Pete:
"The O's also are looking forward to the return of injured starter Brian Matusz, which should solidify the rotation and take some heat off the bullpen."
IMO, that will be the key to getting above .500 and staying there. Maybe not far above...but I'll take 82-80. Combined with the killer Buck Boost they had at the end of 2010, a winning record may finally make Baltimore a destination for free agents instead of a last resort.
Not a PhD. level analysis, but I think it's been a combination of losing for 87 consecutive years, plodding pace in the free agent market, and a penchant for the bargain bin reclamation project that has really hurt this team.
Even us bobos on here understand this- you have to overpay and be on the phone with plane tickets in hand at 12:01 on the first day with the top flight guys. You don't stop until you win the bidding.
I feel a perception of cheapness and losing has been hung on this team, and for good reason. I little stretch of winning will change that enough to make FAs believe that...we're...almost...there. A 15% overpay would seal the deal.
Matusz's return will help us get there, more-so than D-Lee and B-Rob combined, I think.

when matusz gets back, how about they jettison both tillman and bergeson to norfolk.

I'd put Bergesen in the bullpen and give Gonzales a one-way ticket out of town. I don't even care about the lefty matchups.He can't get 'em out anyways.

nice job by bergy-has the guy 0-2.goes to 3-2,gives up a hit

that is just piss poor execution,and the 5+ era should be moved to norfolk to have fun with that bunch of scrubs

doesn't anyone want to win?

Jim,

No one has been harder on Bergesen than me, but what exactly would sending him to the minors accomplish? Is he blocking anyone from coming up? I don't think so.

If I'm not mistaken he reached 94 mph with the fastball tonight. If he can throw that out of the bullpen for an inning or two, mixed with some change-ups at 84-86, he can be very effective. Plus he is a groundball pitcher.

Another option: They can try to package him as part of a trade deal for a second baseman.

Meso, probably not much.

9 hits to the As. Insanity. Along with yet another 2 out score. Guys like bergeson are a dime a dozen.

He's no good.

Oriole Math: 13 baserunners = 2 runs

here's what I think- this team can pitch it's brains out for the rest of the year. it won't matter. they just won't score enough runs to play over 500. they'll have their little streaks here and there, but a consistently bad offense and shaky bullpen will have buck asking the GM when he can have some real major league talent on the roster.
If buck was brought in here to teach another set of young guys how to play major league baseball, they should have given him a 10 year contract. How he does anything meaningful in 3 years will be the real mystery.
It's possible that they turn over the entire infield for next year. What other major league team is looking at that sort of change?

So the Os dropped the 2nd game to the A's ? What a downer . Hey O's , are the A's that imtidating to you ????

Meso-
I agree with you about Gonzales , he is basically a waste of roster spot .

Jim-
I wonder if the O's lead the Majors with Men left on base ? They are awesome at it , LOL .

Note to O's batters - be patient , work the count and let the pressure fall on the pitchers

Here is my 2 cents about Nick Markakis :
OPACY is a hitters' park
OPACY has short right field distance
Nick is left-handed

My question ; Why isnt Nick taking advantage of ballpark that is perfect for him ?
Why isnt Nick taking advantage of Vlad's protection ?
What is Nick's excuse ? Not making enough money ?

Go O's

The next two men are on and no outs, I don't care who is hitting (Vlad, Markakis or Reynolds) tell them to bunt. If they don't like it bench them. Send the message that this is team ball and they must do little things to win ball games. DP's are horrilbe. The other thing that is bugging me is how bad Reynolds really is at the plate. The only thing he does is works the count. It is amazing how selective he can be and is able to work 3-2 counts, but then strikes out or pops up.

I really was in hopes of a 4-2 road swing. I highly doubt that. It just better not get really bad. Seattle pitching is better then Oakland's. Which could wind up being bad for the road trip.

Oriole Math: 13 baserunners = 2 runs
haha.... true jim ......... and that is the core of the problem this year. Pitching is "good enough" but the O´fence s*cks...again.

Don't expect Matusz to jump in and save the team, This is spring training for him. He will be a 5 inning pitcher just like the rest of the overrated young wussies. When they start going 8 or 9 innings, they may grow up into real men. Until then, the Orioles ned to asemble a bullpen of career long relievers.

The Orioles problem is extra base hits. I don't have the numbers, and I know they're not at the top of the league by any means, but they can single and draw walks...they also seem to do a lot of work on the bases after they first two guys get out. They need to start getting on early in innings and then delivering the knockout blow. The fact that the pitching has been doing relatively well is encouraging...if this offense can ever get it's act together, .500+ will be a given.

The Orioles problem is extra base hits. I don't have the numbers, and I know they're not at the top of the league by any means, but they can single and draw walks...they also seem to do a lot of work on the bases after they first two guys get out. They need to start getting on early in innings and then delivering the knockout blow. The fact that the pitching has been doing relatively well is encouraging...if this offense can ever get it's act together, .500+ will be a given.

The Diamonback's front office must do high fives everytime someone brings up the Mark Reynolds trade. David Hernandez is pitching to an era of 1.93 with 24 strikeouts in 23 innings. Meanwhile, the clumsy dufus we took off their hands is hitting .194 with 52 strikeouts.

Well the Orioles finally get to face a right hander, and I think day games tend to have more runs scored at Oak. We should be able to put a few up - Britton just needs a good start and this one should be a win.

I am very disapointed in Reynolds - the average and ks were expected but so was a lot more power. His D is not the problem, it's his lack of hitting. He looks like he's just taking a wild guess wih his swings. Now that Tatum is up let's try Fox at 3b for a few games.

Pete,

Since you and Jeff are well connected, you might want to give the Orioles a tip about a potential situational lefty that I have seen pitch for the York Revolution up here in the Independent Atlantic League. His name is Scott Rice and he was a first round draft choice of the Orioles back in 1999 when he was 17.

He had elbow surgery back in 2008 and it has taken him several years to regain his arm strength. He was one of the last cuts by the Cubs this spring. He is 6'7" and throws a nasty sinker similar to Zach Britton. He has not given up a run in 11 appearances for the Revs. In comments published in the York Daily Record this morning, Andy Etchebarren, the Revs manager said this of Rice: "You can't tell me there are 20 left handed pitchers in big league bullpens who are better than him. He could pitch in the big leagues."

The Atlantic League is heavily scouted by major league teams. you can spot them at every game. Somebody is going to scarfe up Rice, and soon.

By the way, Val Majewski is hitting .346.

While I certainly agree a healthy, effective Matusz will do wonders for this team, Pete nailed it a few days ago when he expressed concerns about facing Oakland's pitching on the heals of a five-game winning streak.

This Oriole team could certainly use an upgrade in the bullpen, especially when they are counted upon for so many innings. A stud starter and extending the arms starting next season may limit the bullpen liability. However in the end, the Orioles are a flawed offensive unit. Teams with good pitching exploit the O's.

