Has there been one positive moment since before the Allstar break last year?

[George]

A big positive is the OH thread about Steve Dalkowski.

[crawjo]

You can't ask a general question, then quantify it by your own goofy standards and expect people to adhere by them. Something positive IS positive. By your logic, NOTHING that was "positive" actually was, because like the Sox missing the playoffs, they meant "nothing" to the Orioles. Hitting the most homeruns or whatever post ALB? So what, they still finished in the cellar. Markakis and Wieters getting Gold Gloves? Big whoop, they play for a crappy team. Most of the positive "moments" meant nothing to the Orioles in the grand scheme. They were mostly positive for US. And if you can't find positivity in a doormat team like the Orioles not only refusing to lay down so the babyface Red Sox can valiantly hold on and make the playoffs yet again, but refusing to throw in the towel in the very last game of a meaningless season for them...well, your soul is dead, friend.

All seasons are meaningless, when you come down to it. I mean, what has changed for Cardinals fans now that their team won a world championship? They were probably really happy for a few days but their life didn't change. It didn't put money in their pocket, it won't buy them any friends, it won't guarantee them health. Baseball is just a game. Whether you finish in last or first place doesn't matter in the final analysis. We're all going to be dead someday anyway, and if there is an afterlife I'm pretty sure we won't be able to take the hardware with us. I love baseball...I love going to the park and watching games and rooting for the Orioles. That's what I love. Championships are a nice bonus, but if you are in this only to see your team win, then you should just save yourself some time right now and go root for the Yankees. So, I quoted your post because I agree with what you are saying, and wanted to add to that thought.

[weams]

A big positive is the OH thread about Steve Dalkowski.

Agreed

http://forum.orioleshangout.com/forums/showthread.php/118172-The-Legend-of-Steve-Dalkowski

[SrMeowMeow]

Aside from maybe managing to sign our 1st round pick, has there been one bit of good news concerning the Orioles since Britton has his exciting debut before the inevitable fade?

Seriously, please post anything you've got. And don't even think about mentioning any BS about knocking the Redsox out of the playoffs.

How about knocking the Red Sox out of the playoffs? Because that was an incredible moment.

[cb3fsu]

Well give me your troll's definition of "positive" and "moment", or change the premise of the thread. You ask for positive moments and then move the goal posts to dismiss anaything less than celebrating a WS. Some people watch the team for the pleasure of a good baseball game, and don't give a rat's buttocks about how the team is "percieved nationally". If your self esteme is so pathetic that you need to identify with some" nationally percieved" sports powerhouse, in order to have any, I suggest you become a Yankee fan. They will give you instant gratification with almost no investment on your part.

You're right dude, the O's did everything BUT win a world championship. How ridiculous of me to criticize them after the outstanding season they had last year. The reason they made absolutely no significant additions in the offseason is cus YOU DON'T MESS WITH PERFECTION, BABY!

I didn't move the goalposts. After Britton tailed off there was NOTHING that happened last year to give Orioles fans hope for THIS YEAR. Not one thing. Jones and Markakis got gold gloves last year? Great, so they had great defensive seasons and still finished last, right? Where does their winning Gold Gloves and the FO refusing to spend any money to add talent around them get us?

This team is built for last again. The goal is 70 games this year. .500 might as well be .700 which might as well be 1.000. Any organization with any pride left would be ashamed of the starting rotation and lineup they are going to trot out there.

My sister and I were trying to pick out a ST game to go to, and she said she didn't want to go to a split squad game...but I honestly don't know if we'd be able to tell the difference at this point.

They aren't trying to win and they aren't even trying to rebuild. This is a static year. Nothing was accomplished this offseason. They team and organization is an absolute mess. There is no help in the minors.

Which do you think is more likely, that Britton, Matusz and Arrieta all put it together and none of them has injury setbacks...or they all prove that they are not #1, #2 or #3 pitchers.

"Grow the arms, buy the bats" Neither happened.

The only time this team has been successful in the last 20 years is by signing free agents. This organization is not talented enough to develop major league baseball players.

[PaulFolk]

You can't ask a general question, then quantify it by your own goofy standards and expect people to adhere by them. Something positive IS positive. By your logic, NOTHING that was "positive" actually was, because like the Sox missing the playoffs, they meant "nothing" to the Orioles. Hitting the most homeruns or whatever post ALB? So what, they still finished in the cellar. Markakis and Wieters getting Gold Gloves? Big whoop, they play for a crappy team. Most of the positive "moments" meant nothing to the Orioles in the grand scheme. They were mostly positive for US. And if you can't find positivity in a doormat team like the Orioles not only refusing to lay down so the babyface Red Sox can valiantly hold on and make the playoffs yet again, but refusing to throw in the towel in the very last game of a meaningless season for them...well, your soul is dead, friend.

I didn't move the goalposts. After Britton tailed off there was NOTHING that happened last year to give Orioles fans hope for THIS YEAR. Not one thing. Jones and Markakis got gold gloves last year? Great, so they had great defensive seasons and still finished last, right? Where does their winning Gold Gloves and the FO refusing to spend any money to add talent around them get us?

