National security for Teixeira?
No knock on D.C., but do you think the Wake Forest players were excited to travel to RFK Stadium for today's EagleBank Bowl?
Has a team ever declined a bowl invitation for the chance to stay home and get caught up on some chores?
I've written how I don't believe the Red Sox are out of the Mark Teixeira sweepstakes, and I'm sticking to it. But the Nationals need to be taken seriously.
If there's one team out there that would go 10 years and $200 million, it's the Nationals. I'm not saying it will happen, but the Lerner family wants him badly.
Nationals president Stan Kasten is playing the Andy MacPhail role, trying to be fiscally responsible, at least by today's standards, and not surrendering to agent Scott Boras' extravagant demands. But Ted Lerner isn't Peter Angelos. That's where the parallel universe breaks apart.
Lerner is more likely to blow away every offer. People in the industry are convinced of it. And I'm sure he's annoyed that the national media has largely dismissed his chances, as if the Nationals are insignificant.
That doesn't mean Teixeira will be wearing a Nationals uniform next season. I still rate the Red Sox as the favorites. But the Nationals see him as a hometown kid who will put fans in the seats - and it boggles the mind that empty seats are an issue at a new ballpark that houses a 4-year-old franchise. He's marketable. He makes them more legitimate.
None of these points apply to the Red Sox, who don't have any empty seats, don't consider him local and can win without him.
(By the way, I don't agree that the Nationals will play before capacity crowds because the Severna Park kid signed with them, but it's their vision).
I have to praise Red Sox owner John Henry for his restraint. I thought he'd freak out after the Yankees signed CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett and would go overboard to sign Teixeira in a high-priced game of spit-balling.
Henry wants Teixeira, but not at any cost.
I don't believe the same is true of Lerner. And if the Red Sox really do drop out, don't be fooled into thinking it's become a two-team race between the Orioles and Angels.
The Nationals might not seem like a perfect fit for Teixeira, who wants to play for a contender, but also regards the Orioles as his home team and feels a tug in their direction. But you don't hire Boras as your agent so you can leave a pile of cash on the table. You want to make as much of it as you can. And that's exactly what the Nationals are counting on.
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Categories (click for archive)Roch Kubatko | Roch Kubatko Orioles |
if the Nationals sign Teixeira...Angelos still wins...It's an absurd notion, but until he signs all anyone is writing is absurd notions so I'll throw this one in the mix.
Regardless of where Tex signs, if it's not the Orioles...SWARMS of fans will leave the Orioles. I know some fans don't believe it. But most of us have seen Angelos bury this team so letting Tex go regardless if someone overpays is the end for most of us. (Schmuck had a great piece on this today).
So basically the seats will be empty regardless of where he signs if it's not the O's.
Angelos is already hated by 99.44% of Orioles fans. Not much room for him to be hated more at this point for his cheapness, constant misdirection of the team, and putting us in the hole we are in today where we are in the same breath as the Pirates and Royals as the dregs of baseball. Us fans are still clinging to a long gone mystical past that everyone outside of Orioles world has long forgotten about.
So say Tex signs with the Nationals. Nationals have abysmal TV ratings. This signing will most likely improve them as their owner cares about not only building the farm system but paying top notch talent to come to town (just like the Red Sox do it...seems to work for them). And yes the Nats didn't sign that 1st rounder last draft, but this owner will make sure that never happens again...
So the Nationals TV ratings go up...more advertising...Angelos owns lion share of MASN...he gets wealthier without having to spend a dime.
I'm not saying it's likely, but its at least possible that's his thinking. He is a terrible owner who cares zilch about the fans. But he loves him some MASN and this will help line Angelos' pockets further if the Nats sign Tex.
You have to wonder if the area can/will adequately support two teams if one or both are not contenders? It's a vicious cycle, the teams are not doing well so revenue is down; revenue is down, so they are limited in how much they can spend to improve the team.
