The Return of the Feel-Good Moment

One series doesn't make a season, but it sure does feel good

by Matthew Taylor

They say in Annapolis that it doesn't matter what Navy's football team does any other game of the year as long as they beat Army. It's not exactly the same situation in Baltimore, but I do find that a Birds series win over the Yankees helps heal some of this fan's constant baseball pain.

Each series against New York is almost a season of its own, which means the O's are doing pretty well in 2007. Here are some of my favorite moments from the the first two games of this week's match-up with the Yankees:

-Rick Dempsey butchering player names in "O's Extra," including my personal favorite, Milk-y Cabrera.

-Learning that the Yankees have the fewest saves in baseball this season; yes, even fewer than the Orioles.

The only objective Yankee fan I know told me during the team's recent win streak that he didn't think they could catch the Red Sox - or even make the post-season, for that matter - because their bullpen is so bad. That's not something you commonly hear about the Yankees, but it has a nice ring to it.

-Zero strikeouts for Roger Clemens, ending his streak of 200 consecutive starts with at least one strikeout.

As usual, Joe Torre provided plenty of spin for the Rocket: "I think Roger, knowing the conditions, always has a plan. There was never really a situation where he needed a strikeout Roger was thinking more about contact than striking people out, though it was an oddity."

I hope the Rocket is sharing some of his ridiculous wealth with Torre for the manager's PR efforts.

-Denying Clemens win No. 350.

-My wife's comment after Aubrey Huff's three-run home run on Wednesday night: "I'm going to have to change my opinion of Aubrey Huff. I'm not used to him getting big hits."

No, hon, you were right in the first place.

-O's fans yelling "I got it" to Alex Rodriguez as he ranged into foul territory for the final out of the 7th inning.

-Chad Bradford ringing up Jorge Posada with a wicked third strike on a full count in the 8th inning. With two runners on, one out, and the tying run in the on-deck circle, the setting was starting to look all too familiar.

-Hearing cheers for the Birds in Camden Yards during a series against New York, including a very audible "Yankees Suck" number late in the game.

-With absolutely no apologies to John Sterling: "Orioles win! Theeeeeeeee Orioles win!"

-Waking up Thursday morning and reading an AP story with this wonderful lead:

"This was one personal accomplishment that Roger Clemens really wanted, mostly because it would provide the New York Yankees with a lift they desperately needed.

It was a win-win situation. Clemens earns his 350th victory, and the Yankees end a three-game losing streak.

Unfortunately for Clemens and the Yankees, that scenario did not play out Wednesday night at Camden Yards.

Clemens was denied his milestone win, his streak of consecutive starts with a
strikeout ended at 200, and the Yankees lost to the Baltimore Orioles 4-0."

Beltway Baseball Wasn't Always So Bad

37 years ago today it would've been fun to be at the ballpark

by Matthew Taylor

The present ain't so good, the future's not so bright, so why not relish the Orioles' glorious past?

On this day in 1970 Frank Robinson hit two grand slams for the Birds as the O's defeated the Washington Senators 12-2. Check out the box score for the game, and you'll see the 8 RBIs next to Robinson's name. For his career, Robinson hit eight grand slams.

According to Baseball Almanac, only 12 players have hit two Grand Slams in a game, and three of them were Orioles: Jim Gentile (May 9, 1961); Robinson; and Chris Hoiles (Aug. 14, 1998).

Overall, Robinson batted .306, with 25 home runs, and 78 RBIs in 1970. He had a .398 on-base percentage, and a .520 slugging percentage. He walked just one less time (69) than he struck out (70), impressive numbers for a slugger.

As for the Birds, they won 108 games in 1970, taking the division by 15 games over the Yankees and beating the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. The team featured three 20-game winners (Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, and Dave McNally), three Gold Glove winners (Brooks Robinson, Paul Blair, and Davey Johnson), three future Hall of Famers (the Robinsons and Jim Palmer) and the AL MVP (Boog Powell).

Yankees Find Fools Gold

June record is as deceiving as Torre's explanation for it
By Matthew Taylor

Yankee fans will boisterously tell you that the franchise is the best at, well, everything. Modesty does not come in pinstripes.

One thing in particular that the Bronx Bombers are good at is myth making. The organization has more legends - real and imagined - than perhaps any other professional sports team. From announcers to managers to players, myth making in New York is part of the job description.

On Saturday, Joe Torre attempted to add to Roger Clemens' real legend with what, if you're being generous, could be called hype. If you're being realistic, it's called propaganda. Pinstripe propaganda. More myth.

Asked to explain his team's recent run of success during one of Fox baseball's "informative" in-game interviews, Torre used the opportunity to blandish the Rocket. In short, Torre's thinking went, Clemens is the reason the Yankees have turned things around this month. Which, of course, is exactly what Clemens wants people to think. Too bad it's not true.

If Torre were being honest he could've offered a much simpler explanation for the Yankees' 14-6 record in June prior to Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants: weak competition.

Aside from the Red Sox, whom the Yankees took two of three from to start the month, the combined monthly record for Yankee opponents in June is 46-71, good for a .393 winning percentage. Overall, those teams (the White Sox, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Mets, Rockies, and Giants) are a combined 209-225 for the season, good for a .481 winning percentage. In other words, the teams the Yankees have played during their win streak are either (a) not very good (the White Sox, Pirates, and Giants) or (b) they are slumping (the Mets).

Sure, the Mets are battling for first place in the NL East, but they headed into the Yankees series riding a four-game losing streak and having lost 10 of 12. The Yankees beat a slumping team.

Or consider the Rockies, the one hot team the Yankees have played since ripping off nine straight wins. Colorado came into the Yankees series having won 10 of 15 and continued their winning ways by sweeping the Evil Empire, who had previously won 10 of 12.

The truth is that the Yankees aren't as bad as their early-season run of futility would indicate. But they're also not as good as their June record suggests. And the Rocket is just a small part of it all.

Next up for New York: the Orioles. The trend continues.
____________________________________

Monthly Records of the Yankees' June Opponents (through Friday, June 22)
*Red Sox not included

White Sox: 5-15
29-41 overall, next to last place in the AL Central

Pirates: 8-12
31-42 overall, next to last place in NL Central

Diamondbacks: 10-9
42-32 overall, tied for second in the NL West

Mets (2 of 3): 5-14
39-32 overall, first place in the NL East

Rockies: 13-6
38-36 overall, next to last in the NL West

Giants: 5-15
30-42 overall, last place in the NL West

Combined opponents' records

June: 46-71, .393 winning percentage

Overall: 209-225, .481 winning percentage

And a Pitching Coach to Be Named Later

Mazzone, and the O's as a jilted lover

By Matthew Taylor

We don't know if the Orioles will lose Leo Mazzone when his contract expires after the 2008 season, but we do know who the Birds lost in order to acquire Mazzone: current Myrtle Beach Pelicans Pitcher Moises Hernandez.

Hernandez, the older brother of Seattle Mariners Ace Felix Hernandez, currently leads the Carolina League with nine wins. Hernandez (9-2, 3.09 ERA) was named to the Carolina League All-Star roster this season and pitched in the Carolina League vs. California League All-Star Game on June 19, hurling one inning and allowing two runs on two hits.

The Birds signed Hernandez in 2001. He was sent to the Atlanta Braves as compensation for Pitching Coach Leo Mazzone leaving to join the O's.

Attendance decline continues at Camden Yards;
Fans busy "washing their hair"

Is it just me, or is the Orioles' search for a new manager starting to resemble a bad dating experience?

Joe Girardi and Dusty Baker have both stated in some form that: they're flattered by the team's interest in them; the timing isn't right; and it's just not the right fit.

Girardi: In an interview with The Sun yesterday, Girardi, 42, didn't get into specifics, but said repeatedly that the job just wasn't a good fit for him right now.

"I was flattered that the Orioles called me," said Girardi. "It's a great city, a great organization. I have the utmost respect for Andy. As a coach or a player, I always loved going there [to Baltimore]. I am not going to get into a whole lot, but it just wasn't the right time for my family. I was impressed. But timing-wise, it just wasn't right."

Baker: "To me, the Orioles are a great organization and everything, and my passion is baseball," Baker said. "I want to get back into managing, but only if the right situation comes. Right now, it's a bit early for me. At this point, I would probably say it's not the right fit right now."

Next, Davey Johnson will tell Peter Angelos, "It's not you, it's me."

Joe Girardi: Take This Ballclub, Please!

