Camden Chat

Late night negativity

2009-11-08T05:52:58Z

I feel so bipolar when it comes to the Orioles. I look at the team and I feel hopeful. Promising young position players, promising starting pitchers, a GM who has done nothing but improve the team since getting here two years ago. Then two seconds later I realize how far this team is from contending and it depresses the hell out of me. This team won 64 games in 2009. That's at least 30 less than they'll need to even have a chance at the post season.

Our young players are getting better and Andy MacPhail is constantly doing what he can to improve the team, but it's hard to imagine this team getting to the level of the Yankees and Red Sox and, to a lesser degree, Rays.

Sometimes I think that maybe it's not that bad and that I just can't comprehend a good team in Baltimore. It's been so long since I've seen one that I don't really know what it looks like. And I've been let down so many times that I can't have confidence in any players or any front office. I think maybe our young talent is actually good. I mean, I hear it all the time and I see Brian Matusz have some success and Chris Tillman show promise. But remember Adam Loewen? Remember Matt Riley? I think of Nolan Reimold and I'm thrilled with his success, but then I remember Larry Bigbie. The ghosts of our awful past just can't let me believe wholly in our current players.

I want to have hope, but I don't want to have hope in something that will end up imploding. I don't even have any idea if they're worth my hope. I've been viewing baseball through this orange filter for so long that I can't tell what's real and what isn't. And it's hard to go on record with optimism about the future when I'm scared they will end up embarrassing me. Again.

I love this team and sometimes I wish I didn't quite so much. It'd be easier to just forget about them and be all "Joe Flaccooooo" all winter long and then if and when they did get their acts together in 2011 or 2015, then I'd show up. It'd be easier, but I could never do it.

64 wins. No team has won the AL East with less than 95 wins since 2000 when the Yankees took first with 87. Only once in that same time period did the wild card winner have less than 95, and it was only one less. How can they possibly do it?

Arizona Fall League Future Game Thread

2009-11-08T01:06:30Z

Bell, Synder and a whole bunch of other really good prospects from across the land playing in Arizona.

You can watch the telecast online here at MLB.com

Tonight’s game features 18 first-round draft picks including five from 2009.

Mark Rogers – 5th – 2004 – Milwaukee / Brandon Snyder – 13th – 2005 – Baltimore

Hank Conger – 25th – 2006 – LA Angels / Danny Moskos – 4th – 2007 – Pittsburgh

Phillippe Aumont – 11th – 2007 – Seattle / Mike Moustakas – 2nd – 2007 – Kansas City

Jemile Weeks – 12th – 2008 – Oakland / Yonder Alonso – 7th – 2008 – Cincinnati

Buster Posey – 5th – 2008 – San Francisco / Jason Castro – 10th – 2008 Houston

Josh Fields – 20th – 2008 – Seattle / Ike Davis – 18th – 2008 – NY Mets

Andrew Cashner – 19th – 2008 – Chicago Cubs / Drew Storen – 10th – 2009 – Washington

Mike Leake – 8th – 2009 – Cincinnati / Mike Minor – 7th – 2009 – Atlanta

Dustin Ackley – 2nd – 2009 – Seattle / Tanner Scheppers – 44th – 2009 – Texas

RUMOR from Camden Crazies: Adam Jones wins a gold glove??

2009-11-07T19:42:18Z

RUMOR from Camden Crazies: Adam Jones wins a gold glove??

This is still just a rumor given that it came from a MySpace page, but an interesting tidbit for a slow Saturday. If it gets confirmed I'll obviously have a lot more to say about it. For right now I'll say: If true it's awesome, but not really deserved. But the GGs are a joke anyway.

A Preliminary Look at the 2010 AL East Offenses - Part 3

2009-11-05T22:33:41Z

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

Bring it. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

Browse more photos »

The final look at Bill James' projections will focus on the Orioles young outfield. In Part 1 I drooled over Matt Wieters, in Part 2 I went into fantasyland, and here in Part 3 I will bask in the talent of the Orioles outfield.

It's hardly news to anyone here that the Orioles outfield is one of the most promising in baseball. All four outfielders will be 26 or younger on Opening Day 2010, all have shown a lot of promise, and one has already established himself as one of the most solid outfielders in the MLB. There will surely be discussions here about what exactly to do with the outfielders given that over the course of 2009 four of them showed they are capable of being starters. Should Nolan DH with Pie in LF? Would the outfield be better with Pie in CF and Jones in LF? Is Pie too good to be a 4th OF? Should he be traded for something the Orioles need more? These are the best kinds of questions to have because they all revolve around the actual talent of the players. It's a far cry from the O's outfields of recent past (Players to man the outfield for the Orioles from 2005-2008: Jeff Fiorentino, Eli Marrero, Eric Byrnes, 40 year old B.J. Surhoff, Jay Payton, Corey Patterson, Jay Gibbons, Tike Redman, 40 year old Jeff Conine, Luis Matos, David Newhan, Sammy Sosa, Larry Bigbie, Brandon Fahey, Luis Terrero, Freddie Bynum, Lou Montanez, Luke Scott, Adam Jones, Nick Markakis).

I'm going to operate under the assumption that the Orioles outfield will be, from left to right: Nolan Reimold, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis, with Felix Pie being the 4th outfielder who hopefully gets a good chunk of playing time. It's also safe to assume that at least one of the starters will have some injury problems (*cough* Adam Jones) and it would be nice to have someone competent to fill in.

Right Field

Nick Markakis' 2009 was something of a disappointment. After watching his batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage increase each of his first three years in the majors, they all took a step back in 2009. His walks were nearly cut in half from 2008 to 2009 which resulted in about a 50 point drop in OBP. It was disheartening to watch, but I'm not worried about Nick. I'm sure he'll be just fine. Of course, if it happens again in 2010 I will probably have a melt down.

Nick Markakis	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
James '09 projections	159	598	185	46	22	104	99	83	99	.309	.396	.503	.899
Markakis '09 stats	161	642	188	45	18	94	101	56	98	.293	.347	.453	.801
James '10 projections	161	630	189	47	21	101	103	72	103	.300	.374	.481	.855

Really, if you think about it, Nick's plate discipline was the only real thing that took a hit in 2009. Will that stick in the future? I don't think so. Whatever was happening with him I have the confidence that he'll be able to get it together. zknower hypothesized that the trade of Aubrey Huff took a toll on Nick, and FanGraphs pointed out that he started swinging more at pitches outside the strike zone and less at pitches inside the strike zone. FanGraphs also talks about his defensive dip, but I won't bother with that as one year of defensive data is hardly incriminating. I think in 2010 those numbers will go back up, he'll hit 40-45 doubles and 20ish home runs, and he'll take a few more walks. James has his OBP projected to .374, obviously affected by his 2009 season. That's not the .400 I hope to see from Nick, but it would have been tops on the team this year.

