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Orioles deal with Grant Balfour Cancelled


Greg

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This is what the fourth since PA took over?

Am I missing any?

Where the O's MDs actually wrong in the prior three cases?

What can we claim they did right with any certainty? Xavier Hernandez is an obvious "right" decision, because a torn rotator cuff is...well, a torn rotator cuff. And he had that injury at the time the contract was being discussed. Aaron Sele eventually went down because of a torn muscle and partially torn labrum. Are we crediting the O's for identifying those injuries three years before they surfaced, or are we saying they ID'ed a pitcher at risk for future injury (because, if that's the case, they should be congratulated for identifying every pitcher ever)? Who else are we talking about, Burnitz? He was already well past the (aging) point of "decline" when that all went down...but regardless, it wasn't the medical wizards in the O's service who killed that deal. Not directly, anyway:

[The Xavier Hernandez] case [in 1998] prompted baseball officials to direct all clubs to have players take physicals before making agreements official.

Burnitz, who will turn 37 two weeks into next season, is healthy - he played 160 games for the Chicago Cubs last season - but his agent said he was uncomfortable with the Orioles' position in the letter of agreement.

The letter, Simon said, talked of a full review of Burnitz's health record, a physical for the Orioles and a physical for the insurance policy the Orioles would take out on him.

When all of those steps had been taken, the letter went on, and the Orioles received all of the data they needed, they would decide if Burnitz's physical condition was acceptable to them.

"Who knows how many weeks or months it could take?" Simon said.

Simon said he was concerned that the Orioles could change their mind on Burnitz, and by that time, the other teams most interested in him - the Pirates and the Houston Astros - could have signed other players.

The letter of the agreement with the Pirates, Simon added, stated simply that the contract was contingent on Burnitz's passing a physical examination that he would take no later than Jan. 6.

"That's more typical of what teams do," Simon said.

Jim Duquette, the Orioles executive who negotiated the Burnitz deal, did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

And who was the last one? Eh...doesn't matter much to me. Where were the doctors before the Wada signing? Or the Belle signing? How about BRob? Granted, the doctors probably couldn't have anticipated Roberts' decision to use his own head for batting practice, but, as you've pointed out previously, he had several other injuries that contributed to the devaluation of his contract. Given BRob's play style, were those injuries not foreseeable?

All this is so speculative, it's basically wasted energy. The problem, if there is a problem, is the resurgence of the multi-headed, managerial hydra that: (1) heralded PA's interference in the daily management of the O's; and (2) caused the O's sustained public embarrassment for longer than I'd care to recount. I imagine it's difficult enough luring decent FA's to the Orioles when the owner is a cheapskate. Making those same FA's navigate a sea of red tape cannot possibly help matters.

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What doctor is going to look at a veteran reliever's arm - Balford's age - and say he predicts he'll have 2 completely healthy seasons?

And is he a character on The Simpsons?

Sorry guys, this smells. The O's have the burden of proof. Until/unless they prove there's something legitimately wrong with Balford's arm, I'm not buying what they're selling.

Of course, providing proof would violate Balfour's rights as protected by HIPAA.

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Because there is no way in the world that the O's medical staff could be more risk adverse without being under direct orders of the ownership!

That's a stretch. But nevertheless; I'm okay with them voiding the deal if his physical was an issue; his contract was pending a physical after all. However, it's the news that other MLB teams physicians have reviewed his physical and think he's fine. It's still the Orioles decision to accept the contract based upon how they feel about the physical, but nevertheless, if it's an underhanded way out of buyer's remorse; shame on them. They've screwed Balfour, IMO.

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Because there is no way in the world that the O's medical staff could be more risk adverse without being under direct orders of the ownership!

Or it could mean that the Rays medical staff is less competent? There is plenty of scenarios to be upset with Angelos as owner but I still don't see how this limited scenario is one of them as (and please correct me if I'm wrong) the track record of deals being killed after physicals is actually a fantastic one for the Orioles. Why criticize one area where objectively the Orioles have always been in the right in the past? Whether or not he gets a two year deal from anyone else, considering the track record of players whose deals have been nixed by medicals I'll be shocked if at this point in 2015 we aren't all saying "we dodged a bullet" on Balfour.

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That's a stretch. But nevertheless; I'm okay with them voiding the deal if his physical was an issue; his contract was pending a physical after all. However, it's the news that other MLB teams physicians have reviewed his physical and think he's fine. It's still the Orioles decision to accept the contract based upon how they feel about the physical, but nevertheless, if it's an underhanded way out of buyer's remorse; shame on them. They've screwed Balfour, IMO.

I was being sarcastic, hence the !

Of course only doctors that agree with Balfour's camp are coming out, he would be pretty stupid to waive his rights and allowing dissenting views out there.

I wonder if any of these other docs got "consulting fees" for looking at the scans?

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I was being sarcastic, hence the !

Of course only doctors that agree with Balfour's camp are coming out, he would be pretty stupid to waive his rights and allowing dissenting views out there.

I wonder if any of these other docs got "consulting fees" for looking at the scans?

The same types of Doctors who decided finally that Hammel had a flexor mass inflammation (often a precursor for T.J. surgery) and said Bundy only needed PRP for his soreness.

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The same types of Doctors who decided finally that Hammel had a flexor mass inflammation (often a precursor for T.J. surgery) and said Bundy only needed PRP for his soreness.

Actually the same types of doctors who advise not one, but two separate MLB teams as their lead doctor. Bunch of quacks I'm sure completely unqualified to make such a diagnoses.

Unlike the Orioles crack team who would find something wrong with seemingly anyone, including a guy who hasn't had any real injury issue in almost 10 years.

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The O's wanted to give him a two year deal instead of a four year deal. He got hurt in what would have been year three.

That sounds like a dead on hit of a prediction to me.

He averaged over 175 innings a year for those 4 years and pitched 160 innings in the third year. I don't think they were dead on their prediction at all. Pitchers get injured. If we could be guranteed a pitcher would average over 175 innnings a year I think that is pretty healthy.

Chen, Hammel, and Wada were all injured last year and supposedly all passed their physicals.

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He averaged over 175 innings a year for those 4 years and pitched 160 innings in the third year. I don't think they were dead on their prediction at all. Pitchers get injured. If we could be guranteed a pitcher would average over 175 innnings a year I think that is pretty healthy.

Chen, Hammel, and Wada were all injured last year and supposedly all passed their physicals.

He only averaged 140 innings after the Orioles thought he'd break down and those 140 innings per year his performance was significantly worse. The O's analysis of him cannot be objectively defined as anything but correct.

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He only averaged 140 innings after the Orioles thought he'd break down and those 140 innings per year his performance was significantly worse. The O's analysis of him cannot be objectively defined as anything but correct.

140 innings? That would have been third on our team last year.

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