MacPhail speaks @ 4:30 Phone Press Conference

[ColumbiaOriole]

I hope any callers crucify him... He deserves every bit of it.

What a silly comment. Only in your fantasy world could anyone have turned this team around in a few weeks. Obviously, we'd all like to see a move or two but we don't have much of value to give up and we probably weren't offered enough to trade our valuable players.

[BaltimoreTerp]

Ok here's a scenario:

It's Winter of 2008. Bedard has just gone down with a shoulder injury in 2008 that will sideline him for the 2009 season. He never signed an extension Tejada continued to decline in 2007 so the team kept him in hopes that he would pick in up in 2008 but he declined some more and they are now hanging on to him for draft picks in 2009. Hayden Penn was a complete bust in ST and was claimed on waivers after the O's tried outright him. Cabrera struggled in ST and during the first half of the season so the club moved him to the pen. He was lousy there and was demoted to AAA and never regained his form. Oh yeah and Tex just signed with the New York Yankees...

Looks pretty rosy doesn't it...

Or...

It's winter of 2008. We have won the World Series and are front-runners for another. Bedard is about to sign a long-term extension for less then market value because after his Cy Young-winning season, he wants to stay and be the next Jim Palmer. He'll have competition for that from Jeremy Guthrie, who showed 2007 wasn't a fluke, and Daniel Cabrera, who finally "got it" and is looking like he will dominate for five more years. In addition, Mark Teixiera has recently signed a deal to play in his hometown, batting behind Nick Markakis and his 30-30 season. Nolan Reimold won the left field job in September, and Billy Rowell is expected to win the third base job in spring training. Matt Weiters, after a year of seasoning, will be the backup catcher out of spring training and likely will take over from Hernandez later in the summer when he is traded.

See, this can go both ways, and yous is just as correct and likely to happen as mine.

I know you think we are playing Tony LaRussa Baseball, where we can trade Mark Smith for Barry Bonds straight up, but in the real world, you do need people to trade, and teams who want them.

Unless you want to blow up a team that is looking likely to be above .500 THIS season, we have nothing teams want that we should be trading.

The sooner you get that, the better off you will be.

[square634]

No one asked him to turn the franchise around at the deadline (although he possibly could have if he had been bold enough). We asked him to allow room for younger players in a lost season and save money at the same time. Is that so unreasonable?

[mcgraw238]

Isn't it a commentary of just how bad the Orioles have been that you are excited about a new front office? We have had three or four of those, and none of them has produced something truly exciting - a playoff or world series run. And some good young players and an improving pitching staff? It's about time, but obviously it's not enough. And, yes, we do have bad contracts that are hard to move, because the FO has shown general incompetence! I'll wait to see Macphail make some smart moves before I get optimistic, and I will only get excited when we are playing in October.

Call it a commentary or anything you want, however, it is a huge step under Angelos to have one strong central decision maker within the front office (assuming that's the case). That is something we have not had since Angelos chased off Pat Gillick. Remember when Angelos eliminated the GM position, the two-headed B&F, etc.? The previous three or four setups that you reference are not even close to comparable. Andy MacPhail has a ton of credebility around the league and is even said to be on the short list as the next commissioner of baseball. I still believe that brining in MacPhail is a huge step for Angelos, time will tell.

[square634]

You're right, we will soon find out, but don't you think that is a big assumption?

[Shopay]

Call it a commentary or anything you want, however, it is a huge step under Angelos to have one strong central decision maker within the front office (assuming that's the case). That is something we have not had since Angelos chased off Pat Gillick. Remember when Angelos eliminated the GM position, the two-headed B&F, etc.? The previous three or four setups that reference are not even close to comparable. To compare the previous front office setups is absurd. Andy MacPhail has a ton of credebility around the league and is even said to be on the short list as the next commissioner of baseball. I still believe that brining in MacPhail is a huge step for Angelos, time will tell.

I'm with you on that McGraw. There is lot more to the job than just making trades at the deadline. Developing a successful baseball organization requires a lot more.

