Sunday August 8: Orioles vs Rays

[LA2]

Just now, Philip said:

I have frequently suggested that Mike is deliberately making decisions that will keep the big team from improving. That’s a terrible thing to suggest, but it’s not an unreasonable conclusion, based on what has been done this season. We are actually worse than 2019.

Yeah and we were better in 2019 than 2018 with a far worse roster. I guess Elias' devious dump just didn't work out then.

Baseball is mysterious.

[LA2]

7 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

Hope Tony is getting going. He still isn’t moving well but he is better hitter than he has shown.  

He shd be spending more time in the batting cage instead of hanging out on the game threads.

[LA2]

Win or lose, I enjoyed wasting the afternoon in such good company. Bye all!

[Legend_Of_Joey]

18 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

10 threads tomorrow saying he should be closer. 

He should be, just for the opportunity to see the backflip.

[spiritof66]

2 minutes ago, Philip said:

I have frequently suggested that Mike is deliberately making decisions that will keep the big team from improving. That’s a terrible thing to suggest, but it’s not an unreasonable conclusion, based on what has been done this season. We are actually worse than 2019.

Bad teams are supposed to beat good teams once in a while.

Part of the reason is that at times the game-to-game variation in starting pitchers will reduce the effect of the talent gap between good and bad teams. The Orioles have found a way recently to negate that: even when their starting pitcher allows them to open up a lead on a good team, the relievers -- largely the same group, at least without the same kind of variation you see in starters -- hands the other team as many runs as it needs to win.

[spiritof66]

16 minutes ago, eddie83 said:

Not trying to be an ass but this this makes no sense. 
 

If ownership wasn’t on board they wouldn’t let it happen. 

It makes sense to me. Sorry if it doesn't to you.

I don't understand your reference to ownership being "on board." It's the job of Elias, not the Angeloses, to put together a major league roster that's designed to win as many games as possible under the circumstances and with the financial limitations he faces. If you want to add another layer of speculation and posit that we learn ownership has directed Elias to try to lose games to move up in the draft order or has signed on to a plan to do that, sure, I'd say the same thing about getting them out of MLB. (For what it's worth, I doubt that's the case. I think they just are happy to have -- and maybe have directed --  a tiny MLB budget because revenues from the Orioles and from the family's other sources have declined.)

Again, I realize lots of people disagree, but I don't think major league teams should be permitted to operate that way.  

I hope that helps.

 

[Ruzious]

1 hour ago, LA2 said:

Win or lose, I enjoyed wasting the afternoon in such good company. Bye all!

Personally, I'm a very bad loser, but I appreciate that comment and agree with it.  

[LA2]

8 hours ago, Ruzious said:

Personally, I'm a very bad loser, but I appreciate that comment and agree with it.  

Thanks. But if you're a bad loser, you shouldn't waste your time following a last-place team--It will shorten your life and cause misfortune in your daily affairs!

[Ruzious]

5 hours ago, LA2 said:

Thanks. But if you're a bad loser, you shouldn't waste your time following a last-place team--It will shorten your life and cause misfortune in your daily affairs!

At this point, it's burned into my DNA - heck, I still have the O's trashcan in my room from the day my father took me to my first baseball game.