Per the Sun: "Orioles most inactive team..."

[CharmCityHokie]

What's Felix Pie doing these days lol

Soon to be the newest member of your Hanwah Eagles, hailing from the Republic of Korea

http://www.kffl.com/gnews.php?id=884306-korean-league---felix-pie-headed-overseas

[brianod]

Can you play LF? close games?

Jim went to Wild Lake, I went to Oakland Mills. We were arch rivals for a number of years. Our senior year, both football teams were rated in the top ten, which is really something for the smaller schools in Howard County. Any way, Jim's 2-3 months of fame were awesome for those of us who dream of such things.

[Tony-OH]

Which of the teams that finished ahead of or tied with the Orioles do you believe the Os are now better than? Do you think any of the teams that finished behind the Os are now better?

The Orioles are better than the Blue Jays on paper in my opinion in the AL East. They trail the others, especially once the Red Sox and Yankees fill back up on the left over high priced guys.

[MemorialStadKid]

Just to understand, what is this "lack of improvement" you refer to? Have you lived under a rock for the last two seasons?

What are the lousy operating procedures?

I can understand complaints about a low payroll, but it appears a great deal of the dysfunction that existed for a long time is now gone - whether it be well-below average international operations, incredibly well-below average spring training facilities, etc, etc.

You present such a lack of detail and strength of argument that it is not worth posting with you.

What the hell are you talking about?

Folks keep harping on the last two seasons, 2012 being an overperformance, and 2013 being more in line with the level of talent we had (which was a direct result of the standing pat practice we're seeing RIGHT NOW).

Lousy operating procedures = making token offers to free agents with no real desire to sign them. Lousy operating procedures = letting Feldman and McClouth walk (when we could have used Nate for depth and Feldman as a reliable #5 starter).

Lousy operating procedures = leaving tons of holes open with no plan to fill them with quality players.

Lousy operating procedures = Continuing to dumpster dive while signing AAAA-level talent.

Are you living on the same planet as the rest of us?

MSK

[Rene88]

Jim went to Wild Lake, I went to Oakland Mills. We were arch rivals for a number of years. Our senior year, both football teams were rated in the top ten, which is really something for the smaller schools in Howard County. Any way, Jim's 2-3 months of fame were awesome for those of us who dream of such things.

Wow: thanks for sharing. I live in Wilde Lake by the mall myself. I had no idea he was that local!

[Rene88]

Correction: meant I lived, not currently

[Barnaby Graves]

Are you living on the same planet as the rest of us?

You have absolutely no right to ask anyone in the world this question when you suggest trades like Wieters for Shelby Miller because STL can just trade Molina and the fact that your FA ideas go as deep as "find the most expensive thing and buy it."

[brianod]

I grew up in Thunderhill and my mom still lives in apartments overlooking Nordstrom at the mall. I coach my three sons on an adult baseball team. I was pressed into action during fall ball, made two errors, struck out three times and pulled a hamstring. Getting old sucks:)

[ledzepp8]

What the hell are you talking about?

Folks keep harping on the last two seasons, 2012 being an overperformance, and 2013 being more in line with the level of talent we had (which was a direct result of the standing pat practice we're seeing RIGHT NOW).

Lousy operating procedures = making token offers to free agents with no real desire to sign them. Lousy operating procedures = letting Feldman and McClouth walk (when we could have used Nate for depth and Feldman as a reliable #5 starter).

Lousy operating procedures = leaving tons of holes open with no plan to fill them with quality players.

Lousy operating procedures = Continuing to dumpster dive while signing AAAA-level talent.

Are you living on the same planet as the rest of us?

MSK

You'll continue to ignore this but who has signed that you would have wanted? You would have given Feldman $30 million? Johnson $10 million or whatever he was asking for in an extension?

[Barnaby Graves]

You'll continue to ignore this but who has signed that you would have wanted? You would have given Feldman $30 million? Johnson $10 million or whatever he was asking for in an extension?

He would have done all these things and when you came to him and said "Josh Hamilton sure didn't live up to that contract you gave him" he would have completely ignored you.

