Osornot
-
Posts
162 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by Osornot
-
-
14 hours ago, Can_of_corn said:
No one posted the picture that's been going around?
I got you fam.
Whoa... thanks for sharing pic! Shoulder Schmoulder... if it's even questionable he deserves the bunt. I wonder if he can watch the video of this..
-
I also see some young kids that love the game having fun. Think back to when you were that young - you never thought you couldn't overcome an opponent's lead so there was not a lot of panic. Now, think about these young kids and the talent they bring - why would they not believe that they will come back and win. I think the vets play off of this. Think of the Adley/Bautista hug after another save. That is pure joy and one of my favorite parts. Of course, we have been able to see it a LOT but I don't get suck of it
Saying that, the OP is spot on. Knowing all of that I would have been really sad lol
-
A shutdown bullpen that will get us to Cano/Bautista, i.e. the middle. I do not want a starter rental unless it is cheap in prospect cost. A real game-changing starter that can get us close to Cano/Bautista may be a different story as is controllable
-
6 hours ago, Frobby said:
What I see there is a team without a significant weakness. 17th is our worst ranking in any category. At the same time, we are not elite anywhere, but solidly above average in most places.
In a way, it’s the hardest type of team to significantly upgrade, because there’s no place where we could improve from terrible to average or slightly above with a move. But, it’s a nicely balanced team.
Thank you to the OP for the time, efforts and comments. I agree with Frobby now but what SG says (playoffs) is my main concern, especially pitching. Either way, I look at 55-35 and will enjoy. I love analysis and predictions in baseball can be thrown out the window based on so many factors
-
14 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:
Picking up one of those guys is extremely tempting, but I'm not sure if I'd want either of them next year. Even though it's only one season to carry that salary, I'm not worried about that amount of money...both of those guys have defied how a pitcher is supposed to age. At some point, they're going to be ineffective and I don't want that happening to either one of them if they're on this team. And even if one of them was great for us this year and next year, that only covers us going into 2025. Elias has to figure out a way to get some legit top of the rotation guys who aren't in their late 30s, early 40s who can be a centerpiece for the rotation for the long haul. Verlander/Scherzer aren't long term options, they're really nice shiny band-aids for a larger problem.
I know, I know, think about all of the wisdom Verlander could impart on a guy like G-Rod, blah blah blah, veteranosity, etc. That stuff is nice but I don't know if it's worth giving up the prospects...depending, of course, on who those prospects are.
I'm not freaked out to give up some good prospects if the return makes sense. But for a pitcher like Verlander or Scherzer who are at the end of their careers, I'm not so sure. If we really were one SP away from getting over the hump, I might be more inclined...but, IMO, we need two SPs and some significant bullpen help to be a legit contender.
Agree... but, I always wondered if there is a benefit to signing one of these TOR's to a significant 1-year contract. Would it be worth the risk of getting the performance that could increase our odds without trading away the farm. Now, the cost is significant but it is a one-year deal and we would not have to trade prospects. The loss is for what the draft comp picks rules are at a given time (do they change?).
example, IF the draft pick comp has potentially less or relative value in how many prospects it would take in a trade.
Sign a Verlander for 1 year at $40M+ = short-term risk+ keep current prospect queue - loss of pick. Obviously, with any more time to contract, i.e., 2 years, added it changes the formula as the risk is much greater. Agreeing with Moose I would not be thrilled with more than one year
-
On 6/21/2023 at 9:40 PM, Can_of_corn said:
Big fan of the Arrows eh?
Alan was a good friend... first person I knew that died from COVID back then...
-
39 minutes ago, btownoriole said:
I had a long drive Wednesday afternoon and listened to Newman and Garceau. It was the worst radio broadcast I’ve listened to in 45 years as a baseball fan. They were both constantly behind the play (based on the sound of the bat and the crowd reaction). On some plays I didn’t really know what happened until the play was over and they told me who was on base where and how many outs there were.
I agree with other posters - have Newman and Garceau focus on studio hosting. If they need an occasional play-by-play person on the radio side bring up Adam Pohl or one of the other minor league announcers.
