I Don't Like The Yankees So Much

If you google "reasons to hate the Yankees," over 4.5 million results show up. I don't have that many reasons to hate them, but as a lifelong Orioles fan...there are a few things about the Yankees that burn my ass!

#1 $200 Million payroll:

OK, we all know they spend more $$ than everyone else...big deal. $134 million more than the O's. I'd take the O's young and inexpensive talent over the Yankees old and declining roster any day!

#2 They win all the time:

This is a false statement. Mike Mussina pitched in New York the past 8 years, he has the same amount of World Series rings as I do. They had a dynasty from 96-2000. For the 25 years sandwiching that era...C*&K.



#3 The Fans

First of all, they all look like this guy.

Yankee fans don't like each other, let alone any other teams fans. They invade Camden Yards when the Yanks come to Baltimore. Yelling for Deerrrricckkk Jettterrr and Mariiiiianno Riiiverra. My favorite Yankees fans? The Japanese Matsui fans that don't speak English.
Look, you can go to almost any bar or store anywhere in America and see a Yankee hat or jersey. It's no big deal. There may be 2 guys in said bar or store with Yankee hats and they won't even acknowledge each other, because it's common place. But if your wearing an O's hat in Tampa, and another guy walks in the bar wearing the same hat...that's a kinship. You have a bond.



#2 Jeffrey Maier

Let's face it O's fans, baseball is full of curses...we have the Jeffrey Maier curse. Little prick.

#1 They score hot chicks

Why wouldn't they? They all have $100 million dollar contracts. Whether it's Jeter banging Minka Kelly...or for that matter nearly every girl from my Sweet 16 Hot Chick contest, or A-Rod tapping Kate Hudson and Madonna (it would have been more impressive for Craig Nettles to bang out Madonna, she was hotter back then.) But wait, it doesn't stop there, Jorge Posada (operation Dumbo drop) has a hot wife, CC Sabathia (weighs 330) is doing well for himself, and AJ Burnett's wife is smokin! I'm sure it doesn't stop there, hell...I bet Craig Nettles wife is still hot.

Karen Burnett (Maryland girl)

And for the record, if you google "reasons to hate the Orioles," you only get 190,000 results. We win.

Cheers and Hail

Orioles Midseason: Magic Or Tragic?

Halfway thru the 2009 season the Orioles are definitely a work in progress. Having shown signs of improvement, they still finished the first half at 36-45...and with a firm grip on last place in the AL East. Their record also placed them 24Th out of 30 MLB teams. But, it hasn't been all bad...let's take a look at the first half, the positives (Orioles Magic) and the negatives (Orioles Tragic.)

Orioles Magic:

Adam Jones - Voted to his first All-Star game today, Jones is having a breakout year. He's almost eclipsed his numbers from last year, in every category. He batted .307-12-46 in the first half and played a gold glove centerfield. And he blew bubbles the whole time.

Luke Scott - He has swung a hot bat all year, .296-16-43, despite a stint on the DL.

Markakis, Roberts, & Huff - The big 3 have been as steady as ever. Roberts is tracking 70 extra base hits, Markakis is tracking 108 RBI's and Huff 110 RBI's.

Nolan Reimold - NOLAN! He finally got his chance and he's delivered. 9 HR's in only 45 games. He's got sneaky speed and doesn't seem over matched in any situation.

Brad Bergesen - All he has done is go 5-2 with a 3.53 ERA since being called up. His record would have been better if not for the bullpen letting him down twice. Plus, he's been lights out working with Matt Wieters.

Tragic:

Free Agent Class 2009 - Ryan Freel, Chad Moeller, and Adam Eaton are already gone from the organization. The rest of the class, Koji Uehara, Mark Hendrickson, Ty Wigginton, Cesar Izturis, and Greg Zaun range from disappointing to horribly disappointing.

Cubs prospects turned Orioles prospects - Since taking over the O's, Andy Macphail has made a point of picking up or trading for draft picks that didn't pan out during his tenure with the Cubs. Guess what...they still suck with an Orioles uniform on. I guess there's a reason we got Hill, Montanez, and Pie for next to nothing.

Middle relief - Bass, Hendrickson, Walker, Sarfate, Liz, and Ray have been absolutely horrible.

Melvin Mora - Not sure if it's age or something else?? He went nearly a month without an RBI and has 2 HR's and 9 extra base hits so far.

