps, just maybe, PGA would do something (yeah, probably not, but maybe). There is really no excuse for this team to have a $65mm payroll. Has anyone, aside from WNST, ever questioned this. Uh, NO.

nb,

here's my thinking. i'm going to take my boy to at least one game this year. i love baseball, my boy is 5 and is really getting into it too. i might as well go to a game that has additional purpose to it.

and yeah, you're right, it means nothing to greedy petey except more $$. but those few thousand bucks really doesnt mean squat - he's got plenty w or w/o nestors contributions. it probably won't change anything. but sitting on my a$$ typing on this blog won't either. will it?

Back to the topic of the post, sort of...

Having passed on negotiations with the Phillies because he wants to test free agency, Cliff Lee will likely be available to the highest bidder after the 2010 season.

Current polls on who the highest bidder will be:

- Yankees: 38%
- Red Sox: 35%
- Rays, Blue Jays, Twins, White Sox, Indians, Royals, Tigers, Angels, A's, Mariners, Rangers, Braves, Marlins, Mets, Phillies, Nationals, Cubs, Reds, Astros, Brewers, Pirates, Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Giants, Dodgers, Padres: 1% each
- Orioles: 0%

The only thing that will change anything is not going to games and not watching MASN.

If you love baseball and your kid is starting to get into it, go to a minor league game or take a weekend and catch a real major league game in Philly.

If you really want to make a statement, stop putting money in Angelos' wallet. Stop going to OPACY. Stop watching MASN.

If you can't go on without baseball because you love the game for the game itself, just watch a different team. With ESPN, FOX, TBS, WGN and MLB Network (for DirecTV subscribers), you can watch four or five games a week without feeding into Angelos' money making machine. Heck, if you're not satisfied with what basic cable has to offer, you can probably get an full MLB cable package from DirecTV or Comcast for the price of two family trips to OPACY.

Look, I'm all for rallying against Angelos. But boosting attendance, even if it's only for one game, is not the way to do it. Why in the world is Nestor getting people to go to the game in the first place? Why not just have a peaceful protest around the stadium? A couple hundred FTBers dressed in black at each gate would be much more impactful than a bunch of chumps supporting what they're fighting against in the left field upper reserve.

I really hope one of these FTBers gets interviewed at the game or on the way out...

Reporter: So you're rallying against Peter Angelos because he's destroyed your childhood team?

FTBer: Yeah, man. I'm sick and tired of this guy lining his pockets with our hard-earned money while he puts a terrible product on the field.

Reporter: Um, wait a second... Didn't you buy a ticket for this game?

FTBer: Sure, but it was only so I could rally against Angelos.

Reporter: Don't you realize that by purchasing a ticket, you're supporting the guy you're supposed to be rallying against?

FTBer: ...

In the end, it doesn't really matter. As I said before, something earth-shattering would have to happen to get Angelos to sell this team. He's just not going to do it as long as he's making money.

So, whatever. Go to the game, but just don't say that you're protesting a meddling, wallet-padding owner when you've just given him a couple of bucks out of your own wallet.

Jeez, looks like that BagOnTheHead idea never really had it's day. And here I am with a whole marketing campaign bult around it. Bags with your favorite players name on the back. Bags with Orioles on the front for home games, Baltimore for the road trips. Bags with a flat bill-the Sherill Bag.
Bags with an updateable W-L Standings list.
Free the Bags!
Free the Bags!!
One more time, Free the Bags!!!

And now the Paying Money to Walk Out is going to have another day. Nice!

Matusz.........

He's young and inexperienced - granted.

He also has an era of over 4.9 and he's lacking consistent command.

I want Matusz to succeed as much as anyone. But he's a crap shoot.

Do you realized that he has a better chance of becoming nothing more of an average pitcher than he does becoming the savior some of you want him to be?

For that matter, he has a better chance of needing tommy john surgery than becoming the next king felix.

He's been worse than average everyone, and some of you act like we're thisclose to finding an anchor for years to come.

Maybe we are..... but history simply suggest...ummm no.

Take away Tillman's nono, and he's significantly worst than average... in AAA.

Maybe Arietta will be the guy. Hope so.

By the way.... Anyone remember when Jim Johnson was a hot shot pitcher on the farm? I do!

Who wants to take bets that he'll need tommy john?

Develop young players...... but bring in many good one's as well. It's the ONLY way this team will ever win, much less compete.

AM's way will destroy this franchise for another 13 years. See ChiTown. He's a fraud and needs to be shown the door before we're 5 years into his plan, and still losing north of 90 games (see his time in chicago at 5 years).

