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Does AM and Ownership Have the Pulse of the Fans?

section18

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section18 All-Star

section18

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The off season has been interesting so far with a few rumors and the acquisition of Kevin Millwood to help our pitching staff. AM is moving at about 20 MPH. It's time for him to put his foot to the accelerator. Let's go!

Andy says we need a 1B, 3B, relief help, a closer and a cleanup hitter with power. We all kinow that. Everyone in baseball knows that. Who will be "the replacements?"

Season ticket renewals are coming soon. Would you renew if you have a season ticket plan?

Our payroll is down to about $30 million and it's been said the Orioles will spend between $40 and $45 million for new players. Will the Orioles step up to the plate and deliver enough this off season to improve and possibly create fan interest?

If you were a billionaire owner and proud of your city would you spend enough money to try to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox? I think the obvious answer is "YES." Would you try to find ways to beat them? Of course! Do we need a $100 million dollar payroll? It would be nice but not realistic. How about a $80 million dollar payroll? PA can afford it. So what are we waiting for?

AM was wise in passing on Lackey. He is not worth $17 million per year. Matusz amd Millwood could win as many games as he will this season. The Red Sox will miss Bay's power and RBI'S this season. It's nice to have pitching but you still have to score runs. Cameron over Bay? What?

What do we need to do?

Get another veteran starter? Josh Johnson, Jason Marquiz or Javier Vasquez? I'm okay with all of these pitchers with a preference for Johnson, Vasquez and Marquiz in that order.

3B? I like Kouzmanoff or Gordon if the price is right or even Tejada for a year or two. Tejada at 3B could be interesting. I think he could make the change from SS.

Closer? Mike Gonzalez..He's still out there I think and he would be the best guy for us.

1B? I would go hard for Jason Bay who has played 1B before with the Pirates. He can play 1B, LF and DH for us and bat 4th.

What would surprise everyone? A blockbuster trade for Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson. We can pull off this type of trade and should IMO.

If AM and ownership go cheap this winter they will be shocked at the empty seats at OP this coming season. I hope they have the pulse of the fans and don't screw up this off season. We need to make some big and bold moves and soon. As AM said....wins are important now and we need to do what it takes to compete.

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ShaneDawg85 Hangout Veteran Council

ShaneDawg85

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The off season has been interesting so far with a few rumors and the acquisition of Kevin Millwood to help our pitching staff. AM is moving at about 20 MPH. It's time for him to put his foot to the accelerator. Let's go!

Andy says we need a 1B, 3B, relief help, a closer and a cleanup hitter with power. We all kinow that. Everyone in baseball knows that. Who will be "the replacements?"

Season ticket renewals are coming soon. Would you renew if you have a season ticket plan?

Our payroll is down to about $30 million and it's been said the Orioles will spend between $40 and $45 million for new players. Will the Orioles step up to the plate and deliver enough this off season to improve and possibly create fan interest?

If you were a billionaire owner and proud of your city would you spend enough money to try to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox? I think the obvious answer is "YES." Would you try to find ways to beat them? Of course! Do we need a $100 million dollar payroll? It would be nice but not realistic. How about a $80 million dollar payroll? PA can afford it. So what are we waiting for?

AM was wise in passing on Lackey. He is not worth $17 million per year. Matusz amd Millwood could win as many games as he will this season. The Red Sox will miss Bay's power and RBI'S this season. It's nice to have pitching but you still have to score runs. Cameron over Bay? What?

What do we need to do?

Get another veteran starter? Josh Johnson, Jason Marquiz or Javier Vasquez? I'm okay with all of these pitchers with a preference for Johnson, Vasquez and Marquiz in that order.

3B? I like Kouzmanoff or Gordon if the price is right or even Tejada for a year or two. Tejada at 3B could be interesting. I think he could make the change from SS.

Closer? Mike Gonzalez..He's still out there I think and he would be the best guy for us.

1B? I would go hard for Jason Bay who has played 1B before with the Pirates. He can play 1B, LF and DH for us and bat 4th.

