The Oriole Way

Yet another unproductive winter meeting for our beloved Os

2006-12-08T02:16:00.000-05:00

Like they do every year at the winter meetings, the Orioles talk a tough game but can never pull the trigger to make a deal. They could have acquired a young power hitter they so desperately needed but it couldn't be at the expense of Brian Roberts. In fact they left the winter meetings loosing more than they gained; they lost Josh Phelps. They made minor moves that do not makeup for the loss of Phelps.

The Orioles could make a trade to acquire a power hitter but everyone is going to ask a pitcher in exchange and that is a no-no for the Orioles. They will most likely pick up a player out of free agency; Huff, Floyd, Stewart, Erstad and Payton are still available.

Vizquel catches Ripken for 3rd-most games at SS

2006-05-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

Giants Omar Vizquel has played in 2,302 games at shortstop and that ties Cal Ripken at 3 place time all time. Vizquel is 209 games behind Ozzie Smith and 279 behind the all-time leader, Luis Aparicio. (sfgate.com)

Nationals are worth more than the Orioles

2006-04-22T11:50:00.000-05:00

However, we are worth more than the White Sox!! MLB says that forbes "makes these numbers up".

	Team	in mil
1	New York Yankees	1026
2	Boston Red Sox	617
3	New York Mets	604
4	Los Angeles Dodgers	482
5	Chicago Cubs	448
6	Washington Nationals	440
7	St Louis Cardinals	429
8	Seattle Mariners	428
9	Philadelphia Phillies	424
10	Houston Astros	416
11	San Francisco Giants	410
12	Atlanta Braves	405
13	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim	368
14	Baltimore Orioles	359
15	San Diego Padres	354
16	Texas Rangers	353
17	Cleveland Indians	352
18	Chicago White Sox	315
19	Arizona Diamondbacks	305
20	Colorado Rockies	298
21	Detroit Tigers	292
22	Toronto Blue Jays	286
23	Cincinnati Reds	274
24	Pittsburgh Pirates	250
25	Kansas City Royals	239
26	Milwaukee Brewers	235
27	Oakland Athletics	234
28	Florida Marlins	226
29	Minnesota Twins	216
30	Tampa Bay Devil Rays	209

Good news, bad news

2006-04-05T22:48:00.000-05:00

On the second day of the Orioles season, they continued their offensive dominance by pouncing the lowly Tampa Bay Devil Rays 16 to 6. Gibbons, Mora and Markakis (his career first) hit homers. Oddly enough, this the the first time in 9 years that the Orioles have won their first two games.

Now to the bad; Mora and the Orioles have seized talks. Asked if he wants to be back with the Orioles next season, he said "I don't know". He was seeking $27 million over 3 years and the Orioles wouldn't budge from their $24 million offer over the same period. More likely than not, it will mean the end for Mora's career with the Orioles. The Orioles are on a stretch of bad public relations; from letting go of Ray Miller while he was sick, reassigning Hendricks without giving a clear direction to his role in the organization, and to spatting with Tejada and Lopez over the off-season.

And now looms the possibility that the next casualty could be Mora. And who knows how Tejada might react to this? I would not be surprised if his complaints start up again and this may very well happen if the Orioles start to lose.

Orioles do it for the sixth time in a row

2006-04-03T21:29:00.000-05:00

By defeating Tampa Bay today, the Orioles have now won on opening day six times in a row. If only they could win 6 games in a row in a single season!

Lopez will get he ball on opening day

2006-03-26T22:40:00.000-05:00

Perlozzo has named R Lopez as the starting day pitcher for the Orioles. This will be the third time that Lopez will have gotten the ball on opening day (3 out of the last 4 years). "Left-hander Erik Bedard will follow Lopez in the rotation. Right-hander Kris Benson, acquired in an offseason trade with the New York Mets, will be third, with right-hander Daniel Cabrera and left-hander Bruce Chen completing the rotation."

O's sign Hidalgo to minor league deal

2006-02-26T16:01:00.000-05:00

The Orioles have already added Conine, Millar, and Patterson this offseason so I don't see Hidalgo making the team.

The Baltimore Sun - The Orioles today announced that they have signed free agent outfielder Richard Hidalgo to a minor league contract and invited him to major league spring training.

Hidalgo, 30, batted .221 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs in 88 games for the Texas Rangers last season. He was the Rangers' primary right fielder for the first four months of the season before being sidelined with an injured left wrist and missing the last two months of the season.

In 9 major league seasons with the Houston Astros, New York Mets and Rangers, Hidalgo has a career average of .269 with 171 home runs. He batted .314 with 44 homers and 122 RBI -- all career highs -- with Houston in 2000 and hit at least 25 home runs in both 2003 and 2004.

Orioles a contender next year?

2006-02-10T23:25:00.000-05:00

Travis Nelson of all-baseball.com seems to thinks so.

2006 Can’t Come Fast Enough

2005-12-11T17:14:00.000-05:00

2005 has to go down as one of the worst season the Orioles have endured. They first teased us with 60 odd games in first place only to finish 4th in the AL East and only a few games ahead of the Devil Rays. The addition of Sammy Sosa did not work out. He was plagued with injuries and only hit 14 homeruns, needing only 26 to reach the 600 homerun plateau. Most of us said he was a slow starter and he would eventually begin to look more like the Sammy we are used to seeing as the season progressed. It never happened. There was also a report that there was tension between Sosa and Tejada

For Rafael Palmeiro, it should have been a landmark season as he became only the 4th person in history to hit 500 homeruns and 3000 hits. Instead he tested positive for steroids and was eventually asked by the team not to return. Along with ruining his name, he smeared Tejada’s name by suggesting his positive result might have been caused by the B-12 vitamins he received from Tejada.

