thundercleetz

If we had sufficient depth elsewhere I'd disagree with you. Statistically it shouldn't be hard at all to replace Markakis's production in RF, whether it be a fulltime bargain player or a platoon. However, considering we are already platooning guys at LF, 2B, possibly 1B and now RF, I agree with your analysis. Duquette has a lot of work to do. However, I have no doubt he is up to the task. Outside of the Arrieta trade, he has hit on every move. Emotionally, I am sad to see Markakis go. He could have easily been a lifelong Oriole who was up there with all the Orioles greats for career hits. In the long term considering his declining skill set and our future payroll considerations, this is the right move. I will say Atlanta is probably one of the better fits for Markakis. I wouldn't be surprised to see him put up better stats there for the next season or two. I didn't see him getting any better in Baltimore. Here is an excellent analysis article supporting we made the right move: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/what-are-we-missing-about-nick-markakis/

You can use the Xbox One as your Blu Ray player. If your surround sound has HDMI-in, the preferred set-up would be: cable box into the Xbox One, Xbox One into the surround sound and surround sound into the TV. You would have to hook up the Wii into the TV directly and use an optical output to the surround sound if you wanted surround sound for your Wii as well. In this setup the only time you would change inputs would be to play your Wii. Otherwise all your TV, apps and movies would he through the Xbox One. If your surround sound does not have HDMI-in, you would hook your Xbox One directly to the TV via HDMI and optical out from your TV to the sound system (that way both the Wii and Xbox One can have surround sound). Sounds complicated but it isn't too bad. The initial setup of the Xbox allows your to input all your devices so the Kinect knows which signals to send.

Let Markakis walk. He's good but not worth $10-12M over the next four years. He has a declining skill set. While his arm is good his range is declining. He's benefitted playing in a small right field in Camden. We have Dariel Alvarez, a Cuban free agent signee, who did well in AA/AAA who has a great arm from right field. No am sure we can get by with a platoon with Alvarez and someone else.

The reason I say so is because I consider Wieters a core player who is the exception. I could be wrong. As far as Manny, I see where you are coming from, but it is a huge risk. Signing players players early is a risk of its own, but aren't you usually for this philosophy? Btw we received the 19th pick in the 2015 draft in exchange for Cruz. Really good compensation for only one year of Cruz.

Mike Piazza was a tall catcher who was very productive into his 30s. I agree though, if Wieters cannot agree to a long-term deal, I would try and trade him at the deadline provided we are not in the middle of a division title race. Even so, getting a first round draft pick is good compensation given how even traded prospects are hit or miss. As far as Manny, that would be a big risk letting him play out. The price tag has the potential to go exponentially higher. Kyle Seager and the M's just established the market rate for a third baseman, I would try that first.

I'm not a doctor, but the reports on Manny's knees stated he had a structural problem that he was born with and it has been fixed. It would have needed to be fixed eventually regardless of the injuries that occurred. Manny says he should be good going forward. Has Wieters had knee issues in the past?

I have the Kinect, and the best feature of the Kinect is to tie together your entire entertainment system: your TV, soundsystem, cable TV, and the Xbox One for all your apps. The voice commands and/or SmartGlass application on your phone will make it so you do not need a remote. The Kinect turns on and off all your devices, volume control, TV control, etc. If you do not have a complex entertainment system, the Kinect isn't neccessary. You can still plug in your cable box to your Xbox One and access everything through the Xbox One without needing to change inputs. In my system, I had three different remotes and my wife could not even turn on the TV. Now she just uses the voice controls to access whatever she needs. Hope that helps!

I am happy for Cruz, after losing out on $7 million last season by not signing the qualifying offer from Texas he finally gets his long-term deal. No way I would have matched that deal if I am Duquette. He is being paid based upon a career year at the age of 34. The odds of him matching those numbers for next year alone are low, putting up four years of comparable production are even lower. Now he will be in a roomy Safeco field where he will be even more of a liability in the field, and a lot of those pop flies that were homeruns in Camden will be outs in Safeco. This is a bad deal regardless, and Seattle is a poor fit for him. After giving Cano a massive deal last offseason, and having a putrid offense in 2014, Seattle was desperate. Happy Cruz got his money though. As far as the Orioles from here. Regardless of how good our lineup is, our future depends on the development of Bundy and Gausman. If they develop into the top of the rotation starters we envision them to be, the sky is the limit. If they bust, we will have a tough time winning. I would let Markakis go. I do not think it is hard to find a bargain player who can post a .340 OBP for us while playing a solid corner outfield (maybe even give us better range). At this point I would focus all our efforts on signing Machado and Wieters long-term. Yes, Wieters will be 29 this season, but I feel he is just starting to hit his stride as a hitter. I am terrified he will go to another team and finally put it together. I would have no problem giving him a seven year deal. If we truly want to make a splash in free agency and replace Cruz/Markakis, sign Yasmany Tomas to be our everyday left fielder. Otherwise, sign Machado and Wieters long-term and continue to solidify the bullpen.

