Matt Wieters progress.

I know I haven't tapped into the farm system much since I started this blog. I found a very interesting/exciting article here. Scroll down to the Frederick Keys section. Remember Matt Wieters? He belted two long balls in his first game as a professional ball player. His first two hits were towering homeruns. Anyone else excited about him?

4/4 So far, so good. Some Shorebirds info.

The rain delay was avoided. I actually got to see some baseball on TV! Maybe one day I will get noticed as the great writer that I am. I will eventually have the news media trying to throw press passes and money at me, just so I can write a blog for them. Lol. That would be nice.

A few things that I noticed in this game was the Orioles defense. Luis Hernandez is looking more and more comfortable every day. He made a nice diving stop but wasn't able to throw the runner out. It was still an A+ effort. Melvin Mora is showing no ominous signs of age. He made a good stop on a ball. Adam Jones ran down a ball in the gap that was a sure double or triple. He made it look routine. Pure speed.

The bats are alive an well. Just like Jamie Walker said the other day, the Orioles have been "MF'ed" by the media this year. They have a better team than they are given credit for.

The bullpen finally gave up 2 runs tonight. Couldn't blank em' forever I guess. Sherrill gets save #2 and we're only 3 games into the season. His brim still hasn't been molded. Has anyone mailed him a brim bender yet?

I got a phone call from a good friend tonight. He happened to be at the Delmarva Shorebirds game tonight. He told me witnessed 2nd Baseman Ryan Adams hit a HR dead center that cleared the SCOREBOARD. That is a monster shot. He esiimated the HR to have traveled 450ft. I find it hard to believe but I won't doubt him, I wasn't there.

I did a little digging on Ryan Adams and he is projected as a C+ prospect at best. A utility/back-up player at best.

If he keeps hitting long balls like that he won't be a C+ prospect for long.

4/3 - The dreaded rain delay.

Ok, this season has really tested my patience so far. We had to suffer through the day off after opening day and now our first rain delay. Looking at the forecast, we just may be in for two in a row. This really rains on my parade, no pun intended.

They aren't skipping the trash man in the rotation right now. They will probably be forced to if the game is postponed tomorrow as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing Sarfate pitch soon.

Can someone go to Hat World in the mall and buy George Sherrill a brim bender? Did you see him pitch last night? He looked gangsta! Roch Kubatko said the reason why he doesn't bend his brim is because he said he can never bend it properly. They have devices that can do that for you, you know?

Cal Ripken could never bend one right either. Cal never wore his hat straight either, it was always turned slightly to one side. Maybe it was Cal Ripken who started the whole sideways-hat epidemic? I say epidemic because it was terrible, and still is! Lol. I'm not saying Cal was really to blame, it just looks a little suspicious that the trend happened in the 80's and he was a superstar in the 80's.


Look at the hat. Notice it turned slightly sideways and the hack-job bent brim. All of his pictures look the same. If you don't believe me you can google it.

You guys know I'm just kidding right? I'm not really that crazy to believe my own insanity. I'm just bored.

4/2 - Can the Trash Man take out the trash?

The Orioles are sending Veteran Steve Trachsel out to the hill today. We're do for a good starting performance sooner than later. I bet the kids that Tampa Bay are fielding get tired of waiting for him to throw the ball they start picking up clumps of dirt and swinging at it. Hey, atleast thats what I did in Little League. For those of you who forgot how he pitches, you will have a full grown beard by the 6th inning. I predict this to be a loooong game.

I still can't wait for Adam Jones and Nick Markakis to hit thier first homeruns of the year. These two guys are very exciting to watch.

To all the naysayers..

Hopefully tonights game should be enough indication to everyone that this team does have a little pop in their bats. This team was down and kept coming back. DCab stunk it up though but the offense pulled together.

How about Randor Bierd and the rest of the bullpen? They have looked VERY good in the first two games of the season. I think our bullpen will be a plus for this team this year. Say goodbye to the worst bullpen ERA in the history of the universe!

Aubrey Huff had his game going with a HR and a triple tonight. As we eastern shore folk would say, "He was on far!" "Far" is Eastern Shore for fire. I think the boo's will turn to cheers pretty soon if he keeps this up.

