Some notes from Fanfest

[Frobby]

Brady - Palmer spent some time with him and the pitchers in California

Palmer - still thinks the young pitchers have the talent. They need to be in condition and Brady is getting them there.

Dempsey - also harps on conditioning. How is your stuff when you've thrown 15 pitches on an inning, or get to the 5th/6th inning?

[Sanfran327]

Your follow up question should have been..do you watch tape of yourself?

Anyone who has consistently watched Nick hit, knows this to be true.

Also, when Nick is coming out of slumps and is hitting better, his hands are almost always lower and you hear guys like Thorne and Angel talk about how they spoke to Nick and that he just feels real comfortable right now.

Leave it to SG to think he knows Nick's game better than Nick! JK, dude... I think you have a good point.

Also, Buck and Dan have done their job, as I'm feeling pretty optimistic about this squad. I think we'll have some surprises on offense and on the mound this year.

[Saintbird]

Brady - Palmer spent some time with him and the pitchers in California

Palmer - still thinks the young pitchers have the talent. They need to be in condition and Brady is getting them there.

Dempsey - also harps on conditioning. How is your stuff when you've thrown 15 pitches on an inning, or get to the 5th/6th inning?

I think that's a very notable thing right there. Remember how up in arms we were when Palmer said that he hadn't been approached by the Orioles to work with pitchers?

[clapdiddy]

When I read about the poor conditioning that this team has had, it makes me wonder where the lack of leadership has been on this.

Was this something AM didn't stress?

[BrunoCherrytown]

My notes say "keep your eye on Davis.". So I misquoted him.

I'd prefer an "izzle" to be added in for future reference. "Playing first base for the Baltimore Orioles...Chris Davizzle"

Just breaking your Juevos there.

And for infraction purposes I'm referring to eggs.

[wildcard]

When I read about the poor conditioning that this team has had, it makes me wonder where the lack of leadership has been on this.

Was this something AM didn't stress?

What about Buck the detail guy that micro manages everything? How did conditioning get past him?

[clapdiddy]

What about Buck the detail guy that micro manages everything? How did conditioning get past him?

Great point as well. Maybe he assumed this was being handled. I don't know...but you would think as detail-oriented as he is, this would have been addressed.

[Sanfran327]

When I read about the poor conditioning that this team has had, it makes me wonder where the lack of leadership has been on this.

Was this something AM didn't stress?

What about Buck the detail guy that micro manages everything? How did conditioning get past him?

Great point as well. Maybe he assumed this was being handled. I don't know...but you would think as detail-oriented as he is, this would have been addressed.

And this is why we brought in Jim Jupiter to be the Training Sheriff for Duq. Lots of positives going on this offseason, even if it's been somewhat unglamorous.

[LookinUp]

When I read about the poor conditioning that this team has had, it makes me wonder where the lack of leadership has been on this.

Was this something AM didn't stress?

Clearly, conditioning hasn't been a point of emphasis for this organization for years. That has to fall on AM, though you would think Buck may have noticed that many of his younger players look like they're still in high school or college.

[luismatos4prez]

Anybody else starting to like Duquette a lot?

[Can_of_corn]

Amber met up with Matusz there

Just saw #orioles Brian Matusz at Fan Fest. Looked lean, fit and eager. Told me "failure sucks". Fierce look in his eye when said.

I wouldn't be surprised if last season was his first real encounter with failure.

[El Gordo]

Anybody else starting to like Duquette a lot?

I like the fact that he has something to prove. He's a smart baseball guy who didn't get the credit he deserved for Boston's success, so he's got a chip on his shoulder. Could work out well for us. He certainly has put his finger on all our weaknesses, and has been aggressive in addressing them

[Ven6]

Anybody else starting to like Duquette a lot?

Yes.

And on the Nick hands thing, from what I've heard/seen from batting coaches is that the top hand should be at the height of the chin and low hands and/or dropping the hands leads to popping up/upper cutting/hitting the bottom of the ball instead of the top half.

[atomic]

Anybody else starting to like Duquette a lot?

I am starting to like him better. Listening to him on the radio I thought he was a complete idiot. Perhaps as bad as Macphail. But know I believe we haven't made a big splash because we are trying to get fielder and if that doesn't work out moves will be made. I can see why he was out of baseball for so long. He seems like he is completely clueless on inteviews.

[Frobby]

Buck and Dan round 2:

Dan - doesn't know if Eveland will bi in the rotation, but he really learned how to pitch last year. Learned how to get offspeed stuff over late in the count.

Buck - Jake looks ready, very impressive in mini-camp

Buck - You need to know what's going on in players' lives and really talk to them. You are managing human beings, not just baseball players.

Dan - signed Pedro to six years with an option. So he will depart from the "three year rule" when warranted.