This made me laugh. Spot-on prediction, Wedge.

cb3fsu, how do you expect anyone to answer this question? No matter what anyone says, you just respond with "So what? The Orioles were still in last place." We recognize that the Orioles are a bad team. That doesn't mean there haven't been ANY positives.

If you only started the thread so you can rant-- which you clearly did-- then don't frame it as an actual question that you want people to answer, and then berate them when they try to do so. That's trolling.

[weams]

That's trolling.

I'll say goodbye while I can

[El Gordo]

You're right dude, the O's did everything BUT win a world championship. How ridiculous of me to criticize them after the outstanding season they had last year. The reason they made absolutely no significant additions in the offseason is cus YOU DON'T MESS WITH PERFECTION, BABY!

I didn't move the goalposts. After Britton tailed off there was NOTHING that happened last year to give Orioles fans hope for THIS YEAR. Not one thing. Jones and Markakis got gold gloves last year? Great, so they had great defensive seasons and still finished last, right? Where does their winning Gold Gloves and the FO refusing to spend any money to add talent around them get us?

This team is built for last again. The goal is 70 games this year. .500 might as well be .700 which might as well be 1.000. Any organization with any pride left would be ashamed of the starting rotation and lineup they are going to trot out there.

My sister and I were trying to pick out a ST game to go to, and she said she didn't want to go to a split squad game...but I honestly don't know if we'd be able to tell the difference at this point.

They aren't trying to win and they aren't even trying to rebuild. This is a static year. Nothing was accomplished this offseason. They team and organization is an absolute mess. There is no help in the minors.

Which do you think is more likely, that Britton, Matusz and Arrieta all put it together and none of them has injury setbacks...or they all prove that they are not #1, #2 or #3 pitchers.

"Grow the arms, buy the bats" Neither happened.

The only time this team has been successful in the last 20 years is by signing free agents. This organization is not talented enough to develop major league baseball players.

Instead of polluting your own thread with additional moronic, hyperbolic, effluvium, why not simply define what you mean by "positive" and "moment". Then anyone masochistic enough to try, can give examples that they think fit those definitions.

[scOtt]

"Effluvium"! Very nice word.

[Ven6]

I think the fact that everybody here seems to be so down on the Orioles in 2012 means we are definitely going to be better than expected. I'm sure of it. Because last year after we signed the mighty triumvirate of Guerrero, Lee and Gregg, everybody here was talking about how our starting rotation was better than New York's, about how we were going to finish no worse than third, about how 81 wins was going to be no problem and 85-90 was possible. I think the roster now is much stronger than it was one year ago, so I actually am finding all these really pessimistic threads to be quite amusing.

Sssshhhh. This is exactly what I think, but it will only work if everyone stays miserably negative.

[luismatos4prez]

You're right dude, the O's did everything BUT win a world championship. How ridiculous of me to criticize them after the outstanding season they had last year. The reason they made absolutely no significant additions in the offseason is cus YOU DON'T MESS WITH PERFECTION, BABY!

I didn't move the goalposts. After Britton tailed off there was NOTHING that happened last year to give Orioles fans hope for THIS YEAR. Not one thing. Jones and Markakis got gold gloves last year? Great, so they had great defensive seasons and still finished last, right? Where does their winning Gold Gloves and the FO refusing to spend any money to add talent around them get us?

This team is built for last again. The goal is 70 games this year. .500 might as well be .700 which might as well be 1.000. Any organization with any pride left would be ashamed of the starting rotation and lineup they are going to trot out there.

My sister and I were trying to pick out a ST game to go to, and she said she didn't want to go to a split squad game...but I honestly don't know if we'd be able to tell the difference at this point.

They aren't trying to win and they aren't even trying to rebuild. This is a static year. Nothing was accomplished this offseason. They team and organization is an absolute mess. There is no help in the minors.

Which do you think is more likely, that Britton, Matusz and Arrieta all put it together and none of them has injury setbacks...or they all prove that they are not #1, #2 or #3 pitchers.

"Grow the arms, buy the bats" Neither happened.

The only time this team has been successful in the last 20 years is by signing free agents. This organization is not talented enough to develop major league baseball players.

You asked for positive moments. We gave you positive moments.

[Moose Milligan]

Kicking the Sox out of the playoffs.

Wieters down the stretch.

Reimold down the stretch.

Gold Gloves.

I get the premise of the thread, I really do. And I agree with the OP wholeheartedly.

[glenn__davis]

I thinking signing Chen was a positive. He seemed to be the one player we were in on that other teams seemed to have interest in.

Even if you don't want to count knocking the Sox out of the playoffs, the O's did get some positive press for that. I remember Joe Maddon's tweet thanking Showalter and the O's for continuing to be professionals and play hard down the stretch run, which of course also included some games against his own team.

Certainly Matt Wieters' offense down the stretch was a great sign, though maybe that doesn't count as a "moment".

I get the point of the OP, but you really don't need to go so far the other way to prove that you're not a homer. There aren't many homers left for this team.

[ShaneDawg85]

Markakis and Wieters winning Gold Gloves was pretty awesome. Wieters got the award he rightly deserved. Markakis finally got the real recognition he should have gotten years earlier. While it wasn't his best season defensively, he was still solid in right. Plus, deep in the hearts of West Virginia it had to stick in the crawl of a so-called baseball curmudgeon, and that's always a good thing in my book.