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Gofannon

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Posts posted by Gofannon

  1. The first game I attended with the new time/rules in April 2023, I walked in my door at 9:45.  The previous year, I was leaving a game in the top of the 6th inning at 9:30 because it was a work day.

    At that game last year, the game was over by 9:00 and the O's won, a team with a bright future ahead of them.  Between the quicker game, the earlier start time, and an exciting team, I legitimately felt like I had baseball back in my life more deeply than it had been in years.  I feel the same way this year.  What a gift.

     

    By the way, if anyone thinks that pitchers can't work this quick, watch two innings of Scott McGregor pitching in game 5 of the 1983 World Series.  I know he threw about 20 miles an hour slower than many of today's pitchers, but he would've laughed at a pitch clock.

  2. They are not going to make the big deal they made about his arrival, give out 15,000 t-shirts to fans with his picture on it, then send him down 9 days later because he looks completely lost.  It's just not going to happen.  Cowser and Stowers struggled last year and earned their demotion, but Holliday's the top-rated prospect in the game and is going to get more leeway before anything happens.

    I do think they'll start platooning him until he heats up, and if we reach May and he's 2 for 50, I would be shocked if they kept him up.  There will also be a difference between struggles on the West Coast when no one is watching and struggles at home against the Yankees.  That is where the rubber would meet the road, I think.

     

  3. Sounds like people think he's unlikely to start against Ragans today.  Are the O's at the point where they are platooning him?  If so, the rest of the road trip isn't going to tell us much, facing 3 out of 5 lefty starters.  At this point, if he isn't starting, he isn't coming into the game, since you would never pinch hit him or have him as a defensive replacement.

    If we are backing off on the lefty-lefty matchups, I could see Tony's May 1st date as the earliest he'd get to 50 at bats.

  4. 33 minutes ago, deward said:

    You can make a case for keeping Santander here on a 3-4 year deal, and trading Kjerstad for another asset. Not saying that's what they'll do, but I could understand it being considered as an option.

    Santander does not get a long-term deal from us with the talent in the pipeline.  Not only that, our long-term contract priorities are Adley/Gunnar/Holliday/GrayRod/Bradish/other young talent TBD, not Santander.  A 3 or 4 year contract would could create a logjam both roster-wise and financially.

  5. 30 minutes ago, ArtVanDelay said:

    It’s Freddy Peralta.  Milwaukee got rained out yesterday so Peralta is pitching tonight. 

    Thanks for the catch.  Then take what I said and move it to Saturday.  It's the Milkman Show tonight.

    • Upvote 1
  6. 3 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:

    100% Kevin Brown was waiting to use that one. Great call by the way. Sometimes, even on his over excitement at times, Brown get it right on the mark and that was one of them.

    Kevin Brown wrote that one in January, but it was right on time last night.

  7. Austin Hays, at the very least, is a solid 4th outfielder on this team, able to play any outfield position, with a major league track record.  He's not going to hit below .100.  I hope he's in the lineup tonight... in place of O'Hearn.

    On a different note, Kevin Brown's "HOLY COWSER!!!" exclamation on the 10th inning shot is up there with Gary Thorne's "Trumbo BUMBOOOOOOOOO" among favorite home run calls of the last 10 years.

  8. https://www.baltimoresun.com/2002/05/26/batista-keeps-faith-and-quirks-with-os/

     

    What a quirky fellow - used to stagger around at 3B after the first pitch of every game to catch an imaginary pop-up from God.

    “If I believe in Jesus Christ more than the pitcher, I’m going to have a base hit,” he said. “If he believes more, he’s going to strike me out.”

     

    I always loved the quote referenced above.  I used to sit at games, watch him strike out and bat below .250, and think "Man, there sure are a lot of uber-religious pitchers facing Tony Bautista."

    • Haha 3
  9. 18 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

    Looks like the terrible names from the early 2000s are closing in on us. Can’t wait till the sports landscape is littered with guys named Kylan, Cannyn, Cadyn and one of those dudes is on a team that I gotta root for. 

    I mean, I've seen mock drafts suggesting my football team may draft a guy named Kool-Aid McKinstry, so it could be weirder.  Or are you saying in a couple of years he'd be named Kool-Ayd?

  10. 14 minutes ago, OnlyOneOriole said:

    100% this is my opinion as well.

    Moose asked me in the other thread to find people that are against bringing up the young birdlings in place of Mateo, Hays, Urias, and Kemp.  Well the proof is right in this thread. 

    My point is these defenders of guys like Hays and Mateo act as if these guys have hit major league pitching at an above or even average level for the past year and they need to 'come around'.

     

    Well?  No.  They have not.  They are just JAGS.  Even Mullins is at this point.  So why are they blocking the youngsters who actually are hitting now and who hit all spring training? 
     

    We all know why. $$$$$ reasons.  This team just wasted 2-3 potential wins that at the end of the year?  Very well may cost them gettng into the playoffs. 

    Hope that extra year of service time 5 years from now was worth a potential WS championship now.

