Blame MacPhail

[Sports Guy]

To be fair, Miguel Cabrerra was available (at less than "elite" asking price) for a time this offseason. Few here wanted him because of his quote character issues unquote.

Fast forward to April and he has sworn off alcohol and is tearing it up.

Actually, we have no idea if he was available...It was mentioned as a possibility but the Tigers never said he was...They made other guys available.

And i would have gone after MCab.

[SaltDoggyDog]

Why do all the "positive" folks duck these ideas?

Once again, there are far too many AM and PA apologists out here.

MSK

A good question for those "apologists" and anyone for that matter would be how far does Angelos' leash on McPhail go? Is there a point where Angelos would fire McPhail for the performance of the team?

[JTrea81]

What benefit would it be to MacPhail to admit he got played by Boras and was promised something that effected how he pursued Tex and then wasn't delivered?

Because then you could justify the hatred toward Boras and Teixeira in the process.

I'm amazed at the number of people that automatically assumed Teixeira had no interest in playing for the Orioles despite the lack of evidence.

Ditto for Holliday. People assume that those players didn't want to come here with no evidence backing that up.

They just assume because we have a losing team that if the Orioles had offered more, the Orioles would still be turned down to go to a winning team.

You cite Konerko, but that was before we had Matt Wieters, Adam Jones etc.

Supposedly the perception of this franchise had changed under MacPhail. Yet there has been no effort really to test that theory.

We are still signing the mediocre FAs. Maybe we are getting them for less now, but the target talent level is still the same.

[MemorialStadKid]

Supposedly the perception of this franchise had changed under MacPhail. Yet there has been no effort really to test that theory.

We are still signing the mediocre FAs. Maybe we are getting them for less now, but the target talent level is still the same.

Damn. That's everything right there.

Who can argue this?

MSK

[tilgaham]

Actually, we have no idea if he was available...It was mentioned as a possibility but the Tigers never said he was...They made other guys available.

And i would have gone after MCab.

I could have sworn there was an Olney (or someone) article talking about their interest in trading him around the winter meetings...

If that's just me misremembering, my bad...but I'm not sure even MCab could make this team better than .5oo right now.

[Sports Guy]

I could have sworn there was an Olney (or someone) article talking about their interest in trading him around the winter meetings...

If that's just me misremembering, my bad...but I'm not sure even MCab could make this team better than .5oo right now.

His name was rumored to be out because they wanted to cut payroll and had the off the field issues.

And maybe had they not been able to move jackson and Granderson, he would have been available but there was never any definitive evidence that he was out there to be had...especially for "less".

[tilgaham]

His name was rumored to be out because they wanted to cut payroll and had the off the field issues.

And maybe had they not been able to move jackson and Granderson, he would have been available but there was never any definitive evidence that he was out there to be had...especially for "less".

My mistake. It's always nice to dream...

[Can_of_corn]

His name was rumored to be out because they wanted to cut payroll and had the off the field issues.

And maybe had they not been able to move jackson and Granderson, he would have been available but there was never any definitive evidence that he was out there to be had...especially for "less".

I think they were blowing smoke about cutting payroll. Would a team cutting payroll add a player like Damon? Would they sign a pitcher to a big money, long term deal? I think they were using money as the cover for why they wanted Granderson gone.

[Sports Guy]

I think they were blowing smoke about cutting payroll. Would a team cutting payroll add a player like Damon? Would they sign a pitcher to a big money, long term deal? I think they were using money as the cover for why they wanted Granderson gone.

Damon didn't get a big deal or anything and Verlander had years under control...That deal is a few years away from mattering to their payroll.

They traded Edwin Jackson as well.

[glorydays]

Fair enough.

I want to share with you why I feel the way I do. When I first started posting here, I was Captain Optimism because I really thought things were going to turn around back in 2005.

As the years wore on, I noticed the same ol' thing from Angelos and the FO. Promises led to bad signings which led to similar results which led to excuses which led to more promises.

My posts began to take on a more negative tone to the point where it became out and out hatred of PA and the FO. I know this and I admit this.

However, I've observed that if you make a negative post, then suddenly the burden of proof is on YOU to prove that your negative assertion is correct as if the win-loss record, the offensive/defensive stats, our national reputation and the general apathy of the fan base wasn't enough evidence on its own.

If Trea believes PA hired MacPhail because he knew AM wouldn't press for big time signings, so what? It might be a "conspiracy theory" but it doesn't necessarily fly in the face of the results and PAs typical behavior.

Much of what we believe are theories (in terms of FO behavior and decision making) until they are confirmed by legit news sources or from a direct press release from the warehouse. So because Trea says things that can't be immediately verified or substantiated by quantifiable data doesn't mean that his points are invalid.

Is the idea of signing a big bat such a bad one? Especially with what we've been seeing?

Is the idea of signing a couple of TOR starting pitchers a bad one?

Is the idea of having a GM that isn't afraid to pursue premium talent with a non-token contract a bad one?

These are the three general ideas I've seen from Trea over the last couple of years. And yes, he has been rather upset since the Tex fiasco but can you blame him?

I don't know is Trea is a "real" Orioles fan or not. I'm not his advocate or defender. All I do know is that he makes some good points about the lack of movement from our FO when they could sign guys that would make a positive contribution to our team.