Second thoughts as we wait for the new skipper to be named

As of 9:30 last night, MacPhail said, contract talks hadn't begun. … Still, all indications are that the job is Girardi's to accept. … Not having interviewed any other candidates fuels the perception that Girardi is the Orioles' man.

-- The Sun, Thursday, June 21

The coronation of Joe Girardi, former manager of the Marlins and current TV analyst for the Yankees, as the new Orioles manager sure is stalling longer than the Bay Bridge on the Fourth of July.

That leaves us to wonder about a few things:

1. Ever since his 2006 N.L. Manager of the Year award made him a hot commodity, could Girardi be holding out for a deal like Roger Clemens enjoys? He’ll only manage the O’s when they’re in New York or Chicago, where he has roots.

2. Why would anyone want to manage the Orioles, anyway? (This isn’t a joke. This is a serious question.)

3. Will Girardi get the same free pass his first year as was afforded Leo Mazzone in 2006? The pitching guru arrived in Baltimore last spring with high expectations that he could wave his magic wand and turn the Orioles pitchers into clones of those from his Atlanta years. Except it didn’t work out that way.

[Last year, only Kansas City pitchers walked more batters or had a worse ERA. But so far in 2007, the Orioles are sixth in the league in ERA, fifth in strikeouts and have allowed the fourth fewest homers. All this despite still leading the league in walks.]

4. Rick Dempsey says he’d love to manage the O’s. What would satisfy (or even excite?) more fans: Girardi at the helm or Dempsey as skipper of a team that simultaneously restores “Baltimore” to its road jerseys?

5. No matter who’s put in charge, could they please tell Kevin Millar to put his bat where his mouth is?

Can We Hire Andy’s Dad Instead?

New team president is no stranger to losing

By Christopher Heun

Peter Angelos thinks the answer to the Orioles problems can be fixed by a guy who in 12 seasons steering the Cubs had a losing record of 915-1,011.

The Orioles formally introduced Andy MacPhail as the new president of baseball operations today. From 1994 to 2006, he was the president and CEO of the Cubs; during that time the team made the playoffs only twice, including 1998, when they managed to eke into the postseason by beating the Giants in a wild-card playoff.

In other words, nobody in The Warehouse will have to worry any time soon about the hassle of taking orders for playoff tickets.

To be fair, MacPhail was also GM of the Twins from 1985 to 1994, when the team won two World Series. But their overall record was just 787-784 during his tenure.

The 1987 Twins set a record for fewest regular season victories by a World Series champion with 85 (subsequently broken last year by the 83-79 Cardinals). In 1991, they won it all after having finished in last place the previous year.

For Orioles fans, the most depressing mark on the MacPhail resume is his own admission that the Cubs failed to produce young talent. When MacPhail resigned from the Cubs last October, he “admitted they have done a poor job of developing position players in the farm system.”

Despite all this, Ken Rosenthal at FoxSports thinks MacPhail is a good move:

“The hiring of former Cubs executive Andy MacPhail as chief operating officer is a step in the right direction, but only if Angelos recognizes the need for a greater overhaul.”

Maybe MacPhail can dig up an old copy of the Oriole Way handbook in his family’s attic. His father and grandfather are both in the Hall of Fame: Dad Lee MacPhail was the Orioles general manger from 1958-65 and later became the president of the American League; Between 1933 and 1947 Larry MacPhail was the chief executive of the Cincinnati Reds, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the New York Yankees.

When the season started, I thought about writing a sarcastic post comparing the Orioles chances this year with those of the Nationals, who looked like a lock to lose 100 games. But now, after sweeping a series at Camden Yards, the Nats actually have the better record.

And who is the president of the Nationals? Stan Kasten, the man who held the same position with the Atlanta Braves for 17 years, during which it won 12 consecutive division titles.

Makes you wonder which team, the Nats or the O’s, will turn it around first.

The Ups and Downs of the Birds

What a difference two months make

By Matthew Taylor

The term "roller coaster season" may be cliché, but it's becoming a way of life for Birds fans in recent years.

There are obviously more downs than ups any time you're talking about a team that's working on a 10-year losing streak. However, the O's have a way of plummeting particularly hard after offering glimmers of hope to a fan base that's starved for even the slightest hint that the dark clouds over Camden Yards might finally be parting. These sudden drops offer fresh ways of of piercing the armor of even the most hardened, pessimistic, underdog fans.

Remember 2005?

-Fourteen games over .500, 4.5 games up, on May 26.

-Sixty-two days in first place. Leading the AL East until June 23.

-A "near perfect weekend" in July when the Orioles took three out of four from the defending champion Red Sox heading into the All-Star Break.

-Palmerio three hits shy of 3,000 at the Break.

And then the bottom fell out.

Noone expected the Birds to win the AL East this season, but .500 was a realistic goal for 2007. Believe it or not, there was a guarded sense of optimism in Charm City during the first month of the season.

Looking back on some of The Sun's April coverage, two months seems like a lifetime ago.

____________

Excerpts from: "Birds of a Feather; The O's Hang Out Together. Now, Can They Win Together?"
April 20, 2007
Jeff Zrebiec

Walker, a 35-year-old veteran who made his big league debut 10 years ago, was one of 16 players or coaches who at the start of the month experienced their first Opening Day as Orioles. He was signed primarily because he was a left-handed reliever who could get people out, something that was sorely missing from the 2006 Orioles.

But he also fit in with what the front office has been trying to do for the past two seasons - repair a clubhouse that was fractured during the once-promising 2005 season because of losing, steroid allegations and other off-the-field problems.

"It was best available talent and then best available character. Those were the two criteria that we focused a lot on," club vice president Jim Duquette said. "It's been a concerted effort based on what happened in 2005. I am impressed with how quickly it has come together."

The Orioles, who bring an 8-7 record into the start of a three-game series with the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at Camden Yards, have given off some mixed signals through the first three weeks of the season. Their overhauled bullpen has justified the front office's $42 million-plus investment. Their offense, defense and starting pitching have been good at times, but also prone to lapses.

But the longest-tenured members of the organization acknowledge there is a different feel in the clubhouse. They said that the 2007 Orioles are looser and closer-knit.

"That's a part of why we win," designated hitter-first baseman Kevin Millar said. "There is a feel of trust in this clubhouse. It's been awesome. Trust, caring for each other, pulling for each other - that equals W's. Your talent is going to take over for an extent, but you'll lose a lot of games when you don't have guys that care about each other."

...

Winning attitude

Huff scoffed at the notion that clubhouse chemistry is overrated.

"That's [wrong]. If it's anything, it's underrated," Huff said. "I think if you have a team with good chemistry, it makes you play better baseball on the field. I've been on teams where guys couldn't stand each other and it was the most miserable season. I honestly believe that you can't win without it."

In the past, Orioles utility man Chris Gomez would have disagreed with Huff's statement. Gomez, 35, who is playing in his 15th major league season, said he has long felt camaraderie was overvalued. But he didn't feel that way after being in the dugout Monday when the team erased a six-run deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

"I haven't seen excitement like that since I've been here," said Gomez, an Oriole since 2005. "Guys were pulling for each other. It was pure excitement over a game that we probably shouldn't have won. There was a lot of unselfishness between teammates. It probably does help."

Excerpts from: "Orioles' Pen is Mightier; Club's Relievers Retire Nine of 10 Batters as O's Rally to Win Series."
April 19, 2007
Jeff Zrebiec

Bedard (3-1) left the game with two outs in the sixth inning and the Orioles' lead down to 5-4. But Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo used four relievers to get the last 10 outs, including closer Chris Ray, who struck out the side in the ninth for his fifth save. The bullpen retired nine of the 10 hitters it faced, helping the club improve to 8-7.

"It's unbelievable," said Ray, who has allowed one base runner in six appearances since surrendering the walk-off grand slam to New York Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez on April 7. "My job is a heck of a lot easier when you have all those guys before me going in there, setting the tempo, and keeping the momentum on our side and keeping the score the same when it gets to me. I'm throwing just one inning instead of an inning plus. The guys behind me are getting guys out left and right."

...

The bullpen, which was rebuilt this offseason to the cost of approximately $42 million after last year's group was the second worst in the league, allowed just six hits and one earned run in 13 innings of work.

"[The bullpen] has made all the difference in the world," said designated hitter Kevin Millar, whose bloop RBI double in the fifth inning scored Miguel Tejada and gave the Orioles a 4-3 lead. "That's what [the front office] attacked this offseason ... and it is paying off right now."

Excerpt from: "So Far, Orioles Right On Money With Their Revamped Bullpen."
April 17, 2007
John Eisenberg
...