    Can either you or DirtyBird say what you'd do with Mullins and Hays?  I am assuming you're releasing Urias and Mateo?

    I'm not arguing for the status quo, by the way.  I'm just wondering what the people who want to blow it up completely after a week and a half see as the moves to be made.

  11. Adam Frazier is the Kevin Bacon of the Hangout message board.  Regardless of the topic being discussed, you're never more than six steps (at most) from talking about ol' number 12.

    • Haha 2
  12. 13 hours ago, Frobby said:

    The O’s are 21-9 on Opening Day over the last 30 years,,and they’ve had a lot of great ones.  They’ve won by larger victory margins than today (twice by 10 runs).   They’ve had a number of Opening Day shutouts, including on the day Camden Yards opened.   They’ve had walk-off and extra inning wins.  

    But for me, I’m taking this one as the best Opening Day of them all:

    - David Rubenstein and his fellow owners struck every chord correctly, giving interviews, mingling with fans, buying rounds of beers at Pickles, etc.  they were pitch perfect and really set a tone for what we can expect going forward.

    - We spent 3 months looking for an ace, and Corbin Butnes looked every inch the part.   He was masterful and so fun to watch.   

    - And just generally, the team had great at bats all day and looked like a defending division champion ought to look.  

    My optimism meter is pretty much at 100 after today.  


     

    In your original post, you highlighted their record over the past 30 years on Opening Day, and if you're going over that time, yesterday was right up there with the three walk-off wins from 2016 to 2018 and the oddity of the snow game in 2003.

    If you're talking about the history of the team, 1992 tops yesterday in terms of what the day meant for the franchise and the city.  Truth be told, Peter Angelos hit every note at the home opener in 1992 as well.  50,000 people experiencing that ballpark for the first time can't be topped.  The game was great as well (and quick!).

    In terms of excitement, I'd take 1989 over yesterday as well.  They'd lost 12-0 on Opening Day 1988 to start their 21 game winless streak.  Some writers were predicting a no-hitter from Roger Clemens at the opener in '89.  Between the Ripken homer off of Clemens and the Worthington game-winner in extras, there was such a feeling of jubilation and relief leaving the stadium that day.  Nobody had any idea what a wonderful season it would lead to.
    Runner-up status also goes to 1982 (Ripken's first HR and a Murray grand slam) and often overlooked 1985 (snowed then as well, and Eddie hit a go-ahead homer in the bottom of the 8th after Charlie Hough no-hit us through six innings).

  13. 55 minutes ago, sevastras said:

    Trying to tame my frustration.  It makes sense short term and long term for the team as long as the opening day team can hold their own the first half and the better replacements come in at the second half. I don’t like it, but I guess I get it. I should just be glad that players like Westburg or Cowser are not even really thought about much because they have players like Rutschman, Henderson, Holliday, Basillo and Mayo. Not that long ago we would be drooling over the potential of Westburg and Cowser who may very well be serviceable good players for years to come. 

    To think that you just named 7 top position players and didn't even mention Kjerstad, a former top 2 pick who had a great year in the minors last year.  Five years ago his picture would be all over the O's website and we'd be screaming for him.  And Stowers.  And Norby.

  14. Am I correct that keeping Holliday and Mayo in the minors for 15 days would put our young players on this schedule for free agency?

    Adley Rutschman - after 2027 season

    Gunnar Henderson/Kyle Bradish - after 2028 season

    Grayson Rodriguez/Jordan Westburg/(Colton Cowser?) - after 2029 season

    Jackson Holliday/Coby Mayo/(Heston Kjerstad?) - after 2030 season

     

    With that in mind, it does seem like it's worth it to use the "adjust to lefties and 2B" argument for Holliday and "work on defense and have innings in the outfield" argument for Mayo.  If they call either of these guys up soon and they win Rookie of the Year, they've earned their year of service, and they've likely played well enough to help the team make a run.  Truth be told, if you call them both up in the same year and they both produce, they may cancel each other out in the ROY voting.  I can't remember a team having prospects go 1-2 in the ROY race.

    This also reemphasizes that next spring, even if all goes well, Lucy may still pull the football away before we can kick it and Basallo will need some April tinkering in southeast Virginia.

  15. 18 hours ago, backwardsk said:

    The Ravens have had a fairly strict zero-tolerance policy for players accused of domestic violence since former Ravens running back Ray Rice was charged with assaulting his then-fiancee in 2014

     

    Yet they invited Suggs to go on the sideline for the game. 

    If Flowers doesn’t go to jail he’ll play on Sundays.

    Ball so hard.

    And Ray Rice was a Legend of the Game six weeks ago.

  16. I'm not interested in signing Snell or Montgomery, and I'm not trading any of our top prospects for another starting pitcher at this point.

    I had a hard time deciding between extensions for our young guys or extensions for Elias.  I think I'd lock up Elias first.  If only one thing happens before the season starts, I want to know that the leadership that has been so successful these past few years is here to stay.  I think if we lock Elias up long-term, he will do those long-term extensions soon now that supportive ownership is in place.

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