Well, half of the first round playoff series are over, meaning 4 teams have made their tee times. As usual, if you're expecting some sort of in-depth statistical analysis from me, die.
St. Louis Blues - The Blues deserved better than a sweep at the hands of the red-hot Canucks. However, they've got a lot to look forward to. They were pretty much screwed by injuries all season, and still managed to roll into the playoffs with the best final 10 game stretch (most on the road no less). They should leave well enough alone, find out who the valuable role players are on the team and try to keep them. Avoid the path of the high-priced free agent. An intact Blues team may even challenge for the division next year. Not really, but I like giving them hope.
Montreal Canadiens - 100th season didn't pan out the way you expected, eh fans? In some ways, it's karmic retribution for trying to stuff the All-Star game ballots. I liked seeing the sense of entitlement fade into despair by season's end. However, the Habs have much more to worry about. Namely, will they even make the playoffs next year? They fell apart worse than Terry Schiavo's life support after the ASG. That's all the space I'm willing to devote to these guys.
Columbus Blue Jackets - Aw. I really wanted them to win a playoff game. They came close to getting a home victory in game 4. But really, the Detroit Red Wings were just too good for them, especially when Osgood channels Patrick Roy during the playoffs. Sad to see them go, but they've got as good a chance as anyone of returning next year, and this time grabbing a victory. They just need a good matchup for once. Nash will not be denied playoff success. Mark it down.
Philadelphia Flyers - Missing: Jeff Carter. Last seen since: regular season. #17 for the Flyers had a single point (a game 3 goal) during the 6-game series, while the #1 players for Pittsburgh, Malkin and Crosby, had a combined 17 points during the playoffs. If that isn't a stretch, I don't know what is. At any rate, their star players failed to come up big in the postseason. Their top two lines all had minus or even ratings. The Flyers' fourth line was relied on far too much. And as usual with this undisciplined club, when they became emotional they completely fell apart. Their game 6 epic (EPIC!) collapse was pure proof of how to beat the Flyers: get them to stop thinking about hockey. All in all, there's no way I would rather have seen this series ended than abject humiliation in front of a home crowd of 20,000 assholes. Enjoy the offseason, you Obsessed-With-Crosby bastards.
- Matt
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Stuff and Junk
Like a Flyers fan's penis, this post will be very short.
Pens: What a fucking way to open the playoffs. The Flyers were outmatched in nearly every category, especially the faceoffs. Staal was 11/14 alone. Malkin brought the house down in the third with his steal/goal. The fans were amazing, cheering every hard shift, even when it didn't even result in a shot. Also, I got a free towel. Woo!
O's: WHY CAN'T WE WIN A GAME 3?!? Moreover, why can't we keep opponents to single digits in game 3. Blahhhhh. Oh well, 6-3 to open the season is acceptable.
Bolts/Ravens: When they meet, I will enjoy the game.
Caps: I will keep this respectful. The Rags match up well with Washington, maybe moreso than any of the other low seeds. I still think WAS in 6, but dropping a game at home is always a dangerous proposition.
Scott Hartnell: is a diving, long-haired bitch. Straight up.
- Matt
Pens: What a fucking way to open the playoffs. The Flyers were outmatched in nearly every category, especially the faceoffs. Staal was 11/14 alone. Malkin brought the house down in the third with his steal/goal. The fans were amazing, cheering every hard shift, even when it didn't even result in a shot. Also, I got a free towel. Woo!
O's: WHY CAN'T WE WIN A GAME 3?!? Moreover, why can't we keep opponents to single digits in game 3. Blahhhhh. Oh well, 6-3 to open the season is acceptable.
Bolts/Ravens: When they meet, I will enjoy the game.
Caps: I will keep this respectful. The Rags match up well with Washington, maybe moreso than any of the other low seeds. I still think WAS in 6, but dropping a game at home is always a dangerous proposition.
Scott Hartnell: is a diving, long-haired bitch. Straight up.
- Matt
Thursday, April 9, 2009
ESPN Doesn't Care About Black (and Orange) People
The tears from Monday’s victory over the New York Yankees just keep flooding in.
