The Teixeira Watch: Part IV

[Orioles18]

The O's are out of the race (according to SportsCenter)? Say it ain't so!

It's been all over ESPN.com this morning. It's all speculation and opinion by everyone's favorite reporter Buster Olney . Until McPhail says we're out, we're still in it.

[AZOriole]

The Examiner kind of did that already. But the O's want to make the national media look like they missed the boat on this one IMO, so Roch is only going to get info the FO wants him to hear.

And right now they are to quote Khan, "letting them eat static."

I don't know. Why would the O's FO care what the ESPN ticker said? They know if they're in or out, and that's all that's important.

Sorry JTrea...this was in regard to the post you replied to.

[allstar1579]

One thing that does bother me...if the O's are still alive, shouldn't they put something out there (I'm thinking Roch's blog) disputing the ESPN crawl? That concerns me!

Also, to chime in on Greg's question, IF we lose out on Tex, and IF we trade Roberts, how in the blue hell is the Orioles PR department going to market this team for the casual fan to come to the yard?

Not at all, if they do, then another team KNOWS that they need to up their offer instead of just thinking that Boras is playing them to up their offer. The less we put out there, the cheaper we can get him. If we keep saying, nuh-uh we are SO still in it, then other teams will say, ok let's keep raising the bar until they aren't. I'm not worried about any of this because when details about contracts start leaking out after the initial offer, it usually means you have nothing to lose and it is a desperation move. I.e. if it was mentioned that we had offered 8 years plus 2 options and a no-trade clause, it would be trying to scare off other teams, because they would have to match those to stay in the race. Notice how all of the dollar figures have been guesswork aside from it being common knowledge that it is going to take more than $20/season. The last thing you do in negotiation is to tip your most valuable hand, and of course with Boras, $$$ figure is that chip.

Let the media speculate, if they are speculating the same thing that have been from the beginning, then that means that negotiations are still going strong between more than 2 teams, and the media is hearing nothing.

[Mackus]

It's been all over ESPN.com this morning. It's all speculation and opinion by everyone's favorite reporter Buster Olney . Until McPhail says we're out, we're still in it.

Its certainly not speculation and opinion by Olney. Someone he trusts told him that. Whether that someone was getting good information or not is certainly anybody's guess, but the suggestion that Olney is just making up a source and saying he got this information is absolutely laughable.

[VeveJones007]

Why do so many people pay attention to any analysis on ESPN? 99% of it is just Marketing in the best interest of the network...

[brady'sbunch48]

The hysteria on this board was, at one point, at least amusing. Now it is just a bit sad. So I'll do my best to step in and inject some reason...

1. Media

Most major media talking-heads do not to their own low-level reporting and investigation, they have their reports gathered for them. This is the type of news (free agent / trade negotiation process) where opinion can be sold as 'reporting' very easily - and you can be rest assured that Gammons, Olney, etc. are not ones to pass up the chance the hear themselves talk. If they are wrong, they can simple say "wow, x team swooped in at the last moment." No harm to their credibility. However, if they turn out being right - they can look like they knew all along.

2. Insiders

I have mentioned this before - but clearly this needs reinforcing. I am not disputing the fact that the OH insiders do in fact have legitimate sources - I believe that they do. However, we are at, the very least, the fourth stem in the grapevine (we'll make an assumption that Andy nor Angelos are not the sources, for reasons of obvious sanity), where; best case is:

Andy/PGA -> source -> insider -> OH

There is going to be a heavy time-skew and likely at least a mild amount of distortion when you are getting information fourth hand, and that is under the best case scenario. Getting insider information is fun and I am glad to have it on the board - but I think it is being relied on and given a worth far more than it is merited.

3. Negotiations

Let's rationalize who is part of the negotiations out of people in the Orioles organization with Boras? We can say that Andy and PGA are, at this point, certainly involved at varying levels. Who else? Perhaps an assistant or two? Fair enough. Now - how many people think that there is some sort of mass-email sent out to everyone in to FO providing hour by hour updates on negotiations? Incredibly unlikely.

