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Frank Thomas = Pass
2008-04-22 17:32:00
There has been some chatter online on various forums and blogs amongst fans about the possibility of acquiring slugger Frank Thomas . As most of us fans know already, he was released Sunday by the Blue Jays due to his unhappiness with being a part-time player, and lashing out at Toronto management. Being that he?s available, Oriole fans wonder if he could very well compliment a lineup that lacks a significant power threat, aside from possibly Nick Markakis. However, as much I and many in Birdland are intrigued by his power and his lofty career numbers ? I?ll pass on him. He might have made for a good, affordable signing circa 2005; however, we have basically two DH?s now with Kevin Millar and Aubrey Huff. As much as I know in my mind, he could easily outslug both of them, even as he is going into his 19th year in the majors, Baltimore does not need him. Read the rest of this entry »
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The Idiot File, Steinbrenner II Contributes His Infinite Widsom: Thinks Job
2008-04-22 00:14:00
Ah, Hank -- you're making life great for baseball fans in general. If George got he angry or wanted to speak, he at least had a point; this kid just speaks off the cuff.Here's his latest rant, and he wants Joba Chamberlain to start...?I want him as a starter and so does everyone else, including him, and that is what we are working toward and we need him there now,? said Steinbrenner. ?There is no question about it, you don?t have a guy with a 100-mile-per-hour fastball and keep him as a setup guy. You just don?t do that. You have to be an idiot to do that.?This dude is trying to be like good, old dad. Hank, you have to realize, there's a reason why Cashman was hired -- to run a baseball team.For Christ's sake, Hank. We are only twenty games into the season, and Joba seems to be doing just fine as a setup man. How do you his success with translate into the starting rotation? So when he gives up his first three-run homer, will you call him a fat toad?Hank, just shut up and let you...
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The WWE Wants Us To Smackdown Our Vote?
2008-04-21 23:31:00
Ok, I have seen it all. I know wrestling gets a huge and important demographic, but I didn't know the candidates for President were so desperate. Vince McMahon is no dummy, and this really, really confirms it.When I heard that the WWE wanted the candidates to speak, I thought Obama, McCain and Clinton would blow it off. Boy, was I wrong...
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The Baltimore Ravens Supporting The Orioles
2008-04-21 20:31:00
Steve McNair, former Ravens QB threw out the first pitch on Friday night, and on Sunday new coach John Harbaugh did the same, and Rex Ryan caught it.It goes without saying, two the big sports teams in the Baltimore area should be supporting one another.For most right now, the Ravens are number one in fans' hearts despite a lackluster season, and perhaps they might help to give the Orioles a little shot in the arm in terms of PR and just general support.The Birds are established enough to do it on their own, but the help of an NFL team could only help, not hurt the franchise.
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Rocking & Rolling; The Mariners On The Docket Out West...
2008-04-21 20:03:00
Despite the dire predictions and doom and gloom of some in the local & national press, as well as others, perhaps even myself -- the Orioles are playing well.In light of yesterday's 7-1 loss to the Evil Empire, Baltimore is playing some exciting baseball and on Friday and Saturday, when they won, the offense came through and did the little things right. You can't also discount what the bullpen has done, especially, Jim Johnson, who has been a huge surprise, a good Daniel Cabrera on Friday, and Brian Buress' gutsy performance on Saturday night.Roberts may be in a slump, but Luke Scott is still hot, Jones is starting to come around at the plate, Mora is still a bunting machine, and Markakis is the "man".I'm still enjoying the ride waiting for a fall, but so far so good. Although a lot of the media are riding the wave of the Orioles' nice run, I'm being cautiously optimistic.This team still has a lot of unproven talent, lack of starting pitching depth, and as well, an offense...
More About: West , Mariners , Rolling , Docket , The Mariners

Photo Gallery: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles, April 20th, 2008
2008-04-21 01:47:00
Photo Gallery : New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles , April 20th
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Clearing Out the Archives: Orioles Fan Fest; March 29th, Oriole Park at Cam
2008-04-19 21:31:00
Orioles Fan Fest ; March 29th, Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore, Md...