James '10 Projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Nick Swisher	150	507	125	32	26	85	80	90	131	.247	.365	.467	.833
J.D. Drew	142	498	134	30	22	90	76	91	119	.269	.385	.474	.859
Matt Joyce	120	375	97	27	17	59	60	49	92	.259	.346	.483	.829
Jose Bautista	121	369	89	21	13	51	48	48	90	.241	.335	.409	.744

Man. Look, I know the Orioles suck. They lost 98 games, they have a bunch of question marks, they're not in any place to point fingers. But wow, do the Blue Jays have a lousy lineup. It wasn't that long ago that the Blue Jays outfield looked pretty sweet with Alex Rios manning right and Vernon Wells in center. They signed them both to extensions (Wells' was ridiculous from the get-go, but Rios' didn't seem too bad) and then they both started to stink. They're stuck with Wells; no one is going to take him when he makes $20M a year. They gave Rios to the White Sox for nothing but payroll relief and he played even worse there. So now it looks like their option in RF is Jose Bautista. He played LF for most of the year but after Rios left he moved to RF to make room for prospect Travis Snider. I took a glance at John Sickels' Pre-2009 prospect list and there doesn't appear to be anyone waiting in the wings, so barring a FA signing or trade, it's Jose Bautista.

Matt Joyce played just a handful of games at the big league level in 2009 but he seems to be the heir apparent to RF in Tampa Bay. Joyce, you might remember, was traded to the Rays by the Tigers in exchange for Edwin Jackson. Joyce has had two successful seasons in AAA so it seems there's nowhere left to go for him but up. The Rays re-signed Gabe Kapler to a 1 year deal so I'd imagine he'll get a chunk of time in RF as well.

J.D. Drew played 137 games in 2009. I predict he will play anywhere from 75-150 games next year. Dude tends to get hurt, but he's a great player. I would be very happy if Nick Markakis grew up to be a J.D. Drew clone who plays at least 155 games every year. A lot of people think Nick Swisher is a tool, but he can play. He makes up for his low-ish batting average with a ton of walks. I would be very happy if Nick Markakis grew up to be Nick Swisher plus 50 points on BA.

Verdict: I'll take Nicky every time. He's the youngest of any of them besides Joyce, he's always healthy, and he'll throw your ass out at second if you try to run.

Center Field

Oh Adam Jones. You're the center fielder of my dreams. You've made me forget all about the center fielders I adored as a young girl. Brady who? Devo what? You hit home runs, you leap over walls, you blow bubbles. You're just plain cool. And you're only 24! Thanks for coming into my life.

Adam Jones	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
James '09 projections	150	480	134	24	15	71	65	30	108	.279	.326	.444	.770
Jones '09 stats	119	473	131	22	19	83	70	36	93	.277	.335	.457	.792
James '10 projections	154	571	162	29	22	95	83	40	115	.284	.336	.468	.804

Adam Jones is the yin to Nick Markakis' yang. In the perfect scenario, Nick is the well rounded hitter who gets on base a lot and has some pop but isn't going to mash. Adam Jones is always going to strike out some, probably won't take that many walks (although I would like to see him improve), but he'll hit you some home runs. I think 22 is a conservative estimate for Adam. He came out of the gate in 2009 absolutely crushing the ball. Then he had a few injuries and started to slump a little and couldn't quite get HR #20. He hit #19 on August 5th but then only played 20 more slumpy games before being shut down with an ankle sprain. I don't know that he'll do it in 2010, but if Adam can even himself out some and stay healthy, he'll hit 30 home runs.

James '10 predictions	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Brett Gardner	104	325	90	11	3	63	28	45	58	.277	.368	.368	.744
Jacoby Ellsbury	157	635	192	32	9	106	62	52	73	.302	.360	.420	.780
B.J. Upton	142	507	135	30	13	59	75	67	136	.266	.354	.414	.768
Vernon Wells	144	549	149	33	19	77	77	43	75	.271	.327	.443	.769

Life is good in center field. Well, unless you're Vernon Wells. Not only is Vernon Wells 5 years older than the next oldest CF (Ellsbury), he's not all that good defensively, he can't hit, and he plays in Canada.

B.J. Upton is a mystery. While his defense is top notch, his hitting in 2009 was just atrocious. After putting up monster stats in 2007, his numbers dropped in 2008 and were anemic in 2009 as he hit .241/.313/.373. He's been touted as one of the best young talents in baseball for a number of years, but the future is cloudy for him. I honestly have no idea what to expect. Bill James projects him to be better than in '09 but worse than he was in 2008. He'll be just 25 years old on Opening Day with 513 big league games under his belt so he's already ahead of the curve. I think he has plenty of time to get it together.

Jacoby Ellsbury just finished his second full big league season and is a good guy to have on your team. In 331 career games he's stolen 129 bases with a nearly 85% success rate. He doesn't have power but he gets on base a lot and steals pretty much all the time. He hasn't posted an OPS+ over 100 in either of his two full seasons, but if he can learn to take a few more walks he could be a force at the top of their lineup. His BB% in 2009 was just 7.3%, easily worst among AL East leadoff batters. Roberts, Jeter, and Scutaro all had BB% over 10% and B.J. Upton was at 9.2%.

It might be Brett Gardner for the Yankees next year, it might be Melky Cabrera. Gardner looked like he'd get a lot of playing time in 2009 but kept getting injured. Neither of them can really hit, but Gardner runs circles around Cabrera defensively.

Verdict: Dr. Jones is the best CF in the AL East.

Left Field

While there was no doubt who would play right field and center field in 2009, left field wasn't as settled. Luke Scott wanted to play there but got sent to DH, Felix Pie was supposed to get a shot but got pulled after a few weeks, and Lou Montanez somehow got in there a bit as well. All the while Nolan Reimold just chilled at AAA Norfolk, hitting .394/.485/.743 with 18 BB, 9 HR and 11 2B in 31 games before injuries to Adam Jones, Luke Scott, and Lou Montanez forced the Orioles to call him up. Once they did Nolan didn't give them a chance to even act like they would send him back down and left field was his for the rest of the year. He was truly one of the brightest spots of 2009. Nolan hadn't spent any time above AA before 2009 so Bill James didn't do any projections for him.

Nolan Reimold	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Reimold '09 stats	104	358	100	18	15	49	45	47	77	.279	.365	.466	.831
James '10 projection	152	538	157	34	29	84	105	68	102	.292	.373	.524	.898

Remember I said before that Bill James tends to be pretty optimistic about young guys without much historic data? I'll try to keep that in mind, but when I first read those numbers I may have clapped my hands like I was Felix Pie beating out a throw to third. I mean, if Nolan Reimold can hit like that? If he can hit 29 HR in his second big league season? I won't even know what to do with myself.

