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Roch we get no respect. . .unbelievable that neither Harbaugh or Flacco would garner 0 votes!

Hopefully the O's can corral some pitching before the herd thins even more. . .

Roch, What's the deal with Lance Cormier? I thought he didn't a good job for the O's last year. You were busy putting up that list of names. Thank you.

Intriguing names there. For obvious reasons I believe Dunn, Garland, Sheets and Abreu will have the biggest numbers at the end of the year, depending on where they sign.

Largest upside who could be had cheap? Marl Prior. He has the best stuff on the board. Mulder would be a close 2nd.

The names that stike me are Rodrigo Lopez and John Parrish, guys who could give you innings, come cheap, and are familiar with the organization.

A Roberts deal could be in the works if the O's try to sign one of those available 2nd basemen left.

The closer we get to February the cheaper the players come. We should see names flying off the board in the next week and a half.

Off that list we should go after Dunn first to play first. Then go after Zaun and/or Estrada behind that plate until Matt gets here. Work to go after Looper and Garland on 2 year deals, if they won't take 2 yrs tell them see ya bye! Try to get Pavano and Garcia to sign 1yr incentive laden deals and see them at spring training.

Flacco was hosed!!!

Roch- i still think that Mulder should get some attention from the O's. He reminds me of one of those guys who has injury problems and someone gives him a 2nd chance and he climbs back on top. At 31, he could still be relevant. If they were willing to give that much to AJ Burnett at 32. A 2 year deal with an option would probably land him at this point. What could it hurt to take a few chances?
I also think that the O's should pick up a lefty releiver. Just in case Walker struggles again and they have to release him.
They should sign a minimum of 2 starters off that list. Kawakami and Mulder would be my favorites.
Have they brought up his name at all? Just in passing maybe? Could you ask Andy? I mean, if they talked to Colon's agent, the Mulder should get a call at least.

Hey Rick.

Come on man. No respect?! The Ravens were a good quarterback away from being competitive the past few years. Harbaugh did a great job of dealing with a lot of the BS that has typically come with coaching the Ravens, but he didn't do a better job than Smith or Sparano. Heck, he didn't even do a better job than Belichick. Flacco also had a phenomenal year for a rookie qb, but he wasn't even close to the best offensive rookie. Matt Ryan looks to be the real deal and you should be excited that we at least have a competent quarterback. Who cares if they get the respect or not?

That respect card doesn't work anymore.

Roch,
One name that excited me a little was Joe Crede. Any word on where he might be heading? He's got a tall ceiling, but is too inconsistent for the big teams. Perhaps its just me, but I've never been content with Mora at 3rd, even though he has put up some great numbers. He just seems to make bad mistakes at the wrong time.
Thanks

Hey Roch, some of those guys are uncertain for next year right? Like roger clemens and others? I was suprised by how old most of these people are, I mean they're free agents who have run out sometimes long contracts, but I'm suprised at some of the guys who are still trying to come back again if they indeed are, namely vizquel, floyd and Alou. Not a very interesting group, maybe a couple of the pitchers, but I'm sort of leaning towards the idea of trading Roberts for players that might be ready with our young pitchers. particularly infielders as we are over whelmed with outfielders and seem to have no one coming up in the infield worth mentioning. That's not including our future catcher to be of course.

Johnny Estrada and Paul Byrd. Let's get it done. Estrada is a guy who can hit for average, which is all we need till Wieters is ready. He also calls a pretty decent game.

Wow, a lot of players who are over 30 years old. Moises Alou is still around? Yikes.

Hard to believe that there are a few 20-somethings in that list. I personally hope we sign one of the Japanese pitchers, Uehara or Kenshin. And then, sign one more pitcher. After that, get that big bat. All the while, keep negotiating with Markakis and Roberts.

my "get no respect" comment plays to the idea that the national media clearly overlooks Baltimore teams, while constantly paying deference to the biggies, e.g., New York, Los Angeles, etc.

However, overlooking the achievements of the Ravens is unbelievable, especially with respect to those who "won" the awards. My beef is that our guys didn't even warrant a single vote??? That's biased crap.