This happened to me early in the year and, for the first time listening to games on the radio, I turned it off. And I used to listen to the studio-called games with the same crack of the bat, crowd noise and cheers, etc. I am not one for hyperbole but it was the most amateurish broadcast I had heard above some college and it was the team with Garceau.
Saying that, I believe that Melanie has improved... but is just not ready for prime time, and is not being set up to succeed. Whomever in the organization is in charge of this aspect is not very good. She sounds a little more comfortable/confident but then having to share a booth with Palmer, a larger-than-life personality, is cruel.
I blame the organization. Frankly, I like Kevin Brown but feel like I am compromising. For example, in their own way, Thorne and Palmer were perfect - excellent broadcast with the extra bonus of thinking it is two guys sitting in their backyard watching a game, drinking a few beers and energized by the game they love and having a few laughs while being professional. Meh, my 2 cents-
2
-
-
On 4/21/2023 at 11:34 AM, Tony-OH said:
Perhaps, but my point is that the financial strains of players are much less than they were in the early 1900s when players were basically indentured servants to the owners. Also, I could not imagine in today's age of electronic surveillence that we all carry around with his in our pockets, that there could ever be a secret meeting where players discussed throwing games.
I'm not anti-gambling. Even though, I'm not a big gambler myself, I don't have an issue with sports betting. I just have an issue with being inundated wit the advertisements to BET during telecasts. Since I believe in personal responsibility, I don't think I should tell someone what they can and can't do with their money nor should I tell someone how they should enjoy the game.
I understand the income but my concern is about something else. Volume gambling. There are many ways to hide and it doesn't have to be about money for the players but being pressured by certain actions/information that would be, to put it mildly, not something they would want in public. Take steroids? take advantage of threats/blackmail.
-
Only picked the big 3 but if I took all 7 it would be a commitment of $350M over 10 years. If one hits over the first few years it's a bargain.
-
38 minutes ago, interloper said:
Boras does a good job of convincing his clients to take the path he wants. He works for them technically but he steers the ship with his knowledge and convincing arguments. He's in control make no mistake.
exactly. he does his job which is take the emotion out of it for his client. It's business...unfortunately for us; good for Gunnar. We have some good bank-busting talent here or on the way - exciting for now but some tough decisions later. I'll wait until later and enjoy the now.
-
1 hour ago, Tony-OH said:
Going into this season, I wasn’t sure I had much more in me when it came to Orioles Hangout. A had lost my close friend, confidant, and managing editor Michael Williams to cancer last year and the Orioles were coming off another last place 100+ loss season.
Then, this spring, I put in for my full season credentials with the Orioles, something that I had done every year since 2002 pre COVID, only to be told I would no longer be given credentials to attend games or ask questions during online press conferences. After a conversation with Jennifer Grondahl, Senior Vice President, Community Development & Communications, it was made abundantly clear while they respected what I did, they felt I no longer fit into their definition of the press.
To say it was disheartening was probably an understatement. While I was never a daily member of the press, I tried to make at to at least one game a homestand in order keep up relationships with players and coaches that I had built over the 26 years I had run Orioleshangout.com. To be told I know longer counted by the organization, even though Orioles Hangout is the longest running known website (founded in 1996) to cover a major professional team in any sport in the United States, was what I considered a final blow.
Now even prior to this, ever since Mike Elias took over, it was hard to get information about minor league player injuries, something I was typically able to get done with a simple text in previous regimes. I used this information to keep the fans informed on the website and message board as well as on my regular spot on 105.7 the fan. Now, text inquiries were met with silence only to get emails from the PR department telling me to ask questions through them, not through Matt Blood.
Disappointingly, the truth was that I no longer could get the information fans wanted from me, the team pulled my credentials (one of the few perks I got for all my time and effort), and the regular fandom of the Orioles was probably at its lowest. Page views and visits to the site were at all-time lows. Taking it all in, I finally decided I was done.