James '10 Projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Matt Holliday	155	605	191	43	27	105	109	66	112	.316	.391	.531	.922
Jason Bay	153	560	150	32	32	99	103	88	159	.268	.374	.504	.878
Carl Crawford	140	528	156	24	12	82	62	36	84	.295	.346	.439	.786
Travis Snider	141	527	145	35	26	82	90	65	159	.275	.357	.493	.850

Yes, I made Matt Holliday a Yankee. I mean, it's inevitable, isn't it? Or maybe the Red Sox will sign him and the Yankees will settle for Jason Bay. Either way, the chart works. And can I say, left field is stacked. No offense to Adam Jones or Felix Pie, but this right here is why you don't move Reimold to DH and put one of them at LF. If Reimold can possibly put up numbers like the ones Bill James projects, that means he can play with the big boys. Yes, his defense is sometimes questioned, but it's left field. He'll be ok.

Verdict: Try not to get your hopes up too much, try not to get your hopes up too much, try not to get your hopes up too much.

And Felix

I can't leave him out, can I? Felix went from curiosity to object of disdain to most likable Oriole over the course of the season. This kid is awesome.

Felix Pie	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
James '09 projections	143	498	138	26	12	70	59	33	94	.277	.320	.407	.727
Pie '09 stats	101	252	67	10	9	38	29	24	58	.266	.326	.437	.763
James '10 projections	143	345	94	18	11	53	42	27	71	.272	.325	.443	.769

James predicts that Felix will be a little better than he was in 2009. I don't know if that's true. I don't know what to believe. I know I like this kid way more than I probably should, and once I get an emotional attachment it's hard for me to be rational (see Scott, Luke). But those of us who watched Felix Pie in 2009 know that he's was like two different baseball players. If you divide his games right down the middle (so it doesn't look like I'm cherry picking), here is what you get:

First Half: 50 G, 114 PA, 3 2B, 2 HR, 10 BB, 25 K, .235/.304/.363
Second Half: 51 G, 167 PA, 7 2B, 7 HR, 14 BB, 33 K, .287/.341/.487

I know, I know. That's not enough to tell what he'll be in 2010. I agree. But his improvement was so remarkable. We saw it with our own eyes . Who knows what will happen to him, but if he can hit like that over a whole season then he can't sit on the bench. He can't. If he can hit like that over a whole season, you have to find a place he can play every day, even if it's (sniff) on another team.

I love our outfield. Here's a quick side-by-side of the OFs in the O's Division.

Orioles	Blue Jays	Rays	Red Sox	Yankees
Nick Markakis	Jose Bautista	Matt Joyce	J.D. Drew	Nick Swisher
Adam Jones	Vernon Wells	B.J. Upton	Jacoby Ellsbury	Brett Gardner
Nolan Reimold	Travis Snider	Carl Crawford	Jason Bay	Matt Holliday

Obviously Holliday is the best player on the board, but taking the outfields as a group? It's close, but I'll take the O's.

Putting the 2009 Season to Bed

2009-11-05T05:39:22Z

The New York Yankees are the World Champions for 2009, their 27th World Series win. Yup, they were the best team money could buy all right. Congrats to Jerry Hairston, Jr. at any rate.

With the 2009 season officially over we can now turn our attention to the Hot Stove and what Andy MacPhail will do to improve the Orioles for the 2010 season. I find the off season to be great and frustrating at the same time. The idea of trades and free agents and building a team is exciting, but sometimes it all seems so slow as we wait for Spring Training.

2010 is going to be a very big year for the Orioles development into a contender. The youngsters will have to show improvement and the front office will have to find ways to fill the holes. Next year is the time for getting better. Much better.

So let's get started! There are just 152 days until Opening Day.

World Series Game 6: Phillies @ Yankees (NYY leads series 3-2), 7:57 PM

2009-11-05T00:15:16Z

More photos » by Mark Duncan - AP

5 days ago: Philadelphia Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz celebrates as umpire Dana DeMuth calls New York Yankees' Mark Teixeira, left, out on strikes to end Game 5 of the Major League Baseball World Series Monday, Nov. 2, 2009, in Philadelphia. The Phillies won 8-6 to send the series back to Yankee Stadiuim with New York leading 3-23. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Browse more photos »

Game 6 is the geezer matchup of Pedro Martinez vs. Andy Pettitte. We'll all the get the joy of hearing the Yankee fans chant, "Who's your daddy" at Pedro, because nothing is funnier than a five year old quote made in the year that Pedro Martinez's team came back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Yankees and go to the World Series.

Pedro pitched game 2 of the series in Yankee Stadium, giving up 3 runs on 6 hits in 6 innings but was out-pitched by A.J. Burnett.

Andy Pettitte is starting on three days rest, which may not be the best idea for the Yankees, not that they have a choice. Pettitte has pitched on short rest five times in the postseason, but not since 2003. He hasn't pitched on short rest at all since 2007. At 37 years old, Andy Pettitte is no CC Sabathia.

Long May You Run, Melvin Mora

2009-11-04T11:33:56Z

More photos » by Gail Burton - AP

(AP Photo/Gail Burton)

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Contrary to many of my perhaps-forgotten comments in the last two years, I was a pretty big Melvin Mora fan. My feeling that it was time for him to be replaced didn't change that. The fact that as an Orioles fan I'm relieved that his time is up doesn't change it, either.

Mora's last four seasons in Baltimore were pretty rough overall, clouding what I hope will turn out to be blue sky memories of his time as an Oriole. Because Melvin Mora was an Oriole -- a real one. Sure, we got him from the Mets (and again, Mets, thanks for that trade), but we took a utility man nearing the end of his likely upside and got an All-Star performer out of the deal.

When Melvin came over from New York in the middle of the 2000 season and hit a little bit -- nothing special, but a little bit -- it was nice. But who expected it to continue? In fact, it didn't continue. In 2001, Mora hit .250/.329/.362, and for all the world you would have been completely forgiven for not wanting to see the light-hitting, 30-year old Mora come back for '02.

But he did. And when you looked past his .233 batting average, you could see a few things. He led the team with 70 walks and hit 19 homers. At the end of the day, though, it still didn't look that impressive. .742 OPS, decent, useful, but not worth going out of your way for.

At 32 years of age, he became an All-Star. In an injury-shortened season, he raked .317/.418/.503, and he followed that up with a just plain nasty .340/.419/.562 line in 2004, leading the American League in on-base percentage and emerging as one of the most overlooked great players in the game.

It was, of course, a career year. Mora made another All-Star team during the ill-fated 2005 campaign, the first season of Camden Chat's existence. He played well that year, though not up to the unrealistic standards of '04. And he just sort of kept declining bit by bit. It happens. He was in his mid-30s, had one of the strangest career trajectories you'll ever see (even in an era of strange career trajectories), and well, nothing gold can stay.

When Mora made that big second-half surge in 2008, my critical mind was filled with the idea that it was a fluke, that this shouldn't be any reason to think he was still going to be an effective third baseman in the majors, that nobody should get too excited. And I turned out to be right, but big woopty doo. I don't care about that now. All I care about is that I got to see a few more fine summer afternoons where Melvin Mora torched the Tigers, watching him tearing the cover off of the ball all throughout the dog days of summer.