One thing that gets perecious little ink is the other aspect of the business, theoutside endorsements etc that clearly would be an intangible in favour of the O's. On other clubs(ie Angel's , Yanks and Red Sox) Teixeira is just another very good ball player. With Baltimore , he has the marketability of the home town guy. This translates into additional club revenue as well as additional player revenue outside of the contract amount. Now I may be discounting the big market factor, but I suggest that he would do quite nicely in the Orioles market.
The other aspect is that Baltimore has a legitimate need for a first baseman. This is not true in Boston .
The most constraining aspect of the $ is the Orioles clubhouse and the effect on other players salaries. To what extent Teixeira impacts the amounts that will be necessary to retain BRob and Markakis is hard for me to say and/or understand. But , I think it is a factor.
Up here in Vancouver , we just went through a hockey situation wherein Mats Sundin waited until now to declare that he will sign with our Canucks as opposed to the Rangers. When all was said and done, the Vancouver GM...who had made an offer in July...stayed calm and consistent. This very much reminds me of the approach AMac is taking.
So we shall see. I have taken the approach of no expectation. It is easier that way.
Hey Jedd,
You are so over the top, it is ridiculous. Angelos is not hated by Oriole fans that have any capacity for logic. He has sprung for the big players before and he will again. If you are going to saddle him with the bad, then you have to give him credit for the good. He is the one who has hired McPhail. McPhail will decide how much money he wants to commit to Tex. If Tex rejects that, I have complete confidence that McPhail will use that money wisely on other player(s) this year and the future.
Corey
It would be absolutley proposterous if the Nationals were to sign Mark Teixeira if you really think about it. They lost 102 games last year to start things off nevermind they have not added anyone to significantly change that. Other then Ryan Zimmerman (.283, 14HR, and 51RBI) and maybe Christain Guzman (.316, 9HR, 55RBI) there are no other serious ball players on this team even if you want to call Zimmerman a good ball player (Ijury plagues 07 season). The Nationals outfield is depleted and their pitching right now if mediocre at very best. Lannan, Olsen and Bergmann showed glimpses of being MLB pitcher last season in the midst of a 100 loss season in games which meant absoultey nothing. You can talk all about prospects and draft picks but it also took the Tampa bay Rays 10 years to become relevant with all the prospects they had. Washington is not ready to sign a big free agent yet they should spend their cash else where to build up their system until they become relevant and then go get the big bat. Mark Teixeira is not the answer in Washington. Whats he going to do fill the seats for the first 40 home games en route to a 90 loss season while hitting .290 with 35 homers and 100RBI? Thats to say he would even go there. Why would a player of his caliber want to lose 80-100 games for the next 3-5 years? When hes 33 or 35 years old hell be out of his prime even if the Nationals start t become relevant. If Mark Teixeira wanst to win he goes to Boston or LA so he is in the spotlight for the next 8 years. If he wants to walk down the streets and not be noticed he goes to Washington if he wants a media frenzy he goes to Red Sox Nation where his best shot is to win a world series and be in contention for one year in and year out.
I watched your "Hot Stove Show" last night on MASN for Nationals news. It is advertised as a show to cover the both Nationals and the Orioles. You fail to acknowledge in the first segment that the Nationals are even bidding for Teixera, and there is no discussion of their chances to get him -- it is a complete discussion of his chances of going to the Orioles. Nationals fans then suffered through an interview with two Orioles before Randy St. Claire is on in the final segment. Then, your question is to ask him to describe Tim Redding to Orioles fans because the Orioles are trying to sign him away from the Nationals (this after St. Claire stated that he hoped Redding would re-sign with the Nats). Then you start bringing up Garrett Olson. Nationals fans -- and in fact St. Claire too -- could care less about Garrett Olson.
Now, you write an article taking a cheap shot at the city of Washington and then begrudingly admit that Teixera is being pursued by the Nats, but implicit in this article is that it would be a bad thing if the Nationsls signed him instead of the Orioles.
What kind of Nationals coverage is this? Maximum access??
