tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50239892149876044272011-04-21T16:28:19.353-07:00The Oriole Motto: If you’re not first, you’re fourth…sandyknoreply@blogger.comBlogger421100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-86742956409780014332009-04-05T00:41:00.000-07:002009-04-05T00:42:29.716-07:00

http://tinyurl.com/runsandyrun/

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-8127827391554057532007-09-03T09:26:00.000-07:002007-09-03T09:27:48.217-07:00

OK, getting no-hit sucks. Especially by a rookie. Especially in his second major league start. Especially when I was convinced he was overrated. And yet that wasn't what bothered me about this weekend (OK, it bothered me a little, but still…). No, it was Sunday's opportunity to still win the series despite Saturday's debacle and they blew it. Bases loaded, none out, and you don't score? RBI

sandyknoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-36592911186921659972007-08-30T23:27:00.000-07:002007-09-03T09:26:19.877-07:00

Wow, it's amazing to see the wheels come off for a team so quickly. The last time I bloggest, things were pretty hunky-dory for the O's. They knocked off the Sox & Yanks in back-to-back series. They signed Matt Wieters. They were on the verge of signing Dave Trembley to a contract extension. A 500 record seemed very possible. And then this. And it all started when I took some time off from

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-18971894506618477862007-08-17T10:06:00.000-07:002007-08-17T10:14:27.413-07:00

As the biggest optimist in drafting and signing Wieters, even I was resigned to losing him when nothing was announced last Wednesday night. I was hitting refresh on the Baseball America and the Baltimore Sun websites, anxious for an update. I was also watching ESPN for udpate (not that they cared). The whole time, I kept thinking "it would be ridiculous for Wieters to say no". Talk about

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-76472514097128294652007-08-15T16:50:00.000-07:002007-08-15T16:54:20.726-07:00

I won't bother commenting on the Matt Wieters negotiations just yet for two reasons: (1) I want to let the events play out and (2) what just happened in the Bronx is a pretty big deal and it's worth enjoying that instead of getting lost in the morass that is the Wieters negotations. Nevertheless, I am sure I will have an interim post with my thoughts once it plays out. Just one message to the

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-26473094309755021502007-08-13T09:43:00.000-07:002007-08-14T17:25:38.966-07:00

When you go through nine losing seasons, it's hard to say there are any must-win series that come around. AFter all, your pretty much a footnote on somebody else's playoff season and, other than playing a memorable role of spoiler and holding out hope for next year, it doesn't really make much of a difference. But when Red Sox Nation took over Camden Yards this weekend, it was war. The legions of

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-12853910370831670582007-08-10T16:47:00.000-07:002007-08-13T16:48:12.315-07:00

Did you ever see that scene from Hoosiers when Dennis Hopper's characeter, who has reformed himself throughout the movie, suddenly relapses into an alchoholic stupor and disappoints everyone that put their hopes into him. Well, that's how I felt about the Oriole bullpen after this week's series against the Mariners. As discussed in the last post, the Mariners only had one advantage over the

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-30506511272587867042007-08-06T18:56:00.000-07:002007-08-06T18:59:30.815-07:00

When you are a playoff-caliber team, there are things you expect to be able to do. Win home series against pretty much everyone. Sweep against the weak teams. Win road series against those weak team and hang on and don't get swept on the road against the top teams. If you're really good, you starting wining even those road series. If that's the litmus for success, the Orioles have been doing

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-88847985024406899622007-08-05T22:51:00.000-07:002007-08-05T22:52:48.562-07:00

The gut check is complete and the Orioles split their six games. Losing two of three in Fenway isn't completely unforgivable, especially with the spector of the Mother's Day Massacre haunting the team (the Sox fans call it the Mother's Day Miracle--imagine that). Beating Josh Beckett was impressive. What wasn't was the bullpen performance in the seventh inning. If this keeps up, the Orioles

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-37741831555958832642007-07-31T16:18:00.000-07:002007-07-31T16:19:59.540-07:00

So with the first half of the gut check complete, the Orioles actually have reason to smile. Two out of three is always nice, especially when the opposing pitchers were Pettite, Clemens, and Wang. Jeremy Guthrie had an outing that we're starting to get used to--gutsy, determined, and string enough to win. Guthrie has now won three in a row. That said, he may have been outdone by Brian Burres,

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-31826982319716649732007-07-28T05:01:00.000-07:002007-07-28T05:02:29.894-07:00

Well, I spent the last two days in Baltimore as a prelude to my weekend trip to Cooperstown. Just before I got on the red-eye to fly out east, I watched Daniel Cabrera look like a mature major-league pitcher. His stuff was great. His location was great. And he kept erasing walks with double-play balls. In fact, he threw harder than he has all year and had only three strikeouts. Coming on