Oh, they get their hits and walks sprinkled in. Then, there's the classic bemoaning of "just not getting the timely hit." The Orioles need difference-makers with the bat. And they have none.

One of the weirder examples of what the Orioles have but are not using properly might be Markakis. His past ability to hit doubles is absent. Home runs are diminishing as he is reaching his prime (by age standards). The Orioles are without Roberts for the moment. Perhaps, Markakis should lead-off.

Odd? Sure, it is. But hear me out.

Markakis is currently 41 points below is lifetime average. Most of that is thanks to his April start. Never a fast starter, his .204 was still way below his .266 lifetime mark for pre-May baseball.

While his May average of .301 is well above his lifetime mark for the month of .273, there have been scant few extra base hits. The only offensive number of note is he is in eighth place in hitting singles this year.

Here's the thing with Markakis. His lifetime batting averages for the months following May are .312, .322, .318, and .285. His batting average leading off innings is .310 -- very much in line with his .313 leading off mark.

Putting Markakis in the lead-off spot will guarantee he will lead-off an inning at least once per game. With the Orioles being improved at the bottom of the order, he will still get opportunities to knock in runs -- something he is also still good at.

Remember, Roberts was leading the team in RBIs before he slumped and crashed.

Markakis isn't the speed threat Roberts is (was), but that's not the point with Roberts tending to his woes. It will give a guy notorious for being a bear post-May more at-bats and at least one of those at-bats at a role he has excelled in and is still excelling in. Nothing diminishes that much if the opposing team as a lefty starter.

If Markakis gets more of a power stroke back into his arsenal, maybe that will be just in time for Roberts' return.

The irony of this suggestion is batting first is the one position he has never batted. The team has dabbled with him batting fifth through ninth when he just a rookie and fourth a few times when the Orioles were totally power-deprived. He spent most of his career to this point batting second or third.

He wouldn't be redefining himself by batting first. At most, he would be redefining the lead-off position until Roberts can return.

Until the Orioles get a genuine difference-maker (or, even two) who is in his prime, they need to front-load the batting order with their best hitters just to give them as many chances as possible. Unless Matusz can swing a stick as well, his return won't address the Orioles' most pressing need. He should improve the team's strength.

waspman,

I made the same suggestion about Markakis yesterday. Rick Monday, a similar player to Markakis{although with better power numbers}batted leadoff for the Athletics for several years until Rickey Henderson came along

I am glad LAPD finally caught a suspect in that infamous beating of Giants fan in LA Dodgers stadium parking lot .
I hope this is wake up call to ALL sports venues that security measures is a MUST .
There is no excuse for physical assault on fans from out of town or visiting clubs . NONE .

What need to break through is the O's offense. They strand too many runners.You dont win AL games scoring 3.

waspman, so what you're saying is that trying to compete at the major league level without a bona fide 3-4-5 section of the order than can actually drive in runs and hit a homerun is near impossible, and that giving your best hitters more at bats is good.

This team is a mess, and a winless or 1 win roadtrip should pretty much summon the carpenters to begin nailing the coffin shut for another year.

Nice try Andy, but no go. We are left with another year of watching good young starters being unduly relied upon, and being undone by a horrific offensive team and a below average bullpen, which has a new arm or 2 in it every other day.

Buck has to be shaking his head. It's a long season. Right about that.

I am shaking my head , seeing the anemic A's offense taking our pitchers to school .

Gee jim66,

Are you inferring that Andy and his nepostical nephew have failed to assemble a representative offensive presence for the Orioles in four years? That's blasphemy on this adoring Andy all the time blog. Cheer up. It's early yet.

Losing three straight to the A's is embarrassing but not unexpected. Nothing surprises me about this team anymore. They are going to be streaky, win or lose.

Buck was quoted as saying that Bergy & Tillman needed to go back to AAA and learn what it takes to pitch up here ( in the majors).

Might I suggest that maybe Michael Gonzalez (7.79 ERA), Rapada (8.31 ERA), Jake Fox (.188 BA), Reynolds (.194 BA) and Lee (.231 BA with only 14 RBIs) all need to go back and learn what it takes.

Maybe Connors need to go back and coach in AAA to learn how to get the most out of a pitching staff , in fact maybe MacPhail needs to learn how to evaluate major league talent and Buck on how not to kill the kids confidence by throwing them out there with no offensive or bullpen help.

This constant up and down of these young pitchers have to have an effect on their confident level and thus their success level. What ever happen to up the young pitchers and letting them spend a year or two in the 'pen before starting?

MacPhail signing of free agents rates an F at best and the Reynolds trade was another poor personnel decisions.

Reynolds and Lee is not a good sign of buying the bats. No wonder the kid pitchers are putting so much pressure on themselves when they have to pitch and 2 or less run game to stand a chance at winning.

When is MacPhail going to stand up and take some responsibility for the continued poor showing of the Orioles on the field and Buck and his hand picked coaches for some of the poor on field running and fielding mistakes?

How about this: Reach the conclusion that this year is done and over . You've assembled or have compiled a ragtag bunch that has no chemistry, declining productivity, and at the end of the day is going nowhere fast. Don't be distracted by winning streaks against teams as bad as you.The teams that you are positive are much better than you might be running away from you real soon if you keep this up, which is probable given year-to-date performance.
Now act accordingly.

Gil I don't have a suicide pact, if you will with AM. I do believe that he inherited a clusteryouknowwhat of epidemic proporttions, soup-to-nuts, and we don't have to iterate the list. I'm not so hung up on the nephew thing, it's way overblown, and anyway, eventual blame or credit as always rests with the guy at the top. I'm not going to turn this into an AM bashfest or lovefest..It's not unreasonable to think he could have done a better job getting the team competitive in fewer than 3 or 4 years.

Why would anyone on this team be pressing? Let it go. It does not matter. 4th. 5th. who cares. Let it rip.

well, now that bergeson and tillman have left the building..if people think that buck is here to waste the next 3 years of his life waiting for guys to get it together, i think they got the guy all wrong.

jim66,

You know by now that of all of the posters on the blog I have the most respect for you and waspman. Both of you took a wait and see approach about the "rebuilding" program. Both of you are pragmatic and unlike several others, are not affiliated with the Orioles. I have been a consistent critic of Andy since year two when I felt that I grasped what he was {not} doing. Nothing has really changed with Andy's approach, and it seems as if time was never an issue when it came to improving the team. That was a huge mistake on his part. He operated as if he had all the time in the world.

waspman has given Andy a very generous c-minus to date. I think Andy deserves an "F". You apparently think it's time to blow it up and start over again...that would be the 3rd time on Andy's watch.

I don't think this team will ever take the next step as long as Andy is around. His day has passed. Just examine the results. That's all you need to do.

Gil, I did not mean to steal your thunder if you made the same suggestion earlier. I do not always read all posts. Take comfort in that we agree.