Wake up.

Good post. I think the Insiders are catching some heat and you can sorta see why since the entire nation is against the O's. No one really knows the truth outside of those directly involved (and that's been said over and over).

From a personal perspective, and I'm not trying to be inflammatory, I treated the Insiders as Gospel until the BRob trade mess. It was a mistake and that happens. I pulled up OH that morning, saw it, texted my friend on the inside. The friend went right up to AM and asked if it was true because my friend was pretty mad because of a good relationship with BRob. AM smiled and said it was completely untrue.

Point of all this is, unless we have THE source, meaning THE agent, GM, owner and/or player, you have to take it all with a grain of salt.

[TXOriole]

Let's hope he signs elsewhere. i'd prefer to spend the money on other pieces and have some left for the young pitchers when they are asking for it in a few years

[RedDevil00]

Come here often?

Well okay I know they've been saying that for weeks now, but that's the first thing I heard when I woke up (yes, I woke up at noon) and turned on ESPN.

[mrbig1]

Personally I'm not all that high on signing Teixiera but if he signs elsewhere and it's confirmed the Orioles were outbid, that will be the worst PR hit this club has probably ever taken. And that's saying something when you think about the PR hits they've taken over the last 10 years or so. I think even some of the hard core fans will start to fall away then.

I said Tex would not sign with the Orioles. I also said the Birds would not make a deal with Roberts or Nick this year. If you're a big time FA who want's a ring why would you come to Baltimore? A once proud history has been turn into a joke. I remember when we won the WS in 1966. I remember the Championship years. Look at the HOFers who were standing in line to play here. Look at us now. We are hoping just to have a .500 season. This is what the Angelos era has done to us.

[Skeletor]

If what we heard earlier from one of the insiders (forgive me, I don't remember which one), that we would have the final shot at him after everybody made their offers, then I suppose it would stand to reason that we haven't upped our offer yet and are, for the moment, "out of it".

[lovetoaster]

Instead, I ended the day drunk and discouraged.

That's how I end most of my days.

Kidding, of course

[Orioles18]

Its certainly not speculation and opinion by Olney. Someone he trusts told him that. Whether that someone was getting good information or not is certainly anybody's guess, but the suggestion that Olney is just making up a source and saying he got this information is absolutely laughable.

I wasn't really trying to say that he's making it up, when I read the report it just seems like he had some old information and just was regurgitating (sp?) it to have a "new story".

I firmly respect Olney as a reporter but in this instance it seems like his source isn't that correct on this information...

[Echoes]

Its certainly not speculation and opinion by Olney. Someone he trusts told him that. Whether that someone was getting good information or not is certainly anybody's guess, but the suggestion that Olney is just making up a source and saying he got this information is absolutely laughable.

Exactly.

And I love the insiders here, and I've been following this board for years and they add a lot to this board, but you've got to take it for what it is, and those guys have been dead wrong just as much if not more than they've been right. You can't get your hopes up too much, and I take a lot more out of a national journalist like Olney has to say on these matters...

[AZOriole]

It's been all over ESPN.com this morning. It's all speculation and opinion by everyone's favorite reporter Buster Olney . Until McPhail says we're out, we're still in it.

I'm not trying to be a jerk or anything, but if ESPN or Olney was reporting that the Orioles were in the lead, I think most would take it as fact. But, because people aren't hearing what they want to hear, it's ESPNs/Olney's fault. And this is coming from someone who DESPISES ESPN.

Again, nothing personal towards anyone. I understand the "hope" that people have. But let's put things into some perspective.

[Dipper9]

Well okay I know they've been saying that for weeks now, but that's the first thing I heard when I woke up (yes, I woke up at noon) and turned on ESPN.

Sorry. I didn't mean to be rude, but the last 3 hours of the OH has revolved around Olney's report.