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Clearing Out the Archives: Photo Gallery: Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nat
2008-04-19 21:16:00
Photo Gallery : Atlanta Braves vs. Washington Nationals, March 12th, 2007
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Steve McNair
2008-04-19 18:42:00
I?ll admit I?m a Redskins fan, but it was good to Steve McNair out throwing the first pitch. Despite my allegiance, he was a warrior, and I wish him the best in whatever he does in his life after competitive football.Although he was in bad shape in 2007-08, the year previously, he was nothing short of amazing as he led the Ravens to 13 wins and earned the love of fans.Happy trails, Steve.

Photo Gallery: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles; April 19th, 2008
2008-04-19 09:00:00
Photo Gallery : New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles ; April 19th, 2008
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O's Beat Sox Thanks To Jones' Walkoff Hit, 6-5; The Evil Empire is in Town:
2008-04-18 17:30:00
As we are in the third week of the season, I know one thing -- this team is a lot better than that was last year and I'm upping my win total to 70 for the 2008 Baltimore Orioles.The law of averages may perhaps take over, but so far, it's been good.On Thursday night, the Orioles had their backs to a wall -- however, they fought back against Bobby Jenks (my god is he huge -- he needs to go a Nutri-System diet or something) as the Orioles scored two in the ninth and Adam Jones had a game-winning hit in the 10th inning to give Baltimore the win, 6-5.The bullpen, which has been a tad shaky this week, pitched four scoreless innings and got the win. Jeremy Guthrie was solid -- until the top of seventh inning where he gave back to back home runs to get the hook. He allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits over six innings.Nick Markakis hit a two-run homer for the O's to start the comeback on Thursday night.Well, this weekend, we get the Evil Empire in town. After playing their epics...
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Adam Jones at the ESPN Zone: Thursday, April 17th
2008-04-18 12:00:00
The newest Oriole and perhaps superstar-in-the-making, Adam Jones , held a Q&A & autopgraph session at the ESPN Zone in Baltimore's Inner Harbor on Thursday .There was a good sized crowd in the facility as Adam Jones took questions from fans about the Orioles, his short time in the majors and also off the field items, such as things that he does in free time, as well also a few questions on --- dating (yes, he's single, "but, he says he's working on it").In the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to catch the young fellow on the radio and also on TV and fans saw the side of Adam that has been by the public - a focused young man who knows the game, as well being funny and very engaging.It's hard to forget he's only 22 -- hell, at Jones' age, I was still taking classes and knew absolutely nothing about the world. However, just by hearing him speak and interact with the crowd -- he's at ease and he knows who he is and where he wants to be within the game of baseball...
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Forbes Magazine Lists Values of Franchises; The Orioles 18th
2008-04-17 21:16:00
The newest edition of Forbes magazine has it's annual estimates of the worth of each baseball franchise listed, and again -- the Evil Empire is on top with 1.3 billion, and second are the Mets and then Red Sox.Well, the Orioles are ranked 18th with a value of 398 million. Now, I am not an economist or much less know finance aside from going online and checking my back account, but yes folks, the Orioles are making money.From Forbes: "Despite his franchise's stumbling badly on the diamond for years, Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos is guaranteed a minimum yearly gross of $130 million and a price of at least $360 million should he sell his franchise, thanks to a deal he brokered with Major League Baseball to let the Montreal Expos move to Washington, D.C. three years ago. Even better, the guaranteed selling price increases through an escalator clause in the deal as baseball team values increase. The deal also granted Angelos a controlling share (though profits are split evenly)...
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Miguel Tejada Lied About His Age...
2008-04-17 20:49:00
I guess the whole Caribbean-South American age lying thing has reared it's ugly head again -- this time with former Oriole Miguel Tejada.One would not think two years in age difference is a lot of difference; however, in the game of baseball, it very much is. Two years in terms of development is crucial when a kid is coming up, advancement, attention given, skill set, and more importantly -- money invested.Astros shortstop Miguel Tejada has told the team he's actually 33, two years older than he's listed in the club's media guide and other baseball records.Tejada, saying he wanted rid himself of a burden, approached general manager Ed Wade and asked to correct misinformation he gave the Oakland A's when he signed in 1993, the Houston Chronicle reported on its Web site Thursday.Team officials were not immediately available to comment to the Associated Press. The Astros were wrapping up a three-game series Thursday with the Phillies in Philadelphia.Tejada was actually 19 when he ...