Interestingly, all of the Markakis talk did prompt me into looking up his stats and see how they jived with my impression of him. In most ways he is exactly as how I thought he was. There were some surprises, however. In all of the years I have followed baseball, I am at a loss to find an exact parallel. I find him to be neither just adequate not the difference maker this team needs.

jim66, I'm not exactly sure what you are saying. That is my fault because I tend not to categorize everyone's comments so there might be something you have said in the past would make what you said clear but my lack of recalling it makes it mysterious to me.

What I will say is MacPhail gets a C-minus from me. The Orioles are devoid of a good 3-4-5 hitters -- no question about that. Lee (currently on the DL) and Guerrero might have been one-year answers if they had a last gasp in them.

Lee hasn't been anything statistically. Guerrero has been fine but is no longer the prototypical clean-up hitter his future plaque in the HOF will talk about.

My previous long-winded entry lauding their acquisition was more about stepping stones and giving the team a bonafide background in winning under all circumstances that no one other than our current manager possesses.

I am fairly sure we agree this team needs to make the next step. There is no difference-maker on this current line-up. There is no difference-maker in the pipeline unless they are buried at Frederick or Salisbury (Delmarva). That difference-maker will have to come from somewhere else.

If that player is a free agent, The Warehouse (however it is defined) has to pay for that player. Overpaying is a label that is made from underbidders everywhere from here to eBay. One person or team gets what it wants by paying more than anyone else (not counting intangibles). Everyone else claims overpaying. That would be a bold step for this organization.

If that player is on a current roster, he needs to be targeted and their front office enticed with a bold trade offer. It could even take multiple trades with one setting up a future one. That would take even a bolder step and a vision that hasn't existed since the mid-1990s.

In the meantime, the Orioles need to do what is best with what they have. Many of these players -- particularly the young ones -- will be influenced by the will to win Showalter must keep instilling in them on a day-to-day basis. Believe it or not, I think Guerrero and Lee contribute to that as well despite their career finish line being in view.

That means the Orioles need to target difference-makers. What the youngsters are learning now can then be put into practice then. We can only hope The Warehouse responds in kind.

Things like Markakis batting first is for now because the need there is now.

Waspman,

The way you build a baseball team is via the draft. Look at Rays, Giants, or heck even Redsox.

If I were PA I would fire everyone in the scouting dept. YESTERDAY. I mean ... EVERY FREAKING ONE of them. To be at the bottom for so long and have very few good prospects is ridiculous. Other teams' good prospects are all-stars by their second year in the bigs.

I agree with the difference makers that are needed, but the team is not at the point where they need difference makers. Sadly, the team needs multiple difference makers at this point.

In MacPhail's 4th year, this team should have turned the corner and been in wild card contention. That's not unrealistic. If Buck had started 4 years ago, and a couple of big acquisitions were made, one can argue this team would contend this year.

But instead we can only hope this team has a winning season for a change.

Vlad's performance right now, might actually put a 500 season in jeopardy. He may be dealt to a contender who's willing to eat the remainder of his salary and/or willing to part with a mediocre minor league prospect.

The scary thing about the O's this year, is that winning season or not, MacPhail's contract may be extended.

jim66,

There are very few people you will run across that strive to get more from less than Peter Angelos. He is thrifty to a fault. The last time the O's had success in MLB they were outbidding everyone in MLB but the Yankees.

When you're thrifty like he is, you better have freaking geniuses work for you at the GM and scouting dept. That we know he doesn't have.

So, Buck can talk all the Oriole Magic bull-you-know-what, and how he is here to restore accountability and all that feel good crap, but he won't accomplish squat more than his predecessors unless the commitment comes from the top.

Who knows what they have promised Showalter? Maybe he has seen enough of what he's been dealt. He's had enough time to dissect the pitching staff and whatever offense he's got in the form of Roberts, Markakis and Jones, and he is ready to walk into Angelos office and lay out the plan.

I sure hope that plan says:

Get me so and so players or I will walk.

The truth is: no one in the Baltimore Oriole organization has the cojones to tell Angelos something he doesn't want to hear.

Hell ... the Baltimore media doesn't have the cojones to tell PA what he doesn't want to hear. The man has reached dictator status in Baltimore. No one dares crossing him here.

I have never said anything against using the draft. But one must go other routes as well. And here's the rub that makes baseball goofier than any other sport. Those other routes influence the draft.

First, I will debunk the Red Sox. They sign free agents. Yes, they have players coming through the draft as well just as the Yankees did in the late '90s on the heals of Steinbrenner's suspension. But it wasn't a one-trick pony.

Second, I will debunk the Giants. They finished last year 92-70. That record would not have won the AL East or an AL Wild Card spot since 2000.

Now, the kicker, the Rays. The Rays get congratulations for building a good farm system. Perhaps the best in all of baseball. A lot of that started with ten straight years of last place baseball and being an expansion team. I know the Orioles have been sub-.500 for 13 straight years but Tampa's best year in their first ten was a .435 winning percentage.

Seven of the Orioles' 13 losing seasons had winning percentages better than .435. That affects their draft position.

I will also give TB credit for the Scott Kazmir trade. That was a bold step for a team experiencing a winning season for the first time. Remember all of the hand-wringing around here when Erik Bedard was traded. And that was done in the off-season with a semi-broken player, not in the middle of a pennant run with a pitcher of a winning record.

So, TB isn't just all about the draft.

(I do realize that trade was made partly because TB didn't think it could sign Kazmir with their shallow pockets.)

But the real kicker why all of the AL East teams have more draft picks than the Orioles. While some teams plunge into free agency more than others, they all lose free agents. Good ones. Good enough to bring draft picks.

I will always remember how the Orioles got Jimmy Key as a free agent from the Yankees after they got David Wells from us through free agency. The joke on everyone is both teams got an extra draft pick for "losing" a free agent.

So unless one subscribes to finishing worst ten years in a row, the draft-only system is still somewhat flawed.

And one more thing about TB. As well as they have done it, I seriously question how well they will be able to maintain it. They do have two division titles. But they were a pedestrian .519 in between and only .538 now. With their lack of spending, I don't think their recent success is sustainable.

Yes, yes, yes, that is far better than the O's have been for a decade-plus, but the O's can be closer to the Red Sox-Yankees model than they have to be to the Rays model. And they don't need ten years of last place as a springboard.

Don't worry Norfolk(17-33), help is on the way(Berken, Bergeson,Tillman)

Don't worry Baltimore(24-27), help is on the way?