But so far, so good.

Each of the Fab Four has been effective, with Walker (1.50 ERA in eight appearances) looking especially sharp. Fittingly, the only one who has looked slightly shaky (4.05 ERA in seven appearances) is the highest-paid: Baez, who signed a three-year, $19 million deal.You're probably looking at one of baseball's better bullpens when you throw in Ray, a star closer in the making, and left-hander John Parrish, who has pitched his way into the mix.

Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo is going to have to figure out how not to burn out Walker, Bradford and Ray, but having dependable options sure beats last year's nightmare.

As I said, it's still early and there are going to be hiccups, but protecting a larger percentage of their leads could propel the Orioles close to .500. The fact that they had to overpay doesn't matter. After years of botching patches, the sight of a solid bullpen is priceless.
____________

To be fair, Eisenberg's column was cautious. For example, he acknowledged of the Orioles that, "During nine straight losing seasons, they have all but perfected the art of the BBP - the botched bullpen patch." Eisenberg added, "Throwing money at any pitching problem is a risky proposition these days. "

Orioles Warehouse notes, "there is value in having a columnist in Eisenberg who has covered the local team over a long period of time and in the process has acquired an intimate sense of its history and tradition."

In other words, Eisenberg has ridden this roller coaster before.

The Sammy Awards

It's only been a day, but let's hand out some "Sammies"

By Matthew Taylor

With all due respect to Sam Perlozzo, whom we like and respect as a long-time member of the Orioles' growingly dysfunctional family, Roar from 34 is proud to announce the winners of the first-ever Sammy Awards.

Best Breaking News Coverage: To Mike Burke of The Cumberland Times-News for landing what may as well have been an exclusive interview with Sam Perlozzo.

Reporters couldn't get anywhere near their sources at Camden Yards yesterday afternoon, but Mike Burke from The Cumberland Times-News didn't need to. He landed the most thorough interview with Sam Perlozzo of any news outlet, drawing much more honesty from the former skipper than did the Associated Press.

Sometimes it pays to be the guy from the hometown paper (circulation: 32,000). Score one for the little guy.

Check out some of Perlozzo's comments to the Cumberland paper -

Of the Birds' off-season bullpen acquisitions: "Walker, Bradford, Baez, Williamson, they never asked me. I told them not to sign Williams. But they went out and signed four guys without asking me."

Of the fact that noone took a stand for him: "I'm going to be honest. Some people I have put a lot of work in for a lot of years never said anything. Yes, I think about it."

Of the team's handling of his job situation in recent weeks: "I told them they should have stepped up. When all this talk became public, and they didn't step up ... That would have resolved it. But they didn't step up, and no matter what, you don't do that to me. You don't do that to a guy who has been in the organization for 12 years and has done so many things for this organization. I told them they should have stepped up and said, 'Sam Perlozzo is our manager.' And then if they want to fire me two days later, fine. Just resolve it. But they didn't. You don't do that to me."

Of the manager being the team's scapegoat: "It doesn't matter how many right moves you make and it still doesn't work. The manager gets fired. But not with the Dodgers. They fire their hitting coach. Here, we keep reshuffling managers."

Read the full Cumberland News-Times article here.

Most Delusional Award: To Dave Trembley, for obvious reasons.

From The Sun:

"Trembley has been on the bench for every series except two, including the opener in Minnesota. He said he's in the mind-set that he's going to manage tonight's game in San Diego 'and every game after that.'

'I wasn't told that I'm the interim manager,' he said, 'and I'm not expecting that.'"

Rumor has it that Trembley's first order of business when the O's return from the West Coast will be to meet with the team's marketing department and discuss using 1989's "Why Not?" slogan again this season. (Note the sarcasm.)

"O" the Irony! Award: To the Birds brain trust, for naming their bullpen coach interim manager. I'm guessing they're going to put Danys Baez on the Orioles MVP ballot as well.

Déjà Vu Award: To Davey Johnson and Joe Girardi.

Stop me if you've heard this before: Skipper wins "Manager of the Year" award and immediately parts ways with his team because of a personality conflict with ownership.

Joe Girardi, meet Davey Johnson.

"15 Minutes of Fame ... or Less" Award: To the West Tenn Diamond Jaxx for celebrating their connection to interim manager Dave Trembley in a press release.

The "Taxi Driver" Award: To Terry Francona of the Boston Red Sox.

"Francona refrained from comment on the firing of Orioles manager Sam Perlozzo. He joked about Kevin Millar's declaration that he planned to call a players-only meeting for today, a meeting that probably won't be held now that Perlozzo has been cashiered. 'We're all laughing,' Francona said about Millar, 'but you guys know I love him to death. He does a good job in the clubhouse. I'll bet you if he said something in the room, it would be worthy of people listening.'"

Cue Kevin Millar doing his best knock-off of DeNiro's famous "What are you lookin' at?" line ... "What are you laughin' at? Are you laughin' at me?"

Best Fan Reaction Story: To Jonathan Pitts of The Sun, for capturing the big picture. It's not just about what happened this week; it's about what's happened this decade.

"As the fortunes of the Orange and Black dwindled over the years, fans kept a reluctant truce with the team, even as the winning template, the so-called 'Oriole Way,' seemed to unravel strand by strand. But yesterday, as the O's were announcing the firing of yet another manager, fans sounded distinctly like lovers who had been betrayed too many times ...

That was a common refrain: It's not even the losing they hate. What offends them is a franchise - and players - who appear to lack interest."

But Can Joe Girardi Pitch A Scoreless 8th?

If only the guy rumored to be the next manager could still play

By Christopher Heun

Approximate cost (in guaranteed salary remaining on his contract) of firing Danys Baez: $12.6 million

Approximate cost (in guaranteed salary remaining on his contract) of firing Sam Perlozzo: $1.0 million

Yeah, yeah, I know: you can’t fire the players, so you fire the manager. But couldn’t we try sacking a few slumping players and see how it works out? And then replace them with a player-manager?

With Perlozzo Gone, Will Mazzone Follow?

The loss of Leo Mazzone would indeed be a loss

By Matthew Taylor

The story of the day is of course Sam Perlozzo's termination. I first saw the news late this morning on the Orioles.com website. I found it rather humorous that the story stated - as late as 1 p.m. - that the Birds were reportedly going to fire Perlozzo and referenced ESPN.com as a source for the news.

Shouldn't the team's official website have the goods on this one? It's something akin to visiting the White House website and reading a story about how the U.S. is reportedly going to invade Iraq with CNN as the source for the news. I haven't seen someone get scooped like this since Vanity Fair reported that Mark Felt was Deep Throat.

For whatever it may lack in breaking team news, "The Official Site of the Baltimore Orioles" at least offers accurate team stats (as does MLB.com, the other source for this posting). Take a look at the numbers for the Birds' current starting rotation and you could make a strong case that the real loss from the Perlozzo firing will be that of pitching coach Leo Mazzone.

You've got to figure that Mazzone will skip town now that his good friend got the ax, and that should be sad news for O's fans. Say what you will about Mazzone, but the truth is he's done a very respectable job with the pitching staff. The O's have serious trouble in the bullpen. They have serious trouble at the plate. But - yes, I'm serious - the starters have put up very decent numbers thus far in 2007.

Consider:

-Erik Bedard currently leads the major leagues in strikeouts with 112. He's averaging an impressive 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings.

-Jeremy Guthrie, a waiver-wire pick-up with an ERA over 6.00 last season, has strung together eight consecutive quality starts and currently has the sixth best ERA in baseball. (Brian Burres doesn't have enough starts to qualify, but his 2.94 ERA would rank near the top as well.)

-Overall, the Birds' injury-riddled staff has more pitchers in the Top 50 for ERA (Guthrie, No. 6; Bedard, No. 40; Trachsel, 47) than does the Red Sox's much-celebrated staff (Beckett, No. 31; Schilling, No. 43).

-Boston's starting rotation has a combined 4.10 ERA. The ERA for the O's current starters is 3.79 (note: Boston starters have six more starts than Baltimore's rotation once you take out Orioles starters who are on the disabled list).

What the Birds' starting rotation lacks is wins, largely because of an inept bullpen and a meager lineup. Josh Beckett started the season 9-0 before losing his first game. Jeremy Bonderman (7-0) still has yet to lose. Put either one in Orange and Black and they've probably got four wins a piece at best.