It's all there.......

The attendance will tell Angelos that he needs to do something. That record low a few weeks ago is going to look like a full house before the season ends if something drastic isn't done.
I haven't been following the uproar over the FTB people but on the face of it, I gotta say not brooks has a point. It makes you look like chumps to complain about the guy picking your pockets while you're giving him money.
Why not organize regular FTB trips to Bowie and Salisbury and the other minor league affiliates? You could say "If we're going to see minor league ball anyway, lets at least pay minor league prices" You'd get to have a good time seeing baseball played by players who had some fire, you'd be helping out a lot of local folks with your patronage, and you'd be saving money to boot. It'll still send your message and you won't be contradicting yourselves.

nb,

I hear you, I really do. but I'm a fool. i'm an o's fan, and i can't sit on someone else's bandwagon. root for the phills - c'mon, really. no can do. it's the o's. and pga is a greedy troll that ruined the team for people like me. in the end, i'm a sucker.

and... boycotting masn does nothing. that deal is done. i guess i could boycott any and all cable/satelite providers, but that's not really practical.

Roy,

i like the idea of a rally at a minor league game. problem is, no one would notice. PGA moved pretty quickly on the Cal story because of the nat's attention. i'll take the 30 seconds on ESPN to insult pga some more.

btw, Peter, what's the latest on the Cal/PGA story? oh, no one is pursuing it? typical Sun and mainstream Bmore media.

fat finger... shoulda been:

nat'l attention.

AsbestelO's -

I never said to cheer for the Phils or to jump on anyone's bandwagon.. I just said to go to a game in Philly if you're only going to go to one game a year. And try to catch Roy Halladay when he's pitching against a Tim Lincecum or an Ubaldo Jimenez. If you're going just for the love of the game, that's the kind of game you'll enjoy.

I'll always be an O's fan, if only because they're the team that I fell in love with as a kid. But at some point, enough is enough. I'll continue to follow them, online mostly, but I won't support them with my wallet until they show a commitment to winning again.

When this year is over, Dave Trembley will have the honor of managing the team with the most losses in Major League history. Yes, it looks like he will survive the whole year. After saying that, he still might not get fired!

Pete. While it's true that we faced some tough starters, we also didn't get much done against mediocre guys like Blackburn, anyone the Jays threw at us and Fister from Seattle and a couple of guys from Oakland(although Braden threw a perfect game so he obviously has something going for him, other than ticking off the almighty Arod!).
The fact is that sending out a lineup full of marginal hitters like Lugo/Jones/Itzuris/Atkins is a recipe for inconsistency and on any given night, they can be dominated. Contrary to your suggestion that now's the time to 'make hay' against the likes of Seattle/KC and Cleveland, I'm guessing that these teams are thinking the same thing about the O's!!
Here we are 32 games into the season and as I glance at my O's schedule over my home office desk, I'm already depressed. Pretty bad when you start doing some rough math and realize that even if Balt goes 13-6 for the rest of May we'll still be 6 games below the .500 mark and playing .440 ball.
June is then filled with 'non-haying making- type' teams like Yanks/Boston and our nemisis Oakland. We might win against the likes of Florida/Wash/SanD but who knows?

The post at 2:01 isn't me. Paul(Jack)/Brummie, you can stop posting undr others names. Jacka**!!
Nestor is an idiot and only a couple of hundred showed up, if that many. He needs to go root for the Yankees.

Hey RichD(the real one) -

Were you at the last FTB? Couple hundred? Nope. I was there. I took a count, albeit a rough one - I used math based on rows and folks, so certainly not completely scientific. Conservatively there were 1500. I didn't sit with the crowd, rather across the stadium from them, so i had good vantage to count from.

Regardless of the count, their presence was felt. One usher ever quietly applauded their noise and passion. And the few other fans around me were happy to see life in that empty stadium.

So, why is Nestor an idiot? Because he gives a shit? Or because he has enough clout to organize something? Or are your jealous that you are completely impotent, and can only contribute (sort of) to a blog? How many have you rallied to the cause of the O's fan? Zero. Nice post, Dick, errr Rich.

I guess there's only one Rich D in the O's community.

Anyways, you warehousers sure are out in CYA mode lately. I guess so, being 9-23 and all.

Imagine, it's HIGHLY possible we will enter June with

How's that for extrapolation - I know all you warehousers just love to go off on tangents about what could be. Well the above certainly could be.

