This time was supposed to be different. And as soon as you arrived, it was. The team magically began playing better, seemingly just because you expected them to. And those expectations gave us, gave me, hope. But hope is a fragile thing, especially among those who have too often seen theirs shattered. What’s left of ours is all but lost, but the worst part is that I’m not sure I believe anymore than you can save it.
Continue reading "An open letter to Buck Showalter"
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An open letter to Buck Showalter
By Mark on April 19
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If Kevin Gregg never pitches for the O’s again…
By Mark on April 14
…it’ll be too soon.
When this signing was made, I was against it. I knew going into the offseason that Gregg was bound to get a stupid contract from some team for collecting 37 ‘saves’, possibly the most worthless statistic in baseball. I just hoped it wouldn’t be the Orioles. But the attraction of adding another former Cub to his collection and his proclivity for acquiring overrated, expensive relievers (see Michael Gonzalez) was too much for MacPhail to resist.
Continue reading "If Kevin Gregg never pitches for the O’s again…"
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Do the O’s have the best SS in the AL East?
By Mark on April 10
Among the many upgrades the O’s made this offseason to their roster, and particularly their infield, none was more dramatic than at shortstop. For while Cesar Izturis may be slick with the glove, he also has about as much pop in his bat as Brandon Fahey. OK, maybe that’s a bit harsh, but he did post a .622 OPS in 2010. However, there were some, including myself, who wanted to keep Izturis and felt you could justify the anemic offense if the defense was truly above average, given the importance of strong defense up the middle. But then, in a shocking turn of events, the question of offense vs defense at shortstop became moot when the O’s traded for a player who was amply skilled with both the glove and the bat: JJ Hardy.
Continue reading "Do the O’s have the best SS in the AL East?"
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A Tale of Two Outings
By Adam on April 9
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.
OK, I’ll stop now.
Still, you can’t help but be struck by the duality that was on display during the Orioles doubleheader today versus the Rangers. In the first game, Zach Britton descended from Orioles heaven and gave Baltimore another glimpse of what figures to be a very promising career. But before Britton’s brilliance could induce rampant daydreaming throughout a win-starved fan base, the Orioles snapped back to reality with a rough start from Jake Arrieta.