@jim66
Well according to Showalter, jim66:
We are trying to find people to help us compete in the division.”
Well, when you sign "Jabronis" like the "Duke" and Kevin Gregg. I don't see how the O's are living up to that statement. I don't know what the Orioles can do to improve. We really don't have anyone to trade at least prospectswise.
We could trade Markakis & Gregg to the Rangers for Young. That would be interesting. Bad contracts for a bad contract. Do you think the Rangers would throw in Arthur Rhodes? That trade scenerio might be nuts! However, the Rangers are short an outfielder and maybe Nick would like the thrill of being on a good team. What I do know is the Orioles stink and were just swept by a very and I do mean "VERY" average team. The A's swwpt us and their pitching was less then stellar! Oh well can't wait to see what Showalter has in mind to improve this team

waspman,

I couldn't agree more. Grow the arms and buy the bats is a slogan, not a strategy unless Macphail and Angelos really intend to buy the bats. Poor scouting has left the Orioles a handful of decent prosepcts in the minor leagues, as opposed to Tampa who made hay while the sun shined while losing badly until recently.

On paper, this is the best team we have put on the field in years. But this squad is tetering on another 90+ loss season because of the poor offense and the lack of depth and quality in the bullpen. Our young starters were groomed as 6 inning pitchers in the minors and in most cases, that's what we are going to get from them for the rest of the year. Thus we need some solid long men out there.

Most of the candidates that we selected for the DL have made it there. This was a season that virtually everything had to go right. In addition to the injuries, two of our proposed starters are back in the minor leagues, the third baseman we took a chance on continues to swing at air, and our right fielder is playing more like a defensive replacement than an impact offensive player.

After taking a hard look at the schedule, particularly July, this team could easily be 20 games out by August 1. The Red Sox, Yankees and Rays are going to begin to gain some separation for the Orioles and the Blue Jays.

jim66 put it very succinctly. "4th or 5th, who cares, let it rip."

I think we are in for a roller-coaster season; lots of mini-winning streaks to
tease us, followed by the inevitable 4 game losing skids. Case in point-last weekend, which would have been a prime time to inch over .500 and give us cynical(and justifyably so!) fans some faint hope.
Now we will be lucky to be tread water until the schedule really gets tough.
In the meantime, I have to wonder why Gonzalez is still here? Can we not eat the rest of what we owe him and at least show the fans that upper management is trying to put the best team on the field? I mean, Bergesen and Tillman haven't exactly been stellar but why not keep them here and work out their troubles in middle relief? I know the argument for having Gonzalez(and Rapata) on the roster is that they are lefties but what's the point if they can 't get LH hitters out? Surely there must be lefties somewhere that can put up an ERA better than these 2.
Compounding the problem is an inconsistent offense that is full of holes. How much longer do we have to watch Reynolds flail away? We all knew there were going to be lots of K's but where's the pop? Markakis has been beat to death here but really, he's more like Coco Crisp than anyone expected. Corey Patterson of all people is out-htting Nick!
I'd like to see The Orioles add at least one or 2 bats to make up for the lack of production and if it means trading a couple of pitchers, let's do it!
Maybe a team like the Mets can be talked into trading a guy like Wright or the Royals who might give us Butler as they seem to have a surplus at first..
Just my 2 cents worth but I think we need to make some moves sooner than later.

Good morning on a day reserved for our gallent men who gave there lives to protect this country. Many Many thanks.

I was going to give this Nick M bashing up for a few day's until i came across this posting by JEFF Z in this morning blog

With every passing game, Nick Markakis does something to remind you that he has gotten away from certain qualities that made him such a good hitter. On Sunday, he came up to the plate after a shaky Guillermo Moscoso had just walked Nolan Reimold on five pitches with the bases loaded to force in the go-ahead run. Markakis then swings at the first pitch and hits a weak groundball to first base. Sure, it got a run in but you’d like to think that a guy hitting in the middle of the order would be able to knock a ball in the gap or line a two-run single, especially against a pitcher on the ropes. A scout I talked to recently was astonished by how early in the count Markakis was consistently swinging yet he still was rarely making good contact. Markakis went 1-for-11 in the Oakland series. He’s now gone 52 at-bats without an extra-base hit, and he has just three RBIs in his last 18 games. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen him more frustrated as he was over the weekend. He angrily ripped off his batting gloves after he made the last out of the game Saturday, and he was essentially seated in the clubhouse following Sunday’s game with his head in his hands. I feel like I talk about Markakis’ psyche or his struggles in every post, but I’d have a hard believing there is bigger concern right now among team officials then the statistical regression of the right fielder the past season and a half.

ENZO< PAULIE< DAN Z i won't put any stats on here today because we are all well aware of what they are by now.We can all have our opinions on this subject and agree to disagree all we want. However what really bothers me is how you can't be concerned by what you have seen day in and day out by him. Even if you try and defend any part of his game you can't honestly watch game after game and tell me that something is drastically wrong with him. Like i said before if all you want to do is argue with me because of my stance on the subject that is fine and this once again all becomes a very mute subject but if you are truly trying to be objective as a fan then you can't honestly believe your stance to be the right one.

Hitting wise the strategy must be to hit 1st or 2nd pitch for the first at bats and then work the count in the second at bats. This is a failed idea. The team needs to reassess Markakis. If he gets up to about 280 hitting, he should be traded. I don't see the upside for him any more. Mark Reynolds works pitchers count in some situations but ultimately fails. But he is failing in the field as well with errors at really bad times. I am willing to watch Josh Bell play to find out if he can hit. He cannot be much worse! Ryan Adams needs to play more often. I know the defense is not there but maybe he can become a leadoff hitter. The only way to know is to let him play. Andino is not a long term solution. I am not sold on his future.

As for pitching: this staff is tremendously flawed. There is definitely potential with Arrieta, Britton, Matuzs. Beyond that what do they really have? gonzalez will get "lucky" as will Gregg. But don't all relievers. Eventually all pitchers have a decent inning or two. But for a guy like Gregg to come in and walk three straight batters is just plain horrible.

Buck Showalter is the last piece to all of this. I am not convinced he is managing to win. Before the DP in the eighth inning why did Buck not pinch run for Vlad? Ryan Adams could have run there. Instead he left the slowest runner in and the DP came up. I have said this before: if you get the first two hitters on in an inning bunt. It does not matter if it is Dlee, Markakis, Reynolds or Vlad. And if they don't like it then sit them on the bench. The DP's are atrocious. And 1st pitch swinging after you get runners on cost runs in the innings.

At this point the team should trade for Jose Reyes and David Wright. With the statements Wilpon had it sounds like he is ready to unload. If the O's gave the right pieces they might just pull the trigger. One piece could be Markakis. The others could be Tillman or Bergeson and then give them Josh Bell. Even though I mention giving Bell a shot at third over reynolds if the O's could make this sort of trade it would be a major jump. The other part is to find a 1B. Give Snyder a better shot then he was given. The way Buck used him Snyder should have stayed in Norfolk.

Sorry i don't know what is going on today with these postings.

Enzo, paulie, dan z I won't put any stats on here today because we are all well aware of what they are by now. We can all have our opinions on the subject and agree to disagree all we want. Like i said before if all you want to do is argue because of my stance on the subject that is fine and this once again all becomes a very mute point. But if you are truly trying to objective as a fan then you can't honestly ignore what jeff has to say and believe your stance to be the right one.