Considered from a different angle, put Jeremy Guthrie on the Red Sox and he's the talk of baseball, a waiver wire pick-up on his way to the All-Star game, a lock for Rookie of the Year. Put Erik Bedard on the Tigers and he's a key piece of the best young rotation in baseball.

Given a strong bullpen and a decent lineup, Mazzone would be a legend. Then again, given a strong bullpen and a decent lineup, Sam Perlozzo would still be the O's manager.

perlozzo

Bird Watching Video

By Matthew Taylor

Because anything's better right now than talking about what's happening on the diamond, here's the Mascot Hall of Fame nomination video for the Oriole Bird. It's fun viewing for longtime Birds fans as it features a lot of Memorial Stadium footage.

The Bird's always there to cheer us up. We need him now more than ever.

See if you can spot the footage from a Baltimore Blast game and a quick shot of Wild Bill Hagy.

Angelos Bemoans Newspaper Cuts

By Matthew Taylor

Birds owner Peter Angelos receives an interesting mention in the farewell e-mail of Marc Sandalow, the San Francisco Chronicle's departing D.C. Bureau Chief, as reported by Poynter's Jim Romenesko:

"I spoke yesterday with Peter Angelos, the wealthy owner of the Baltimore Orioles, who was an elected official and friend of the Pelosi family. He lamented the cuts going on at the Baltimore Sun, recalling that the paper once assigned a young reporter to every city agency, and that it was the only thing that kept many politicians honest. He fears without the same presence, his city is in for a wave of corruption."

As an O's fan it's hard not to think about Peter Angelos in a narrow, "You destroyed my team" way, so it's refreshing to see that he recognizes the importance of quality, watchdog journalism.

Now we need Angelos to lament the cuts that have happened to the Orioles and remind him that the team needs an independent GM who can keep the owner honest.

Eddie's Going, Going, Gone from the Dodgers

By Matthew Taylor

The Dodgers axed Eddie Murray as their hitting coach today. If Eddie would start that "Silent Sluggers" blog then we'd know the real backstory on this.

It's always a downer to see something like this happen to an O's favorite. Let the speculation begin about pulling him into the hometown fold.

The O's Won't Get Slaughtered; the Baysox Will

By Matthew Taylor
(note: Chris is surely ashamed of this posting)

The U.S. Army is giving away American Flags at tonight's O's game, but if you ask me the real fun is in Bowie. The Baysox will welcome WWE Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter to the ballpark for their Army night.

Don't think it's a big deal? Check out Slaughter's website for the "Biography of an American Hero."

You've got to love minor league baseball.

Who Let the Blogs Out?

Which Oriole do you want to hear from in the Blog-O's-phere?

By Matthew Taylor

Curtis Granderson made news this weekend when the following suggestive posting appeared on his MySpace page: "Sorry I was so loud last night. Can’t wait to see you again."

Like too many news stories these days, it was a classic case of much ado about nothing. The female poster was referring to a cell phone conversation, not a romantic tryst. A-Rod he is not.

Nevertheless, the Kansas City Star used the occasion to discuss Major Leaguers who are utilizing the Internet to market themselves and/or communicate outside of the narrow parameters of the MSM sound byte. Curt Schilling's "38 Pitches" of course factored into the conversation, as did Kevin Youkilis's new online effort.

But aside from the Not Quite As Evil Empire, no AL East players are represented in the blogosphere (although Brooks Robinson did some blogging last season). In fact, few players are mixing it up online.

Marinerds counts just 11 MLB bloggers for the 2007 season: Granderson, Schilling, Youkilis, Pat Neshek, CJ Wilson, Nate Robertson, John Lackey, Akinori Otsuka, Geoff Jenkins, John Rodriguez, and J.A. Happ. For some perspective, our site links to 15 other fan blogs about the O's alone.

It's clearly time for the players to pick up the slack, which got me thinking about potential Birds Blogs ...

-"Silent Sluggers - Albert and Eddie." Updated: Never

-"Allow Me to Explain - The Bullpen Musings of Danys Baez."

-"The Hot Seat Hangout." (Sam Perlozzo)

-"More Than Just BBQ." (Boog Powell)

-"Big Before Bonds." (Brady Anderson)

-"Finger Wagging Frankness." (Rafael Palmeiro)

-"Drunk Before Noon ... and After." (Sidney Ponson)

-"No Hablo Ingles, Your Honor." (Sammy Sosa)

-"Jockeying for Position." (Jim Palmer)

-"Here it Comes, and There it Goes." (Scott McGregor)

-"Take My Wife, Please." (Kris Benson)

-"On the Bump with Bump." (Bump Hadley, St. Louis Browns)

Do you have your own ideas for Birds Blogs? Post them in the comments section for this entry.

Draft Picks Dare to Dream

MLB Draft extends the career of Oriole hopefuls

By Matthew Taylor

I learned recently that one of my co-workers played a stint in the minor leagues after graduating college. I’m a baseball fan, so the revelation intrigued me. I was fascinated by the idea of a guy chasing his dream long after others had given up theirs. Stats didn’t matter; I just wanted to know the guy's story.

One thousand four hundred and fifty-three young men assumed the role of Moonlight Graham following this week’s MLB Draft. Like my co-worker, they have the chance to pursue their dream a little longer than most. Here’s how the story begins for some of the O’s 2007 draft picks.

Jason White, University of Iowa, has a proud father.

“There weren't too many Orioles hats at the shop in the mall, so my wife told them they better get some more,” Jeff White said. “A local boy getting to play professional baseball. That's pretty special.”

Joe Mahoney, University of Richmond, sees a clear path to the majors.

Mahoney, who is 6-7 and 255 pounds, led Richmond with 17 homers and 62 runs batted in this season. He said he likes his chances for advancement in the Orioles system because “they don’t have a steady first baseman in the majors right now and they don't have any big prospects coming up.”

Matt Angle, (The) Ohio State University, is following in Nick Swisher’s footsteps.

“It’s an exciting time,” said Angle. “It is something that you work for and it has always been a goal of mine. It is a stepping stone. The goal wasn't to just get drafted, but to get drafted, move up through the minor league system and make it to the next level. Ohio State has a great history of players getting drafted and even making it to the next level with players like Nick Swisher. I would also like to thank Coach (Bob) Todd and the coaching staff for giving me the opportunity to play at OSU and for helping me advance my baseball skills.”

Justin Moore, Chancellor High School, is young, eager, and confident.

“I knew they were going to take me. I wasn’t surprised by that," Moore said. “I just didn’t know what round it would be.”

“It was exciting. I was happy,” Moore said. “Now it all starts.”

“I want to make it to Single-A real quick,” Moore said. “I don’t want to stay in rookie ball that long.”

Eryk McConnell, NC State, simply wants an opportunity.

“It’s just a dream – always something that I wanted to do,” McConnell said. “It’s something that I’ve been striving for since I was little. Now that I have a chance I want to take advantage of it and see where it goes from there.”

We're Not Alone, O's Fans

Saddle up to a bar in these cities and commiserate with the locals

By Matthew Taylor

The fact that they’re in second place doesn’t matter; .500 baseball is what matters. An even record would end the extended run of futility that has overshadowed the team’s glorious past. And it could mean bringing fans back to one of baseball’s most beautiful ballparks.

Sound familiar? It should if you’re a fan of the Birds (25-27) or the Pittsburgh Pirates (23-28), currently two of Major League Baseball’s most futile franchises.

Party like it’s 1979? Hardly. That’s the season when Pittsburgh won 98 games and its most recent World Series. Meanwhile, the O’s won 102 games for the first of two consecutive 100-win campaigns.

Four years later the Birds recovered from a stunning Pirates comeback in the ’79 Series to win their most recent World Series. And things haven’t been the same since.

Where have you gone, Joe Altobelli?

The Birds’ trip to Kansas City this week got me curious about bad baseball. (Coincidence? I think not.) Think things are bad in Charm City? Okay, they are. But misery loves company, so here are some spots worth visiting if you’re looking for fans with whom to commiserate.

Pittsburgh (14 straight losing seasons)

Clouds over the franchise:
-Current record below .500.
-Last playoff appearance: 1992 (lost NLCS to Atlanta, four games to three).
-Average 2007 attendance at PNC Park: 19,358.
-100 losses in 2001.

The silver lining:
-Five World Championships, nine pennants, and 14 playoff appearances.
-Jason Bay.
-“We Are Family” still a classic.

