No excuses now

[DrungoHazewood]

I disagree. With as much press as he's getting (as has gotten for a few years), I think even the casual fan knows about Tex. Just wait until after the season and WBAL names their show "Hot Stove Tex Show". It's all anyone will talk about.

You might be right. I live 90 miles from Baltimore, so maybe people in the city see his name in the paper and on local TV more often.

[IamtheSkip]

You might be right. I live 90 miles from Baltimore, so maybe people in the city see his name in the paper and on local TV more often.

A lot of the 20-something fans I know, even the low key ones, know who he is because they were in HS in the area at the same time he was.

[RShack]

Preposterous Frob? I don't think so. I bet if he signs for anybody besides us, he will be booed out of this stadium and bashed on the OH every chance we get. This isn't just any free agent. This is the guy that fans have wanted since we missed him in the draft. This is the guy that people are making up conspiracy theories in our draft about. Oh, I beg to differ. IMO, he will be hated!

Edit: Then again, this is Baltimore. They won't hate Tex...they'll blame Angelos!

I think you're confusing the opinions of a few OH posters with the fanbase.

I agree that some folks here think he's the potential franchise savior and put a large weight on the fact that he grew up in MD. But I don't think most fans do. I think most fans don't know that much about him and don't have any expectations about him whatsoever.

In other words, I think he might get "booed out of the stadium" by about 12 people ;-)

[Sports Guy]

You might be right. I live 90 miles from Baltimore, so maybe people in the city see his name in the paper and on local TV more often.

He is like an icon around here...Been known since his days at St Joe and many people want him here...If he goes to Boston or NY because of money, he will get booed...I have no doubt about that.

[JTrea81]

Aubrey Huff dissed the Baltimore nightlife and he got booed for weeks. I have no doubt Tex will be Public Enemy #1 if he spurns Baltimore...

[ColumbiaOriole]

What was stopping MacPhail from doing it in the offseason? I don't see how Matusz would cause us to deal pitching. He could always get hurt. MacPhail is just obsessed with getting as much SP as possible. Maybe he's paranoid from what happened to Wood and Prior...

Yes, he is the paranoid, irrational one out of you two. I for one am shocked that the opening post of this thread was overreactive and completely lacking rationality. We don't HAVE to get Tex now; there are always other options especially with our surplus of pitching. Why is everything so black and white and life or death with you? The idea that McPhail has no Plan B but someone like you does is laughable.

[ColumbiaOriole]

HUH? Are you kidding? You can't be serious? The Reds are going to trade a kid who is hitting the snot out of the ball and is cheap and under their control because they drafted another kid who plays his position 12 hours ago.

Did the conversation go like this:

Scouting Director: Yeah, Walt, we got Alonso, dump Votto immediately.

Walt: 10-4, never liked that guy Votto anyway.

No.

And no to any kind of agreement between a guy who plays for the Braves and the Orioles. No. No. No.

The sad thing is he actually is serious. I mean is it possible that every single move a team makes doesn't have some sort of ulterior motive? There's no chance they were just picking best avilable talent, is there? We drafted Matusz, I mean we have to have a handshake deal with Tex in place and if we don't the franchise will cease to exist. If we don't get Tex, the city of Baltimore will fall into the bay. "10-4, never liked that Votto guy anyway", I love it.

[osfan83]

The MLB draft is such a crap shoot, you have to draft by best talent available. THe success rate is so low, why would anyone draft on need? Why take a less talented player just because he fills a CURRENT need, when he is years away from filling that need, and most likley never will make it to the majors anyway?

[IamtheSkip]

The MLB draft is such a crap shoot, you have to draft by best talent available. THe success rate is so low, why would anyone draft on need? Why take a less talented player just because he fills a CURRENT need, when he is years away from filling that need, and most likley never will make it to the majors anyway?

But you're missing the idea that a large group of folks didn't think Matusz WAS the best available. And it's not just Hangouters... There're experts that agree that Smoak or Posey could have gone at No. 4 just as easy.

Of course, Matusz had plenty of supporters too. Hence the debate.

[ColumbiaOriole]

They thought Matusz was a better player, and don't believe that drafting to need is a legitimate thing to do.