[ScottieBaseball]

Call it a commentary or anything you want, however, it is a huge step under Angelos to have one strong central decision maker within the front office (assuming that's the case). That is something we have not had since Angelos chased off Pat Gillick. Remember when Angelos eliminated the GM position, the two-headed B&F, etc.? The previous three or four setups that you reference are not even close to comparable. Andy MacPhail has a ton of credebility around the league and is even said to be on the short list as the next commissioner of baseball. I still believe that brining in MacPhail is a huge step for Angelos, time will tell.

You mean...MacPhail's success/failure/value isn't based on whether or not he could dump all of the Orioles' proverbial deadwood in exchange for top-tier Major League talent by 4:00pm??? That can't be!!!

[Mike Devo]

Trembley is the manager for the rest of the year, no surprise there.

[mcgraw238]

You're right, we will soon find out, but don't you think that is a big assumption?

Maybe it is a big assumption. For one, I don't know that Angelos will ever stop meddling. However, the rumor was that MacPhail had language in his contract addressing just that. Also, MacPhail is a seasoned baseball executive with two rings with the Twins and was within an out of directing the Cubs to the World Series. You have to admit its a huge step up from Flanagan.

[tennOsfan]

There seems to be a lot of people on the OH who are convinced a package of Trachsel, Gibbons and Payton could fetch a team's top prospect. For this reason, McPhail must be an idiot.

If you trade crap, you get crap back. Give this man at least ONE offseason to work with this roster, please.

[mcgraw238]

Trembley is the manager for the rest of the year, no surprise there.

Smart move. We just might have stumbled onto something with this Trembley guy.

[square634]

Maybe it is a big assumption. For one, I don't know that Angelos will ever stop meddling. However, the rumor was that MacPhail had language in his contract addressing just that. Also, MacPhail is a seasoned baseball executive with two rings with the Twins and was within an out of directing the Cubs to the World Series. You have to admit its a huge step up from Flanagan.

It seems on the surface to be an updgrade, so I guess that's a reason to be optimistic if not excited. Still, unless he changes the course of the organization soon, I feel we will be destined for another two to three years out of contention.

Also, as an aside, should we be worried that he is going to leave his post for the commissioner job? Wouldn't that quickly put an end to any possibility of a new era?

[square634]

There seems to be a lot of people on the OH who are convinced a package of Trachsel, Gibbons and Payton could fetch a team's top prospect. For this reason, McPhail must be an idiot.

If you trade crap, you get crap back. Give this man at least ONE offseason to work with this roster, please.

Maybe there are, but there are just as many or more people on the OH who not only didn't want those guys in the first place, but also would have liked to have them gone in exchange for peanuts.

[BaltimoreTerp]

There seems to be a lot of people on the OH who are convinced a package of Trachsel, Gibbons and Payton could fetch a team's top prospect. For this reason, McPhail must be an idiot.

If you trade crap, you get crap back. Give this man at least ONE offseason to work with this roster, please.

Why would you expect anything like this, when it requires both logical thought and intellegence about the subject, instead of, "OMG tHe McFaIl SuXoRs!!111

[Maverick2143]

It's not like the Orioles have much of a fanbase to lose anymore. Why not try something different? The plan (if there was one) of the Flanagan era has not worked. We seem to be still on that plan...

Sorry but the largest crowd ever at a Hall of Fame Induction( I would estimate that they were 85% O's fans) and the crowd last Tuesday at Cal's send-off would beg to differ.

Were you there? I was at both and I can assure you there is still a very stong fanbase. The fan base is still here and it is the best in baseball they are just waiting for a reason to cheer. At both events I could feel the same excitement I used to feel in 96' & 97'.

If the Orioles had completly lost the fanbase you think we would be having this conversation right now? Ever consider why a team with 9 consective seasons has one of the best fan sites on the Internet? It because fans like Tony, John, Scottie, Paul, Drungo etc. still love this team. And all the people who post still love this team (although sometimes I wonder about a few )

The point of this long winded winding rambling rant is that the Orioles just have to give people a reason to cheer and the fans will be there to cheer.