Tampa Bay (9 straight losing seasons)

Clouds over the franchise:
-Team has never had a winning season, a run of nine straight losing seasons to match the Birds.
-Rays have lost at least 90 games every season.
-Thirty percent of the team's seasons have ended with at least 100 losses.
-Never finished higher than fourth in the AL East.
-Average 2007 attendance at Tropicana Field: 14,410 (lowest in the majors).
-Promising young prospects have tested the limits of “no such thing as bad publicity” adage.

The silver lining:
-Wade Bogg’s 3,000th hit at The Trop – a home run, no less.
-James Shields off to a good start in 2007.
-How bout ‘dem Tampa Bay Lightning?

Kansas City (3 straight losing seasons)

Clouds over the franchise:
-Prior to winning 83 games in 2003 the team had eight straight losing seasons.
-Royals have finished below .500 in 11 of the last 12 seasons.
-Lost 100 games in four of the last five seasons.
-A lock to finish below .500 again this season.
-Average 2007 attendance at Kauffman Stadium: 17,820 (29th in MLB).

The silver lining:
-Alex Gordon.
-Joakim Soria (although he’s currently on the DL).
-At least they’ve got good barbecue.

Proof there’s still hope for the O’s -

Detroit
-Appeared in the 2006 World Series after 12 consecutive losing seasons, including 119 losses in 2003 (a .265 winning percentage).

Milwaukee
-Twelve straight losing seasons prior to finishing 81-81 in 2005; finished below .500 in 13 of 14 seasons heading into 2007; currently leading the NL Central behind young heavy hitter Prince Fielder.

Other notable losing streaks: Colorado (6 seasons), Cincinnati (6).

Damned If They Do, Damned If They Don't

Sports Reporters caught in a Catch-22 with Johnson story

By Matthew Taylor

The big news this weekend, reported Sunday, was that the Birds could pursue Davey Johnson to replace Sam Perlozzo if the team’s struggles continue. Johnson, of course, fired back angrily, blaming – Who else? – the media.

Said Johnson: "That's why people write, because they dream up stuff and want to put pressure on people. Leave me out of these sordid little games you play."

The sordid games here are being played by the Birds front office, not by the media. It’s a case of Diamond Politics at its best.

White House reporters know well the perils of the “trial balloon.” An anonymous source in a high place leaks information in order to safely gauge public without making an on-the-record statement. If the reaction is negative, guess who falls under attack? The media, of course.

Granted, journalists aren’t supposed to deal in speculation, but for baseball reporters it's practically part of their job description: “Ability to speculate about potential trades, free agent signings, and manager firings strongly preferred.”

Writer are damned if they do, damned if they don't. Why do you suppose ESPN has a "Rumor Central" section on its website? And you have to pay extra to access that information!

In this case the writers got a raw deal. I can think of better ways to spend my Memorial Day weekend than to get belittled by a former O’s manager. Shame on the O’s front office, and shame on Davey Johnson.

¿Quién es más macho?

Bullpen boo Birds jeer Baez; What if he looked like Eric Davis?

By Matthew Taylor

With apologies to Steve Kline, I'm curious if Danys Baez has worked his way up to - or even past - Terry Mathews to become the O's reliever who generates the most visceral reaction from fans after the bullpen gates open up.

Baez is now earning the kind of response at the Yard that was (sadly) once reserved for Mathews.

Consider The Post's report on the recent series against the Jays:

"The two sounds Danys Baez heard Thursday night surely will ring in his sleep, worse than most nightmares. One was the deafening crack of his flat sinker off the bat of Alex Rios. The other was the boos that cascaded from every corner of Oriole Park at Camden Yards before, during and after Baez took the mound in the 10th inning."

Oriole Magic started its own "Danys Baez Stinks Discussion" after that game.

All of this "love" for Baez brought to mind the 1997 ALDS when Terry Mathews was forcefully booed while entering a game against the Mariners.

Roch Kubatko of The Sun attended that playoff game. So did I. Fortunately, I didn't have to write a post-game reaction story about Mathews. Roch did, as he explained last season in his blog entry about "Worst Orioles Pitcher Ever."

Mathews related the fans' reaction to his plus-size weight and called to mind the physique of Eric Davis. O's fans then fell all over themselves apologizing, sending Mathews cards and gift baskets.

So, ¿Quién es más macho: Danys Baez or Terry Mathews?

New Orioles Rules

And we're not talking about beer in the clubhouse

By Christopher Heun

One story out of spring training this year was that manager Sam Perlozzo was running a tighter ship than in the past. But after watching his bullpen (well, mostly just Danys Baez) blow two leads and suffer aching losses two Sundays in a row, maybe this team needs even more discipline.

So, we suggest the following rules:

Rule #1: Erik Bedard after 98 pitches is still better than anyone in the Orioles bullpen.

Last Sunday in DC, Bedard told Perlozzo he was tired after 7 innings. Baez entered the game and quickly snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Bedard is this team's version of an ace. Couldn't he take the mound one more time and give it his best shot?

Rule #2: On The Seventh Day, Baez Rests

No Danys Baez on Sundays. Last Sunday makes twice in row that he has failed on the first day of the week. Let’s hope we don’t see him Memorial Day Eve when the A's visit Camden Yards.

Rule #3: Meet Baez Behind the Dugout After the 8th Inning

Last week, Jay Payton and Melvin Mora nearly came to fisticuffs in the dugout, followed the next night by a shouting match between Freddie Bynum and first base coach Sam Mejias (a guy who plays once a month mixing it up with a little-known coach: what’s next, the bat boy making yo’ momma jokes about the traveling secretary?)

The guy who really deserves to be beaten up by his teammates is Baez.

Rule #3A: Not All Rules Are About Danys Baez.

Really. They’re not. Keep reading.

Rule #4: Perlozzo Can’t Pull His Starter Until He Gives Up At Least 3 Runs

Yeah, yeah, we know: a bullpen should be able to get two, three, even six outs before squandering leads of as much as five runs. But how about letting the starters go a little longer?

Bedard and Jeremy Guthrie (the starter on Sunday, May 12, the first of Baez's blowups) are both 28 years old. They're physically capable of throwing 100 pitches, even -- gasp -- 109. Dare to be bold.

Rule #5: We Don’t Want the Real Steve Trachsel Anyway

Let's not look too hard for the real Steve Trachsel, because the one pitching for the Orioles is making us forget everything we said about him in spring training (hint: it wasn't good).

In half of his 10 starts this season, Trachsel has pitched at least six innings and allowed less than three earned runs. He's allowed more than three earned runs only once.

Rule #6: Jay Gibbons Should Stop His Rodrigo Lopez Impression

Last season, Lopez whined when he was banished to the bullpen after his ERA swelled to more than 6.00. This year, an unhappy Gibbons has been singing the same tune when his playing time shrunk.

Our reaction to Gibbons is exactly the same as what we had to say to Lopez: who is he kidding? Be thankful you signed that four-year contract when you did.

Everything I need to know I learned from ...

...a desk calendar.

By Matthew Taylor

It's amazing what you can learn from a desk calendar.

First, some trivia -

The calendar asks ...

"Q: Who was the only baseball pitcher to notch World Series wins in three separate decades?

A: Hall of Fame hurler Jim Palmer, who won World Series games for the Baltimore Orioles in 1966, 1970, 1971, and 1983."

Next, some history -

The calendar says ...

"May 9, 1961: Diamond Jim Gentile becomes the first player to hit grand-slam homers in consecutive innings, leading the Orioles to a 13–5 rout of the Twins at the Met in Bloomington. After connecting in the first and second innings, Gentile adds another RBI for a total of nine in the game. Only Tony Lazzeri (1936), Jim Tabor (1939) and Jimmie Foxx (1946) had hit two slams in one game. In all, Gentile will hit 46 homers and 141 RBIs in 1961, the best season of his career."

Some extra research tells us ...

Gentile was a three-time All-Star with the Orioles from 1960 to 1962. He was traded by the Orioles, with $25,000, to the Kansas City Athletics in Nov. 1963 for Norm Siebern, also a three-time All-Star. Siebern's third and final All-Star appearance came with the Birds in 1964 when he batted .245 with 12 home runs and 56 RBIs.

The calendar says ...

"May 17, 1978: Super sub Lee Lacy of the Los Angeles Dodgers becomes the first man in baseball history to hit three consecutive pinch home runs in three official times at bat when he connects off Jim Rooker of the Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Earlier this month, Lacy homered off Rick Reuschel of the Cubs and John Candelaria of Pittsburgh. In 1979 Del Unser of the Phillies will equal Lacy’s achievement, and Matthew LeCroy of the Minnesota Twins will become the third member of this unique club in 2004."

Some extra research tells us ...