Good Lord, could we be the Cleveland Spiders or the 21st century?

hmmm., something went wrong with my post. Anyways:

I guess there's only one Rich D in the O's community.

Anyways, you warehousers sure are out in CYA mode lately. I guess so, being 9-23 and all.

Imagine, it's HIGHLY possible we will enter June with less than 20 wins. And once June gets here, oh my. MAYBE 30 wins by the All-Star break. Factor in the end of year swoon that ALWAYS happens and we might not reach 45 wins. Good Lord, could we be the Cleveland Spiders of the 21st century?

How's that for extrapolation - I know all you warehousers just love to go off on tangents about what could be. Well the above certainly could be.

Good Lord, could we be the Cleveland Spiders or the 21st century?

Paul(Jack)/Brummie,
Oh you just kinda showed up? I know who you are, too much of a coward to say who you really are. Roch saw thru it too. Oh and live in Connecticut, so wrong again about warehousers.
Anonymous,
Don't even need to answer to someone that hides behind a fictitious name. Yes I was there, was sitting near them and I can count also. just a few hundred, but you like your leader, Nestor, have an agenda. People were not cheering them, they were laughing at them for buying tickets to something they were protesting. Angelos got his money from them anyway.
Nestor is not a passionate Oriole fan. He hates everything Angelos, and has been after Mr. MacPhail since he came here in June of 07. Oh that is just 3 years, not 4 like all the Nestor cronies like to say. I contribute the way I want, by rooting for my team, criticizing them when they need to be. This blog has become Nestor's nest. That is why I stay with Roch. Schmuck is great at what he does, but this blog has just become such and anti-Oriole blog/Nestor nest. I just came in here because someone from Roch's blog said someone is trying to smear my name.
Got a kick out of the "Dick" reference. Shows that your just a immature kid.

Paul(Jack)/Brummie,
Oh you just kinda showed up? I know who you are, too much of a coward to say who you really are. Roch saw thru it too. Oh and live in Connecticut, so wrong again about warehousers.
Anonymous,
Don't even need to answer to someone that hides behind a fictitious name. Yes I was there, was sitting near them and I can count also. just a few hundred, but you like your leader, Nestor, have an agenda. People were not cheering them, they were laughing at them for buying tickets to something they were protesting. Angelos got his money from them anyway.
Nestor is not a passionate Oriole fan. He hates everything Angelos, and has been after Mr. MacPhail since he came here in June of 07. Oh that is just 3 years, not 4 like all the Nestor cronies like to say. I contribute the way I want, by rooting for my team, criticizing them when they need to be. This blog has become Nestor's nest. That is why I stay with Roch. Schmuck is great at what he does, but this blog has just become such and anti-Oriole blog/Nestor nest. I just came in here because someone from Roch's blog said someone is trying to smear my name.
Got a kick out of the "Dick" reference. Shows that your just a immature kid.

Paul(Jack)/Brummie,
Oh you just kinda showed up? I know who you are, too much of a coward to say who you really are. Roch saw thru it too. Oh and live in Connecticut, so wrong again about warehousers.
Anonymous,
Don't even need to answer to someone that hides behind a fictitious name. Yes I was there, was sitting near them and I can count also. just a few hundred, but you like your leader, Nestor, have an agenda. People were not cheering them, they were laughing at them for buying tickets to something they were protesting. Angelos got his money from them anyway.
Nestor is not a passionate Oriole fan. He hates everything Angelos, and has been after Mr. MacPhail since he came here in June of 07. Oh that is just 3 years, not 4 like all the Nestor cronies like to say. I contribute the way I want, by rooting for my team, criticizing them when they need to be. This blog has become Nestor's nest. That is why I stay with Roch. Schmuck is great at what he does, but this blog has just become such and anti-Oriole blog/Nestor nest. I just came in here because someone from Roch's blog said someone is trying to smear my name.
Got a kick out of the "Dick" reference. Shows that your just a immature kid.

I can already picture Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford on the Yankees, it's gonna happen. Why is left field a black hole for the Yankees this season?...waiting for Crawford to fill it. I'm gussing Pettitte may not be back next year and Lee fits right into his slot. Baseball is a joke without a salary cap of some sort. Oh, and I'm predicting the O's get swept by the Mariners. Yeah, I'm not feeling too optimistic right now.

See Sham.....

He likes me, he really likes me.....

The Yankees have place holders for Carl Crawford. The Orioles have placeholders for a 1b hitting .181 in AAA

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

To blame the Orioles bad start on the fact that they are facing tough starting pitching is a total farce. I wish one of the local media mavens would tell it like it is and say "this team stinks!"