O's won 9-6 and they didn't give up after the first inning like they did all year last year. Great game. I scared my German Shepherd when I jumped up and started yelling at the TV. Maybe I should not do that anymore because I may be bigger but I bet she bites harder.

4/02 --Almost game time!

Like said earlier, the dreaded day off after opening day is over.

Trembley has posted the same lineup as monday except Ramon and Luke have switched spots in the batting order. I was kind of hoping Fahey would have gotten the start today. Oh well, Cintron won't be down too long.

DCab is going to mow through the Tamba Bay lineup. Haha! I don't know about that. Tampa Bay has some good pop this year and it's going to be tough for ANYONE to beat them.

BTW has anyone noticed the Devil Rays are no longer the Devil Rays? They are only the Rays now. I guess the word "Devil" seemed to be a bit over the top. Check out their new uniforms. They look like really bad high school uniforms. Just my thoughts, I suppose some would like them. I like the retro feel about them though.

DCab gets the start tonight.. My Pre-game...

DCab get's the start tonight.
Finally the dreaded day-after-opening-day is over! Ugh! I can't stand it. As if waiting all off season wasn't long enough for me to wait before I can see some consistent baseball. Down with the system. Just kidding.

Actually Daniel should pitch good tonight. He had a semi-rough outting his last Spring game. This means that he is due for a brilliant game. Great, terrible, great, terrible.. You get the point. He put's it together this year. No doubt in my mind.

Hopefully the Orioles can string together some offense tonight. Adam Jones and Nick Markakis both go 4-4 tonight with 4 home runs a piece.. Even Luke Scott pokes 3 out of the yard tonight. Ok.. One can dream.. I really do wan't to see some good pitching though. I used to be like Earl Weaver and wait for the big 3-run homer. After suffering through so many years of bad pitching I have actually come to love the pitching part of the game. Pitching builds winners. Even the worst offense can string together a run every now and then. If they can't hit you, they can't beat you.

My pre-game.
My pre-game usually doesn't involve watching the actual pre-game on TV. It's not that I wouldn't mind watching it, I just normally don't have the time. That and I also cringe everytime that Rick Dempsey talks into the wrong camera. Gotta love that guy.

Okay I did some digging..

Have you ever wondered why most teams take the day off after opening day? I always have wondered this but never put much thought into it after the dreaded day rears it's ugly head and leaves.

The answer is simple: In case of a rain-out on opening day.

Thanks to a few posters at the Orioles Hangout I was able to get the answer pretty quickly.

It makes sence to me now, but that doesn't mean that I still have to like it. You see, it worked out pretty well for the evil empire Yankees. Their opening day was rained out and they were able to have opening day on the off-day that was scheduled. Is it just me or does everything eventually work out for the Yankees? Sigh..

Orioles sign Cintron to a MiL contract.

This guy should be a pretty decent upgrade to what we currently have at Short-stop. Not alot of HR pop but he has a good enough bat to poke the ball all over the field.

This signing is funny to me though. The Orioles originally tried to sign him in the off season. He instead opted to sign for the Cubs, then gets cut by the start of the season, and THEN signs a minor league contract with the Orioles.

If he had just signed with us in the first place he would have been the opening day starter at SS. I guess that's how bad people just don't wan't to play for the Orioles.

Oh well, he won't be in Norfolk for long. If Luis Hernandez gets any worse he may be here by the end of the month. I honestly don't see why they just don't bring him up now.

Also, has anyone ever wondered why they never play the day after opening day? Seriously thats annoying. I know I good deal about the game, but for some reason I have never taken the time study up on that. I guess I will have too now.

Thanks for the support..

I want to thank everyone for the support my blog has gotten in the past few days. I am sorry for the small lack of updates, I have been pretty busy tending to my sick girlfriend.

As everyone pretty much knows by now, Jay Gibbons has been cut. Who knew that Peter Angelos would have let Jay have 12 million over the next 2 years for free? This also lets Jay sign with another team. I think Jay will wind up signing a Minor League contract with someone. The homerun potential is there.

Did anyone notice the attendance at Oriole Park? According to the announcers it was a sell-out crowd. In my opinion, sell out crowds must be getting smaller and smaller. I really think the weather played a part in that though. I can't wait to see the attendance on Wednesday.

I don't think I will be giving daily scores on the ball games. My reasoning is simple. I can't watch every game and I think there are enough "real time" news sources around here that can have that information readily available for you.

