Camden Chat

Ugly uniforms? Sure, we've had 'em-- but were those orange softball uni's the Worst Ever?

Titov — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:40:47 -0000

I'm not so sure now. A guy over at Uni Watch in Chicago -- dedicated, as it says, to "the obsesive study of athletics aesthetics" -- just did an amusing and informative piece on the evolution of the White Sox uni's (after having surveyed the Cubs') which will remind you, if you'd forgotten, just what ugly can *really* mean. Remember the shorts? Anyway, check it out, it's good ugly fun:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=lukas/080701

The opener: "The virtual ink had barely dried on Uni Watch's recent survey of Cubs uniform anomalies when the feedback started pouring in from disgruntled White Sox fans.

The typical communiqué went something like this: "After all the crazy looks we've had over the years, you've somehow decided that the Cubs have had history's most innovative, most eccentric uniforms?! It's bad enough that the Sox can't get a fair shake in their own city, where it's all Cubs, all the time. But you'd think a uniform columnist would be able to recognize the obvious, namely that the Sox have had the most wide-ranging uniform history of any team in the bigs."

Fair enough. Uni Watch, ever obsessed with small details, was drawn to the subtlety of many of the Cubbies' quirks, but there's something to be said for a team that puts its uni abnormalities right in your face. And it doesn't get much more in your face than the ChiSox, who over the years have had some of the game's most bizarre, groundbreaking uni designs.

So in the interest of equal time, here's a top-10 breakdown of great (or at least noteworthy) moments in White Sox uniform history, along with Uni Watch's assessment of which ones might've been better off staying on the drawing board."

George Sherrill in SI Magazine - Orioles Magic, baby

duck — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:29:29 -0000

Geroge Sherrill was chosen to take part in SI's weekly The Pop Culture Grid. Here's his answers that he gave to the questions posed by SI. Other respondents were Luciano Emilio (DC United player), Greg Dobbs (Phillies 1B), and Rashad Floyd (Crush (AFL, maybe?) DB). Anyway, to the answers:

Q: ______ should play me on the big screen

A: Denzel Washington (same answer Emilio gave, btw)

Q: Favorite thing to chew

A: Skoal straight

Q: _______ should be added to the dictionary

A: Imus-ism

Q: Song I'd love to sing karaoke to

A: Orioles Magic

Q: I secretly have a crush on

A: Jessica Biel

George Sherrill is the man.

Will Friday the 4th's game be a sell out for student tickets??

rconnor — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:40:13 -0000

I'm trying to gauge how early i have to get my student ticket for tomorrow afternoons game vs. the rangers....I'm thinking it might be crazy given that everyone is off work all day and able to make it to the ballpark on time. Hopefully, we supply Guthrie with some run support... you gotta feel for the guy! Please let me know what you think as well as how early you think the first fan will arrive a pickles. happy fourth

Orioles Most Likely Headed Out of Ft. Lauderdale Following FAA Ruling

Patrick L. Kennedy — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:25:43 -0000

The FAA has declined the City of Ft. Lauderdale's request to keep rent for the Orioles artificially low at Ft. Lauderdale stadium, and as a result, Baltimore will most likely relocate north for the 2010 season. The Orioles are not expected to pay $1.3 million annually to stay in Ft. Lauderdale, which is what the FAA wants to charge them. They are paying between $70,000-$120,000 currently.

The FAA's decision might be appealed, but barring a reversal at a higher level it could spell the end of a nearly-50 year tradition of spring training in Ft. Lauderdale. The $40 million renovation plan for Ft. Lauderdale Stadium was contingent upon the FAA exempting the Orioles and the City from "fair market value" lease payments.

Though I am the Rays blogger here locally at SBN, I do consider myself a connoisseur of Florida Spring Training, and this is of interest to me. On the one hand, I am happy at the prospect that Dodgertown would be returned to service, but on the other hand I'm sad to see another tradition abandoned in Ft. Lauderdale. Still, this decision meets with the economic realities of a "grown-up" Florida, and Spring Training became less and less valuable to Ft. Lauderdale as the city grew into a large part of a major metro area. ST is far more integral to a place like Vero Beach.

It's definitely a shame to see these old sites left behind; we're going through the same thing currently with Al Lang Field in St. Petersburg, and it is kind of chickenshit how the FAA is scuttling this deal. They're going to torpedo an economic booster to the area just because they decide now is the right time to jack up the rent. It is the eptiome of know-nothing, disconnected government.

Dear Awesome Mike Awesome,

zknower — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:10:39 -0000

In discussion of our bet earlier, at one point you said:

15.5 behind the Sox and 15.5 behind first place is the same thing.

Now, I'm a logic guy, and from this I infer that you're saying the Red Sox will be in first place at the end of the season.

But, being a logic guy, I can't help noticing that the Rays are actually in first place right now, 3.5 games ahead of Boston.