Now, overlooking or ignoring the O's. . .that's unfortunately understandable.

I'm just looking forward to the time when the O's do turn the corner and become as great as this wonderful city again deserves.

To Joel:

I don't have an additional package either. It is on my cable and shows as 280. But, when I go to that channel, all I get is a black screen, and the always faithful message "Please contact Comcast for the subscription to this channel."

So I am not sure what the process is for this since I thought the channel was supposed to be free for Comcast customers since it was so frequently advertised.

Every time I think of Adam Dunn I think of Dave Kingman - lots of massive HRs but lots more strikeouts. Is that totally wrong? Would he thrive in the AL?

What's the deal with Jason Jennings? He is still fairly young and thought to be a budding star for the Rockies. A couple of years ago the Astros gave up like 4 guys for him. Of course the Astros haven't exactly been the sharpest traders in MLB (see Tejada, Miguel). Is Jennings a total loss at the ripe old age of 30?

Roch, I've shortened the list to the ones that remotely interest me. Are any of these guys on the radar:

Catchers
Ivan Rodriguez (37)

First basemen
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Jason Giambi (38)

Postion Players/ DH
Garret Anderson (37)
Adam Dunn (29)
Luis Gonzalez (41)
Manny Ramirez (37)
Jim Edmonds (39)
Bobby Abreu (35)
Ken Griffey Jr. (39)
Eric Hinske (31)
Milton Bradley (31)
Jason Giambi (38)
Jose Vidro (34)

Starting pitchers
Paul Byrd (38)
Bartolo Colon (36)
Jon Garland (29)
Livan Hernandez (34)
Kenshin Kawakami (34)
Braden Looper (34)
Rodrigo Lopez (33)
Derek Lowe (36)
Odalis Perez (32)
Oliver Perez (27)
Sidney Ponson (32)
Tim Redding (31)
Ben Sheets (30)
Koji Uehara (34)
Randy Wolf (32)

Relievers
Lance Cormier (28)

Rick,
I agree with the fact that they were a good team before, but your other comments sound like you are not a Ravens fan.
To the adam Dunn lovers, bad move
To the garland lovers, bad move
Like The Mulder idea if his price is not driven up into the realm of ridiculous which to me is anything over 2 million for 2 years.
Tha being said this is what i would do.
Roberts for Gavin Floyd to Cicago.
I would shop Aubrey Huff, the angels have plenty of money and it seems like a town Aubrey Hiff would be happy in. They Might be able to sign him long term and solve there 1rst base problems. They have money to sign some of the big free agent pitchers still left, and Hufff is a better bat than any on the market!! Maybe we can pry the other Baltimore boy, Joe saunders from them.
Imagine this rotation.

joe saunders
Jeremy Guthrie
gavin Floyd
Kenshin Kawakami
Mark Hendrickson

Linup

Ryan Freel 2b
Nick Markakis RF
Melvin Mora 3b
Matt Wieters C
Luke scott DH
Oscar Salazar 1b
Adam Jones CF
Lou Montanez LF
Cesar Izturis SS

Relievers

Jamie Walker
Danys Baez
Dennis sarafate
Matt Albers
Chris Ray
Jim Johnson
George Sherrill

reserves

Chad Moeller C
Donnie Murphy INF
Nolan Reimold OF
Scott Moore 1b, 3b, OF

In the minors plan B for broke down pitching pushing way up to majors

Brian Burres
Hayden penn
Troy patton
kam Mickolio
garret Olson
Rhademes Liz
Brad Hennesy
Chorye Spoon

Pitching given more development time

Brad Bergensen
Chris Berken
David Hernandez
Chris Tillman
Brandon Erbe
Jake Arrieta
Brian Matusz

Backup position players
Billy Rowell
Brandon Snyder
Guillermo Quiroz
Mike Costanzo
Tike Redman

I think the O's should check into the following.

C - Estrada or Hall first

1B - ADAM DUNN, please!

SP - See what Chuck James wants, he's only 27 and has had some descent games.

SP - Ben Sheets, but we all know the FO isn't going to take any chances. If he's healthy, he's nasty.

SP - Looper or Fogg, for a year or 2.