Lacy finished his career with the Orioles after signing with the team as a free agent in 1984. He played three seasons in Orange and Black (1985 through 1987), his only three seasons in the American League. Random fact: He appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" - a World Series photo of him sliding into Yankee Fred Stanley at second base - on Oct. 23, 1978.

Thanks, Page-A-Day.

Down With Pitch Counts

Someone tell Perlozzo to stop stacking his relievers one inning at a time

By Christopher Heun

Let’s get two things straight: Managers shouldn’t be fired because of one bad decision (unless they’re named Grady Little). And relief pitchers can be asked to pitch more than one inning per outing.

It’s easy in hindsight to knock Sam Perlozzo for Sunday’s Mother’s Day Massacre in Boston, when he pulled his starting pitcher, leading 5-0 with one out in the bottom of the ninth, only to watch his bullpen blow the game. It’s not the skipper’s fault when his pitchers can’t throw strikes.

But it is fair to criticize Perlozzo for his faulty logic when calling on his bullpen. He needs to stop counting pitches and go with a hot hand.

We don’t want to get too hung up about what happened on Sunday, because the real problem is not that particular game, but here’s how Perlozzo explained why he yanked Jeremy Guthrie:

“He was going into nine innings [of] work, and he had never gone past six. We were pretty much giving him an opportunity - if he could go 1-2-3 - to stay in the ballgame. It was unfortunate that the guy got on the way he did [by an error], but at that point, I thought we had our fresh arms out there and I didn't want anything to get out of hand. Obviously, it didn't work.”

Why fault the pitcher if a batter reaches on an error on a ball that never left the infield? If a pitcher is throwing strikes and getting hitters out with a minimum of pitches, why not leave him in? This applies to Guthrie on Sunday (just 91 pitches, two outs away from a shutout) as it does to every arm in the bullpen.

Perlozzo rarely asks a reliever to go longer than a single inning. We took a look at the work history so far this season of the three new arms in the Orioles bullpen – experienced relievers with proven track records who signed over the winter for a combined $41.5 million.

All three are on pace to pitch in 80 games this season (a career high for all of them), though their total innings would not exceed their previous marks.

What that says to us: Perlozzo is using them more often than previous managers, but he’s not asking them to pitch more innings, necessarily. Is one approach better than another? Would they be more effective if used longer but less often?

Jamie Walker 4.20 ERA, 15 IP, 5 BB, 16 K, 1 HR

Last year with Detroit, Walker pitched two innings six times and was called on to get five outs an additional four occasions. This occurred at about the same frequency the previous three seasons.

This year, he pitched more than one inning for the first time last Friday night at Boston. Meanwhile, he’s on pace to come close to his career high of 65 innings pitched.

Chad Bradford 3.07 ERA, 14.2 IP, 5 BB, 8 K, 0 HR

He’s pitched more than one inning twice so far in 2007. Last year for the Mets he did so 10 times; in 2004 he did it 13 times and 23 times in 2003.

Danys Baez 4.91 ERA, 18.1 IP, 8 BB, 8 K, 4 HR

In nine of his 20 appearances this season, Baez has thrown nine pitches or less. All but four times he’s pitched exactly 1 inning; only once has he gone longer. He pitched more than an inning 10 times in 2006 and 17 times in both 2005 and 2004.

Here’s an extreme example of why this matters: on April 11 vs. Detroit, Adam Loewen didn’t allow a run but lasted just 5 innings; the Tigers won in the 12th on a grand slam by Craig Monroe off Kurt Birkins. Perlozzo used seven relievers that night, each one pitching exactly an inning, even though two (Bradford and Scott Williamson) threw just nine pitches and three others threw 15 or less.

We have no quibble with Perlozzo’s decisions on individual match-ups. In fact, asking a reliever to pitch more than an inning contradicts the conventional strategy of lefties facing lefties. Regardless, setting up those match-ups is a luxury Perlozzo doesn’t have most nights when his starter can’t get past the fifth inning.

We're rooting for Sam Perlozzo, an Orioles coach for 10 years before being named manager. The players were enthusiastic about his hiring and seem to like playing for him (though no one has spoken up in his defense this week while fans cry for his head). He deserves a shot to manage a team with a decent bench and bullpen, two things he didn’t have last year, which made it hard to evaluate his skills as a manager.

He still doesn’t have much of a bench, but he does have a better bullpen in 2007. Is he using it wisely?

New Cleanup Hitter Just 291 Games Away

Should the best hitter on the team bat third or fourth?

By Christopher Heun

“Let’s face it, Miguel Tejada is a great hitter but he’s not a cleanup hitter.”
Joe Angel, during his play-by-play of the Orioles-Indians game, Sunday, May 6.

"That would really be a dream come true [to play for the Orioles]. But at the same time, I have two years here with Texas and I’m going to concentrate on winning with Texas."
Mark Teixeira, as told to Jon Heyman of SI.com in March.

Joe Angel calls them as he sees them. That’s one of the many pleasures of listening to him describe a baseball game on the radio. Sunday afternoon, he let forth a quick aside about the reshuffled Orioles lineup and the proper place for the team’s best hitter, Tejada, that had us pining for a particular Severna Park, Md. native.

Instead of hitting Tejada fourth, manager Sam Perlozzo has moved him up to third lately, which if nothing else, guarantees that he gets an at-bat in the first inning. Angel may be correct – Miggy is best suited to bat third (despite hitting cleanup for much of his tenure in Baltimore) – but the sad fact is, now there’s a hole in the cleanup spot.

Let’s hope Peter Angelos and the bean counters in The Warehouse are saving up for local boy Teixeira, a free agent after the 2008 season, because he’s the closest the Birds can come to a real cleanup hitter any time soon.

Teixeira, who grew up an O’s fan, slugged 140 home runs in his first four seasons, the fourth highest total in major-league history. He’s hit more than 30 homers three years in a row, and 43 in 2005.

By comparison, the Orioles have had just two players hit 40 or more homers since 1990: Brady Anderson (50) in 1996 and Rafael Palmiero (43) in 1998. In addition to those two, only four other Orioles players have managed to hit 30 or more homers in a season since 1990 (Palmiero did it four times, from 1995 to 1998): Albert Belle (37 in 1999), Tony Batista (31 in 2002), Tejada (34 in 2004) and Cal Ripken (34 in 1991).

Funny that Cal’s name should creep into the conversation. He was the Orioles shortstop who played every day, batted third and won MVP awards. Tejada has picked up the mantle.

This may come as heresy to some fans in Baltimore, but Miggy is fast becoming not just the best hitting Oriole shortstop, but the best hitter in Oriole history.

In just three years wearing the orange and black, Tejada has set the team single-season records for hits and RBI, tied another (doubles) and nearly set a fourth; his .330 average in 2006 ranks among the best in team history.

Because of his high average and declining power, he would look better hitting third if there was thunder behind him. Angel did say Sunday that Ramon Hernandez, who’s filled that spot most games, might not be a cleanup hitter, either, but he’s been hot lately.

Overall, we like that Perlozzo’s not afraid to juggle the lineup a bit, dropping Melvin Mora from the No. 2 spot and substituting Nick Markakis against righties and Jay Payton vs. lefties. Because he sees so many pitches, coaxes walks and gets on base better than nearly all of his teammates, Kevin Millar might be worth a shot batting in front of Tejada as well.

Listen long enough to Angel, and he just might tell you so himself.

How Much Is Inside That Glass, Anyway?

It's really not as bad as it seems. Or is it?

By Christopher Heun

The Orioles have the day off Thursday. But the bullpen will be warming up regardless, just for the sake of routine.

There’s an old baseball adage that says you’re never as good as when you win, and likewise you’re never as bad as when you lose. We’re going to lean on that heavily as we consider the O’s performance so far this season.

The good news about this year’s Birds is they’re not as bad as the team that’s lost nine out of its last ten games. Just like they aren’t as good as the team that won eight out of nine earlier in April.

Of course, it would be a lot easier to nod in agreement if more than two regulars were hitting over .257 or if the starting rotation could familiarize itself with the seventh and eighth innings. But things will change. For the better. We hope.

(Imagine the hand-wringing if the team was scoring runs in bunches and still losing.)

One reason for O’s fans to get excited is that despite the Ruthian performance of Alex Rodriguez in April, an astonishing 14 home runs and 35 RBI – the Yankees still have a losing record. The last-place Yankees, no less.

