Warehouse Excuses - Nothing Ever Changes!

[Return2Glory]

I think that MacPhail is making a serious effort to land Holliday. I felt from the beginning that they'd make one major move, and I think this one is it. This isn't the kind of sham they ran for Tx. last year; he wasn't coming here and they knew it.Holliday mite.

I don;'t know if they'll succeed in signing him, bit I think this at least, is an honest attempt.

I could be wrong here, but I really don't think the O's are making a run at Holliday. It just doesn't make sense to me at all. a) he plays a position at which we have depth, and we can just drop the subject of making him or anyone else a 1b'man. b) He's not worth the money he is asking for.

While no one can deny he is a good hitter, he is not a GREAT hitter. Great hitters make the adjustments that he didn't make last year. While I would like to see him on O's next year, I just don't think it makes sense. I don't want to see the O's spend money just for the sake of spending it. While I think there are pieces that we need to add, I don't think Holliday is the answer we are looking for. I really think you are going to see some big steps from some of the young guys already on our team. Everyone talks about our need to add a cleanup hitter, well I don't view Holliday as a clean up hitter away from Coors.

At the end of the day, that is just way too much money for what he brings to the table.

[Hank Scorpio]

There are times I find Schmuck to be very aptly named. This is one of those times.

That wasn't posted by Schmuck, but by one of the brilliant blog responders.

Schmuck chimes in randomly with stuff like this:

Pete's reply: I suspect you'll be right until you're not, but you're total, redundant pessimism comes so naturally, I'm really curious to see how you react if things every do go right. I have an old friend who knows something about baseball fans who likes to say "Scratch a ripper, find a homer." You wouldn't spend so much time here spouting this much venom if you weren't deeply emotionally involved with this team. I hope you get the opportunity to cheer up someday.

Full disclosure, I really admire Schmuck having gotten to know him a little bit over the "Ravens years."

[Pedro Cerrano]

There's a difference between spending money and wasting it. I think AM knows the difference.

[Hank Scorpio]

More Schmuck:

Eddie in NYC and Clayton Fletcher:

Thanks for your good posts. I share your concerns about the two conflicting reports.

Before we get all crazy about this Holliday situation, it would be nice to know exactly what's going on. Ringolsby is a major baseball writer; I would be willing to bet he didn't make his story up. At the same time, he provided no source. Did Boras leak it to him on condition that no source be given? The Sun's reporter, in turn, simply parroted MacPhail's denial without further investigation. Did the flat contardiction between the two accounts not bother anyone at The Sun?

So what happened? Where did the O's offer come from? Was it an informal exploratory discussion with Boras at the time of the Gonzalez contract meeting? Were the 8/130 figures floated there? Was there a caveat from AM that if that inquiry was leaked, he would deny it publicly? Did Boras leak it to pressure the Cards (likely)?

This matters, of course, because the ever-shrinking Orioles fan base might like to know whether their team made a significant offer to a star player, or didn't.

How about some more--and some more persuasive--information?

.............................................................................................

Pete's reply: This is borderline hilarious. Jeff went right to the source, and you criticize him for not digging deeper into the matter. Who do you think would know more about whether MacPhail made that offer? Boras, who's trying to get the Cardinals to up their price? If you're questioning Jeff's effort, you don't know Jeff, who is one of the best young reporters in the business.

Fans are funny. They have a tremendous sense of entitlement about things that are still in process, etc... betcha this guy was an NFL fan.

[ChaosLex]

I certainly think it is valid to complain about this...It is true...Every year it is one excuse after another for why they can't spend money.

I agree with this. I don't think Holliday is worth what he's going to get paid; HOWEVER, I do have my doubts that we'll ever *splurge* on a player. *sigh*

I suppose only time will tell...

[waroriole]

This is the 3rd offseason that I've been posting and these reactions are so funny. It's like clockwork what happens to people on here. I guess people just gotta freak out sometimes.

[Mike B]

I don't take credit for this but I saw it on Schmuck's Sun blog (a response from a blogger) and thought it hit the nail squarely on the head:

A brief histroy of recent winters at the warehouse:

We cant spend any money yet, we dont know whats going to happen with DC getting a team

WE cant spend any money now because we dont have a regional sports network

MLB grants start up money for MASN and Flanny promises fans that we'll see an "immediate impact" This impact STILL hasnt happened. (Somewhere in the distance, u can hear criquets chirp outside the warehouse)

WE're not going to spend any money! Why should we ? WE can just be the next Tampa

WE're saving our money for Tex! ( The orioles proceed to offer Tex a contract that was 5 million LESS than he turned down from Texas 3 yrs ago)

We're not spending any money now, we're saving it until we're on the verge of competing in 2011!!

When 2011 arrives, get ready for the litany of new excuses that will surely arrive instead of elite free agents.

I have to agree with this and find it very disconcerting that Baltimore fans would be strung along like we are morons. History proves it!

I normally fall on the side that defends the Orioles and on this one I am somewhere in the middle. I have been thinking for about 6 or 7 months now that we are on a strict budget in terms of $$$. Little mesages sometimes say a lot...things like selling non descript players like Joey Gathright to someone in your division for cash....I know guys like Gathright and the guy they sold to the Yankees (forgot his name) do not matter in the large or small view but did we need the small sum of money so bad that we helped two of the teams that are ruining baseball.

A few people rail on here about resources but if you do not have the clearance to use them then are they really available???? Just Saying.

BTW...I am not worried or even excited about Holliday...he is not worth what they are asking....I just think there are things going on behind closed doors that are putting us further behind.