Please don't mention R. Lopez, J. Parrish, or any other O's outcast, please. We are building for the future.

Roch, looks like you copied and paste my entry from yesterday about Flacco and Harbaugh!

I found the Rick Kranitz interview on the Hot Stove show posted from the other night, but my question is how come the Luke Scott and Ryan Freel interviews were not posted from the 12-19-08 show?? I missed those interviews and I would love to hear them. So, can you tell me why they are not there??
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I'll ask someone at MASN if they can post that show. - Roch

JPA - Yes, I did say that I would hate to see Kawakami block our young pitching. I think I heard that he is looking for 3 years/$8 mil per year. If we were to get him he would be here til 2011. He's 34 now and has no track record in the states. There's no telling how he'll do here, especially the first year. Dice K, though he won 15 games pitching for the Red Sox offense, was pretty erratic his first year and by all reports this guy's no Dice K. By 2010, Bergeson, Hernandez, and Tillman could all be ready to go. Matusz and Arrieta, at the latest 2011.

As you say we can shift roles, but Kawakami won't be a long man in 2010 or '11 making 8 mil per year.

You made a great point a few days ago about the Orioles making some high risk-high reward decisions. I agree with you on that and would lean towards making JJ a starter this year as you suggested, but I would much rather see us take the risk with someone like Mark Mulder for a year or two than locking ourselves into a Japanese pitcher for three years.

Chuck James is an interesting name. He had 2 nice seasons and was suppose to be an up-and-comer with the Braves but completely fell apart last year. Roch (or anyone else) do you know what happened to him in '08?

not to be a sticker but Rich Aurilia is in both the 1st and 3rd base positions and I hope for our sake that wasnt a Freudian slip

Pretty sad list of older players but a few...no wonder the O's are being so careful....they need that catcher...Zaun or whoever they choose...and hopefully another starter or two like the Jap guys or Looper, Redding etc type..the rest wow time flies doesn't it....the big bat...hard to tell ..Dunn would be OK....you know what you are getting..big money though you wait and see...Sexton...worth a shot in my opinion...for cheap...all this is unless the O's trade players...and you never know on that....hopefully now that the holidays are over things will pick up steam and we will all know soon...

To his only fan--Johnny Estrada is on this list because he couldn't catch rain with a bucket and pitchers hate throwing to him. For the O's definitely Gregg Zaun as our catcher, we need to get this done.In the rotation grab Colon,Mulder and any healthy proven starter for the back end of the rotation. Mulder is basically at the same point of his career as Jamie Moyer was when he had to recreate himself to be successful. Unlike Jamie,Mulder has already proven that he knows how to win.Give both he and Colon incentive packed 2 year deals and hope that one or both of them can regain their health. It is time to be creative and make some investments that have risks but potentially big rewards.

Oh look, Rodrigo Lopez is available! I kid, I kid.

Of course Zaun is going to say that he would welcome playing just about anywhere. At his age and particular skill level you can't Teixeira the team you want into signing you... you have to leave all your options open. That being said the fact that we NEED a viable starting catcher for the start of the season and a mentor for Weiters I can't understand why the Orioles don't just go ahead and get Zaun if that's who they want. Do we really have to play cat-and-mouse with every single free agent signing? *sigh*

I think Flacco and Harbaugh could care less about any rookie nominations. If they win the Superbowl they'll be recognized far more than just wining a virtually meaningless, baseless voting system award right now.

Roch,

Why is Jay Gibbons not on this list? Does he have a 2009 contract?
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I'll guess because he's considered a minor league free agent. - Roch

I think the team should do everything possible to sign Adam Dunn. Short of Manny, all indications are that every remaining free agent is not likely to get what he wants in these tough economic times. I would offer Dunn $10 million a year for four years or give him $36 mil over three. He's hit 40 homeruns in each of the last four seasons, while averaging 100 rbi. Any way you look at it that offer would be $100 million less than what we were willing to give Teixeira. I would see no problem going as high as $50 mill for four years if need be to get him in an Orioles uniform. By now, everyone realizes that we are going to have to overpay to get someone to come to Baltimore.