I already linked the Rosenthal’s article on Fox Sports, where he seems to think booing the Yankees was only popular because of the recession, and that we were taking our frustrations out on our “betters”. But Colin Cowherd demonstrates the big-market arrogance of ESPN once again, blasting O’s fans for daring to boo one of the two teams his network cares about.
Orioles Hangout has an article about these two guys, and includes a quote from Cowherd’s joke of a show. They did a good job criticizing these two hacks, but I feel like more is needed. Let me break it down:
“People who yell out ‘you’re a sellout’, ‘you’re a corporate prostitute’, they never get offered anything by Corporate America. It’s easy to yell that. It’s the garage band that rips U2…”
First, no one still listens to U2. Well, no one with hair. And second, you make it sound like Tex was going to make $30,000 a year if he didn’t take this offer. It was a difference of less than $2.5 million a year, which after taxes is less than $1.5 million a year. If you really cared about a team, you’d take a discount. See: everyone on the Detroit Red Wings. Oh, and real original argument. Self-justification much?
”Bottom line? You don’t get booed unless you matter. Nobody boos the Baltimore Orioles when they’re on the road because nobody cares.”
To ESPN, Baltimore only matters when they’re the Red Sox’s doormat. I don’t know, maybe if the worldwide leader gave us some coverage instead of will-he / won’t-he soap opera bullshit about Terrell Owens (who they profess not to care about then obsess over), people would care. I know Cowherd’s just speaking out of bitterness, but really dude. If you think the same thing wouldn’t have happened if the O’s screwed another team out of their hometown hero in the making, you’re a bigger fool than I thought.
”Oriole fans are a symbol of what’s wrong with America.”
Huh?
”Jealousy, anger, and resentment toward the successful people.”
Oh, right, we’re jealous. Classic Yankee fan argument. And last I checked, the thing that was ruining our economy was the “successful” people making shitloads of money off of harebrained schemes involving a free lunch. Most of which were based in, gasp, New York. Oh, but if we didn’t complain about them fucking us over, everything would be fine. I hope New York falls into a hole in the Earth, I really wouldn’t notice anything but the increased quiet.
”Oriole fans, you may not be sharp enough to get this, but you just validated Teixeira and validated why nobody talks about you on the radio.”
No one in Baltimore listens to the radio because we discovered the Internet years ago. And how did we “validate” Tex? He chose the Yankees because they offered more money, not because he didn’t think we’re classy enough. If the O’s had offered more than the Yankees, he’d be insincerely harping on about how much he idolized Ripken as a kid and how Baltimore is the best city in the world, and how much his wife loves it here and is not sad at all they didn’t end up in New York. But the Yankees fans listening to you in their snuggies while they’re unemployed in your shit waste of a city were probably laughing that you implied we’re dumb. Oh well, at least I still have hair.
”Orioles fan, you may think you won last night, but you came across as small, angry, petty, clueless, and phony.”
Let me fix that sentence for you:
Colin Cowherd, you may think you made a point, but you came across as small, angry, petty, clueless, and phony.
Ah, much better.
Go O’s.
- Matt
I already linked the Rosenthal’s article on Fox Sports, where he seems to think booing the Yankees was only popular because of the recession, and that we were taking our frustrations out on our “betters”. But Colin Cowherd demonstrates the big-market arrogance of ESPN once again, blasting O’s fans for daring to boo one of the two teams his network cares about.
Orioles Hangout has an article about these two guys, and includes a quote from Cowherd’s joke of a show. They did a good job criticizing these two hacks, but I feel like more is needed. Let me break it down:
“People who yell out ‘you’re a sellout’, ‘you’re a corporate prostitute’, they never get offered anything by Corporate America. It’s easy to yell that. It’s the garage band that rips U2…”
First, no one still listens to U2. Well, no one with hair. And second, you make it sound like Tex was going to make $30,000 a year if he didn’t take this offer. It was a difference of less than $2.5 million a year, which after taxes is less than $1.5 million a year. If you really cared about a team, you’d take a discount. See: everyone on the Detroit Red Wings. Oh, and real original argument. Self-justification much?
”Bottom line? You don’t get booed unless you matter. Nobody boos the Baltimore Orioles when they’re on the road because nobody cares.”
