Surprise! Eaton getting rocked

[Frobby]

You can bet your rump I'd be "a journalist" if I were on the Orioles' payroll like most everyone else in town.

I'd be "a journalist" if I just openly bought into "the plan" instead of asking questions about why this has happened and why some of it keeps happening.

Some of you guys are funny...

You should work for the club, in fact.

Anyway, my fun time is over. I have real work to do now.

I just finished my promised "journalistic effort" at WNST.net which you are welcome to read.

I won't link it here since I don't know the rules and I don't need SJ getting all hot and bothered again about promoting my work.

You won't like it, of course. In that regard, save yourselves the trouble and DON'T go to the site. Just assume it's more of beating up the team for trying to swindle the fans. That's the genesis of it.

Have a good day or what's left of it.

Drew, I am not a Baltimore-area resident and so I don't listen to WNST. I have no axe to grind against you at all. However, it seems to me that:

1. There are a lot of posters here who share your general views about moves (or non-moves) the team has made, but they manage to make their points in a less condescending and hostile fashion.

2. There are a lot of posters here who have their own blogs, including some very good ones, but very few of them use this forum to repeatedly encourage posters here to go read their opinions elsewhere.

Personally, I think some of our posters have spent too much time attacking you personally and not enough time just explaining why they disagree with your views. But, at the same time, you are bringing it on yourself to a large extent. It seems like every thread in which you post somehow becomes "about" you.

[Hank Scorpio]

Drew, I am not a Baltimore-area resident and so I don't listen to WNST. I have no axe to grind against you at all. However, it seems to me that:

1. There are a lot of posters here who share your general views about moves (or non-moves) the team has made, but they manage to make their points in a less condescending and hostile fashion.

2. There are a lot of posters here who have their own blogs, including some very good ones, but very few of them use this forum to repeatedly encourage posters here to go read their opinions elsewhere.

Personally, I think some of our posters have spent too much time attacking you personally and not enough time just explaining why they disagree with your views. But, at the same time, you are bringing it on yourself to a large extent. It seems like every thread in which you post somehow becomes "about" you.

That's a reflection of his boss, IMO. Eventually that kinda stuff rubs off.

[JTrea81]

BTW Randy Wolf just hurled 6 shutout innings wth 6 K's against the the team with the best offense in the AL yesterday...

Hamilton was the only one to get a hit off him.

I know, it's just ST. I'm sure Adam Eaton will do the same thing his next start...

[RShack]

You can bet your rump I'd be "a journalist" if I were on the Orioles' payroll like most everyone else in town.

Seems to me that you just said that most sports journalists are on the take.

Hey, Drew, gotta light? ;-)

I'd be "a journalist" if I just openly bought into "the plan" instead of asking questions about why this has happened and why some of it keeps happening.

Some of you guys are funny...

You should work for the club, in fact.

Anyway, my fun time is over.

I think it is entirely fair to use the word "ignorant" to describe any claim that criticism of the O's is not a constant theme around here. Anybody who bothered to look would see that the folks who are ridiculed are not those who criticize, but those who say silly things.

I have real work to do now.

Really? What's your other job?

[Moose Milligan]

BTW Randy Wolf just hurled 6 shutout innings wth 6 K's against the the team with the best offense in the AL yesterday...

Hamilton was the only one to get a hit off him.

I know, it's just ST. I'm sure Adam Eaton will do the same thing his next start...

JTrea, you're so hung up on ST performances, why don't they just make the MLB season from mid February till early April with a two week playoff? I mean, thats all you really need to know.

[Don_Aase_Fan]

If Garland is DECLINING, what on earth are Eaton and Hendrickson doing?

To say that Eaton and Hendrickson are "declining" would incorrectly imply that they were really any good to begin with. :wedge:

But seriously, AM can kick these two guys to the curb as soon as he feels that any of our young pitchers are ML ready (perhaps as soon as THIS year, believe it or not). He doesn't have to think twice about it either. Guys like Lowe and Garland would not have been as easy to move aside because of the contract it would have taken to get them in an O's uniform. It's not that difficult to comprehend. I'll say it again; for a rebuilding team like the Orioles, who have a plethora of young pitching talent, investing a lot money and years on two declining pitchers makes little sense.

Is it just about the money though? Do you just want to see the Orioles spend money, no matter how wasteful and unneeded it is, just so you and Nestor can feel better about your Comcast bill? The organization just spent over $100MM locking up Markakis and Roberts. They've spent millions in the draft too. That's how you turn around a franchise that's been a laughing stock for the past 11 years. You build from within, reward your homegrown successes and splurge in FA when you're on the cusp of something great.

It's a monumental shame that this process should have taken place 5-6 years ago, but we can't do anything about that now. The important thing now is that the organization HAS accepted blame and they ARE genuinely trying to turn things around. The problem is that it's going to take time to become competitive again, especially since we're in the AL East, while a bulk of Orioles fans have no more time to give. That doesn't make the fans who are sticking with the team "apologists getting swindled" either. Do they still make mistakes? Sure, they do. You're more than entitled to call them out on it, as it happens everyday on OH (albeit in a less hostile fashion). I know you throw AM a bone here and there too, but your underlying contempt for the team is palpable. If you can't admit how much better off the organization is now, than it was even 2-3 years ago, then you're just not being objective.

[JTrea81]

But seriously, AM can kick these two guys to the curb as soon as he feels that any of our young pitchers are ML ready (perhaps as soon as THIS year, believe it or not). He doesn't have to think twice about it either. Guys like Lowe and Garland would not have been as easy to move aside because of the contract it would have taken to get them in an O's uniform.

Maybe you wouldn't need to kick those pitchers to the curb and you could just deal Guthrie or Uehara instead to make a spot for them?