Signing Dunn may be our last opportunity to keep Brian Roberts in Baltimore because it would allow us to make some other moves. Assuming the Giants don't get Manny they will be in the market for a guy with some pop in his bat, while having a pitching surplus. Trade Luke Scott to the Giants for 22 year old left-hander Jonathan Sanchez.

If you still can't sign Roberts to an extension then working out a deal for Gavin Floyd would be a plus.

That makes Guthrie, Floyd, and Sanchez the top three in our rotation.

Thanks for the list Roch , I didn't realize so few free agents were under thirty , now I see why rebuilding through free agency is not the way to go.............Gee, the O's have a long way to respectability , could be a rough four or five years for O's fans............How do you stay interested ?

Rodrigo Lopez all the way.

Baldelli would be interesting in left.

Roch, is there any talk in the Warehouse about any of these free agents? Also, any more word on Roberts?

Rick Kranitz mentioned it on the Hot Stove show on Friday that maybe the Orioles need another situational left-hander to share the burden with Jamie Walker. I've been suggesting this since last August. In fact we need a situational lefty to take over that role for Walker. That guy would be Brian Shouse. Yes, he's 40 years old, but has had one bad year in his ML career which began at 34. Last season was arguably his best ever. 5-1, 15 holds, a 2.81 era in 51 innings over 69 appearances. A whip of 1.17, he had one wild pitch and did not hit a batter.

Last season he made $2 million. Even if we pay him that, and in today's market it won't be necessary, that's a drop in the bucket to what Bradford, Baez, and Walker signed for.

Signing this guy to one or even two years should be a no-brainer.

Roch, Your thoughts on considering Pat Burrell as DH and put Huff at 1st base? Burrell is good for 20 plus homers, and could spell pinch hit/left field. Dan
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I'd like to have his bat, but at what cost? And would he want to come here, as opposed to playing for a contender? - Roch

I have looked that list over & made choices before... choices based on the fact the O's will NOT win this year, maybe next year, more likely 2011. With that in mind as well as the POSSIBLE guys arriving for 2010 or 2011...

DUNN, a great hitter for this park. 1B or DH, flips with Huff.
Zaun, The O's need a C. Make some compromise on that 2nd yr issue.
Burrell , ONLY if they can't $ign Dunn. He plays LF if signed..
Looper, for 2 years ONLY, otherwise pass.
Colon, HEAVY incentive deal, 2 years max. Otherwise, see above...
D Lowe, ONLY if none of the 2 above are $igned, 2 years max too.
C Cordero, again, heavy on incentives simply bec/ he is/was good & is only 27.

Isn't it a crying shame Prior is only 27? He had an awesome arm, key word is HAD.

I agree with you Ray that $8 million on a 34 year-old Japanese middle reliever would be very questionable. I have no idea what he ultimately signs for, but $5 million for a few years and some good will towards the Japanese league is well worth it in my book. Too many unknowns at this point to have much of a debate though.

As for Ravens respect- they have the lowest point spread of the weekend for an away team, so Vegas respects them which typically carries the most weight. Just win, and the respect thing takes care of itself. I'm glad Harbaugh hasn't gone down that road. This team is a joy to watch compared to previous years. Did anyone catch the Sun article with all the old Orioles talking about how exciting it was to be Ravens' fans. I am sure no insult was meant for the O's...

Roch are the orioles interested in Randy Wolf or Mark Prior (27)

Crazy thought, but what about Andruw Jones for LF? The Dodgers will probably release him and eat his contract, so he could be had dirt cheap. I know he's heavy and was terrible last year (and plays a position for which we don't need more players), but he was so good in Atlanta and should be very motivated to prove last year was an aberration brought on in large part by the move to LA. We might platoon him with Scott, use him as our back-up CF to spell Jones, DH him on occasion. If it fails, no big loss.

I've seen someone mention looking to deal Huff to LAA. I agree that would be a nice match, and we might nab someone like Brandon Wood to fill 3B or SS for 2010 and beyond. Huff had a career year last year, and it is reasonable to expect he'll drop off and not be much different than Luke Scott this year.