Please. Ask your employer to release the Nationals from the slavery TV contract MLB imposed on them when they moved to DC and allow the Nationals to be covered fairly like all other major league teams.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I say the Nationals should be taken seriously. Did you miss that part? That was the whole point of the story, Ray. And I told St. Clair that I knew the Nats were trying to re-sign Redding, and could he talk more about him for fans who hadn't seen him pitch much. Earlier I asked him about the Nationals' rotation, and later about Bobby Brownlie. But I do cover the Orioles, so of course I'm going to have a better feel for what they're doing. Same with Jim Hunter. But we have Phil Wood in studio from the Nationals side. You might want to watch more shows before passing judgment. Or rent a movie. Whatever floats your boat. As for my "cheap shot" at Washington, sorry if you don't see where playing a bowl game in the cold at RFK Stadium might not send a bunch of college kids into a frenzy. Though I'm sure it beats Hawaii or Arizona or Pasadena or Orlando or... - Roch
Will Nationals "fans" who aren't attending games now, really care if Tex plays there? It's not like he's the missing piece of the puzzle to making the franchise a contender.
Wait, I'm confused...is this the Orioles page or Nationals page? LOL
Everyone assumes that Angelos isn't going to (over)spend for Teixeira, but this is such an unusual situation with Tex being a hometown boy that I think all bets are off. MacPhail gave us hope in that regard with his quote about there being "flexibility" in the O's offer.
So, the question isn't a question about whether Angelos will up the ante, but ultimately how far up he goes before he reaches his spending ceiling. How much flexibility is he giving MacPhail?
With all the money coming off the books in the next couple of years, there's no reason why he can't go head-to-head with Henry on this. And if the money's comparable, I'm pretty sure Teixeira would rather play for an Orioles team that's on the rise, that's going to be a contender for years to come, for whom he's always wanted to play, and for whom he'll be the face of the franchise, than for a Red Sox team that, as good as it is, has started to spring a few leaks due to injury, age or mediocrity (such as Varitek, Lugo, Drew, Lowell, Wakefield), and for whom he be just another star.
At least that's how we all hope he's thinking.
Amazing. It looks like the WOW offer is from the Nats, who offer him no chance to win. This is great. Like you, I still think he backs down and signs with Boston. Just get it over with, pal. Roch- Are you as tired of this as I am?
One important point: Stan Kasten was not "playing the Andy MacPhail role". Just because Angelos has an illegitimate claim on the Nats' broadcast rights doesn't mean that the Nationals can only be explained through the prism of the Orioles. I am not sure that the Nationals TV ratings will get to where they should be when they are broadcast on a station that treats them as a second-class asset.
Otherwise, it was a good take on the situation, and we Nats fans are happy to finally see the Lerners make an honest attempt to invest in the team. If Texeira signs, fantastic, but if he doesn't I hope the Nats continue to see it necessary to spend now to improve the team from the depths of last year.
Hey Roch,
I put on the MASN hot stove show last night at my girlfriend's place. She said she couldn't watch it because it was just three dudes in a studio sitting still.
I don't know how much longer I'll have her if this Teixeira thing isn't resolved soon.
Nice interview with Luuuuke, though.
Jay
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Ha. We could take turns running around the desk, but it's pushed against a wall. - Roch
Randy -
Are you truly hooked on phonics. Read the dang post before showing your ignorance. Geeeeeeeeeeeeez. If you truly read the post - you wouldn't have written such a ridiculous post.
No offense - But the majority of the MASN viewing audience could care less about the Nats. I live in AZ and the only reason I got DirecTV was to give more Orioles coverage. That's Orioles coverage - not Nationals coverage.
Oh, and take Redding. Take him back please - and add a side order of Daniel Cabrera while you're at it.
Ray you better not scold Roch!
I am the only one that can do that!
I think the longer this goes on, the better the O's chances are of signing Tex. I do agree with you in the respect that I see him going to the BoSox. This will allienate so many fans. You think attendance is humiliating now, wait to you see empty sections not here and there but most places. Most tickets sales now are coroporate seats. But when they cant even give the seats away...that is when you will see them stop buying the season tickets and PA pocket start to feel it.
He is all about money....and until you hit him in the pocket, he wont give a rats do do! Now do I think he will go 8 / 180 to bring Tex home....not in this lifetime. I hope I am wrong????
Roch do you think the O's will go 8 / 180 ?