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-21271373861085500452007-07-24T08:22:00.000-07:002007-07-26T08:23:42.958-07:00

A weekend series in Oakland has been less than a treat over the past few years. In fact, anything against the A's has been a recipe for disaster. But, given the Orioles took two of three in the last matchup and that the A's were struggling offensively, this weekend had quite the possibilities. And, thanks to some killer starting pitching, it paid off. The Dynamic Duo of Bedard and Guthrie came

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-28389169784338626722007-07-19T19:12:00.000-07:002007-07-19T19:13:42.038-07:00

Well, losing two out of three to a pretty-hot Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field isn't completely unbearable. That said, you can't help but wonder what happens if Jay Payon extends his arm out on the Yuniesky Betencourt double on Monday and if Chad Bradford could've hit the strike zone one more time against Adrian Beltre on Wednesday. As disappointing as it was, the Orioles played some tough

sandyknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-73935409630320239902007-07-16T18:07:00.000-07:002007-07-16T18:11:02.801-07:00

Wow. What a weekend. I have to admit as I saw a Jim Thome fly ball sail over Jay Gibbons glove (as Jay jumped INTO the wall) on Thursday night that this team was simply doomed. After all, this was Jeremy Guthrie coughing it up. Was the Cinderella story over? For the next 10 minutes, I winced in pain as Guthrie let his two-strike pitches catch too much of the plate and Jay Gibbons looked like

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-54162769048161189212007-07-11T19:36:00.000-07:002007-07-12T19:59:36.185-07:00

So I took the week off from blogging. After all, bloggers need an All-Star Break too. Given the Orioles only had one star and he was involved in a play that nearly cost the AL the game in the 9th, it wasn't a big week for the Orioles. I will say that the last series that the Orioles played against the Rangers featured three interesting things: the re-disappearance of the Oriole offense, a

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-16703122174170255882007-07-03T10:58:00.000-07:002007-07-03T11:00:42.438-07:00

I usually write these blog posts at the end of a series as every series seems to have its own story, both on its own as well as in the evolution of a long 162-game season. This week, I fell a little behind on my post about the Angels series. I had a post all planned about how the Orioles were a couple of breaks away from a sweep of the top team in the AL, whether it was a Friday night Chris Ray

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-85365939237343903532007-06-29T10:57:00.000-07:002007-07-03T10:58:26.444-07:00

Well, any series with the Yankees counts as big, but this round was bound to be extra-special. On the one hand, it was the Orioles first trip home since Perlozzo was, ahem, dismissed. And with Oriole-killer Andy Pettite, living-legend Roger Clemens, and budding Oriole-killer Ching-Mien Wang on the mound, things didn't look good for the Orioles. Then, you remember that Miguel Tejada was on the

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-10928291192309218502007-06-25T00:48:00.000-07:002007-07-03T10:40:42.408-07:00

Losing two of three to the first place D-Backs on the road isn't horrible, though a better fate was certainly witin reach. You can't help but feel a little nervous about Trachsel's diminished performance over the last few starts. He responded pretty angrily to that suggestion after the game this weekend, but you can't help but wonder. Hopefully, he can stay strong until the trade deadline and

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-49558310140849093082007-06-21T20:12:00.001-07:002007-06-21T23:07:29.135-07:00

Well, the post-Sammy era is three days old and the Orioles have scored at least six runs in each game. And they said the hitting wasn't Sammy's fault.After another bullpen meltdown on Tuesday, the Orioles stepped up and won their first series since May. The excruciating month of June that had started at 2-14 (hurts just to say it) now has double the victory total. See guys--it's amazing what

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-16654504063083265602007-06-19T20:46:00.000-07:002007-06-19T20:48:47.513-07:00

Wow. I had this great post ready about the movie Groundhog Day and how the Orioles last month has resembled that storyline (Bill Murray's goes through the same exact day over and over). Starter goes 7. Offense scores just enough to make it a game. Then the bullpen blows it. The D-back series captured that all in a nutshell. I'd have tossed in some vitriol about lack of clutch hitting and more

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-8004247636394992132007-06-15T09:28:00.000-07:002007-06-15T09:29:53.942-07:00

OK, let's see if I got this straight.The Orioles got swept.At home.By the Nationals.Who started guys named Bowie, Chico, and Simontacci.Wow, it's hard to know what to say. The Orioles led 3-1 in game 1 and Cabrera just gave it away, but at least the bullpen was good. In game 2, Trachsel gutted out 7 innings and left with the lead, only to see the bullpen give it away. And when the Orioles