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View of the Attendance Figures -- FROM WHITE SOX FANS!!!
2008-04-17 16:33:00
This is just depressing, and the quotes you'll see below in a few minutes are from White Sox fans around the country from the MLB Board.Here are a couple of posts I found:Quote One: It looked like there were 703 people in the park for last night's game. I have never in my life seen the Orioles not be a popular draw. Even when they were struggling in the mid-to-late 80s and in the latter part of the Ripken era they packed in the fans, both to the old Memorial Stadium and to the new park.It's strange to see the Orioles fall off the table in popularity. I thought it would take an atomic bomb to turn Orioles fans away from the park... turns out all it took was 10-plus years of bad baseball, bad ownership, unlikeable players, and maybe a team in DC stealing some of their thunder. Quote Two: ...The Orioles used to be one of the premier franchies in baseball. Peter Angelos has ruined this franchise, and it could take decades to repair the harm he has inflicted. I always enjoyed the Or...
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The Paul O'Neill Worshipping Must Stop
2008-04-17 09:10:00
Well, this week, LaTroy Hawkins succumbed to pressure from New York Yankees fans who felt No. 21 still belonged to Paul O'Neill and switched to No. 22 when the team began a two-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.I know O'Neill was a great player for the Yankees, showed a lot of fire, and was the man, but is all this ruckus necessary? Is he indeed a Yankee legend? I know he was good -- but should be worthy of not having his number worn ever by someone else?Honestly, if people feel that strongly -- just have the Yankees retire it."What can I say? The fans have always been unbelievable to me there," O'Neill said in a telephone interview from his home in Ohio. "I don't really know how to explain it. It makes you feel good that the fans still think of you as wearing that number."Hawkins signed with the Yankees during the offseason and wore No. 22 -- which Roger Clemens had last year -- during spring training. Morgan Ensberg wore No. 21 during spring training an...
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Chicago White Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles: April 16th, 2008
2008-04-17 05:42:00
Chicago White Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles The powerful Chicago White Sox beat our Birds, 3-1, last night at the Yard. Jose Contreras who was beat up in his last start looked like an ace, only giving up a run of only four hits.On the other hand, Adam Loewen was good -- only after the first inning. Jim Thome hit a monster three-run homer to give Chicago all they needed. The White Sox bullpen shut down the Orioles, and not much else was done.Aubrey Huff drove in the only run for Baltimore last night, and after a strong start to the season, the Orioles have only won two of out their last nine games.And yes, attendance was another sad number -- only 12,080.
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The Other Sox Come To Town; Mini-Series at the Yard Wednesday and Thursday
2008-04-16 22:17:00
Baltimore continues their homestand as they square off against the AL Central leading Chicago White Sox. They are winners of eight of their past eleven games, and hope to roll into the Yard and continue their winning ways.To the poster who corrected me this morning - thanks. The Orioles are 2-6 in their past eight games, and while they have been playing some competitive ball, the natural order of baseball is starting to even things out.Despite that, the Orioles were playing inspired baseball until last night.Match-ups: Monday: Contreras (0-1, 6.47) vs. Loewen (0-0, 7.45)Tuesday: Floyd (2-0, 2.03) vs. Guthrie (0-1, 4.34)The Orioles have a chance to split the series, but the pitching needs to cooperate.We all know the White Sox can hit, so the Oriole pitching will need to be on top it's game. Contreras is looking every bit his age these days, so perhaps the Orioles can take game one; however, game two may not be as easy as they will face Gavin Floyd who nearly threw a no-hitter in hi...
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O's Lose to Split Series With Jays; Attendance Sucks Despite Playing Well
2008-04-16 09:01:00
Well, we are now out of first place in the AL East, as Boston has now taken over the top spot with their win over Cleveland tonight.If you listened to Beltway Baseball the other day, James and I chatted about the attendance, and just looking at MASN right now -- despite it being Adam Jones T-shirt night, there was one there. I was at the Yard last night and there announced crowd was slightly over 11,000 -- however, there did not look like there was more than nine.The crowd on Tuesday was 15,017 -- despite a promotion. Well, the Orioles may be off to a good start -- however, except for the die hards, those who wanted to get cheap seats tonight or partake in open seating, the fans don't care at all.Baltimore lost 11-3 to Toronto -- not much to say for the loss except the pitching, Trachsel and every one who pitched thereafter --- was awful -- downright awful.One more note, yesterday was Jackie Robinson Day, so it?s a good time remember what he did for the game and betterment of Amer...
