Who's your 2008 SS

[DrungoHazewood]

That's some pretty poor logic there Jon.

Just because the majority of O's fans are oblivious to it doesn't change the fact that Miggy's last few years in Baltimore have been turbulent and often disruptive for the clubhouse and FO.

I'm talking about the trade request and bashing of the FO for not getting the right players, the PED rumors, the decay in attitude/enthusiasm/leadership, cliques in the clubhouse, questions about his effort on the field (i.e. not always hustling).

The list is growing pretty long here, and it's not all stuff that's fabricated by that 1% on the lunatic fringe (although some of it is, like the defense stuff).

And most of that would be completely ignored if the Orioles had surrounded him with better players and the team was in contention. This controversy is about 85% the ramblings of those bitter about a bad team. There's always a fall guy when you lose, and it's usually a high-profile player. Whether it's Miggy's supposed lack of hustle, Cal's supposed selfishness for not taking a day off, Eddie not sitting around telling funny stories to the press, ARod not being clutch, or whatever.

In any case I was originally talking about the defense stuff, this loopy argument that says his on-field performance is a net negative for the Orioles when compared to a randomly selected AA journeyman.

[PlumOriole]

You're letting nostalgia get in the way of common sense and logic. We're most certainly not heading back into the early 80s, where you could lead the league in homers with 35. Ballpark architecture, strategy, bat technology, weight training, and a host of other factors make that an impossibility. Steroids were just a small part of the overall offensive explosion, probably not even the most significant factor in a very long list.

Pitching and defense is great, but teams rarely win without pitching, defense, and offense.

Wow. Yes there are other factors in the power hitting in the last twenty years but I can't believe you think steriods played a small part in the increased offense in baseball. So this significant drop in HRs recently has nothing to do with increased testing for steriods?

[davearm]

And most of that would be completely ignored if the Orioles had surrounded him with better players and the team was in contention. This controversy is about 85% the ramblings of those bitter about a bad team. There's always a fall guy when you lose, and it's usually a high-profile player. Whether it's Miggy's supposed lack of hustle, Cal's supposed selfishness for not taking a day off, Eddie not sitting around telling funny stories to the press, ARod not being clutch, or whatever.

In any case I was originally talking about the defense stuff, this loopy argument that says his on-field performance is a net negative for the Orioles when compared to a randomly selected AA journeyman.

The bottom line is that drama has followed this guy around for the last few seasons.

And perhaps the biggest soap opera of all has been the will-they-or-won't-they suspense that permeated December 2005 and July 2006 -- the two times when a Tejada trade seemed imminent.

The O's have flirted with dealing him before, and right now it seems like a foregone conclusion for this offseason, so just get it over with already and move on, is my point.

[davearm]

Wow. Yes there are other factors in the power hitting in the last twenty years but I can't believe you think steriods played a small part in the increased offense in baseball. So this significant drop in HRs recently has nothing to do with increased testing for steriods?

What he said was steriods had a small part in it.

Keep in mind that pitchers are being tested too.

[RShack]

Wow. Yes there are other factors in the power hitting in the last twenty years but I can't believe you think steriods played a small part in the increased offense in baseball. So this significant drop in HRs recently has nothing to do with increased testing for steriods?

How much was due to roids (vs. everything else) is a matter of conjecture. Even analyses that track different factors over time will not change that. They will simply provide support for some versions of conjecture.

However, I think we can all agree that roids got all the attention (eventually, anyway)... and that the likely error is to attribute way too much to roids and not enough to the other things... especially since most fans and reporters probably never thought very much about the other things...

[DrungoHazewood]

Wow. Yes there are other factors in the power hitting in the last twenty years but I can't believe you think steriods played a small part in the increased offense in baseball. So this significant drop in HRs recently has nothing to do with increased testing for steriods?

Not much. I think it has a lot more to do with the league requiring balls to be stored in more standard conditions and random year-to-year variations.

If it was steroids the drop would have happened last year when the testing started, but instead home runs were up.

[Leitch]

I don't care who the 2008 shortstop is, as long as it's not Tejada.

So sick of that guy giving everyone cancer all the time.

[The Wedge]

I don't care who the 2008 shortstop is, as long as it's not Tejada.

So sick of that guy giving everyone cancer all the time.

I'm sorry I caused all that cancer..."

[mtairydan]

What he said was steriods had a small part in it.