The payroll for the O's was over $100M in the 90's. This decade it's been at $80M or less. We've shaved salaries since the Belle debacle. Angelos is not losing money, including the recent addition of MASN. If he is "saving" $20M per year for the last several years, where is it?
This is like paying off your mortgage and next month you have an extra thousand dollars in your budget. For the next 5 years, you have $1K per month extra to spend. Where does this money go?
Angelos put an offer in to buy the Redskins a while back for $500M, remember? He's got money... I do not agree that he doesn't care about the fans or winning, but he does NOT know baseball or what to do with money. He threw good money after an old ballplayer (Albert Belle) and was shocked that player got hurt!!??
How about shelling out the dough for a future Jim Thome while he's still in his 20's? And our payroll will be right back around $100M/year.
I think that the Nationals will make a strong push and perhaps even overpay if need be to land “Tex.”
As someone who lives in Washington I know that Ted Lerner is about winning and respect. He is a proud man who has given Stan Kasten and Jim Bowden the money to establish a pipeline in Central America and the Caribbean. They have singed 14 players from that region and they just opened their relationship with a Japanese Academy. So they have established an international presence.
Baseball America 2008 Prospect Handbook rated the Nationals minor league prospects as the 9th best in baseball up from 30th in 2007. It is the Stan Kasten way. Build from the ground up with great prospects and add just the right amount of vets. It served him well while the President of the Braves.
It seems that both the Nats and the O’s want to build from homegrown prospects and that is good news for fans of both teams.
But Lerner knows that he needs to establish and cultivate a fan base in Virginia and Maryland so investing in “Tex” is a move that is both good for marketing as well as good for building a team.
So while he may sign someplace else I know it won’t be for lack of trying or wiliness to spend cash and that is all I can expect of an owner. Good luck to both the O’s and the Nats I hope in the end that one of us gets him.
Baseball America’s Top Ten for 2008
1. Tampa Bay
2. Boston
3. Cincinnati
4. Texas
5. Yankees
6. LA Dodgers
7. Colorado
8. Atlanta
9. WASHINGTON
10. LA Angels
Roch,
I wonder how much longer we can pine over Tex. He's like the pretty girl in high school.Everybody is asking her to the prom. She's holding out for the best offer. As the prom nears you look around the room and realize if you wait too much longer you'll be taking your cousin.
So what do you do ? Wait for the prom queen or ask the funny girl with the great personality?
I think what people are failing to realize is that; YES with the kind of money Lerner has the NATIONALS could pony up for the 10 yrs $200 million but...THEY'RE STILL THE FREAKIN' NATIONALS!!!!!!
Why would Teixeira want to come to a team even worse off than the MARLINS??? There's NO WAY by just siging Teixeira that they draw enough people to NOT lose money evey season he's there and then besides that with all their money tied up in TEX where the heck will they get money to put a decent team around him?
In my opinion the reason the NATS' are even in this is to attract the attention of cheaper free agents and if it's not it should be. What that team needs is to pick up a few veteran leadership type guys who can help mold their young talent. With the team as a "viable" contender for Teixeira they've actually done themselves a favor in showing other players that they ARE willing to spend to contend. The worst thing they could do is land Tex and if you need any proof of that just look at what this very same scenario did to the TEXAS RANGERS in 2000 when Tom Hicks gave the largest free agent contract in history to A-Rod. they still drew no one because they couldn't afford to field a competitive team after singing Pay-ROD and the were a sub .500 team until they dumped him on those dopes in NY.
And to any of you Orioles fans who think that the "hometown boy" will come home because he wants to play near home think about this...he lives in Texas and none of the teams he's played for over the last year and a half are anywhere near Texas. He could live wherever he wants that home town discount idea is B.S. this guy wants money and he wants to contend.
If Tex signs with the Nats the Orioles are done. That would be the end. Allowing a team that is both worse and local to get him would be pathetic. Angelos has often been pathetic so I can easily see him screwing up this opportunity too.
The Nats would be a prison sentence for Mark
Wouldn't DC signing Teixiera for an exorbitant amount be the same thing Texas did with A-Rod? Teixiera witnessed the results of that fiasco first-hand and I doubt he would want to re-live it.
