The MLB Network just ran a scroll informing viewers that the Phillies have hired Juan Samuel as third base coach and outfield instructor.
Outfield?
Let me explain.
Former Orioles coach and manager Sam Perlozzo will move to the first base box. He's one of baseball's most respected infield instructors, which explains why Samuel will be assigned to the outfielders.
Samuel was expected to stay in the Orioles' organization and resume his duties as third base coach, but he couldn't pass up an...
I don't like the Ravens on the road in a short week.
I'm just saying...
The Mets reportedly are hoping to name a new manager by the winter meetings.
The winter meetings? Other teams are making their hires and moving forward, and the Mets keep dragging their feet. Such an embarrassment. Why can't they be like other organizations. This is Metland!
OK, sorry.
Actually, frustrated fans probably refer to it as Metlife, which works for me.
I've seen a report stating that free-agent first...
You can always count on Baseball America's Matt Eddy to provide the latest minor league transactions. He compiled a list of all the free agents, which includes 22 members of the Orioles' organization in 2010:
RHP: Jose Diaz (AA), Jose Duran (A), Frank Mata (AAA), Bob McCrory (AA), Jim Miller (AAA), Andy Mitchell (AAA), Josh Perrault (AA), Bruno Sanchez (SS), Dennis Sarfate (AAA)
LHP: Chris George (AAA), Mike Hinckley (AAA), Wilfrido Perez (AA)
C: Zach Booker (AA), Phillip Britton (AAA),...
I just got off the phone with former shortstop Mike Bordick, one of my all-time favorite players that I've covered on the Orioles' beat. They don't come much better than him, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a teammate or reporter who would disagree.
Would Cal Ripken move to third base for just anyone?
Not so fast, Mr. Alexander. Back of the line, Mr. Bell.
Bordick attended the organizational meetings in Arizona last week and never was approached about the possibility of joining manager...
Update: According to a press release, the Orioles and Delaware North Companies Sportservice today announced a 12-year partnership in which the global hospitality management company will provide food, beverage and retail merchandise services at Camden Yards.
Sportservice will manage all concessions, catering, dining operations and retail stores and kiosks within the ballpark, including Eutaw St. The Orioles and Sportservice will collaborate on an $11 million project to redesign and enhance the...
You already know that the Orioles were shut out this year.
Here are the American League winners:
P - Mark Buehrle, Chicago, (2)
C - Joe Mauer, Minnesota, (3)
1B - Mark Teixeira, N.Y. (4)
2B - Robinson Cano, N.Y. (1)
3B - Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay, (2)
SS - Derek Jeter, N.Y., (5)
OF - Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay, (1)
OF - Franklin Gutierrez, Seattle, (1)
OF - Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle, (10)
Grady Sizemore's health issues again knocked him out of the competition, but there was no room for Adam Jones...
Or at least trying.
Do the Orioles have interest in Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka if he's posted?
Yes, they do.
Is there a strong chance that they'll get him?
It doesn't look that way.
I guess that counts as two questions.
The Chiba Lotte Marines haven't committed to posting Nishioka, so it could be a moot point, but he wants to come to the U.S. and the Orioles have scouted him. They favor him more than pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, who has a 30-day window of exclusive negotiations...
Update: I'll answer my own question right here. No. The Orioles were shut out in the Gold Glove voting.
Jason Garrett finally got a head coaching job in the NFL.
I guess it was worth passing on the Ravens' offer.
Special thanks to the Bengals receiver who dropped that fourth-down pass last night and ensured that his team would lose by more than 4 ½ points. It's not like I took Cincy + 4 ½. No, I'd never do anything that stupid.
Nobody asked my...
The Orioles didn't bid on Japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma, who could end up with the Oakland Athletics.
The A's submitted the winning posting bid, according to an MLB release issued earlier today. They have 30 days to negotiate exclusively with him.
Iwakuma had a 2.82 ERA in 201 innings this year. The Orioles scouted him, but the reports apparently weren't favorable enough for the club to enter the bidding.
Also, former bullpen coach Alan Dunn has accepted the job as a roving pitching...
So much for Don Wakamatsu joining manager Buck Showalter's staff as bench coach.
The search continues.
Wakamatsu has accepted a job as Toronto's bench coach, according to a press release issued by the Blue Jays less than an hour ago. You can read it right here.
Wakamatsu has pretty much been the only candidate we've heard about, so it feels like we're back to Square One.