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Seattle Ace Erik Bedard On the DL; You Think The O's Got The Best of the De
2008-04-16 03:28:00
Do you think Seattle fans are happy now? If you have not heard, Erik Bedard is on the 15-day DL with a bum hip...Like some people have noticed, Bedard may be a solid pitcher; however, except for 2006, he's never been able to go without a stint at least once every season on the disabled list.I wish the lad a lot of luck, but Seattle gave up a lot and for their sake, they better hope he does not become a bust.
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Jones', Albers & Millar's Big Night; O's Down Rays, 4-3; The Rundown
2008-04-15 16:57:00
Photo Gallery: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles, April 15thLast night at the Yard, the Baltimore Orioles continued their very strong start to the 2008 campaign by defeating Toronto, 4-3. Despite giving up a 2-run homer to Alex Rios, to almost put a scare into Oriole fans, George Sherill closed out the game, picking up his sixth save.What a strange feeling to be atop of the AL East ? um, for now?Kevin Millar had a great night, driving in three and hitting 2-run homer; meanwhile, Adam Jones had his best game as an Oriole, going 3 for 3 with two steals. As well, Melvin Mora, Brian Roberts and Luke Scott also had two hits.Another youngster was impressive last night ? Matt Albers. The big kid went five innings, and only gave up a single run. Perhaps after this start, he might be on his way to earning a permanent spot in the starting rotation. He was helped greatly by Jim Johnson for a few innings, and the tandem of Jamie Walker and Chad Bradford who kept the Jays off the board unt...
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Photo Gallery: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles, April 14th
2008-04-15 13:47:00
Photo Gallery: Toronto Blue Jays vs. Baltimore Orioles , April 15th
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Orioles' Adam Jones To Appear At The ESPN Zone on Thursday at Noon..
2008-04-14 23:33:00
WHAT: Orioles outfielder Adam Jones ? one of the Birds? newest fan favorites ? will be at ESPN Zone on Thursday , April 17th, for a lunchtime question-and-answer session with fans.Jones, named Seattle?s Minor League Player of the Year in 2008, came to Baltimore in February as part of a trade with the Mariners. After talking with fans at ESPN Zone, the 22-year-old former first-round draft pick will stick around to sign autographs for the guests in attendance.During the course of the Q&A, which will be hosted by an Orioles broadcaster, fans will be invited to answer team trivia to win tickets to upcoming Orioles games. Fans on-site can also enter to win an autographed Orioles DreamSeat recliner, which will be given away after the final Q&A event of the season.Jones leads off ESPN Zone?s series of eight Orioles Q&As, each of which will feature up-close access to a selected O?s player. Remaining Q&As will take place on the following dates: April 30, May 28, J...
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A Few Words ... Five Questions with Oriole Legend Brooks Robinson...
2008-04-14 17:52:00
The blog had the opportunity last year to have a brief chat with Hall of Famer and Oriole legend, Brooks Robinson . Well, I decided to catch up with Brooks a year later and see what he's been up to, plus ask about current issues in the game.Throughout his career, he was known as "The Human Vacuum Cleaner," as he is known until this day as one of the greatest third baseman, much less infielders of all time. Robinson played 23 seasons, all for the Orioles, setting major league career records for games, putouts, assists, chances, double plays and fielding percentage for a third baseman.Though known for this steady glove, he hit 268 career home runs, at one time an American League record for third basemen. Robinson earned the league's MVP Award in 1964 and the World Series MVP in 1970, when he hit .429 and made a collection of defensive gems.Below are a few questions that I asked him. I hope you enjoy the interview, and feel free to send me feedback at mdguy2415@aol.comHope you all enj...
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One Bad Inning Does The O's In; The Rundown & The O's Bloggers Speak...
