The This Team IS Done, We are Dumb and Nothing can Fix it MEGA THREAD

[CA-ORIOLE]

o

Lyle was unbelievable in '77.

In that year's A.L.C.S. against the Royals, he was even better.

In Game Three against the Royals, he pitched 2.33 innings in a losing cause.

In Game Four, the Yankees down 2 games to 1, and were clinging to a 1-run lead. With runners on 1st and 2nd base, Lyle came out of the bullpen to pitch 5.33 scoreless innings on no rest when they were facing elimination in the best-of-five series.

Lyle wasn't done. He came back in Game Five (again on no rest) to pitch 1.67 more scoreless innings to wrap up the series for the Yankees, 3 games to 2.

I'm still pissed about it.

[Pickles]

OK. I'll be serious. Nelson Cruz is not the AL MVP this year. And Miller may not be as valuable as Betances. Let alone a starter that pitches 200 innings at sub 3 ERA of which we will have a couple. He's not going to be CY Young. So it's not worth talking through really.

Wanna bet on that?

I don't think we'll have one. Let alone a couple.

[$Greatness$]

We are a .500 and should be more, but we want to kick the tires with "sleeper, low-cost" players. We have been in the playoffs 2 of the last 3 years and 4 games away from a World Series! We deserved better this off-season, but the Orioles management wasn't having it. I'm beyond pissed and angry. Overreaction? Please... expected.

[El Gordo]

Wanna bet on that?

I don't think we'll have one. Let alone a couple.

The we he was referring to wasn't the O's, it was the AL. If SP has a sub 3.00 ERA and a 200 IP/200 K year they will win the CY over any RP no matter how good they were.

[Pickles]

The we he was referring to wasn't the O's, it was the AL. If SP has a sub 3.00 ERA and a 200 IP/200 K year they will win the CY over any RP no matter how good they were.

Ok, that makes a lot more sense.

I don't know how anyone can look at this rotation and think any of them are destined for 200 innings w a sub 3 era. Let alone a couple of them.

[Dark Helmet]

We are a .500 and should be more, but we want to kick the tires with "sleeper, low-cost" players. We have been in the playoffs 2 of the last 3 years and 4 games away from a World Series! We deserved better this off-season, but the Orioles management wasn't having it. I'm beyond pissed and angry. Overreaction? Please... expected.

I agree, but you will just get the usual "Cruz and Miller or just insert any FA name" was too expensive. Pearce, DeAza, Snider, and Young are good role players on a good team. Not starters. Oh well, hopefully that pick they got for Cruz helps us in a few years. Too bad Manny and Jones will most likely be gone by then too.

[rudyrooster]

I'm asking a legit question. Not trying to derail the board. Hypothetically if Cruz and Miller finish in the top 5, has a team ever lost those two in one offseason. And to those that try to poke fun. Don't we always speculate about the future on here and would could happen? I bet it's never happened. That's all.

That's just "JUNK"!

[scOtt]

Miller? Cy Young candidate???

:rofl:

Put down the jay and step away from the ledge! It's May 9th!

[scOtt]

Well Don Stanhouse was an [expletive deleted]! He had us in trouble, had the [expletive deleted] bases loaded, [expletive deleted] almost every [expletive deleted] time he went out there. He like ta ruin my health smokin' cigarettes and thank god we got Timmy Stoddard comin' in out da bullpen right now stickin' the bats up their [expletive deleted]s. And that's what it takes.

[islandecho]

I said it during the off season and I will say it again, losing Miller and Cruz will haunt this team for years to come. I will try and explain why...

You lost what I consider your two best and what I consider difference makers in Cruz and Miller. Yes I know Jones is good, but he is way too inconsistent to me. Swings at too many bad pitches and to me is NOT very clutch. Machado is all potential so far. He has yet to put a complete year together. Cruz to me was a guy who could change a game at a moments notice. And I don't care what anyone says, Miller had the best stuff of any pitcher this club has seen since, I don't even know when. Bedard in his prime? But even he wasn't close. Miller was and still is basically unhittable. The O's gave up both of these guys for nothing. NOTHING. Replaced them with NO ONE.

Here is what a lot of people do not understand about Miller and Cruz. Even without Cruz hitting a home run or Miller even pitching, they made the rest of the team better just by being in the lineup. Cruz because he gave the batters around him better pitches to hit because pitchers did not want to face him, and Miller because not only did he shorten the game to 6-7 innings, but he put pressure on the opposing team to perform (which usually always makes them perform worse) because THEY KNEW if they did not have a lead going into the 6th or 7th inning, the game was basically over. You don't think that made it easier for the starters to perform well? There is a reason our starting pitching did so well after we got Miller last year. It's because they could pitch with confidence and the opposing team had to bat with pressure on them, knowing Miller and Britton were waiting. You have no idea how much that is worth. That is why when I see people talk about WAR concerning Miller and Cruz, I just laugh. They were worth so much more than what the raw numbers say.

We are losing how many players next year. I won't list them but needless to say it will be a ton. Therefore our payroll is going to go down down down, unless we replace them all, which I doubt. So this was a golden opp to go for it all. You could have signed Cruz and Miller and yes, the payroll would have been up this year, and then next year, after losing all of our FA's, it would be right back to where we are now. Or lower. And we have still have Cruz and Miller.

The fact is we GAVE way ELITE TALENT. Talent this team has not had imo since the days of Ripken and before that Murray. Talent that put fear in opposing teams. The reason we did so well towards the end of last year is because not only did we get hot, but the other teams in our division or less gave up. It was a perfect storm. Like a race horse that drops down in class and KNOWS he is faster than his comp, even if his times recently don't show it. It's just a feel. And this year? These same players that swelled up with confidence when they had a lead, like Pearce and Norris and Chen, will and are reverting back to what they are...average players.

Last year I put a ton on the O's to win the AL east, the AL, and the WS. Why? Because I felt they finally had enough talent to win. And then adding Miller solidified that. As soon as they lost those two players and replaced them with nothing? You know what I bet this year?

Nada.

I'm sorry guys. But this is a 500 team. At best.

[islandecho]

And I don't care what anyone says. To me you can blame about 40% of this on PA, and 60% on DD. DD was NOT involved at all in improving the O's from about Oct 20th to Jan 30th. He was MIA and as far as I am concerned I would have dismissed him AS SOON as he made overtures to Toronto. Major major misstep by PA in letting him stay on.

[scOtt]

[video=youtube;aLGbXHc-Ce0]

NSFW I guess.....

[islandecho]

I understand their record last year at this time. But I also know last years team at this point had a different feel to it. There was still that "it" feel that they could turn it around at anytime. This year? Honestly I feel they could be out of it by June.

[scOtt]

I understand their record last year at this time. But I also know last years team at this point had a different feel to it. There was still that "it" feel that they could turn it around at anytime. This year? Honestly I feel they could be out of it by June.

Opinions vary...

[mdbdotcom]

Well, now I get the "echo" part of your screen name. I have a couple of questions.

1. How frequently do you plan on posting the exact same thing?

2. What do you think you will contribute to the conversation by continuing to say, "I told you so" every so often?