Keep in mind that pitchers are being tested too.

Dave, IYO would the Cubs be interested in Miggy and if so what would be the return on him for the O's?

[Leitch]

I'm sorry I caused all that cancer..."

Classic. Love Kids in the Hall.

Wish there was a Youtube of it.

[rolliefingers]

Dave, IYO would the Cubs be interested in Miggy and if so what would be the return on him for the O's?

Oh, no. You clearly haven't been around here long.

[Delbird]

Looking around at other upcoming young shortstops, I'm curious what the group thinks about the Dodger's Ching-Lung Hu?

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Chin-Lung%20Hu&pos=&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=464341

I don't know much more about him, or anything about his defensive ability. Would he be a viable option for shortstop, possibly thru a package with the Dodgers for Tejeda (or Cabrera, or Bedard)? Is he worth it? I like Lillebridge also but I'm curious about Hu.

[DrungoHazewood]

Looking around at other upcoming young shortstops, I'm curious what the group thinks about the Dodger's Ching-Lung Hu?

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Chin-Lung%20Hu&pos=&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=464341

I don't know much more about him, or anything about his defensive ability. Would he be a viable option for shortstop, possibly thru a package with the Dodgers for Tejeda (or Cabrera, or Bedard)? Is he worth it? I like Lillebridge also but I'm curious about Hu.

C'mon. You're not going to fool the Orioles into believing that Asians play baseball, much less that they'd be any good at it.

[JTrea81]

Looking around at other upcoming young shortstops, I'm curious what the group thinks about the Dodger's Ching-Lung Hu?

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/milb/stats/stats.jsp?n=Chin-Lung%20Hu&pos=&sid=milb&t=p_pbp&pid=464341

I don't know much more about him, or anything about his defensive ability. Would he be a viable option for shortstop, possibly thru a package with the Dodgers for Tejeda (or Cabrera, or Bedard)? Is he worth it? I like Lillebridge also but I'm curious about Hu.

Somehow I don't see the Dodgers giving him up because Furcal is gone after next year. If we could get him as part of the package for Bedard it would allow us to trade Tejada for another piece, maybe just pitching...

[orioles119]

Melvin: Hi, uh . . . my name is Melvin Mora, and uh . . . . [pause due to applause] thank you. . .thank you very much. That's very kind of you, very kind of you. Uh . . . I was just wanting to . . . uh , tell you about something that's happened. . . uh, during this week of rehearsals, something we sort of came across, something, well . . . we, sort of, discovered. Um, uh... and certainly nothing we ever expected to do as a baseball team, and I'm sure it's nothing you, as a comedy audience, ever expected to hear from a comedy troupe. Ok, here it is... uh, we discovered the cause of cancer. [laughter, applause] I guess, uh, the [stammering] best thing to do is to just bring Miguel out here. Miguel, are you there? Miguel Tejada, ladies and gentlemen. Miguel Tejada.

[applause as Miguel wanders out on stage, waving to the audience]

Melvin: Miguel has something that he'd like to say to everyone. Go ahead, Miguel.

Miguel: Hi.

Melvin: Go on, Miguel.

Miguel: Hi.

Melvin: Just do it, Miguel. Come on. [The two of them argue slightly]

Miguel: OK, you asked me. . .

Melvin: Well, just do it. . .

Miguel: Fine. I'll do it . . .

Melvin: Just go.

Miguel: Melvin Mora, ladies and gentlemen.

[applause]

Melvin: No, just do it, Miguel. You're wasting a lot of time. Miguel Tejada would like to say something.

Miguel: I'm sorry I caused all that cancer. [laughter] I didn't realize it was such a hideous disease.

[more laughter. Melvin looks bewildered]

Melvin: [angry] I suppose you think that makes it, OK? 'I'm sorry I caused all that cancer. . .' you don't even sound like you mean it, Miguel.

Miguel: Melvin, you asked me to apologize and that's just what I did.

Melvin: I'm sorry. Well, in rehearsal you sounded like you meant it, it sounded like you were actually remorseful about what you had done, but this was pretty, pretty lame, Miguel. I think you should apologize like you really mean it.

Miguel: [hurt] Fine, Melvin. I'm sorry I caused all that throat cancer and all that bowel cancer. I was just on a roll . . .

Melvin: . . . and?

Miguel: and I won't do it again.

Melvin: Thank you, Miguel.

[applause]