To ESPN, Baltimore only matters when they’re the Red Sox’s doormat. I don’t know, maybe if the worldwide leader gave us some coverage instead of will-he / won’t-he soap opera bullshit about Terrell Owens (who they profess not to care about then obsess over), people would care. I know Cowherd’s just speaking out of bitterness, but really dude. If you think the same thing wouldn’t have happened if the O’s screwed another team out of their hometown hero in the making, you’re a bigger fool than I thought.
”Oriole fans are a symbol of what’s wrong with America.”
Huh?
”Jealousy, anger, and resentment toward the successful people.”
Oh, right, we’re jealous. Classic Yankee fan argument. And last I checked, the thing that was ruining our economy was the “successful” people making shitloads of money off of harebrained schemes involving a free lunch. Most of which were based in, gasp, New York. Oh, but if we didn’t complain about them fucking us over, everything would be fine. I hope New York falls into a hole in the Earth, I really wouldn’t notice anything but the increased quiet.
”Oriole fans, you may not be sharp enough to get this, but you just validated Teixeira and validated why nobody talks about you on the radio.”
No one in Baltimore listens to the radio because we discovered the Internet years ago. And how did we “validate” Tex? He chose the Yankees because they offered more money, not because he didn’t think we’re classy enough. If the O’s had offered more than the Yankees, he’d be insincerely harping on about how much he idolized Ripken as a kid and how Baltimore is the best city in the world, and how much his wife loves it here and is not sad at all they didn’t end up in New York. But the Yankees fans listening to you in their snuggies while they’re unemployed in your shit waste of a city were probably laughing that you implied we’re dumb. Oh well, at least I still have hair.
”Orioles fan, you may think you won last night, but you came across as small, angry, petty, clueless, and phony.”
Let me fix that sentence for you:
Colin Cowherd, you may think you made a point, but you came across as small, angry, petty, clueless, and phony.
Ah, much better.
Go O’s.
- Matt
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Opening Day vs. Yankees
A lot has been made of this game. Teixiera returning to Baltimore as a hated figure. Sabathia getting way too much money. A Rod likes men. New Orioles all over the place. Take any main storyline you like. But here's a real one:
Sabathia shit the bed, and badly. Jones and Roberts carried the team in a big way. And the O's pitchers were just good enough to get the win.
Top 1st
Guts out for the O's. He had a billion ERA during Spring Training and the WBC. If you want real numbers, ask your grandmother.
Jeter ruins Guthrie's no-hitter. Yawn. His injured boyfriend must be pleased.
BOOOOOO! You can always count on BMore to bring the hate. I love it.
YEAAAAAAAAH! Tex sees a $20 bill on the ball and pops it up, hoping to knock the money off. No chance.
Bottom 1st
B Rob and Mr. Jones get on base. Honeybear can't take advantage. Melmo swings at ball 4, and B Rob is out at the plate as a result. Somehow B Rob saves 3 lives in the process, simply because he rules. Gary Thorne is bitter about the tag.
Balls.
Top 2nd
Posada bwuises his widdle toe and goes to first. Guts gets some outs. Whatever.
Bottom 2nd
LUUUUUUKE! Did someone yell "fail" on strike 2? Douche.
Sabathia eats a Happy Meal and retires the side.
Top 3rd
Luke Scott throws a single to left into orbit. Huff commands it into his glove. Damon hits a ballsac fly and the Yankees take the lead. 1-0 New York.
Traitor up to bat. The boos cascade. Then wild cheers when he fails to Guthrie. Some shit happens, A Rod touches himself or a little boy, inning over.
Bottom 3rd
Izzy lets loose and gets a single. Where was Teixiera? Sabathia is caught singing "five dollar footlong" to himself and Izturis steals second. Wooo.
B Rob walks, maintaining his perfect season. Mr. Jones sleeps with Sabathia's fat mother and knocks the ball to the deep corner. Izzy and B Rob score, Mr. Jones gets to third base, but out of the bedroom this time. 2-1 O's, sluts.
Honeybear gets it done seconds later. Mr. Jones runs in, 3-1 O's.
Melmo and Huffrey end the inning. It's good anyway.
Top 4th
I'm confused. Sheila Dixon has a heavy New York accent? Bizarre.
Guts flexes his nuts and gets 3 outs. Meh.
