Article that explains the off season (problems)

[McNulty]

MSK rails against the O's for inaction. People ask him 'OK, well what should we do then', and he doesn't answer anymore. The reason? Well, the answer is below, and self-explanatory: Link

MSK

I've been saying that we need to do a good balance of trades and FA signings.

For 1B/DH I'd go after LaRouche or Carlos Pena.

For 2B, is Kelly Johnson available?

Placido Polanco would be a good backup 3B depth option.

For LF, I would get Ryan Ludwick and package Reimold in a trade for a TOR starter.

For pitching, Kyle Lohse or Anibal Sanchez

After getting punk rocked for naming TWO players that had already signed, advocating signing the walking undead that is Pena, and thinking you could parlay Reimold into a TOR starter package, he claimed the reason for his 'ignorance' was he didn't have enough time to keep up with signings. Yet he has time to come here and troll everyone by repeating the same nonsense over and over.

Here's the bottom line - We could (and should) have a higher payroll. But Pete ain't going there. Its like getting mad about the sun coming up. It was going to happen anyway. We all want the team to have an eleventy billion dollar payroll, but this is not reality. Until MSK comes back to reality and acknowledges this, he's worthless to 'discuss' things with. He wants no part of a discussion. He comes here and posts inaccurate blanket statements about all the posters on the board (RShack fallacy, if you will) about how we are OK with no improvement. NO ONE SAYS THIS.

I wish you would go away. You do nothing but drag this site into Trea-levels of beating down lunacy. It ruins discussion around here. MSK, you claim that you are such a huge fan because you spent $$$ to fly across country to see the O's. However, you NEVER post here during the season. Why? Well, I offer that its because you get some enjoyment out of getting good people here fired up. During the season your schtick does not work.

I spent $$$ going to see the O's this year too. I went to just as many playoff games as you, I've flown up from FL for opening day before, and went to 25-30 games last year from Philly (including 3 separate trips to NYC). But I post here during the season. I talk and meet with lots of people from this board all year. Why? Because I'm not a blatant troll like you are.

I really don't go in much for calling people trolls unless the paterns develop. Being abusive to other posters and calling people names is not the definition of trolling. Trolling: The art of deliberately, cleverly, and secretly pissing people off, usually via the internet, using dialogue. Troll: A person who posts to an internet discussion group or chat room with the sole purpose of disrupting it.

I tried to rep you for this post Weams. I agree with every word of it; however, one of your fellow mods does not, and recently gave me an infraction for calling MSK a troll.

[Roll Tide]

I think MSK would be happy with a successful offseason that improved the club and where DD improved in the areas that he set out to improve.

So far all he has done is sign a collection of AAAA players and a pile of guys from the independent league. Reynolds is a bigger subtraction than anything the team has added. In this regard I share his frustration. DD said he would look to trade to for the pieces the team needs. I suppose that could still happen ...But it's easy to not be happy to this point. Unlike the posters here that say that moves will be made in January, I think DD misevaluated the old cavalry. I think it cost him around the deadline with Headley and again with a potential deal for Butler. MSK is obviously not a GM and personally I don't like the Pena idea...But I don't think he's a troll .... I think he just wants to see the team improved in a substantial way after the fans did their part with increasing attendance by 20%. I also thinks he is baited into reaction by several posters here that complain about how he destructs every thread. Just my opinion.

[Gurgi]

IF everyone in Baseball thinks our starters cant do crap then what good is it to go out and get a middle of the order bat?

Frankly I remember the Glen Davis trade. When the Orioles had a major jump up in the standings then thought they were one player away. But if the Orioles were just LUCKY last year then I think it actually screams for going very cautiously right now.

[waroriole]

Am I one of his famous five?

What's his famous five?

[Brendan25]

Our starting rotation is better then average.

[waroriole]

Our starting rotation is better then average.

It could be a lot of different things. It could be well below average because any 2 of the Top 4 prove not to be as good as they were last year. It could be above average because at least 3 of those 4 show that last year was not a fluke. The good thing is that we have plenty of depth to step in if anyone is injured or falters.

[Tx Oriole]

Is that actually the case, or is every attempt to "correct" me a diatribe laced with sarcasm, snark and insults?

I am rarely rude or mean to anyone. The rancor aimed at me is part hilarious and part bizarre.

MSK

MSK I don't to be rude to you but your message are all the

same. We all want the team to improve. You don't trade Bundy

to do it. The FO has to be smart how they spend money. Just

try to wait to see what DD will do. There is still a lot of off season

left.

[The Wedge]

Tony should make a special subsection for the offseason for the inevitable pissing matches. Every single offseason. It's like clockwork. The hot stove was definitely not designed for the information age.

[LayzieDES]

I am definitely one of his famous five and happy to be one. This guy has lied so many times on this board that I'm not sure why anyone would want to interface with him. Guys like him really used to bother me, but I'm no longer worried about chasing around folks like him to try to keep them honest. Their behavior doesn't change and the majority see through the smoke on their own. You folks have fun trying to nail that jello to the wall.

BTW, I haven't posted in some time so I'd like to say Happy Holidays to everyone.

Just sayin...

[Brendan25]

It could be a lot of different things. It could be well below average because any 2 of the Top 4 prove not to be as good as they were last year. It could be above average because at least 3 of those 4 show that last year was not a fluke. The good thing is that we have plenty of depth to step in if anyone is injured or falters.

It's just my opinion that it will be better then average. I could be wrong.

[Frobby]

Tony should make a special subsection for the offseason for the inevitable pissing matches. Every single offseason. It's like clockwork. The hot stove was definitely not designed for the information age.

