What a bunch of sad-sack losers

[Enjoy Terror]

Not me, that's how we lost out on Mark Teixeira and Jay Bruce...

But consistent losing caused us to scout Beau Hale over Chase Utley. And take Adam Loewen before a lot of great players like Zack Greinke and Prince Fielder. At the time they sounded like a good idea.

Point is, the draft is a crapshoot. Great players come from many different rounds. Getting a higher pick doesn't have any bearing on getting a better player, and you know this. You aren't stupid.

No amount of scouting will prepare your team for what you develop your drafted talent into, and that's the biggest problem with this organization. Your draft pick doesn't play any part of it.

[Fan4Life]

But consistent losing caused us to scout Beau Hale over Chase Utley. And take Adam Loewen before a lot of great players like Zack Greinke and Prince Fielder. At the time they sounded like a good idea.

Point is, the draft is a crapshoot. Great players come from many different rounds. Getting a higher pick doesn't have any bearing on getting a better player, and you know this. You aren't stupid.

No amount of scouting will prepare your team for what you develop your drafted talent into, and that's the biggest problem with this organization. Your draft pick doesn't play any part of it.

Yeah, if it was up to me, I would prefer to sign the scouting department from Tampa rather than signing Tex.

[Sports Guy]

No.. What is laughable is that in another year where the O's are in last place… in a season where we are now 20 games under 500, 25GB in the division… 15GB of 4th… 23.5GB of the Wild Card… the O's thought the better decision was continuing to play the guys that definitvely were not part of the solution, over guys that could be part of the answer.

Even in a last-place season, more could have been achieved this year, to better position us for 2009 and going forward.

Yea, amazing that many people still don't seem to get this obvious point.

[Frobby]

Yea, amazing that many people still don't seem to get this obvious point.

Count me as someone who doesn't get it or think it is obvious. All the players who "obviously" should be up here (according to most) spent the year in AA. To me it is not obvious at all that either they or the team would have benefitted from them playing in Baltimore in August or September.

However, I really can't prove you wrong, either. I can't prove that Reimold and Wieters wouldn't have hit .300 if they had been called up. I can't prove that Bergesen and Berken (or whoever else on the Bowie staff) wouldn't have had ERA's in the 3.00-4.00 range. So therefore there really is no way for me to win this argument with you.

So all I can say is that it is my belief that it is generally better for AA players to spend some time at AAA before going to the majors - not necessarily in every case, but most of the time. And I think the team has not had much success when it has tried to rush players. There also are problems associated with putting them on the 40-man roster, and (at least in some cases) starting their service clock. So I'm fine with how the Orioles chose to play it, although obviously it hasn't worked out well for the major league team.

[Sports Guy]

Count me as someone who doesn't get it or think it is obvious. All the players who "obviously" should be up here (according to most) spent the year in AA. To me it is not obvious at all that either they or the team would have benefitted from them playing in Baltimore in August or September.

However, I really can't prove you wrong, either. I can't prove that Reimold and Wieters wouldn't have hit .300 if they had been called up. I can't prove that Bergesen and Berken (or whoever else on the Bowie staff) wouldn't have had ERA's in the 3.00-4.00 range. So therefore there really is no way for me to win this argument with you.

So all I can say is that it is my belief that it is generally better for AA players to spend some time at AAA before going to the majors - not necessarily in every case, but most of the time. And I think the team has not had much success when it has tried to rush players. There also are problems associated with putting them on the 40-man roster, and (at least in some cases) starting their service clock. So I'm fine with how the Orioles chose to play it, although obviously it hasn't worked out well for the major league team.

You are missing the point.....We may or may not have had a better record but who cares..that is meaningless.

The point is you get the guys up here and let them get their feet wet and see what you have.

[LookinUp]

A few things are obvious to me:

1. The players have mailed it in.

2. We had a lot of pitching injuries this year, weaking our already mediocre staff.

3. The backup MiL talent isn't there or isn't ready, which caused us to get our butts kicked and caused the players to mail it in.

