This and that
It's the first day of school here in Carroll County, and I just returned from driving my daughter and her two friends.
I told her last week that I never had to go back to school until after Jerry Lewis' telethon (he'd be crying, I'd be crying), and she had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Never heard of the telethon, never heard of Jerry Lewis.
You ever try explaining Jerry Lewis to a 15-year-old? "Well, he was this comedic actor who teamed with Dean Martin, who was the straight man, and..."
Forget it.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson says his sprained right knee is a little stiff.
What he actually meant to say is he's a total stiff.
I've been a Vikings fan since I was a kid, for no logical reason, though the purple uniforms and cool helmet might have started it. I have no ties to the state of Minnesota, yet I was devastated after every Super Bowl loss. I named my first son "Fran." (OK, I'm kidding. I don't have a son and I never would have done that to him.) And it pains me to see Tarvaris Jackson taking snaps.
He should be taking orders at the drive-thru window at Taco Bell.
Enough NFL. How about those Orioles?
You already know that Alberto Castillo got his first major league win in the suspended game, and Rocky Cherry picked up his first big league save - the first time that's happened to the Orioles since Eddy Rodriguez (win) and Daniel Cabrera (save) in July 2, 2004.
MASN's studio host and play-by-play man Jim Hunter reminds me that it also happened on April 16, 2002 against the Yankees, when Rick Bauer relieved Sidney Ponson (did anyone else just get a chill?) and won his first major league game on the same night that Jorge Julio recorded his first save by getting the last five outs to protect a one-run lead.
Hunter recalls how Julio wanted Bauer to have the ball, even though he could have kept it as a souvenir. That might be the nicest thing Julio ever did for the Orioles, besides never asking to come back.
Here's what manager Dave Trembley thought of Chris Waters last night:
"Well, I thought this start was more reminiscent of what I saw in Anaheim. He finished his pitches better, he had better extension. There were a few that I thought he didn't really let go, some of the balls that were up, the curveball, but all in all I thought his tempo was better. Obviously, his fastball command was better and he had some sink. He had a lot of ground balls."
I don't see Waters as a full-time member of next year's rotation, though I didn't see Brian Burres in that role, either, and tonight will be his 20th start. It's natural to link the two - and Burres will follow Waters in the rotation tonight - because Waters could be next season's Burres, a lefty long reliever and spot starter.
Quick check of the farm shows Single-A Delmarva's Joe Nowicki going 3-for-3 with two RBIs, Wally Crancer going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and Tyler Henson playing shortstop for the first time this season and going 3-for-5 with three RBIs in an 8-3 win over Lakewood.
If you do the math, you'll see that the trio accounted for all eight runs.
As I wrote last night, Sean Gleason allowed one run in six innings while improving to 12-1. And absolutely nobody is talking about this kid.
He was a 20th-round selection in the 2007 draft, moving up five spots after the Red Sox used their 25th-round pick on him in '06. He just turned 23 last week. And he's 12-1.
Going back to last night's game, Ryan Adams committed his 50th error - though it was his first in 10 days - to tie the South Atlantic League record for second basemen. He shares the dubious mark with current Orioles third base coach Juan Samuel, who went on to become a three-time All Star.
Roch:
That last little nugget about Ryan Adams and Juan Samuel is the type of information that sets you apart from the crowd. Love the blog and can't get enough. I'm getting the RSS Feed directly into my Outlook in-box at work. Great way to keep up on the latest posts. Roch on!
So Roch, you no doubt would know that Joe Kapp is an ex BC Lion and played his guts out that year the Vikes lost to the Hank Stram coached Chiefs. And then , speaking of the Lions you must remember the Grey Cup game wherein the Stallions lost to BC. Oh well, at least you got a Super Bowl for consolation.
I truly believe that Waters' next pitch to Carlos Quentin should have been high and tight. I'm not saying he should have hit him, but he had to send a message. I don't think Quentin was trying to intentionally cause the balk, but to keep him from thinking it may be a good idea to do so in the future Waters needed to either plunk him in the backside or throw one up and in and make him hit the deck.
You are right; 12-1 is quite an accomplishment for Gleason, Roch. However, I'm guessing no one is talking about him is because, at 23 years old, he should be putting up those numbers in AAA to get people talking. From a player development standpoint, I don't see the benefit of keeping a 23-year-old at low A Delmarva all year.
Yeh, I have a 15 year old too, he's tired of hearing that I took 2 MTA buses to high school! Those were the old days he says!
If Cabrera loses his durability and gets injured, well then he’s really got nothing. Of course, if he’s hurt, that could explain why he’s been so terrible of late rather than his standard mediocre. Hopefully, he’s not hurt and whatever’s going on can be fixed and we can maybe get back to plain mediocre with him.
Perhaps Sarfate’s ill-fated time as a starter helped him as a reliever? Isn’t that what they were hoping, that maybe some starting innings would help him develop as a pitcher? If this is the case, great, though I sure don’t recommend doing this for every struggling pitcher we have.
The O’s won the suspended game because they were hot in April. They lost the night game because it’s an August game and they are no longer on a hot run. It's nice they are in touch with their performance level in the space-time continuum.
Good work by Waters last night. Perhaps he’s the Burres we wanted Burres to be. Waters might not be part of the future plans, but if a guy can step up and show something, that has to get some consideration with this team. It sounds like a corporate pitch: there should be plenty of opportunity to advance the careers of those who demonstrate they can perform.
Wow. Scary. I too was a Vikings fan w/ no tie to Minnesota. I still say Drew Pearson should have been flagged for interference. And you know what I mean.
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YES!! And a fan threw an orange on the field and we thought it was a penalty flag. And one of the refs got hit in the head with a whiskey bottle. And Fran Tarkenton's dad died of a heart attack while watching the game, and I sent him a sympathy card. I can still remember my Mom driving me to the Odenton post office so I could mail it. - Roch
If waters can find some consistency i don't see why he can't be next years stop gap while we all wait for Bergesen and Tillman.
What I really want to know is why nobody is trying to claim Aubrey Huff or Melvin Mora? These two have been scorching hot (especially Mora) and could seriously help a contending team. Is it their contracts that is holding things up? Finally, are we going to trade them during the winter or should we expect to see them in O's uniforms next season?
Thanks
Roch, a better QB is sitting at home cooling his heels, & he already knows Minn quite well.... seems like a no brainer.
Watch Gleason turn out to be the next big star to arrive from the minors instead of all the more hyped guys....
Burres back to start makes me ill.... I like Waters better, now & next year. He seems to have more of a clue & be more settled.
It's Aug-Sept '07 all over again with the pitching...
Going to Shorebirds game on Friday, was hoping to see him but doesn't look good if he pitched last night. I saw him get a win earlier in year and has really good command. He's in or around the strike zone with every pitch. Hope they keep putting Henson out there at Short. Seems to be nice glove and decent bat. Might be position to grow into given the depth at SS in the organization.
Chris Waters I could see as an effective #5 starter for the team. He has the ability to pitch deeper into games and eat innings. His style is more favorable to being a starter since he is a groundball pitcher, and I think he could have more success than Burres had this year.
A question for you. What do you think are Matt Albers chances of being healthy in 2009? I know he is on a throwing program, but I was curious on your thoughts.
at least Waters pitches more than five innings like Burres
After reading your recent blogs, I too am having a childhood flashback. I'm recalling that my little brother was the consummate geek. At least you found a way to make a career out of it.
Love,
Your sister