Roch please tell me what you think about this suggestion.
I believe Joe Saunders could be had for a package of a reliever
and Aubrey Huff, maybe Chris ray or george sherrill maybe even Danys Baez.
we get a hometown starter
angels get there 1rst base they need and another arm in the mix for closing.
Angels are very very strong in rotation and could afford to pony up for another veteran. Saunders is not yet a favorite in LA and only projects as a 3. The angels would still lokk fantastic even better and could sign Ben Sheets!!! the Orioles start looking lik a team again especially if they get Gavin Floyd as well!!

Thanks Roch!! I appreciate it very much. You're the best! I sure hope they post that show, because I sure would love to hear it.

Cammie said:
I found the Rick Kranitz interview on the Hot Stove show posted from the other night, but my question is how come the Luke Scott and Ryan Freel interviews were not posted from the 12-19-08 show?? I missed those interviews and I would love to hear them. So, can you tell me why they are not there??
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I'll ask someone at MASN if they can post that show. - Roch

Roch,
Some sleepers on your list:
Sean Casey
Johnny Gomes
David Eckstien(if we trade BRob)
Roch, what is up with Mark Mulder? Is he injuried? Sorry about my ignorance, I haven't heard anything about him. He was pretty good a couple years ago, and is still pretty young. Maybe someone the O's might take a chance on if the price was right.
I still like Jon Garland.
Hey Sir Sydney is available!

Roch,
The one name that intrigues me and I believe would be a good fit for the Orioles is Rocco Baldelli, if healthy. Do you know if there is any interest from the O's?

If the Orioles wanted a catcher to teach, then Brad Ausmus is their man. I here nothing but praise for how he calls a game. I know he doesn't hit, but he can help the young pitchers out. ATL. O's

Sorry, Mike Nealis, but Joe Saunders is a Northern Virginia product. Grew up in Fairfax County and went to VPI. He'd be a huge help, though I can't imagine the Angels trading him for Huff - a 17-game winner with a sub 3.50 ERA in the AL? 27 years old? Not gonna happen. Roch, do you think it's possible that Zaun's blood ties to Rick Dempsey mighty actually work against his signing with the Orioles?

Adam Dunn's 40 HR in 2008 would have led the O's, his 100 rbi would place third. He had more walks than any Baltimore hitter, a better onbase percentage and slugging #'s behind only Huff.

A repeat of those numbers would look good in the '09 O's lineup, even with the Mendoza Line batting average.

Imagine how Markakis' numbers would rise with Dunn behind him.

Hey Roch,
Is there any word on how MASN is doing financially? I know they aren't part of a public company so info might be hard to come by. I just hear a lot of people belly-aching about not spending when we have all this money coming in from MASN but I don't buy it. If they are even profitable already, I would imagine they would be pretty slim profits at this point. I just think some peoples expectations of what this cable network is going to pull in right away is blown way out of proportion. Any thoughts?

Any interest in Ausmus or has he retired? Good defensive catcher that probably would take on the mentor role for Wieters.

With regard to Chuck James, if I'm not mistaken, he broke down last season and had surgery I believe he'll be out for all of 2009 and I think he and the Braves are looking at a new contract down the line unless he pulls a Loewen.

KG - Do you actually believe that I took the time to look up each of those pitchers wothout looking beyond record and era? Floyd averaged 6.32 K's per nine innings, 3 walks per nine innings and gave up 1.31 homeruns per nine innings. Not nearly as bad as you suggest, not that different from many of the guys on your list. He did give up 30 homeruns, but only one of them was more than a two run homer. That one came against the Red Sox in a game he won!

I would disagree with you that those are the three stats that are a "true indicator of a pitcher's skill". Winning consistently is a true indicator of a pitcher's skills.

You have all along talked about potential/upside. You seem to suggest that Floyd had/has none. Of the 18 pitchers you listed, only one, David Price, was drafted higher. Ten were first rounders(most middle to late), 4 2nd rounders, and three signed as free agents. Tommy Hanson was a 22nd round(upside/potential?) pick! Floyd was the 4th pick in 2001. Selected after Joe Mauer, Mark Prior, and Dewan Brazelton and before Mark Teixeira.