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-16868821714115984962007-06-12T08:23:00.000-07:002007-06-12T08:24:49.054-07:00

Well, at least the Orioles didn't blow a lead on Sunday. OK, they were up 1-0, but let's face it--that game was a clunker. But that's OK. That happens to teams and even ace pitchers like Bedard. I think I am more disturbed by Saturday's game where they had good old Rod Lopez on the ropes early and couldn't put in the knockout punch. Then, after a bad hop double, the Rockies got the two runs

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-24113668182533388112007-06-07T18:57:00.000-07:002007-06-12T08:22:54.844-07:00

With the Orioles long streak of sub-500 teams and fourth places finishes, they've afforded themselves some prime real estate for baseball's amateur draft. They have had top 10 picks in five of the last six drafts and were set to have another one this year. Now, baseball drafts are bigger crapshoots than basketball and football because they are rarely ready to play in the big leagues right away

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-58211909643732602172007-06-06T20:30:00.000-07:002007-06-06T20:58:25.059-07:00

The Orioles made their first trip to Seattle and, as always, I managed to catch two of the games in person. I usually try to hit the first and last games of the series to spread things out and, in this case, it gave me a chance to see Bedard and Cabrera. Unfortunately, I had to watch the bullpen as well. I have to admit that I would've been insane if the Orioles were swept in this series.

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-30479262819786203102007-06-03T22:43:00.000-07:002007-06-03T22:46:33.665-07:00

"Tell me why I don't like Mondays." - Boomtown RatsThe Orioles have had some boring teams over the years. This isn't one of them. Unfortunately, that's not such a good thing. For the third time in the last four weeks, the Orioles wake up on a Monday morning with a hangover that stings like you wouldn't imagine. It's not so much that the Orioles keep losing on Mondays--it's really more about

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-91074134410002659792007-05-31T21:40:00.000-07:002007-05-31T21:42:19.188-07:00

Wow, I don't think series get much better than this one. After taking two of three from the A's (a team that historically tortures them), the Orioles had every reason to be optimistic as they arrived in Kansas City. They had a revitalized offense, starting pitching that was continuing to get stronger, and a manager that finally figured out that the best time to pitch Danys Baez was with a huge

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-73775729674236030372007-05-28T23:45:00.000-07:002007-05-28T23:46:48.723-07:00

When you look at the Oriole lineup top to bottom, it's hard to understand why they've been so underwhelming. After all, while they lack the huge bopper like a David Ortiz or A-Rod, there are a lot of talented players on this team. They have a five guys who've hit at least 25 HRs in a season (Mora, Tejada, Huff, Gibbons, Millar, Payton) and a bunch more who could do it and not surprise anyone (

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-83584687171220126702007-05-26T22:54:00.000-07:002007-05-26T22:56:31.435-07:00

Sam Perlozzo is making it a little too easy to copy & paste blog entries at this point. With three of the last four entries coming right after a Danys Baez failure, it's hard to understand why we keep seeing this happen. It's like a bad version of the Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day". The annoying part is that Perlozzo and Mazzone admit that Baez is leaving his stuff up in the strike zone.

sandyknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-6666365520283248432007-05-21T20:44:00.000-07:002007-05-22T08:16:35.204-07:00

The difference between good teams and bad teams goes beyond talent. There are teams with worlds of talent that simply underachieve. Then, there are teams that play over their heads and contend when it seems like they have no business doing so. The 1998 Orioles had several future hall of famers (Ripken, Alomar, pre-steroid Palmeiro, Mussina) as well as a series of All-Stars (Jimmy Key, Scott

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-34369151092889244612007-05-17T11:00:00.000-07:002007-05-17T11:02:43.497-07:00

Sunday afternoon's nightmare seemed to have a lingering effect as the Orioles went up north to face the Jays. In a series where the Orioles got some great starting pitching, the bats went silent. Whether it was a mediocre performance against Tomo Ohka or a non-existent performance against Jesse Litsch and AJ Burnett, it's hard to believe the offense can be that weak. After a series in Boston

sandyknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-40057201942899159142007-05-13T21:41:00.000-07:002007-05-14T00:14:53.085-07:00

Wow. Going into the weekend, I think it was clear that this could end up being a painful weekend. But no one could've predicted how that pain would come. After winning the opener and sacraficing Game 2 due to a sloppy use of the bullpen, the Orioles looked overmatched on paper when Josh Beckett and his seven straight wins came up against Jeremy Guthrie and his one straight win. Beckett has

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-22604314371288877422007-05-11T13:52:00.000-07:002007-05-11T14:19:02.954-07:00