Was I not the only one impressed with Matt Albers? Wow that guy can pitch. Maybe he won't be in the pen for too long?

Lots of information!

Not to inflate my own ego or anything, but I just wan't to rub in that fact that I was right about Brian Burres. Congratulations on winning the 5th starter spot Brian. You pitched a helluva spring. Matt Albers is sticking as the long relief.

Also the pitching staff has been announced and I was able to nail it down. Scroll down and look for my predictions post because it is long winded and I don't want to type it again.

Jay Gibbons suspension has been put on hold for 10 days. That means he will not start the season on suspension. Atleast the first few games anyways. This gives the MLB and the Major League Players Association more time to reach an agreement on revisions to the sport's drug policy. I'm not really sure if I wan't to tackle this issue or not... Okay I will. It happened, let him serve his time, it's over. Done. Odds are that they will reach an agreement and Jay won't serve a day of his suspension. Let's just get this over with.

Baltimore's new scoreboard is done. Take a look at this article with video. Courtesy of The Baltimore Sun.

Spring Training has come to an end folk. The Orioles have left Ft. Lauderdale and are flying home as I type. They play tomorrow against the Nationals in the new Nationals ballpark. You can catch the game on MASN. Home opener on Monday at 3:00!!! Bring it!!

What's that smell? America's smelliest past-time.

This is a little long winded, sorry. I think you may enjoy it if you choose to read the whole thing. If not, just read the first paragraph, it gave me the most trouble. :)

So, I was cutting my lawn for the first time this year just the other day when I realized that a big part of the game of baseball is the smells. I didn't come to understand this by myself, just in case you were wondering. I had a little help from a four legged friend. As I'm riding through my yard on the lawn mower it became apparent to me that I missed a few piles of dog poop when I wen't through the yard with a shovel, specifically for dog poop removing purposes. That's when it hit me. The smell, not the actual poop.

There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh cut grass in the morning. Saturday mornings in the Summer as a kid were my favorite. Waking up early in the morning, for a kid, and riding my bike out to the ball field for Saturday morning baseball practice. The smell of the fresh cut ball field stuck in my nose as I ran down lots of fly-balls. Those really were some good times and smells.

Monday after noons were always the best though, because it was game day. Waiting for dad to come home from work so we could go to the game together was very painful. I thought he would never make it home on time. As we pull up to the ball field it was pretty obvious it was game day. The smell of hotdogs and nachos struck me in the nose almost immediately.

There really is no difference going to a little league, Shorebirds, or Baltimore Orioles game. The smell of the asphalt parking lot, fresh cut grass, and good food. An Orioles game is the exception though, because there is no smell like Boog's BBQ. That is a sweet sweet smell that cannot be replicated. I guess there isn't any dog poop to smell at Camden Yards either.

Enjoy one of America's smelliest past-times.

Spring Updates--Buress pitching good.

Brian Buress threw 5.1 innings of 6 hit, scoreless ball today. He also struck out 4. Apparently one of the hits was a bunt single and one should have been scored an error. His spring ERA is now down to 2.77. He has pitched better than Matt Albers and in my opinion should win the 5th starter spot. However, Baltimore Sun Orioles Blogger Roch Kubatko seems to think that Matt Albers has it won. With that coming from Roch I have the tendancy to believe it because he has been with the Orioles camp all spring long.

The ONLY reason why I see that Baltimore would pick Albers long term over Buress is because Brian has been with the team. They know how he pitches over an extended period of time. Either way he has rightfully earned the 5th spot. If he doesn't get it, he will still be with the team as a long reliever.

Melvin Mora continues his war path, hitting a triple and a double today in his only two at-bats. He is hitting .457 this spring. Big contract or not, he has earned the starting 3B spot.

Rob Neyer, Sports blogger?