!!!!!!!GO ORIOLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVE YOU GUYS

And to anyone who talks bad about them, ......
Go watch the Nats, you deserve each other!

AsbestelO's,

I would listen to Nestor, except I live more than a mile and a half from his station, so I can't. And, when I did live there, I often listened to his station and his show specifically.

The problem with Nestor and the FTB thing is exactly what everyone has mentioned: he is monetarily supporting the team. And the idea that this protest will somehow make national headlines and do something to change the Orioles is absolutely preposterous. If no one cares in Baltimore about this (except the "1500" people at the last rally) why will anyone outside of Baltimore care? And, most importantly, it shows nothing that isn't already painfully obvious. The Orioles are bad and people don't like it? All I have to do is watch a game and see 75% of the stadium empty to know that.

Nestor is a fraud because he knows all this. He knows this walkout won't do a damn thing to change the Orioles. He is doing it for his own publicity. Which is fine. He is a businessman. But don't be fooled into thinking this anything more than a business decision for him. In that way, he's not much different than Angelos.

And, let's be clear, I despise Angelos. He has ruined the team I love and doesn't care. But this protest isn't gonna change anything, it's just about stroking Nestor's ego.

Heeeeeyyyyyy Joe, where you goin with that logic in your hand?

ok, here's what we're gonna do...
everyone who's gonna do the nestor walkabout thing...get our tickets, go in and spend lots of cash. LOTS. We'll show PA! Then,pick out your 2010 version O's Bag(the ones designed and sold by jim66), wear them proudly(more than a minute, ok?). Now, to satisfy Gil, we're all gonna call the O's and demand, I said DEMAND a new GM. Then, after that, de-bag and walk...Are you with me???
That should preeeeeety much get it all straightened out.
Go O's!!!

I still like the plan.

Angelos is Ok

Macphails a proven World Series winner twice...

We are only halfway through the rebuild (3rd year)

Roberts was a huge loss

We are loaded with good pitching in the minor and major leagues

just some yin for all the yang

Hey Joe/Jimi

You are full of it. I live 45 miles from Towson & pick up 1570 loud and clear. Got anymore lies tonight?

Nestor is what he is. You are right, he is a businessman. One who operates a Sports station despite the plight of the hometown baseball team. Look, Nestor may come off as a ahole sometimes, but don't doubt his love of the O's. Maybe if you took a moment to listen to the message, rather than fall inline, you'd get it. The again, maybe it's over your head.

Don't really care what you do. Mostly nothing, I presume. At least someone with a voice, tin can or not, is doing something. More than I can say for the Sun, 105.7, 1370, 13, 11, 2, MASN, YOU, and on and on and on and on and on.

The O's suck. PGA is a piece of excrement. AM is a loser. DT is a scapegoat. Jones is overhyped. Bell is overhyped. Tillman is overhyped. Spin, spin, spin.

Big ol'e RichyD-

"I know who you are, too much of a coward to say who you really are."

So, what's you're full name & addy?

We're all "anoymous," Einstein.

Ah, the "warehouser" conspiracy. Get in line? In line with who? You're the one buying tickets to show the Orioles how mad you are.

You know what I haven't done this year? Buy a ticket.

Hey Charles -

Someone does tell it like it is. 1570 AM, or WNST.net online.

No one getting paid by the o's (who is every media outlet in this market, save for wnst) would EVER tell it like it is.

People let their hate of Nestor cloud their judgement. FTB doesn't accomplish anything it's about going to the game and actually having a good time for once and reminding our joke of an owner what he's doing to the city. The publicity stunt argument is a joke. He angers more people by doing this then he gains in publicity. He's a lifelong fan who's sick of what's happened to his team. How people can get angry at that is funny. The local media should be hammering the O's on a daily basis but they are all partners like the Sun or paid apologists like MASN and 105.7. Instead we have a no talent hack in Preston hammering a quality organization on a weekly basis. Makes sense.

Joe,

Yes, I am buying a ticket. I already admitted to being a sucker. Oh well, that's my choice. But I'm okay with that price. It's worth it for an opportunity to further embarrass that troll.

Will it change anything. Probably not, but that is not the point. Do something. If you give a shit, like me, do something. Anything. I choose to rally w/ FTB.

What do you do? Blah, blah, I won't watch MASN or go to the yard. So what! Do you have Comcast/FIOS/DirecTV? Guess what? You support PGA. Get it?

