Orioles News - Winter Meetings

A slight change has been made to my blog. I will no longer put yesterdays date in the title, a habit that was useful during the season when the O's were still playing games. From now on, my blogs will not include a date in the title.

For all of Major League Baseball, the Winter Meetings will begin Monday in Nashville, Tennessee. So, what are these Winter Meetings? It's where GM's and top executives from all of the Major League teams go and talk baseball. They talk about trades, rumors, etc. So, which Baltimore Orioles players could be moving? Well, Andy MacPhail has said that no Orioles player is untouchable, but there are a few leading candidates to go. Disgruntled Oriole Miguel Tejada will probably be traded at the meetings. Ace Erik Bedard could also be traded. Several teams have offered good packages for him, and since contract negotiations between his agent and the O's have stalled, it is more reason to believe that he will be dealt. Also, Aubrey Huff, Jay Payton, Ramon Hernandez, and Melvin Mora could also be traded. What will the O's be looking for in return? The Orioles will most likely try to add a few relievers. The O's had their worst bullpen ERA in franchise history last year. Plus, Dany Baez and Chris Ray will be out for most of this year, leaving the O's short two more relievers. The O's will probably try to add some young arms. That's a good start... - John T.

Orioles News - 11/27/07 - O's New Baseball Academy

Thank you, Andy MacPhail. Why? What did he do? Well, MacPhail was a key part in the O's deciding to lease a Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic. It will be just east of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. The academy will be in Boca Chica, and it is more then halfway done.(It's set to be finished by April 1, 2008.) The O's will be in this new facility for 3 years, with an option for another year in 2012. This is a HUGE deal because the O's scouting system in the Dominican Republic is considered by most to be one of the worst in all of Major League Baseball. Some of you might be thinking that it really isn't that big of a deal. Well believe me, it is. The O's currently run an operation that basically has two barracks and a field for 50 players. The Orioles new facility will have two fields, and will hold 75 players. And, that includes full lodging, a kitchen, and classrooms. It is a big deal, and a great move. - John T.

Orioles News - 11/25/07 - Random Thoughts On The O's

Sorry I couldn’t write my blog yesterday, my internet went down. Here is my blog for today.

For this blog, I will just spit out my thoughts on the O’s. It just may become a weekly special… Anyway, here it is.

Aubrey Huff recently went on the Bubba The Love Sponge show, and he talked bad about Baltimore. Nice. You can tell Huff was thinking clearly. It’s not like the fans that he dissed on help pay his salary or anything like that…

Miguel Tejada just might be leaving Baltimore soon. My response: Finally. Haven’t the O’s been wanting to trade him for years? Oh yeah, they have, but they’ve never been able to finish the deal. Maybe this is the time… (Fingers crossed)

Ace Erik Bedard could be traded too. Andy MacPhail has said several times that no player is untouchable. I don’t want Bedard to go, but if the deal is that good that Baltimore will trade their Ace away, then I just might believe in it. Then again, the O’s have made some very bad trades before… I’ll leave you with that. – John T.

Orioles News - 11/12/07 - O's Helping Nats - No One Is Untouchable?

The Baltimore Orioles are going to help the Washington Nationals. How so? By helping break in the Nationals new Stadium. On March 29, the O's and Nationals are going to play an exhibition game in the Nats new park. So, how can you get tickets? You can't unless you are have a season ticket package. No tickets are being sold to the public. The rest of the tickets that aren't taken by the season ticket holders will be given away. The O's helping their cross-town rivals. Who woulda thought of that?

Orioles president Andy MacPhail has said that no one on the O's team is "untouchable." Meaning that no one will be off limits to a trade. But really, are there untouchables? I gotta say yes on this one. Don't tell me that Baltimore is really going to trade a home-grown star like Nick Markakis. Or Erik Bedard? Are the O's really going to trade him? They better keep these players if they ever want to compete... - John T.

Orioles News - 11/8/07 - How Were The GM Meetings?

At the baseball GM meetings in Florida, the Baltimore Orioles accomplished their goals. They didn't pull off a trade or sign a free agent, but they were perfect in a different category. The O's went a perfect 15 for 15 in the category that really mattered to them. What category is that? Well, the Orioles met with all 15 teams that they wanted to coming into the GM meetings. They met with all of these teams to discuss possible trades this off season. The Orioles and Andy MacPhail also found that several teams had interest in some of the Oriole players. I'm excited about this though. The O's went a perfect 15 for 15 talking to all of the teams they wanted to at the meetings. That is a great start. Especially compared to some of the other years... Also, the Orioles found that several teams had interest in their players. That's great news because with Andy MacPhail calling the shots now, it's more likely that the O's will pull off more deals. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/29/07 - First Base Coach Named - Special Assistant Named

The Baltimore Orioles named John Shelby to the position of first base coach today. Finally. It had took long enough. O's manager Dave Trembley hired Shelby, who was on the Orioles 1983 world series team. Good idea from Trembley here, as he is reaching out to former players who were a part of winning teams. Good thinking. Even more good thinking: Trembley has been calling upon former Orioles to join his coaching staff. That's a great idea because they had been in the organization for years as players. Several were also fan favorites as players. You can't go wrong with that. If the fans liked someone as a player, they'll like him as a coach too. Great call. This move filled one of the two vacancies on the coaching staff that were left.

In more Orioles news, Andy MacPhail has hired his nephew, Lee MacPhail IV, as a special assistant. Andy is still looking for a top assistant to replace Jim Duquette, who resigned earlier this month.

That's all for today, check back in tomorrow for more Baltimore Orioles news. - John T.

Orioles News - 10/16/07 - Kranitz Named Pitching Coach

The Baltimore Orioles named Rick Kranitz pitching coach, a move that should pay off for the O's immediately. Kranitz spent 22 years in the Chicago Cub's organization. When he was there, he spent time with Dave Trembley (The Orioles current manager) and Andy MacPhail who is Baltimore's president of baseball operations. He also worked with bullpen coach Alan Dunn. His experience with these people was a big reason that he was hired. Besides the fact that he was named Baseball America's 2006 Major League Coach Of The Year. And the fact that he took a very young Florida Marlin's pitching staff to the 5th best ERA in the National League. And that in 2007 he led the Marlins bullpen to their 3rd best ERA in team history. But this all comes with an extra advantage: Since he worked with all of these men when he was with the Cub's organization, he has chemistry with all of these men. If he's already got chemistry with them, that is a huge advantage over another coach who would have to build up their chemistry with the team first. Maybe we will have a decent pitching staff this year.... - John T.