So here's the part I don't understand. If you're saying Boston will be in first place at the end of the season, doesn't that mean the Sox will have to figure out how to beat the Rays on the road at some point instead of being swept?

I'm confused.

Joe Buck Admits He Rarely Watches Sports, Has No Time for Baseball

Jonny Pops — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:53:19 -0000

Joe Buck admitted this morning on Colin Cowherd's show on ESPN Radio that he rarely watches sports on television and that he feels baseball is too big of a time commitment for people to be able to follow. Buck noted that The Bachelorette is part of his television viewing repertoire however.

I've never liked this fucking guy. I've never liked FOX's coverage of the sport. But to hear that this spoiled little shit doesn't even fucking watch sports and then has the audacity to make lame ass excuses about it, pisses me off to no end. Can some of the lawyers around here tell me if it's possible for the government, or any other semi-functional entity, to take control of the broadcasting rights away from FOX on grounds of the incompetence they put in their announcing booth?

You can hear the offending clip here.

The NL Needs the DH

BSmitty — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:20:07 -0000

A number of current MLB controversies have made it clear that the game is moving forward into a new era. One fan tries to find the best balance between past and present.

From http://www.splicetoday.com/sports/the-nl-needs-the-dh

Baseball is an exhilarating yet frustrating mess of contradictions, and this fan is caught in the trap—like millions of other men and women (save George Will, whose pompous moral certitude about the sport is immutable)—of trying to reconcile “purist” instincts with the undeniable improvements in the game over the past several decades. Last weekend, for example, while watching a slew of inter-league contests via the MLB “Extra Innings” package (which, regardless of varying prices depending on your locale and cable provider, costs less for an entire season of televised games than one day at a stadium for a family of four), I finally switched gears and figured it was time for the National League to acquiesce and adopt the still-controversial designated hitter rule.

Heresy, I guess, but what the hell; if you’re a Milwaukee Brewers’ devotee, wouldn’t it be delightful to see the world’s tubbiest vegetarian, Prince Fielder, in the dugout, contemplating his next plate appearance, instead of anchored at first base? One league’s dominance over the other usually runs in cycles, but the N.L. seems mired in a slump that’s likely to run longer than the Great Depression, and this was evident once again over the weekend. Sure, the strategy required of an N.L. manager is more intricate than A.L. counterparts with double-switches and more sacrifice bunts, but the two leagues might be more competitive if older free agents (or crummy fielders) could extend their careers as a DH.

That said, and here’s one of those curveballs, I can’t stand inter-league play, even though it pumps up attendance and allows fans to see star players who were once a mystery aside from the All-Star game (which, of course, has devolved into a meaningless exhibition game instead of a proud showcase) or the World Series. My 13-year-old son, with whom I have the pleasure of sitting next to in our matching easy chairs in the homestead’s television room, adamantly disagrees, but I chalk that up to his participation in a fantasy league with a bunch of school buddies. I just don’t like the disruption of the season’s rhythm, the fake “rivalries” cooked up by MLB schedule makers—sure, the Cubs and White Sox make sense, but the Rockies and Tigers?—for the sake of novelty and profit.

See the rest at http://www.splicetoday.com/sports/the-nl-needs-the-dh

Cintron to the DL, 'Shoes' called up

Dr Orpheus — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:19:41 -0000

Well, that idea didn't last long.

Roch is reporting that Cintron has been placed on the DL and Freddie 'Shoes' Bynum's contract has been purchased.

This is kind of cruel. Bynum was just released, then, all of a sudden, he's looking great now that Cintron is down and Fahey's the only other option.

Where does this team go from here? Do we see the team begin the free-fall pundits expected to see at Spring Training? Do they dig a trench at .500 and hope to God they stay there? What happens?

And is it bad that part of me wants to see the team start to falter? That way trades can be made. Huff, Sherill, Payton, Bradford, and Walker (when he returns from the DL) could be traded relatively soon after it becomes evident that the team will be sliding. There has to be a way to pry a shortstop away from some team. I'm still hoping for a trade with the Brewers. They have a fantastic prospect in Double-A who could really be a difference maker for the Os in a couple years.

Heck, trade Cabrera. I'm tried of rooting for this guy only to have him stumble over his own tree trunk of a body/fortitude and turn back into 'Wild Thing'.

Need some suggestions

BPinOK — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:47:02 -0000

My wife and I are flying in tomorrow on a quick two day stop before driving on to PA to visit family. We will be attending the Wednesday and Thursday games. I asked a while back and saved most of those suggestions but thought I'd ask again just to make sure. Any suggestions on places to eat and drink around the ballpark that we need to check out? Nothing too touristy. We also thought about heading over to Fells Point one night as well. We are staying at the Marriott by the ballpark I believe.

Thanks everyone.