Floyd threw a no-hitter 1st year in the minors and in his first four games at AA he was unscored upon with only one runner advancing beyond 2nd base. Further fueling his upside/potential.

You wanted to compare Floyd and Matt Cain, much more experienced than Floyd. Cain's numbers more resemble Daniel Cabrera. In the last three seasons he has lost 42 games. That's four more than DCab over the same time frame, with only two more wins.

So pleeease don't tell me that all of these pitchers have more potential than Gavin Floyd.

BTW - Webster's definition of potential is possible compared to actual. As I stated earlier you present a great list, but if I'm trading Brian Roberts I would rather have someone who has demonstrated an ability to perform at the top level.

Austin,

I agree about the outcast but anyone the O's bring in short of Garland would be a one year temporary fill in until the "big three" are ready. The 5th starter could be filled by one of the "other" prospects, a short term #5, or Heaven forbid we are competitive, a seasoned veteran to tutor the kids in the two years.

Dunn can be a cancer for a non-competitive team. He looses enthusiasm real quick. That is the reason he left Cincy. Next to that local guy who signed with the team up north he is by far the best bat. There is a reason no one has signed him.

I thought Paul Bako signed with the Cubs late last week. If we make the B-Rob trade, how about signing Orlando Hudson?

Roch,
Can you name one team with so many glaring holes as the Orioles have, who have been mostly dormat with signing anyone significant to fill them?

WAY TO GO McFAIL
Your plan is really a good one!

Well, seems like, according to Ken Rosenthal, that Pat Burrell might sign with the Rays for 2 years at 16 mil.

"Sources: Rays, Burrell near two-year, $16M deal" - http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/9031336/Sources:-Rays,-Burrell-near-two-year,-$16M-deal?MSNHPHMA

So Adam Dunn seems like the next viable option if the Orioles want that big bat.

Hey Roch, This is off message but a potential scoop for you. The New York Daily News is reporting the Jets are going to meet with Brian Billick this week to talk about the head coaching job. Is that a kick in the butt or what?

Scratch off one of those plentiful FAs.... Burrell $igned with..TAMPA BAY!!!??? THEY can afford $16M for 2 years but not potter? Add this to the story to digest, Burrell will DH in Tampa. Now can anyone tell me how the O's could not afford that or a bit more for Burrell? Tampa Bay now outspends this team? That's utter BS.... Spare me the bit about Burrell wanted to be on a contender. TB is hardly the Suxs or Spanks... a few extra $$ & he could have been had here. I say TB could easily be 4th next year, right ahead of the Os in the AL Beast.
I watched that 5th game in the '70 Series against Cincy last night on MASN. My hero Brooksie was featured quite a bit. I was 11 when that happened & remember alot of it. I did not recall all the interviews though. 4 of those guys are dead now. That was priceless seeing those players in their prime & hearing how they felt about baseball, their team, & each other. Sparky coming over to say Congrats said alot about the man too. His joking with Brooks was golden. Watching it now is painful though, it clearly shows how far this team has fallen in players AND management.

I would think that the principles of probability theory would be better understood by baseball fans who tend to value statistics so highly.

Having Tillman, Bergeson, Hernandez, Matutz, and Arietta working their way up from various levels of minor league ball does NOT support the conclusion that we will have a strong rotation including 3 or 4 of those names in 2010 or even 2011. Adding lower probability guys like Spoone, etc. does not significantly increase the chances of a strong rotation by then either.

Attrition is too big a factor for A, AA and even AAA starting pitching prospects.

If we are luckier than average, we might get two decent starters out of the entire lot by 2011. It is highly unlikely we will have 2 above average starters in 2010 or more than 2 above average starters in 2011 coming from this group. A more reasonable expectation is that we will have erratic performances from 2 or 3 of these guys in the starting rotation in 2010. By 2011, one, maybe 2 if we are really lucky will be decent, and we will have another couple in long relief.

It wasn't long ago that we were drooling over a future dominant and young rotation of Bedard, Ponson, Cabrerra, and Loewen. We were exceedingly lucky to find Guthrie, and now he is the only decent starter we have. (You guys who talk about the "back end" of the rotation really make me smile - as if there is a #2 or #3 guy already in place after Guthrie).

