Got to move on

I didn't want to see Ray Miller loose his job. It has happened and well, the man who replaced him is a man considered to be the best at his job. Its also very rare to see someone pick the Orioles over the Yankees. I guess I have to join the program and admit that the move has more pros than cons. I was afraid it would have left a bad taste if the Orioles had let Ray go when he was in the hospial but Ray has been very professional about the whole situation. Whatever Ray decides from now on, I hope him nothing but the best.

Orioles give Ellie the boot

The Orioles announced today that they will not be bringing back Elrod Hendricks, formerly the Orioles bullpen's coach. Was it really necessary to get rid of the old man? Yes his health is a concern but he did get 'a clean bill of health from his doctor'. I mean, does it really matter who the bullpen coach is? Isn't the main duty of the bullpen coach just to wait for the skipper to give him a ring?

There is also rumors that the Orioles are interested in Atalanta's pitching coach Leo Mazzone and this while Oriole's current pitching coach Ray Miller is in the hospital and under contract with the Orioles. Ray Miller has done a great job with the Orioles young starting pitching staff and did a great job 2 season ago when they needed him to come out of retirement, showing he harbored no ill will from being fired by the Orioles in 1999. Just because Flanny and Perlozzo seem to have full control of the Orioles it does not mean they need to go off and flex their muscles. Are they trying to show the fans and other critics that they mean business? If that is the case then they need to go out and sign some good ballplayers. Yes it is good to see the Orioles seem to have some kind of direction but it should not come at the expense of Hendricks and Miller.

Oriole make changes

I can't say I was very thrilled with the Orioles decision to keep Sam Perlozzo and Mike Flanagan. I was hoping they would go out look for someone more ambitious and more out of the box thinker to take over the GM position. Instead of bringing back Perlozzo, I was hoping they would go after Lou Piniella, or at lease someone who was more of a disciplinary.

Some Rumors

Some good rumors from another blog: bmoreorioles

Sosa wants to return with the Orioles

Sosa has said he wants to return with the Orioles next year. If not the Orioles, than another team in the majors but he does not want to play in Japan. (washingtonpost.com)

Ray Miller does not know if he will be back with the Orioles next season. He is due to undergo surgery on October 12th. (orioles.com)

Opening day 2006

The Orioles will face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Baltimore on April 3, 2006 on opening day.

Orioles players contract status

Free agents

James Baldwin, RHP
Jason Grimsley, RHP
B.J. Ryan, LHP
Sal Fasano, C
Rafael Palmeiro, IF
Sammy Sosa, OF
B.J. Surhoff, OF

Arbitration-eligible

Tim Byrdak, LHP
Bruce Chen, LHP
Jorge Julio, RHP
Rodrigo Lopez, RHP
Geronimo Gil, C
Eric Byrnes, OF
Jay Gibbons, OF
Luis Matos, OF
David Newhan, OF
Brian Roberts, IF

Under contract

Erik Bedard, LHP
Daniel Cabrera, RHP
Eric DuBose, LHP
Steve Kline, RHP
John Maine, RHP
Aaron Rakers, RHP
Chris Ray, RHP
Javy Lopez, C
Bernie Castro, IF
Chris Gomez, IF
Melvin Mora, IF
Miguel Tejada, IF

Orioles likely to loose Ryan to free agency

BJ Ryan is one of the premiere closers in the game. This offseason he will be a free agent and mostly likely will be too expensive for the Orioles. But do the Orioles really need to shell out money to invest on a closer if they are not serious about winning? History says the Orioles are not. With Palmeiro, Sosa, and Ponson either not coming back or retiring, the Orioles will need to fill gaps at first, in the outfield and in the starting rotation. And this is something they need to do through free agency if they want to be back to the form they showed early in this season.

Ryan most likely will end up with another team. But could the Orioles have signed him for a bargain price earlier in the season? Irregardless, the Orioles will need to be very committed to overcome the collapse they went through this past season.