So the Orioles close out their homestand at 5-2 on the heels of a three-game sweep of the Devil Rays. That's their third sweep of the season (all against different teams) after two all of last year. The Orioles have begun to really enjoy playing the Rays. I suppose that started with Jorge Julio leaving town and continued with Aubrey Huff coming to Baltimore. Speaking of which, if it wasn't

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-31832266935428401932007-05-09T21:13:00.000-07:002007-05-09T21:47:16.646-07:00

Coming into the series with the Cleveland, things were pretty low. Frustrating loss after frustrating loss, including a couple of one-run losses that were very winnable. With the hot Indians coming to town, the season could've gone down for the count. Fortunately for the O's, Erik Bedard was on the mound. Unfortunately for the Orioles, Bedard hadn't quite regained his 2006 form. Last year,

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-5508431045450390312007-05-06T12:56:00.000-07:002007-05-06T13:06:03.226-07:00

The Tiger series was definitely one that showed why the Orioles aren't going to contend if they keep this up. They weren't outplayed in Detroit. They didn't lack talent per se. Going up against the defending AL Champs, they were their equal way in every way except one: where the Tigers rose to the occasion when necessary, the Orioles continued to fail in the clutch. Their anemic hitting when

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-63061058592868211892007-04-29T22:50:00.000-07:002007-04-29T22:58:34.543-07:00

Man, there are bad weeks, but this one takes the cake. It reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where George Costanza did the exact opposite of everything he normally did. For George, it worked well. For the Orioles, it turned a winning team into a losing team. The Orioles failed in the clutch. They made boneheaded plays. The bullpen failed at inopportune times. Despite relatively solid starting

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-30712641808625824592007-04-25T18:14:00.000-07:002007-04-25T18:21:27.351-07:00

Ouch. the A's series was one of those that you just want to forget. The Orioles would act like the same Orioles that swept the Blue Jays, and then fall victim to mental mistakes on par with a little league team. The bizarre ninth inning in Monday's game, complete with Corey Patterson not scoring on the single and the Melvin Mora bunt, is one of those things that you worry would affect the mood

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-55172340731094739822007-04-23T09:01:00.000-07:002007-04-23T09:02:05.234-07:00

At the beginning of the season, I said a big component of any success would be the Orioles ability to at least play 500 ball against the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Red Sox. This has been a huge problem in years past and pretty much buries the birds, regardless of what happens with the rest of the league (not that their performance against the NL is ever anything to be proud of). Well, after

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-84070857011501610282007-04-20T13:41:00.001-07:002007-04-20T13:47:16.099-07:00

The Orioles history in Tampa Bay isn't one that has a ton of highlights. It seems that the most vivid memories involve Jorge Julio, Aubrey Huff, and balls going into orbit. There was also a near-miraculous comeback last year that failed when the Oriole bats suddenly fell silent after creeping to within 13-12. Coming off an uplifting sweep of the Royals over the weekend, it was hard to predict how

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-32398367257582663182007-04-16T17:08:00.000-07:002007-04-16T17:10:37.569-07:00

For the Baltimore Orioles, the weekend visit by the Kansas City Royals was certainly an April elixir. Coming off a Detroit series where the Oriole bats disappeared, you knew that this lineup was too good to continue to fail. But with the first game against the Royals, it was easy to be concerned. When the Orioles couldn't bust through against Gil Meche, I had visions of a LOOONG year of 5-2

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-41095987955868066842007-04-11T20:16:00.002-07:002007-04-11T20:19:20.223-07:00

There are a lot of ways of looking at the Orioles series with the Yankees. On the plus side, any time you can take two of three at Yankee Stadium, you don’t ask questions. You just take it and hope you can do it again. Going back to my formula for success (break even against the Yankees, Red Sox, and NL), this is the right progress. The Orioles dominated Yankee starters and exposed what

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-59136176302418123552007-04-11T20:16:00.001-07:002007-04-11T20:19:08.245-07:00

It’s hard to imagine being happy to come to New York, but the Metrodome was the house of horrors for the Orioles and it’s nice to get out of there. Glancing at the schedule, the Orioles aren’t due to go to Minnesota again this year and that’ll suit the team just fine. Maybe opening the season on the road and in a dome just didn’t seem right. Maybe seeing yet another playoff team give

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5023989214987604427.post-81221141337922634812007-04-11T20:14:00.000-07:002007-04-11T20:18:45.678-07:00

If you’re not first, you’re last” - Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights Well, if there’s one team that can prove Ricky Bobby wrong, it’s the Baltimore Orioles. For the last nine years, there are few teams that have shown more consistency in being neither first nor last. In fact, for eight of those years, they have been in fourth place. The entire AL East has pretty much maintained a constant set of

sandyknoreply@blogger.com0