Bottom 4th
Wiggity Wack (name pending) gets his first hit as an Oriole.
Scotty doesn't know... how to strike out. Walk city. Looks promising.
Wait. The home plate umpire's name is Randy Marsh? You know what that makes me think of...
[FF to 9:20]
Wiggity tags to third, and Izzy steps up 2 tha streets. This should be-
Barf. Double play... inning over.
Top 5th
Joe Biden contributes to a surreal split screen. What the ass is Biden talking about? Does he look like Bill Maher or is it just me?
Before you know it, some dick gets a triple. Guts is distracted by politicsblog and walks General Benedict. Melmo smiles and the world of some douche ends, as does the inning.
Bottom 5th
B Rob puts the world on his shoulders and hits a ground rule double. Mr. Jones stares down the third baseman and gets a single.
Unreal pic of Markakis as an incredibly orange child. Kakes gets a puny infield hit, key word is hit. Jeter and Mayor McCheese are stunned. 4-1 O's.
Melmo loads the bases. Huffrey up, gets out but also an RBI. 5-1 O's. Intentional walk for Wiggity.
Luuuuuuuke draws a nice walk from an 0-2 hole and gets an inadvertent RBI. 6-1 O's. Sabathia:
4.1 IP, 6 ER, 0 K. The REAL #52:
Not impressed.
Rest of inning's whatever, already up by 5.
Top 6th
Before you can finish cupping your balls, Posada hits a home run. 6-2 O's.
Some joke gets on, and Janie Damon knocks a double... into a fan's hand. No interference, why? 6-3 O's.
Guts recovers though and gets the quality start, as well as a piece of the Aggro Crag.
Middle 6th
O's are 29-14 on Opening Day since 1966. Holy shit.
Also, what was Nady thinking on out 3? That was retarded.
Bottom 6th
Blah.
Top 7th
Jim Palmer has a good feeling about Ray. If you're saying "oh shit" to yourself, you're not alone.
Instant hit. BOOOOOO up to bat. Izzy makes the crowd happy. How solid has Izturis been defensively so far? What a pickup.
And suddenly Matsui makes it 6-5. Jesus balls.
Another hit, Ray yanked. Johnny Walker Orange label to pitch.
Except just kidding. Sarfate time. Mora makes a nice play and suddenly the inning's over.
7th Inning Stretch
Bottom 7th
Roch from the Sun gets interviewed. Female Reporter calls him out on his bad jokes. Gary and Jim agree. You leave to take a piss, and... inning over.
Top 8th
Nick Swisher apparently still plays baseball. According to Gary Thorne, he "celebates", which I'm sure is accurate, because none of the Yankees have ever laid a woman.
Dude on 3rd with one out. Bad news, except Jimmy Johnson cock punches Jeter. Great job by Zaun protecting the plate.
BOOOOOOO! Roberts shows him what a real O's fan would do: ruin the Yankees' lives. In the process, he cures cancer. What a human.
Bottom 8th
Luuuuuuuuke leads off. While he's making dirty calls to Jeter's mother, he strikes out. Gregggggg Zaun doubles for his first hit of the season.
Holy. Fucking. Shit. How goddamn ironic is this?!? Izzy hits the ball to deep left. Fan interference for a home run NOT SEEN BY THE UMPS. I HAVE to check Yankee message boards for their tears later. Words cannot express how this makes me feel. dljghfslkjbfbb ebhfjb. 8-5 O's.
B Rob grounds out. Damon is crying. Mr. Jones spends 2 hours on an at bat and draws a nice walk. You consider buying a Jones jersey.
Kakes gets a nice 2-out single. Wild pitch and the force out is gone like Britney Spears' virginity at age 13.
Bases loaded. Huffrey at bat. Clean double and suddenly it's 10-5 O's. Consider the cushion restored.
The Yankees give up and pitch to Wigginton for some reason. Out anyway.
Top 9th
George Sherill comes out and pees on the Yankees. Game.
Game Notes
* Teixiera was clearly affected by the booing. 0 for 4 and out of position for an Izzy hit.
* Player of the game: Adam Fucking Jones. 3 for 3, 2 BB, Beast.
* Did Jeter play?
* BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
* B Rob saves.