Ray... I understand how the 3 Nats fans that tuned into the show last night would be upset at the lack of coverage. Oh well... make your own show in Northern Virginia and leave our BALTIMORE reporters alone! Most of MASN viewers are here because Comcast is DC's sports station. How much did you complain when Capital games pre-empted the O's broadcast??
I'd rather watch 3 men sit in a room and talk than 3 men dress up as female pigs at a football game!
Roch, when will the studio get a Baltimore AWAY jersey on the wall? I saw them at the mall today and my heart warmed.
The nationals have offered the highest contract to Tex , that is why he hasn't decided yet. Tex wants to win on the east coast, the Bosox know this , that is why they are simply waiting for Tex to take the second best offer.............
Roch , if you guys could juggle , the hot stove would be better . What you juggle is up to you !
get real mark would never sign with washington,heck i'm 49 and out of shape and i would'nt, seriously if he did after the deal pete cut with the nats in regards to MASN it would make him look real foolish
Corey,
I'll take your opinion and raise you one:
Here's ESPNs list of the worst owners in sports:
http://espn.go.com/page2/s/2001/0710/1224543.html (#2 behind the Clippers owner)
To quote the piece:
"Quickly turned one of the majors' classiest franchises into baseball's version of the Clippers."
Here's Sports Illustrated's:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/jon_heyman/07/23/owners/1.html (#2 behind the Royals owner)
Excellent quote from that piece:
"Angelos may be the world's greatest at making money through asbestos litigation, but he's going down as one of the worst owners in baseball history."
Sun Sentinel in Florida had him 4 although this is a year old and is the old Rays owner:
http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_baseball_marlins/2007/07/ranking-the-own.html
the writer argued that Angelos should be 1 with this quote:
"I’d make Angelos the worst with Glass a close second. Angelos had more to work with and has turned Baltimore into a perennial loser."
So Corey, I know i'm in the "minority" here, but I believe Angelos won't throw us O's fans a bone here. Now I will give credit where it's due and MacPhail I think will be the long term solution to this team.
But like i've stated on here (and before this Tex scenario i was NEVER a blog poster, but I need somewhere to vent this bubbling frustration), I think if the O's were run properly our fan base would be larger than the Red Sox, because we could have fans from NC even SC all the way up to South PA and west to almost Ohio.
That's bigger than New England.
So I hate hearing about "Break the bank" on one player and all that garbage and I hate to hear about 3 year rebuilding plans when we don't have a 1st base prospect in the minors and Tex is going to be all star quality for 7 years probably...maybe more.
With a regional TV network and a "potential" enormous fan base our teams salary budget should be well over $100million. I'm not talking Yankees, but I'm talking Angels/Dodgers and eventually Red Sox. We'll see our down the road DC team be increasing their payroll way before we do I'm guessing. Their owner seems to have that hunger to win. If ours did...we'd be winning.
So it's taken me over a decade but i'm at my final straw with Angelos. Tex isn't the savior. He's not in the top 10 players in baseball...but he is a monster player, he's "our" guy and we should overspend to get him. And we are getting outbid by the Nationals.
So I'm frustrated and it's somewhat pathetic that I've probably posted about 15 posts in the last week over this Tex fiasco, but I'm not the only one angry over this scenario. Heck even my Fiance is ranting over this and she's only been an Orioles fan since we've been together.
Corey, I hope we swoop in and sign Tex. But the Red Sox owner and GM don't fly out to Texas for starter negotiations...they go to close the deal. It wasn't an "Orioles will get to match the offer" kind of thing. To think that is quite naive. This is the Red Sox here, not us. I'm guessing its just like the writers are saying and Boras and Henry are playing chicken.
If we don't get Tex we won't be spending that money on pitchers. We don't play ball with big money. Burnett I know we were interested and I was excited at first, but he's no where near worth that contract and I'm glad we didnt get that crazy. Sabathia...we'll NEVER pay that kind of money for a pitcher. We are stuck with the Paul Byrds of the world...we couldnt even afford Jon Garland.
