I am not a Dave Trembley fan...

[DrungoHazewood]

Yes it is. Bell needs to understand that he is the heir apparent at 3B but he's not going to just be handed a job. If he can't play defense, he's not going to be able to be a ML third baseman.

Unless he wants to switch to 1B or be a DH or be stuck in the minors behind Tejada at 3B, he has to play better.

The message needs to be sent as early as possible. To be a Baltimore Oriole, you are going to have to earn it, and you will not make the team or get a callup just because you're a top prospect with hype.

Because Bell needs to be told that his prospect hype will not punch his ticket to the majors, like say Pie's did for the Orioles. Defensive lapses like that are unacceptable at the ML level. The team is not going to hand out roster spots like it has in the past. Rebuilding is done with.

That is the message that is being broadcast so the team has to back that up with action.

The team has gone out of it's way to say that Tejada and Atkins are mearly placeholders for Snyder and Bell, so yes, there might be a little complacency in there.

This is the time to stop that completely if it exists.

I'm not going to be paid millions of dollars to post on this website.

And I'm not saying bringing the hammer down has to mean benching. But Bell needs to be held accountable for his poor performance and told that kind of play is not acceptable for a ML thirdbaseman. That's all.

MacPhail pretty much did that without saying it, and I would hope Trembley would say or do something more directly to enforce it.

What I am saying is Bell may know that he has to work hard to get to the majors. But he is the most attractive option at 3B for the Orioles after this season, and they did trade one of their most valuable commodities to get him.

So in the back of his mind, there might be some complacency there IMO.

The team has talked him up, so he might have started to buy into his hype a little. I'm not saying he has, but if that's the case, this is the time to stop that.

You are blowing things out of proportion. Bell is a 23 year old kid getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars and is only a step away from the majors. It's hardly shocking to think he might have a bit of an ego or might be a little complacent given his hype by the team.

You are over-exaggerating again.

I am not saying Bell is a slack off, but he's a 23 year old professional ballplayer who has money in the bank and a ton of hype by his club. To think there is absolutely no shred of ego, or no sense of entitlement at all in this kid's mind is pretty naive IMO.

Maybe it's not, and that is the problem. Maybe these guys think they can get away with things because it's "just Spring Training."

MacPhail has already delivered the message that performance, especially defensive performance in ST matters, and Trembley needs to back that up.

Glad to see you haven't stopped blowing my points out of proportion to try to prove your point... :rolleyestf:

Nowhere have I suggested Josh Bell is an overhyped prospect hung up on his own ego. Not once.

No, not at all, never. I don't see how I could have come to the conclusion you think he's a complacent, overhyped prospect hung up on his own ego when you only mentioned the words "complacent", "hype" and/or "ego" in connection with Josh Bell in eight posts in this very thread about a two-error game in spring training.

[JTrea81]

Errors so far: Blake Davis (2), Bell (2), Moeller (2), Wigginton, Abreu, Tejada. Kill them all!

Do you think Blake Davis knows he has to play good defense if he wants to have any prayer of ever making it to the major leagues? Put the hammer down on him!

You are really exaggerating the meaning of the word "hammer."

Holding players accountable = "bringing the hammer down" IMO.

I'm not sure what it means to you, but that's what it means to me.

[JTrea81]

No, not at all, never. I don't see how I could have come to the conclusion you think he's a complacent, overhyped prospect hung up on his own ego when you only mentioned the words "complacent", "hype" and/or "ego" in connection with Josh Bell in eight posts in this very thread.

You need to take them in context. When you take them out of context like that it's easy to reach that conclusion.

I think your biased view of my posts in general has clouded your vision of what I am trying to say.

Because I am not intending to imply that Bell any of those things.

Just because a word is associated with a player doesn't mean that word defines him.

[Sports Guy]

This is all your fault anyways. You started this thread ..

If that is going to be how it is, I guess I get the blame for a lot of things around here.

[DrungoHazewood]

You are really exaggerating the meaning of the word "hammer."

Holding players accountable = "bringing the hammer down" IMO.

I'm not sure what it means to you, but that's what it means to me.

What do you mean by holding players accountable? What is the appropriate way to bring the hammer down on a prospect for making two physical errors in an early spring game?

[DrungoHazewood]

You need to take them in context. When you take them out of context like that it's easy to reach that conclusion.

I think your biased view of my posts in general has clouded your vision of what I am trying to say.

Because I am not intending to imply that Bell any of those things.

Just because a word is associated with a player doesn't mean that word defines him.

I think the biased views you espouse in your posts has clouded a lot of stuff.

[JTrea81]

What do you mean by holding players accountable? What is the appropriate way to bring the hammer down on a prospect for making two physical errors in an early spring game?

That's what Dave Trembley needs to figure out, whether it be forcing players to go through extra defensive reps, or having a one on one counseling session - whatever will make the player know that their performance is unacceptable and that they need to fix the problem.

Trembley said he was going to do it after his option was picked up. Defense is now a problem so it's time for him to live up to his word and hold players accountable for the lack of defense thus far.

[waroriole]

That's what Dave Trembley needs to figure out, whether it be forcing players to go through extra defensive reps, or having a one on one counseling session - whatever will work to fix the problem and make the player know that their performance is unacceptable.

Trembley said he was going to do it after his option was picked up. Defense is now a problem so it's time for him to live up to his word and hold players accountable for the lack of defense thus far.

And you know he's not doing this how? Are you down there in FL with the team, with access to the locker room?

[Moose Milligan]

<img src = "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_rUY6FFyfIjM/Sp8L4IllruI/AAAAAAAAC8M/lEXMeFx1DFg/s400/12322-17920.gif">

Thats all I have to say.

[JTrea81]

And you know he's not doing this how? Are you down there in FL with the team, with access to the locker room?

I never said he wasn't, just that he has to.

If he is doing it and the problems disappear, then everything's fine.

[PBR Street Gang]

On those plays in question:

1.) The throw was a routine grounder that he throw into the ground 10' short of Atkins who couldn't make the play. None on and one out and it spooked Arrieta and extended his inning.(6th inning)

2.) Davis got in the way of Bell on a slow roller and forced an awkward throw. That ball was Bell's all the way and Davis should have stayed away from it. Subsequently the runner on first winds up on third when Davis fails to cover the bag after Bell's throw. I think that one might have been ruled a hit but the play should have been made.

3.) Bell was kinda non-chalant about the throw after making a good backhand stop on a sharp grounder.

4.) On the next play it was a grounder he should have charged and the ball (and as often is the case) played him.

[Lucky Jim]

Just because a word is associated with a player doesn't mean that word defines him.

On the other hand, there are several words associated w/ you that pretty much sum you up.

[Frobby]

Here is what DT had to say:

Manager Dave Trembley said the team's multitude of errors this spring aren't for lack of practice, citing the 20 minutes a day that each player takes doing ground balls and extra individual defense work.

"Mistakes are part of the game, and today was an unfortunate game for [bell]," Trembley said. "He had routine plays and didn't make them. I think the lesson to be learned is you have to make the routine plays, especially in Spring Training when you're counting pitches on your pitchers and trying to get those innings built up."

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100309&content_id=8732494&vkey=news_bal&fext=.jsp&c_id=bal

Would you have wanted him to say more than that?

[Sports Guy]

I think every error should be met with a public stoning...That will definitely get the point across that this stuff won't be tolerated.

[Moose Milligan]

I think every error should be met with a public stoning...That will definitely get the point across that this stuff won't be tolerated.

And will help hold others accountable too, don't forget.