4. This is a rebuilding year, just like last year, just like next year most likely.

5. Absent spending huge money, baseball isn't a game of quick fixes.

I'm glad they mailed it in this September. I hate seeing them lose, but the higher we pick the better off we are in the long run.

[Mad Mark]

In other news, True Blood and Skins were quite good last night.

[SilentJames]

You are missing the point.....We may or may not have had a better record but who cares..that is meaningless.

The point is you get the guys up here and let them get their feet wet and see what you have.

But isn't saying: Let's let them play winning baseball that they worked very hard for and then start fresh in the spring?

I mean if I'm on AA Bowie, in the heart of a playoff race do I want to be brought up to Baltimore and play 3/4 of the time (at most) where it doesn't mean anything?

Now, granted there is nothing wrong with your view SG. It is completely valid, I think Frobby and I are just saying there are two courses of action you can take and both are valid.

[Frobby]

You are missing the point.....We may or may not have had a better record but who cares..that is meaningless.

The point is you get the guys up here and let them get their feet wet and see what you have.

I just don't think you learn that much, if the player isn't ready. Did we get some great benefit by plucking Radhames Liz out of AA last September? Did he?

To me, you bring them up when you feel they are ready to give a decent performance at the major league level. If that had been the Orioles' judgment, I would have been fine with it. But they apparently felt these guys weren't quite ready to taste the majors, or that they had played/pitched enough in 2008 already. I am not going to fault them for that.

[Sports Guy]

But isn't saying: Let's let them play winning baseball that they worked very hard for and then start fresh in the spring?

I mean if I'm on AA Bowie, in the heart of a playoff race do I want to be brought up to Baltimore and play 3/4 of the time (at most) where it doesn't mean anything?

Now, granted there is nothing wrong with your view SG. It is completely valid, I think Frobby and I are just saying there are two courses of action you can take and both are valid.

Yea, those 4 playoff games were huge!

Sorry but the AA playoffs are meaningless...Those teams are there to develop players for the orioles.

And I disagree that you and Frobby's side is valid...It is the same approach this team has taken for years and every year it has been piss poor and every year we have this same discussion...How many times does this method have to be proven wrong before you say, maybe we need to change things up?

[Sports Guy]

I just don't think you learn that much, if the player isn't ready. Did we get some great benefit by plucking Radhames Liz out of AA last September? Did he?

To me, you bring them up when you feel they are ready to give a decent performance at the major league level. If that had been the Orioles' judgment, I would have been fine with it. But they apparently felt these guys weren't quite ready to taste the majors, or that they had played/pitched enough in 2008 already. I am not going to fault them for that.

Who says they aren't ready?

Reimold clearly is...How anyone could argue against that is beyond me.

Bergesen is what he is.

Wieters was beyond ready.

[murrayfan420]

But isn't saying: Let's let them play winning baseball that they worked very hard for and then start fresh in the spring?

I mean if I'm on AA Bowie, in the heart of a playoff race do I want to be brought up to Baltimore and play 3/4 of the time (at most) where it doesn't mean anything?

Now, granted there is nothing wrong with your view SG. It is completely valid, I think Frobby and I are just saying there are two courses of action you can take and both are valid.

Yes! Who wouldn't want a call up to the bigs? Even if it is with the sad-sack Orioles.

[wickedwitch]

In other news, True Blood and Skins were quite good last night.

Yes, they were. 2-1 going into Dallas next week.

HTTR!

[Frobby]

Yes! Who wouldn't want a call up to the bigs? Even if it is with the sad-sack Orioles.

I have to agree with you on that. Any of these kids would probably be thrilled to get a call-up even if they just rode the pine.

[TonySoprano]

Yea, those 4 playoff games were huge!

Sorry but the AA playoffs are meaningless...Those teams are there to develop players for the orioles.

Shouldn't they be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their season-long labor, even if it lasts only 4 playoff games? Why take that away from them? There is still time after the playoffs to call them up.