Now we can't even afford those Japanese pitchers we were getting pegged with.
My dad was drafted by the Astros in 1968 and I bet he could make our rotation now.
Realistically our only shot on that level is our Double A staff prospects pan out and we sign them to extensions early, although I'm thinking we won't be able to do that after watching how long we are screwing around with Markakis.
Now if we don't sign Tex, we aren't re-signing Roberts.
So what team needs him? Cubs? Not so much anymore. Even if they did their farm system is terrible and they aren't parting with Vitters for Roberts even straight up. We don't need a Felix Pie either. I'd rather see Montanez and Scott in left field.
I'm not sure there's a huge market there for Roberts. So we are going to probably lose him for draft picks. So much for keeping our own guys. And I see Markakis (who I believe is from NY) seeing this team not being serious about contending...asking for a huge amount of money for an extension, not getting it and bolting in what 3 years?
I know Corey I'm just off the deep end here, but what real Orioles fan isn't after all these years. It's like all us fans are screaming "Yes sir may I have another" to a whipping by our owner if you still hope Angelos is going to change his ways.
Roch, As much as I would love to have a local guy like Tex on the team, I do not see how signing him gives the O's that big a lift right now. He's no Cal Ripken and he is not a guy who can carry a team for even a few games.
While the team does not have as many holes as it used to on the field, it is still not "there" yet.
Getting Jones last year and Izturis this fall took care of a couple holes. Locking down Roberts and Markakis would also be tremendous. But even a great defensive team with a huge offensive potential is not going to help if we can only throw out 1 quality starter. And Guthrie is really not a #1....
Olson and Liz are not there and, of the 2, only Liz looks like he might even be a serviceable starter. Patton's 2008 was lost and he will need to recover. Albers is not going to be 100% and does not look like a starter in any case. Johnson has bombed badly as a starter and converting him back after a dominant 2008 would be foolish (not that that has ever stopped the O's before....). The O's feel no need or desire to force feed Tillman.
On top of all this, Tex is not worth the kind of money being discussed nor the contract length. Anybody remember Albert Belle? Tex is not the selfish, dare I say "brooding" jerk Belle was, but that is not the point.
Belle consistently had among the best offensive stats in baseball before the O's signed him. And while he was always a jerk, who could foresee how much he would dog it as an O? And no one could have predicted the hip injury. But after signing him to a (then) huge deal for too long a term they were stuck with him after he wouldn't then couldn't play.
The numbers for Tex have been good but no where near has dominant as Belle's were. Tex has been picked up by Atlanta and by the Anaheim, near Los Angeles, in California and not far from Nevada, Arizona and even Mexico Angels without a noticeable impact.
Rather than blow the budget on a guy who is not going make our starting rotation any better, I would much rather see the O's put this amount of effort into finding the best pitching available.
Wait, I'm confused...is this the Orioles page or Nationals page? LOL
Everyone assumes that Angelos isn't going to (over)spend for Teixeira, but this is such an unusual situation with Tex being a hometown boy that I think all bets are off. MacPhail gave us hope in that regard with his quote about there being "flexibility" in the O's offer.
So, the question isn't a question about whether Angelos will up the ante, but ultimately how far up he goes before he reaches his spending ceiling. How much flexibility is he giving MacPhail?
With all the money coming off the books in the next couple of years, there's no reason why he can't go head-to-head with Henry on this. And if the money's comparable, I'm pretty sure Teixeira would rather play for an Orioles team that's on the rise, that's going to be a contender for years to come, for whom he's always wanted to play, and for whom he'll be the face of the franchise, than for a Red Sox team that, as good as it is, has started to spring a few leaks due to injury, age or mediocrity (such as Varitek, Lugo, Drew, Lowell, Wakefield), and for whom he be just another star.
At least that's how we all hope he's thinking.
This is getting kind of funny. We have two last place teams saying which choice would be better for “Tex.”
I would submit that the Nationals who are entering only their 3rd year under Stan Kasten and the Lerner’s are better off than the Orioles.
