Something I was told about B Rob

[24fps]

Yea it really drives me nuts too.

I don't think you can discount the psychological things hustling down the line can do to a defender.

Me too. Ultimately, more than anything, it's what soured me on Tejada.

Hustling down the line might be good for his teammates too, especially the younger ones. For those who think that BRob should bust up a water cooler or two to demonstrate his leadership, I would suggest there might be more benefit if he spent some time pondering your second sentence. To my way of thinking, that would be meaningful leadership.

[Agent0]

Not sure I agree with that assessment in general, but his head was definitely somewhere else tonight. The botched DP was more of a physical error, but combined with the blatant lack of hustle he displayed later in the game, specifically for me him not easily getting under that popup that Huff dropped (clearly the 2B ball, IMO) and then, even lazier but ended up not hurting us, failing to cover 2nd on the groundball to Mora to end the inning. The botched DP ball and a rough game with RISP are forgivable, that happens from time to time. But those lazy errors, after already making some costly mistakes, were inexcusable to me.

Horribly played game by the O's overall, IMO. The Mets didn't win, we lost.

There are times when I wonder what's up with BRob. eg: there was a grounder earlier this year that he nonchalanted and allowed Cervelli of the Yankees to beat out.

However, I don't fault him for the Huff drop and not necessarily for covering second. Huff was under the ball and BRob was running full speed until Huff was under it. That's tough to call off a guy who already under the play. As for covering with 2 outs, that may or may not have been his fault. With 2 outs, you play the spray chart and not double play depth. If the spray chart puts you too far away from second, infielders are told to throw the ball to first no matter what. If that's what happened today, then maybe Mora just forgot to go directly to first. Not sure, but I know that people usually assume that when a guy doesn't cover, it's that guy's fault and that's not always the case. This happened to the Nats against us when Zimmerman forgot that Harris wasn't supposed to cover second and Nick got an infield hit.

[Orioles1954]

Joe Jordan: "Why should we draft you?"

Matt Hobgood: "Because I hate to lose more than I like to win."

That's exactly the culture that has to be instilled here!

[ripkenforprez]

Me too. Ultimately, more than anything, it's what soured me on Tejada.

Hustling down the line might be good for his teammates too, especially the younger ones. For those who think that BRob should bust up a water cooler or two to demonstrate his leadership, I would suggest there might be more benefit if he spent some time pondering your second sentence. To my way of thinking, that would be meaningful leadership.

Agreed, good post.

The error tonight is one thing. It's baseball and it happens although it is very unfortunate it played such a pivotal role in the game. However, Roberts can 100% control the effort, focus, or whatever you want to call it. Losing is tough, but there's most likely a little more to come. It would stand to reason that seeing the vet guys, not just Brian, play hard all the time might help the winning come sooner. We are going young and the guys coming in need to know how to win at the ML level or we will never stand a chance.

[olehippi]

“It is this kind of thinking that unravels societies (and teams?), not upon an inclination to indolence by others, but upon the discontent within themselves. Succumbing to their intolerances, they will first turn upon their heroes, and then upon themselves.”…..Cicero

[Sanfran327]

I don't have a whole ton to add to this conversation but this:

I'm a pretty avid fantasy baseball player. Have been for quite a while now. From what we saw out of Brian Roberts in the WBC this spring, you might think that, as a total homer, I would have been all over him in my fantasy drafts this year.

I didn't select him in a single one. I know our players' tendencies too well to draft many of them. I saw a totally different side of BRob during the World Baseball Classic. Frankly, it kinda upset me to see him put forth 110% effort for a series of exhibition games (and believe me, I'm as patriotic as they come, so don't think I'd underestimate the importance of playing a game with USA emblazoned across your chest) in the middle of March knowing that I'd see him half-ass it for his employer - and his biggest fans - during a long, losing summer of Baltimore Orioles baseball.

What hurts the most about this topic is that the message relayed to the OH doesn't really surprise me that much. Having played ball at a fairly high level, I know what it's like to want to just get the game over with when your team stinks. I can't say I blame him 100% either... we're not a good baseball team. He's a great player, and an enormous talent, but guys like him lose interest when they're constantly on the losing end.

Hopefully, we can start winning games on a regular basis and get the BRob we all love back when it matters most.

[TyCobb]

The O's over paid for him. With that said, Roberts doesn't appear to "dog it" anymore than most baseball players.

[vab]

So the Orioles signed a guy who quits in games to a 4 year/$40 million extension. Does anybody really believe that?

[blid]

And he has never won. Takes a lot out of someone.