[waroriole]

I normally fall on the side that defends the Orioles and on this one I am somewhere in the middle. I have been thinking for about 6 or 7 months now that we are on a strict budget in terms of $$$. Little mesages sometimes say a lot...things like selling non descript players like Joey Gathright to someone in your division for cash....I know guys like Gathright and the guy they sold to the Yankees (forgot his name) do not matter in the large or small view but did we need the small sum of money so bad that we helped two of the teams that are ruining baseball.

A few people rail on here about resources but if you do not have the clearance to use them then are they really available???? Just Saying.

Things like that are just being efficient. Why do we need Gathright and his salary? He was never going to be used last year. Even with all the injuries we didn't really need him at the end of the year. So why pay him a major league salary when he's never going to play for you? If the Sox want him, and will pay his salary, then let them do it. It's a smart business decision, and what helps save money so that you can make that bigger offer and still be profitable. He's just showing he knows how to run a team, but some people are getting scared.

BTW, we only acquired Gathright so we could dump Freel and his ridiculous salary. And Freel came from Ramon. See, bad things happen when you give out dumb contracts.

[Mike B]

Things like that are just being efficient. Why do we need Gathright and his salary? He was never going to be used last year. Even with all the injuries we didn't really need him at the end of the year. So why pay him a major league salary when he's never going to play for you? If the Sox want him, and will pay his salary, then let them do it. It's a smart business decision, and what helps save money so that you can make that bigger offer and still be profitable. He's just showing he knows how to run a team, but some people are getting scared.

BTW, we only acquired Gathright so we could dump Freel and his ridiculous salary. And Freel came from Ramon. See, bad things happen when you give out dumb contracts.

That is certainly a valid way of looking at it...and in the terms of running a business correctly you are right. In terms of helping a competitor, I am just not comfortable with that. Anyway, Gathright does not really matter...it just seems to me that before we spend we usually clear money first. If that is what we need to do than I have no problem with that, BUT if that is the case our resources are not what people think they are.

[waroriole]

That is certainly a valid way of looking at it...and in the terms of running a business correctly you are right. In terms of helping a competitor, I am just not comfortable with that. Anyway, Gathright does not really matter...it just seems to me that before we spend we usually clear money first. If that is what we need to do than I have no problem with that, BUT if that is the case our resources are not what people think they are.

That's not necessarily true. It's just managing money well. When you do things like that it adds up. It shows the owner that you are efficient, and allows him to spend on a big money contract. It could be that we don't have money (and that's understandable as attendance is bad) but the opportunity to increase payroll is there b/c we have the chance to make alot of money since a better team will increase attendance and increase ratings on MASN. This is a good market for baseball, we have a beautiful stadium, and our "rivals," the Nationals, are awful.

Also, we didn't really help out the Sox b/c Gathright had 30 AB's all year. We got more out of the deal than Boston.

[Jeff Spicoli]

There's a difference between spending money and wasting it. I think AM knows the difference.

You could say the Brian Roberts ext. was a waste of money. If the O's have no realistic expectations of competing pre 2011 or 12, keeping Roberts makes little sense. A 34 or 35 year old Roberts won't help us going forward. And to be honest, I have my doubts that we will compete by 2012.

Honestly, if the O's are as strapped money-wise as a lot make them out to be, they shouldn't be extending anyone longterm. Keep them 3 or 4 years, and trade them. Just like they do in Fla, Oakland, Minn., TB and every other small market team everyone wants us to be like.

But, your original point is valid. AM is a savy GM. Even in a big market like Chicago, he still refused to spend big money on FA. If he didn't do it there, I can't see him starting a new trend here.

[RShack]

If you look at the MacPhail era as the Renaissance, and the pre-MacPhail era as the dark ages, you'll be a lot happier. The situation looks a lot like a by-the-book multi-year organizational rebuild that's going well.

If you just look at the last several years as a continuation of a decade of bumbling failure you'll have a somewhat skewed perspective, and end up a lot more angry and pessimistic. Or maybe it's that the already angry and pessimistic folks choose to look at the last several years as just the latest installment of a futile process.

Ding, ding, ding. One's biases about the present determine one's view of the past.

It's an example of the present determining the past, just like the perceived future determines the present...

[JTrea81]

If you look at the MacPhail era as the Renaissance, and the pre-MacPhail era as the dark ages, you'll be a lot happier. The situation looks a lot like a by-the-book multi-year organizational rebuild that's going well.

If the goal was to lose more games than the previous era and to drive away fans and torture those that are left by putting an inferior product on the field, I'd say it's going along great as well...

Garrett Atkins, Kevin Millwood and Mike Gonzalez don't exactly convince me that the suffering is over.

We may still be a losing team next season and we aren't going to be much over .500 if we reach it at all.

[Miller192]

Ding, ding, ding. One's biases about the present determine one's view of the past.

It's an example of the present determining the past, just like the perceived future determines the present...

I think there's certainly a middle ground here. We can be skeptical of the Orioles today and going forward based upon their track record over the last 12 years. I don't see a reason not to.

However, I think it's a little dishonest to not acknowledge the changes that are taking place.

Bottom line: We haven't accomplished anything yet. I'm hopeful we will and we seem to be on the right track. Let's see where it goes.

[TheBee]

"(Somewhere in the distance, u can hear criquets chirp outside the warehouse)"

I was unaware that Angelos had moved the warehouse to France. I bet it's cheaper to run the organization from there. He puts Baltimore back on the jerseys and then rips the rug out from under everybody and moves the warehouse to France. Unbelievable. I bet the distance does make it easier for MacPhail to hide things from the local media, however.