In May of this year, I put up a post asking if anyone was interested in potentially being part of or buying the site outright from me. Several people reach out and I even entertained a few conversations where we talked what the Hangout would like if I sold the site and stepped away. The one thing consistent was no one wanted me to step away fully, but in the end, I was ready to step away from the Hangout for the first time in my life.
My goal at that point was to get into someone’s hands who would love the community as much as I do and would make good stewards. In the meantime though, I still enjoyed doing the minor league scouting portion so I was still watching video and giving people my thoughts on the minor league players as well as doing analysis of Baseball Savant information on the major league Orioles.
The response to my work on the message board along with several messages by people who said they understood why I would step away, but hoped I would reconsider, got me more and more interested in the daily grind.
Then, the Orioles started to win again and people started to show up to the Hangout who we hadn’t seen in years. New members we’re signing up and the quality and quantity of the posts were starting to really flow.
But I’ll be honest, I was still bitter about how the Orioles handled me, and I’m sure my posts showed it. I was starting to get too negative about things even as the Orioles were winning. Then one day I got particularly negative over something and basically said the Orioles sapped my fandom and I was just going to look at things objectively like a non-fan.
By doing that though, I stepped away for a few days and kinda let things run its course. I went on a mini-vacation with the family and barely looked at the Hangout other then to make sure everything was up and running. Taking that step back allowed me to think over some things.
The Orioles started their run of good baseball and I wasn’t even enjoying it. Why? I’ve been a fan of the team since 1975 (about five years old). I’ve run Orioles Hangout since 1996. Hell, I was certainly the only soldier in Afghanistan and Iraq that would find an internet connection and computer and log on to talk Orioles, and this was in the 2004-2007 timeframe when they weren’t that good. Being an Orioles fan is in my DNA.
Why should I let a PR department full of people, most of whom have no understanding of what I’ve done over the years, take away something I’ve always enjoyed? Why should I let them determine my worth to Orioles fans?
So as I look at the numbers from yesterday’s trading deadline, over 17,000 visits, 150,000 page views, 1,000 of posts by amazingly smart Orioles fans who call Orioles Hangout their internet home, it dawned on me. It doesn’t matter how the Orioles as an organization feels about me or Orioles Hangout, it only matters how the fans view me and the Hangout. And no, I’m not talking about the Twitter trolls.
So you know what? I’m not going anywhere. I’ll continue to have my platform here at the Hangout and as long as 105.7 keeps calling, I’ll continue to give my thoughts weekly over air waves.
I’m going to continue to call things as I see them. When something needs to be criticized, I’ll criticize, but when something needs to be celebrated, I’ll do that as well. I’ve always prided myself on being fair and that is what I intend to do, regardless of how the latest leadership/PR of the organization feels about me or the site.
I want to thank everyone at the Hangout from the longtime members (heart and soul of the community), to the returning members, to our new members. Thank you for those of you who feel my analysis helps you be a batter informed fan and thank you to those who make me work hard to back up my answers with stats and facts. That’s what we do here at the Hangout for each other and why this is the best community, bar none, to discuss Orioles baseball.
Orioles baseball is back baby, and so am I!
I shared many of your feelings but in a different way. I could not find the motivation to support an organization the O's became - or a league that started becoming political. Sports have always been my break from the insanity of everything else.
it is still rough listening to games on the radio. Maybe it is my age but listening on the car radio used to be a must. The first time I turned on an O's game I truly believed I was listening to a York Revs game - it was not major league.but... bottom line is that this team and the future has left me no alternative than to come back. It isn't even the winning but the vibe. Tony making a commitment is a sign that I can continue my journey in loving the game again. Although I do not get on as much as I used to back in the mid 2000's (man, time flies) it is now time I put more of an effort by reconstituting my paid subscription which lapsed a while ago. My little bit of support is the least I can do.
-
1
-
-
Quick read - great analysis. Whether I completely agree with everything does not matter but I have to give you an A Frobby!