When I read a few days ago that the Orioles declined their option on Mora, it struck me. Just reading that in print: "Orioles decline option on Melvin Mora." The same Melvin Mora who played here for 10 1/2 years. Of course it was time for the Orioles to let go. The old veteran just isn't a part of this team's future, and he had a tough year to boot. It's not like he's hitting as he ages. His decline is obvious. But still: "Orioles decline option on Melvin Mora." A bit jarring.

Maybe he'll retire. Selfishly, I kind of hope he does. I don't want to see Melvin scrapping in some other team's uniform, though I wouldn't at all be bothered seeing him sign with a contender in a reserve role and maybe even win a World Series. He was a damn fine ballplayer. He is also a good man, and a proud one who never wanted to sit down on the bench, never wanted to give up his spot, never wanted to let you forget his vast playoff experience.

That last bit of snark brings us to something else, which is the "other" side of Melvin Mora. When he felt oppressed, he whined. When he felt that Dave Trembley didn't "respect" him enough, he found someone to complain to about just that. It was all quite off-putting, and there's no getting around it. But how do we remember Jim Palmer, who was a prima donna of the highest order? (Not that Mora is Jim Palmer, but you know what I mean.)

I say let the sleeping dogs lie. Melvin had his days. Who doesn't? I truly believe he wanted to win here, wanted to be part of the "rebirth" of Orioles baseball. And I'll bet that when the Orioles get back to the World Series, one of the players you'll see honored and honored to be there will be Melvin Mora. That ovation he'll receive someday down the line is already well-deserved.

A look back at 2009, Camden Chat style.

2009-11-04T05:12:10Z

With postseason baseball still going on, there isn't much to talk about Orioles-wise beyond the minor moves that have been made in the past few days. I figure with 1 to 2 days of the baseball season remaining, it might be fun to take a look at the events of the 2009 Orioles seasons. Not a recap or analysis, really, as a ton of sites have already done that, but a look back at some memorable events and how they were perceived by our community. I had fun looking this stuff up and I hope you'll enjoy the walk down memory lane, although it may take you a few days.

December 2008

Dec 9th: O's dump Ramon Hernandez, paving the way for Matt Wieters

Dec 13th: Birdland's nightmare ends as the Orioles release Daniel Cabrera

Dec 23rd: Mark Teixeira signs with the Yankees

January 2009

Jan 2nd: Thanks to rumors from Roch, we all pretty much say goodbye to Brian Roberts.

Jan 6th: KOJI! KOJI! KOJI!

Jan 10th: In an effort to soothe the fanbase over not getting Teixeira, the Orioles sign ZAUN

Jan 18th: Nick Markakis signs a 6 year extension; O's fans rejoice over Nick's GreekFro

Jan 18th: O's trade for Felix Pie

Jan 29th: Brian Roberts gets hitched

Jan 30th: Kevin Millar sent packing

February and March 2009

Feb 20th: O's extend Brian Roberts

Feb 23rd: The Boooog Pows are gonna Boo Teixeira

Mar 17th: Brian Roberts is a True American Hero (and Derek Jeter is a pinko)

April 2009

Apr 1st: O's sign Pedro!

Apr 6th: O's win on Opening Day: Mark Teixeira gets treated like excrement in his home town

Apr 9th: Mark Teixeira continues to make people hate him

May 2009

May 1st: The name of John Gibbons is invoked as a Trembley replacement. Also here, here, here, here, and of course in all of these.

May 26th: Andy drops the bomb: Matt Wieters is coming!

May 26th: MASN treats us awesomely at Blogger's Night

May 29th: Matt Wieters debuts on what will surely become a Birdland National holiday.

June 2009

Jun 2nd: I create the dumbest headline ever

Jun 5th: Jamie Walker, Boy turns in his skillet

Jun 28th: BRIAN ROBERTS IS A LOLLYGAGGER. And a prima donna!

Jun 30th: It's Birdland Day! The O's erase a 9 run deficit and come back to beat the Red Sox 11-10.

July 2009

Jul 15th: Adam Jones' sac fly ensures home field advantage for the Yankees in the WS (and there's a cat fight in the comments)

Jul 31st: George Sherrill is traded to the Dodgers for Josh Bell and Dave Johnson's kid much to the delight of zknower. Eat More Esskay sends Flat Breezy out of town in style with a killer Ode.

August 2009

Aug 4th: Brian Matusz makes his debut and beats the Tigers good, giving O's fans a glimpse of the future.

Aug 14th: Felix Pie hits for the cycle and wins over the masses.

Aug 17th: Huff Daddy traded to Detroit

Aug 28th: Camden Chat goes Melmo Crazy

September 2009

Sep 8th: O's clinch their 12th straight losing season (and CC hates Canadians)

Sep 12th: Brian Matusz dominates the Yankees in his final start of 2009.

October 2009

Oct 1st: The Orioles beat the Rays 3-2 to win for the first time since Sep 16th, a span of 13 games.

Oct 4th: The O's season mercifully comes to an end with a sweep of the Blue Jays.

Three 2009 Orioles have decided to refuse an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk and have...

2009-11-03T21:50:23Z

Three 2009 Orioles have decided to refuse an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk and have elected to file for free agency. Pitcher Rich Hill, outfielder Jeff Fiorentino and catcher Guillermo Rodriguez have filed their paperwork with Major League Baseball and have informed the Orioles that they will become free agents.

Three O's refuse assignment, file for free agency -- baltimoresun.com

As you have noticed, Camden Chat looks a little different today. The goal for this change is to...

2009-11-03T14:44:51Z

As you have noticed, Camden Chat looks a little different today.

The goal for this change is to make the sites cleaner and make the posts more readable. This new design also aims to improve the load time for pages. That's not such an issue at the moment, but we've all seen how slow the pages can get during the season.

It looked weird to me at first as well, but the more I see it the more I like it. If you have any feedback please provide it and I'll pass it on to the big muckity mucks.

Site News

World Series Game 4: Yankees (2) at Phillies (1)

2009-11-02T00:30:35Z

The Yankees took back home-field advantage with their win last night over the Phillies, although with the road team winning two of the first three games, I'm not sure how much advantage there is to be had.

It's Game 4 tonight, and while the Yankees are pressing CC Sabathia into duty on short rest, the Phillies are leaving Cliff Lee for Game 5. There's solid reasoning on both sides - CC has done short rest before, Lee hasn't.

But it is quite the gamble the Phillies are taking leaving Lee on the bench. They are throwing their fourth-best starter, Joe Blanton, against the Yankees' best starter, Sabathia. There's a very good chance the Phils end the night down 3-1, and need to win the remaining games to repeat as champions. Of course, Orioles fans know a little too much about a team down 3-1 to a seemingly superior AL squad coming back to win.

