Dennis Sarfate DFA

[McLovin]

On the other hand, when I'm asked to be in the office on a weekend, or stress is created by someone else's slacking or an arbitrary deadline, then I get frustrated. I don't get mad. But I'll let it be known that it's unnecessary. It's the inefficient stress, and the inefficient imposition of work/deadlines that's the problem.

Do you voice this in the city newspaper, in the section where people come to read about you and your co-workers, and mention it was a waste of time to come and see them and thank them for their support?

[RShack]

Do you voice this in the city newspaper, in the section where people come to read about you and your co-workers, and mention it was a waste of time to come and see them and thank them for their support?

I think there is zero chance that he said, "and please put this in the newspaper because I want to diss the fans".

I think he let his guard down and just forgot that he's supposed to say cliche's, positive cliche's, and nothing but cliche's... so, help him God, because he's getting roasted now for nothing...

[Lucky Jim]

I think there is zero chance that he said, "and please put this in the newspaper because I want to diss the fans".

I think he let his guard down and just forgot that he's supposed to say cliche's, positive cliche's, and nothing but cliche's... so, help him God, because he's getting roasted now for nothing...

Because it's always best to de-contextualize quotes and make sure we emphasis the one thing among them that give us a reason to judge someone.

I'm a little hurt, not really hurt, but disappointed," said Sarfate, who was 0-1 with a 5.09 ERA in 20 games for the Orioles last season. "I really liked Baltimore, my daughter was born there, my wife loved it. I liked the way the team was going. I wish I could have stayed."

So, he's hurt. He's disappointed. He "really liked" Baltimore. His family "loved it." He enjoyed the team and its direction. He "wishes he could have stayed."

But what we're really taking out of this, is that, in the midst of his bit of hurt and disappointment and uprooting, he has one single petty gripe that the team hauled him out in front of the fans two days before they DFA'd him.

If it were me, I imagine I'd retrospectively feel slightly fraudulent. One day you're an Oriole signing autographs for fans, worthy of signing autographs. And then you're DFA'd. I'd feel strange. And I'd probably lay some blame on the club for that strangeness.

[Arthur_Bryant]

Sarfate has been on the bubble, struggling to keep his career. He wants to play in the big leagues, and he probably took the FanFest invitation as an indication that he figured in the O's plans this season.

That's just a guess, but it wouldn't surprise me. And then to be DFA'd a couple of days later would've felt like having it pulled out from under him, even if he was reading too much into it in the first place.

[berto]

When I read that he said that yesterday, I was shocked. I do understand why he would be upset. His daughter is only a couple years old I believe and I know he would love to spend as much time as he can with her and his wife. Also flying across country a few days before your are DFA. I just think it was a little inapropriate to say. Believe it or not there were alot of fans to get his autograph and he still has fans here that hope he would make the team this year. I think it was an unfair statement to his fans here, by saying it was a COMPLETE waste of time.

[csgordos]

Sarfate has been on the bubble, struggling to keep his career. He wants to play in the big leagues, and he probably took the FanFest invitation as an indication that he figured in the O's plans this season.

That's just a guess, but it wouldn't surprise me. And then to be DFA'd a couple of days later would've felt like having it pulled out from under him, even if he was reading too much into it in the first place.

This is a great point and makes me think of the analogy of times when I "misread" signs, gestures, words, etc. from more than one person of the opposite sex that I was interested in. After coming to a realization that I was being led on (used) I may have happened to let out some choice comments in a moment of frustration that I wish I hadn't said. Doesn't mean that in the end that the whole dealing with that said person was a waste or that I felt the same days later, but at that moment it felt good to say what I really thought. Lucky for me nobody was around to write down exactly what I said. Just saying.

[McLovin]

I don't really care what Mr. Sarfate says. The statement doesn't offend me.

That said, I didn't think it was a very 'classy' comment. That's all. In my mind, you look silly trying to defend that comment. I get that he was frustrated, and all that jazz. It still wasn't a nice thing to say, because he's talking about us fans, not his employer.

He's saying it was a waste of time to visit his fans. He might not have meant that, but that's what he said.

[RShack]

I don't really care what Mr. Sarfate says. The statement doesn't offend me.

That said, I didn't think it was a very 'classy' comment. That's all. In my mind, you look silly trying to defend that comment. I get that he was frustrated, and all that jazz. It still wasn't a nice thing to say, because he's talking about us fans, not his employer.

He's saying it was a waste of time to visit his fans. He might not have meant that, but that's what he said.