Meso;

"There are very few people you will run across that strive to get more from less than Peter Angelos. He is thrifty to a fault. The last time the O's had success in MLB they were outbidding everyone in MLB but the Yankees."

Um, the last time the O's were "outbidding everyone in MLB but the Yankees", Angelos was the one spending the money.

dan qz,

You are right about that. My son was two at the time and he is now sixteen and a Yankee fan because the Orioles have sucked nearly his entire life. Seems like the old man has stashed enough away in the intervening years to cut some loose on some marquee talent, don't ya think?

I forgot about the Albert Belle debacle. But didn't PA have insurance that picked up a hefty part of Belle's contract? So really, there are no excuses for PA not spending the money needed to bring a winner to Baltimore. Other than the fact that it's his money, and he rented Andy's name to try and convince the fans that the Orioles were actually trying to win. So here it is 2011, the major league team will probably finish last again, and we still have a rotten farm system, and a p**s poor International Scouting effort.

dan, believe me, I want this organization to succeed as badly as anyone, but until Angelos spends his money on some marquee FA's, and scouting and player development, we will never, ever win. Andy brought "one third of a plan" with him to Baltimore, and after four years the results are in.

Gil;

I think you misunderstood my post responding to Meso. Reread his post and I think you'll see what I was saying.

Switching gears, you said yesterday after I asked you whether you'd trade what Nick did at the plate in 2010 for an average hitter who would hit about 18 HRs, "Ill take a guy right now who hits 25 home runs, drives in 100 runs, hits .265 and is an average defensive right fielder over Markakis in a heartbeat."

That didn't really answer my question about Nick's 2010 performance but it did get me thinking so I checked some numbers.

There were 8 guys who hit exactly 25 HRs last year in MLB. 6 of them didn't drive in 100 runs. Only 2 did.

Now that is an awfully small sample size, so I looked at guys who hit 23-27 HRs. Only 3 of 26 guys who hit between 23 and 27 drove in 100. Only 7 of 26 drove in as many as 90. The average was 81.

Next I decided to look at those who hit between 25 and 27 HRs. Only 2 of 17 drove in 100 and only 5 of 17 drove in as many as 90. The average was 81 as well.

My point is that you don't have a very clear picture of what a reasonable expectation of production is from a 25 HR hitter. Only 11% of guys who hit 23 to 27 HRs last year drove in 100 runs. 89% of them fell short.

If that is what the new 25 HR guy would have to do to make you happy, there's an 89% chance that you'd end up being disappointed. They only have a 27% chance of driving in as many as 90.

Right now that would still be an improvement, but it sure wouldn't have been compared to Nick's 2010 numbers.

looks like jake misses his good friends, and if he continues at this pace, he might be joining them. Here's one for the stats guys: Has a team ever played 500 baseball with 3 guys with ERAs over 5, and if so, how many runs did it take those teams to win at least 81 games?

Well Jim66 with whom would the Orioles replace him? Proper English lol =P. Simon looked good today from what I hear. I was hoping for more power from Vlad, but he did get the RBI. I am tired of grounders. Luke Scott hasn't been doing much. I would like to apologize to Pedro Viola who did a solid job today. I pretty much disagreed with the move and I am sorry! Oh well there's always tomorrow!

dan qz,

I was using 25 HR 100 RBI as a benchmark to point out that Nick needs to drive in runs. 20 to 40 HR's and 85 to 100 RBI would work too. The bottom line is that Nick had a pretty good year last year, but 12 HR and 60 RBI is not what the team needs from a player who was thought to be a rising star when he signed the extension. Now, he could get hot this year and get back on track, but right now he is on a pace similar to last year. We need RBI production from Nick and I wouldn't care if he hit .250 if he would drive in a lot more runs. The way he is going now, he may hit .250. Look, I.m not bashing Nick. He is a good player, but something is going on with him that will eventually come out.

Good job on the research though, and I believe your numbers when you put them up. You, paulie, and NB always do a good job as far as stats are concerned.

Sq, i'll be blunt, who knows and who cares.I'll kinda give Jake a pass because he seems to be pitching better than the other 2, but i'm not gonna do a compare an contrast of 3 below average pitchers.so to answer, nobody. 3 man rotation.
When the other 2 were demoted, it was more a move of managerial desperation, get these guys out of my sight because i just cannot take it anymore. Almost like someone was sitting in the stands and they left to go to the head then left the park because they had their fill of walks, 2 strike hits, 2 out hits, 2 out runs....
i really don't know what is going to happen when buck appies the same thinking to the lineup. Again, who knows and who cares.
Moot is the word that comes to mind.

Gil with all respect to your last post to DAN QZ you said that nick is a good player.While that description of him would have never been in doubt before, his recent play coupled with the signs from last year certainly make being called good some what in jeopardy. I know describing him in any other way goes against the grain but right now watching him struggle mightly doesn't truly seem to fit the word good.I know that a person earns respect and the benefit of the doubt for what he has accomplished but that respect can only last so long.

One thing separates the O's from playing .500, their play against the Yankees. As of today May 30, the O's and Yankees won/loss against the rest of competition other than against each other is:
Yankees 20 wins, 26 losses
O's 27 wins, 19 losses

If the O's and the Yankees had split their 6 games with three wins each, the records would be:
Yankees 26 wins, 26 losses
O's 27 wins, 25 losses

Now, if the O's 8 game losing streak were, say 2-6, rather than 0-8, then the O's record would be:
29 wins, 23 losses.

Too many games were lost by Bergeson's and Tillman's inconsistency. With Matusz back, we will have four solid starters.

With Showalter tinkering, I am very curious about the remainder of the season, despite their four losses on the west coast.

I guess Jim66, still the Orioles need to pull a trigger on some sort of trade. I see Liriano is on the DL. Volquez is in the minors. Capuano would be interesting. The problem is if the the O's improve are they a playoff team. Right now, no. Heck they aren't even a .500 ball club. So even if we got Capuano, would Chris be happy? I don't know!

I think the "Duke" will be ready to pitch in October by then the season will be over and so will his contract. Hey Angelos next time give me that 1.1 million you forked over to the "Duke". I could have win placed showed Shackleford in the Preakness and won lots of money! No, instead the O's throw it away on the "Duke". Brilliant!

Gil;

"right now he is on a pace similar to last year."

Honestly Gil, I'm starting to wonder whether you have the slightest idea what Nick did last year. You certainly wouldn't have said that if you did.

Nick isn't close to being on the same pace as last year. His batting average is 48 points lower, his OB% is down 52 points and his slugging is down 111 points.

I have no argument with anyone who says he's having a bad year this year. I do if its last year we're talking about. He earned his money in 2010.