AsbestelO's,

But it's not going to embarrass him. If a 2/3 empty stadium and "Let's Go Red Sox" chants being heard loud and clear at his stadium and on his broadcast network don't, then why would a few people leaving the stadium during the game do anything?

The fans have almost no power in sports these days. In many cases, if no one shows up, the team moves. In our case, Angelos makes money no matter how many people show up. Like someone else said, this isn't a democracy. We don't have a voice. Hate to break it to you, because it hurts. But it's the truth. And, I think someone here always says "The truth will set you free!"

Free the Birds!

Joe,

Yes, I would say we have little power. Probably none, you're right. But, $hit, I feel good to voice my displeasure in unison. So I'll do it. I hope you will too. If not with FTB, anything, please, anything, to show you're displeasure. 13 years! 9-23! People, have some pride!

but then i go on to spout 50 words to that dude. good work, bro.

The O's suck. PGA is a piece of excrement. AM is a loser. DT is a scapegoat. Jones is overhyped. Bell is overhyped. Tillman is overhyped. Spin, spin, spin.
AsbestelO's,
__________________

here's my money sir. may i have another?

If people want to support WNST by participating in a publicity stunt for the station, go for it! To each his own. Just don't try and tell me that by embarrassing the hell out of the players (and the city of Baltimore), that you are somehow "supporting" the Orioles...

smitty, what are you on? drugs, the sauce?

so they're half way through the Plan? So it's a 6 year plan smitty? How did that work for andy in chicago?

and angelos is 'ok'? to whom? to the fans? to baseball? want to bet who sports illustrated will vote as the worst owner in baseball again this year?

all the great arms? you care to elaborate? want to tell us what matusz has done? is the tillman no hitter all you got? then after arrieta, how does the rest of that aaa staff look like smitty? and who are the other great young pitchers you're talking about in the majors?

and when andy won his titles, were cell phones around much? was the internet even around when andy was a winner?

you sound like someone who has absolutely no idea what you're talking about. are you even for real, are are you always trying to fxck with people? you just come off as the kind of baltimoron people from other cities talk about.

BaltoJim,

you mean embarrass the players and the city of baltimore like when yank and sox fans come to opacy and totally take over?

you mean embarrass the players and the city of baltimore like being the laughingstock of baseball?

i could keep going Jim. I could list item after item that is waaaaaay more embarrassing that what has been described on the blog.

just wait until this home stand Jim. wait to see how many fans make it out to the park.

you want embarrassment Jim? You just haven't been watching.

why don't you get it?
I hate to argue about what young players might or might not do, but you're wrong on several counts. Matusz had his first truly bad start of the year yesterday - Yes his ERA is in the 4's, but for the most part he has given up 3 runs over 6 innings (that's a 4.5 ERA) which should be good enough to win most games. Also, about 1/3 of his runs have been given up in his last inning of work and most of those were allowed to score by the bullpen (he dominated Tampa for 6 innings and ended up giving up 3 runs in the 7th, one of which had scored when he left). Yes he's yound and like any young pitcher he will be a little inconsistent for a couple of years, and he needs to get to where he can go 7 or 8 consistently, which he did in each of his last 4 starts last year, but he commands 4 pitches and is so much smarter than the average yound pitcher. He has taken a large role on a staff with a bullpen that was struggling, a weak offense and an awful defense. This is no average pitcher.

Be careful with ERA's in May - Sanatana and Felix Hernandez are in the same territory right now and Beckett would love to be there.

As for Tillman - check you facts - after a rough start (o-3) he has gone 3 and 0 and has given up 6 runs total in his last 4 starts (3 of those 4 starts ago, so 3 in his last 3. That includes a 1 run 4 hit, 10 K performance yesterday. I can't say he'll continue to in that direction, but it has been more impressive than just the no hitter.

As for some other pitchers, not including Arrietta who walked 5 tonight in ND, it seems Erbe and Britton are struggling a bit as they step up to AAA and AA respectively, much as Arrietta a Tillman did a year ago.

Of all the O's problems, I think quality young arms is the least of them.

Remember even great pitchers are basically .500 in their first couple of years.

Smitty,

You must be put on a straitjacket. Are you insane?

Gil,
I'm not looking to get into one of those debates about kool aid etc... but sometimes I struggle with your feelings about AM. Do you really think that Andy feels likes Angelos will back him financially to do whatever he wants, but Andy just decided "nah I don't want to go get anyone to make us better". I think at best Angelos has said I'll give you 3 years to show me you have some young pitchers and enough decent young players before I agree to fork over any real cash because before I do it again, I want to know we have a shot to win. I think we're all still paying for Albert Bell. I don't really disagree with you about where we are - just about who is to blame.

