SilentJames

Frazier did exactly what he was supposed to do, be a competent enough ballplayer until guys like Westberg, Ortiz, et al proved they were ready for the big time. There is no doubt in my mind that Westberg will exceed Frazier's overall performance throughout the season. Frazier was this year's Odor, a guy who weirdly had a knack for coming through in a clutch situations and overall being a likeable guy. I think our biggest question is: "How real was O'Hearn?" Ryan's OPS was nearly 200 points lower in August-October than it was May-July. Regression to the mean? Are he and Mounty just forever platooning first base? Or is O'Hearn turning into a pumpkin and maybe we should think about moving him this offseason if the deal is right?

I think Kjerstad can be Santander, eventually. Santander falls into that weird liminal zone of "pretty good, but not great, but not a liability either," Cowser looked really overmatched for his cup of coffee, that is just my eyes and he wouldnt be the first guy to have that happen to him but going into spring I think Cowser needs to put on a show to make the team. To Santander, what would he likely bring back in a trade? a couple minor league arms and some ML-level bullpen help? Is that worth it? I don't really know at this point. I think we need to have discussions regarding Hayes (whom I see Cowser "replacing,"). Mullins defense and offensive potential are enough to extend him until Bradfield grows through the minors. Santander might/ could get moved at the deadline if Kjerstad/ Cowser solidify their roles on the team. But I would tend to hold onto him for now.

Especially in the playoffs and short series. To win 99+ games in the MLB is an accomplishment because it requires your team to be built for a marathon, but the playoffs are a sprint and inconsistencies and streaks get magnified in a big way. Given the Rangers' season it is entirely possible that they just forget how to hit in the ALCS though they are all seeing the ball remarkably well right now. Grayson and Dean had really solid second halves, they earned the right to get these starts, they chose really bad times to have bad games. The good news is that even if you account for "luck," as constructed this is a 90+ win team that will be competing for playoffs/ division titles for the next couple of years. We will be there again. I said it in another thread, there is very little you can "control," in a baseball season. The Orioles were in control of their own destiny and clinched a division title and won 101 games - nothing can take that away from them. The playoff are a new season, everything is zeroed out chaos reigns. They had a great year, its a shame it ended as it did. Get 'em next year.

Well, if things go our way - Grayson might get a chance to redeem himself on Friday. Wouldn't that just beat all?

As much as I absolutely hated Bautista - that was the most epic bat flip - ever.

So here we sit in the cold leftovers of just a bummer of a weekend. The Orioles that showed up on Saturday and Sunday did not seem like the team that we have watched all summer. The team that generated just an immaculate vibe. Horrible pitching in game two, shockingly unclutch hitting in game one, miscommunication on the play in the late innings, and to top it all off noteable pest Zack Hemple claims he caught Gunnar's homer in the flag court. The vibe is in shambles my friends. What are we doing in the next 24 hours to bring it back?

The umps in the first two games seemed to be pretty solid going both ways. There were some close calls we didn't get but nothing really egregious.

If I close my eyes I can still see that broken bat flare double into right field that found no-man's land. I knew then we were in trouble.

That was a situation where Hyde should've argued runner's interference. Grayson shouldve just plunked him in the shoulder, he was on the wrong side of the line. The grounder was hard hit, but the way it rocketed off the mound gave Mateo absolutely no shot at it.

What gave me bad Royals vibes was during that second inning, a couple infield hits and then Alodis' grounder that bounded off the mound into center field.

The team is 8-2 in Dean's last 10 starts, Dean himself is 3-1 in those starts so at the very least he has a habit of giving the Orioles a chance to win. Ironically his worst start in that stretch was the 5 runs he gave up to St. Louis, the Orioles won that 11-5. His only loss was a 6 inning 3 ER performance in San Diego where the team lost 5-2. Dean is as good an option as any.

In his last AB I saw him clutching his side and wincing, I think he is playing through something right now, maybe aggravated something on that dive for the double in the second.

I got my stencil this morning! Anyone else?