To Be Determined:

Matt Wieters - The knock on him coming up was that he was not going to be a good defensive catcher...so far he's been great behind the dish. His bat was slow to get going, but it's gotten hot the past couple of weeks. Expect a big 2nd half.

Cheers and Hail

O Say Can You See The Future

Wipe your eyes, the future is bright!

picture via The Baltimore Sun

In case you haven't been paying attention, the Orioles future is officially here. And the Orioles future is a lot better than recent past. I'm not just optimistic because I'm a fan, the talent that is upon us is the real deal!

Friday marks the debut of the #1 prospect in all of baseball, Matt Wieters. He has played like a man among boys in the minors for a little over a year, and as Macphail said "it's time." He's a switch hitting 6'5" 230lb BAD-ASS!

Pictured above is rookie Nolan Reimold. His walk-off 3 run homer today was his 4th HR in his short 2 week career. He seems to be a keeper. Center Fielder Adam Jones appears to be the next Eric Davis (healthy in his prime, Eric Davis.) Jones has a .354-11-34 line so far this season. Oh yeah, he's playing like a gold glover defensively. You know Markakis is a stud, I'll just remind you he is only 25 years old!

So far this season the Orioles have saw 3 rookie pitchers win their major league debuts, they'll go for #4 tomorrow when David Hernandez takes the hill. Hernandez was 3-1 with 2.91 ERA in the minors this season, along with 60 strikeouts in only 43 innings. He struck out 14 in his last start at Norfolk. In the next 4 games against Detroit the Orioles will stroll out 3 rookies with only 9 games experience under their belts...and I couldn't be happier. No Eaton, no Hendrickson.

But, the future talent doesn't stop there, the O's minor league system is loaded. Chris Tillman (5-0 2.13 ERA) and Troy Patton (5-1 1.62 ERA) will be in Baltimore before the end of the year. Last years 1st rounder, pitcher Brian Matusz, and 2005 1st rounder, 1B Brandon Snyder will be up next season. Pitcher Jake Arrieta will also be making his prescience felt soon.

It's a great time to be an Oriole fan. Although there are still some growing pains ahead of us, it's obvious that the next 10 years will be better than the last.

Amen to that.

Cheers and Hail

Note To The O's, Vote For Pedro

The O's need to sign Pedro Martinez and they need to do it soon. The Orioles are batting .290 as a team and scoring over 6 runs a game. This kind of offensive production should be enough to win a lot of games and compete in the AL East. Unfortunately, the O's have assembled what might be one of the worst pitching staffs ever. The 3,4, and 5 starters are horrible (and the 3rd starter is on the DL.) The middle relievers have struggled and a couple of them, Bass and Liz, have proven that they are not major league pitchers. The back end of the bullpen has also struggled. Ray appears that he is not fully recovered, or not comfortable yet, from shoulder surgery. Sherrill has been shaky at best.

We can only assume that the offense will continue this kind of production (Jones is blossoming into a star) or even get better with the addition of Weiters sometime soon. So why not compete now? Why wait till 2010?

Reportedly, Martinez can be had for a 1 year $5 million dollar deal. That's certainly not going to break the bank and the one year deal does nothing to mortgage your future. I know Martinez is on the decline and his health is a major risk. But you can't tell me he's not better than Hendrickson or Eaton. How is Adam freakin Eaton even on this squad? They couldn't talk Steve Trachsel into returning? Sign Martinez, and bring up Tillman, Bergesen, and Patton to fill some of the holes. The O's are 4-0 when Guthrie or Uehara start, after that you get 19 runs in a single game put up on you.

Cheers and Hail

The Ultimate Softball Team

We are well into Spring Training now and there is still an amazing number of established MLB veterans who have something in common with me, we aren't playing anywhere. The list of players reads like the decade of the 90's all-star team. So, I'd like to invite them to join me to form the ultimate softball team.

Ladies and Gentleman, The HGH Bombers:

C - Ivan Rodriguez

1B - Richie Sexson

2B - Ray Durham

SS - Orlando Cabrera

3B - Nomar Garciapara

OF -Manny Ramirez

OF - Jim Edmonds

OF - Moises Alou

OF - Barry Bonds

DH - Frank Thomas

P - Curt Schilling

P - Kenny Rogers

P - Pedro Martinez

Sure these guys are well past their prime, but they still want to play and I'm amazed some team hasn't taken a chance on them. If they can't find a home, the offer stands.

