Don't smile. Whatever you do, don't smile. This is not funny... (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
While the city of Baltimore remains inexplicably allied to the Washington Capitals’ playoff run (Why?! I will never understand it. I wouldn’t root for the Wizards and the Redskins and Nats are not my #2 teams in football and baseball so why in god’s name would I root for the Caps? Go Flyers.), the NFL draft drones on (what is it now, three more weeks to go?), the Orioles continue to torment me with their success. Why torment? Because this team is so epically bad on paper, it is the team that truly looked like a rebuilding team, the kind of rebuilding that happens when you are building a sand castle at low tide. The kind of rebuilding that causes you to ditch the few assets with any value for a bunch of assets with even less value.
2011 looked like a team ready to make a leap based on what would turn out to be unfounded optimism. 2010 had a number of proven pieces that resembled a .500 team back in March. We know how those years turned out. Yet here we are about to turn the calendar to May and no matter what happens the Orioles will still be over .500 on May 1. So… what gives? READ MORE >>>
May 16, 2011 – The last time Brian Roberts took the field for the Baltimore Orioles. Exactly 339 days ago.
Predicting when or if Roberts will ever return to the Orioles lineup is as difficult as wrapping your head around the notion of infinity or comprehending the end of LOST. But here at BSR we’re watching eagerly and hoping that Brian Roberts will someday soon make a triumphant return.
Brian Roberts will accompany the team to anaheim, which is a good sign. Been on entire three city trip. #orioles.
B-Rob Optimism-O-meter
3.5/5 Smiley Brians – After initial reports that Roberts may stay back, this is an encouraging sign. Roch Kubatko reported on Wednesday that Roberts would have to get the ok from his doctor to make the trip to Anaheim. We’re still not sure how close Roberts is to being able to return, but we’ll take what we can get for now. READ MORE >>>
May 16, 2011 – The last time Brian Roberts took the field for the Baltimore Orioles. Exactly 336 days ago.
Predicting when or if Roberts will ever return to the Orioles lineup is as difficult as wrapping your head around the notion of infinity or comprehending the end of LOST. But here at BSR we’re watching eagerly and hoping that Brian Roberts will someday soon make a triumphant return.
“They both seem very interested in that aspect and it’s something I feel like I have quite a bit of experience at,” said Roberts, who has 274 career stolen bases, including three consecutive seasons with 35 or more steals from 2006-08. “I think that if I’m here I need to use it for a reason. And sometimes when you are playing you are so focused on what you have to do that you don’t get the opportunity to really, as much as you should, take time to help other people with the things you are good at.”
B-Rob Optimism-O-meter
2.5/5 Smiley Brians – Certainly an encouraging story and good sign that Roberts is able to help the team while on the disabled list, but no new insight on a potential return to the Orioles line up.
I learned two things this week. 1) McDonald’s serves breakfast at 4:30 AM. An Egg McMuffin tastes just as good at the ass crack of dawn 2) I hate that small smear of toothpaste that sticks to the corner of your mouth even after you’re done rinsing. You can do things to the sink that would make the most seasoned porn star shudder and it’s still there, waiting for somebody to notice it and call you out for looking like that exact same porn star after wrapping a shoot. Then you’ve gotta wipe it off after you JUST washed your hands (not clean anymore). Oh yeah, and sports. I watched sports too.
How was your week?
Well, at the time I’m writing this, Camden Yards is still home to a winning baseball team, so I’d say pretty damn good. Granted, the Yankees sweep was rough, but that’s going to happen. Them boys from New York are pretty good, and they pick the bones clean against lefties (.360 OBP and .467 SLG vs. LHP in 2011 – both the best numbers in MLB). If Mark Reynolds had thrown the ball from A to B, and if Jones slapped a single up the middle, then we’re listening to Skip Bayless’ genius prognostication of the Orioles winning the World Series.
