The worm has turned...

[Goober Noodles]

Some people....

[orioles119]

Was it really necessary to bump this, Sapper? Just to prove a point you've been hammering home in your own threads? Salt in an open wound much?

It's something about ego and self-importance, Wedge.

[camdenyardblues]

Just because Burnett would have been the #1 starter on OUR team is NOT a reason to plunk down $55 million on him. BY your argument, EVERY team has a #1 starter. So does that mean that every team should be paying their number 1 starter 11 million per season? Would I like to have Burnett in black and orange? YES! Would I have paid him 11 million per season. NOPE! I am giddy over the potential of our starters. Say what you want about wins and losses meaning nothing, but he has pitched on 2 world championship teams in Florida, and yet never won over 12 games? THAT DOES speak volumes to me!

Burnett's current trip to the DL is the 7th time in his career. Take away his TJ surgery years, he's made 30 or more starts twice in four seasons (excluding his rookie season). He's not as injury proned as I thought he was but he's far from a work horse. I would love to have Burnett but with his injury history, I wouldn't sign up for more than 3 years. 5 years, 55 is just excessive. For that type of money, you want someone who's similar to Zito's track record injury wise (34 or more GS since 2001).

[Sapper]

Was it really necessary to bump this, Sapper? Just to prove a point you've been hammering home in your own threads? Salt in an open wound much?

Who do you think he was talking about here?

...Despite what some, actually very few, posters seem to feel, this team is headed in the right direction...

[The Wedge]

The thread is 2...TWO...months old. Kind of a long turnaround on the response time there.

[DrungoHazewood]

Let's all play link to old threads to prove I'm a genius!

#3 from this post.

[BaltBird 24]

The Orioles suck. Is that enough to settle this debate?

[Sapper]

Let's all play link to old threads to prove I'm a genius!

#3 from this post.

Drungo, you make the mistake of assuming that just because I don't process data the same way you do, that I'm somehow obtuse or missing something. You can add up the numbers as many times as you like but it still adds up the same.

The bottom line, the forest through the trees if you will, is that this organization has not changed its approach in years and the results every year are surprisingly (for some) similar year after year. Our front office is like a room full of monkeys with typewriters. Given enough time one might actually bang out a masterpiece of literature but I'm not holding my breath.

How much data would you like me to mine to support the obvious?

[NewMarketSean]

The Orioles suck. Is that enough to settle this debate?

Yes, because that is a fact that cannot be disputed. They have had 8 losing seasons in a row and are under .500 yet again.

[camdenyardblues]

The bottom line, the forest through the trees if you will, is that this organization has not changed its approach in years and the results every year are surprisingly (for some) similar year after year. Our front office is like a room full of monkeys with typewriters. Given enough time one might actually bang out a masterpiece of literature but I'm not holding my breath.

Yeah but you have to admit that Flanagan and Duquette represents an improvement over Thrift.

[Sapper]

Yeah but you have to admit that Flanagan and Duquette represents an improvement over Thrift.

Probably, but actually the Thrift approach, while flawed in execution was, I think a superior strategy to the Flannagan-Beattie or Flannaga-Duquette strategy of the last few years of acquiring almost ZERO young talent and signing aging has-beens based upon name recognition rather than probable production.

But I think that Flanny is just an Angelos lap-dog, doing Pete's bidding rather than formulating an actual winning strategy. Who knows what the FO can really do without Angelos's meddling?

[boogidownoriole]

*grabs popcorn*

Thats too funny!!! lol

[boogidownoriole]

Still think so?

Yep, just like the Yankees gave up last year at 11-19.

Just like the As gave up last year after being 15 under in June or so

Just like the Astros gave up after also being down about 15 under

Yeah, I guess I was proven wrong after one month. :002_scry:

Just like when they were winning last May, people kept saying "its still early"

Its still early Sapper

[Max Power]

Probably, but actually the Thrift approach, while flawed in execution was, I think a superior strategy to the Flannagan-Beattie or Flannaga-Duquette strategy of the last few years of acquiring almost ZERO young talent and signing aging has-beens based upon name recognition rather than probable production.

But I think that Flanny is just an Angelos lap-dog, doing Pete's bidding rather than formulating an actual winning strategy. Who knows what the FO can really do without Angelos's meddling?

That's just delusional. Syd Thrift had absolutely no clue what he was doing and acquired virtually zero young talent in his time here. Even the good young players were mishandled such as the Erik Bedard relief fiasco in 2002. Thrift also had a ton of draft picks that were complete busts and played a large part in scaring Angelos from spending money on high draft picks.

On the other hand, Flanny has at least seen some value in promoting younger players and even took a chance on Corey Patterson who Syd Thrift would have never even heard of. The bullpen this season hasnt been good but for the most part it is because the younger players havent done well. We both agree this team isnt likely going anywhere so I cant see how you can criticize playing more youngsters. Granted the trend of signing aging vets or just flat out stiffs like BJ Surhoff, David Segui, Luis Lopez, and Jeff Conine continues but that problem started with Thrift and sadly continues to do this day.

[CanadianOriole]

Probably, but actually the Thrift approach, while flawed in execution was, I think a superior strategy to the Flannagan-Beattie or Flannaga-Duquette strategy of the last few years of acquiring almost ZERO young talent and signing aging has-beens based upon name recognition rather than probable production.

This is exactly right. I would love to see the Orioles contend this year - but if they aren't going to - which I don't think they will - I will not mind a bit if they go down in flames. If they have a winning season and hang around the margins of the race - say 84-78 - it will only fuel the front office's thinking that bringing in the likes of Jeff Conine and Kevin Millar to be veteran leaders is a sound strategy. It will only encourage more of the same foolishness in the future. This team needs to acquire some young talent. It needs to acquire some some young players with plate discipline and a high OBP. It needs to acquire some players with power for 1b, DH, and LF. It needs to acquire some young power arms for the bullpen. It needs to stop spending money on the Jeff Conine's of the world immediately. This team has some of the most difficult commodities in baseball to find - SS, C, 2b, potential lights out closer, young developing starters (Bedard, DCab). If we can stop screwing up all the easy positions to fill - 1b, LF, DH, Bullpen - we may some day be good. But until we stop wasting money by filling these positions with the likes of Conine, Millar, Surhoff, Palmeiro, etc we will never compete.