2008-04-14 16:46:00
Things were looking so good for the Orioles on Sunday -- that is until the fifth inning. The young, but powerful Tampa lineup bashed Brian Burres, who until then had pitched four solid innings of no-run ball.B.J. Upton hit a three-run home run, Carl Crawford hit a two-run single for, & Akinori Iwamura drove in a run to send Tampa on the way to a 6-2 win.Nick Markakis hit his first homer, while Brian Roberts went 2-for-5. Burres (1-1) was charged with the loss during his horrible fifth inning where was charged with all six runs.Tall and huge (6'9"!!) Jeff Niemann pitched six strong innings in his big league debut, and he was masterful, only allowing one run on six hits and struck out five. He earned the win, and the aggressive Tampa Bay Rays took two out of three from the Orioles, using the big inning to down the Orioles.Baltimore comes home tonight to face a Jays team that may be equally as tough as the Rays.Match-ups: Monday: Albers (1-0, 0.00) vs. McGowan (0-0, 3.27)Tuesday: ...
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Beltway Baseball Podcast: April 13th
2008-04-14 02:48:00
Been very busy this weekend; however, myself and James Baker of Oriole Magic recorded a podcast of the state of Major League Baseball in Mid-Atlantic where we discussed both the Baltimore Orioles & Washington Nationals.It's about 67 minutes in length, thus listen it to while you're doing nothing at home or work, download it to your IPod and hear us chat whilst working out or walking.>>> Link --> Beltway Baseball
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Perspective - The Orioles After Three Weeks...
2008-04-13 19:10:00
After a nice six-game winning streak to start off the season, the Orioles had lost three in a row before last night's win? Have we officially started to suck now? Are the Orioles finally who we thought they were and have the smoke and mirrors faded away?Reading some of the articles, forums and blogs out there ? I think we are overreacting a bit. Personally, I would not say I have written off 2008, but I?m not concerned about the standings ? I just want to see progress and the culture of the organization change.We have 151 games to go; thus, anything can happen. Will we finish with 90 losses or more ? most likely; however, if Jones develops and Wieters by some miracle blows through the minors, the Baltimore franchise will be in good shape.The question you have to ask yourself, granted only three weeks into the season is: Are the Orioles better than they are in 2007 right now, or worse?I think they are better now than they were in 2008. Honestly, I see a fight in this team that did n...
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Frank Robinson To Be Honored In Washington, D.C. Today
2008-04-12 15:36:00
If you'll be in the Washington area this afternoon...From the Washington Post: Former Nationals manager and Hall of Famer Frank Robinson will be honored by the Library of Congress on Saturday as a "Living Legend." The ceremony will help mark the opening of the "Library of Congress Experience," which offers visitors the opportunity to explore rare historical and cultural treasures through interactive technology and a companion Web site. Detailed information on the Experience can be found at at this Web site.Robinson is one of seven honorees, joining driver Mario Andretti, civil rights activist Julian Bond, composer and keyboard player Herbie Hancock, historian and biographer David McCullough, author and journalist Cokie Roberts, and veteran CBS correspondent Bob Schieffer.
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A Red Sox Fan Tries to Curse The Yankees By Placing A Red Sox Shirt Underne
2008-04-12 08:26:00
This is crazy, if you have not heard the story -- from Youtube:A construction worker helping to build the new Yankees Stadium in New York is a Boston Red Sox fan -- so he buried a Red Sox T-shirt underneath the concrete used for the visitors' clubhouse (it has been since reported by the Yankees' PR Department to be not true, ala an urban legend - who knows. However, this attempt to curse the Yankees, according to baseball history, will not work. Countdown's Keith Olbermann explains.Alas, this is a great story. You could not make this up...red sox, yankees, yankee stadium
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Gibbon's Suspension Rescinded By Baseball Thanks to New Drug Pact...
2008-04-11 22:05:00
Sometimes in order to make progress, you have to let things go -- like letting those who broke the rules off the hook. Looks like although Jay Gibbons is unemployed, he won't be facing punishment (if he is ever in uniform again) -- the same goes for current Royal, Jose Guillen.At least baseball is getting there in terms of their drug testing...Baseball players and owners have agreed to amend their drug agreement, a decision that allows for more frequent testing and eliminates 15-day suspensions assessed in December against Jose Guillen and Jay Gibbons.The deal, reached after months of negotiations, strengthens the authority the independent administrator has over the drug program. But baseball did not heed advice from the World Anti-Doping Agency and turn drug testing over to an outside agency.Let's see how this works out, although any player who gets caught these day must be real stupid...
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