It also seems to me you give Trembley a free pass - as bad as the talent may be, you have to believe Trembley contributes to the problem. Just look down the road at the Nats and see the difference Riggleman has made just by establishing expectations and discipline - two things completely absent from Trembley's dug out.

why cant it happen here?

The Mariners fired hitting coach Alan Cockrell after an eight-game losing streak in which the offense averaged just 1.5 runs per game. (Jon Shields, Pro Ball NW)

All I am worried about is how the hell will Griffey be able to keep himself awake during an O's Vs M's series? He's not going make it!

I have to say that I am a tad surprised that a few moves weren't made today because LF is a joke so I thought Patterson would be called up and given a shot in LF while Luke and Nolan try to work out their problems in AAA. I wasn't happy that DT was brought back after last season, but I was hoping that he would take a different approach like going with the hot hand and showing guys who don't hustle that they wont play, but none of that has transpired this season so while he's not entirely to blame, he has to go and the longer they drag this out, things will get worse because you have to believe that a majority of the O's players know the guy is a lame duck so they aren't going to listen to what he has to say because they have the contracts past this year and he doesn't.

So long as the coffee is in the can and the fried eggs laugh on the desk, someone will bring attention to the fact that no one knows what is not really unknown.

And then there are the O's.

DT is the problem. Andy brought in all the right players. DT can't manage. DT DT DT DT DT... the Plan is working. DT DT DT DT

GM - LENN SAKATA
MANAGER - FLOYD RAYFORD
PITCHING COACH - JEFF BALLARD
BENCH COACH - PETE STANICEK
3RD BASE COACH - FRITZ CONNALY
1ST BASE COACH - JIM TRABER

GM - SIDNEY PONSON
MANAGER - BROOK FORDYCE
PITCHING COACH - ERIC DUBOSE
BENCH COACH - JEFFREY HAMMONDS
3RD BASE COACH - JUAN BELL
1ST BASE COACH - CHRIS RICHARDS

GM - KEN GERHART
MANAGER - MIKE BODDICKER
PITCHING COACH - DANIEL CABRERA
BENCH COACH - TOM NIEDENFUER
3RD BASE COACH - RYAN MINOR
1ST BASE COACH - GARRET ATKINS

oh, btw, left off hitting coach, 'cause, well, we'll always have the CROOOOOOOWWWWWWWW!

GM - MIKE YOUNG
MANAGER - RAY KNIGHT
PITCHING COACH - DON AASE
BENCH COACH - LEE LACY
3RD BASE COACH - BRAD KOMMINSK
1ST BASE COACH - SAM HORN

Birdland Todd,

You need to recheck your statement ... Luke Scott can't go to AAA

I wasn't happy that DT was brought back after last season, but I was hoping that he would take a different approach like going with the hot hand and showing guys who don't hustle that they wont play, but none of that has transpired this season so while he's not entirely to blame, he has to go and the longer they drag this out, things will get worse because you have to believe that a majority of the O's players know the guy is a lame duck so they aren't going to listen to what he has to say because they have the contracts past this year and he doesn't.

Posted by: Birdland Todd | May 10, 2010 11:59 PM

Congratulations! You've broken the record for the longest sentence in the history of blogging.

TxOFan,

Is Luke out of options? I thought he had one left?

Guiness Book of World Records, I am psyched that I won because winning has been tough around these parts. Do I get to manage the O's for night? How about a date with Amber?

Want a laugh? Apparently,the boy genius is he's considering bringing in Patterson to jump start the team. Patterson couldn't do it the last time he was on the roster and he couldn't do it in Cinncy when Baker handed him CF and leadoff. MacPhail must be suffering from panic attacks. I don't see how he can turn this around. If he does, then he's a genius..Break this ballclub apart and start all over.

Removing Dave Trembley could spur a short term improvement in play, but it doesn't get to the root cause of the problem, which is Andy Macphail. No matter who manages this team, It is not possible to make chicken salad of of chicken sh**, which is the main course that Andy has mixed. Andy has been planning to lose for four seasons now and has betrayed the trust of the owner and the fans with his rebuilding plan, which is caught in a 1960's time warp.

