CP0861

Yeah, I don't get that either. Irvin was very effective out of the pen in August and September and has some decent numbers vs Texas, meanwhile Baker was stumbling in the minors with an ERA pushing 7.00 and WHIP pushing 2.00.

I was at both games. In my worthless opinion, there's no reasonable explanation for bringing in a guy who had 1 MLB appearance in the last 2 months into a situation where you absolutely, positively needed to stop the bleeding. Baker was not good in AAA in September either.....7 earned in 5 innings or so I think. Long story short, I don't want the last minute AAA call up or the guy they just picked up off of waivers pitching in a crucial spot in the playoffs (although Webb bothers me far less than Baker). Hyde simply outsmarted himself and tried to get cute against one of the best offensive teams in MLB.

I have 4 tickets to the ALDS Game 1. UD Section 310. I'd like to trade 2 of my tickets to 2 tickets to game 2 if anyone is interested. I don't really care where the tickets are, but depending on the tickets, I'd be willing to pay the difference in face value.

Forgot about those! Those were definitely seen on the good ole Eastern Shore about 20-25ish years ago! I didn't have one....but they were all over at one point. What's the origin?!?! Atlanta is having a great season and their future looks great. The Phillies are also on a nice run right now....I have several coworkers who are Philly fans (Delaware bandwagon fans, most of which only pay attention when they're good), and I'm worried to death about losing an 83 rematch. I'd NEVER hear the end of it.

Of course he belongs. He took a 32-73 team and finished 34-23 in 2010. There was an immediate change. “You just had to give them something to trust. That was the big thing. When I got there, we didn’t want to give them a lot of lip service. Show them. They had their hearts broken a lot. The Orioles mean a lot to the fans there. They got behind something they could trust.” https://www.mlb.com/news/buck-showalter-returns-to-baltimore-for-first-time He managed the O's to 93 wins and a playoff appearance in 2012....after 14 losing seasons. He should have won MOY that season imo, he was basically robbed. ALCS appearance in 2014. They got swept, however, they were one series away from the WS (without Manny and Davis). MOY for Buck that year (and it could very easily have been his 2nd in 3 seasons). 18 months after he arrived and following 14 years of losing records, they started a 5 year run as the winningest team in the AL. They SUCKED and he made them relevant again.

Absolutely. I don't remember the exact record for the rest of that first season, but things changed the day he walked through the door. It was a 180 from day 1. 2012 and 2014 were glorious. Opening day games felt like playoff games. Playoff games felt like WS games. My ears are still ringing from Delmon's double. It was nothing short of magical. Buck pulled everything he could out of the roster he had.....Chris Tillman was our ace for crying out loud. As a 43 year old who has witnessed mostly cringey baseball, I'll always be grateful. Baltimore fans have short memories and are impossible to please. I think there must be some kinda wonky chemical compound in crab mustard that eats away at the brain.

Not sure what Bonds has to do with anything here, but yeah, he walked Bonds with the bases loaded.....and it worked. Roided Bonds was very possibly the most dangerous hitter of all time. Would you rather pitch to Barry Bonds (.500 career BA against Olson btw) or Brent Mayne with the bases loaded? And as far as his ego, you probably don't get to the level of success that he has without it. Pretty sure ole' Earl was also full of it.

I love Buck, but I have to agree. As someone else just mentioned, it's a bit passive aggressive and was unnecessary. Then again, he's probably been asked about it 500 times....so I'll write it off as a slip. Nobody's perfect. Regardless, I still love me some Buck Showalter and sincerely miss his post game interviews.

sure, I don't disagree with them both falling in the "belove average" range. I was initially responding to someone who said Rickard was "bad" and I asked the question, was he bad - which I'd think would be poor at 75 or below - or was he simply "below" average, as Schoop was last year. He brought up the stat (which works within that scale), I was simply asking him to clarify "bad".

below average, and between "below average" and "average". In the same range as Schoop, right? If the numbers fall in ranges, they are in the same range, are they not? 11% apart. Ratings wRC wRC+ Excellent 105 160 Great 90 140 Above Average 75 115 Average 65 100 Below Average 60 80 Poor 50 75 Awful 40 60

I never made the general statement or argument "age doesn't matter" as you are trying to imply. You're either twisting my words, or you're completely misinterpreting them. I was specifically referring to Rickard when I said "I don't care about his age". He's 25. Is that too old to improve? Is he washed up? No room for progression? Rickard 86 wRC+ last year....ok...is that really bad, or is it simply between average and below average? Wouldn't bad (poor) be 75 or below? You referenced the stat......don't make up your own scale for the rating. Rickard fell into the same part of the scale as Schoop last year, right? Therefore, Schoop was bad too, right?

