Find MASN on your cable or satellite provider.

Whats the record for most switch hitters on one lineup. Im not gonna bring up Tex, mainly because of a brand new deep inner hatred, but earlier this offseason, I was entertaining the idea of having multiple starting switch hitters in the line up. Any idea?

Great signing. Whether for one year or two, this is a guy we want on the team. Huge upgrade over Ramon, particularly in the mentor category.

Care to ballpark the $$$ figures of Zaun's deal? Are we to expect 3$M'ish or a lot lower?

Good move Roch..don't you think??.....Rick Dempsey kin...can't be to bad......so Zaun and Chad Moeller should be the 2 catchers and Weiters called up after a bit of time....guess one of the other catchers could be the back up but sounds like 2 veteran guys would be better and one sent down upon Weiters arrival...in case of emergency...any other news on Wigginton or possible trades or anything????....it is cold in FL today....59 now and upper 30's..low 40's tonight...not like you guys but still freezing for us...just wishing for O's news...there has been lots of talk here in the paper here in Ft Myers of the O's possibly moving here to the Red Sox stadium City of Palms Park...heard any word on that up there???..they are building a new stadium for Red Sox...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We've heard a rep from the Orioles met with Fort Myers officials. They're definitely in play, but so is Vero. And Sarasota could jump back in. - Roch

DEAR BALTIMORE ORIOLES OWNER & FRONT OFFICE / How long are you going to let Brian Roberts sit in limbo ? Everyone wants him to stay, but keeping him on the team unsigned ( allowing him to play out his option ) is NOT in the best interest for our team plans ! If you feel that you are offering him a fair contract & he won't sign, then trade him NOW, while you can still get some decent prospects. Waiting until July 31st get's us NOTHING of any use ! PS. I would consider Not signing Nick this off season as very discourging. If for whatever reason we cannot retain our homegrown starters I would have to say we have no rebuilding plan!!! Hoping this message gets thru to the front office.

Remember, I before T except after names that end in "gg."

I see this as another good signing for the O's.

Great Off Season for Andy! Next order of business is Nick. A cherry on top would be Browns loss and no more football talk...

Roch,

What, no Zaun highlight videos on YouTube to add? How disappointing ;-)

Will any of the press conference be available on MASNsports.com in video format?

Thanks.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'll check, but I'd expect it. - Roch

Roch...MLBTradeRumors.com is on you quick....they grab your blog info as fast as anyone in the country...not very many minutes go by and they have your post on their site...or a link to your post...you are the man...and my main source of info down here in FL....same when you were with the Sun...they are not as fast there now as you used to be...but not to bad....Zrebiec....is good but he does not really blog... Schmuck is getting better...bet he misses you though...give him heck in ST

Nice move...we should have brought him in years ago. Solid D, great clubhouse guy, Oriole family history & willingness to mentor are all benefits of Zaun. Lets hope he can get a hit or two here & there.

Zaunie's D, pitch selection, attitude and gravitas will drop the team era AT LEAST half a run a game!

Zaun may help Matt when he comes up to the big club.
But when will the O's start getting starting pitchers? Right now it basically the same pitchers when O's went 68- 95. Who wants another ten years of losing. Yes they may have good young pitchers in the minors. But we are not sure will they be stars in the next level. When will O's change the out look of the team? So FA's will want to come to Baltimore.
Look at the 70's-80's of the Pittsburgh baseball team. Now look at them today, the future does not look good at all. O's are going that way unless things change in next few years! I been a fan since 1974. If the O's are not at rock buttom they are surely close to it now!
We need FA starting pitchers now to fill in till the young pitchers are ready. That means pay for the FA's
now. If not who will come to the games the next few years no one!

Yay! The Zaun thing makes me happy. I realize he's a few years older, but he's always been a scrappy kind of player. It will be fun to watch someone block the plate again!

Now if we could please extend Brian we could really keep things rolling... If not I'm hoping Andy can work out a trade BEFORE spring training. I think it would be too much for my poor little heart to take watching him go in the middle of the season. I'd rather just pull the band-aid off fast and let the stinging subside.