-
1
-
-
I find looking at the post title helps. Usually I will not read one that says "My First and Probably Last Thread" but I was intrigued. There are so many on here that I do enjoy reading, even when they are "negative" Not to be personal but I find CoC seems negative a lot, however, I read all of his posts because he is spot on a lot... ok, once or twice
Heck, I turned the game on yesterday (radio) and I first thought it was a York Revs spring training game - it just didn't rise to the level of top talent, maybe it was a bad game, just blah. Luckily, MASN still has their crew.
I want baseball to get back to where it was not so long ago. It just seems oddly strange right now - sure, the O's stink but we are used to seeing them stink - so what - it is the team and game we all are passionate about. I think baseball is in the blood of every one here...
This place has been like a family. Although I have not been able to attend any "family" reunions at OPACY and know any of you personally I mourned our "family" that passed and cheer when someone has good news.
-
1
-
1
-
-
4 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:
Thanks for the kind words. It has been a struggle at times to keep my enthusiasm up for the Orioles at times over the years but the one thing that drove me were people like yourself who appreciated the unbiased reporting, scouting reports and of course the board.
In the back of my mind I always felt as long as I had credentials the team at least respected what I was doing. Now that I realize this is no longer the case, I struggle to find a reason to devote so much of my time towards this organization.
I guess people can get their news from the fanboys on Twitter and will think all the prospects are the next coming!
Who knows, maybe that's what people need now. Reality is pretty crazy, so maybe sticking with the "all is rainbows and lollipops is what people want or need now?"
and ummm.... snowflakes (sorry couldn't resist)
-
18 minutes ago, Tony-OH said:
I don't think this was an ownership decision. I could be wrong but it appears to be at least to the level of Senior VP Jennifer Grondahl. This was the position that Greg Bader was in in the past, and I guess Greg either no longer sees the value in the Hangout as well or is no longer in a position to help.
Honestly, i didn't even contact him after my conversation with Jennifer because it's her decision.
While I've had a good relationship with Mike Elias, I'm assuming he agrees too because I kind of let him know originally and he deferred to Jennifer.I'm a big boy and can accept when my run is up. I was going to make a thread about it but this seems to have devolved into it. Mainly I just wanted people to know since in the past I've been asked about things and was able to get information to the fans.
I learned I couldn't do that with Matt Blood since he would just forward the most simplest of requests for injury information to the Pr department without even sending me a text back. He's the first guy in that position to treat me like that since I started doing that kind of contact work since 2000.
Again, Mike has always been good in responding, but after thinking about it, I realize that none of them really care about the me, the site, or the tens of thousands of fans that have called this place their home to discuss Orioles baseball.
I'll probably shut down any new Plus memberships from starting up or renewing here shortly and then we look at what the next steps look like.Tony:
You have done everything any of us could hope for x1000. I have been on since 2007 with different levels of participation. The OH analysis is the most enjoyable period. The banter...the refreshing my page every few seconds for the Tex wining and dining stuff... Bedard etc. etc.
Now, we have lost some irreplaceable people here. Combine that with COVID, MLB virtue signaling and audacity of having a short strike my interest has waned considerably. MLB is no longer an entertainment outlet for me, actually most pro sports are no longer that. OH is the only thing I read to get my fix.This team needs all of the press it can get - only no press is bad press. You have taken a ton of hits over the years and have never asked for anything but to pay the bills. This action could be the last straw for many.
-
Rest in Peace ScOtt. You will be missed.
As always, class move by Tony
-
2
-
-
Prayers.
-
On 9/5/2021 at 8:37 AM, TonySoprano said:
Now it can be told, one night in June around 10 pm, Mike texted me that he needed help getting into his wheelchair so he could get outside to see the sunshine the next day. When I arrived, @justDmet me outside and thanked me for coming. "He had his first good night's sleep in a while knowing you'd be here today." A more touching and humbling compliment I could not have received. Of course, Mike had MLB network on the TV, but over the course of 3 hours, we talked about his first date with Denise, and their cross-country trip a few years ago. Not wanting to talk about anything depressing we didn't talk about his health...or Orioles baseball. Mike joked he had a spare room if I wanted to spend the night. D showed me all the Orioles memorabilia they had collected upstairs. His day nurse, a young man named Angelo, arrived a couple hours later, and helped get Mike into his wheelchair and out to his back deck. From there was a great view of the Governor's mansion only 1-2 blocks away. Mike wanted to get out to see the sunshine "one last time." Heartbreaking to think about.
