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thanks for ruining my day.. just kidding. Go ravens

This obsession over one player has gone off the deep end. For us to spend right now before the house is even completely demolished is a bad idea. Funny how we wanted Pete to butt out of the baseball decisions but now everyone wants him to ride in on his white horse and blow up the budget for one 40 VORP guy. Stay the course Andy and build this from the ground up.

Thanks for chasing all of this down Roch. I know how closely people have been following this, and I appreciate the amount of effort put in, even if it was only a dumb rumor.

What makes you think Mark is even gonna be at the game?

He's probably at the Patriots game with the Red Sox GM. This whole thing just is dumb.

I guess I'm cynical today.

Roch,

I'd like to repeat what Brian said below. Thank you.

That Roy Firestone! He managed to make me cry again!

Another embarrasing episode for the fine folks at Orioles Hangout. Roy Firestone (oh, excuse me, Emmy-winning Roy Firestone. How long ago was that? 1941? When about half the population didn't even know TV had been invented.) Anyway, they give big play to his "report" which suppposedly substantiated rumors Tex and Angelos would be at the football game today. Then, some, (I emphasize some) are critical of the actual journalists such as Roch who are not permitted to run every rumor that comes down the pike. Sure, it's a great site to chit-chat about the Birds but everytime they get anywhere near journalism it blows up in their face. I believe it's true some of their posters occasionally get inside info, but the site as a whole has very little credibility when it comes to news. The Brian Roberts thing last year is another fiasco. Makes you wonder of they'll do anything to increase their page views and get higher ad rates so they can work on their other message board ventures.

Angelos is at home...planning how to ruin Christmas

Well Angelos certainly should have hosted him at the game! He should have had the suite stocked and also invited Nick Markakis and Matt Wieters, so the three could talk about winning a championship in Baltimore.
And they should have had some O's wives giving Teixiera's wife tours of the best private schools in the area. And taken a tour of Johns Hopkins Hospital. Had some crabcakes and gone swimming with Michael Phelps. Talked financial planning with Bill Miller (then again, maybe not). The point is they need to put some real effort into this, because the fact is all else equal he'd rather be here, so they need to remind him what's great about this area.

McPhail has been very ho hum about Tex all along. He'd be perfectly happy with someone like Heinske in the position for a couple million. If Tex signed it would be because Pete stepped in not because McPhail wanted him.If they signed Tex and extended BRob and Nick it would be close to a 3rd of the payroll and not much left to spend on any other name players.McPhail is looking to cut payroll not add to it which is why I doubt he'll make a serious offer to bRob or extend Nick.He'll lowball BRob then trade him saying they couldn't reach a deal.Pretty stunning to me how much the McPhail worshippers believe in the guy,he's a cost cutter not a contender builder.

Yea, Mark flew out to Oakland to see the pats game. right...

PGA may not be at the game, but Tex definitely is, according to some OH sources that are at the game.
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As long as these aren't the same sources who said there was a physical scheduled for Monday. Nobody said Tex wasn't at the game. But he wasn't meeting with Peter Angelos. Big, big difference. - Roch

Do you think the Orioles have gotten Cal to help bring Tex to Baltimore?

I was thinking about your earlier post concerning the tight lipped nature of the FO, and the medias ability to report on it. I think it's precisely that close to the vest stance, which may be good for baseball transactions, that is absolutely killing the fans. Clearly the desire among the fans for a winning team is strong. The losing is ridiculous, and when you consider that the direction of the team is not clear, and the only information coming out of the FO is about trading Ramon and signing Izturis, or interest in Garland and Byrd, we're left feeling really underwhelmed. Some of the ideas that the FO floats through the media are really bad ones - like signing Garland. Others are completely uninspiring - like Izturis and Uehara. How much more patience can they expect?
Thanks for doing what you do so well.

WHAT A DISSAPPOINTMENT!

MEDIA! OWNERSHIP! NO ONE CARES FOR THE FANS. I WONDER WHY I STILL BUY SEASON TICKETS AFTER 1997 FIASCO.

MARK IS PROBABLY GOING GREEDY LIKE THE REST. GO AHEAD AND SIGN WITH THE SOX OR YANKEES AND SEE ALL THOSE FANS IN BALTIMORE TOO.

I THOUGHT HE WAS DIFFERENT. THEIR IS ONLY ON CAL RIPKIN AND ONLY ONE BROOKS ROBINSON. I THOUGHT HE WOULD BE ONE THAT WOULD CHANGE OUR MIND ABOUT THESE GREEDY PLAYERS AND GIVE SOMETHING BACK TO HIS HOMETOWN. . . . . . .