Markakis' power numbers were off last off year without a doubt, but he was still batting around .330 w/RISP. His RBI total was subjected to the players around him, and the Orioles last year had one of the worst OBP in MLB. You need runners on base to bat them in, simply put.

i keep seeing a lot of criticism of reynolds. i'd like to point out that he had an awful april but in may he was a solid offensive contributor: .224/.365/.424 with 4HR and a league-leading 19BB (tied with adam dunn). this rate of production isn't quite what we hoped for, but he's getting close, getting on base a ton, and surely he's a massive improvement on josh bell, who has struck out 51 times with only 7 walks this season in AAA.

going to the game tomorrow! guthrie vs bedard...looking forward to it.

Swept by Oakland, lost the first game to Seattle.

All terribly depressing. What's most depressing is that I no longer get any pleasure watching them play. Even when they win. They can't DO anything! They can't pitch. They can't hit. Today, I turned the set off at the end of the eighth. Down one run, I couldn't bear to watch the ninth, because I knew they wouldn't be able to score.

So, who's to blame? Everyone's doing the best they can. So, who's NOT involved, in a position to see clearly, evaluate objectively, and propose solutions? 1. The Fans, who are powerless. 2. The PRESS, who are not powerless, and could influence ownership and management if they (the press) had the courage to do so.

Solutions:

1. Draft better players.
2. Replace the entire scouting dept.
3. Acquire front rank, legitimate FAs. Spend the money. You can't take it with you. Who knows, it might even feel good.
4. Replace the entire infield, except Hardy.
5. Get a front rank LF.
6. Turn Johnson into a starter; he has all the requirements.
7. Turn Bergeson and Tillman into relievers.
8. Roberts is done. Get a front rank 2B, either through trade or as a FA; we don't have the 5 years to develop one through the draft.
9. Replace MacPhail with someone younger who knows how to evaluate talent and is not intimidated by the market.
10. Get Showalter's vaunted coaches to start doing their jobs (Why does Pie, the fastest player on the team, still not know how to steal a base?)
11. Get Showalter to start doing HIS job, which should start with a meeting with the owner.
12. PRESSURE and ANGER, from fans and press.

Fourteen years! Half a generation of horrible professional baseball.

Maybe it's time to move.

dan qz,

I know what Nick did last year. Nick had a good year last year from a BA standpoint. He had a poor year driving in runs and hitting home runs. He has become a punch and judy hitter. That is not what he is being paid for. Nick IS on about the same pace to hit 12 or so HR and drive in another 60 or so runs. That's what I focus on. That's all I care about from a corner infielder or outfielder{unless they areTony Gwynn who's jock nick can't carry} I don't play fantasy baseball. I expect corner infielders and outfielders to produce runs and you can't drive yourself in unless you hit it over the fence. I don't care if Nick hits .245. Just give me the 90 ribbies and 20+ HR he is supposed to be producing..

Nick did not earn his money in 2010. I don't know anybody can say that and keep a straight face.

A Fan,

Let's start with #9 on your list, as long as he takes his clueless nephew with him.

Dan qz,

How does your response to the my post about Angelos not spending money prove that he is not thrifty or cheap just to be blunt about it? Because the O's were 2nd in payroll in '97? So because he outbid everyone in '97 he hasn't been cheap for the past 13 years? He is cheap, and until he proves otherwise the record of 13 years is as clear as daylight.

A Fan,

All great ideas. Just to depress you even more: who would influence and carry out your suggestions? That guy, Peter F. Angelos? Do you think he is going to make those changes?! That my friend is as likely as Kadhafi aspiring for a democratic Libya.

bob,

What Nick's supporters are trying to say is that last year he had a lot of doubles, a good batting average and on base percentage, so it was his teammate's fault that he didn't hit more home runs and drive in more runs.

As you have pointed out, he has only 8 extra base hits this year in 52 games, thus his slugging percentage is way down. I guess that is his teammate's fault too.

It won't get much better tonight against Erik Bedard.

Gil even is ardent fans are soon going to admit that nick m has underachieved.Look the signs were there last year if you chose to see them.His supporters made up any excuses they could, they didn't pitch to him, they keep him from pulling the ball by pitching him outside thus all the hits to left,etc etc. Look i don't get any pleasure out of seeing nick fail, but it's obvious and it's been obvious that something is drastically wrong. Ball players at his age shoudn't be getting worse they should be peaking he hasn't gotten a extra base hit in his last 57 at bats. Look gil he has earned the right to be in a slump, he has earned the right to be given every benefit of the doubt but not producing for this long should be drawing the attention of his manager and it's not.Listen gil if paulie, enzo, dan qz truly still believe that he is doing the job then they are not truly being rational.In you reply to dan qz last night you used the word good to describe nick as a ball player, that soon is going to be to generous of a term for somebody playing like him.

The fabled Erik Bedard trade that Andy's fan club constantly bring up to show his brilliance, looks less and less "brilliant' every day. At the present time, the only player in the major leagues acquired for Bedard is Adam Jones. Chris Tillman is in the minors and may never make it as a starter in the bigs, George Sherrill was traded for Josh Bell and Steve Johnson, neither of whom look like can't miss prospects anymore. Kam Mickolio went along with David Hernandez{ who is pitching lights out} to Arizona for our clumsy third baseman who is baseball's all time strikout king 2008 through 2010. Who got taken on that one? Tony Butler was released and is now pitching in the Brewer's's sytem.

Maybe the Mariner's scouts were not as dumb as we thought they were.

Oh, and George Sherrill? He is pitching to a 2.63 era for the Braves with 18 strikeouts in 13.2 innings. And we have Michael Gonzalez. Great upgrade, Andy.

How can I not be concerned?

There have been a few people on this Blog who have consistently been on the money. One of them has been banned, and he is missed.

wayne was brutally honest and in the end, he was kicked off of this Blog. Meanwhile, everything he said has and is coming true.

You want to talk injury's? This is what you get when a team buys cheap.

The Bust list continues.

Duch - Bust when signed
Lee - Bust when signed
Gregg - Bust
Accardo - Does he matter?
Hardy - As advertised, meaning he'll miss allot of games.
Reynolds - Bust. You think Arizona is happy?
Vlad - Maybe we'll get something at the deadline for him.

The fireworks started around here when wayne went after Andy MacPhail's nephew. Others have started to notice his work, but wayne took it to another level. Did it not make you guys think about it? How is it that this guy continues as the head of major league scouting with his track record? How can this be? It is so sad.

Yes, wayne was annoying and repetitive. But he was correct. I do remember when people would use wayne's name to disparage his post. I remember wayne asking for Pete's help in finding the culprit. I don't believe anything came of it though.

Then when wayne made Pete upset, this guy Bob took the opportunity to attack other posters, knowing Pete would say it's wayne. Do any of you really believe that?

