HHP: Reporting from Fanfest

[Frobby]

Davis, Flaherty, McLouth and Teagarden.

For Davis: when you got sent in to pitch, what were you feeling? Trepidation, humor? Davis: I was PISSED ! Really Buck, I'm 0 for 7 and now I'm going to get the loss too? The last pitch my arm was really tired so I took something off.

When the defense shifts, why don't you bunt? Davis: "funny you would ask, because this winter I've been... I haven't been practicing bunting at all!" I'm setting things up for later in my career, maybe in the World Series down by a run."

McLouth: following the team from Norfolk, he couldn't wait to get here. It was awesome to contribute and I'm looking forward to doing it over a full season. He sometimes wondered if he should keep playing when he had injuries and was struggling, but "I think I've found a home here."

[luismatos4prez]

When the defense shifts, why don't you bunt? Davis: "funny you orward ask, because this winter I've been... I haven't been practicing bunting at all!". I'm setting things up for later in my career, maybe in the World Series down by a run."

I think the late Bernie Mac made a baseball movie that ended like that.

[Tx Oriole]

Dan Duquette just told me that he had been allocated resources beyond 100 million dollars if needed.

Hell I am old buddy. Don't tease me like that.

[weams]

Hell I am old buddy. Don't tease me like that.

That was not a tease. True.

[CaptainRedbeard]

Davis, Flaherty, McLouth and Teagarden.

For Davis: when you got sent in to pitch, what were you feeling? Trepidation, humor? Davis: I was PISSED ! Really Buck, I'm 0 for 7 and now I'm going to get the loss too? The last pitch my arm was really tired so I took something off.

When the defense shifts, why don't you bunt? Davis: "funny you orward ask, because this winter I've been... I haven't been practicing bunting at all!". I'm setting things up for later in my career, maybe in the World Series down by a run."

McLouth: following the team from Norfolk, he couldn't wait to get here. It was awesome to contribute and I'm looking forward to doing it over a full season. He sometimes wondered if he should keep playing when he had injuries and was struggling, but "I think I've found a home here".

I gotta say Frobby (and Weams and anybody else at Fanfest who has stuff to share) this is super cool! It's killing me not being at Fanfest so this is the next best thing. Please keep it up!

I'm a bit surprised with the quote about the $100 million payroll. That would seem to imply that we would have payroll space for another mid-range acquisition even if we get Saunders, or we could have decided to not get Saunders and fit in a player in the 12-15 million dollar range.

Really drives home the point that the top pick must really be worth a lot to DD, because if we really have that payroll space I'd expect to have gotten one of Swisher, Bourn, or Lohse by now.

Really loved the quote about Upton. I don't think there's anyway we'd get him because the Rangers will beat anything we're comfortable offering, but it's great to know that Jones is reaching out to players and that they're interested! He really is a great leader.

[Tx Oriole]

That was not a tease. True.

I know I was teasing with you.

[weams]

Bobby Dickerson taught Manny Machado how to play third base. Jim Hunter refers to this as major espionage

[El Gordo]

Apparently Dickey was our best trade option and we came close to puling the trigger. It couldn't have been for Bundy, so I have to think Tillman plus. Swisher would be fine without the pick, assuming he is Bucks' kind of player. Lohse, Bourn not so much.

[luismatos4prez]

I'm a bit surprised with the quote about the $100 million payroll. That would seem to imply that we would have payroll space for another mid-range acquisition even if we get Saunders, or we could have decided to not get Saunders and fit in a player in the 12-15 million dollar range.

The Orioles' payroll is projected at $91 M as it stands today. That is, with no Joe Saunders.

[kyleott]

I gotta say Frobby (and Weams and anybody else at Fanfest who has stuff to share) this is super cool! It's killing me not being at Fanfest so this is the next best thing. Please keep it up!

I'm a bit surprised with the quote about the $100 million payroll. That would seem to imply that we would have payroll space for another mid-range acquisition even if we get Saunders, or we could have decided to not get Saunders and fit in a player in the 12-15 million dollar range.

Really drives home the point that the top pick must really be worth a lot to DD, because if we really have that payroll space I'd expect to have gotten one of Swisher, Bourn, or Lohse by now.

Really loved the quote about Upton. I don't think there's anyway we'd get him because the Rangers will beat anything we're comfortable offering, but it's great to know that Jones is reaching out to players and that they're interested! He really is a great leader.

I suspect he meant that we have the resources to go over 100m for the right player. I also suspect that our inaction was proof that the 'right player' wasn't in this crop.

[El Gordo]

The Orioles' payroll is projected at $91 M as it stands today. That is, with no Joe Saunders.

Who's doing the projecting?

[weams]

Who's doing the projecting?

It has been calculated by several people and Dan Duquette essentially confirmed that number to me.

[Frobby]

Dan and Buck are back. Thorne asks what do you think about the rest of the AL East. Buck: they are making moves because they know they need to improve and the Orioles are a force. I don't spend a lot of time coveting other teams players. I'll try make our players the best they can be and I will live with the consequences.

Dan: we have a lot of hitters who are as good as what we could have gotten in a trade.

Buck: I'm telling the minor league guys, we need to be able to assume that when a guy comes through our system, they can defend. You may get to Bowie, but you aren't getting to Baltimore if you can't catch the ball. Ability to defend allows me to give a player time to learn the offensive side of the game.

We look at lots of things the players can do 90 feet at a time, offensively and defensively, that don't show up in stats. A computer would say the best hitter should bat first, second best hitter second, etc. but the game wasn't played on a computer.

[El Gordo]

Dan and Buck are back. Thorne asks what do you think about the rest of the AL East. Buck: they are making moves because they know they need to improve and the Orioles are a force. I don't spend a lot of time coveting other teams players. I'll try make our players the best they can be and I will live with the consequences.

Dan: we have a lot of hitters who are as good as what we could have gotten in a trade.

Buck: I'm telling the minor league guys, we need to be able to assume that when a guy comes through our system, they can defend. You may get to Bowie, but you aren't getting to Baltimore if you can't catch the ball. Ability to defend allows me to give a player time to learn the offensive side of the game.

We look at lots of things the players can do 90 feet at a time, offensively and defensively, that don't show up in stats. A computer would say the best hitter should bat first, second best hitter second, etc. but the game wasn't played on a computer.

Wish he could expand on that.

[Frobby]

That was not a tease. True.

I didn't really interpret Dan's answer the same way you did. I'm not looking for the O's to start spending a lot. I thought his reference to "resources" was to the players in the organization, not money.