When I started The Byrd's Nest I told myself that I would stay away from controversy. I really couldn't help but take notice of a blog on ESPN from Rob Neyer. First, I wan't to give you the link of the article that I read. Now I will show you a clip from the article that I found interesting:

My, how things have changed in the Wonderful World of Shortstops. Remember
five years ago, when Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra and perhaps Miguel Tejada all looked like Hall of Fame shortstops? Today, only Jeter remains a shorstop and only he and Rodriguez remain future Hall of Famers. - Rob Neyer

I found that quote very interesting. For one, Miguel Tejada is still a shortstop. Miguel Tejada's skills may be in decline with age, but he is still a shortstop. Rob is correct about ARod and Nomar, they are no longer shortstops. At first I wondered if he ment that Miggy was no longer a true shortstop because of his declining skills, but then it became obvious that he actually thought that he was no longer a shortstop by assigned position.

Rob Neyer is a respected journalist, as he works for ESPN and has written three books. In my opinion I think he is a good journalist, but maybe he should research a little before he posts.

Even his employer, ESPN, has Miggy listed as a Shortstop. Link.

Redsux Nation..Of course they won.

I woke up to a pleasent suprise this morning. I had forgotten that it was opening day for Boston and Oakland as was greeted by ESPN with the game. The first thing I saw was Daisuke Matsuzaka throw a borderline breaking ball and it was called a ball by the umpire. My initial reaction was to jump up and shout "Oh $#%t!" Thinking nothing of it I sat back down to watch the game. Apparently my girlfriend heard the scream and me jump to my feet. She then came running out of the bedroom expecting there to be a major problem. Yeah.. I'm not allowed to watch baseball at 6:30 in the morning anymore... Ohwell.. What she doesn't know won't hurt her. What she does know, will hurt me though.

Oh, by the way the Sox took that game 6-5 in 10 innings. Oakland led most of the game, but you know how that goes. If it's the Redsux or the Yankees, your chances of winning drop dramatically.. Actually I think Oakland would have won that game if their outfield didn't make so many blunders.. and I mean blunders. It was Little League type of stuff! Errgghh..

Bedard/Santana trades.. Who got the better deal?

This is something that I have not touched on until now. Two ace's, two trades. Who got the better deal on their staff ace? Baltimore or Minnesota? The poll is on the right, find it and vote.

Seattle's haul:

Erik Bedard - 28 years old, will be 29 very soon. Career W/L 40-34, 3.83 ERA, and 639 K's in 114 games. Definite #1 top of the rotation starter. He is a young guy, but in baseball years he is middle aged. Baltimore traded him to Seattle for 5 players.

Baltimore's haul:

Adam Jones (CF) - 22 years old, and he won't even be 23 until August. 6'2, 210lbs, bats and throws right. Supposed to have an above average arm, good speed, and 30+ homerun potential. It may take 2 more years for his full potential and power to get here.

George Sherill (P) - 30 years old, a left-handed reliever who has posted a career 3.65 ERA, W/L record of 10-8, and 138 strike outs. Should be some much needed help for this bullpen. Seattle plucked him from an independent league. Good find Seattle.

Chris Tillman (P) - 19 years old, projected to be a starter. Standing at 6'5 and 195lbs, he has raw talent. Still a few years away from the big leagues but his arm should fully develope in the Orioles pitching-rich farm system. Expect to see him pitch in AA this year, working on his mechanics. With a 10- 14, 4.93 line, he needs to change something. He has time.

Anthony Butler (P) - 20 years old, a south-paw projected to be a starter. Standing at 6'7 205lbs. I think this guy is a sleeper. Minor league 7-9, 3.95ERA, in 34 games. Those look like reliever numbers. Look for him to work on and change his mechanics. Alot of potential here.

Kam Mickolio (P) - 23 years old, a righty that stands at 6'9 256lbs. A monster. He was converted into a reliever last year. Minor league career W/L 7 -4, 2.72 ERA, in 50 or so games. He won't be in Norfolk long. He will be in Baltimore by June.

That's Baltimore's haul for Bedard.. Not too shabby eh?


New York Mets haul -

Johan Santana (P) - Probably the most feared pitcher in the game besised Steve Traschel.. OK Just kidding. Trax isn't scary at all, but Johan Santana is. Very scary.

Career W/L 93-44, 3.22 ERA, 1381 K's in 251 career games. Holy crap thats good.

Minnesota's haul -

Philip Humber (SP)- MINOR league career W/L 18-19, 4.11 ERA, 266 K's in 54 games.. Better than I could do. With better hitting in the big leagues, this guy better learn to pitch better or change something up.