No, that's not what he said. It's what you read into it. What he said is in the quote. Everything else is interpretation.

Quite obviously, different people interpret it differently. No reason to say that your interpretation is somehow the right one.

[Lucky Jim]

I don't really care what Mr. Sarfate says. The statement doesn't offend me.

That said, I didn't think it was a very 'classy' comment. That's all. In my mind, you look silly trying to defend that comment. I get that he was frustrated, and all that jazz. It still wasn't a nice thing to say, because he's talking about us fans, not his employer.

He's saying it was a waste of time to visit his fans. He might not have meant that, but that's what he said.

I'd rather look silly, in this circumstance, than how those taking offense look.

[Ruzious]

Because it's always best to de-contextualize quotes and make sure we emphasis the one thing among them that give us a reason to judge someone.

So, he's hurt. He's disappointed. He "really liked" Baltimore. His family "loved it." He enjoyed the team and its direction. He "wishes he could have stayed."

But what we're really taking out of this, is that, in the midst of his bit of hurt and disappointment and uprooting, he has one single petty gripe that the team hauled him out in front of the fans two days before they DFA'd him.

If it were me, I imagine I'd retrospectively feel slightly fraudulent. One day you're an Oriole signing autographs for fans, worthy of signing autographs. And then you're DFA'd. I'd feel strange. And I'd probably lay some blame on the club for that strangeness.

Right. Not to mention - he's gotta support that little girl. Getting told you're not good enough by your employer isn't easy to take. At his age, he's running out of chances. It's a hobby for us and our kids. It's not only his job; it may be the only way he knows to provide for his family. When you're at the crossroads between making minor league money vs 400K plus... that's a lot to weigh on someone's mind. And for some of us to take serious shots at a guy for one small comment; that's amazingly egocentric, imo.

[McLovin]

He's saying it was a waste of time to visit his fans. He might not have meant that, but that's what he said.

No, that's not what he said. It's what you read into it. What he said is in the quote. Everything else is interpretation.

Quite obviously, different people interpret it differently. No reason to say that your interpretation is somehow the right one.

No, that's pretty much exactly what he said.

"I wish I had known earlier and saved two days of my life and not gone to Baltimore for FanFest."

"Waste of time" = "wishing he could have saved two days of his life"

"visit his fans" = "gone to Baltimore for FanFest"

[RShack]

No, that's pretty much exactly what he said.

"visit his fans" = "gone to Baltimore for FanFest"

No, it is not pretty much exactly what he said. The first part are your words, what you are putting in his mouth.

You could just as easily read it as: "Spending 2 days doing stuff for the company that was about to fire me/demote me/whatever" = "gone to Baltimore for [FanFest or anything else they asked me to do]"

Now, which one do you think he meant? I honestly have a hard time believing that you don't know the diff between a quote and an interpretation of it. Maybe if it was somebody else, I could easily believe it. You, I have a hard time believing it.

Regardless, even if you're right, so what? Did you ever say anything you didn't quite mean when you were upset? The problem is that he revealed himself to be a human being rather than a cliche machine...

[Tony-OH]

Honestly, who cares? I'm not upset at what Sarfate said and the Orioles did nothing wrong in how they handled this. I agree with Cary that his comments were less than classy, but I also agree with the folks that suggest he was frustrated.

In the end, some are making this a much bigger deal than it should be. The guy got two years in the major leagues thanks to the Orioles, so I'm sure he's grateful for the opportunity. At the same time, it can never be easy to have a team tell you that you are not good enough to make their team or stay on their 40-man roster.

It's not like Sarfate suddenly became Steve Kline. Now there's a guy we can all "hate" on without concern of someone taking up for him.

[hoosiers]

I'd be surprised if Sarfate did not outpitch some of our bp guys this year. The guy put up okay stats and was replacement level or so and we do have a lot of relievers coming through.

I'm sure DS was frustrated about the weekend. Going to Fanfest and feeling like a party of the team and doing something for the organization probably was a very satisfying two days - at the time. To have those feelings reversed so quickly by this DFA process has to be very, very frustating.

I am appreciative of the perspective DS's father provides here. Good luck to Dennis. Given the bullpen arms coming through the system, Sarfate's best opportunity to land a major league roster spot is probably with another team.

[Old#5fan]

Stay classy, Dennis. Was nice to meet you too.

Why would anyone blame him for saying that? He has every right to make that remark as they should have told him before he went to FanFest. It is probably very embarassing to him now in retrospect. Anyone who has a problem with that seems to be very much nitpicking to me.