O’s Special Event 11/12

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 30, 2008

ORIOLES PLAN SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT & FAN RALLY AT GALLERY AT HARBORPLACE ON WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 12

 

The Orioles will make a major announcement and host a fan rally at The Gallery at Harborplace at the Inner Harbor on Wednesday, November 12 at 12:00 p.m.

The public is invited to attend this event, which will take place on the second floor of the Gallery. There is no admission charge.

*I think this is going to be the unveiling the new caps and uniforms. There’s a chance I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.

Markakis extension talks ongoing

Here’s some good news for those of you who are tore up about Loewen jumping across the boarder, Extension_talks_with_Nick_Markakis_are_currently_a_happenin’. Last year when contract talks were happening, nothing got worked out and Markakis got his contracted renewed at a lot lower price and he wasn’t too happy about it. Now there’s the chance to make it right and keep a cornerstone player.

Forget about Loewen leaving, that’s small potatoes. Getting Markakis signed for the long haul is much more important to the long term health of the franchise. Just a hunch, but I think something will get worked out.

Loewen flees to Toronto

More on this tomorrow, but I saw this before I was going to bed and figured I should throw it up here now. Apparently Adam_Loewen_is_signing_with_the_Blue_Jays. So whatever gentlemen’s agreement on Loewen coming back to the O’s and learning to become an outfielder is out the window.

The whole conversion to outfielder was a longshot anyways, especially for a glass armed failed pitcher like Loewen anyways. Let’s not break out the Ankiel comparsion again because he lost control of his pitchers and he had more than Loewen’s kleenex durability. I could take some more potshots, but I’m really tired and frankly, I’m not too upset after all the let downs that has been Adam Loewen’s Oriole career. There’s the whole organizational loyality, gentlemen’s agreement thing, and all that stuff that’s going around.

The O’s could  have avoided this and passed on Loewen in 2002 and drafted Prince Fielder….

Or Cole Hamels…

Or Matt Cain…

Whatever, its over now.

Off Season Open Mic 10/10

The playoffs are happening, but the Orioles ain’t playing…so its offseason enough. There isn’t much to talk about O’s-wise, there’s some stuff I am planning on doing, but I’m going to hold off a week or two before I delve into that. But I need to do some stuff during the winter to keep things fresh, so here’s a few random things of interest to me.

• I think Tommy Bowden is the Sam Perlozzo of college football coaches. You may or may not know that I happen to be a Clemson fan. I’ve been born and bred 30 minutes from Clemson, so there you go. This was supposed to be the year that a talented Clemson team would rumble and tumble a weak ACC. But of course, it doesn’t happen. They got spanked opening night by a very good Alabama team. beat a few cream puffs and then threw away a win against Maryland. After which, I decided not to set my social schedule around the Tigers. Last night, they played Wake. My Girlfriend and one of my friends went out for dinner and such. The game happened to be on and of course, it was a 3-0 lossing margin at the moment. I got home around halftime and watched some of the third quarter with one of my friends before we decided to watch the NLCS instead. It was time better spent.
• As for the Tommy Bowden/Sam Perlozzo comparsion…Perlozzo was an overmatched manager with let’s face it…a bad team. Bowden is an overmatched coach with a talented team. At least Perlozzo can plead that fact. Both make/made bad stragety decisions. On a regular basis Perlozzo would throw in a ham ball throwing Danys Baezs time after time or try to bat Corey Patterson second with the same results happening and never admitting defeat. Bowden consistantly thinks that a screen pass on 3rd and 12 is the right move. Ten years of medicority is enough, no matter who your daddy is.
• As for the NLCS, that was quite a game. I didn’t think the Phils would make it this far and they look sharp. Hamels had his thing going. It’s nice to see Brad Lidge finding a home and having a knockout year after that Houston debacle. The Philly crowd was electric. With Utley, Rollins, and Burrell going, they’ve got some power to go with the pitching. Now if only Ryan Howard would get it together, they’d be even harder to stop. Let’s say Phillies in 6.
• The ALCS starts up to night with the Red Sox playing my new temp adopted playoff team the Rays. I won’t be watching because I’m heading to a cookout with my girlfriend at some friend’s house in Boiling Springs. If it happens to be on, I’ll keep my eye on it. I think this series could go to seven. Both teams, as well know, have seen each other quite a number times this season and thus know each other well. I’m hoping they’ll continue to hate each other and have some heated moments through out the series. I’m calling Rays in Seven.
• I think a Dodgers/Red Sox series will make me puke. To hear Joe Buck and Tim McCarver constantly harp on the “Manny dogged it get out of Boston! Now he’s back in Boston! This time though, he’s playing from the other team! In the WORLD SERIES! Did we mention that he DOGGED (we think) to get out Boston?” I would root for the Dodgers fervently during such a series and hope Manny would hit a grand slam at every at bat.

Adopting a Playoff Team

Playoff baseball is great stuff. This week I’ve have quite the bout with an unrulely sinus infection and have had more time than usual to spend at the house. Having the ALDS and NLDS series on from 2:30 til closing time has been great. The atmosphere of playoff baseball is great. Today in Philly, Brett Myers had showdowns of 9 and 10 pitches against CC Sabathia. It’s not too often a player gets a standing ovation for a walk. In Tampa, the Grant Balfour/headcase Orlando Cabrera showdown was fun stuff and then Evan Longoria hit 2 homers in his playoff debut. Its fun stuff.

I need a team for a playoffs. Some team to root for since once again our beloved Orioles aren’t playing in October. I was thinking the Cubs, but shoot I’m an American League guy. If the Cubs win it, good for them. Those long suffering fans deserve it. I only pray that won’t result in overusage of the term Cub Nation.

I’m throwing my support to the Tampa Rays. Yes, I know they’re the division foes of the O’s. But I’m going to forget that for a few weeks.

Here’s my reasoning

• This team has stunk for their entire exsistence. From the days of out of gas veterans like Wade Boggs, Fred McGriff, Greg Vaughn, and Jose Canseco and through the Lou Pinella regime and up through last season, the Rays have stunk. Up until this season, I always looked forward to the O’s playing them because I knew they’d get 2 out of 3 wins. That’s no more now. The starting pitching is vastly improved from the days of Ryan Rupe, Delvin James, and Tanyon Sturtze. The bullpen that the league used to feast on, suddenly got good, and their offense is pretty dang good too. They’ve never had a winning season until now. They don’t stink anymore, so they are the token feel good story.
• They won the AL East. I’d much rather have the Orioles win it of course, but hey, it ain’t the Red Sox or the Yankees. They beat out the Red Sox for AL East title, and as a result, the Yankees are sitting at home now. Change can be good. Especially when it comes at the expense of the Red Sox and Yankees.
• Those long suffering loyal few at the Trop deserve this. It was nice to hear the crowd noise there tonight. I remember plenty of games where that dome was more or less a silent tomb. Imagine that a couple of years ago this team was a prime candidate for contraction.
• If the Rays can do turn their ship around, then there’s hope for Orioles.

So for the next few weeks, if they make it that far, I’ll support the Rays…because I can relate. For so long they and the O’s have adopted many of the same tatics. Signing washed up veterans, have had some bad draft picks, had some bad front office and managerial hires, and rushed what decent talent they had. I see in them what I hope the O’s will be in the coming years. The O’s are, I think, on the right track and hopefully sooner rather than later, I won’t need to ‘adopt’ a team for the playoffs because the O’s will be playing in October.