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - CC Sabathia	19-8	34	34	2	1	0	0	230.0	197	96	86	18	67	197	3.37	1.15

	W-L	G	GS	CG	SHO	SV	BS	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	K	ERA	WHIP
2009 - Joe Blanton	12-8	31	31	0	0	0	0	195.1	198	89	88	30	59	163	4.05	1.32

World Series Game 3: Yankees @ Phillies (Series tied 1-1), 7:57 PM

2009-10-31T23:15:14Z

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

Two seconds after this picture was taken, Reggie Jackson cleaned A-Rod's clock. (AP Photo/Rob Carr)

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Game 3 of the World Series matches up Cole Hamels and Andy Pettitte. Hamels had a less than impressive regular season and his postseason has been pretty lousy as well. He's made three starts this postseason and has yet to pitch 6 innings. He's given up 4 runs twice and 3 runs once. In the three games he's given up a total of 6 home runs.

Andy Pettitte's regular season was pretty run of the mill but he's been pretty good in his three postseason starts. He's pitched into the 7th inning all three times. In game three of the ALCS he gave up 3 runs, but allowed just 1 in each of the other two.

Everyone's favorite duo, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, have gone a combined 1-15 with 9 Ks so far in the WS. Only Derek Jeter and Hideki Matsui have managed multiple hits in the series. Jeter got 3 of the 6 hits off of Cliff Lee in game 1 and Matsui had 2 hits including a HR against Pedro Martinez in game 2.

After a balanced effort by the lineup in game 1, including two home runs by Chase Utley and two doubles by Ryan Howard, the Phillies were kept quiet by A.J. Burnett in game two, with only Raul Ibanez getting more than one hit.

Joe Girardi is sure to go out of his mind overmanaging now that the series has moved to the National League rules. I can't wait to see his wacky double switches. I hate the National League.

A Preliminary Look at the 2010 AL East Offenses - Part 2

2009-10-31T05:08:43Z

More photos » by Mark Lennihan - AP

He's flashy. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

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Last week's 2010 AL East projections post covered catcher, first base, and second base for the O's and their divisional rivals, so today we'll take a look at shortstop, third base, and designated hitter. In case you missed the last post, the projections being used are those by Bill James that will be contained in his 2010 Handbook. This information was provided to SB Nation with permission to be posted as we see fit.

The projections for the first part were easier to narrow down as they covered two sure things in the lineup (Matt Wieters and Brian Roberts) and one guess made by me based on the players in the Orioles system right now (Luke Scott). This section, however, is trickier. For one thing, the bulk of the 3B projections by Bill James goes to Melvin Mora. Remember that Bill James doesn't make predictions on if a player will play/be on the team but rather how he will do if he IS on the team. And if Melvin Mora were on the team next year the chances are he'd be the starting 3B for the O's in most games. But Mora will not be back, so those projections can be scrapped as far as we're concerned. That leaves at 3B, among the current options, Ty Wigginton and Joshua Bell. The odds are that Wiggy will start the year at 3B and if Bell proves himself at 3B he will make an appearance sometime in the season. But it's the off-season and frankly talking about Ty Wigginton isn't very fun, so instead I'm going to pretend that Josh Bell makes the team out of spring training.

Additionally, I already used last year's main DH in the projection for first base, so I'm going to go completely off base and suggest a brand new DH for the O's in 2010. It's based on nothing more than a little dream I have that you can feel free to make fun of. Of the existing options, it's much more likely that the O's will stick Luke Scott back at DH and start the year with Michael Aubrey or the equivalent at 1B, but that's boring.

And of course, Cesar Izturis plays SS and he is not good at hitting.

On to the projections after the jump!

Shortstop

Let's get Izzy out of the way first. We all know that, while head and shoulders above the shortstops used in 2008, Izzy still isn't great shakes with the bat. On a team with a lot of big hitters Izzy can be a valuable glove as long as his bat stays at the bottom of the order. For some reason Dave Trembley loved using him in the two hole last year, which was possibly the most infuriating thing about his managing, at least to me (I'm sure you all have your own).

Cesar Izturis	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	RC	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
James '09 Projections	138	446	122	19	1	52	34	36.9	28	33	.274	.321	.336	.657
Izturis '09 stats	114	387	99	14	2	34	30	32.7	18	38	.256	.294	.328	.622
James '10 Projections	126	387	100	16	1	40	28	37	22	34	.258	.303	.318	.621

Yeah, that's not very pretty. The only real thing Izzy has to going for him is that he is indisputably a very good defensive shortstop. Even with his abysmal hitting in 2009 (an OBP of under .300? Seriously?), his defense was good enough to warrant him a WAR of 1.3. Not great in comparison to the other AL East shortstops, but not bad considering the offensive numbers he put up. Because of the more glaring holes at other places in the lineup, Izzy's job appears to be safe in 2010 but filling the position with better talent will most certainly be a goal before the 2011 season.

James '10 projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	RC	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Derek Jeter	156	631	200	31	15	103	72	108	64	99	.317	.388	.444	.831
Jed Lowrie	129	384	100	35	9	55	59	59	53	80	.260	.350	.438	.788
Jason Bartlett	146	540	157	31	8	82	54	78	48	89	.291	.355	.407	.763
Marco Scutaro	147	549	145	30	10	79	57	72	68	76	.264	.347	.381	.728

Derek Jeter is Derek Jeter. He's consistent. He's going to get in the neighborhood of 200 hits, his OPS is going to be in the mid .800s, and we're going to dislike him. I'm not really one to play the what if game, but do you know who the Orioles drafted two picks before Jeter? Jeffrey Hammonds. Imagine how things might have been just a little different with Jeter on the team. Hell, imagine how different Derek Jeter's life would have been. I somehow doubt he'd have ended up dating all of those celebrities while spending the summer living in a condo in Canton.

Shortstop is a weird place for the Red Sox. In 2009 no one played more than 81 games there. Jed Lowrie, their young prospect, missed most of the year recovering from wrist surgery. Nick Green filled in for him but then missed much of the later part of the season with a back injury. Alex Gonzalez completed the SS merry go round when he arrived via trade in mid-August to fill in for Green.

Jason Bartlett hit 14 home runs in 2009. In his 4 big league seasons prior to '09 he hit a total of 11 home runs. Consider me skeptical that he'll hit 8 in 2010. Everything else seems pretty in line with his career, though. Similiarly, Marco Scutaro's 12 HR in 2009 was a career high for him. He usually hits about 7 and has 50 in his career. There isn't a huge difference in 7 and 10, I suppose, but it still strikes me as just a touch high.

Verdict: Izzy's the worst. Sorry Izzy.

Third Base:

Third base might be the biggest question mark going into the 2010 season. Will Andy MacPhail sign or trade for someone? Will that someone be a short term fix while the team waits for Joshua Bell, or someone who might stay there long term? Will MacPhail choose to wait patiently for Bell to prove himself in AAA and put Ty Wigginton out there in the meantime? Will he say screw it and throw Bell out there on Opening Day to see if he sinks or swims? I have no idea. One thing we do know is that longtime Oriole Melvin Mora will not be back in 2010. It'll be a little strange not having Melvin out there on Opening Day. Good, don't get me wrong, but strange.

