Are we there yet? (the 2009 Baltimore Orioles thread)

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http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2009-02/45314793.jpg

the future.

hello, future!

http://i.cdn.turner.com/si/2008/baseball/mlb/08/14/inside.baseball/t1_wieters.jpg

if everything goes well you guys just might finish ahead of the J's this year!

i'll be surprised if they don't, frankly, but i've said that for years now!

...btw, did you know that http://www.tireball.com/photos/albums/userpics/10001/t1_chacin.jpg is in camp w/ the nats?

ha ha! good to know (that there's another team out there more hard up than the J's).

the nats should have just signed chacin? I see him pitch 4-5 times a year and he seems like a strong contender for average performance...

the nats need better than average pitching w/ their offense, adam dunn and all. the o's would be hanging around the wildcard contenders w/ league average starters + guthrie.

nats need average pitching w/ their current pitching?

wow, so, as it stands today, it looks like the o's rotation will include mark hendrickson, adam eaton and some guy named alfredo simon. if the goal was to make o's fans MISS daniel cabrera, mission accomplished.

the opening headline on the O's homepage: "Guthrie out to conquer CC, Yanks in opener"...
ADORABLE!
Guthrie's spring era: 10.57. CC must be crapping his pants!

cc's line

4.1ip/6er/5bb/0k

top 3rd of the o's order

8h/11ab/3bb/7r

a single, a homer and a steal for cesar izturis, big tex was 0 for 4.

per the AP: CC Sabathia and the new-look New York Yankees absorbed an old-fashioned beating on opening day.

o's are gonna do some hitting this year

I dunno about that. cc would have made the padres look good today.

well, everyone projects them to score a bunch, it's their starters that are a concern.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2009-04/46014623.jpg

jones belongs to the frank robinson hall of surly looking cusses.

tonight: koji vs. wang!

aw, shucks. melmosity already on the dl and it looks like the alfredo simon is headed there as well. who gets the call?

http://www.ianolandwaydesign.com/images/matt-wieters-hof-postcard.jpg

now more than ever.

hello friends. I am considering Tursday vs Det. Where is a serious ILX0r who aims baseball?

I ask because I can sit near the field for 55 (!!!) USD unlike some other stadiums.

that is sweet. i need to make a trip to b-more sometime. i paid $46 for a great seat last week for pit @ nats and then had 2 pay $80 for a bleacher seat for the sat night mets/sox @ fenway.

i'm bummed that the nats are @ philly

altho then i got free good tix to the sunday mets/sox \braggin/

Wieters' first MLB opponent will be...

Dontrelle Willis

http://mlb.fanhouse.com/2009/05/26/matt-wieters-will-start-for-orioles-friday/

adam jones is the best player

Though the team has never admitted as much, it has been widely speculated that Wieters was kept in the minor leagues over the first two months of the season so that he would not earn enough service time to become a "super-two" -- a player who accrues enough playing time to be eligible by major league rules for salary arbitration after his second season as opposed to his third.

cold blooded business

I'd probably do the same if I was Bal. front office, but dang.

it's de rigeur these days...

yeah, seven seasons of wieters before he goes to new york? i'll take it.

yay, youth movement!

two o's pitchers have won their m.l.b. debuts this week. i think that makes four this year.

CAN YOU HANDLE THE ANTICIPATION???

i really can't. it's hard to recall the last time i was this excited...which i guess is kind of sad, but, oh, well.

BEN MCDONALD? CHRIS HOILES?

there was nothing exciting about chris hoiles.

Saw David Hernandez wen last thurs. Camden Yrds is a DELIGHT

so i yelled at hill tonight while he was warming up in the pen: "BALL FOUR." "DON'T HAVE THE FEEL FOR THE CURVE TONIGHT HUH." "I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO FOOL ANYBODY." Sonofabitch goes out and throws a two hit gem.

tsk

<3

<3

yeah, last night was some kind of second rate pitchers duel.

Also, Adam Jones is a delight to watch.

isn't he? his brother and his cousin are up here to watch him this week, they're easy to spot: two huge dudes with o's JONES jerseys

it's true about jones AND he's funny as hell in postgame interviews...i mean, guys that veer off the bull durham script and sound at least half intelligent always intrigue me.

that bedard deal... jesus

srsly. it'll look even worse when tillman comes up

ORIOLES' LEFT FIELDER FELIX PIE LEFT THE GAME IN THE BOTTOM OF THE THIRD INNING AFTER BEING STRUCK IN THE THROAT WITH A FOUL BALL.

uh... ouch.

today's game might've been the most boring game in baseball history? all the scoring happened in the bottom first and none of them came off of hits?

wow, Wieters didn't even have an RBI til tonight

sweep of the phanatics. sweet. roberts and markakis hitting again=good things.

fyi the sox are running on wieters at will

The two pictures of Peter Schmuck on this page are making me laugh/barf:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/schmuck/2009/07/os_the_deal.html

so it's not just a funny name then

just dropping in to say brad bergesen for ROY.

...or something.

wieters hype. fading. for now.

looks like tillman to start wed vs greinke

also im planning 2 go check out matusz on sat if the AA rotation holds

yeah, i'm actually going up to maine in a few weeks and am catching baysox v. seadogs; hoping for matusz.

yea well it got all fuxxored up and matusz looks 2 b pitchin tuesday in the bigs

at least i got 2 see 39 yr old MARK GRUDZIELANEK ground out 4 times right

Matusz start is official. good luck baltimore.

bah...maybe i'll get to see erbe or britton?

anywho, o's now 5-0 this year when a pitcher makes m.l. debut. o's 2-0 v. the tigers when a first round draft pick makes his debut.

Wieters threw Crawford out twice -- one on an off-speed pitch.

Game-winning HR, too.

Nice end to the season, four straight wins capped off by a Jeff Fiorentino walk-off bunt to score Michael Aubrey from second.

Ended up 9-20 in Sep/Oct ball, pretty bad but a big improvement over last year's Sept suckfest.

The two throws by Wieters referenced by Andy K above were jaw-droppingly perfect.

This team's going to be a lot better next year.

CONGRATULATIONS, ADAM JONES, ON YOUR FIRST OF MANY GOLD GLOVE AWARDS.

http://dempseysarmy.blogspot.com/2009/11/why-adam-jones-is-not-actually-going-to.html

It's OK, no one remembers Jimmy Rollins saying the Phils would take the Yanquis this year.

i'm so glad rollins was generous and made it six games