[Tournament] 2007 MLB Discussion Thread

Fear the Orioles...We are the Detroit Tigers of 2007. We just need some pitchers...And two good hitters...And find a way to restore team/fan moral...And we're good to go!

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by quazi

I mean, we have the pitchers, we just need Leo Mazzone to make them good. Bedard, Cabrera, Loewen, and Penn are all very talented young pitchers and with the right tutelage the Orioles could have a dominating rotation. The Oriole's biggest problems last year were their complete lack of any bullpen (we're fine as long as our starters can get us all the way to Chris Ray) and inability to hit it out of the ballpark. As usual the Orioles are full of potential that they will not come close to living up to in the regular season.

I keep having this discussion with my dad all the time...What our guys need is a Kenny Rogers that can come in and stabilize things. I think Benson is keeping the spot warm for Penn at the moment, but he had a solid year. Adding a true vetern ace/#2 to the staff would make everyone better.

I do like our line-up: We won't do any better than Roberts, Mora, Tejada and Hernandez at their positions. Markakis will be in right field as long as he wants to be. Patterson probably has a year to show what he can do, but he's a five-tool player who lacks discipline. That also leaves Gibbons for 1B, DH or one of the corner outfield spots. That gives us two spots to add great hitters at power positions.

I think if the Orioles overspend for an ace and the two hitters ($45 million, give or take), we'll add enough to finish above .500, if not contend. Honestly, the Yankees and Boston are both due for a fall. As is, I like Toronto to take the division next year...

But we'll see...The off-season is still young. Crazier shit has happened in the past.

Also: Fuck JD Drew. That guy pisses me off...He's a good player, but that's twice he's screwed teams over about his bloody contract. Now he'll have batteries thrown at him in both Philadelphia AND LA. I understand free agents are basically just hired goons, but that description fits him far better than most. I hope he's one of the players the Orioles don't acquire.

And $30 million just to discuss signing the Japanese guy...I certainly hope we have the next Hideki Irabu on our hands. Stories about how the Red Sox or Yankees blew $45 million to get a guy who can't cut it in the big leagues are something I can read all year and not get tired of.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

10 years ago, people were in an uproar at Albert Belle getting $55 million over 5 years. Today, when one of the most below-average starting pitchers on the market gets that same exact deal...It's just sad. I know KC has trouble attracting any talent worth a damn, but come on: Gil Meche isn't worth a damn. Or at least he's not an $11 million per year player.

I don't want to see what Zito goes for now...

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Sosa (standing on 1st base): When I hit my 600th homerun, they'll treat me just like Bruce Jenner...Parades, flowers...Wow...

(pickoff throw)

Umpire: YEEEER...OUT!

Sosa: ....Dang...

Also, LOL @ Yanks pitching on the DL. Including the bum they sent us and are footing the bill for (Jaret Wright). Maybe the papers should blame their training staff, now that A-Rod's decided to not suck this year.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by The Dopefish

Like any good Red Sox fan, I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop. They're 13.5 games ahead of the Yankees (biggest lead since September 1995) and have the best record in baseball. It's just a matter of time before that gap closes though; I'd say starting next month.

Post updated to reflect current standings.

I'm loving every minute of this. Best part is I sit right next to a guy from Brooklyn everyday and I get to rub this in at least once every 15 minutes. I'm an Orioles fan (second place and gaining momentum...maybe something good happens if our starters stay good), but I'll always root for the Red Sox over the Yankees as a lesser of two evils. I haven't had much to root for, so every Yankees loss is as good as an Orioles victory right now...So I've had plenty to cheer for.

I say Erik Bedard (leads league in strikeouts, 3.60 ERA or so, 8 innings of shutout tonight, only 4 wins because of no run support) and Brian Roberts should be the O's All-Stars this year. Agree? Disagree? Anyone give a fuck about the All-Star Game?

Edit: Ouch, sorry to hear that Rainman...Bedard's shutout tonight was against KC and I know we're 6-0 against KC this year. Meche is turning into a good signing at least.

Most amazing jew boots

Eh, Miguel's having a rough stretch...He's been hitting for average, but before the Oakland series last week, he had 4 extra base hits (48 out of 52 were singles!) and it's cost us a bunch of games, frankly, considering he's our big bat and he wasn't driving in anything. I think he might get in on namebrand recognition, but I'd definitely vote Jeter ahead of him. Although, off the top of my head, I can't think of another SS having a good year right now.

Trachsel's having an excellent year, amazingly. He's just getting hosed on run support (like Bedard). Guess moving to American League did him some good...Maybe facing DH's instead of pitchers keeps him more alert. Or something. Bedard still has the edge in strikeouts and he's gotten some decent Baseball Tonight coverage as well.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by rockthepartay

The O's have been in a downward spiral for a decade now. They make it impossible to be a fan these days.

Sad thing is, I have my choice of Nationals or Orioles and I'd much rather watch the Orioles. I think we have potential (we have some fine home-grown talents we didn't have even 2 years ago), but...That bullpen...Tsk, tsk. We need to figure that mess out (WHY the fuck is Buress in there, when he proved himself as a starter? He's been a disaster as a longman) and then lock Teixeira up for 10 years as our cornerstone (he's from the Baltimore area). With Bedard and Guthrie anchoring the staff, Cabrera gradually learning not to walk guys and Loewen coming back next year, I'm cautiously optimistic.

I didn't even realize the guy had a no-hitter going because I had the sound down and everytime I flipped by, Boston was scoring runs on us. Then I saw on ESPN the notice and rolled my eyes.

It's all about the Yankees losing at this point. I need SOMETHING to root for and that more than fits the bill (so I wasn't terribly upset over us losing to Boston. )

Most amazing jew boots

Makes me wonder why forfeits are so rare in baseball...Give it up, save the bullpen and come back tomorrow.

What a disaster...

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

And a wifebeater.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Ouch, can't top that one.

Good game so far in any case. Jimenez vs Schilling doesn't sound fair on paper, but it's anyone's ballgame right now. The Colorado 3rd baseman made a pretty spectacular play earlier in the 5th (I think it was the 5th).

Edit: Corrected. Jimenez just got taken out.

There's nowhere I can't reach.