Aftermath
Check out this crybaby:
[Fox Sports]
Waaaaaaaah everyone should like the Yankees. He even has a poll asking why people like to boo the Yankees. Here's an idea:
You're arrogant fucktards who make Godfather-esque offers to players and can somehow afford to overpay every player on your roster. You're a symbol of all that's wrong with the sport, and your fans are pissants to boot. Get real.
And yesterday's game resembling the recession and the country as a whole? Get over yourself, it's fucking sports. Jesus. I can only imagine how bad the YES announcers were...
Go O's. AL East leaders.
- Matt
Sabathia shit the bed, and badly. Jones and Roberts carried the team in a big way. And the O's pitchers were just good enough to get the win.
Top 1st
Guts out for the O's. He had a billion ERA during Spring Training and the WBC. If you want real numbers, ask your grandmother.
Jeter ruins Guthrie's no-hitter. Yawn. His injured boyfriend must be pleased.
BOOOOOO! You can always count on BMore to bring the hate. I love it.
YEAAAAAAAAH! Tex sees a $20 bill on the ball and pops it up, hoping to knock the money off. No chance.
Bottom 1st
B Rob and Mr. Jones get on base. Honeybear can't take advantage. Melmo swings at ball 4, and B Rob is out at the plate as a result. Somehow B Rob saves 3 lives in the process, simply because he rules. Gary Thorne is bitter about the tag.
Balls.
Top 2nd
Posada bwuises his widdle toe and goes to first. Guts gets some outs. Whatever.
Bottom 2nd
LUUUUUUKE! Did someone yell "fail" on strike 2? Douche.
Sabathia eats a Happy Meal and retires the side.
Top 3rd
Luke Scott throws a single to left into orbit. Huff commands it into his glove. Damon hits a ballsac fly and the Yankees take the lead. 1-0 New York.
Traitor up to bat. The boos cascade. Then wild cheers when he fails to Guthrie. Some shit happens, A Rod touches himself or a little boy, inning over.
Bottom 3rd
Izzy lets loose and gets a single. Where was Teixiera? Sabathia is caught singing "five dollar footlong" to himself and Izturis steals second. Wooo.
B Rob walks, maintaining his perfect season. Mr. Jones sleeps with Sabathia's fat mother and knocks the ball to the deep corner. Izzy and B Rob score, Mr. Jones gets to third base, but out of the bedroom this time. 2-1 O's, sluts.
Honeybear gets it done seconds later. Mr. Jones runs in, 3-1 O's.
Melmo and Huffrey end the inning. It's good anyway.
Top 4th
I'm confused. Sheila Dixon has a heavy New York accent? Bizarre.
Guts flexes his nuts and gets 3 outs. Meh.
Bottom 4th
Wiggity Wack (name pending) gets his first hit as an Oriole.
Scotty doesn't know... how to strike out. Walk city. Looks promising.
Wait. The home plate umpire's name is Randy Marsh? You know what that makes me think of...
[FF to 9:20]
Wiggity tags to third, and Izzy steps up 2 tha streets. This should be-
Barf. Double play... inning over.
Top 5th
Joe Biden contributes to a surreal split screen. What the ass is Biden talking about? Does he look like Bill Maher or is it just me?
Before you know it, some dick gets a triple. Guts is distracted by politicsblog and walks General Benedict. Melmo smiles and the world of some douche ends, as does the inning.
Bottom 5th
B Rob puts the world on his shoulders and hits a ground rule double. Mr. Jones stares down the third baseman and gets a single.
Unreal pic of Markakis as an incredibly orange child. Kakes gets a puny infield hit, key word is hit. Jeter and Mayor McCheese are stunned. 4-1 O's.
Melmo loads the bases. Huffrey up, gets out but also an RBI. 5-1 O's. Intentional walk for Wiggity.
Luuuuuuuke draws a nice walk from an 0-2 hole and gets an inadvertent RBI. 6-1 O's. Sabathia:
4.1 IP, 6 ER, 0 K. The REAL #52:
Not impressed.
Rest of inning's whatever, already up by 5.
Top 6th
Before you can finish cupping your balls, Posada hits a home run. 6-2 O's.
Some joke gets on, and Janie Damon knocks a double... into a fan's hand. No interference, why? 6-3 O's.