As poorly as the Birds are playing, the Bronx Bombers are playing even worse. At least we can take comfort in the Yankees’ misfortune. Here are some other reasons to look on the bright side for the rest of the season, countered by equally compelling evidence to throw in the towel.

The Glass Is Half Full:
The Orioles are ahead of the last-place Yankees in the standings.

The Glass Is Half Empty:
The Orioles are only percentage points out of last place. And the Devil Rays jumped ahead of them in the standings with a dramatic extra-inning victory over Joe Nathan and the Twins Wednesday night.

The Glass Is Half Full:
Erik Bedard will not finish the season with a 6.09 ERA, his current mark.

The Glass Is Half Empty:
Erik Bedard, the team ace, has a 6.09 ERA.

The Glass Is Half Full:
Maybe Steve Trachsel isn’t nearly as bad as we thought. He went seven innings Wednesday afternoon, has pitched the second-most innings and has the second-best ERA among starters.

The Glass Is Half Empty:
Steve Trachsel is the good news? Before Wednesday, a starter had not lasted 7 innings since April 12, a span of 18 games. And who pitched April 12? Steve Trachsel!

The Glass Is Half Full:
Orioles pitchers lead the league in strikeouts, with 209. Only three other teams have more than 180.

The Glass Is Half Empty:
They lead the league in walks, too. Apparently, Daniel Cabrera’s case of the walks is highly contagious. Adam Loewen has handed out 26 free passes in 30 innings.

The Glass Is Half Full:
Nick Markakis is batting .239. That’s heads and shoulders above his April last year. That must mean his second half, like last year, will be a monster.

The Glass Is Half Empty:
Aubrey Huff, Corey Patterson, Jay Gibbons and Kevin Millar all have lower batting averages than Markakis. Before the season started, when Huff marveled at the balance of the lineup, do you think this is what he meant?

Of Bunts And Good Intentions

Winning (and losing) can be such a drag

By Christopher Heun

Dateline: New York City

The situation: Winning run on third base. Tie game. Two outs. And the batter lays down a bunt just past the reach of the pitcher. Winning run scores. Game over.

That’s how the Mets beat the Rockies Tuesday night in 12 innings. Endy Chavez’s drag bunt made him the hero.

Listening to the game on the radio, I was struck by the dramatic finish because it could have been the exact same outcome for the Orioles the night before, when Melvin Mora tried to bunt home Corey Patterson, the tying run, from third with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Except Mora’s bunt did not get past the pitcher. Patterson could not score. The Birds lost.

It was a good idea – even if Patterson seemed surprised by it – but it didn’t work. Mora's bunt didn't get past A's closer Huston Street, who held Patterson at third. (After an intentional walk to Nick Markakis, Miguel Tejada made the final out of the game.)

It would be easy to draw grand conclusions about the larger fates of the Mets and O's based on this one game. That’s probably not fair. But still, one of these teams is a playoff contender while the other is not.

The Mets won a game with a pinch-hit homer in the 10th by Damian Easley and a bunt single by Chavez, who also had come off the bench, in the 11th. Manager Sam Perlozzo should be so lucky to have such options in the late innings. (And to pull the right strings at just the right time, but that’s another topic for debate.)

By the way, ex-Oriole David Newhan has also found a spot on the Mets’ bench. He had a chance in the 12th too, but struck out.)

Throughout this young season, the Birds have shown a resilient streak and have come from behind to win – something that would not be possible without an improved bullpen that shuts down opposing lineups in the late innings.

But they lost a game on Monday night that they didn’t deserve to win but probably should have won regardless: with runners on second and third with nobody out in the ninth, they failed to score.

Then they followed that disappointment with a poorly played game on Tuesday afternoon filled with more miscommunication and mental mistakes.

With Boston visiting Camden Yards for two games, the Birds could very well sink back to .500 after an impressive winning streak in which they took eight out of nine.

Or maybe not. Maybe Mora redeems himself. I can’t help but think that he may have a doppelganger in Chavez, whose playoff heroics last October in the N.L.C.S. versus St. Louis endeared him to Mets fans much like Mora did during the 1999 postseason.

Jinxing the Pen?

by Matthew Taylor

On April 7, after the O's bullpen shut down the Yankees to secure a 6-4 win in the Bronx, the verdict was in: the Birds had made a wise investment.

The Washington Post, among other news outlets, heralded the team's off-season manuevering, as witnessed by the headline of the paper's game story: "Yankees Are Left Penned Up By O's."

We all know what happened next.

Last night the bullpen turned in another fine performance, and The Sun's John Eisenberg is fêting the team in a column headlined, "So far, Orioles right on money with their revamped bullpen."

Cue the Delmon Young heroics.

100 Words or Less About ... The Yankees Series

By Matthew Taylor

Our second round of "100 Words or Less" reviews the weekend series in the Bronx.

Last time we used corporate speak to dissect the O's off-season. This time we use the Yankees' very own postgame anthem - an abuse of Sinatra's work, if you ask me - to break down the action.

100 Words or Less starts ... now:

"Start spreading the news, the O’s left town yesterday, with a series win in New York, New York. Loewen and Bedard were a part of it, as was Bako (homering for the first time since 2004). Chris Ray woke up on Sunday in a city where he couldn’t sleep, but he made a brand new start of it in old New York. The Birds season-opening blues seem to be melting away. They aren’t 'A Number One,' 'Top of the List,' or 'King of the Hill' in the AL East, but if they can win up there, they can win anywhere."

Final Count: 100 Words Even. Mission Accomplished.

See you next time on "100 Words or Less."

Good Seats Still Available

By Matthew Taylor

How can a longtime Orioles fan be such a novice when it comes to Opening Day tickets?

The Birds have a "Buy Tickets" link today on the front page of the team website, which just a week ago offered no such option. A quick check reveals that scattered singles are still available ($45 Lower Box and $30 LF Lower Box, for example). Meanwhile, multiple standing room tickets are up for grabs. Not a bad option for $8, especially if they utilize the temporary bleachers.

Also from the O's website, fans will give new meaning to "Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks" this afternoon: "Concession stands are estimating serving 10,500 hot dogs, 3,500 soft pretzels, 1,650 gallons of soda, 2,800 bags of peanuts, 3,000 pounds of French fries and 400 bags of Cracker Jacks."

Why am I sitting in my office today? I think I feel a bout of illness coming on.

Former Birds in the Box Scores

By Matthew Taylor

Former Birds are all over the box scores for Friday night:

-In Cincinnati, the always likeable Jeff Conine hit a three-run homer in a 6-1 Reds victory over the Pirates. The hit came one night after Conine had a "game-tying pinch-hit single and scored the go-ahead run against the Cubs."

-In Tampa, former O's closer B.J. Ryan gave up three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning, including a two-run homer to Delmon Young, as the Blue Jays coughed one up against the Devil Rays, 6-5. Wonder if Ryan noticed what Baltimore's bullpen did in the Bronx.

-In Texas, the always-powerful Sammy Sosa got an excuse-me RBI, his first of the season, on a check swing against the Red Sox. Rangers 2 - Red Sox 0.

-And, of course, in New York, Mike Mussina gave up six earned runs in four innings as the good guys took down the Evil Empire, 6-4.

Our Electrical Contraption of Prognostication Is Smarter Than Yours

After three games, have the statheads won?

By Christopher Heun

The statheads have done their voodoo math tricks and predicted the future that is the 2007 baseball season, including the mean height that the grass in foul territory in every ballpark will grow, normalized to the respective league average, of course.

We here at RF34 have also crunched some numbers. Whatever numbers we could find lying around: we picked up a 10 and carried a two and that was pretty much it.

The statheads at Baseball Prospectus and elsewhere have shared their predictions (basically, that the Orioles will finish last in the A.L. East), and we’re prepared to do the same. (Basically, we disagree, but not by a whole heckuva lot.) In fact, we’ll be so bold as to throw down the gauntlet: let this season be the battle royal, the final test of good old-fashioned love of the game that our fathers taught us versus newfangled progressive attitudes open to understanding baseball in new ways, reportedly involving statistics and other such figures.

If, at the end of the season, Pecota is right, we’ll stop taking cheap shots at statheads. (For the purposes of this exercise Pecota shall represent all forecasting formulas. We’ve heard of others out there – Chone, Marcel and ZiPS, but really, we can’t be bothered, except to ask, who names this stuff?) If, however, our prophecy turns out to be closer to the final standings, then we’ll sign a sponsorship deal for the new Texas Instruments scientific calculator.