Jordan's job is to identify and draft the best players with the most future value. It's MacPhail's job to turn the organization's talent into a functioning, contending major league team.

Your ability to be a rational human being and encyclopedic knowledge of the game have no place in a thread started by JTrea. The world will be end without Smoak or Teixiera on our team next year. The idea that there could be other possibilities than those two is simply impossible.

[itsernst]

I don't understand the problem, even if we did land Smoak, there is no guarantee that he would pan out...

This isn't football, guys don't get drafted and immediately make an impact!

You don't know what Mcphail or anyone else in the front office is planning, so get rid of the tissues and wait to see what happens in the offseason.

If nothing becomes of it then you can start complaining!

[nadecir]

I think you're confusing the opinions of a few OH posters with the fanbase.

I agree that some folks here think he's the potential franchise savior and put a large weight on the fact that he grew up in MD. But I don't think most fans do. I think most fans don't know that much about him and don't have any expectations about him whatsoever.

In other words, I think he might get "booed out of the stadium" by about 12 people ;-)

The 12 people who boo Teixeira if he signs with another team probably will be completely overwhelmed by the cheers of the family and friends of Tex who would come to see him at play at Camden no matter what team he is on. We are talking about nine games at year at Camden for him as a visiting player at most anyways. An extra million or two a year could buy him a lot of tickets at Camden as a visiting player.

Not that any of this matters to Tex. I am sure that the possible booing of some fans in Baltimore would rank right around 9,845,375 in the list of Teixeira's criteria when considering contract offers this offseason. And the first 9,000,000 reasons all involve the value of his contract.

[BaltimoreTerp]

I think you're confusing the opinions of a few OH posters with the fanbase.

I agree that some folks here think he's the potential franchise savior and put a large weight on the fact that he grew up in MD. But I don't think most fans do. I think most fans don't know that much about him and don't have any expectations about him whatsoever.

In other words, I think he might get "booed out of the stadium" by about 12 people ;-)

How many casual Orioles fans know who Mark Teixeira is? People like my wife, or my brother-in-law. People who go to the game because their company has tickets, or because it's nice to go to the ballgame a few times a year. People who brought the kids up in the SUV from Glen Burnie or Annapolis. At least half the crowd on any given night.

If you went around Oriole Park on a random non-Red Sox night and ask folks if they'd boo Mark Teixiera if he doesn't sign with the O's I'd bet 60% or 70% of the crowd would say "Sure, I'll boo anybody who's not an Oriole. Who's Mark Teixeira?"

You two are forgetting one thing: the "casual" fan still gets their information from somewhere. Maybe they don't study the box scores or listen to WNST or Steve Davis or Anita Marks constantly or spend hours a day on message boards, but in most places where they would get information Teixiera's name has been brought up repeatedly.

Between that, and many of them already knowing he is fron Baltimore, and the number of mentions he will get as free agency approaches, people WILL know about him. If he's offered any reasonable contract by the Orioles and he tells them to pound sand to go to (especially) the Yankees or Red Sox, there will be a lot of pissed-off people, even if they are only casually pissed-off.

[IamtheSkip]

You two are forgetting one thing: the "casual" fan still gets their information from somewhere. Maybe they don't study the box scores or listen to WNST or Steve Davis or Anita Marks constantly or spend hours a day on message boards, but in most places where they would get information Teixiera's name has been brought up repeatedly.

Between that, and many of them already knowing he is fron Baltimore, and the number of mentions he will get as free agency approaches, people WILL know about him. If he's offered any reasonable contract by the Orioles and he tells them to pound sand to go to (especially) the Yankees or Red Sox, there will be a lot of pissed-off people, even if they are only casually pissed-off.

And besides, once you get a few hundred booers at Camden Yards, it spreads. Who doesn't love a good boo?

[Frobby]

The shine is off Roberts somewhat.

Why is the shine off BRob? His OPS+ was 112 last year, it's 114 now. He's essentially the same player. (By the way, he's hitting the heck out of the ball the last few days..

Bump...BRob's OPS is up to .816 after today's 3 for 4 performance.