The worm has turned...

[boogidownoriole]

Fine. I don't think the 2006 Orioles as presently assembled have any chance at being a playoff team in a division with the 2006 Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays as they are currently assembled. I feel they have a shot at being a .500 or slightly above team if they can avoid injuries and play up to their best abilities.

Congrats to you. I bet you wont rush home to watch the Orioles on TV. But I will, and I cant wait.

[utvolzac]

Our front office is begin aggresive

Our front office is finally showing signs of life, but I wouldn't call them aggressive. They made some nice safe moves that will help the team, but I thought there were players out there that could have made more of an impact, that we didn't even go after.

Still at least they are giving us some hope for the future. They just need to get Big Pete to open up the wallet.

[Rockbird]

A) I appreciate the ad hominem attack. I would give neg. rep points but I'm not a reactionary like that so I won't. You're wlecome.

/QUOTE]

Give me the negative points, because I will give them right back at you. In fact, I am the nice guy to not give you the neg rep points because I have a right to. You tried to lie and link me to the wrong post while all I did was come up with a positive post.

Please put me on ignore if you dont like me. I have done that with a couple of posters and I enjoy this forum better since.

A) I don't put people on "ignore". If I disagree with someone, I challenge them not run away.

B) For the 20th time I have nothing against you but you can keep thinking that if it makes you feel like the center of attention.

C) For the 21st time. I didn't "lie", I admitted I grouped you with another post of overly optimistic sentiment. I don't see how we'd be in a playoff race in our division without winning about 90 games anyway, but whatever.

Would you like to continue this or drop it?

[boogidownoriole]

The Tejada "trade me" business sure did a lot for our "perception" as well, much, much more so, imho, than the nice things Nomar or anyone else said. Therefore, my answer to your question is no. I think the perception will change when we have a winning season.

Markakis is turning heads. Loewen had one good game. Those are good things.

Bedard, Lopez and Chen doing well in the world league hasnt? I have heard really good things about them so maybe you havent been watching.

[Rockbird]

Congrats to you. I bet you wont rush home to watch the Orioles on TV. But I will, and I cant wait.

LOL. Right. I felt like death today for classes because I stayed up to 4 in the morning to watch Bedard pitch because I didn't feel like taping it and watching tommorow.

But I can't be a fan if I don't predict the team to play way above their heads. Right, I forgot.

[boogidownoriole]

Our front office is finally showing signs of life, but I wouldn't call them aggressive. They made some nice safe moves that will help the team, but I thought there were players out there that could have made more of an impact, that we didn't even go after.

Still at least they are giving us some hope for the future. They just need to get Big Pete to open up the wallet.

Its relative. How many teams have been more agressive than the Os?

[boogidownoriole]

LOL. Right. I felt like death today for classes because I stayed up to 4 in the morning to watch Bedard pitch because I didn't feel like taping it and watching tommorow.

But I can't be a fan if I don't predict the team to play way above their heads. Right, I forgot.

I meant the regular season, and I didnt realize you were in school, sorry.

I just cant believe that this forum is supposed to be about Oriole fans yet so many people cant wait to shoot anyone down who is positive.

[Rockbird]

Its relative. How many teams have been more agressive than the Os?

Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox (all in our division for a start). White Sox, Mets, Dodgers just off the top of my head as well.

[Rockbird]

I meant the regular season, and I didnt realize you were in school, sorry.

I just cant believe that this forum is supposed to be about Oriole fans yet so many people cant wait to shoot anyone down who is positive.

I have nothing against being positive. A .500 season for the first time in nearly a decade is positive. I believe it can happen. Playoff talk, 90+ wins, etc. is just ridiculous though. See the difference?

[boogidownoriole]

Blue Jays, Yankees, Red Sox (all in our division for a start). White Sox, Mets, Dodgers just off the top of my head as well.

Yankees? Please tell me how.

[boogidownoriole]

I have nothing against being positive. A .500 season for the first time in nearly a decade is positive. I believe it can happen. Playoff talk, 90+ wins, etc. is just ridiculous though. See the difference?

Last year you only wished for .500?

Any team can be .500, even the Royals. You never know. And to set your sites on that is just politics in my opinion

[Cokeman]

This is more to Cokeman. People can say what they want but it's just really frustrating when year after year it's the same thing. We have a disappointing offseason, people try to rationalise how we improved, list many intangibles that you just know will go our way, and then we disappoint and then the excuses begin for why "well who would have known that...", etc. I'm just saying you'd think after being a losing team for 8 years people would resign themselves that .500 is a vast improvement and something worth hoping for.

For lack of a better example, it's like if you have a child who gets Fs in school but has made some slight improvements and could get a C if things go right in his studies but instead the parents insist he has a chance at an A! It's not gonna happen. Why set yourself up for disappointment? Be happy with the C. It's better than 8 semesters of Fs.

That's been tried before on here too...Sapper and others jump on the poster and say they are just settling for mediocrity and should demand more.

Then when people get more optimistic, they get jumped on and told to come back to reality.

It was just your way of attacking (for lack of a better word right now) the optimism by saying it made you be overly negative...I just don't understand that.

As for me, I have refrained from making any predictions this year since I got caught up in all the hoopla the first couple months last season. I have gotten excited by several indivdual players so far this spring, but as far as the whole team goes...I'll just wait and see how things work out...I'll root for the team and hope for success, but I'm not setting any expectations for now.

[Rockbird]

Yankees? Please tell me how.

Biggest Needs: Leadoff hitter, Center fielder.

Filled Need: Signed one of the top free agent centerfielder/leadeoff men in Johnny Damon.

Also bolstered their bullpen with a couple marquee signings in Farnsworth and Dotel.

They really don't have many other holes. They have a surplus of starters and the best offense in baseball.

[Rockbird]

Last year you only wished for .500?

Any team can be .500, even the Royals. You never know. And to set your sites on that is just politics in my opinion

Yes I did. And we haven't done it in 8 seasons. The Royals have. What's that supposed to say about us?

[utvolzac]

Its relative. How many teams have been more agressive than the Os?

Well two come to mind, right in our own division. Boston & Toronto both went hard and made some major moves involving big time players. Whether they are good moves is yet to be seen, but they were certainly more aggressive.

The O's made alot of moves, but none that were of any high risk/high reward type deals. Hernandez feel into our laps, because no one else was going after him. Millar & Conine were not big reward type players. Corey Patterson was a crap shot, we didn't lose anything significant and he is a total wildcard. Benson is probably the most aggressive move we made, but he's not exactly the dominating pitcher that we need.

Going after Burnett would have been an aggressive move. Going after any of the guys off the Marlins firesale, would have been considered aggressive. Trying to aquire a young firstbaseman like Kotchman or Gonzalez instead of Millar or Conine would have been more aggressive.

Theres arguments for or against any of those moves, as to whether or not they would be good for the franchise. Maybe playing it safe and hoping the farm system turns out players is the better move. We'll find out in in the future. I'm just saying, for this season, we made safe moves, not aggressive ones. Whether that's the right strategy, we'll find out in a couple of months or next year.