Showalter obviously has contingency plans. He didn't put all of his eggs in the Wakamatsu basket.
Feel free to...
Former third base coach Gary Allenson still hasn't decided on his next move. He's got a standing offer to manage at Triple-A Norfolk, but obviously would prefer a major league job.
Allenson has been a first base, third base and bullpen coach in the majors. He's managed in the minors and worked as a catching coordinator. He'll benefit whichever organization ends up with him.
My guess: He'll be managing the Tides in 2011.
I would have been fine with Allenson staying as third base...
I woke up this morning and the Orioles still hadn't signed any free agents.
I knew this process would drag along.
It's been more than 24 hours since the market opened...and nothing.
Here's that list again, in case you need a quick refresher.
The Orioles' needs haven't changed. A big bat for the middle of the order is their No. 1 priority - wherever it fits. That's the obsession. And they can't come up short this time.
They must address the holes at first and third base, which...
My interview with Jason Berken last week rekindled the debate over whether a pitcher experiences more strain on his injured or surgically repaired shoulder as a starter or reliever.
Berken bypassed surgery and is rehabbing his torn labrum, just as Matt Albers did a few years ago. Troy Patton underwent the surgery.
Berken and Albers have been working out of the bullpen. Patton was a starter at Triple-A Norfolk and a spectator in the Orioles' bullpen.
So is there a definite answer?
So far, I...
The Orioles made an interesting personnel move today, placing reliever Jim Hoey on the 40-man roster.
Gone, but not forgotten.
Hoey appeared in 12 games with the Orioles in 2006 and 23 in 2007, going a combined 3-5 with an 8.13 ERA, 23 walks and 24 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. He didn't pitch in 2008 because of a shoulder injury that required an arthroscopic procedure, and he spent last year at Double-A Bowie.
That's the gone part.
Hoey was 2-0 with a 3.16 ERA in 24 games with Bowie this...
As I continue to flip through the Orioles' season-in-review and wonder why, in this version, Nolan Reimold has the bad back and Felix Pie injures his Achilles...
(OK, not really)
• The Orioles were 29-21 in one-run games, including 12-5 under manager Buck Showalter and an astounding 22-6 at Camden Yards. Minnesota led the AL with 31 one-run victories. Texas had 30.
• The Orioles were 11-21 in games decided by two...
My Orioles postseason media guide just arrived in the mail.
Spoiler alert: In this version, they make the playoffs.
Flipping through the pages, provided by the Orioles' first-rate PR staff, I'm reminded that:
• The Orioles won 34 games from the start of August through the end of the season, the most since 1996, when they won 35 games on their way to the Division Series and ALCS.
• The Orioles won 34 games after suffering their...
Bodog has made the New York Yankees a 4/1 favorite to win the World Series next year. The Giants are 10/1 to repeat.
The Orioles are 75/1, but that's better than five other teams.
Of course, you can't get a true read on a team until Opening Day. Rosters are a long way from being set.
New York Yankees 4/1
Philadelphia Phillies 6/1
Boston Red Sox 10/1
San Francisco Giants 10/1
St. Louis Cardinals ...
I have a few items to pass along on this rainy day, starting with the sad news that Hall of Fame manager Sparky Anderson died today as a result of complications from dementia. He was 76.
RIP Captain Hook.
Reliever Frank Mata cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Norfolk. He's taken off the 40-man roster to make room for pitcher Jason Berken, who was reinstated from the 60-day disabled list.
And you thought today would be void of news.
Update: I should mention that Mata becomes a...
Did anyone watch "Modern Family" last night?
The smoke detector kept chirping. The guy finally destroys them all with a baton. I could relate.
The Orioles are in the market for a first baseman and a bat that can launch baseballs onto the flagcourt. They were interested in Adam LaRoche last winter and made an offer comparable to the one he accepted from the Arizona Diamondbacks - one year, $6 million.
Arizona declined to pick up LaRoche's $7.5 million option for next season, choosing...
An industry source confirmed that Wayne Kirby has agreed to become the Orioles' first base coach, nearly completing manager Buck Showalter's staff for 2011.
It's been later rather than sooner, but it's almost done.
The Sun cited a source earlier today while reporting that the Orioles came to terms with Kirby, who also will work with the outfielders.
I sought out former manager Mike Hargrove's opinion of Kirby a few days ago. You can review it right here.
It looks like we're down to...
