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Does AM and Ownership Have the Pulse of the Fans?


section18

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Okay. If this doesn't happen, I'll make a bet with you:

If the Orioles aren't better than last year, I'll leave the board for a year.

If the Orioles are better, you leave the board for a year.

I'm willing to get in on this assuming another poster in the O5F vein of posting gets on the other end.

MSK or Trea? How bout it?

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Did I miss the part where rosters for Spring Training have to be set by Christmas? Do we have to finish signing guys before New Year's Eve strikes midnight? Is it a requirement for effectively doing the job of a MLB GM (or President of Baseball Operations or similar title) that the person announce in the press all the guys he wants to try to acquire?

Since some guys are going on record now, which I applaud in principle, I'll go on record myself and say that if Andy MacPhail does not make any more roster moves between now and the start of ST I will be extremely disappointed. I won't buy any kind of season ticket package, I won't go to any spring training games, I won't buy any merchandise at the warehouse gift shop. But since I am not doing any of those things even if he manages to swap rosters with the Yankees it doesn't really matter, I guess.

But I am expecting him to make some moves that may not "wow" me but will make the team better this year, meaning they will win significantly more games this year than last. That includes bringing in at least one new corner infielder, likely at 1B, one more starting pitcher, likely someone in the mold of Bedard that would be a low cost move with significant high upside potential, and probably a reliever with closer experience or potential.

The result of the moves I expect him to make coupled with normal, not exceptional, development from the guys who came up last year should produce a competitive team. But it will still come down to the performance of the pitching staff as much or more as it does to the addition of a bat or two.

As for adding Vlad, is anyone worried about his trend the past three years?

Year - G / BA / OBP / SLG / OPS

2007 - 150/.324/.403/.547/.950

2008 - 143/.303/.365/.521/.886

2009 - 100/.295/.334/.460/.794

I envision signing Vlad working out about like trading for Sammy Sosa. At this point I'd rather have Jim Thome. But whoever it is, free agents aren't likely to be listing Baltimore as their first choice this time of year. Once the market dwindles for them it gets easier for the Orioles to get guys they can use at a price that makes sense. I mean, just because you CAN afford to spend more than reasonable value for something doesn't always mean that you SHOULD. Even teams like the Yankees don't set out to overpay; they just have the resources not to be ever worried about price and the recent history to not have to overpay just to get someone to come play for them.

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Have you SEEN these threads around here? People are basically arguing against improving the team by making quality free agent signings.

I've seen a lot of insanity with baseball fans in my life, but I can't believe that so many people on the OH are making the argument that we need to continue to be "patient" while other teams just get better.

How can any fan of the Orioles be happy with them losing right out of the gate in 2010? And when you look at the first half of the 2010 schedule, losing is exactly what we'll be doing if we stick with who we currently have on the team.

This is amazing.

MSK

What's more amazing is that a select few here simply cannot grasp the concept, spelled out clearly in a million and one ways, that there are logical and illogical times to spend big money in free agency. What's also amazing is that these select few repeat the same over-the-top rhetoric again and again, like a broken record, even though they know an overwhelming majority disagree with their claims. It's amazing still that these select few eschew logic and rationale for the unfounded conspiracies and fantasy scenarios that support their position.

This is all so amazing that I can't imagine these select few even believe the tired mantras they rant about. Maybe they just know they've found a way to constantly keep the board up in arms and keep themselves in the spotlight of it all...

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Okay. If this doesn't happen, I'll make a bet with you:

If the Orioles aren't better than last year, I'll leave the board for a year.

If the Orioles are better, you leave the board for a year.

Wow, that's awesome.

There's also no way he'd ever agree to those terms, because he knows he'd lose. But that would be fantastic, I almost hope that this bet is made.

ps. How is your long post coming along MSK, where you show us all the posters who said the Orioles don't need to make any acquisitions?

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AM likely doesn't care about appeasing the fans with personnel moves, nor should he.

If he builds the organization the best way he can, whatever revenue, fan support, etc., that's lost will be regained, and then some, if the team wins.

You need to look no further than DC. In the 2003-04 season, the Capitals traded away all of their good players save Olie Kolzig, including one of the franchise's most popular players ever, in Peter Bondra. Did most fans want that? Nope. But they rebuilt the right way, and they're stronger and more popular as an organization than they've ever been.