May 16, 2011 – The last time Brian Roberts took the field for the Baltimore Orioles. Exactly 330 days ago.
Predicting when or if Roberts will ever return to the Orioles lineup is as difficult as wrapping your head around the notion of infinity or comprehending the end of LOST. But here at BSR we’re watching eagerly and hoping that Brian Roberts will someday soon make a triumphant return.
Much like Bruce Dickerson seeking more cowbell, groups of Orioles fans are been asking for more Nolan Reimold since his breakout season in 2009.
Personally, I’ve never understood the obsession. Reimold hit .279 in his rookie season three years ago, but has struggled to show any consistency at the plate. 2010 was disastrous, he hit .207 in 39 games spending the majority of his days with the Tides in Norfolk. Last season, Reimold hit just .247 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI in 87 games in the bigs.
MLB Network’s 30 teams in 30 days featured the Orioles yesterday and Reimold is the slated as the O’s leadoff hitter while Brian Roberts continues to remain on the shelf. If this spring is any indication, Reimold likely won’t be the breakout player that fans are hoping he can become. He hit just .179 in 56 at bats this spring, driving in just 2 runs on his two home runs.
I don’t find second base to be very fun this year. I have my doubts about almost all of them. It’s hard to rely on these guys. Second base is in a transitional period where the ones who have been good for years are starting to fall off, and the ones who are supposed to be the next generation haven’t really proven anything yet.
2012 Fantasy Second Base Rankings
1. Robinson Cano (NYY)
2. Dustin Pedroia (BOS)
3. Dan Uggla (ATL)
4. Ian Kinsler (TEX)
5. Michael Cuddyer (COL)
6. Michael Young (TEX)
7. Ben Zobrist (TB)
8. Dustin Ackley (SEA)
9. Brandon Phillips (CIN)
10. Rickie Weeks (MIL)
11. Howie Kendrick (LAA)
12. Gordon Beckham (CWS)
13. Jemile Weeks (OAK)
14. Jason Kipnis (CLE)
15. Danny Espinosa (WAS) READ MORE >>>
Donning Loyal Greyhounds jerseys, Nick Markakis, Brian Roberts, Adam Jones and Buck Showalter sent a video message to Jimmy Patsos and Loyola. The O’s wished the hounds the best of luck in the NCAA tournament and they’re going to need it.
The Fantasy God stops by to give some Fantasy Baseball pointers for the upcoming season. The guys discuss the Matt’s Hangover-esque weekend, the NCAA tournament, Brian Roberts’ chances of playing this season and Jessica Biel’s dazzling magazine cover.
Join Zach, Patrick and Matt for this week’s edition of the best sports podcast in Baltimore, the BSR Podcast.
Here are some of the topics discussed on this week’s show:
Matt Relives The Hangover
Matt Lund shares the story of the bachelor party he attended this weekend.
He tells the guys how to change a flat tire on a limo and avoid a brawl in McDonalds at 4 A.M.
Also daylight savings sucks.
Fantasy Baseball With The Fantasy God
BSR’s Fantasy God, Mark Brown, joined the guys to help out with upcoming Fantasy Baseball Drafts.
The Fantasy God gives his studs and duds and predicts the future for the upcoming season.
The guys pick Mark’s brain about the upcoming Wrestlemania.
This bad picture was snapped by MASNSports.com's Roch Kubatko.
The Orioles got more good news from Brian Roberts out in Sarasota today. Their second baseman took batting practice from both sides of the plate yesterday and returned to the field for practice again this morning.
Roch Kubatko at MASNSports.com says that Roberts considers taking BP as a significant step in his recovery. ”I think my doctor would probably agree that getting in an environment where there’s a lot going on is a big step because it’s part of the progression, trying to reacclimate into those environments.”