Anyone who really knows baseball will tell you that making up ground in the NL East is far easier than it is in the AL East. There is no guarantee that Kasten who was one of the driving forces behind the 14 year success of the Braves can turn the Nationals into winners but his track record does bode well for getting the franchise turned in the right direction.
The Orioles have another respected baseball man in Andy MacPhail who won World Series titles with the Twins. But winning or even competing in the AL East with the Red Sox, Yankees the Rays and even the Blue Jays is a daunting task. I wish Andy well, I am not an Oriole or Baltimore hater.
But the smart money would be on the Nationals succeeding before the O’s and please stop with the how bad the Nationals were last year. Both Washington and Baltimore finished in last place. I was at Camden Yards where when there are sellouts it is because the Yankees or the Red Sox are in town and cheering louder than Orioles fans who do show up.
So to me both teams have work to do and neither is in a place to brag or be little the other.
I want to see Tex in a Nationals uniform and I really feel that he will play for Washington before Baltimore because this is about the money. But if he does go with the Red Sox every time he returns home to Baltimore there will be plenty of Red Sox fans in the house to cheer him on so in that respect he could go to Boston and still be a hero in Baltimore…
Can’t we all just get along and root for the Nats and the Orioles? I root for the O’s when they aren’t playing the Nats…..
Jedd- I think Corey is confused by the passion that you somehow still possess for a franchise that has been run into the ground and has only recently displayed the slow ascent towards mediocrity.
Btw- We have some nerve to proclaim ourselves as superior to the Nationals. I can see it clearly in many of your posts and even I am guilty of it. But is there really a measurable gap between the 2 franchises? We are far closer to the Nationals than we are to the 4th place Blue Jays for example. Are any of you truly confident we will be challenging for the AL East crown in 3 years? Call me delusional, but I think signing Tex alters the timeline considerably. That's why fans are going nuts here. It is the one chance (albeit an outside one) to be moderately competitively in the near future.
Since its patently obvious that most Orioles fans care zip about the National League, it's not terribly surprising that so many people post that, "oh, the Nationals lost 102 games last year, they're terrible, who'd want to play for them? yadayadayada" Orioles fans are quite aware that the Birds used 6 different shortstops in 2008, but they're likely not aware that the Nats, due to injuries, used 6 different players at every infield position in 2008. I heard that today on the radio and doubted it, but looked it up, and it's true. Since the Nats came to town the Orioles have done no better, either on the field or in the stands, so as someone who supports both teams, in the words of Archie Bunker, "Shut up you!" The anti-DC bias in Baltimore is vicious, yet many DC area residents still support the Orioles. The small-mindedness of a lot of Baltimore fans is particularly fascinating, unless of course they're selling their tickets to Yankee or Red Sox fans (or in football, to Steelers fans). It's a huge market- we've seen more than 5 million tickets sold for big league baseball in a single season in these parts. If you're a baseball fan, it's fabulous to have a game to go see every night; if you're just another provincial Baltimorean, your universe ends at 695, and the real world is of little import.
How many of you Oriole fans out there really think Mark Teixeira is the anwser for what is wrong with the O's!
Was I the only one that noticed they were next to last in team ERA last year?
I can remember one of the 93 losses I watched last year that, when it was over, I said to myself,"boy if we just would have had Mark Teixeira, we would have won that game".
There are three things this team needs....PITCHING, PITCHING & More PITCHING!
GHR,
Tom Boswell of the Washington Post wrote ridiculously optimistic stories about the Nats' before Washington got the franchise. We O's fans remember Senators teams that were as bad as our Orioles and your Nationals are now -- but, Baltimore had glory years, many, many of them, and employed some of the game's all-time superstars: Brooks, Frank, 'Cakes, Cal, plus a heckuva lotta guys who hustled their butts off for the best manager of his era, the Earl himself. D.C. got the Nats because baseball wanted to make Congress happy, keep its monopoly and try to buy off the steroid dogs. Got a great free stadium and can't even draw fans in Year Two. Lerner may become the Steinbrenner of the NL, but there's a difference between buying a team and building a legacy. And hey, how 'bout y'all's TV ratings?