Cheers and Hail

A-Lob

McNamee's over there taking care of Clemens and Giambi, he's got plenty left for us!

When you just got called out as a cheat and a liar, how do you put the spin on it? Well start by scheduling an interview with the 90 year old guy from ESPN who acts like everyone's grandpa. Those questions were lobbed up to A-Rod like it was batting practice. Don't hammer him into answering the fact that he cheated, or that he has lied to the public for several years. Let him lump his failed marriage and huge contract into the mix to try to seek extra sympothy.

Most people who have watched baseball and saw Barry Bonds break the all-time HR record all thought it was done thru cheating. And we all said "wait till A-Rod breaks it, then we'll know the record is clean again." Well guess what, we were wrong. Truth is, there is no player playing the game today that we could trust to have played their entire careers clean. MLB needs to release all the names of the players that tested positive, and acknowledge once and for all that we have an official steroid era. Then, move on.

The true all-time HR champion for now and maybe all time, is Hammerin Hank. Yep, the guy who in his 40's was declining statistically, not hitting more home runs. The guy with the big beer gut, and his skills eroding him. Not 40lbs heavier in muscle and going thru a training regimen like Ivan Drago.

Cheers and Hail

The O's Are Turning Japanese

"Pan down, need hair pie"

How about Felix Pie?

The Orioles have been very active this week, signing a free agent, making several trades and locking up Markakis long term (a great move for the fans and the organization.) Let's take a closer look at the new Orioles.

Koji Uehara - P - The first Japanese player signed by the Orioles, 10 years after signing Asian players became popular. On the surface it appears this signing may be 10 years to late. Uehara will turn 34 before the season starts and he was 6-5 with a 3.81 ERA last season. Oh, he was also demoted to the minors for a period of time last season. The O's are thinking he will fit in nicely as the #2 starter!

Felix Pie - LF - A little intrigued here. He was the #1 prospect in the Cub's minor league system for the 06-07 seasons. But so far, he has bombed in the majors. He'll get the chance to play every day in LF, he's out of minor league options.

David Pauley - P - Career MLB stats, 0-3 9.53 ERA. Will be a candidate for the 5th spot in the rotation. (uhhhh,ok)

So, there's not a whole lot here to get excited about. But, somehow I am. I'm a Steve Trachsel signing away from renewing by Extra Innings package! Bring on those 70 wins, I'm in!

Cheers and Hail

Team USA Can't Lose

Not with Bill Ripken coaching. This spring Ripken will be where he was born to be, in a dugout surrounded by Major League ballplayers. Ripken was chosen by Manager Davey Johnson to be one of his assistant coaches for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.

Since retiring from a 12 year MLB career Bill has been the Co-Owner and Executive Vice President of Ripken Baseball. Along with his brother Cal, they have built a baseball empire in their hometown of Aberdeen, MD. So whether it's teaching a seven year old how to field a ground ball, designing baseball stadiums, or running baseball franchises, it's baseball 24/7 for the Ripkens. Along the way Bill has become one of the premier baseball instructors in the world. His enthusiasm for the game translates equally as well to an 8 year old, as it does a proven major league veteran. If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Bill it's an experience I'm sure you haven't forgotten. He certainly brings a presence.

When I wrote that Russ Grimm is the picture and epitome of a football coach, the same is to be said for Cal Ripken Sr. And when I look at Bill, I see Cal Sr. What I'd like to see is Bill on the Orioles bench for the next dozen years or so, and Cal in the owner's box. But, I guess Peter Angelos isn't as smart as I am. I mean it's really easy to figure out, Ripken = Oriole. "The Oriole way" was lost long ago. Because the Oriole way is "The Ripken way," born over 30 years ago in the lower levels of the Oriole's minor leagues.

So for now, I'll root for the USA and Bill this March. I didn't follow the the Baseball Classic that closely 2 years ago. In fact, I was upset that it took a lot of the players away from the spring training games that I enjoy watching here in the Tampa area. However, this year I have a new found interest in our team and Bill succeeding.

Team USA will be training here in my backyard on March 1. I've noticed that a lot of players have been declining their invitations to play. I will tell you now Billy, that I will accept if you invite me to play. You know very well what I am capable of on the field. A career .550 hitter in the Ripken MLE, a figure that rises when facing Ripken pitching. I'm a little out of shape, but could still fill a Terry Crowley type of role (warning strong language) for Team USA!