Seriously, that's why I hate it. During the season, there's a new game to discuss every day. Yes, there are redundant threads and posts, but you have something new to discuss all the time. The winter? Well, it's mostly the same conversation, day after day, interrupted briefly when a transaction actually occurs, which isn't often. The when small moves do happen, there's the inevitable complaints about why a bigger move hasn't been made. And, when some other team does anything, the gnashing of teeth about why we didn't do what they did. It's not that I have a problem with the front office critics, it's just that the conversation gets very redundant this time of year, including the posts by the front office defenders, by the way. I feel like I'm in the movie Groundhog Day.

[CSB Jack]

Saunders might not even be back.

Tillman had some issues with health.

SJ made 4 starts.

Gonzalez was good but 5 innings above AA before last year. Was it real or a fluke?

Time will tell on it all.

This is my concern with the pitching staff. The potential is there to be excellent. The lack of long term history causes the margin of error on the projections to be significant. There are a lot of "IFs" associated with the rotation.

IF Saunders is re-signed... he's probably a solid rotation contributor but not likely a #1/2 level performer. Still, I'd take his career average numbers and drop them into the back part of the rotation.

IF Gonzalez can back up his numbers from last year... most posters I saw from months ago were penciling him in as solid; I believe he will be (probably because I am an optimistic by nature guy for someone who is a cynical old coot) but there's not a lot of track record there.

IF Tillman finally has put it together... there is every reason to believe he has but again there is limited track record. Again, I believe we are seeing the real Chris Tillman now.

IF Hammel is truly healthy... he should be since there has been plenty of time to recover; but nobody last year was raving about the steal we pulled off when we got him from the Rockies.

IF Chen can duplicate his performance... without fading down the stretch. We tend to remember him as being solid but his total numbers for the year were more Saunders-like than TOR material. Still, he has an overseas track record that suggests he should be a solid #3-5 guy.

That's the most likely projected rotation if Saunders comes back, but there are other options available. IF... S. Johnson can do over a full season what he did in limited action... Britton is healthy and lives up to the promise we've seen glimpses of over the past two years... Matusz can show what he did in the pen as a starter... Bundy develops at Norfolk and is ready by mid-year... Arrieta can harness his raw talent... Wada is recovered and can give us something....

A lot of potential, potentially a contending rotation, but a lot of uncertainty. Fortunately there are options available if any of the first five falter.

[MemorialStadKid]

I wish you would go away. You do nothing but drag this site into Trea-levels of beating down lunacy. It ruins discussion around here. MSK, you claim that you are such a huge fan because you spent $$$ to fly across country to see the O's. However, you NEVER post here during the season. Why? Well, I offer that its because you get some enjoyment out of getting good people here fired up. During the season your schtick does not work.

I spent $$$ going to see the O's this year too. I went to just as many playoff games as you, I've flown up from FL for opening day before, and went to 25-30 games last year from Philly (including 3 separate trips to NYC). But I post here during the season. I talk and meet with lots of people from this board all year. Why? Because I'm not a blatant troll like you are.

I tried to rep you for this post Weams. I agree with every word of it; however, one of your fellow mods does not, and recently gave me an infraction for calling MSK a troll.

Wow, man, you are totally wrong on so many levels.

1) I did post during the regular season. I watched a lot of games and enjoyed them. I was out in the real world having fun. Sorry if that means I am not a "real fan."

2) I live in Southern California, I meet Orioles fans in the Los Angeles area ALL of the time. I am a member of a group called THE WEST WING and while it is a Ravens-based group, we go to Angels games as a group whenever the Orioles play them - or more rare, the Dodgers in LA.

3) Call me all the names you like. I am more than willing to engage in a conversation as I have many times with people that don't insult or try to snark me to death. You've made up a lot of stuff in your head. I am no troll. Not by a long shot man.

MSK

[MemorialStadKid]

I am definitely one of his famous five and happy to be one. This guy has lied so many times on this board that I'm not sure why anyone would want to interface with him. Guys like him really used to bother me, but I'm no longer worried about chasing around folks like him to try to keep them honest. Their behavior doesn't change and the majority see through the smoke on their own. You folks have fun trying to nail that jello to the wall.

BTW, I haven't posted in some time so I'd like to say Happy Holidays to everyone.

This guy is funny. He is "angry" at me because I couldn't fulfill a bet that he had nothing to do with. He just needs something to be upset about. My personal security and safety were much, much more important to me than a bet I made with some anonymous person I'll never meet about other anonymous posters I'll never meet.

I was supposed to find quotes of people who wanted to stand pat (as we're doing now) and I did. But before I could compile it into a post, my apartment burned down. I have pics of the fire, etc. Yet, I am a "liar." I've never seen such awful human beings in my life.

A guy has a fire and you call him a liar. That rhymes.

MSK

[MemorialStadKid]

What's his famous five?

There were a few posters here who would jump on me no matter what I said or how I backed things up. They got mad when I criticized PA, they got mad when I criticized AM, they got mad whenever I said anything remotely criticizing the behavior of the Orioles FO. They lobbed insults at me, made fun of me, acted like total uncivilized, unprincipled pigs.

I talked about racism and how we view Black athletes and they called me a racist or a race-baiter for discussing the subject.

There are just some guys that have issues with others and try to hide behind the veneer of being virtuous and defending the board when all they are is a loud little clique of dudes defending their fort made out of bedsheets and pillows. If you don't know the secret handshake, you're not a part of their crew. In this case, the "handshake" being a total and irrevocable defense of Peter Angelos and the Orioles front office.

These are the same dudes who said we shouldn't sign a free agent until we get close and/or have a winning season, and now that we did, they advocate for doing nothing.

I can take the heat as much as anyone else without sinking to their level. I just wish THEY would be honest about it.

MSK