What is the plan? Trade a few veterens for prospects, live off the Bedard transaction, and basically throw enough sh** on the wall, in the form of prospect hype, and hope some sticks. It is past time for Macphail to be fired. He has had more than enough time to put a respectable product on the field. Bye Andy.

Call the Orioles and demand change at the GM position now.

The last post was from me, of course.

Radio stations and media around Baltimore must have received the new manifesto of the MacPhail propaganda. Everybody is spinning it today, from MASN to 1057thefan. Unbelievable. Why do media personalities around here become such apologists for the MacPhail plan? It's beyond me. If MacPhail were in NY he would have gotten buried alive by the NY media. Baltimore media personalities are such tools. Shame! I have to hand it to Pete. That article he wrote yesterday was very good in calling MacPhail out.

Meet the New Dave, same as the Old Dave.

Whats with the politics?

On the few occasions I do show up to a games it's as an Orioles fan. Sure I'm pissed at the current losing. Who isn't? But I don't want to be a fan with a cause who is so diluted I'd think that some stupid rally is going to make a difference.

FTB was cute 4 years ago. Maybe if Nestor did it every game, or once a week, or once a month it would actually mean something. Maybe then I would buy into it. As it currently stands, I'm not wasting my time.

Nester the ********!

I think that this is the first time I have heard of a GM tell the hitters that they are accountable for their jobs, always seemed that it was a Managers fault,never have figured that out. But since that has been said, we need to prove this by moving 2 players to AAA, Reimold, who I think is a player with great potenial and Montanez who needs to move on. Bring up Patterson. Move Wigginton to the outfield and let Lugo prove to MLB that he still can Play.
By The Way I am glad that I don't have Dave or Andy's job, especially in this town at this time.

Dave in Glen Burnie,

If you actually took the time to read Nestor, you would know that he supported the hiring of Andy MacPhail, and he actually applauded a lot of the moves that MacPhail made on his website. That is why you haven't seen him protest every year.

Many of his blog readers including myself, have been begging him to revive the "Free the Birds" campaign. There is a lot of cynical people who question his motives. The way I look at it, it's pretty simple: He is a frustrated fan who is doing something noble for his team and his city. He is standing up for his team, while the rest of us surrender to the status quo and accept it.

You should have seen Angelos lame interview with local media and how this rally got to him. Free the Birds does hurt his image, a lot. People around the country know who is is, but it is important every once in a while to bring his evil character to light so everyone can be reminded what evil looks like.

Don't think for one second that Angelos being labeled as the Worst owner in professional sports (by Sports Illustrated) does not hurt his pocket book. Just like Free the Birds does as well. When Angelos passes away, his legacy will be worse than that of Bob Irsay.

You know what I find particularly disturbing about all of the above ^^^?
NONE OF THIS IS NEW! Not the arguments, not the mack and forth between posters, not the stat quoting...none of it. The only thing that changes are he names of the players that get thrown around.
What is happening this season has been going on for thirteen years and if anybody thinks anything is going to change because we're X amount of years into a re-build, you're kidding yourself.
Every arguement being made here has been made numerous times before. I HATE what this team has turned into and I HATE what has happened to us, the fans.

Mesotheliangelos -

I still don't understand how FTB hurts Angelos' pocketbook.

It's a one day event that will probably sell 2,000 tickets that otherwise wouldn't have sold. Even at five bucks a ticket, that's $10,000. Now, I know that's not all profit, and I have no idea how it breaks down and what amount finally ends up with Greedy Petey, but still, that's $10,000 spent at OPACY (plus whatever vending revenues come from the FTB crowd) that normally wouldn't have been spent.

As dave in gb said, FTB would probably be meaningful if Nestor did it once a month. Sure, on the surface, that would be more money going to Angelos, but at least it would keep the protest at the forefront of people's minds. As it stands, FTB on Monday is going to get this sort of reaction: "Oh, didn't something like this happen a few years ago? This is pretty cool. Maybe I'll join up for the next event." And then Nestor won't do another rally for another four years and everyone will forget about it. But if he did it monthly, it would most certainly grow. Who knows, maybe if he did it monthly, he could try to stage a full boycott of a game or two in September. Imagine OPACY with less than 1,000 people enjoying (not enjoying?) a baseball game... That, my friend, would send a message.

smitty -

Lay off the crack pipe for a while, hoss.

Sidney Ponson the drinking coach, maybe!

Very well said Matt. I hope the O's reward you with a win tonight.

Pete -

Most of my comments are geared towards the now. Not the ones of coulda, woulda, shoulda. We all now those issues.