Good luck Bill, and make sure you visit Lenny's they make the best meatballs, just like Mama used to make!

Cheers and Hail

New Road Sign For Cooperstown

Is Mike Mussina a Hall of Famer? That seems to be a popular question this week with the announcement of Mussina's retirement. Well, my answer to that is a resounding YES!
Full disclosure, Mike Mussina is my favorite pitcher of all-time. Even after he left the O's to play for the "evil empire", I still found myself pulling for Moose. Mike debuted in late 1991 and was a full blown star by 1992. I was pitching in college during this time. My motion and mannerisms were patterned exactly after Moose. In my mind, I looked exactly like him. Some 15 years later, I was still imitating his pitching motion while I played in a fantasy camp, my real baseball career long over. Moose, on the other hand was still busy winning 15 games or more a year for the Yankees.

Mussina won 20 games last year for the first time in his career. He was certainly cheated of a couple more 20 win seasons. Strike shortened seasons, blown saves, and pop-ups that found there way into the left field seats at Camden Yards. Mike pitched for 18 seasons in the AL East. 18 seasons with a DH. At least 10 seasons dominated by steroids and another 10 at Camden Yards. Moose could easily hang around a couple more seasons and get to 300 wins, which is an immediate ticket into Cooperstown. But, he's walking away. He could chase the 300 wins and probably make 25 million doing so. He could also chase that ring that I wish he had, but he's walking away on top, and on his own terms. I admire that.

So, we have to judge the numbers that are in the book. I've looked at them, I've lived them, and they work for me. Enjoy your retirement Moose, you will be missed.

Cheers and Hail

Scratching It Off My List

#15 Attend a World Series game

My game ticket, my cost "I believe that will be free of charge"

The Backstreet Boys sang the National Anthem

"Oooooooo" say can you see

The seats were awesome!!!!!
There were no signs of these guys!!!!

And this picture has nothing to do with the story, I just like it.

Cheers and Hail!

O, The Rays are Good

So this year marked the 11th straight season the Orioles have finished below .500. During the previous 10 seasons, the O's finished in fourth place. They could always count on the Rays to finish in the cellar. Now that the Rays are playing in October, I'm afraid my Orioles have a firm grip on last place.

After living in Northern VA for the first 30 years of my life, the O's are a part of me. I was 9 years old in 1983, when the O's beat the Phillies in the I95 series. This came the year after the O's took the Brewers to the last game of the season in 82. Orioles Magic indeed. I thought at the time the O's would win countless World Series (I bet Cal did too!). It's hard to imagine that we are so far removed from the glory days. How did it slip away so fast?

Baseball was my #1 sport growing up, the one that I excelled at. If there wasn't a baseball around, then it was wiffleball. When a wiffleball wasn't available, then a wad of paper and a stick would do just fine. And in everyone of those backyard, driveway, or living room games, I was imitating my heroes. Eddie Murray's crouched stance, Cal's upright/closed stance with the bat horizontal to the ground. Pitching the wiffleball like Jim Palmer, sliding in the rain like Rick Dempsey. The list could go on and on. Those days are long gone, but I keep hanging onto the hope that one day, things will be special again.

And that brings me to the Rays. For the last 4 years, I have lived here in Tampa. I knew this Ray's team was close to breaking out the past 2 seasons. I'm surprised it did not happen last year. I will guarantee you this, they will not be going away any time soon. They are loaded with young talent, and they have more stockpiled in their farm system. I am amazed to watch the community in which I live in rally behind this team. Everyone has Ray's fever. We have 2 year old kids getting blue Mohawks, we have 60 year old politicians getting Mohawks. A new stadium is also on the horizon, a beautiful outdoor stadium, right on the Gulf of Mexico. It's a great time to be a fan of the Tampa Bay Rays.

But, you'll never see a blue Ray's hat on this head. Sure, I'll pull for them to go all the way. I surely will be pulling for them if they face the Red Sox. Its easy for a lot of people to jump on the bandwagon and root for a winner. I can't do that. I've got to much invested in my O's. So while a team headed to the World Series, loaded with young talent, getting an awesome new stadium, sounds enticing, I'll pass. Give me my MLB Extra Innings for $250 again next year, because the O's are 0-0 right now, and my O's mug is half full!

And besides that, when my son and I play wiffleball, I do a great imitation of Nick Markakis.