We should not be allowed to kick field goals inside the redzone. Our inability to score touchdowns is extremely frustrating to watch.

This year may not be our year, but I am not worried. We have rebuilt our defense with a front seven that stops the run. We banked on Elam and Webb being good players for us in the secondary, and the injuries to Jackson and Smith did not help. Now we know what we have in the secondary, and I am sure we will address it this offseason. On offense, we are in a really good spot. The offensive line is talented and tough, and Kubiak will have no problems finding runningbacks. We just need more sure-handed receivers who can read zone coverages and get off the press. As frustrating as this season has been, the team is in a good place going forward. I think we are really close. Just a few more pieces.

I'm curious what the snap count was for our SS rotation. I didn't see Elam much at all. Looks like Hill was the fulltime FS. He gave up a few plays (a Graham TD, I think the long pass on Webb was Hill's coverage), but Hill plays aggressive and is able to put bad plays behind him. When it was all said and done, Hill probably did a better job covering Graham than anyone has in the league the past two years. I like having Hill back there and He is only going to get better as the season goes on and he continues to get used to being our fulltime starter. Also, another solid performance by Levine. I don't think he was beat much. Like Hill, Levine plays aggressive. Even when Levine gets beat he closes on the receiver in a hurry. Speaks volumes to his athleticism that he can convert from safety to corner midseason and hold his own. Levine and Hill are going to be players for us down the stretch!

According to Gruden, Flacco's mechanics are looking really good. He hasn't looked this good since the year Zorn hounded him every series on his mechanics. If Flacco played in the NFC South he'd be an All Pro QB.

So I caught up with Flash... I am hooked. Really good mix of drama, commedy and action. If there is one gripe with Flash, it is not explaining the cross-references with Arrow. I didn't watch Arrow, so I had no idea who Felicity was, or who Arrow was when Flash met with him. Minor gripe with an otherwise excellent series so far, but not everyone who is watching Flash has seen Arrow. So I started watching Arrow after I finished Flash. Good show, but for my tastes, I like the commedy in Flash compared to the all serious tone of Arrow.

I wonder if the Yankees will go after him to replace Jeter. As of now it seems the Yankees don't want to wait for the MLB to clear Moncada are going after Ramirez or Andrus. I'd rather the O's go after the other Cuban, Tomas. Either would be awesome but both are probably unlikely.

Papa and Crav, could you guys do us all a favor and block each other? I think you both would be much happier

Too bad they didnt go for that third touchdown.

Speaking of stats, ESPN has us in the playoffs, and winning the division, based upon DVOA: http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11857463/dallas-cowboys-miss-postseason-updated-playoff-projection-nfl

Offensive line needs to learn how to pick up a blitz during the bye week. Flacco was getting hammered. When Flacco gets rushed, it seems like everything goes downhill, inaccurate passes, dropped catches by the receivers, throws the entire timing of the offense off.

I thought Levine played really tough. Didn't let up too many passes, and was strong in run support. Webb on the other hand got torched. For a secondary with undrafted free agents, the Titans offense was picking on our high dollar cornerback with ease.

I don't really see any hitter worth going after except the Cuban outfielder Yasmani Tomas. Huge power potential and only 24 years old. We were one of the teams that attended his workout in the DR. We need a left fielder, but I'm sure someone will pay Tomas a lot of money. Outside of that, a few big name pitchers available: Scherzer and Lester. Both are sure fire #1's. IF we are looking to spend big money, I'd much rather sign Miller, build the bullpen, and try and lock up Wieters.

So Microsoft has a deal going on where if you trade in an existing 360 or PS3 you can get an Xbox One for $250 (no Kinect). If the Kinect alone is about $100 (not quite sure) I don't think the bundle would be a good deal. Especially conaidering AC is an older game. I don't think the prices will go down anymore for the holidays, but there are rumors of a slimmer Xbox One being released in 2015, so maybe another price cut in 2015? If you're not thrilled about AC, you can probably get an Xbox One for a better price. I'm really looking forward to Dragon Age and WWE 2K15 coming out in a country le of weeks. The Halo Collection looks really good too.

Dee, did you end up buying the Xbox One bundle?

"@Olsen_Don: FWIW: Orioles are kicking the tires internally on a few top free agent players, plan on making a serious bid to one."

Keeping on topic with the arena:

What do you guys think about Interstellar? The concept looks spectacular, and Nolan always delivers dramatic movies with incredible special effects. Reviews are only so-so as of now. McConaughey is my boy (fellow Delt!), so I am excited to see it.