My Bet: Dave Out Tomorrow

[dc.]

I think Dave is done tomorrow. Don't know why, just a gut feeling. And of course these things happen on off-days.

 

Ridiculous, by the way, that we don't play on Memorial Day. It should be required that all teams play. No exceptions. It's a national holiday - where's the national pasttime? I know there's no play I'd rather be.

 

But back to the O's... I think Dave is done. And I think IF he is done, Crow has to go as well. 1 Extra Base Hit in more than 40 innings now? One? That's just unbelievably bad.

 

Amazing what XBH will do too... the Jays don't hit well, but they hit it far. And they win games. Period.

 

 

Meanwhile... the Gary Thorne jinx is still in full glory... "O's like to give up runs in the 8th and 9th, especially in close games. But Will Ohman hasn't given up a run in his 25 appearances this season."

 

Crank. Crank. Back to back jacks.

[ForceEight]

I just want Crowley to go. I don't really care whether Trembley stays or goes because there's nothing better on the curb right now, and the guy isn't exactly the problem.

 

And you should've realized by now that the league office totally fucked the O's over on the early part of the schedule this year.

[dc.]

First... I wrote a big blog post about the league and scheduling and the O's. So, yeah, I know. The Memorial Day thing is just stupid though. The league does it every year... no reason EVERY team is not playing on the major holidays - but many, many teams have off.

 

Second... I agree on Dave and Crowe. In fact, I don't even really WANT Dave to go, but I have a feeling (though others were wrong in earlier off-days, when I kept my mouth shut) that two months of all this and a streak of losses/poor hitting that has resurfaced can only lead to one result.

[ForceEight]

First... I wrote a big blog post about the league and scheduling and the O's. So, yeah, I know. The Memorial Day thing is just stupid though. The league does it every year... no reason EVERY team is not playing on the major holidays - but many, many teams have off.

 

Second... I agree on Dave and Crowe. In fact, I don't even really WANT Dave to go, but I have a feeling (though others were wrong in earlier off-days, when I kept my mouth shut) that two months of all this and a streak of losses/poor hitting that has resurfaced can only lead to one result.

I know you did, which is why I said that. That's all.

 

And it's probably inevitable. I just hope they think better of it and start doing things that really need to be done. It is not worth the time and effort to fire Trembley when no one else intriguing is available. None of them are going to outperform him. Fix what really needs to be fixed...

[dc.]

I concur. But then we wouldn't be the O's...

[dc.]

Zrebiec says not today... not surprised now that I hear we're in NY.

 

Still frustrated at the lack of talk about Crow...

[vmax]

I can't remember them ever being this bad. Worst record in baseball is totally unacceptable given where they are (or supposed to be) in the rebuilding process.

 

It's so bad that sports talk radio in this town is a total drag because they have to talk about and report the same depressing news on the Orioles....it should be fun to be a fan...not a gut wrenching chore. I can't listen while waiting for Raven news...I'm on music now.

Listening to the Oriole promo's is just laughable.

 

The big news today I think is the talk show guys liked the red, white and blue on the hats yesterday...the only positive they could find.

 

This is pathetic.

[thundercleetz]

I can't remember them ever being this bad. Worst record in baseball is totally unacceptable given where they are (or supposed to be) in the rebuilding process.

 

It's so bad that sports talk radio in this town is a total drag because they have to talk about and report the same depressing news on the Orioles....it should be fun to be a fan...not a gut wrenching chore. I can't listen while waiting for Raven news...I'm on music now.

Listening to the Oriole promo's is just laughable.

 

I completely agree with you max. Last Wednesday was my first bad experience at the Yard where I felt the team just didn't even want to play that day. I am not sure I want to go back after that, they are that bad. Then they expect us to somehow sit through that disaster when beers are $8-10 a pop. What the heck!?

 

I agree with an earlier point by dc. I am not sure how much a new manager can do at this point in the season. But at the end of this season serious changes need to be made. The losing culture needs to be gotten rid of. I am talking about getting rid of Trembley and all our positional and assistant coaches/managers. We need a fresh start on that front and hopefully the young talent will respond.