We could have signed John Lackey. We could have attempted to sign Halladay. We could have made a good trade deal for AGon (and we still can) but we didn't.

Some here think trading for AGon would destroy our farm system and kill our chances at developing talent for the future and others believe that having a winning culture now will spearhead a positive shift towards contention. Those are both valid arguments and both deserve consideration.

What's happened here is that its become the Trea club (signing free agents) vs. the Vatech/BTerp/Rschack/Etc. club (do things when the "time is right) and that's not fully representative of the scope of our reasoning here.

I've been put into the "negative" group just because I don't like AM and I hate PA. People have made snarky comments to me without actually reading what I've written.

But what's hilarious is that when people stop and actually read what I've said, folks write to me "gee, you're not a bad guy, and you have some decent ideas."

That's what I mean when I say that there's a groupthink mentality here where a few guys claim someone is "bad news" or "makes worthless posts" and then a bunch of others jump on that bandwagon without any careful analysis with their own eyes.

That's what really sucks about this place sometimes.

MSK

This post merits a reply.

Vision is something that people are born with. Either you have vision - or the ability to look beyond the present and prepare for the future - or you don't. Most people who don't have "vision" often can't understand and comprehend those who do.

People who do not have "vision" are also very important. They are usually the ones that help keep the business or organization going or in check as the leader prepares an organization for the future.

Most companies and organizations that have a strong leader also have plans... strategic plans. These plans are not publicized much beyond the upper management and board of directors. They are usually kept under wraps because they don't want other businesses to find out the direction the company is going in... its just good business.

People who have "vision" but are on the outside the companies can easily see and understand when a company has a strong leader and that leader has a strong vision for the future. Does that guarentee that the company the leader is runnining will take some detours to get to the goals he/she has made? No. But this person usually has backup plans if one plan goes badly. He/she is not easily put into a corner they cannot get out of.

Oftentimes these businesses/companies need to take a step back inorder to move forward. I'm thinking of the new CEO of Verizon who spent a year's worth of advertising almost apologizing for his company... say that Verizon was going to be a better cell phone company... and all of the while they were putting the smack down building a larger 3G network and now they have AT&T on its heels.

The same is true in baseball. I'm not trying to knock your and Trea's baseball IQ, but I believe most around here have vision (and perhaps you guys don't??)... and see that AM has a strong vision for the future of the Orioles. They can see beyond the 1-10 start and they understand where he is going and how he is getting there. We may not totally agree with all of his moves, but we also understand he won't get backed into a corner. We also understand and believe that part of this plan is to make that big FA splash when it is needed.

It is difficult to quantify vision... especially when you are on the outside looking in - therefore if you don't have it or understand it, it is easy to say - look, we're 1-10! or look - Bell and Snyder are hurt! or... look - we don't have that big bat! And on the other side it is difficult to be able to say "we believe in AM" and really don't see the results.

But those of us with vision... believe. And those who don't... will continue to pound away on AM.

[geschinger]

Because then you could justify the hatred toward Boras and Teixeira in the process.

I'm amazed at the number of people that automatically assumed Teixeira had no interest in playing for the Orioles despite the lack of evidence.

What was reported was that Boras told MacPhail that Teix was interested in going a different direction. Why are you automatically assuming that is not a true account? Has there been any evidence contradicting that account?

[Sports Guy]

What was reported was that Boras told MacPhail that Teix was interested in going a different direction. Why are you automatically assuming that is not a true account? Has there been any evidence contradicting that account?

Bottom line is this...Money talks with Boras clients.

This idea that this guy or that guy wouldn't have come here is wrong..you put a big enough contract on the table, they would have come here.

Now, the debate is should we have done that and is that player worth the contract?

[geschinger]

Bottom line is this...Money talks with Boras clients.

This idea that this guy or that guy wouldn't have come here is wrong..you put a big enough contract on the table, they would have come here.

Now, the debate is should we have done that and is that player worth the contract?

For most players - especially Boras clients I agree. I don't think Teix is worth $200m or whatever it would have taken to settle for signing with a team that wasn't the team he really wanted to sign with.

[Florida_Osfan]

Damn. That's everything right there.

Who can argue this?

MSK

Me. Not that it will likely change your perception, but how about BP and BA rankings of our prospect system (which were atrocious prior), numerous sports analysts who praised the Bedard deal, the Tejada trade, and the first GM who didn't say .500 ball is the goal?

It's point of view, though, and yours is that this team can do no right. I see a completely different franchise compared to 5 years ago, and if you don't see it, then such is life.

[MemorialStadKid]

Me. Not that it will likely change your perception, but how about BP and BA rankings of our prospect system (which were atrocious prior), numerous sports analysts who praised the Bedard deal, the Tejada trade, and the first GM who didn't say .500 ball is the goal?

It's point of view, though, and yours is that this team can do no right. I see a completely different franchise compared to 5 years ago, and if you don't see it, then such is life.

I never once in a million posts said that this team can do no right.

I said I don't trust MacPhail's ability to turn this team into a contender.

Those are two different things.

Like I said in an earlier post, its easy to throw someone into a school of thought without thinking about what they're actually saying.

MSK