Carlos Gomez (OF) - Minor league career .278 BA in 338 games. Not a lot of power but he has the ability to hit the ball and get on base. K's alot and doesn't appear to be patient at the plate. He will be a solid, serviceable outfielder.

Kevin Mulvey (SP) - Career 12 - 11, 3.02 ERA, in 31 Minor League games.. Wow he blew right through the Minors. He looks really good.

Deolis Guerra (SP) - Career 9 - 14, 3.28 ERA, in 40 Minor League games. I will admit that I do not know much about Deolis. His W/L record is not so hot but looking at his ERA (3.28) it looks like he has bad hitting protecting him. Much like all the no descisions the Jeremy Guthrie suffered at the hands of aging veterans last year.

Well there you have it folks. The two big trades last offseason. I know, call me partial to Baltimore all you wan't but they simply got the better deal. Johan Santana is a better pitcher, actually I believe he is just a more established pitcher then Bedard. Baltimore, in my opinion, got a far better deal than Minnesota did.

WINNER : BALTIMORE

Now this one is pretty simple too. Seattle pretty much wiped out their entire farm system to give to Baltimore. Do you think Bedard is going to sign an extension or resign in 2 years? Good luck! That Canadian will be Toronto bound. Sure Seattle is close to Canada, but it's on the opposite end.

For New York it was simple. Win now. Buy everybody you can. They have no farm system at all. They somehow managed to land the hottest pitcher in the game AND signed him to an extension worth atleast 137.5 MILLON DOLLARS. OUCH!

WINNER : NEW YORK METS

The poll is on the right folks.

Spring updates.. Guthrie opening day starter.

Congrats to Jeremy Guthrie on being selected as the Orioles 2008 opening day starter. Well deserved. Good luck Jeremy.

The 5th starter is still undetermined.. No mention yet from Trembley.. Still down to Burres and Albers.

Dave Trembley made three more cuts. The Orioles have reassigned Mike Costanzo, Omir Santos and Luis Terrero to Norfolk. Don't expect Costanzo to stay down too long.

Jay Gibbons is having a HORRIBLE spring, suprise, he is batting .172 with no home runs. They owe him $11.9 million dollars. What a great contract! I really hope whoever replaces him during his 15 game suspension beats the tar out of the ball and forces Baltimore to eat his contract. I like you Jay, sorry, but your just not good any more.

Thanks WMDT.

Just like to thank WMDT for their support. Thanks Kathleen, maybe this will be the exposure I need!

Juan Uribe?

Here is a link from the Chicago White Sox website practically stating that Juan Uribe is on the waiver wire. Due to MLB rules, they cannot outright say it. But that sums it up pretty good.

For those unfamiliar with Juan Uribe, here is his career stats from MLB's website. For some reason MLB's site has him listed as a second baseman when he is actually a shortstop. I haven't followed that closely with the White Sox offseason so maybe they have promoted or signed someone for the shortstop position.

If the White Sox have placed him on the waiver wire, a team has 72 hours to claim him. If they do, they must pay his salary for the next year. In Uribe's case it would be $4.5 million dollars for 1 year.

Would it be wise for the Orioles to take a shot at him?

Why not? It's not like $4.5 million for a one year stop gap player will break the Orioles bank. They are one of the richest teams in baseball with the lowest payroll right now. Think about it. Luis Hernandez isn't gonna hit much better than about .230. Now I'm not saying that Juan Uribe will either but atleast he's got some power. He put up 20 dingers last year. Luis Hernandez and Brandon Fahey do not have power and will not hit anywhere close to that many homers. He is a decent fielding shortstop with some pop.. Hello?? What are we waiting for. If I am Andy MacPhail and I know he is on waivers, I would be burning up the White Sox GM's phone right now.

Now of course this could be a ploy by the White Sox to see who is interested in him. They can always take him off waivers before the 72 hours is up. That would be the smarter thing to do on their part because then they can try to negotiate a trade.

We will see.. IF he is on waivers, I would think that he will be on our OD roster.. Now I could be wrong, but it's a thought.

Guthrie, apparently is a big Markakis fan..

Either Jeremy is a big Nick fan or he lost a bet and has to be Nick's caddie for a day. Mormons don't bet do they? By the way, isn't that a golf bag? I would love to hear the story behind this photo. Photo is courtesy of the Baltimore Sun.