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Schmuck's sure to ruffle some feathers with his latest article

ChaosLex

By ChaosLex
in Orioles Talk

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ChaosLex Hangout Grand Counsel

ChaosLex

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They put themselves in this situation when they dealt Johnson and waited until late December to make their move to replace him. They have long had a habit of letting the offseason play out before getting seriously involved, a strategy that has saved them a lot of money but also illustrated a reluctance to compete for the best players on the free-agent market.

They came into this offseason needing to add a starting pitcher and a consistent hitter to add more on-base potential to their power-packed lineup. Three months later, they have not addressed any of those needs in a meaningful fashion.

Sure, Dan Duquette has stacked up a lot of warm bodies. He has brought in a number of players who might suddenly step up to fill those roles, but the Orioles have fewer proven major league players than they did when the 2013 season ended with them 6 1/2 games short of the playoffs.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck-blog/bal-orioles-right-to-be-careful-wrong-to-be-this-vulnerable-when-it-comes-to-grant-balfour-deal-20131220,0,7620272.story?track=rss&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

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clapdiddy Hangout Grand Counsel

clapdiddy

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Spot on by Mr. Schmuck. He's really laid it on the Orioles recently.

Personally, I like the additions we've made. But, we still need a legitimate stick for the middle of this lineup and, I would say, TWO starting pitchers. One of those pitchers should be a good one and the other could be a 4th starter "innings eater".

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lovetoaster Veteran All-Star

lovetoaster

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Eh, in reading what you quoted, the criticism is valid, but I don't see a lot of moves that have happened so far that I am upset that we did not make. I felt from the outset that any significant opportunity would come via trade, and there is still plenty of time for that. There were a few guys I wanted bullpen-wise, but its clear that we were focused on Balfour. We could not have known something was going to show up in his physical.

And even if things fall through with Balfour, move on and find a more cost effective option and spend those dollars elsewhere. I had no interest in paying Johnson $10M, and I would be fine with not paying a closer $7.5M. As long as the dollars are spent elsewhere. I know people will say that it will go right back in PA's pockets, but I will wait until the off-season is over to judge.

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lovetoaster Veteran All-Star

lovetoaster

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Criticizing the Orioles front office and their recent decisions?? Schmuck can't be a "real Oriole fan".

No, that comment is reserved for the people that seem to take great pleasure in things going wrong for their "favorite" team and blaming the front office for everything, even situations out of their control.

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Going Underground Hangout Grand Counsel

Going Underground

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No, that comment is reserved for the people that seem to take great pleasure in things going wrong for their "favorite" team and blaming the front office for everything, even situations out of their control.

I don't take great pleasure. I don't want it to be like it was before. Could not sell or give away my tickets. At the end of the year,perhaps 10,000 people in the stands and more people in the food courts that had TV's watching the Raven game on Sunday. Red Sox and Yankee games at the end of the year with 75% fans that were not O's fans. Most people did not care about this team until late in 2011. No pleasure at all.

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