I was a little surprised when I saw Josh Bell's projections from Bill James. It's my observation that his projections tend towards the optimistic side for younger players, so I'm taking this with a few grains of salt. Still, it's hard not to get just a little excited at the prospect of this sort of production from a rookie 3B.

Joshua Bell	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
2009 AA (LAD & BAL)	127	448	138	35	20	65	76	61	98	.295	.367	.516	.892
James '10 Projections	91	347	100	21	11	51	61	45	71	.288	.370	.455	.825

Bell's numbers are only projected out to 91 games which probably makes sense given the fact that he's never played above AA. But if there is any chance at all he could put up numbers like that, I can't wait to see him. As has been noted, he's a switch hitter who has his troubles hitting lefties. In his minor league career, he's hit .245/.327/.366 against lefties, which is beyond terrible. He was even worse in 2009 when he spent the entire year in AA. If he does make the jump to the big leagues in 2010 it might be a good idea to play Wiggy at 3B against lefties, at least until Bell proves he can do something, anything, against lefties.

But forget about the whole lefties issue for just a second and look at those numbers. Those are pretty great numbers coming from the 3B spot, and would be the best numbers from that position for the O's since Mora's career year in 2004. It'd be a great start to have that position contributing again, especially considering the talent at 3B throughout the division.

James '10 projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Alex Rodriguez	145	544	160	26	37	104	113	84	125	.294	.400	.550	.950
Mike Lowell	138	529	147	35	19	66	84	46	74	.278	.339	.456	.795
Evan Longoria	157	595	171	42	37	106	120	73	134	.287	.370	.548	.918
Edwin Encarnacion	129	452	117	28	21	64	69	50	91	.259	.343	.465	.808

I pine for Evan Longoria. I'm so jealous of the Rays because they have him. When you compare him, Alex Rodriguez, and even Mike Lowell to 2009 Melvin Mora it's no wonder the Orioles did as poorly as they did. It's not even in the same league. But I am cautiously optimistic about Josh Bell. He'll obviously never be A-Rod or Longoria, but he's young and talented. As much as I missed George Sherrill during the great bullpen implosion of '09, I'm thrilled at the idea of what Josh Bell might become.

Verdict: The future is uncertain, but at least it's not Melvin Mora.

Designated Hitter

And here is where I really go off the rails. As mentioned above, I'm going to share with you a little dream I've had about the Orioles designated hitter in 2010. I don't really think it will happen but I am sort of in love with the idea. When I looked at the original projections provided by James I made a lineup in my head where Reimold is the everyday DH with Felix Pie in LF. The more I thought about it however, the more I wanted to put together the most imposing lineup. It's no secret I love Pie, so I felt a little guilty leaving him out, but it was a sacrifice I had to make.

It's been said that the Orioles are going after a bat this year. The lineup is pretty set other than DH, 1B, and 3B, and I don't think they'll do anything long term for 3B given their hopes for Josh Bell. That leaves 1B and DH. What Andy MacPhail is going to do is a mystery to everyone, so allow me to propose a solution at DH: Jim Thome. I know what you may be thinking. Thome is old, he's been hobbling around most of this year, he's not a long term solution. All of those things may be true, but hear me out.

Jim Thome can hit. He hits home runs, and a lot of them. The flag court calls to him, "Hit it here, Jim!" Not to mention how he'd abuse the wind tunnel that is right field in Yankee Stadium. So he's old, it's true. On more than one occassion I've found myself chatting with Brotz13 when the topic turns to Thome and how we'd like him to be the Jake Taylor of the 2010-2011 Baltimore Orioles. By all accounts Jim Thome is just an awesome dude. Not that it matters all that much, but the team could benefit from an older dude who's been in the playoffs, who can mash, who will take a walk with the best of them, and who is awesome.

Jim Thome	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
'09 James Projection	150	530	134	25	38	93	102	107	166	.253	.382	.515	.897
Thome '09 stats	124	362	90	15	23	55	77	69	123q	.249	.366	.481	.847
'10 James projections	132	441	108	20	29	73	84	88	146	.245	.374	.488	.862

Thome's '09 stats are a little weird thanks to the fact that he was traded to the Dodgers on August 31st and therefore had just 17 AB in the entire month of September. As it turns out, Thome isn't a very good pinch hitter. Prior to his move to LA he was hitting .249/.372/.493. Not a huge difference, but an OPS of .865 looks a heck of a lot better than .847.

The designated hitter in the rest of the AL East isn't really so scary, in my opinion. Ortiz is on the downward swing, Matsui is still very good but gets hurt pretty much every other year. Pat Burrell was a huge disappointment in Tampa Bay. Adam Lind of the Blue Jays is the most awesome of the bunch, but considering how sad the Blue Jays are it doesn't really matter. Yes, an Orioles fan is calling the Blue Jays sad. I'm arrogant that way.

James '10 Projections	G	AB	H	2B	HR	R	RBI	BB	K	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Hideki Matsui	139	507	143	27	23	75	88	65	81	.282	.367	.475	.842
David Ortiz	138	484	128	34	29	79	99	77	112	.264	.369	.519	.887
Pat Burrell	119	346	82	17	17	59	54	62	100	.237	.356	.439	.795
Adam Lind	153	590	180	43	31	90	113	52	107	.305	.364	.542	.907

Color me skeptical on that Ortiz projection. He hasn't had numbers like that since 2007 (when they were much better) and his numbers in 2008 and 2009 have gotten progressively worse. Yes he turned it around this year but you can't ignore the massive slump he was in for the first half of this past season.

Verdict: The O's actual DH will probably be much worse than Jim Thome.

And thus ends the fantasy portion of the 2010 projections. Stay tuned for part 3 which will focus on my very favorite part of the lineup: the outfield.

Blog Spotlight: NumerOlogy

2009-10-30T13:00:25Z

And now the greatly anticipated second part of this week's blog spotlight :-), with the focus on NumerOlogy: The Uniform Number History of the Baltimore Orioles. Like Orioles Card "O" the Day, NumerOlogy is also the creation of Kevin Brotzman.

NumerOlogy is really an amazing website. If you've never visited it, you just have to. I warn you that you'll be there a long time. Kevin has documented the uniform numbers for every Baltimore Oriole since the team got to town in 1954, and he's done it in several different ways. You can look at a quick reference list, you can read a detailed history of each number, you can see who wore a number first or who wore a number longest. You get the picture. And once you've read all of that, you can just follow along with the updates as players come and go throughout the year.

See what Kevin has to say about NumerOlogy below the jump, and when you're finished with that, go visit the site. You won't be sorry.

1. This website is a basically huge research project. How long did it take you to complete it? Is it entirely complete? Were there any players whose numbers you found particularly difficult to identify, or years where there didn't seem to be as good documentation of the numbers?

I went public with the site in February of 2008, and at that point I'd been working on it for at least eight months, poring through online reference sites, image searches, books, and anything else that might have something to do with a player's uniform number. After I was reasonably satisfied that I had the numbers in place, I put together the site with my novice-level HTML skills.

