Davis helped the Colts win two championships in the 1950s and led the NFL in interceptions in 1957 and 1959.

Full article at the Baltimore Sun.

I’ll be the first to tell you that Andy MacPhail has given this team direction. The Orioles finished with one less win in 2008 than they did in 2007 but I still feel a lot better about the team’s future than I have in the past five or so years. But some guys need to go before we can continue to move on.

I realize that pitching has hurt the Orioles in their past two seasons. I fully blame the injuries on the pitching staff for the free fall in the latter half of the 2008 season. With your ace Jeremy Guthrie and set up man Jim Johnson riding the bench, how can you expect to win big games?

With that said two pitchers need to go though. We can build with out them through free agency in the off season (which I’ll talk about later in part two).

Jamie Walker: 1-3, 6.87 ERA, 4 Blown Saves

An Orioles Veteran and left handed specialist really did nothing to help the club this year. Jamie would come in to get one out and would ignite the game for the opposing team. Walker was not a threat to left handers, but often times a momentum changer after good starts from the Birds. His role here is no longer needed and the Orioles are paying him $3 million. Time to go.

Daniel Cabrera: 8-10, 5.25 ERA, 11 starts under 6 IP

At the beginning of the season there is no way I could post these comments, but I am here to say that the Daniel Cabrera experiment is over. The guy can throw in the upper 90s, though he didn’t in the latter part of the season. Cabrera can not locate a pitch and it doesn’t matter how fast you throw it any big league hitter can hit a ball right over the plate. Cabrera did a good job adjusting at the beginning part of the season but could never get there again. I don’t think he’s going to make it. He’s got a contract for $2,875,000. Time to go.

No doubt the Orioles offense was strong this year. The team batting average was .267, the O’s drove in 750 this year, with 6 players with 15 or more homeruns. Just by comparison, the Tampa Bay Rays team batting average is .260, they drove in 735 RBIs, and had only 3 players with 15 or more homeruns.

As Andy MacPhail says, its about pitching and defense.

And this guy does not have the defense…

Ramon Hernandez: .257 AVG, 15 HR

The only reason I could see leaving Ramon in the starting lineup is because he hits a homer every now and then. Ramon can not block the plate and allowed runners to score on him countless times this year. He had his fair share of passed balls and I cringed when runners would steal second because if Ramon could make a throw to the bag and not to Adam Jones in centerfield that was an accomplishment. Hernandez never hustled down the line and looked out of shape and lazy. He’s making $7.5 Million. Time to go.

I could put Kevin Millar in this spot and the O’s might get rid of Millar but I like him solely for his spirit around the club house. Millar really struggled getting his bat going this year and it hurt the O’s, but his defense never faded. He picked more balls at firstbase than anyone in the league. I want to keep him but I suppose he could be an honorable mention here.

I just saved you 13,375,000 bucks. Now what?

Maybe it is just me, but I’m tired of seeing Todd Heap miss blocks and drop balls. I don’t think I saw a pass thrown to him that he could’ve caught last night…one was tipped. What I did see a lot of was Heap running after a player that he should’ve blocked. Flacco took a few hits off poor blocking from our over rated/under healthy tight end.

On that same note I’d like to take this time to say that I’m tired of the self proclaimed “Top 5 Running Back,” Willis McGahee. When Suzy Kolber decides to tell Mike Tirico that the Ravens back is clearly “out of shape” that’s when you know its bad. Willis can’t go five plays without getting banged up. He had more yards in the golf cart last night then he did on the field. Get in shape or get out. We ran Jamal Lewis out of town for this guy? I don’t think so. I’m perfectly fine with a Ray Rice/ Le’Ron McClain duo, at least those guys wanna be there.

One image stuck out in my mind after last night’s game, it was head coach John Harbaugh yelling in Jarret Johnson’s ear for an idiotic personal foul that completely changed the momentum of the game. Everyone knows that Hines Ward is gonna run around with a stupid grin on his face the entire game, but hit him on the field. I’ve been on Harbaugh for his all talk discipline plan, but he was giving Johnson and ear full and I appreciate seeing that. After all, that moment is when the game made a dramatic 180.

I shouldn’t be disappointed. I should look on the bright side. I should’ve expected this. But I really wanted a Monday Night win and some change and I didn’t get either.

I hate the Prime-Time Ravens. They’re a team full of big egos but not big numbers in the win column. You start getting a few cameras around a Ray Lewis starts preaching and John Harbaugh gets cocky enough to say that the Ravens are gonna start a dynasty.

Let’s start with a prime time win, shall we?

I’ve heard all about the change. All about the new offense and the discipline. All about a team that’s in shape and ready to rise to the occasion as the under appreciated underdogs. I hear a lot of things. If I were a blind man I might believe the ‘08 Ravens are different.

But I see stupid penalties. I see Jarret Johnson getting a game changing personal foul. I see a lot of running with our self proclaimed “Top 5 Running Back.” I see a few deep passes.

What’s the difference? Joe Flacco. Or Joe Cool as I’m gonna call him. We’ve got a QB who trips over his feet the first snap on Monday Night Football, but keeps a level head the rest of the game. A guy who scrambled from one side of the field to another for fourteen seconds to find an open receiver. No Joe Cool didn’t walk away victorious on Monday Night, but he was a 7 1/2 point under dog at one point.

Don’t tell me that fundamentally the 2008 Ravens are different. A few new faces maybe. But this is the same undisciplined, defensive driven, running Ravens that I’ve seen for 13 years.

Roch Kubatko is reporting that the Orioles will Chris Waters tomorrow, Brian Burres Sunday, and Radhamez Liz Monday.

I can’t wait.

In other news, the Red Sox placed on the 15 day DL with a strained right elbow.

So you’re welcome.

After his last start, Orioles manager Dave Trembley dicussed the idea of allowing Guthrie to get another day of rest, implying that he might go to a six man rotation. I guess that was before Daniel Cabrera took the hill and barely hit 90-91 MPH on his fast ball.

Doctors gave Cabrera an MRI and they don’t know what’s wrong with him. But losing another starter doesn’t help Guthrie’s chances of another day’s rest.

Do you realize at this point that Guthrie and Cabrera are the only remaining starters from Trembley’s original rotation on opening day?

I suppose September call ups cannot come soon enough. Hopefully Bowie’s Brad Bergesen gets a look, perhaps David Hernandez too…oh and lets not rule out Hayden Penn at Norfolk, barring that there are no freak lightning storms in the area that could hold him back from being called up this time.