Jack said:
BaltJohn and others,
We all are either faithful O's fans or love the O's just given up or lost hope with the ownership.
I know some people think I am always pessimistic, but the truth is, it took 12 years of seeing Ole Peter not do a darn thing for this team except hire FO people who only care about the bottom line.

With that said, there is no "plan" to be competitive. There is a plan in place to sign draft picks, develop and use them for as long as possible, and then when they become arbritration eligible and want market value, claim they are not signable to try and save face with the fans. We couldnt sign Bedard (not that I favored it), Let Moose walk, we are unable to sign Roberts because he sees there is no long term future to sign veterans (unless you call Hendrickson a plan) to mix with young talent, and Markakis has already had two "impassess" this early in his career.

Once fans realize that we (the fans) are being used they no long can insult our intelligence. EVERY decision on this team is based SOLELY on the bottom line. There are no decision based on whether it will make us win more games. The new pitcher Uehara was signed because a) he is the cheaper option, and b) they figure his presence will make them money thru publicity. If there was a plan in place, we would be looking long term to Mora, Scott, Brob and Huff's replacements. Good teams look to win now and make plans to replace the players who are on the down swing.

The long term outlook for this team is grim. With the mentality to sign young college talent for the sheer purpose of developing them and trading them....is very depressing. Sort of reminds you of the Pirates and Royals philosphy. We could go on all day long, but the truth is, until Ole Peter is gone or McFAIL stands up and says this is NOT how you run an Organization to Pete....then the downward spiral will continue.

We shall see

WAY TO GO OLE PETER & McFAIL

Glad to see this signing...but geez, how long do these thing have to take. It really seems like the Orioles move at a lot slower pace then the rest of the world...

Glad to see Zaun back. I have always liked him...seems like a true ballplayer to me.

I am getting older so my memory plays tricks on me. However didn't Zaun pull a Dempsey during a rain delay when he was with the Orioles before? I cannot find any reference to it, but I seem to have some memory of it.

Hey Roch,

Any chance Sal Fasano is extended an offer as a non-roster invitee to compete w/ Moeller this spring?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Doubtful, though I love the guy. And he's great working with pitchers. He'd truly be like having a coach on the field. - Roch

Greg Zuan may have greatest website ever for a backup catcher.

http://www.greggzaun.com/

Not bad. The O's have done well with ancillary moves this offseason. As usual the process took waaay longer than necessary but it got done. Better than in the past when transactions took a long time and then fell through.

Best of the poor lot left, good for them. Thank GOD we didn't $ign Ivan...

Roch, I posted my anti Anita rant, from your blog about the roast, on Schmuck's blog. He posted it with a slight comment too. I was surprised. Last time I was there anything Roch related was treated like it had typhoid. The ole Sun must be thawing out some...

Anyone noticed that Bernie Madoff looks like a taller version of P.A.? Which one would be more reviled in Charm City right now? Close call I bet. I sure hope most of you know WHO that is BTW....

Phil

You're not kidding that IS a great website!

http://www.greggzaun.com/

Roch - Couldn't get to a TV at noon. When will the news conference be posted here?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I
I'm told they're working on it, so it should be soon. - Roch

Do they have a hockey-style catcher's mask with the new Oriole on it to give to him?

So, is the next priority a first baseman? Or if the FO content with Aubrey Huff starting?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They want a right-handed hitter who can play first base, but perhaps be able to move around. With a possible three-man bench, the more versatile you are, the better. - Roch

Tracy said:
Jack likes girls too, but he can't get any.

Tracy, I love you!

Phil...I must agree that Zaun has one of the better websites, PERIOD. I wonder how long it will take the "Z" to go orange.

We should have a roast of Jack. That was a nice opening line, Tracy!

According to the schedule here, the Uehara press conference will be replayed at 9:00 p.m. on MASN, hopefully entirely. I think it went on longer than expected this afternoon.

Caroline said:

So, is the next priority a first baseman? Or if the FO content with Aubrey Huff starting?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They want a right-handed hitter who can play first base, but perhaps be able to move around. With a possible three-man bench, the more versatile you are, the better. - Roch
January 14, 2009 3:43 PM

I have the Jeopardy like answer to this.... Who is Wigginton?