Sidney Ponson had problems on and off the field. He finished his last season as on Oriole with a 7-11 record and an ERA of 6.21. He was also arrested 3 times in a span of 11 months. The third arrest on August 25th gave the Orioles reason to terminate his contract. His troubles are tied to alcohol and I hope he can get the necessary help he needs.

Another person that did not survive the season was the manager Lee Mazzilli. It was not a big surprise that an Oriole manager was fired but that it happened during the season. Mazzilli was criticized for his laid back style and his relationship with players.

So far the off-season has only brought more bad news. First BJ Ryan, the Orioles closer for the 2005 season, signed with division rival Toronto. Then the Orioles offered Paul Konerko a $65 million contract but he took less money to stay with the Chicago White Sox. During the winter meetings, the Orioles made one insignificant move, by sending away disgruntled reliever Steve Kline to San Francisco for reliever LaTroy Hawkins.

The drama isn’t over yet. Now Tejada and catcher Javy Lopez are unsatisfied with the direction the Orioles are aheading and have demanded a trade. Tejada is saying he wants to play for a winning team and it has been rumored he could be traded to the Red Sox for another player who is demanding a trade, Manny Ramirez. Javy Lopez is unhappy with the Orioles signing of catcher Ramon Hernandez, who is seen as an upgrade to Lopez. Lopez is on the last year of his contract and he does not want to be a part time player. He’d rather be traded to another team and hit 43 homeruns once again.

The Orioles can afford to loose Javy Lopez. Perhaps trade him to get a proven starting pitcher. But the Orioles can’t afford to loose Tejada. He is the face of the Orioles. He is more valuable than Manny, a starting pitched and cash. He is the kind of guy you build franchises around. The Orioles need to do everything in their power to keep Tejada.

Oriole up their offer to BJ Ryan

2005-11-23T20:57:00.000-05:00

Its reported the Oriole have increased their offer to BJ Ryan to $18 million over 3 years. Ryan is allegedly looking for a lot more money.

mlb.com

Vote for Orioles Play of the Year

2005-11-03T09:25:00.000-05:00

You can vote for the Orioles play of the year at Orioles.com. Here is a listing of the top plays:
Tejada's lost number - 4/10 vs. NYY
Sosa's diving catch - 4/21 vs. BOS
Mora's barehander - 5/10 vs. MIN
Tejada's running throw - 6/10 at CIN
Roberts' walk-off homer - 6/28 vs. NYY
Williams' diving play - 6/30 vs. CLE
Matos' defense - 7/9 vs. BOS
Lopez's game-tying homer - 7/27 vs. TEX
Gibbons' catch - 8/17 at OAK

Got to move on

2005-10-22T23:54:00.000-05:00

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

2005-10-18T18:06:00.000-05:00

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

2005-10-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

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

2005-10-07T15:42:00.000-05:00

Some good rumors from another blog: bmoreorioles

Sosa wants to return with the Orioles

2005-10-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

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

2005-10-06T09:23:00.000-05:00

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

Orioles players contract status

2005-10-05T09:40:00.000-05:00

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

2005-10-04T11:47:00.000-05:00

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.

I am back but the Orioles aren't

2005-09-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

It did not turn out to be the magic season where the Orioles were gonna end their losing ways. The 67 games in first place to begin the season turns out to be more to do with the poor play of the Sox and Yanks than with the Orioles being a serious contender.

But not everything is bleek in Oriole land. The arrival of the Nationals in DC wasn't as bad as it could have been. The Orioles and Nationals drew a similar average attandance per game. Jay Gibbons is finally healthy. Out starting pitching was pretty solid. BJ Ryan is the real deal.

The season is almost over and the only thing left I would like to see is the Yanks miss the playoffs.

Sox only a game back

2005-06-23T16:07:00.000-05:00

The Red Sox have won 9 out of 10 and are only one game behind the AL-East leading Orioles. The Orioles just send down Surhoff and Mora might join him soon. Bedard and Javy Lopez are still on the DL. Brian Roberts is not hitting as well as he was in April and Sosa's bat hasn't warmed up yet. Tejada will have to carry the whole offense on his shoulders. The pitching is solid and should keep them in the game.

Bedard not returing soon

2005-06-15T18:23:00.000-05:00

It was suppose to be an injury that kept out the Orioles best pitcher for only 2 weeks. But it looks as if that his return is not expected for another month. (sfgate)

Orioles coverage in DC

2005-05-23T14:09:00.000-05:00

Orioles coverage in Washington DC has been better than I expected. I live in College Park, Maryland and I get over the air DC channels. Weekend games are carried on channel 66 and most of the 11 o'clock news programs show clips of Orioles games. The Washington Post still covers the Orioles. But not everyone in the DC area is as content as I am with the Orioles still being covered in the area. Some want no coverage at all as the Orioles are now enemies.

No Surprise Here

2005-05-03T14:18:00.000-05:00

Brian Robers has captured the AL Player of the Month award. He edged out Miguel Tajada and A-Rod. I had always thought Jerry Hairston was a better choice when he was still with the Orioles. Boy was I wrong.

What An April

2005-05-01T12:13:00.000-05:00

Who would have thunk at the end of April that the team with a 4 game lead a top the AL East would be the Baltimore Orioles. Not Me, that's for sure. Hopefully this is not some extended April's fool joke the Red Sox and Yankees are playing on us!

Scott Miller at SI breaks down the Orioles early surprise. Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post thinks its all thanks to the Washington Nationals.