What would surprise everyone? A blockbuster trade for Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson. We can pull off this type of trade and should IMO.

If AM and ownership go cheap this winter they will be shocked at the empty seats at OP this coming season. I hope they have the pulse of the fans and don't screw up this off season. We need to make some big and bold moves and soon. As AM said....wins are important now and we need to do what it takes to compete.

It is Marquis, and Vazquez. I wouldn't object to getting Vazquez, but with Millwood in the fold I don't see it as great a need, particularly if we pursue Bedard, which some here think we should and will. Marquis would be a bad contract, especially if he gets more than a one year deal, and is again redundant with the Millwood trade. If we get another starter I'd prefer it to be Bedard, or another high-reward type, or someone who is a reasonable contract who won't cost the farm, which you will be hard pressed to find.

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jerios55 Major Leaguer

jerios55

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Sometimes I wonder if we still have a pulse. It's seems as though we slow things down for hibernation (tis the season).

AM and the organization have constantly talked about the fans having patience. Unfortunately, they aren't going to change that stance now. No matter how much sense it may make...

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Moose Milligan Hangout Grand Counsel

Moose Milligan

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Personally, I don't think they care.

And while the OP might not like the sound of it, I think it's a good thing. They're doing what they feel is the best interest of the franchise in order to make it a winner and not what the OH thinks.

As long as the O's end up a winner, I don't care if MacPhail is going along at 20 MPH. Hell, he can drive like a 80 year old Chinese lady for all I care.

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Mike B Veteran All-Star

Mike B

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The off season has been interesting so far with a few rumors and the acquisition of Kevin Millwood to help our pitching staff. AM is moving at about 20 MPH. It's time for him to put his foot to the accelerator. Let's go!

Andy says we need a 1B, 3B, relief help, a closer and a cleanup hitter with power. We all kinow that. Everyone in baseball knows that. Who will be "the replacements?"

Season ticket renewals are coming soon. Would you renew if you have a season ticket plan?

Our payroll is down to about $30 million and it's been said the Orioles will spend between $40 and $45 million for new players. Will the Orioles step up to the plate and deliver enough this off season to improve and possibly create fan interest?

If you were a billionaire owner and proud of your city would you spend enough money to try to compete with the Yankees and Red Sox? I think the obvious answer is "YES." Would you try to find ways to beat them? Of course! Do we need a $100 million dollar payroll? It would be nice but not realistic. How about a $80 million dollar payroll? PA can afford it. So what are we waiting for?

AM was wise in passing on Lackey. He is not worth $17 million per year. Matusz amd Millwood could win as many games as he will this season. The Red Sox will miss Bay's power and RBI'S this season. It's nice to have pitching but you still have to score runs. Cameron over Bay? What?

What do we need to do?

Get another veteran starter? Josh Johnson, Jason Marquiz or Javier Vasquez? I'm okay with all of these pitchers with a preference for Johnson, Vasquez and Marquiz in that order.

3B? I like Kouzmanoff or Gordon if the price is right or even Tejada for a year or two. Tejada at 3B could be interesting. I think he could make the change from SS.

Closer? Mike Gonzalez..He's still out there I think and he would be the best guy for us.

1B? I would go hard for Jason Bay who has played 1B before with the Pirates. He can play 1B, LF and DH for us and bat 4th.

What would surprise everyone? A blockbuster trade for Hanley Ramirez and Josh Johnson. We can pull off this type of trade and should IMO.

If AM and ownership go cheap this winter they will be shocked at the empty seats at OP this coming season. I hope they have the pulse of the fans and don't screw up this off season. We need to make some big and bold moves and soon. As AM said....wins are important now and we need to do what it takes to compete.

I think you are going to be disappointed, It has been my belief that Bay, Holliday, Lackey etc. represent the primary market. We are not at the point where we are going to be involved in that. There will be a secondary market which I believe will consist of players like Jim Thome, Troy Glaus, Erik Bedard, Escobar, Blalock and maybe even a guy like Ben Sheets. That market will begin to play later in this month and through out January. That IMO is where the Orioles will shop. As far as whether AM and ownership have the pulse of the fan base. Who knows, history seems to say no but I am sure AM cares about what we think but IMO he will not deviate from the plan because of it. Remember the old adage "those executives who listen to the fans are soon to become one".