“Of course, it’s a tough task. It’s a task that needs to be accomplished. I don’t care…we play the Yankees, we play the Red Sox, cool… excuse my French but let’s bust their ASS.” This was the answer that Adam Jones gave on ESPN Radio this week when he was asked about being in the AL East and having to face the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular basis. That answer reaffirmed one thing I have always known about Jones: he is on his way to being a superstar and needs to be the future of this franchise.
The Orioles have been the doormats of the AL East for the last three years and have not had a winning season in fourteen years, but Jones clearly does not have that losing mentality. In the beginning of the interview Jones was asked about his mindset this spring after coming off a career year and said, “ I want to win. It’s a team sport, winning is all that matters.” Having this attitude is the only way the Orioles will be able to beat the Red Sox and Yankees in their head-to-head match-ups this season. Jones’ attitude is very refreshing and it is the precise mindset he needs to emerge as the leader on this team. READ MORE >>>
There is a huge bottle of champagne on the shelf at Pickles Pub with a note that says, “This will be opened, and on the house, the day that the Orioles win the World Series.” I want nothing more than to be there when that happens. Born in August of 1983, two months before the Orioles won the World Series, my baseball fandom has been filled with nothing but disappointment as my beloved O’s have been relegated to the laughing stock of the league. Certainly this season I am hoping Kevin Lynch is right and that the Orioles can contend, but the prognosticators think differently and expect another last place campaign for the Birds.
With pitchers and catchers already in Florida and the postion players heading there soon, there is optimism, as there always is, but also many questions about the 2012 Orioles. Here is my take on some of the burning questions regarding the Orioles coming into the season.
Who will be in the starting rotation?
They say there is no such thing as too much pitching and the Orioles certainly have a lot pitching, albeit not a ton of household names. Certainly the “locks” in the starting rotation, if healthy, are Zach Britton and Brian Matusz. That’s two spots filled if those players can stay injury-free. But who takes the other three? READ MORE >>>
The guys are back for another edition of the BSR Podcast. Just like Jimmy The Greek, Patrick swept the weekend with his Divisional playoff picks and he made sure that everyone knew it.
You can get in touch with the BSR Podcast by sending your emails to podcast@baltimoresportsreport.com or leaving a voicemail at 443-379-4BSR (4377).
Here are some of topics discussed in this week’s show:
Unfortunately today’s top story on Yahoo Sports is this piece by Jeff Passan. Passan says that “Baltimore remains a dead-end destination” and blames ownership for the Orioles’ woes. He talks about why Prince Fielder will not want to come to Baltimore, the worries of Brian Matusz, and the fall of Brian Roberts. It’s hard to refute anything that Passan says in the article.
Lots more Orioles buzz happening on a busy Friday: READ MORE >>>
With all the hot Orioles talk lately from the readers of BSR, I figured I’d stir the pot some more. Trying to invoke some New Year’s spirit, I’ve decided to address the New Year’s resolutions of our beloved Orioles team. I’m not sure what the actual resolution of each guy truly is, but I can easily tell you what they should be.
2012 Baltimore Orioles New Year’s Resolutions:
Matt Wieters’ New Year’s Resolution is to surpass the offensive statistics of Brian McCann- Along with guys like Joe Mauer and Victor Martinez, McCann has been considered one of the league’s elite catchers over the past 6 years. When Matt Wieters was drafted scouts were saying that he would hit for the average of Joe Mauer and with the power of Brian McCann. Bypassing McCann would be a major feat and would immediately put Wieters into elite status. In 2011 McCann put up .270/24/71. Wieters put up .262/22/68. So they were already close. Wieters will be entering his 3rd full major league season and is still only 25 years old. If he were able to jump McCann in 2012, then the Orioles know they have a legit #3 batting switch hitting catcher. Have I mentioned that his defense has already surpassed McCann’s?
Mark Reynolds’ New Year’s Resolution is to at least reach his career batting average- It’s only a .238 career average. That seems pretty bad right? It’s actually pretty solid compared to the .198 he put up in 2010, and the .221 he put up in 2011. READ MORE >>>
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