Roch: O's don't like Penn's attitude

[Mad Mark]

Every snowball begins with a single flake...

For Penn, the snowball rolling downhill started with the appendectomy last season. His performance indicates he probably shouldn't have been brought up in September, and now this. I have to believe he's wound up pretty tight right now, and badly needs a shoulder to lean on. I'd love to know what Mazzone thinks about all this, and hope this isn't one of those pitcher/coach relationships that's headed for the dumper.

Sometimes, there's nothing in the world harder to do than "try a little easier."

[Sapper]

Can't say I really blame them. When it comes to Hayden, it seems like there's always something holding him back. Not saying it's all his fault, but it makes me wonder.

And people scoffed at me when I suggested we may have sent the wrong prospect pitcher to the Mets.:002_smad:

[Leitch]

You're saying we should have sent Penn instead of Maine? You really are a goofball sometimes.

Don't you know he shut out the Cubs and the Pirates?!?

[Sapper]

You're saying we should have sent Penn instead of Maine? You really are a goofball sometimes.

3 starts so far this Spring and has a 1.00 ERA.

[Leitch]

3 starts so far this Spring and has a 1.00 ERA.

I think my eyes are going to fall out of the sockets.

From rolling them so hard.

[CrimsonTribe]

Wow Penn IS on thin ice. Curious why he didn't make any phone calls about it though, especially knowing he's scheduled to start? Perhaps he's developed quite a pattern of irresponsibility like this.

Forgetting a bag? Understandable.

Not calling anyone, even the manager, when you know you're scheduled to start? I don't care for that myself. Just drove there silently, let them sit there and wonder? Let them build that bad perception? It's a kid's move.

He is a kid.

[DrungoHazewood]

Who's to say the deal would have even been considered by either party exchanging Penn for Maine? They're four years apart in age. Maine was a guy who looked like he'd hit a roadblock in AAA, while Penn was at a similar point in his development at four years younger. The O's wouldn't have done it because Penn was more highly regarded, and the Mets might not have liked it because Penn was far less experienced and polished.

This is 20-70 hindsight. It sorta looks good if you squint hard enough, but there's not nearly enough evidence to say Maine will end up the better pitcher.

[rolliefingers]

3 starts so far this Spring and has a 1.00 ERA.

Know what, you're right! I clearly remember you posting here after the Benson trade, that Penn will someday leave his equipment bag at camp on the day of a ST start, go back to get it, and not phone the team to tell them he'd be late, thus touching off speculation about Penn's maturity, confidence, and ultimately his ability to be a successful major league pitcher. I remember you also predicting that Maine would pitch good baseball for the Mets in the 2006 playoffs. Amazing! You truly are a genius.

[Sapper]

Know what, you're right! I clearly remember you posting here after the Benson trade, that Penn will someday leave his equipment bag at camp on the day of a ST start, go back to get it, and not phone the team to tell them he'd be late, thus touching off speculation about Penn's maturity, confidence, and ultimately his ability to be a successful major league pitcher. I remember you also predicting that Maine would pitch good baseball for the Mets in the 2006 playoffs. Amazing! You truly are a genius.

I clearly stated that I was upset that they traded Maine. I actually said nothing about Penn. EVERYONE ELSE countered my concerns about trading Maine with their opinion that Penn was much better than Maine anyway and Maine was considered an extra useless piece.

I'd say I was right and everyone arguing with me was wrong so far. Is that clear enough for you or would you like to parse and twist words some more? I never suggested it was a "Penn or Maine" option at the time. YOU ALL did.

[Sports Guy]

I clearly stated that I was upset that they traded Maine. I actually said nothing about Penn. EVERYONE ELSE countered my concerns about trading Maine with their opinion that Penn was much better than Maine anyway and Maine was considered an extra useless piece.

I'd say I was right and everyone arguing with me was wrong so far. Is that clear enough for you or would you like to parse and twist words some more? I never suggested it was a "Penn or Maine" option at the time. YOU ALL did.

I imagine you have this wrong.

People probably said that you can afford to trade Maine because of guys like Penn, who was clearly the better prospect compared to Maine.

Also, you still cpntinue to overlook the fact that Maine hadn't been good for the Orioles in a while and that he is now thriving in a much better atmosphere for pitchers.

[Sapper]

I imagine you have this wrong.

People probably said that you can afford to trade Maine because of guys like Penn, who was clearly the better prospect compared to Maine.

Also, you still cpntinue to overlook the fact that Maine hadn't been good for the Orioles in a while and that he is now thriving in a much better atmosphere for pitchers.

Schilling never did much for the Orioles either.....

[Mark Carver]

Schilling never did much for the Orioles either.....

... and the Houston Astros, who in turn traded him to the Phillies.

BTW - Given the number of innings that Penn has pitched in the ML, John Maine in the same number of innings did no better than Penn.

[rolliefingers]

I clearly stated that I was upset that they traded Maine. I actually said nothing about Penn. EVERYONE ELSE countered my concerns about trading Maine with their opinion that Penn was much better than Maine anyway and Maine was considered an extra useless piece.

I'd say I was right and everyone arguing with me was wrong so far. Is that clear enough for you or would you like to parse and twist words some more? I never suggested it was a "Penn or Maine" option at the time. YOU ALL did.

I don't particularly care what you said back then. I was just mocking you because your entire M.O. on this board is to 1.) complain about Angelos and 2.) brag incessantly whenever current events happen to support something you once said, be it yesterday, or in this case, years ago. It's just sad. Everyone likes being right; very few people feel the pathetic need to brag about it as much as you do.

And BTW, I'm not saying you're right about Maine. He had stagnated as an Oriole, and Penn had lapped him as a prospect. I have my own issues with the Benson trade, but trading Maine was not one of them. His success, so far, has come in the NL, and in a better pitcher's park than OPACY. He still has the same issues with leaving his straight fastball over the plate that he had here. The league will catch up to him.

[rolliefingers]

Schilling never did much for the Orioles either.....

Schilling has written on his blog that he gained several MPH on his fastball as a result of his work with the Phillies' coaching staff. I don't exonerate the O's for the Schilling trade - Frank specifically said he wanted to keep him - but one could reasonably say that Schilling would NEVER have become an effective ML pitcher if he HADN'T been traded.

[Sports Guy]

Schilling never did much for the Orioles either.....

So what? Do you ever have a real point?

The bottom line is, despite you man crush on Maine, by the time the Orioles traded him, it looked like him becoming Kris benson was as good as he could possibly do and even that was unlikely.