I thought this deserved its own thread...

[Singleton]

Now look at us, begging to hear more bad news. Ah, so this is Birdland.

I'm not begging to hear anything. I was trying to be polite and suggest posters shouldn't say things like, 'I hear something really bad but can't say what it is."

If you can't say it, don't type it.

On the other hand, if someone has REAL information that is a concern, why shouldn't they share it? It's a message board to discuss the team. The team stinks. Theres going to be some bad things. If you only want sunshine, you'd better change teams like 12 years ago.

[Austin]

If it means anything, '88 was the worst season in Orioles baseball -- and then the '89 season was the "why not?" year... Now of course, the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays didn't exist then as they do today... but who's asking?

I believe you have the answer to a modern "Why not?" season. Why not? The 2011 Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox are why not.

[notfast]

Maybe the 'unknown' has something to do with Cal...? That's the only thing I can think that would be extremely upsetting to the casual fan. Maybe there was truth to the earlier story about his rift w/ Angelos? Maybe he has zero interest in working with team when Ryan graduates? Failed offer to buy team?

[Austin]

I'm not begging to hear anything. I was trying to be polite and suggest posters shouldn't say things like, 'I hear something really bad but can't say what it is."

If you can't say it, don't type it.

On the other hand, if someone has REAL information that is a concern, why shouldn't they share it? It's a message board to discuss the team. The team stinks. Theres going to be some bad things. If you only want sunshine, you'd better change teams like 12 years ago.

Pretty sure you completely misinterpreted my post, I was actually agreeing with you. I want to know everything I can, just like you. I was just commenting on how pathetic it is that we even want to know, that we're somehow still interested in this mess.

[Smokin' Joe O]

On the other hand, if someone has REAL information that is a concern, why shouldn't they share it? It's a message board to discuss the team. The team stinks. Theres going to be some bad things. If you only want sunshine, you'd better change teams like 12 years ago.

Well, I can understand why in some cases. For example, if information gets leaked that shouldn't and could be tied back to individuals in the organization, I don't blame posters for wanting to keep those individuals from getting in trouble.

[Dipper9]

Maybe the 'unknown' has something to do with Cal...? That's the only thing I can think that would be extremely upsetting to the casual fan. Maybe there was truth to the earlier story about his rift w/ Angelos? Maybe he has zero interest in working with team when Ryan graduates? Failed offer to buy team?

Cal said to the fans at IronFest that the Rosenthal article was NOT acurate, and that he is VERY interested in getting back into the game IN 2 YEARS! Lets not go down THIS road again.

[Singleton]

I believe you have the answer to a modern "Why not?" season. Why not? The 2011 Yankees, Rays, and Red Sox are why not.

The 2008 Rays went from the worst in baseball to a WS. The idea for us is pretty laughable but...but...the theory still holds.

[glorydays]

The 2008 Rays went from the worst in baseball to a WS. The idea for us is pretty laughable but...but...the theory still holds.

The 2009 Rockies finished their season 92-70 after getting off to a 20-32 start.

[Austin]

The 2008 Rays went from the worst in baseball to a WS. The idea for us is pretty laughable but...but...the theory still holds.

The theory holds, and everyone keeps hanging on to that and hey, more power to them. I would love to see this team turn into the 2008 Rays, but I just don't know. The AL East is even tougher now than it was then, in great part to the very same Rays. I'm still optimistic about next year, but I just can't see us being anywhere near contention.

[TonySoprano]

I am quite familiar with the quote, and I have been all along. Get your facts straight. Go read the quote. He said that W's and L's matter in how they would evaluate the manager. He said he expected improvement in the record. We all expected improvement in the record. Everybody expected improvement in the record. But he did not say that W's and L's were what the season was about. He wanted to see more W's, he wanted to see lots of stuff getting better. To pull out the one phrase and W's and L's, and to pretend he said that the importance of this season was reducible to that, is just bogus. He said he would evaluate the manager based on W's and L's, and the manager is gone. There is no criteria by which this season is proceeding as expected. Nobody can explain it, and AFAIK, nobody knows what to do about it either.

Want to spin this away?

Now it's important we show our fans some meaningful improvement in the standings."

[Yardball85]

After rereading Tony O-H's quote in the OP, I get the feeling that this team is in financial trouble... the feeling that we can one day sign a big name free agent may no longer be true. Perhaps we also can't afford to spend big on the draft or on international scouting. Maybe the O's are now a bottom market team like KC and Pitt, not just in terms of record, but in terms of finances as well.

[JTrea81]

After rereading Tony O-H's quote in the OP, I get the feeling that this team is in financial trouble... the feeling that we can one day sign a big name free agent may no longer be true. Perhaps we also can't afford to spend big on the draft or on international scouting. Maybe the O's are now a bottom market team like KC and Pitt, not just in terms of record, but in terms of finances as well.

This team isn't in financial trouble. Angelos has MASN for crying out loud.

I'm guessing one of the major problems is a serious lack of communication throughout baseball operations as everything has to go through Andy to get an answer, and there are several reports that he's grown detached from the team.

Andy is the new Peter IMO, a guy who holds moves up uneccessarily because he needs to deliberate on every one.

[ledzepp8]

Every time someone makes reference to this, RShack says MacPhail never said the season was about "wins and losses." It seems pretty clear to me that MacPhail was getting at that....

Has RShack just never seen this quote? Why does he refute its existence?

He was saying that Trembley was going to be judged on wins and losses. He was saying that wins and losses were going to determine what some of his future moves would be in regards to the team.

People took that to mean that AM was saying that he expected the team to be winners this year. That's not what he said. He said he was going to judge them on wins and losses. There is a difference.

[enchiridion]

I think Reimold, Wieters, and Jones have hung AM out to dry. No one, anywhere, expected all of them to be struggling so much. Add the injuries and this team has a historically bad offense and AM doesn't know how to fix it.

[JTrea81]

He was saying that Trembley was going to be judged on wins and losses. He was saying that wins and losses were going to determine what some of his future moves would be in regards to the team.

People took that to mean that AM was saying that he expected the team to be winners this year. That's not what he said. He said he was going to judge them on wins and losses. There is a difference.

What does "meaningful improvement in the standings" mean to you?