Ritterpusch resigns!

[TonySoprano]

I'm not disparaging his sourcing or info, just pointing out it's hard to differentiate what he's heard from what he just thinks. With you, I always know. That's all.

I'm on record saying I think WB is legit. However, while he may have sources on the Orioles, I think the Yankees talk is more speculation on his part. I agree with your main point, it's easy to confuse the two, fwiw.

[jiminnj]

I'm hoping it's Mr. Toad's Wild Ride we're on and not Small World.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride is still one of my favorites in Disneyland, but remember where you end up in that ride. I hope the Os ride ends up in a better place.

[Mark Carver]

Byrd is productive when he actually pitches...He has had 3 years in his career of 200IP and the rest of the time he has barely had 100 IP.

He can not stay healthy for alot of the time he pitches and at age 35, that will likely not get any better.

Just to play devil-advocate, and no I'm not advising that they sign a 35 year itcher to a big time contract. But I think you are coming down too hard on the injury issue because "the rest of the time he has barely had 100 IP". When you combine his major/minor innings I see a different picture than you.

Well, obviously there was a major injury issue (bones spurs according to ESPN) that canned his 2003 and most of his 2004 seasons. Probably an injury occured in 2001 and I suspect that in 2000 he may have had an injury of some sort. In 1996 and 1997 he was in the bullpen, not a starter. The rest of his minor league career he was a starter.

Total IP in the majors and minors for the year.

2005 - 204.1 (31 games, 31 starts)
2004 - 135.1 (23 games, 23 starts)
2003 - out for the season
2002 - 228.1 (33 games, 33 starts)
2001 - 163.1 (27 games, 25 starts)
2000 - 109.0 (20 games, 18 starts)
1999 - 199.2 (32 games, 32 starts)
1998 - 159.1 (26 games, 25 starts)
1997 - 53.0-IP (31 games, 4 starts)
1996 - 54.1-IP (43 games, 0 starts)
1995 - 109.0-IP (39 games 10 starts)
1994 - 176.0-IP (30 games, 24 starts)

Career Minor/Major League numbers

[Sports Guy]

Just to play devil-advocate, and no I'm not advising that they sign a 35 year itcher to a big time contract. But I think you are coming down too hard on the injury issue because "the rest of the time he has barely had 100 IP". When you combine his major/minor innings I see a different picture than you.

Well, obviously there was a major injury issue (bones spurs according to ESPN) that canned his 2003 and most of his 2004 seasons. Probably an injury occured in 2001 and I suspect that in 2000 he may have had an injury of some sort. In 1996 and 1997 he was in the bullpen, not a starter. The rest of his minor league career he was a starter.

Total IP in the majors and minors for the year.

2005 - 204.1 (31 games, 31 starts)
2004 - 135.1 (23 games, 23 starts)
2003 - out for the season
2002 - 228.1 (33 games, 33 starts)
2001 - 163.1 (27 games, 25 starts)
2000 - 109.0 (20 games, 18 starts)
1999 - 199.2 (32 games, 32 starts)
1998 - 159.1 (26 games, 25 starts)
1997 - 53.0-IP (31 games, 4 starts)
1996 - 54.1-IP (43 games, 0 starts)
1995 - 109.0-IP (39 games 10 starts)
1994 - 176.0-IP (30 games, 24 starts)

Career Minor/Major League numbers

Fair enough but i do not want to pay Byrd 5 million to pitch half of his innings in Bowie.

BB, you can not trade him if he is hurt.

For one year, i could live with him but i think with Mazzone here that Maine can do a similar job for alot less money.

But again, if you trade Rlo and you want to start Maine in the pen and you can sign Byrd for one year, i am all for it. If you give him 2 years, we will regret it IMO.

[RZNJ]

Fair enough but i do not want to pay Byrd 5 million to pitch half of his innings in Bowie.

BB, you can not trade him if he is hurt.

For one year, i could live with him but i think with Mazzone here that Maine can do a similar job for alot less money.

But again, if you trade Rlo and you want to start Maine in the pen and you can sign Byrd for one year, i am all for it. If you give him 2 years, we will regret it IMO.

Expecting Maine to do what Byrd has done the last few years is a long, long, long shot! Mazzone can tell him to change speeds but he can't go out there and throw an effective changeup or a sharp breaking ball for him.

[Sports Guy]

Expecting Maine to do what Byrd has done the last few years is a long, long, long shot! Mazzone can tell him to change speeds but he can't go out there and throw an effective changeup or a sharp breaking ball for him.

I will put the faith in MAzzone that he can teach him this stuff.

If Byrd is healthy and pitches well, he will give us a 3.75-4 ERA. Do i think Maine does that? No but i do think he can give us a 4.25-4.6 ERA and do it for 300K and be a good guy to either trade or help get valuable innings as for the future.

Plus, it will take 2 years to sign Byrd...That means, if you sign Burnett or Millwood, that you have to get rid of Rlo AND Chen very soon because of the emergence of our pitching...Now, having too much pitching is not a bad thing and you can always trade it but until this team shows they can walk and chew gum at the same time, i have doubt they can pull off trades and signings at the same time.

[bigbird]

There's also rumors about Steinbrenner and worsening alzheimers too. If the committee in Tampa keeps running things, I doubt much may change in NY.

He just doesn't look well. That's such a horrible condition.

[Sports Guy]

I will go on record as saying that they will regret signing Byrd to anything more than a 1-year deal.

I went on record first, so there.

[weams]

I went on record first, so there.

I am not sure that I want Paul Byrd even if it is only for one year.
Ok, he is a major league 4.5 era, 200 inning pitcher. Or was.
Once.
And maybe again.

I will not jump for joy at this blockbuster signing.

[DoobyDoo]

I am not sure that I want Paul Byrd even if it is only for one year.
Ok, he is a major league 4.5 era, 200 inning pitcher. Or was.
Once.
And maybe again.

What? The last three years he's had ERA's under 4 every one of those years and two out of those three he threw 200+ IP.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/player...?playerId=3307

[weams]

What? The last three years he's had ERA's under 4 every one of those years and two out of those three he threw 200+ IP.

I stand corrected

[Sapper]

OK, well then it sounds like PA has done exactly what I feared he would. He enriched himself personally based upon the hardship incurred by the Orioles, the State of MD and the fans and left us high and dry. HE owns MASN, not the Orioles. If this is true then he sold us up the river when he was bought off by MLB. Even if I assume that Angelos will use MASN money for Orioles payroll -- which is probably a big stretch -- then there's no guarantee that future owners will nor even that future owners will be making ANY money from MASN. This stinks. I'm surprised this didn't occur to me earlier.

Wish I hadn't said this now.....

[Nuclear Dish]

Wish I hadn't said this now.....

I'm sorry, did I miss something? What do you mean?

BTW, one of my inside sources recently sent me a copy of Ritterpusch's organizational report for 2004-5. I was expecting it to have all kinds of insight that isn't normally for public consumption.

I cannot begin to tell you how disappointed a was. It was the type of thing I could have written when I was 12 years old. It had so little statistical weight to it, that I couldn't believe this guy was in the baseball operations department. Let me put it this way: the knowledge on this board FAR outweights anything I saw in that report.

I was so disgusted by it that I have now misplaced it. I will have to track it down and give excerpts to show what I mean. But just to summarize, it's really a good thing that Ritterpusch is out of the organization. The reliance we had on him makes me pretty sick.