Man, if the org has done one thing extremely well over the last couple of years it has been the community outreach stuff.

And the MLB's own investigation came to the conclusion that the suspension was warranted, but should come to an end. And again, a settlement of lawsuits does not mean acquittal. This is always the problem with sexual assault cases, at the end of the day there are only two people involved and both can have legitimately competing interpretations of events (that is to say both sides genuinely and in good faith believe they are telling the truth). However, while this case is resolved there are numerous others that have been uncovered that either never went beyond restraining orders or are still currently being litigated. That shows a pattern of Mr. Bauer being, at the very least, remarkably irresponsible when considering his interactions with others. The question was not whether or not he should be in jail, the question was whether or not the Orioles should entertain the idea of signing him. I believe they should stay away because the guy has a track record of not only sexual malfeasance, but also he was a complete headcase before that. He likely was altering the baseball in some clandestine way while in Cincy to obtain otherwordly spin numbers that suddenly dropped back to normal as he went to LA and the MLB cracked down on it. I understand that some here are taking this opportunity to stand up for a man they believe has been wronged by "the mob," I would remind you that he doesnt deny he beat her, just that he didnt break her skull. So go off I guess.

I mean it was covered in local news sites but didn’t get picked up nationally because random guy who would not be there getting arrested for gross self manipulation in public - who was condemned and his arrest supported by the org in question I mean what is the story exactly? it’s over? He was arrested, they said that he should be prosecuted for his disgusting actions - shrug? he was arrested and is being prosecuted. He wasn’t on the field, he didn’t get the novelty plaque. Eff that guy.

Schilling also cratered his software company, ran the worst political campaign and we all know that was a ketchup packet in his sock.

Didnt say that made it cool - saying that he wasnt going to be on the field that night, and the organization immediately condemned and disavowed him? Meanwhile the Baltimore archdiocese is filing for bankruptcy because their chickens are coming home to roost. Maybe if they had done wheat the drag queens did they wouldnt be in that situation? Just a thought.

I guess what we are missing here is that Bauer's predilection, his peccadillo, for "rough sex" tends to leave the other person involved with serious injuries (serious enough to warrant a trip to the hospital and get an x-ray of their skull to ensure there ISN'T a fracture) while he - doesn't seem to have any real marks on him? Like, I don't know man, that sounds like he gets off on beating women up to me. His entire defamation argument isnt that he beat her - its that he didnt in fact fracture her skull. Like, that is not the flex you think it is.

its funny because a brief search turned up the usual bevy of sites repeating the same story about one member who was not a full-member of the group that was arrested and his arrest was immediately condemned by the group - so they like weren't protecting him at all? Unlike say, the organization they are satirizing, that - you know - goes out of their way to protect those people with long criminal sexual histories? But go off I suppose.

Oooo man boy did Huff turn out to be a Schilling-level piece of crap

The X-factor here is Cano. If the Cano we see now is the "real," Cano we might have our answer.

Wait - are they sex criminals because they are drag queens?

I will give Ray Lewis some credit in that he was a fairly model citizen after that incident. And he did some real good things for Baltimore kids long after he retired Vision for Baltimore is one of those perfect simple things that has done SO MUCH GOOD for school kids in the City (https://health.baltimorecity.gov/visionforbaltimore) Still though, dude, he knows what happened. Like that statue is a bit much.

Nah I'm saying that when I was younger I looked the other way I equivocated, I don't now. I don't want the Ray Lewis statue up there. I genuinely don't think he killed anyone - but he has never been remarkably forthcoming about what happened that night, and his manic street-preacher schtick is tiresome at best. If I never hear Ray Lewis' name again I would be fine with that. I stopped watching the Ravens on a weekly basis after Ray Rice, I pretty much dropped watching football on the whole after the blackballing of Kaepernick and various other things. Lamar is so damn entertaining that its almost brought me back. I'm saying if I was who I was today, when the Ray Lewis stuff went down, I would have walked like I did when the Ray Rice stuff happened.