[Col. Claypool]

I would like to see more hustle...but you know what, it doesn't happen.

How many times do you see a player hit a ground ball and jog to first? It happens all the time...The assumption is always that the fielder will make the routine play.

I hate that about baseball players but its something you have to live with.

I couldn't agree more. I know the thread is about Roberts, but this issue is league wide. It just sucks that we have to accept that type of effort. We shouldn't have to live with it. To me it's disrespectful to the game.

That and the stupid way that many guys wear their pants now. Maybe they just want to avoid tripping on their pant legs.

[mikezpen]

I think the post above explains it. Roberts has seen too much losing in his time. It's gotten instinctive for him to quickly say, "here we go again" when things begin to go south.I'm sure he lets down. It's understandable even if unacceptable.

He's been here since 2001 and this has been a lousy, lousy, lousy team pretty much the entire time.

[byrdz]

I will probably get slammed on here for saying this but Roberts is definitely dragging his feel at times...

As long as you are being consistent with your view, regardless of what the last good (or bad) play was, I suppose it doesn't come off as reactionary. Emotional threads make people upset around here.

[wildcard]

I say "garbage" to this thread and say shame on any O's fan who contributed to such garbage as Brian has "never won" or is a "quitter". Disgraceful.

First off Brian is a tablesetter that on a pace to score 121 runs. He gets on base 36% of the time and he does that by being written into the lineup by his manager every fricken' game. He plays great and Mr Magadan only wishes his career would have been that good.

He never won? How about the O's management have never put a team around him that was/is capable of winning.

He mails it in? Why the heck didn't you post this garbage on Saturday when Brian went 4-5 and drove in 2 runs.

If you want to say that the O's stink because they have a pitching staff that has a 5.11 ERA and is 13th in the AL then fine.

If you want to to say the O's offense in not strong enough to carry a 3rd baseman that is currently on pace to drive in 40 runs after driving in 100 last year, a catching crew that has driven in 7 runs all year and and no hit/all field SS pair, then I would probably have to agree.

But take your eighth handed info about Brian being a quitter and shove it up your nose. It's not true. It belongs on the Red Sox site not the OH. And shame on anyone who piled on.

[The Wedge]

I think the guy's hurt. The kind of injury that feels okay when you start a game, but can quickly start hindering your play as a game grinds on.

For instance, not that I'm a major leaguer or anything, but I've started playing vintage ball with orangedive and his club. Very first game I severly hyperextended the big toe on my right foot on the basepaths. Like, when I put any pressure on it, there'd be absolutely no "lock" to the toe, and it would bend waaaaay back. It had two weeks to heal, but its hard to heal a toe when you're always on it. I taped it up, and went back out there. It felt "okay." I ran hard, played hard, but after awhile, I could feel the toe getting looser and looser (in a bad way), and I got more tentative and tentative.

I'd like to think that Roberts has a similar injury. Because I'm the kind of guy that plays harder (sometimes detrimentally, though, I press) when the chips are down.

[ripkenforprez]

I say "garbage" to this thread and say shame on any O's fan who contributed to such garbage as Brian has "never won" or is a "quitter". Disgraceful.

First off Brian is a tablesetter that on a pace to score 121 runs. He gets on base 36% of the time and he does that by being written into the lineup by his manager every fricken' game. He plays great and Mr Magadan only wishes his career would have been that good.

He never won? How about the O's management have never put a team around him that was/is capable of winning.

He mails it in? Why the heck didn't you post this garbage on Saturday when Brian went 4-5 and drove in 2 runs.

If you want to say that the O's stink because they have a pitching staff that has a 5.11 ERA and is 13th in the AL then fine.

If you want to to say the O's offense in not strong enough to carry a 3rd baseman that is currently on pace to drive in 40 runs after driving in 100 last year, a catching crew that has driven in 7 runs all year and and no hit/all field SS pair, then I would probably have to agree.

But take your eighth handed info about Brian being a quitter and shove it up your nose. It's not true. It belongs on the Red Sox site not the OH. And shame on anyone who piled on.

Posts like this are why I don't post much here

All I was saying and all I think a lot of people in this thread are saying is that the guy seems to lose passion sometimes in game. I don't care if you're sick of the losing, if you get paid millions of dollars to run down the line or and hustle you need to do it. Just do it. I've watched countless games since he's been an Oriole and that's how I see it in my IMO.

Sorry you get so upset if someone has a varying opinion from you. Nobody is personally attacking the guy. Keep your "shame on you" routine.