I find it interesting that two very key reporters in Baltimore, Pete and Mark Viviano admit that they are not Baltimore sports fans. I find that amazing. Could you imagine that happening in cities like New York and Boston? Could you imagine two very high profile reporters in Pittsburgh openly telling their readers/listeners that their not Pittsburgh fans? In Baltimore though, it's no big deal.

I think that's why a Peter Angelos or an Andy MacPhail is allowed to continue in a city like this without their being much scrutiny by the local media. By and large, the media admittedly just isn't invested in the home teams like the local fans.

No, I'm not wayne, and I don't even know wayne. But I do miss his rants though. I miss his 'Hey Uncle Andy' spots. What made them funny was how true they were. It became his demise however, because he hit a nerve. A nerve that the Oriole fateful, the Oriole media and the Oriole organization couldn't handle any longer.

Yes, I'm a concerned fan. Concerned because our professional baseball team is once again in last place, a place that many fans and the media have become accustomed to. I'm concerned how very few seem to care how absolutely terrible this team is once again. I'm concerned that the MacPhail family is incompetent at what they do throughout. I'm concerned that our minor league system is once again in shambles. I'm concerned that people think that being near 500 with a very bad team is still somehow, fun.

No, the sky isn't falling, and yes it'll be football season around here (i hope) before you know it. Doesn't mean people shouldn't be concerned with the continued disaster - called the Baltimore Orioles

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: Nice try. Obviously, you're lack of journalistic knowledge is epic. If you called a New York reporter a Yankee fan, he'd punch you in the nose.

So Gil, We lose Bedard and get:

- Jones
- Tillman
- Bell
- Johnson
- Reynolds

Bedard's gone 14-11 since the trade - a total of 3 1/2 years - and up until April 27 was 11-11 over that time. I hardly think Seattle is jumping for joy with those numbers. On top of that, his health will always be an issue.

As for what we have retained - Jones alone is probably worth more than Bedard. .280 hitter, .440 slpg, above average speed and glove. Everyday starter in CF. I'd take that over Luis Matos and Bedard every 5 days when healthy.

The other players mentioned - no, nothing to write home about. But I would think you could trade Bell and Tillman if you desired and receive a decent set of different prospects. Overall, that trade was a plus for the O's. maybe not 3-4 studs for 1 as you'd like, but better than not doing it and holding onto Bedard.

Whew, that's a lot of concern.

PeteyP,

Is it just bad luck that the Braves dump Gonzalez and end up with Sherrill? Or is it scouting? Was Tillman that great a prospect or did Seattle deliberatley hype him up? Did he ever really throw in the mid 90's?

How about the others we got in the trade, other than Jones? All things considered, no one knew Bedard's arm was going to fall off. Would you have traded a healthy Bedard even up for Adam Jones?

Gil;

If HRs and RBIs is all you focus on you need to widen your horizons.

Try focusing on this. Look at Nick's 2009 and 2010 stat lines. He had 188 hits in 09 and 187 in 2010. He hit 45 doubles in both years and had 2 triples in 09 and 3 in 2010. That's as close to identical as you can get. The only difference is a drop of 6 HRs.

If you look at his RBI totals for both years though there is a huge difference. 101 in 09 vs just 60 in 2010.

Simply put Gil, a drop of 6 HRs can't come close to accounting for a drop of 41 RBIs. Odds and averages are that 6 HRs would generate somewhere around 8 to 10 RBIs, not 41. If everything else had been equal been 2009 and 2010, Nick would have been expected to clock in with about 90 RBIs, right at the mid point of the 80 to 100 RBIs that you say you'd be happy with.

Clearly, other factors were at work that explain a drop of 41 RBIs that 6 HRs simply can't. How about the fact that Roberts played full time in 09 but missed most of last year? Having one of the better leadoff hitter playing in front of you or not wouldn't effect ones RBI totals?

How about what Gregg said about the word being out not to pitch to Nick in important situations, ie RBI situations? You don't think either of those factors would effect Nick's RBI totals?

As far as your statement that you'd take a 245 hitter with 20 HRs, I checked the numbers. There were 6 guys who hit 20 HRs last year. Only 1 of them drove in 80 RBIs. The average for the group was 71.

Not wanting to rely on such a small sample size, I expanded that by looking at guys who hit 18 to 22.

There were 40 of them. Only 2 drove in 100 runs, only 6 drove in 90+, only 13 drove in 80+. The average was in the low 70"s.

Next I looked at guys who hit 18 to 22 HRs and who hit between 240 and 250, the kind of guy you say you'd be happy with. There were 7 such guys. Only 2 drove in 80 plus RBIs. The low water mark was 46 and the average was 68.

With sincere respect Gil, you have an inflated sense about how much run production to expect from guys who hit 20 HRs. You can argue that point with me til you're blue in the face, but you can't argue with the stats page. Its there in black and white.

To be clear, Nick is hitting like a banjo hitter so far this year. No argument. Just as clear is that he put up good offensive numbers last year.

dan qz,

I'm not talking about other guys. I am talking about Nick Markakis. I expect 20 Home Runs and 90 RBI a year from him. I don't care how many others are doing it or not doing it. You are contorting yourself throwing all of those statistics on the wall hoping some will stick. I don't care what Nick's teammates are doing or not doing {or were doing in 2010}.

Last year was the beginning of the fall off for Nick in power. It was a leading indicator for this year's awful performance and it is getting worse.

Mark Twain said there are three kinds of lies. Lies, damned lies, ans statistics.

Now Playing:
Elton John
Requiem For Friend

Now reciting:
Felix Unger
To a Chum

The legend grows larger in death.

This stuff is just way too funny.

To Markakis apologist. You are losing your argument every single day. The guy is just an average, to below average ballplayer now. The more you get defensive, the more you live in the past, the nuttier you look.

That may be true Pete. But a NY reporter would never go out of his way to say he's not a Yankee fan. You and I both know that. And you know a Pittsburgh reporter would never admit it. Maybe you and Mark V are just incredibly honest people, which isn't a bad thing. I guess I just wish there was passion about the Orioles returning to glory.

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: I know that any self-respecting journalist would laugh at your implication that writers should be fans of the teams they write about. Meanwhile, you write a long screed about how I've been unfair to "wayne." Really, you're a new sign-on and you know every word that "wayne" and "bob" ever wrote, but conveniently forget all the crazy malicious crap he threw up against the wall and join him in calling me a liar when I found that he and "bob" had the same IP address. If you want to hop around the library and get all of their computers banned from this site, it's okay with me.

What an excellent holiday weekend (not for the O’s). All members of the armed forces past and present – Thank you for your service.

The struggle to be a winning baseball team continues…..

Go O’s

Dan qz like that other poster said you are starting to lose all of your credibility. You keep throwing stats out is off the wall. You evidently are a very knowlegeable baseball fan , but if you can't see after watching nick game after game that he is completely lost then something is wrong. I can't throw out everything that you say about nick last year because obviously stats don't lie, but on the same token last year was the beginning of something starting to go bad, this year is just a carryover but only worse. You have to see a pattern dan to his drastic tailoff you seem to be to smart not to. Nick has turned into to just a average ball player apparently overnight for whatever reason.My god people please all of you wakeup.His get out of jail card has to be running out 1/3 rd of a season gone by.