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What's more amazing is that a select few here simply cannot grasp the concept, spelled out clearly in a million and one ways, that there are logical and illogical times to spend big money in free agency. What's also amazing is that these select few repeat the same over-the-top rhetoric again and again, like a broken record, even though they know an overwhelming majority disagree with their claims. It's amazing still that these select few eschew logic and rationale for the unfounded conspiracies and fantasy scenarios that support their position.

This is all so amazing that I can't imagine these select few even believe the tired mantras they rant about. Maybe they just know they've found a way to constantly keep the board up in arms and keep themselves in the spotlight of it all...

I get there's a "right" time and a "wrong" time to spend on a free agent.

Tell me this, since Tejada, when have we actually gotten a highly-valued and coveted free agent to sign with Baltimore when the Yankees and Red Sox were involved in the bidding?

Also, its not that anybody on "this side" of the fence wants to blow money to the wind, but you guys are behaving like the Orioles are broke and have no ability to spend and if we make one mistake, then the franchise is doomed.

The Albert Belle signing didn't kill the Orioles chances to win, Angelos being gunshy about spending on free agents after that killed the Orioles chances to win.

Angelos neglecting the farm system led to killing the Orioles' chances to win.

During the last decade, good players that we could have signed to long-term deals have come and went and we still sit on the side while others sign them.

I refuse to believe we can't compete financially with the Red Sox or Yankees for one or two off seasons. Just because we don't, doesn't mean we can't.

So many people behave as if the Orioles are flat broke and are on the verge of bankruptcy and if we sign a Pavano-type deal, then the team is destroyed for ten years afterward.

Why be in the game if you're not willing to take risks? Everything in life is a calculated risk on some level and so much of human achievement (space flight, global discovery, medical advances, great sports moments) is based upon someone taking a big chance sometime or another.

If you constantly operate from a position of fear your entire life, then you will never advance. For those of you who have pursued your dreams in life, how many times did you have to take a big chance? For those who haven't, then you won't understand the question in the first place.

And there is another problem. The "fear first" mentality is why nothing changes on this club and is another reason why so many on this board who delude themselves into believing they have it "figured out" because they advocate a fear-of-risk-taking philosophy have such a hard time understanding the simple notion of being bold once in a while.

MSK

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So many people behave as if the Orioles are flat broke and are on the verge of bankruptcy and if we sign a Pavano-type deal, then the team is destroyed for ten years afterward.

...

And there is another problem. The "fear first" mentality is why nothing changes on this club and is another reason why so many on this board who delude themselves into believing they have it "figured out" because they advocate a fear-of-risk-taking philosophy have such a hard time understanding the simple notion of being bold once in a while.

MSK

Glad to see that you're maintaining your exemplary bizarre-claims-per-post ratio ;-)

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Glad to see that you're maintaining your exemplary bizarre-claims-per-post ratio ;-)

Really?

How many posts have you seen where people use the money excuse for not making any legitimate moves in free agency?

Seriously.

And second, there are people here, in my opinion, that have no clue what it means to be bold or take a risk on anything. In my opinion, those that advocate being scared of taking risks are as much a part of the problem as the lack of a salary cap.

MSK

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Really?

How many posts have you seen where people use the money excuse for not making any legitimate moves in free agency?

Seriously.

And second, there are people here, in my opinion, that have no clue what it means to be bold or take a risk on anything. In my opinion, those that advocate being scared of taking risks are as much a part of the problem as the lack of a salary cap.

MSK

Yeah, maybe if we all weren't afraid like you are and so super brave the Orioles would win every game!
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OK ...and in a few years you'll be saying the same thing about Halladay, Fielder, Gonzalez & others.

So your basically DUG IN on not spending Market value for the top players. Basically saying youre not interested in them because they want too much money. So if we never sign any top talent we will always be in the lower tier in our division. This team sucks at drafting position talent. Forget Wieters as he was a no brainer & gift where we got him in the draft. This team hasnt grown a legitimate power hitter since Murray IMO .... Some of you will say Ripken (I dont consider 20 Homers a power hitter). This team has been searching for a power hitting 1B since Palmeiro left the 1st time & before siging him as a free agent they waited along time after Murray was traded.

So your not going to buy in free agency, Many here dont want to give up some of our top pitching talent that it will take to get what we wont buy & We cant seem to draft it.... Looks pretty bleak from where I'm standing.

Out of about 18,000 players to ever play MLB he is #38 on the HR leader board...which puts him in the 99th percentile....:scratchchinhmm:

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