Yesterday was disappointing in the fact that it is the same teams who continue to shop at the high end store but not surprising that we were not involved. Lackey was not coming here for 85 or 95 million. For us to land him, instead of the Red Sox, we were going to have to top the 20 million per mark to have a chance. We are not going to do that.

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Moose Milligan Hangout Grand Counsel

Moose Milligan

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Hahahahaha what's that song?

I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now.

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section18 All-Star

section18

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They have to make changes and soon. The twelve years of losing have taken a toll and there are a lot of fans who buy tickets who walked away from OP late in the season shaking their heads saying...."I've had enough." How does AM and PA watch from their suite or on TV and not get sick or mad? Please explain this? If I owned this team I would say......"give me a winner of find me a buyer."

It cannot continue. I repeat......it cannot continue. Stop and think for a minute. Would you pay thousands of dollars every year to watch your team lose? I don't think you would. Right now I plan to renew my 29 game plan but......! The season ticket holders don't need to buy plans. They can just go online and buy whenever they want and get seats anywhere in the park. They won't have to worry about giving their tickets away to games they can't attend or going to the scalp free zone and getting $20 total for 2 tickets worth $48 a piece. That's a big hit.

AM cannot take any vacations right now. He should be sleeping in the warehouse trying to improve this team. There are quite a few of us who would like to be AM for two weeks who believe they could make this team a winner. Okay.....AM can go home around 8 or 9 PM like I do a few days a week on my job. It's time for him to deliver. This will be the off season that makes or breaks him as a GM in Baltimore.

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Mongolbird Newbie

Mongolbird

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My pulse would tell AM and PA that it'll go another year without buying a ticket if AM can't or won't or doesn't field a decent team this year, and the man keeps shopping at the dollar store. Getting Millwood alone just won't cut it.

I didn't miss a thing last year by staying home and watching the umpteenth rotter of a season on TV. Why on earth would I throw good money after bad?

The perennial 67 million dollar payroll in a 100-200 million dollar division is not going to inspire me to buy tickets.

Doesn't mean I think AM has done a poor job, but at the rate he's going, I'll be six feet under before the O's even sniff the playoffs.

I think the O's have a better chance of competing when AM becomes Commissioner and realigns the division so that the Red Sox and Yankee are in a division unto themselves. Let them knock each other into penury. I'm absolutely disgusted by the greed of these two teams and they need to be given the boot, preferably out of baseball, but failing that, by putting them into a two team division.

Since the current commissar, Bud Sellout, doesn't have the cojones to do that, I guess I'll leave a couple of O's tickets for the descendants in my will.

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TiredofLosing20 Major Leaguer

TiredofLosing20

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They have to make changes and soon. The twelve years of losing have taken a toll and there are a lot of fans who buy tickets who walked away from OP late in the season shaking their heads saying...."I've had enough." How does AM and PA watch from their suite or on TV and not get sick or mad? Please explain this? If I owned this team I would say......"give me a winner of find me a buyer."

It cannot continue. I repeat......it cannot continue. Stop and think for a minute. Would you pay thousands of dollars every year to watch your team lose? I don't think you would. Right now I plan to renew my 29 game plan but......! The season ticket holders don't need to buy plans. They can just go online and buy whenever they want and get seats anywhere in the park. They won't have to worry about giving their tickets away to games they can't attend or going to the scalp free zone and getting $20 total for 2 tickets worth $48 a piece. That's a big hit.

AM cannot take any vacations right now. He should be sleeping in the warehouse trying to improve this team. There are quite a few of us who would like to be AM for two weeks who believe they could make this team a winner. Okay.....AM can go home around 8 or 9 PM like I do a few days a week on my job. It's time for him to deliver. This will be the off season that makes or breaks him as a GM in Baltimore.

This is classic.

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