CF;

There are a lot of folks on here who simply skim a post rather than reading it with some care. You seem to be one of them. Direct quote from my last post, "To be clear, Nick is hitting like a banjo hitter so far this year." So, living in the present thank you.

As far as what I've had to say about Nick's 2010 performance, all of it was in response to posters who raised the issue of last year themselves. I don't feel any need to apologize. I joined a discussion. I didn't start it.

Gil;

Mark Twain's quote about stats was intended to show that some people twist and distort numbers to deceive. Go check for yourself the numbers I've given you and you'll find no distortion.

Go to the historical stats page at MLB.com, search for individual hitting 2010. When the page comes up, just click on HR at the top of the list and it will order players from high to low. After that, just scoll down to the HR totals that I mentioned and see for yourself.

It will only take you 15 or 20 minutes to do so, far less time than you spend each day putting up posts. Give it a go, you might learn something. I don't know why, but I doubt you will.

dan qz,

We are talking past each other my friend. I was reading the sporting news cover to cover 55 years ago. I signed a professional baseball contract. I have been a head coach in High School, and coached in college. I have managed a 14 to 19 American Legion baseball team for 35 years. I am a teacher when it comes to the game, not a student. But as Pete says, Nice try.

Hey Pete,

On another thread I told you about a prospect that I have seen play in the Atlantic League and asked you to pass the info along to the O's. I can't remember on what thread I posted it. Do you remember reading it?

..............................................................................................
Pete's reply: That was on the last thread, Gil. I'm on vacation, so I'm not in contact with Jeff, but I'll pass it along when I can.

blancione;

I don't know how many times I have to say it, but Nick is doing lousy this year. No, Nick has not "turned into to just a average ball player". He's been far worse than that.

My argument is with your assertion that Nick had a lousy year last year when he quite clearly didn't and with Gil's suggestion of what is reasonable to expect in terms of run production from an average guy who hits 20 HRs.

The stats clearly show, (look at them youself), that 80 to 100 RBIs from such a guy is a demonstrably unrealistic expectation.

Check the numbers for yourself, and if I've distorted them you can come back on here and make me eat my words. Trust me on this. I don't set myself up for those kinds of falls. The numbers are accurate.

Gil;

Nice try yourself. I'm 60 years old and have both played and coached kids too. What you think that has to do with understanding major league stats completely escapes me.

dan,

I understand MLB stats. I choose the one's that I think are important for the player, the position, and the expectations. I have been keeping stats, and downloading them to spreadsheets for 20 years to see how my players are doing, and frankly, I am tired of talking about this. Let's argue about something else. You pick the subject.

CF,

Baltimore is not NY. NY is the center of the World. The Yankees are in a league by themselves. They have set high standards for years. They have given more to the game of baseball than any team ever will. They have a long standing tradition of hall of famers and 27 WS titles. That's why when they underperform the World comes to an end for NY media and fans.

The O's underperforming is nothing new. It's not unexpected, or shocking. It's actually a sure thing. A bet you can take to Vegas anytime and make some real money off it.

Baltimore reporters can complain all they want. It won't change a thing. Plus how much can they complain really without being overly repetitive. What is there to say about the O's that hasn't already been covered for the past 13 years?

I will give you this: Those "reporters" like Rock Kubatko and some shills (not Pete of course, but you know who they are) on the Sun and Masn, have no business over-hyping this pile of manure that is the so called Baltimore team.

Lastly, to say that Wayne was "on the money" about the O's is not incorrect, however let's be real: it doesn't take the foresight of Nostradamus to figure out where the O's come from, where they are now, and where they are going to be.

I agree with Wayne on most things O's related; however his delivery lacked tact, to say the least.

I believe, his last "official" post was replying to JJ in my defense. I certainly didn't need his help in debating JJ or anyone. However Wayne let's his passion get in the way of how he treats others. He won't go very far in this World if he is going against it.

Ok dan since you admit that nick is having a lousy year maybe the answer i am looking for is why. Please tell me why and what has happened to him.

blancione,

For the record, I'm one who likes Nick, but who doesn't deny his gross underperformance. That said: why are we so hung up on Nick? He is the 17th highest paid outfielder in the league, with a bunch of worst scrubs in front of him. Why the drama, that he gets paid 11 million (10.6 million to be exact)? He is not getting paid like a superstar, therefore don't expect him to be.

Mark Twain said there are three kinds of lies. Lies, damned lies, ans statistics.

Gil -

By pointing out that Markakis was hitting .330 w/RISP in '10, am I bringing a weak arguement?

RBI's are a bottom-line statistic. You have to look at the whole picture. The Oriole's had a .315 OBP in '10, and I don't know if you realize how horrible that number is, but its worse than mediocre. It's almost Ceasar Izturis catagory. My point is you need runners on base to bat them in, and judging by a .330 w/RISP, he was doing his job but lacked the opportunity.

RBI's and HR's for a hitter can be overrated to an extent, especially if that's the only way you're willing to evaluate.

I guess to each his own, though. I'm not gonna change an old dog like you or Blancione :)

Meso while he might not be getting paid super star money he is getting paid a great deal. His performance to date has been just awful and his production doesn't even come close to what he is getting paid.Look guy's it's not whether we like nick or not it's about not performing up to the expectation level that the orioles envisioned for him. Look guy's we can continue to go on and on and on with this subject but the reason the orioles are where they are today has been the under performance of players that they deemed corner stones of this team. Look when the orioles gave those extensions to brian and nick they expected a certain level of production from them. You can bet the orioles are sorry they made those deals. And by the way just to be honest i was 100% in agreement with both of those extensions.

I guess I am an old dog. Apt description. I see the points that you and dan qz have made. I agree that one cannot look only at HR's and RBI's. In Nick's case though, I think they are important, and last years fall off in HR's was a sign of things to come. But I said jokingly that the only way you can drive yourself in is to hit one over the fence. A home run is a hit with a runner in scoring position....yourself as the ball clears the fence :) I said Nick had a good year last year, but not what anyone expected when he signed the extension. At contract time I would not want to be the agent trying to blame lower HR's and RBI's on his client's teammates. If he was not going to hit for power, then he needed to offset that with more hits and a higher batting average to drive in more runs. A trade off. Let me say it again. I like Nick. I think he is pressing. but I also think something is going on with him physically this year that will eventually come out.

By the way, my wife has used other adjectives to describe me when she starts off with "You old******* !."

Gil -

I was watching the movie Old Dogs with Robin Williams and John Travolta during my last post....

My father is 63 and my mother calls him an "old fart", especially moreso now that he's retired lol. I'm only 33 years behind so my day is coming ;) He has no complaints.