[Three Run Homer]

You'll continue to ignore this but who has signed that you would have wanted? You would have given Feldman $30 million? Johnson $10 million or whatever he was asking for in an extension?

He might or might not answer but that doesn't mean that there aren't good answers. No I wouldn't have given Feldman $30 million, and I might not have given Johnson $10 million. But I would have signed McLouth for 2/11, I would have signed Mujica for 2/10 and I would have signed Colon at 2/20. The O's would be in much better shape if they had made these moves than they are likely to wind up at the end of the ofseason, and none of these moves would have broken the bank.

[MemorialStadKid]

You'll continue to ignore this but who has signed that you would have wanted? You would have given Feldman $30 million? Johnson $10 million or whatever he was asking for in an extension?

I responded to this by talking about trades in a different thread. I'm sure you can do a search for it.

Now I don't have all the answers, but I do know we could be doing more than nothing. It's amazing that few of you bother to question Angelos' so-called methods with the temerity that you come after folks that want the Orioles to improve and compete.

MSK

[BradyBunch]

Really? Yes cause the team he paid 173 million for and is now worth upwards of 700 million plus is on the verge of bankruptcy if they were to sign Garza. Yup that makes sense. Add in the fact that I have no doubt in my mind that Pete being the tightwad he is has managed to cook the books at MASN (a claim the Nats have echoed) in order to minimize what is paid out to the Nats.

In all your business babble defending Scrooge McAngelos you fail to mention the fact the man stands to make upwards of 500 million when he finally sells the team. PA is well within his rights to horde his money and run this team like a business but dont expect the fans to be happy about it.

Actually, PA didn't spend $173 million. It was an investment group of which he put more then 50% of the money towards it. The investment group included Clancy, Barry Levinson, William DeWitt, Jr (yep, the Cards chairman), Pam Shriver and others. O's still have 4 main owners (greater then 5%) and half dozen small owners (5% or less) from what I understand.

PA can't cook the books because he has other investors. Nothing has come out saying he has and it would have because when Tom Clancy died the estate was subject to a an audit. Lerner isn't complaining about his yearly payout with MASN That's when that kind of stuff would have came out. It hasn't. So it's not happening.

PA isn't gonna make $500m selling the O's. Clancy estate and Clancy ex-wife have 24% of the O's. Geppi has 5% and you have the other investors. Officially what's reported is PA owns 71% of the O's since a majority of the private investors want to remain nameless. At most PA will walk away with $355M, reality is it's a much smaller number.

Last I heard and I hear a lot of grumblings and rumors in my line of work but PA and the investors are looking for $400m for the O's and MASN will be sold separately to a big name outlet if MLB forces PA's hand when dealing with the Nats.

[hoosiers]

What the hell are you talking about?

Folks keep harping on the last two seasons, 2012 being an overperformance, and 2013 being more in line with the level of talent we had (which was a direct result of the standing pat practice we're seeing RIGHT NOW).

Lousy operating procedures = making token offers to free agents with no real desire to sign them. Lousy operating procedures = letting Feldman and McClouth walk (when we could have used Nate for depth and Feldman as a reliable #5 starter).

Lousy operating procedures = leaving tons of holes open with no plan to fill them with quality players.

Lousy operating procedures = Continuing to dumpster dive while signing AAAA-level talent.

Are you living on the same planet as the rest of us?

MSK

I guess we don't share the same definition of "operating procedures" - ha ha. Waste of time, you are.

[AlbionHero]

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10127149/mlb-offseason-winners-losers?ex_cid=espnapi_public

They'd spent two years rebuilding an era of good vibes and repairing much of the damage of the lost decade that preceded it. But the vibes emanating from the Orioles' offseason so far have been anything but euphoric. The dumping of Johnson sent shock waves through their organization. Their free-agent targets have been mostly low-budget. And their biggest offseason acquisition so far has been a reliever (Ryan Webb) who got nontendered by the Marlins.

"They look like a team that's caught in between," said one exec. "They act like they don't have any money, although I'm not sure why. They're a little short on having enough talent to keep pace in the division. And they don't seem like they're going to do much to address it. They feel like they're a team with nowhere to go."