We are looking at big time losing in 2009, followed by losing big time in 2010, followed by, if we are lucky, a 70+ win team in 2011.

That is what Roberts and Markakis are looking at as they decide on extensions. It is not "whining" about Teix to point out that his (not the O's) decision to go elsewhere demonstrated (not caused) the impossibility of the O's getting 2 decent starters and Teix this winter. The inevitable result is that we will not have Roberts and Markakis around in 2011.

The idea that we can build a nucleus around Markakis, Guthrie, Jones and Weiters is too rosy a scenario. Guthrie is good, but not great. Jones is still an unkown. Ditto Weiters. And Markakis is a proven great, but very likley to be dealt before his last two years of bondage.

A more realistic hope is that we can build around Weiters, Jones (*hoping* they pan out) and a true commitment to an outstanding farm system. Since this is our only real hope (the same hope, by the way, held in KC, Pit, Tampa Bay and other 'losing' markets), we need to fully commit to it - and we, as fans, need to give up on the idea of contending for three or four more years. We will need the high draft picks from 2008 - 2010 seasons to have any hope of a couple of years of glory (ala Tampa) in 2012 and 2013.

And this really makes me angry and sad. The whole sport has become a sorry blend of WWF and the Globetrotters/Generals. With us in the role of the Generals. 20+ teams in the league have no chance to win consistently and have to lose big 8 out of 10 years to get a sniff at a couple of years of contending.

What I want to see has nothing to do with signing a 34 year old mediocre pitcher to ensure we win 65 games this year. What I want to see is replacement players or anything else it takes to re-level this playing field. Neither the Orioles, nor the National Pastime of my youth exist any longer.

I was hoping that MacPhail and Angelos would throw in enough $ to play with the big boys sooner than 2013. But, even as I hoped for that, I felt like while it would be fun, that would only make us enablers of a rotten system. The better answer is to fix the root problem. And the root problem is financial imbalance among teams and insufficient incentive or rules to bind players to their teams.

And before you free markets enthusiasts all jump on me about that, let me point out that this is not 30 individual businesses competing where the failure of one is darwinistically good for the whole. No it isn't. This is a single entity. A single business. It is crucial to the health of the whole that the worst of the 30 teams is healthy and competitive on the field. It is damaging to the whole if some teams and some markets are perpetual losers.

So, in my assessment, Angelos' biggest failing as an owner had nothing to do with Joey Belle, Jon Miller, Davey Johnson, Aaron Sele, or the crappy GMs he has employed for all these years. No, by far his worst failing was his instrumental role in breaking the consensus of the owners who were fielding replacement teams as a means of forcing the union to accept more rational salary controls.

I wish he had used his talents and skills to find an alternative way to force a reasonable settlement with the players instead of going on a high-publicity crusade for those poor oppressed baseball players. When is a union not a union? When it is a players association.

please, please, PLEASE do not sign adam dunn.

spend the 30 million that dunn probably wants on pitching!

anyone who saw the orioles play last year saw that the orioles had plenty of power. the would score 7 and 8 but give up 9 and 10. the pitching is the problem. not the offense.

secondly, why create more of a logjam at left field? is scott, montanez, reimold and freel not enough? also, mcphail says defense and pitching is the top priority. why would he sign a horrid defensive hitter?

next, after playing for the reds his whole career, i would think he would be itching to go play for a winner. baltimore doesnt exactly fit that description. at least not as well as the cubs do. dunn even said the cubs are his first choice.

basically, only sign adam dunn if he can throw 90 mph with a good breaking ball and changeup.

Burrell 2 yrs at $8 million per to Tampa Bay. Just how far do we want prices to drop? Didn't Payton earn $6 mil. last year?
He's 32 and could have shone here batting between Markakis and Huff.
At that price, he's affordable enough to deal to a contender at the trade deadline. Rotating him with Luke in left and Huff at 1B/DH seemed like a good scenario. Great insurance should Mora tail off and need more rest this year, allowing Huff to play 3B for stretches with no worries. Pushes Salazar too! I dont think opposing mgrs/teams would have laughed at him batting cleanup like when Millar did. No disrespect to Kevin, he's just not a MLB #4 hitter. A guy who had 33 dingers would have been.