I didn't say it didn't. Of course age is one of many factors. I was specifically referring to Rickard when I said "I don't care about his age". He went to college, so he's a little older than what many would consider ideal for breaking into the majors, but I don't hold it against him that he debuted at 24. I wasn't comparing Rickard to Schoop at 21....Schoop at 21 actually batted higher than Rickard last year...I threw Schoop's 15 at bats in 2013 out the window. I was just pointing out Rickard at 24/25 to Schoop at 22. So yeah, I understand Schoop was 2 years younger.....but Schoop also had slightly more exposure in the minors. So granted, it's not perfect in age, but they had comparable professional experience when playing their first season....

Rickard's minor league numbers are respectable.....I don't care about his age as long as he's not 33 in AAA....here and now, he's still young and he's performed at every level. Nobody knew who he was last year and small sample size or not, he had a great spring, made the squad and carried it over into the season....beat the odds and earned the roster spot....cooled down for a couple of weeks (look it up, it's not often you'll see a guy get hits in 7 outta 10 games and drop 21 pts in BA) and then it seems like quite a few people turned on the guy and started with all the "I told you he sucked" talk. Now he looks good again...having a good spring even with the added pressure of having options, Mancini knocking on the door, several OF signings, and 2 rule 5 guys....it would be easy to lay down, roll over and accept the AAA role.....but he's not - he's earning it again. I'm not saying he's a stud....but he's got ML talent....what did Manny bat in his first season? Schoop? Say what you want, but the dude doesn't suck when he comes outta nowhere, with very little time in AAA, under a spotlight and against all odds as a rule 5 guy, and puts up a .268 BA....obviously, that's not gonna win a batting title, but that's solid. How many guys on the roster with 250+ ab's batted higher? 2 or 3? I'm glad the O's have him and hope he makes the OD roster.

I thought the very same thing....was shocked to read his name in the game recap the other night. I had Marcell Ozuna in a fantasy league, and it said he left the game for a family emergency...and was replaced with Robert Andino. Maybe there's still a scout connection or something with Miami.....he had a good year at AAA (by Andino standards anyway, he still strikes out a ton).

Believe it or not, there's been a Robert Andino sighting in Miami. His last MLB appearance was in 2013 with Seattle where he signed as a FA after the 2012 season. In 2013, he was traded to PIT where he spent time in the minors....spent 2014 in the minors with PIT....then the Puerto Rican Winter League....2015 he played Independent ball and another season in the PRWL...then it looks like Miami (he was a 2nd round pick for Miami in 2002 and is from Miami) signed him for 2016, where he's spent the year at AAA. Now he's up with the ML club.....7 games, 4 hits in 13 ab's. They've played him at 2B and LF. They played him all over at AAA - CF, LF, 2B, SS.

I've got the opposite perspective. I just stopped playing last year at 35....played an average of probably 50 games a season with a couple seasons in my early 20's over 100 games (playing in 3 summer leagues and a fall league). Groin pulls and hammy pulls were pretty common, especially early in the season. I literally "popped" my hammy once....never knew it could make a sound, but it sounded like popping a ziploc bag that's full of air. I'd say groins/hammy pulls were almost MORE common with younger guys because they were less prone to properly stretching.....myself included.

agreed. i could watch those videos all day. i have seen other compilation videos......hilarious stuff.

yeah, obviously everyone realizes that. but to only retire the numbers of the guys in the HOF seems snooty to me. as dominant as the team was in the 60's and 70's you've got 3 players from that era recognized. The Orioles are an old and storied franchise....why not recognize a few more guys?

valid.....and just goes to show how rich the team's history is.

Yeah....between Eddie Murray playing 1st more recently than Boog and having a HOF career (partially spent with other teams), and Frank Robinson becoming the face of the team during their late 60's and early 70's dominance (even though Frank only played 6 years with the Orioles)....I think Boog has gotten a raw deal. Retiring his number should be a no brainer.

Per wikipedia: The Orioles will only retire a number when a player has been inducted into the Hall of Fame, but have placed moratoriums on other former Orioles's numbers following their deaths (see note below). Note: Cal Ripken, Sr.'s number 7, Elrod Hendricks' number 44 and Mike Flanagan's number 46 have not been retired, but a moratorium has been placed on them and they have not been issued by the team since their deaths.

is that the orioles "official" policy? or just coincidence that they have only retired the numbers of HOF orioles? It was decades ago, but I think Frank Robinson's number was retired while he was still an active player.

Why isn't his number retired? I was looking over the retired numbers at a game recently.....and got to thinking.....why isn't Boog's number retired? He played in the glory days of Orioles Magic....put up huge numbers.....won an MVP (and finished 2nd in 1969 and 3rd in 1966). Boog has been a fixture at OPACY since it opened, and I've had my picture taken with him and gotten his autograph on several occasions over the years, and he was always happy to do it....he's been gracious to fans and always has a smile on his face. Seems like a genuine great guy. I realize he's not in the HOF as the others are, but is that the only reason?