It's not entirely complete, but I'm confident that it's pretty close. I'm missing info for a couple of coaches and fringy players. There are a handful of players who wore multiple numbers in one season where I'm unclear on the timeline. Occasionally I'll also find something I'd missed; last summer I bought a book that had a picture of a young Tippy Martinez wearing #36. So it's a work in progress; the goal is to have the level of detail and accuracy that Jon Springer of Mets by the Numbers has achieved. Of course, it took him about ten years to get there, so I feel like I'm making good progress.

It's toughest to verify the numbers for players from the early years of the franchise, the 1950s. The team was still being built, and there was more turnover, and obviously the farther back you go, the less documentation is available. It's also a struggle to chase down numbers for the lesser-known players, who in some cases don't even spend a week in uniform. I drove myself nuts trying to get a number for Danny Ardoin, who caught five games in late 2006. Eventually I found in-game photos of him on a random photo site, probably Wire Image.

2. Have you received any recognition for your work? I know I've used it as a reference tool and I'd have to imagine others have as well.

Yeah, I've gotten some great publicity and feedback. When it launched, I sent out a couple of emails to local reporters and the like, and Bill Ordine gave me a great write-up and link in his blog on the Baltimore Sun. As luck would have it, he posted that entry the day of the Erik Bedard trade, and at one point that day there were three separate links to his blog entry on the Sports section home page! I took a screenshot to preserve the moment. Dan Connolly has also linked to me on a couple of occasions, and I was featured in the Sun's Opening Day profile of O's bloggers this past April (as was Camden Chat, of course).

The biggest thrill for me is that I've gotten to interact with a few former Orioles. The weekend after the site launch I received an email from Dick Hall, who was a pretty good reliever for the team from 1961-1966 and 1969-1971. His grandson had shown him the site and he was pretty complimentary of it. He also helped me track down more information about the numbers that he wore, as he had a vague recollection of being in #38 when he first arrived in 1961. Sure enough, I found evidence that he'd been #38 before switching to his more familiar #29. I've also been contacted by John O'Donoghue, who pitched a few games for the Birds in 1993 and had been a college teammate of Ben McDonald. He had read one of my blog posts about him and liked it, and checked out the website as well. I ended up interviewing him through email, and he was very forthcoming and genuine.

3. So you're a uniform junkie? Or just a uniform number junkie? What's your favorite O's uniform?

Sure, I have plenty of opinions about sports uniforms, and a lot of them fall in line with the orthodoxy of Paul Lukas at UniWatch. For me, nothing beats the 1966-1970 Orioles road uniforms, right before they switched to the cheesy polyester. Not only are they associated with the glory years, it's just a classic look. The solid black cap and orange brim with the cartoon bird, the script "Baltimore" across the chest with black placket piping and no sleeve stripes, and of course the orange, black, and white striped stirrups. You can't beat that with a stick.

4. Anything important about this site you'd like people to know?

The best way to ensure the accuracy of the information on NumerOlogy is to straighten me out if you find something I've missed. If you've got an official scorecard that has Boog Powell listed as #8, or a dated photo of Scott McGregor in #39, scan it and email it to me, and I'll set things right and acknowledge your contribution on the home page. After all, it's meant to be a great resource and time-waster for all O's fans.

World Series Game Two: Phillies @ Yankees (PHI leads series 1-0), 7:57 PM

2009-10-29T23:15:21Z

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

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I have this friend, and since the playoffs began he and I have been saying to each other, "There's just no way the Yankees can lose the World Series. They're just too good. I don't see any way around it." Then last night we were talking during the game and as Cliff Lee struck out Jorge Posada to secure the win he said to me, "I think the Phillies could beat them!"

Now, obviously the series is FAR from over, and I still believe the Yankees will probably end up winning the whole thing. But it's funny how it doesn't seem an imminent conclusion anymore. The Phillies have been playing and trash talking with confidence, so you know they believe they can do it. Those Phillies fans/Yankee haters who might not have felt the same way now have a reason to feel some confidence as well. And that's all based on one game, a game in which Cliff Lee pitched his way into my heart (check out Jayson Stark's ESPN.com story on him, it's great).

Another good postseason story begins tonight as Pedro Martinez takes the mound for the Phillies. I'm actually pretty excited to see how he does. Back when Pedro was on the Red Sox, which was back before I hated the Red Sox, I loved to watch him pitch. You know what I mean. He was brilliant. I lost track of him during his injured years with the Mets, but when he was sniffing around for a job before this season I hoped he might end up as an O (and for one awesome moment, he sort of did).

A.J. Burnett gets the start for the Yankees and honestly who knows what they'll get out of him. He could be great or awful, depending upon how the mood strikes him. The Angels knocked him around good in his last start but he was quite good the start before that. If he gets run out of the game early it'll be fun to see how the Yankees bullpen does.

Two last things. First, did you all hear about this chick who was offering sex for World Series tickets? Philly fans are hardcore! And second, I leave you with the Facebook status from a Yankee fan friend: If the Yankees are Pedro's Daddy, does that make Cliff Lee Pedro's grandfather?

It's Official: MelMo's Gone

2009-10-29T20:30:20Z

Per the Sun, the Orioles have declined Mora's $8M option for 2010.

The Orioles announced today that they won't exercise third baseman Melvin Mora's $8 million contract option for the 2010 season, an expected move that likely ends the tenure of one of their most productive and popular players over the last decade.

In a series of roster moves today, the Orioles also declined the $850,000 option on catcher Chad Moeller, who hit .258 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 30 games while serving as rookie Matt Wieters' backup; and outrighted outfielder Jeff Fiorentino, pitchers Chris Lambert and Jim Miller and catcher Guillermo Rodriguez after each cleared waivers.

Reliever Sean Henn, who appeared in six games for the Orioles late in the season, was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Blue Jays.

World Series Game 1: Philadelphia Philles @ New York Yankees, 7:57 PM

2009-10-28T23:15:20Z

More photos » AP

FILE -- In this Oct. 6, 1950, file photo, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Granny Hamner is tagged at the plate by New York Yankees catcher Yogi Berra as he tries to score from third in the ninth inning of Game 3 of the World Series, at Yankee Stadium in New York. (AP Photo/File)

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As much as you might hate the Yankees, as much as you might hate the Phillies, as much as you might not even want to watch this World Series, remember that there are those out there who have it worse than us, at least tonight. For one second, imagine that you are a Cleveland Indians fan. Yeah, I feel sorry for those dudes.

That being said, this should be a hell of a game. CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee didn't win the Cy Young in back-to-back years for no reason. They're also apparently BFF, which is sort of cute.

The Yankees and Phillies last met in the World Series in 1950, a matchup that included 8 future Hall of Famers, including 23 year-old future Oriole Robin Roberts. The Yankees swept the series as their pitching staff allowed just 3 runs the entire series.