Will the Uehara press conference be played again Roch?

Why would you start the season with a 13 man staff???

Once again, our bench will be extremely weak.

Extremely weak.

Yes, it'll be a scrappy little team with no starting pitching. Zaunie behind the plate might add a few wins, if for no other reason, because he gives a damn.
Roberts, Zaun, Freel, Mora, Millar & Markakis are tough guys.
None of them pitch.

Roch,

I noticed when looking at the 40 man roster that Chris Tillman is not on it. Is a player protected from the Rule 5 and waivers for a certain time after he signs?

Thanks,
Alan
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes. Tillman hasn't been in professional ball long enough to be taken in the Rule 5 draft. However, the Orioles had to protect guys like David Hernandez and Chorye Spoone this winter. - Roch

Hey Roch, Some of your bloggers have deep seated psychological problems, probably relating to childhood trauma. It also is indicative of a person looking back at a life of quiet desparation. They gain a false sense os supriority by attacking people, who have made it. Sometimes they make an attempt to be funny, using words like McFail. These rejects from the "Gong Show" also have a bad habit of saying the same thing over and over again, like it is really important. It was pitiful the first time, pathetic the second time and disgusting after that. Please Roch, do not let these people ruin the suprior blog you have established. National media are quoting you on a regular basis and you are being given credit for scoops by the people who count.

He should have been signed for 2 yrs. I think job security and O's Loyalty should command a respectful offer. O's probably gave him more $$ to accept 1 yr deal than dragging it out for 2 yrs.

I think it is odd that all of these people like to attack Jack. Many people have similar views, although perhaps not as frequently, as Jack. I don't agree with everything he says, but why the personal attacks?

It's been very hard to face the realization that not only do the Orioles lose on the field, but we seem to lose off the field as well. Its been a while since we beat the Yankees or Red Sox in anything....

Love you Tracy (there I go using the 'L' word again on Roch's blog).

Roch,
As for 'what's his name', I really wish you would use your editorial eraser (as you have on me occasionally...deserved) to just wipe out "MacPhail" spelled w/ an "F", and change it to something else...AM, Andy, Mr MacPhail...
I feel the incorrect spelling some bloggers choose to use is too personal, too derogatory, and too infantile to be used.
OK, I understand freedom of speech, but AM frankly hasn't done anything to deserve this unfair slur. AM IS improving the team. You have to crawl before you walk, and walk before you run. It's been 11 years to get here, and the O's are not going to be able to 'spend' their way out of this whole.
If you want to criticze the team, go ahead and have at it, but at least have the respect to spell the man's name correctly Jak.

Hope he leaves his checkbook at home....

Roch,

Everything I've seen on Zaun is that he wanted a two year deal...

This one year deal, does it include a club option for a second year?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Not sure. Zaun said they got "creative," which led me to believe one might exist, but I really don't know. - Roch

The great thing about Zaun is he isn't past his prime,well because he never had a prime.Guess he isn't bad given the circumstances of knowing he's a place holder for Weiters.The thing is ,how will Weiters adjust to seeing more breaking balls at Norfolk. It might take longer than expected to make the majors.

McPhail has met my expectations of the off season because I had low ones to begin with.He has basically filled a couple holes for as little money as possible.He's not even going to wind up replacing the combined rbi's of Millar and Hernandez.He has a ton of pitchers he has to find a home for or release. Has been's and never wases will be taking up space the young pitchers with upside should be taking.

He acts like Markakis and Roberts have leporsy instead of sitting down and trying to hammer something out.I knew McPhail wasn't going to cut it when they first hired hims and he said he neded 3 months to study the system.Anybody with a pair of eyeballs should have been able to go through stat sheets and scounting reports in a couple weeks to figure things out.He almost let Weiters slip away until Pete stepped in.He's a super penny pincher by nature which doesn't bode well going forward.

Rouh,
Are the Orioles looking to sign another catcher, or is there some one in house they have in mind?
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We may see another spring invite, but they have a pretty good collection right now, including guys already in the organization. - Roch

Awesome! Hey, isn't that Dempsey's nephew?

ZAUN is gonna help us turn this ship around!!!