But right now this club still needs to play. So bring up Corey and see what he can do in the leadoff spot; consider replacing Crowley or Trembley; take actions that could impact the present and future. We cannot change Angelos, so I don't know why it's ever even debated.

As for watching Cliff and Felix, it's hard to go to your hometown field and watch the other aces. I go to root for my guys, and hope the other aces implode for one night. I'll watch them pitch a gem when they face the Yankees. I would prefer to go to a Bowie or Frederick game, to spend my baseball bucks somewhere I can watch a game for the sake of the game. Maybe I'll catch one of our 21-year kids throw a shutout. It would be more enjoyable than watching Cliff Lee do it...

I don't have a lot to say about Nestor and Free The Birds, which this string of comments seems to have become all about. If Nestor's gambit helps market his station and helps improve the team I'm all for it--even though I fail to see the connection to the latter objective.

Which raises the question, what should the objective be? More wins? Of course, but by what means? Selling the team? Okay, maybe, but let's be realistic, there is little chance of that happening.

Schmucker, you apologized for sounding like you were making excuses, and so I guess I'll join you.

Believe it or not, I can't complain about the team, despite the terrible start. Two or three years ago when everyone was decrying the lack of spending on free agents, I was steadfast in saying that free-agent spending was not the problem.

I listed five things that needed to be addressed first, if the team ever had any hope of winning. That included:

1. Fix the embarrassing Spring Training Facility
2. Adopt uniform instruction across the entire minor league system, stressing fundamentals
3. Draft better and re-stock the farm system
4. Fulfill the promise of building a Latin American baseball academy
5. Put more money into international scouting
3. Stop signing marginal veterans to long-term contracts and preserve roster flexibilty to allow younger players a chance to compete as they become ready.

Lo and behold, under McPhail most of what I had hoped for has happened to some degree, except perhaps for #2, which I don't know enough about yet.

Unfortunately, it hasn't improved the winning.

Maybe my plan was naive. In which case I can't fault the team because they did most of what I had asked for.

Or, maybe I still need to be patient, watch them stick to "our" plan, and let the talent find its level so that Phase II can take place in 2011 when the team can spend some real money to fill holes after certain young players who can't get the job done reveal themselves.

I realize that the mere mention of patience sends fans through the roof. But if this were 1997, and the current management, players, and farm system were in place--with the high-priced Orioles veterans allowed to move on--I don't think people would be all that upset. At least not the fans who I would refer to as knowledgeable and realistic.

What I'm saying is that I could tolerate the losing if the McPhail approach had been adopted ten years earlier. (Hmm, in that case I think it would have been called the Gillick Approach, but hey, that's a different discussion).

I believe the team is being correctly managed now or as best as we can hope for under Mr. Angelos (Nestor's head just exploded). So for me, it does absolutely no good to continue whining about the 10 years that were peed away with poor management decisions.

I'm going to embrace the idea that it's always darkest before the dawn.

There, Schmucker, you are officially no longer the biggest Orioles apologist on the planet. You're welcome!

Posted by: have you been watching? | May 10, 2010 11:00 PM

BaltoJim,

you mean embarrass the players and the city of baltimore like when yank and sox fans come to opacy and totally take over?

you mean embarrass the players and the city of baltimore like being the laughingstock of baseball?

i could keep going Jim. I could list item after item that is waaaaaay more embarrassing that what has been described on the blog.

just wait until this home stand Jim. wait to see how many fans make it out to the park.

you want embarrassment Jim? You just haven't been watching.
______________________________

Oh, I have been watching. And I agree that everything you've mentioned IS embarrassing... BUT those embarrassments were caused by Angelos and MacPhail (and Trembley to an extent). What you don't seem to get is that by joining in on the publicity stunt, you're actually ADDING to the embarrassment - you're not doing anything to reduce it. If you actually believe that those three are conspiring to ruin the team, then why help them?

I get that it's an opportunity to support your favorite radio station and blow off a little steam. But, again, don't try and tell me that you're doing it to support the Orioles. You're doing it for yourself and your buddy, Nestor.

Another way to protest would be to picket OUTSIDE the stadium. Sure, you may not get as much media coverage, but no money would go to Angelos, and, who knows, maybe they'll try to arrest some for trespassing, assembling without a permit, etc.

i'm with you BaltoJim - let's do nothing...

Head in the sand -

If you show up on Free The Birds Day using all of the different names you post under, maybe you'll help increase Nestor's fan base from 2000 to 3000! That's a lot of cash to spend on PA, but at least you're doing something - Bravo!