If we had Wolf and Moyer in there for example, you could trade Guthrie and/or Uehara and put the other 2-3 in the rotation. You'd have a competition between the cream of the crop of our minor league pitching in ST for those 2-3 open slots and the other pitchers you'd option or possibly trade for more positional talent.

You could have a more gradual transition of pitching talent and get them even more seasoning because you would have decent pitchers in the rotation. So the Orioles could compete and season their minor league pitching at the same time.

[Sports Guy]

BTW Randy Wolf just hurled 6 shutout innings wth 6 K's against the the team with the best offense in the AL yesterday...

Hamilton was the only one to get a hit off him.

I know, it's just ST. I'm sure Adam Eaton will do the same thing his next start...

LOL.Thanks for the update OldFan.

[Moose Milligan]

LOL.Thanks for the update OldFan.

Zing!

It's a good day when SG has a snappy line!

[Miller192]

I think it boils down to two sides: One believes there is light at the end of the tunnel in the form of Tillman, Arrieta, Matusz, Bergesen, Berken, Hernandez, etc. Most of those folks are willing to wait the 2-4 months it will take before we see one or more of those guys in an Orioles uniform DESPITE waiting the last 11 seasons for improvement. They point to Baseball Prospectus, Baseball America, and other credible websites and publications as the barometer for the direction in which the O's are headed. Many of those outlets rank the Orioles' farm system in the top 10 in all of baseball, a vast improvement where just 2 or 3 years ago it was ranked no better than 26.

The other side feels like O's fans have waited long enough. How long we Orioles Nation be fed excuses and empty promises that 'help is on the way'? That side also acknowledges that change has taken place at the very top of this organization, but cites similar changes in years' past as examples of alleged improvement with little-to-no results. Those same folks also counter your Jake Arrieta with a Chris Smith, your Matt Wieters with a Jeffrey Hammonds, your Brian Matusz with a Richard Stahl.

I personally think there's validity to both arguments. As the Managing Editor here, I've seen most of the O's newest crop of prospects play in-person, and there's clearly something special about each of them in my eyes. I acknowledge and agree with the contingent of O's fans (quite large if you judge based on attendance) who feel like they've waited long enough, that they've heard it all before and too often, and want to see more wins this year than last. "Just wait till next year," doesn't satisfy them at all.

Regardless of which side of the fence you may find yourself on in this debate (if either at all...I tend to think there are many who'll straddle this proverbial fence), the most important thing is to remember what being an O's fan means to you is entirely up to you. It makes for great message board fodder for us to air it all out like we so often do in this community, but whether your VaTech1994, df1570, ScottieBaseball, JTrea81, or any one of the thousands of other subscribers we have here at the Orioles Hangout, it's not for any of us to judge on another's level of "fandom".

We all want to see the Orioles get better as quickly as possible. Some of us are willing to wait. Others feel we've all waited too long. One thing is for sure...with the way things appear to be shaking out in Fort Lauderdale this spring, patience is looking more and more virtuous every day.

I think this is an excellent post.

I'm probably closer to the second camp but I'm not really going to take a hard line on it like I used to.

I've moaned and groaned with my opinion about how the O's have treated it's fans both on and off the field. I got tired of the empty promises by a team that appeared perfectly content to consolidate their losing ways.

However, things have certainly changed under AM. The things that have bothered me seem to really be in the past even if it hasn't shown up on the field yet.

The organization has responded to its fans with much more than fireworks night and plush cow giveaways.

There are still things that the do that I don't like but I'm not going to crucify them for it anymore.

I'm not ready to jump up and down over this organization yet but I've certainly become more optimistic.

Well see, there's still a long way to go but they are heading there.

I understand Drew's point of view. I was there with him for Free the Birds and it felt great. It feels even better for me now to begin to release my resentment towards the team and become a fan again.

[JTrea81]

Zing!

It's a good day when SG has a snappy line!

I think it's sad and pathetic that he's reduced himself to taking personal shots like some other posters...

Randy Wolf will be a better investment than whatever we pay Adam Eaton, that I am sure of. And we are going to regret everyday he or a pitcher like him is not in the rotation this season...

[Hank Scorpio]

I think it's sad and pathetic that he's reduced himself to taking personal shots like some other posters...

Randy Wolf will be a better investment than whatever we pay Adam Eaton, that I am sure of. And we are going to regret everyday he or a pitcher like him is not in the rotation this season...

Lighten up, Frances.

[Sports Guy]

I think it's sad and pathetic that he's reduced himself to taking personal shots like some other posters...

Randy Wolf will be a better investment than whatever we pay Adam Eaton, that I am sure of. And we are going to regret everyday he or a pitcher like him is not in the rotation this season...

What is said and pathetic are what people are turning the HO into.

And who cares if we regret not having Wolf? What do you think the difference in wins would be with Wolf vs Eaton?

Do you think we are a contender with Wolf?

[JTrea81]

What is said and pathetic are what people are turning the HO into.

And who cares if we regret not having Wolf? What do you think the difference in wins would be with Wolf vs Eaton?

Do you think we are a contender with Wolf?

I think Wolf could give us 10-13 wins. Eaton will be lucky to win 5 games.

And it's not all about wins, it's about eating innings and saving the bullpen. Eaton will do neither...

[Sports Guy]

I think Wolf could give us 10-13 wins. Eaton will be lucky to win 5 games.

And it's not all about wins, it's about eating innings and saving the bullpen. Eaton will do neither...

That's not what i asked...What do you think the difference in team wins will be with Wolf vs whatever else we out out there in his place?

I know you don't think it is 8 wins because that is beyond absurd.

So, what do you think our record is going to be this year and what do you think it would be with Wolf?