enjoy the rain

Since moving to Florida earlier this year I have discovered the benefits of watching any baseball game I want on MLB.TV. I still watch the Orioles on their channel, but also the games involving pennant contenders.

I mention this because the difference between the play of the contending teams compared to the O's is obvious. One of the most striking examples is: how many times Orioles' players swing at the first pitch, while batters on other teams are more disciplined.

During the Rays game Sunday, one of their announcers commented that their pitcher, Hellickson, had not struck out very many Orioles players because "you've got to throw three strikes for a strikeout, and they (Orioles' batters) seldom have made him throw three pitches."

Brian Roberts is a cry baby. Play the game punk. You getting paid?

Any truth to the rumor that Angelos has put the kibosh on the Suin from writing any more articles on the Flanagan suicide? At least the thoughts regarding the reason why?

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Pete's reply: No Eddie, but I'm sure some people will elieve that. Angelos has no contact -- or influence -- with our office and has no interest in having any. I don't know where this kind of crap comes from, but I guess it's understandable that readers don't understand how stuff like this works. How much more about Flanny's suicide do you want to hear?

Scammed. There's no other word for it.

Matusz - a joke
Tillman - a joke
Bergesen - a joke

But I can see it now, oriole fans will begin to write up the 2012 starting rotations based on the hype of the organization, the media, and yes...the fans themselves.

Just because our young starters are YOUNG, doesn't mean they'll ever be good. Do people not understand that? There are plenty of good young pitchers around baseball for people to begin realizing that the oriole youngsters are HORRIBLE.

So much for wishful thinking! Matusz should be shut down for the season and sent to winter ball to work out his problems. What's the point of sending him out there if he's going to be hit around like a pinata?
Buck has been given a free pass all year yet he continues to make moves that defy logic. First, continuing to start your supposed future ace when it's become clear that either he's injured or has lost whatever skill he had in the first place.
I will add his ill-defined use of Gregg as a closer as a poor mangerial decision. He's blown 6 games and could have added at least 4 to this total, if not for pure luck.
Sticking Reynolds at 3B is another bad move, when even the opposing announcers can see that he's playing well at 1st. There's also no reason to put Markakis at first as that move(s) just weakens us at 2 positions.
Buck is also burning out Weiters and seems content to just sit on the bench in a Trembley-like trance while the O's continue to display poor fundamentals.
I am disappointed in Buck in this lost year, especiallly when he had this team playing so well in the 2nd half last year.
I was excited to have him on board but now, I' not so sure. I know we don't have a great team but Buck isn't helping much.

Matusz to the bullpen the rest of the season. Stop destroying the kids confidence...if he still has any. Let him build back up some arm strength, get away from pitching for a bit, then start fresh.

Those new uniforms @ UMD are hideous! Kevin Plank designed them & provides them though, so Md will wear them & smile about it. He could trot out G-strings with tank tops & they would wear that too probably.
When the players first ran out there & some jumped in the stands, I thought it was a opening season joke or gag. Then I realized ALL the players looked like them, a bunch of Crash Test Dummies. Remember those? Then later I thought it over....no, they look more like they should be at the Md Renaissance Festival jousting! Are they dropping Terps & changing the name to Knights? Or maybe Planks?
Whatever, those are NOT football uniforms! I understand it's part of the Md flag emblem BUT anyone outside of Md or NOVA isn't going to know that is from the State of Md flag! Come on....some Nebraska guy or fan from Texas, Fla, wherever, is he really gonna get that as he watches on ESPN?

Doesn't it get tiresome writing about the O's without seriously attributing glaring weaknesses, particularly at-bats, to individual players? At least 2-3 times a week you might make mention of the fact that, as he has done since he became a Bird, Adam Jones swung and missed at a two-strike pitch that was a foot low and a foot outside. all with two men on and the Birds trailing.
Or perhaps that Matusz, Simon or Reyes, through lack of command, gave up 3 runs after being given a 2-run lead, or started the game off by getting behind on every hitter before giving up X runs, or a 3-run homer to start the game.
Every once in a while the players need to read that their shortcomings are being noticed as well as their excellence. Showalter repeatedly states that this is the Majors but he mollycoddles the players as though they are in the minors. Perhaps that is how he envisions them.
Tell it like it is; they often trot down to first (except for Reimold & Andino) which is definetly NOT the "Oriole Way". Ask Earl.
They don't (or cannot) give themselves up to advance on-base runners. Buck says, "This is the Majors", but nothing changes.
I listen to Palmer commenting about positioning outfielders, and infielders, depending on the way the batters are being pitched to but I often don't see the coaching staff following that rule,
I also wait and wait for someone;
pitching coach, catcher or infielder, to visit the mound when a pitcherr is floundering but I don't see that either. When your team is 30 out of first AND 14 games behind the team in front of them, your players need ALL the help they can get. I've seen pitching coaches go out 3-4 innings in a row, especially with young pitchers. In one Yankee game last year, Posada went out 2 or 3 times an inning throughout one young pitcher's time in the game. 'Couldn't hurt!
Right now the O's are a ship without a rudder and something HAS to be done about it before next year. The fan base is dwindling and next to suffer (if it hasn't already done so in a defining way) is the MASN audience. That will hit PA in his pocket book as hard as attendance (or lack of it) will. We can hope that that will mean the end of his ownership but don't count on it. Angelos isn't used to losing and only losing money rates above it.