Since we are an amiable sort and wish to make all of our guests comfortable, regardless of who wins this final test of wits, any reader of this blog who professes an affinity for the world of statistics shall retain the right to get his hackles up after encountering harmless commentary posted here. (As one anonymous poster did recently, referring to us collectively a “judgemental prick.”)

Now that we have that out of the way, on to the magic number . . . 79.

That’s how many wins we believe the Orioles will manage this season. We were going to say the O’s will finish 80-82, a sort of poetic near-miss at mediocrity in a Bad News Bears sort of way, but then we read two different baseball writers for The Sun, Peter Schmuck and Roch Kubatko, both predict the team would win 78 games, so we took that into consideration. We like to think of ourselves as one better than those guys.

For the record, Pecota predicts last place for the Birds, with a 74-88 record, four games behind Tampa. We say the Orioles will actually be five games better than the Devils Rays.

Why do we think this, and how can we state this with any certainty? Because it’s what we want to happen. We admit it. Pecota's forecasting system runs on pure numbers and unbiased algorithms. Our prediction engine is fueled by a careful balance of hope, faith, and blind intuition.

Admittedly, we’re not taking much of a risk, given that the O’s (as we all know) have finished in fourth place eight of the last nine seasons.

This is a club that has a chance to be average. It could very well end up at exactly .500 – neither winners nor losers. Imagine that. We should be so lucky.

But just as a .500 season is within reach, it is equally as possible that the Birds will finish in the cellar. I’m tired of listing the reasons why; we all know them by now. One additional reason, given frequently this spring, is all of the Devil Rays' potential – and this time the sportswriters, and the scouts, and everybody else really mean it.

True, the Rays are loaded with young talent. But the one thing that Rocco Baldelli, Carl Crawford, Elijah Dukes, and Delmon Young can’t do is pitch.

With a starting rotation of Jae Seo, James Shields, Casey Fossum, and Edwin Jackson following Scott Kazmir, how can anyone realistically expect Tampa Bay to win 17 games more than they did a year ago? Tampa Bay has never lost fewer than 91 games in a season; last year their record was 61-101.

Even if Tampa doesn’t finish ahead of the Birds this season, it will probably happen soon enough. There simply isn’t enough talent in the upper tiers of the Orioles farm system to match what clubs like Tampa are producing. Last month the O’s traded their 2006 minor league player of the year, Cory Keylor, for a 37-year-old journeyman catcher with 11 career home runs. Enough said.

All is not lost, though. The Blue Jays haven’t got it all figured out, either. Their three starters who will follow Roy Halladay and A. J. Burnett – Gustavo Chacin, Tomo Ohka and Josh Towers, according to mlb.com – combined last season for a 5.81 E.R.A. in 246 innings, allowing 281 hits and 48 home runs. Where’s Russ Ortiz when you need him?

So here’s the final verdict: the Birds will win more games than last year but still finish below .500 and still finish in fourth place. That’s the karma of a bad ball club. They’ll be marginally better (though not for the long haul), but still be bad. Still a loser. Still a joke.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t take a whole lot of numbers to see that.

Home and Away: O's Blogs vs.Twins Blogs

By Matthew Taylor

It's time to pit the hometown bloggers (Maryland Sports Fan) against the visitors (Right Handed Heat) in this season's inaugural version of "Home and Away."

Baseball bloggers in Baltimore and Minnesota can agree on at least one thing after the first series of the season: the Birds ain't lookin' so hot. But in keeping with the cliché, it's not what you say, but how you say it.


Home: Maryland Sports Fan proclaims "Orioles Suck!" in a recent blog headline, but it's of course said out of love. It reminds me of my favorite O's analyst, my grandfather, who was always delightfully irritated with the Birds.

Maryland Sports Fan offers a reasoned analysis of the team's slow start and examines the individual efforts of Kevin Millar, Chris Gomez, Daniel Cabrera, and Jaret Wright.


Away: The "Twin Cities fanatics" at Right Handed Heat offer a slightly milder conclusion, "The Orioles stink," and add a funny line about the upcoming debut of former Birds hurler Sidney Ponson: "A fine drunk but a lousy pitcher."

Right Handed Heat has to take some heat, however, for using the awful nickname "Boofer" (Boof Bonser) and the decidely unimaginative descriptor "Bitchsox" for their AL Central rival.


Advantage: Maryland Sports Fan. It's root, root, root for the home team in Vol. 1, Issue 1 of "Home and Away."


[See the RF34 "Vide-O Corner" for the insight of a young Birds critic.]

Patterson: The New Secretary of Defense

A free agent payday awaits, if only he could hit lefties

By Christopher Heun

A strained hamstring will keep new outfielder Jay Payton out of the opening day lineup in Minnesota against the reigning Cy Young winner, Johan Santana. Could this be an omen for Corey Patterson?

Patterson, who will get to start in center field because of the injury, needs to prove that he can handle left-handed pitchers after hitting just .207 against them in 2006. This will be an important season for him. A free agent next year, his chance for a big payday depends on how decisively he can shed the tag of a part-time player.

That seems to be what the Orioles have concluded about him. A big reason they signed Payton this winter was for his right-handed bat that could spell Patterson against southpaws. Now that Payton has been injured before the season even starts, Patterson has one last shot to play everyday, even if it’s only for a short period.

Next winter, the Orioles, along with a bunch of other clubs, will be asking themselves: how good is Patterson? Is he the player who hit .276 last year with a .757 OPS (slightly below league average)? Or is he the power threat who slugged .511 in 329 at-bats in 2003? The No. 3 pick in the 1998 draft, Patterson has always drawn raves for his physical tools, but he’s never managed to put it all together on the field.

Some seasons he’s been truly awful. The lesser Corey Patterson, the one who played his way out of Chicago in 2005, hit a measly .215 with an OPS of .602 – probably the worst hitter in the major leagues that season.

His defense and speed have never been questioned. He stole a career high 45 bases last year while flashing an outstanding glove in center field. Chris Dial at Baseball Think Factory, posting defensive stats that ranked the Orioles centerfielder as the best in the American League in 2006, wrote that Patterson is “climbing the charts as one of the top defensive CFs over the last 20 years.”

Patterson is a lifetime .229 hitter vs. lefties (and .266 vs. righties). Subtract his wasted at-bats against southpaws and last year he hit .301 with a .826 OPS in 342 at-bats. Not bad. Pair it with a right-handed hitter who can hold his own (for comparison’s sake, Payton posted an .817 OPS vs. lefties in 2006), and you’ve got a decent platoon. Not quite Roenicke-Lowenstein, but nothing to sneeze at, either.

Of course, Patterson insists he should play every day and points out that he actually hit better against lefties than righties in 2004; an adequate .819 OPS. "It's all about repetition; the more you do it, the better you get at it,” he told the Associated Press recently. His splits weren’t dramatically different in 2003 but overall, his career stats show a clear weakness against southpaws.

Should he put together a decent 2007 with the bat, Patterson could be in for a fat contract next winter given the deals handed out this off-season to some other center fielders of dubious skill.

Two of the most egregious: the Angels gave Gary Matthews Jr. $50 million over five years after a career year in which Matthew hit .313 with 19 homers and a .866 OPS. The Dodgers, meanwhile, handed Juan Pierre $44 million for five years after Pierre hit .326 with three homers (and 45 steals while getting caught 24 times) and a .781 OPS.

At this rate, Patterson will get at least 8 million per year as long as he can sign his own name.

Based on the OPS+ stat on baseball-reference.com, (which rates players’ on-base percentage plus slugging percentage compared to the league average) Matthews, Pierre and Patterson are all below average hitters for their careers.

Career OPS+ (100 is average)
Matthews: 96
Pierre: 86
Patterson: 84

Last year was the only season Pierre put up an OPS+ greater than 100; it was 107. Patterson has managed it just once, too, in 2003 (.116). If Patterson could manage to get on base just a little bit more frequently than in the past, he might be able to convince Dodgers GM Ned Coletti to give him $10 million a year.

One thing Patterson, at 27, has in his favor is his age. He’s five years younger than Matthews and 2 years Pierre’s junior.

Patterson has another (admittedly convoluted) connection to Matthews. Not Gary Jr., but his dad. When the elder Matthews, known as “Sarge,“ played for the Phillies, (he was a member of the 1983 team that lost in the World Series to the O’s), one of his
teammates, Gary Maddox, earned the nickname, “The Secretary of Defense,” for his glove work in the outfield.

Phillies announcer Harry Kalas used to say, "Two-thirds of the Earth is covered by water. The rest is covered by Garry Maddox."

The same could be true of Corey Patterson.