All the credit in the world goes to Denise for the loving care she gave him his last several months. They had nursing help some days, but not every day, and she carried quite a heavy load without a bit of complaint. Her strength was what carried him as far as he went. Deepest sympathies to her.
Mike learned about baseball from his father, Lew. I met Lew the day Brooks was getting his statue and @Roy Firestonegave his memorable speech. Lew passed away in March of this year. I know father and son will get to see many more games together again from the "best seats in the house," and maybe, just maybe, some will be worth watching.
God speed, Mike.Eternal rest grant unto him O Lord
and let perpetual light shine upon him
May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace
AmenWhat an incredible story. I am not a regular here but have been around for 12 years or so. Weams was a favorite for no other reason than he kept a level head when none of us could. He was the family member that kept the peace. His knowledge of the O's and game itself was top notch. I never met him but I feel like I have through the Hangout and the great people here. God Bless You Michael. Rest in Peace Brother. God Bless You Denise. There is a big hole in the soul of the Hangout...
-
1
-
-
I have been on and off on ere through the year (2006 or 07 I think). I have been a member (Rochester) and a lurker and, for many reasons, do not get on here that much anymore. I have never met Weems but it has always been obvious to me what a great man and person he is. I agree with Tony that we never know what God plans for us but I do know that I will pray - it's what gives me hope. Not to be selfish but I truly believe that the world needs folks like Weems.
-
2
-
1
-
-
-
Now, I can go back to being quiet and reading. My rant was more this being one of the few(er) places to go where Chris Davis striking out looking is the reason people get PO'd. This is a great respite and Tony and the Mods are pure class.
-
1 hour ago, interloper said:
Exactly.
Just another white dude thinking he understands BLM better than the people actually suffering from the systemic racism. Please do explain how you're an expert on black lives and what the movement means Tony. I've seen enough unprovoked police brutality in the last 4 months to make me physically sick. I also have to laugh at people continuing to believe in some ANTIFA bogeyman that Fox news continues to push. Please. We lead the world in school shootings and COVID cases but god forbid we have a couple people throw a brick through a window.
Wanting to rid the site of politics is in itself political, obviously. It's also just impossible unless you wanna bring out the ban hammer en masse. It's a historic time in our country so the best course is to let things breathe here. We were talking baseball just fine.
Whatever. Do whatever you have to do to. There's certainly more to worry about than the fate of this website.
1 hour ago, interloper said:#BLM
BLM
https://blacklivesmatter.com/what-we-believe/
The Fox News argument is so 2000. Now we have real videos from real people - what I don't get is that most of the riots are white kids. That is a fact!
Historic time? nah.. it actually happens every few decades or so... the difference this time is that there are people with cameras who can video what is really happening.
Black lives DO matter! What about Black Babies? The best thing that has come from this is that Planned Parenthood is decision to remove Margaret Sanger's name from one of its clinics - she was a blatant racist and wanted to carry out the eugenicist's racist mission.
Once the white kids decide to go back home they will change nothing... like they have not done for over 50 years. White privilege is pretending to care, burn some stuff down, scream, act tough then go on to the next video game.
-
1
-
A Second Thought Experiment
in Orioles Talk
Posted
Yes... unfortunately
meh...
extend yes, 10 years no
I am not sure about promises because I do not know what that really means nor am I invested in that philosophy. I want some of our cornerstones locked up. I believe continuity is a good thing and the risk is worth it.
The Orioles will never be the franchise it should be again until it is sold but it needs to go to someone like Bisciotti or similar. We have a system that has been built to win long-term and the only way it will be successful is if ownership changes (not going to happen) or they get out of the way (ughhh) within a certain timeframe. I try not to think about it.