Guts recovers though and gets the quality start, as well as a piece of the Aggro Crag.
Middle 6th
O's are 29-14 on Opening Day since 1966. Holy shit.
Also, what was Nady thinking on out 3? That was retarded.
Bottom 6th
Blah.
Top 7th
Jim Palmer has a good feeling about Ray. If you're saying "oh shit" to yourself, you're not alone.
Instant hit. BOOOOOO up to bat. Izzy makes the crowd happy. How solid has Izturis been defensively so far? What a pickup.
And suddenly Matsui makes it 6-5. Jesus balls.
Another hit, Ray yanked. Johnny Walker Orange label to pitch.
Except just kidding. Sarfate time. Mora makes a nice play and suddenly the inning's over.
7th Inning Stretch
Bottom 7th
Roch from the Sun gets interviewed. Female Reporter calls him out on his bad jokes. Gary and Jim agree. You leave to take a piss, and... inning over.
Top 8th
Nick Swisher apparently still plays baseball. According to Gary Thorne, he "celebates", which I'm sure is accurate, because none of the Yankees have ever laid a woman.
Dude on 3rd with one out. Bad news, except Jimmy Johnson cock punches Jeter. Great job by Zaun protecting the plate.
BOOOOOOO! Roberts shows him what a real O's fan would do: ruin the Yankees' lives. In the process, he cures cancer. What a human.
Bottom 8th
Luuuuuuuuke leads off. While he's making dirty calls to Jeter's mother, he strikes out. Gregggggg Zaun doubles for his first hit of the season.
Holy. Fucking. Shit. How goddamn ironic is this?!? Izzy hits the ball to deep left. Fan interference for a home run NOT SEEN BY THE UMPS. I HAVE to check Yankee message boards for their tears later. Words cannot express how this makes me feel. dljghfslkjbfbb ebhfjb. 8-5 O's.
B Rob grounds out. Damon is crying. Mr. Jones spends 2 hours on an at bat and draws a nice walk. You consider buying a Jones jersey.
Kakes gets a nice 2-out single. Wild pitch and the force out is gone like Britney Spears' virginity at age 13.
Bases loaded. Huffrey at bat. Clean double and suddenly it's 10-5 O's. Consider the cushion restored.
The Yankees give up and pitch to Wigginton for some reason. Out anyway.
Top 9th
George Sherill comes out and pees on the Yankees. Game.
Game Notes
* Teixiera was clearly affected by the booing. 0 for 4 and out of position for an Izzy hit.
* Player of the game: Adam Fucking Jones. 3 for 3, 2 BB, Beast.
* Did Jeter play?
* BOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
* B Rob saves.
Aftermath
Check out this crybaby:
[Fox Sports]
Waaaaaaaah everyone should like the Yankees. He even has a poll asking why people like to boo the Yankees. Here's an idea:
You're arrogant fucktards who make Godfather-esque offers to players and can somehow afford to overpay every player on your roster. You're a symbol of all that's wrong with the sport, and your fans are pissants to boot. Get real.
And yesterday's game resembling the recession and the country as a whole? Get over yourself, it's fucking sports. Jesus. I can only imagine how bad the YES announcers were...
Go O's. AL East leaders.
- Matt
Sunday, April 5, 2009
O say does that star spangled....
Tomorrow is Opening Day. The renewed hatred for the New York Yankees should be in full force tomorrow. Expect pictures of Teixiera chasing a $20 bill, A Rod taking something into his ass (it's not your first guess, it's actually steroids) and C.C. Sabathia fat jokes in my recap.
As for the O's themselves, let's take a look at some spring training stats:
Jolbert (awesome name) Cabrera led the regulars with hitting .457 in 46 AB
Markakis hit .407 in 59 AB with 8 doubles and 3 HR.
Izturis, Jones, Wieters, Montanez, and Moore all hit above .300
Quiroz hit .300
Luke Scott hit 5 doubles, 5 home runs, and bashed in a team-high 15 RBI.
Scott Moore led with 2 triples.
Aubrey Huff had a subpar spring training, but he knocked in 11 RBI despite a .237 average.