Huff/Mora/Scott/Burrell/Salazar dividing up the 1B/3B/LF/DH at bats through July 31 could have been exciting!

The Japanese guy is a bad risk and too expensive..Pass...Wouldn't mind seeing Fogg offered a contract though.

Roch - I agree Flacco had a decent year...but I don't think you get ROY for not losing games. The Raven defense will make a mediocre QB look good. I just have not seen anything in Flacco that separates him from any other young QB as yet. That defense gives him an edge over most other young players as it takes a lot of pressure off him. For example, look at Tyler Thigpen in KC - the guy threw 18 TD's and 12 INT's and also ran for 400+ yards and 3 TD's - and everyone is wondering if they should draft a QB in the first round? I know winning is important, but the place a player plays is also improtant and I think Flacco had a huge advantage because the defense has put a glow on what really was an average year.

Is MASN going to broadcast opening day because ESPN will talk about the Yankees 99% of the time.
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Yes, the game will be shown on MASN. - Roch

This doesn't really answer the previous poster's question about the profitability of MASN, but I've read in several places that NESN, the Red Sox' TV network, didn't show a profit for roughly its first 10 years. If that's routine, then the Orioles are still a ways away from bathing in cash from the TV broadcasts.

Ray, you said, I believe in referring to the potential acquisition of Floyd, that Matt Cain's numbers resemble Daniel Cabrera's. By what metric do you make such an assertion? You seem to place great value on wins. I believe that W-L record is neither the best comparison between pitchers, or indicator of a pitcher's value.

Cain: 24 years old, Career Stats: 4 MLB seasons(3 full), 104 Starts, 30W, 43L, 654 IP, 3.74 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

Cabrera: 27 years old, Career Stats: 5 MLB seasons, 146 Starts, 48W 59L, 841.1 IP, 5.05 ERA, 1.55 WHIP

Floyd: 25 years old, Career Stats: 5 MLB seasons(1 full), 62 Starts, 25W 18L, 385 IP, 4.98 ERA, 1.43 WHIP

Note that Cain's MLB debut was August 29 2005 and he started 7 games, so he has really only played 3 full seasons and a fractional 4th. DCab debuted in May 2004 and went on to start 28 games, so he has played 5 full seasons. But they are simply not comparable. Both have losing records because they played on losing teams. But one look at the numbers tells you that there's difference between a losing record where your team doesn't score for you, and one where you give up too many runs for the team to overcome. Meanwhile, Floyd played in parts of 4 seasons and then had a breakout first full season by putting up Cain-like numbers but on a winning team, so he with the least experience of the 3 has the best career winning percentage. That is why wins and losses are the least meaningful stat for comparing pitchers.

As for Floyd and a potential Roberts deal, I'd like to get Goetz back, even if it costs, say, Olson to sweeten the package. Floyd has 62 MLB starts, 73 appearances over parts of 5 seasons with 2008 as his first full season. His 4.98 career ERA is similar to Cabrera's but his 1.43 career WHIP is better, and his 3.84 2008 ERA is comparable to Cain's 3.76. Given that Floyd's 2008 was better than any DCab season, he does seem to have a significant upside.

For a pitcher in his early to mid 20's, potential is the most relevant consideration in seeking to acquire him. Cain has proved it at 24(and is untouchable now), Floyd indicates he has it at 25(but may be had if the Sox get something they need to win now and seek pitching elsewhere via free agency), and Cabrera at 27 with 5 full MLB seasons has shown that he likely does not(and so got fired).

Is there a reason Chris Gomez hasn't gotten a call from the O's? If I'd have gone after anyone to fill the hole at SS and save some money it would have been him

mark c--When Angelos backed the players union many of us supported that. Why? It kept Cal Ripken Jr's playing streak alive.

Is Livan Hernandez really only 34? I thought he was that old when the Marlins won the '97 Series.

Rodrigo Lopez is a free agent? What are we waiting for?