I'M DONE FOLLOWING THIS BS . . . .

Hey Mark,
Enough already, sign the contract, with us or someone else, I really don't care. NO ballplayer is worth that kind of money, for what, playing a child's game? I don't care how good you play it. It's a GAME, that's why your participation is called "playing". There are folks losing their JOBS, folks losing their SAVINGS, and I'm supposed to get excited because some "local" boy "might" decide to take 150 MILLION dollars to play for the O's, and have his future secured for GENERATIONS??? Man, am I excited.....NOT!!! This is totally out of control. And don't tell me that's the cost of doing business. A baseball player, like any other commodity, is worth whatever someone is willing to pay, and we have passed my idea of worth long ago. Give the money to the widow of some firefighter or Police Officer, or the parents of a soldier KIA. THEY deserve it, they've paid the price. They HAVE earned it.

Go O's! Escape the insanity.

Anyone doubt now that the Steelers or stealers are the luckiest franchise in the NFL? I mean give me a break.
A muffed punt, taken an extra 30 yards changes the entire outcome of the game.
Last week, a team boofs a 10 point lead with 5 minutes to go when the TE slips.
If ever a team bus deserved to hit an ice patch. OK, so I'm going to hell.
On the flip side of that, I have never seen a team so BAD at stopping last second drives.

ROCH- WHERE, IN THOSE REPLAYS, WAS THERE IRREFUTABLE EVIDENCE THAT THAT CALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN OVERTURNED?
Terrible.
An Injury to Fabian Washington, with the undying luck of the berry-faced fruit Roethlesberger might have just eliminated us from the playoffs.

That'd be interesting if he was at the game considering now that according to the New York Post the Yankees are now in the hunt for Tex.

Roch,

Great stuff and very theropeutic, after watching the Steelers drive 93 yards in Ray's house it was either heavy drinking and read your blogs. I thank you and may wife thanks you.

I will stick to my percentages and maybe even increase them as I have yet to see a confirmed report of a Boston offer, though if I am right I am sure they are keeping their eyes and ears open for any Yankee rumors. I will say we are at 65% with an official announcement coming Friday as next week some team officials will be gone for the holiday. But then again, I have been wrong before.

What happened to the Japanese pitchers? I was thinking we were in one one maybe two and now Boston and Atlanta have gotten involved. That does not look promising. Not alot of talk concerning Byrd or Garland though, which is promising. My guess here is that one or two pitchers next year will come from some team looking to dump salary and will only cost a fringe player in return if the O's eat the salaries.

Keep your chin up Roch against the negative post, my boss is a Steelers fan and tomorrow I get the honor of wearing a Steeler jersey all day because I am the Bart Scott of trash talking at the facility. And how would you like your crow sir?

Roch,whats going on man? You didn't see Tex in the Masn suite but other people are saying they saw him there. Any comment?
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My comment is Peter Angelos wasn't at the game meeting with Mark Teixeira, and Teixeira wasn't in the MASN suite when I was there. And the people from MASN who were "hosting" today said he wasn't there. And who cares if he was at M&T Bank Stadium. He's entitled to watch a game. Is that news? The guy's from here. If he's home for the holidays and the Ravens are here, I'd expect him to attend a game. Stop the presses!- Roch

ESPN sucks for getting my hopes up today. I was detailing out a perfect sunday with Teixeira hanging out with Angelos and him coming out to introduce himself as the new Oriole. As the evening went on I realized that Angelos would never take his decrepit ass out to a football game, but i hope Teixeira realizes this is his best move for a career. I haven't been keeping up with the whole ordeal but has Cal given him a call, i know he was his childhood hero. We need Cal to call him for a "recruiting" pitch esp if he does sign Cal may be owning the team during his tenure. There is still hope.

Roch don't let any of these knuckleheads irritate you. They're just spiteful. Have a good one

-Dan

Alright Roch, I'm finally going to break the official news to everyone on your blog....

No word on Tex, but Albert Belle was .a guest of PA's at the game today. Word on the street is that Belle is coming out of retirement and the O's are planning a blockbuster deal that would surpass ARod's.

You heard it here first...

get a clue folks. baseball is big business and tex is under a lot of pressure from the mlbpa. he "owes" it to the other players to get market value. the only reason the Os are getting a mention is tex has asked boras to get him there. he wants to play for b'more. if they come close with an actual offer, he will go there. unfortunately, i don't think petey is truly interested in tying up that kind of coin and will just flirt and rumor offers and then blame the big boys when tex goes somewhere else.

How can Belle run with that thing on his ankle? Will they let him drive around the bases in his SUV?