Hitting conclusions: Felix Pie needs some time to mature in the minors... MelMo quietly had a good spring, hitting .280 in limited AB... BRob did well in the WBC, not so much in spring training. Let's hope he returns to form tomorrow... If the O's flirt with a winning record, Markakis will be in consideration for MVP. BANK ON IT.
Instead of looking at pitching statistics, I'm going to scream, run around wildly, and flail my arms in the air. It was... pretty universally dreadful. Guthrie couldn't catch a break no matter who he pitched for. Uehara started off dominant, then the league started to catch up to him. Good thing he faced a lot of NL teams. There were, however, encouraging signs:
Chris Ray was lights out, compiling a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings.
Matusz and Arrieta allowed no runs in 5 2/3 innings as well. Prospects represent! They also allowed a combined 2 hits.
Tillman, the third part of the Holy Trinity of Prospects, had a 2.25 ERA in 4 IP. Not bad, guy.
Perez, Castillo, Albers, Bass and Simon all had ERAs of less than 3.00
Of the starters, Albers and Uehara looked the sharpest. Koji was a strikeout fiend, fanning 17 in only 14 2/3 innings of play. Bedard who?
Pitching conclusions: Brace yourself when the O's are on the mound. But don't expect such a consistent shellacking from our opponents this year. As long as the kids on the team maintain confidence, they could be the surprise staff of the season. It's what I have to believe at this point.
Right now, there's no prouder fanbase for me to be a part of than the Orioles' fanbase. We have seen amazing highs (like the Gr8est player to grace the game) and abominable lows (see: Peter Angelos era). But it's pared out the fairweather fans and hangers-on, who will stop rooting for the Ravens once they go 4-12. People who still talk Orioles are knowledgeable about the game, and enthusiastic and optimistic year in and year out with no reason to behave as such. In short, this next portion of the post is for everyone who's stuck with the team in the past decade:
Go O's
- Matt
As for the O's themselves, let's take a look at some spring training stats:
Jolbert (awesome name) Cabrera led the regulars with hitting .457 in 46 AB
Markakis hit .407 in 59 AB with 8 doubles and 3 HR.
Izturis, Jones, Wieters, Montanez, and Moore all hit above .300
Quiroz hit .300
Luke Scott hit 5 doubles, 5 home runs, and bashed in a team-high 15 RBI.
Scott Moore led with 2 triples.
Aubrey Huff had a subpar spring training, but he knocked in 11 RBI despite a .237 average.
Hitting conclusions: Felix Pie needs some time to mature in the minors... MelMo quietly had a good spring, hitting .280 in limited AB... BRob did well in the WBC, not so much in spring training. Let's hope he returns to form tomorrow... If the O's flirt with a winning record, Markakis will be in consideration for MVP. BANK ON IT.
Instead of looking at pitching statistics, I'm going to scream, run around wildly, and flail my arms in the air. It was... pretty universally dreadful. Guthrie couldn't catch a break no matter who he pitched for. Uehara started off dominant, then the league started to catch up to him. Good thing he faced a lot of NL teams. There were, however, encouraging signs:
Chris Ray was lights out, compiling a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings.
Matusz and Arrieta allowed no runs in 5 2/3 innings as well. Prospects represent! They also allowed a combined 2 hits.
Tillman, the third part of the Holy Trinity of Prospects, had a 2.25 ERA in 4 IP. Not bad, guy.
Perez, Castillo, Albers, Bass and Simon all had ERAs of less than 3.00
Of the starters, Albers and Uehara looked the sharpest. Koji was a strikeout fiend, fanning 17 in only 14 2/3 innings of play. Bedard who?
Pitching conclusions: Brace yourself when the O's are on the mound. But don't expect such a consistent shellacking from our opponents this year. As long as the kids on the team maintain confidence, they could be the surprise staff of the season. It's what I have to believe at this point.
Right now, there's no prouder fanbase for me to be a part of than the Orioles' fanbase. We have seen amazing highs (like the Gr8est player to grace the game) and abominable lows (see: Peter Angelos era). But it's pared out the fairweather fans and hangers-on, who will stop rooting for the Ravens once they go 4-12. People who still talk Orioles are knowledgeable about the game, and enthusiastic and optimistic year in and year out with no reason to behave as such. In short, this next portion of the post is for everyone who's stuck with the team in the past decade:
Go O's
- Matt
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