[papasmurfbell]

They are not going to fire Trembly until they can find his replacement. The problem is nobody wants the job. I don't see him being fired until after the season.

[dc.]

Well, I think if we continue to tank (and never level out)... he'll be gone. But yes, we'd prefer to wait and find "the guy."

 

Less than no one wanting the job, there simply is no such thing as "the guy"

[papasmurfbell]

Nobody wants their reputation ruined by this franchise. It will be another guy with zero options like Dave.

[Spen]

There are only 30 big league managerial jobs, I am sure they could find plenty of takers for the job.

 

I also dont think anyones reputation is ruined by taking the manager job of a bad team. Hargrove survived fine. I am not sure Perlozzo or Mazilli had reputations to tarnish.

[millz58]

I think Dave is done tomorrow. Don't know why, just a gut feeling. And of course these things happen on off-days.

Wasn't sunday; but could be after tonight...

 

Ridiculous, by the way, that we don't play on Memorial Day. It should be required that all teams play. No exceptions. It's a national holiday - where's the national pasttime?

I agree, although I was having a good-enough time watching Sox and Rays...

 

But back to the O's... I think Dave is done. And I think IF he is done, Crow has to go as well. 1 Extra Base Hit in more than 40 innings now? One? That's just unbelievably bad.

Agreed, our hitting has been way worse than our BP; and hey, who's responsible for the horrid base-running? they can hit the road too...

 

And how about another blown well-pitched close game, multiple missed opportunities with RISP... and is that gonna be an error on Wigginton? to give up the go-ahead run?

didn't look like an easy play, but he could have paid more attention to the dude coming home than the guy racing toward 1st...

[papasmurfbell]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/orioles/bs-sp-schmuck-column-0602-20100601,0,7626252.column

 

In that regard, he was seduced and abandoned, because MacPhail made it sound last year as if he would upgrade the talent over the winter and give him a fighting chance in a season that was supposed to be judged on wins and losses. Instead, he got a banged-up reliever (Michael Gonzalez) and a long-shot reclamation project (Garrett Atkins) to go with a couple of decent acquisitions.

 

Trembley can't be held blameless, of course. There have been times when he might have done more to keep the club from coming totally unraveled, but let's make sure we're all straight on one thing: Earl Weaver in his prime could not have made this team competitive under these conditions.

 

When all is said and done, Trembley should be remembered by fans as more victim than villain. He should be remembered by the front office as a trouper who was asked to develop young players at the major league level in the toughest division in major league baseball.

 

That's why he doesn't deserve to be left to twist any longer, no matter how expedient that might be for the front office. He has already taken enough bullets for this beleaguered organization.

[dc.]

I agree with most all of Pete's article, there, Papa.

 

I am actually a bit concerned with MacPhail - a reader on Pete's blog posted an article written by Jay Marrioti from YEARS ago about MacPhail and his tenure with the Cubs. And it was pretty much saying that every year he talked up his 'rebuilding' while intentionally avoiding solid signings and keeping the checkbook light, profits high.

 

Now, I think MacPhail's time with the Cubs provided some valuable lessons to him. And his time with the Cubs was also not all a waste. He did not just flounder there. He never thrived, but he showed some improvement.

 

I think that the O's, right now, certainly look like another club MacPhail is "taking advantage of" in that sense... but I think he deserves at least one more off-season. The last two were all about rebuilding. This past off-season was supposed to be a big step and it has clearly failed - and the market was weak so I'll give some passes there.

 

But we have lots of talent to trade. We have lots of money to spend. The big signing, the big move, the big name, the big bat HAS to come.

 

 

This is NOT me writing off this year or giving a pass to this year - you all know I've been as frustrated as anyone, if not more. But it is a first evaluation: MacPhail's first shot at making a splash in the off-season was a belly flop. If next year we don't come up with something, I'll be triply disappointed.

[papasmurfbell]

I heard it said elsewhere but I agree that he has to do something quick. If they decide to go with the slow build there will be no fan base by the time they need to spend. I do think it could take 5+ more yrs to build up the farm system to the point it should be. They really are between a rock and a hard place.