If you're in the mood to shake your head in disbelief, check out the headline at Pinstripe Alley today: "Finally! Our World Series Wait is Nearly Over" I read the article just in case, but the writer doesn't appear to be using irony in any way.

Let's play ball! I'm ready to get the hot stove cooking and that can't happen until this series is over.

Mother Nature gives Jay-Z and Alicia Keys the rainy elbow...

2009-10-28T13:42:58Z

Mother Nature gives Jay-Z and Alicia Keys the rainy elbow...

The World Series performance featuring JAY-Z and Alicia Keys has been rescheduled to take place in Thursday's pre-game ceremonies, which airs on FOX starting at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

Blog Spotlight: Orioles Card "O" The Day

2009-10-27T03:12:54Z

Just one of the 28,000 baseball cards owned by Brotz13.

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This week's blog spotlight is a double feature of sites created by Kevin Brotzman, who many of you know by his Camden Chat screen name of Brotz13. Today you'll hear from Kevin about Orioles Card "O" the Day. His other site, NumerOlogy: The Uniform Number History of the Baltimore Orioles, will get the spotlight later this week.

Like Matt from Roar From 34, I met Kevin for the first time at MASN's Blogger Night in May, but I've been reading both of his blogs for much longer. Card O the Day combines Kevin's love for the Orioles with his love for baseball cards. It's a simple process. Every day, he picks one of his Orioles baseball cards, writes about it, and posts it on his blog. Honestly, it doesn't really sound like the sort of thing that I'd enjoy, but I do. I'm not a baseball card aficionado by any means, but Kevin's writing brings me back daily. The baseball card is really a jumping off point for stories about Orioles history, current events, etc. Of course he loves baseball cards, so there is a fair amount of geeking out over the actual cards themselves (and of course I use "geeking out" in the most complimentary of ways, as I'm sure Kevin is aware).

Kevin answered a few questions about Card "O" The Day. See his wit and wisdom below the jump.

1. As far as Orioles sites go, Card "O" The Day is unique. Do you remember how and why you decided to create it?

I started reading other people's card blogs in 2007, and that's what sucked me back in to collecting cards. From there, it was probably just a matter of time before I started my own. However, I was originally going to feature a card a week on my NumerOlogy site as a way to show off a bit of my collection and keep producing new content even if there weren't any number-related updates to the site in a given week. But the more I thought about it, I realized that it might work better as a stand-alone blog. I also figured that I had enough Orioles cards to make it a daily thing, and that's even truer now than it was when I started. At this point, I could keep posting until the day I die and probably not exhaust the possibilities.

2. OK, spill. How many baseball cards do you actually have?

My collection has mushroomed in the past two years, since I got back into it as a regular hobby. Between readers who aren't collecting any more and just gave me their cards and fellow bloggers and collectors that I trade with by mail, I've almost doubled the number of cards that I own. Oh, and once or twice a month I actually buy cards, whether from eBay or Target or a hobby show. The count is at about 28,000 right now, which doesn't even include the duplicates. There are piles all over the dressers in my room as well as on my computer desk. I'm looking to move in the next month and desperately trying to organize, but in my mind it's a good problem to have!

3. You have a bunch of links to other baseball card sites. Is there some sort of baseball card internet sub-culture we should know about?

Haha, you can't run from the baseball card underground. The awesome thing about the Internet in general and blogs in particular is that it's so niche-driven. If you have an interest in something, you can quickly find a community that celebrates it. As a 27-year-old guy, it would be easy to be self-conscious about being immersed in a so-called children's hobby. But there's less of a stigma when you realize that so many other men and women your age (and older) are so devoted to it as well.

There are a few prominent card blogs that have been around for several years, including the Baseball Card Blog (no longer being updated), Cardboard Gods, and Stale Gum. It seems like they're the inspiration for dozens of blogs that have sprung up in the past few years. I enjoy reading these other blogs because I learn about cards and sets that I wasn't familiar with, and also because at the root of it all of these writers love baseball. Practically every fan base is represented in this little community: Mets, Braves, White Sox, Dodgers, you name it.

There's also a lot of support between card bloggers. We comment on each other's posts, share links between blogs, and as I mentioned, there's a lot of trading and card giveaways. That's the part that I really enjoy. The people that I've "met" through doing this are unfailingly generous and they make the hobby more fun. I do a lot more trading now than I did when I was first into collecting in middle school.

4. Your entries alternate between writing about events surrounding the person on the card and the card itself. Can you pick out a few example entries that would be a good introduction to those who are unfamiliar with your site?

In September 2008, I met Boog Powell at an autograph signing. I like to find the links between the team and my personal experiences. http://oriolescards.blogspot.com/2008/09/vintage-fri-umvintage-saturdays-boog.html

Sometimes I just go off a tangent about my own personal life, which may or may not be interesting to the rest of the world. Judge for yourself with this post featuring Brian Burres and a story about my high school cross country coach trying to leave me at the hotel. http://oriolescards.blogspot.com/2008/02/brian-burres-2007-topps-52-rookies-119.html

It's always fun to make lists, as I did when I compiled the Born-in-Maryland team.

http://oriolescards.blogspot.com/2008/10/cal-ripken-jr-1988-topps-glossy-all.html

Every Friday, I post a vintage (1954-1980) card, and that's often a great opportunity to dig up a little team history. For instance, did you know that the foul lines at Memorial Stadium were originally wooden slats?

http://oriolescards.blogspot.com/2009/08/vintage-fridays-billy-odell-1959-topps.html

5. Anything important about this site you'd like people to know?

I've written about 17 Cal Ripken, Jr. cards, but only one Chris Sabo card. That sounds about right.

ALCS Game 6: Angels @ Yankees, 8:07 PM (NYY leads 3-2)

2009-10-25T23:30:29Z

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Can you believe we lost to these west coast chumps, Alex? (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

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Does anyone else think that Brian Fuentes just wants to go on vacation already? The dude just loves to give away the game. He tried again in game 5 after the Angels clawed their way back to a lead in the 7th inning only to have him almost cough it up with an intentional walk, an unintentional walk, and a hit batter. But Fuentes' attempt at sabotage was unsuccessful, to the teams travel back to New York for games 6 and, if necessary, 7.

Andy Pettitte will start for the Yankees. Pettitte pitched game three in Anaheim on Monday, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits in 6.1 innings. He allowed HRs to Vlad Guerrero and Howie Kendrick. Pettitte has historically had trouble with Guerrero so that's a matchup to keep an eye on.

Going for the Angels is Joe Saunders, which, if I were an Angels fan, might concern me. Saunders last pitched on Saturday in the marathon game that the Yankees ended up winning in the 13th inning. He pitched well, allowing just 2 runs on 6 hits in 7 innings, with a home run to Derek Jeter. Saunders gave up 29 home runs in the regular season, which was 2nd in the AL to you-know-who. Between the Yankees power and homer friendly Yankee Stadium, if Saunders loses it the game could be over relatively quickly.