 

Trembley will be scapegoated for this but it was not his fault. If Adam Jones refuses to not play the field shallow what can he do? I think he should say mang be damned and let the kid take a seat but he has been the company man the whole way.

[dc.]

Well, the "slow build" is what we have been doing. And it's all there.

 

Bats: Jones, Wieters, Markakis (if you want to count him), Reimold, Snyder, Bell

 

Arms: Tillman, Matusz, Bergesen, Mickolia, Arrietta, Erbe, Britton

 

There are plenty I'm missing, leaving behind of course.

 

But you cannot simply wait for those to blossom. In part because, statistically, many of them never will develop. That's the nature of baseball prospects. But also because, as we see this year, they need guidance to really improve and find their groove.

 

MacPhail's job now is to find the right complements to the talent we have. But it's not as easy as half-assing it and finding the easiest, cheapest plug in... namely Gonzalez, Wigginton, Atkins, Millar, etc etc... it's about finding impact players that will truly make this team and these young guys valuable.

[papasmurfbell]

What I mean is to have new kids pushing up through the system all the time. Right now unless Snyder or Bell turn around we have every position player of note already here. There is nobody of note left. It is continous bad drafting and development over 30 yrs.

[dc.]

Hard to call it on Bell yet. And Snyder too. Rough start up top is trickling down. They will be fine. I will still put stock in Rowell, even.

[papasmurfbell]

Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E

Josh Bell 3B 52 201 27 53 16 0 6 26 87 11 52 2 1 .302 .433 .264 .735 9

Brandon Snyder 1B 51 172 14 40 9 1 2 21 57 13 46 2 0 .302 .331 .233 .633 4

Robert Andino SS 50 200 26 46 12 1 6 26 78 9 49 4 1 .269 .390 .230 .659 9

Nolan Reimold LF 16 57 7 8 1 0 2 4 15 6 9 0 0 .222 .263 .140 .485 2

Rhyne Hughes 1B 27 94 11 27 7 1 3 14 45 11 24 1 0 .368 .479 .287 .847 4

Scott Moore 3B 34 123 20 34 6 1 5 23 57 9 24 2 0 .324 .463 .276 .787 8

Justin Turner 2B 27 100 13 27 8 0 1 9 38 11 14 2 0 .339 .380 .270 .719 3

Michael Aubrey 1B 32 107 11 28 10 1 3 9 49 10 12 0 1 .328 .458 .262 .786 2

 

Caleb Joseph C 41 148 17 40 7 0 4 24 59 15 17 1 3 .337 .399 .270 .736 5

Ryan Adams 2B 48 188 23 48 14 0 2 19 68 18 43 2 1 .325 .362 .255 .687 10

 

Jerome Hoes 2B 35 124 22 36 8 1 1 20 49 24 17 3 4 .413 .395 .290 .808 3

Xavier Avery CF 51 207 34 57 9 2 2 23 76 17 47 15 7 .335 .367 .275 .702 6

Billy Rowell 1B 42 145 21 37 5 0 4 23 54 20 52 3 2 .365 .372 .255 .737 7

 

These are their highest ranked position players last yr. None of them are blowing the world away.

[dc.]

Certainly not... but many still have plenty of potential.

 

Fine, let's trade 'em... they can be All-Stars for another organization.

[papasmurfbell]

No what I am saying is we are not really that well stocked in the minors. All the trades Andy made have pretty much gotten all the position players up already. What they need is 4-5 solid prospects at about every level pushing their way up.

[cravnravn]

The Buzzards are out, ESPN is reporting it will happen today. You think he'll get a stay of execution?

 

If Trembley gets it, then every coach needs to get the axe too. Must start anew..

 

Rick Dempsey is going to look good back in an O's uni.

[cravnravn]

Fired!!! Samuel to be the interem, news conference at 10am

[dc.]

He's been out since the road trip started. And Samuel has been the man.

 

And I want no part of Dempsey in our dugout. I'm sorry, he's just more of the same. And to me, Dempsey is hardly a baseball intellectual. He's a goof. I love him, but he's a goof.