Switch-pitcher switch-hitter awesomeness

zknower — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:28:49 -0000

Back in the beginning of April 6, there was a brief discussion started by Jonnypops about switch pitcher Pat Venditte, drafted by the Yankees this year. In the thread, punkrawka expressed a desire to see a switch-pitcher/switch-hitter matchup before his demise.

Punk, your wish is granted. Venditte made his professional debut for the Staten Island Yankees against the Brooklyn Cyclones on June 19. With the Cyclones trailing 7-2, Venditte came on to close the door in the ninth. He retired two batters, then gave up a hit. With two outs, and a possible comeback in the making, Ralph Enriquez, a switch-hitter, strode to the plate....

The video is hilarious. It starts with the previous batter, and then Enriquez steps in (off camera) at the :45 mark. Be forewarned the video is over 8 minutes long! Of special note is the 4:36 mark, where you can watch the whole sequence from the centerfield camera, which gives you a better idea of the cat-and-mouse game than the initial angles they show.

And here's the NY Times write-up on the incident from two days later.

New "We Win, You Win' promotion

MiamiMagic — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:44:52 -0000

I guess the Sunday struggles have finally gotten to the folks in the Warehouse. They just released a "We Win, You Win" promotion. Kind of cool, actually.

O's aim to snap Sunday losing streak

In an effort to reverse their struggles in Sunday games this season, the Orioles have announced the first-ever "We Win, You Win" promotion at Camden Yards. The team is encouraging fans to come out to provide extra support for the ballclub at the Sunday, July 6 game vs. the Texas Rangers at 1:35 p.m. If the Orioles defeat the Rangers that day, all fans in attendance will receive a complimentary ticket in the same seating category to any future non-prime game.

Sounds like a pretty good idea from the club. Getting those extra fans might make the difference!

Poll

Will the promotion get you out to the ballpark on Sunday?

Loewen in, Walker out

Baltimo — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 20:12:01 -0000

So Adam Loewen is back with the team now, hoping to finally get some quality time at the big league level after receiving much hype coming into the organization. I don't really feel like adding in my own comments here as Loewen just frustrates me; I was a big believer when the O's drafted him, but my hopes now are that he can fill out as a back of the end rotation guy. This is a fairly disappointing announcement today as Jamie Walker will now attract absolutely no prospects at all but yet remain on the team. Hopefully Dave can realize that after the all-star break he no longer has to play Walker because you are no longer allowed to trade players in August.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/roch/blog/2008/06/roster_move_20.html#comments

On an entirely unrelated note, the Orioles are having a "We win, You win," promotion. Basically if the Orioles finally break their Sunday losing streak this week against the Royals, everyone is going to get free tickets to another game. Pretty cool if you ask me.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-ospromo630,0,1731630.story

Jay Gibbons is the Pizza Hut K-Man

birdman — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 20:26:49 -0000

Article here.

The crowd cheered for him to fail. It's the same story with any visiting player picked to be the Pizza Hut K-Man at Sovereign Bank Stadium.

If the K-man strikes out, the crowd wins free breadsticks. So the crowd responds with typical free-food wanderlust.

They stand. They scream. They get ugly.

But it seemed particularly ruthless Friday night.

Jay Gibbons, 31, has gone from Baltimore Orioles outfielder, million-dollar talent, to boo material. In York - a place where Gibbons signed autographs five or six times for diehard O's fans - it took three pitches for him to strike out in his first at-bat.

http://ydr.inyork.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=2001401

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Feel a little bit bad for Gibby. The contest is suppose to be fun and I'm sure Gibbons is used to jeering. Plus, he's making a ton of money and he did strikeout. But these contests are mean. Reminds me of Gladiator where people are rooting for humiliation. Or a scene from the Simpsons when Moe opens up a new restaurant and some kid throws crap at while singing happy birthday and Moe responds with "That's great kid, taking my dignity and all."

So can we offically declare Mora as the worst 3B in the league yet?

UMterp08 — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:59:46 -0000

Third base is typically a power position with those players expected to anchor their respective line ups. Teams are getting this average production out of their third base spot:

2006: .804 OPS

2007: .782 OPS

2008: .779 OPS

Mora on the other hand has given us the fantastic stats of:

2006: .733 OPS (18th out of 22 qualifed 3B)

2007: .759 OPS (14th out of 19)

2008: .691 OPS (21st out of 23)

I'm not an expert on fielding, but I believe it is the consensus here that hes on dreadful on defense. In fact in the latest Fielding Bible rankings, he got the second least votes in his position (only ahead of Chipper Jones).

This year, the only two 3Bs that are (barely) worse than MelMo is Jack Hannahan in Oakland and Bill Hall with the Brewers. Hannahan was simply filling in for Eric Chavez and no longer starts, and Hall was recently displaced by Russell Branyan. Due to that, and his 2/8 steals rate and terrible defense, we have the absolute worst 3B in the league on our hands. And this clown is our #3 hitter!!!!! Can't Trembly look past this respect/seniority bull crap and bat him lower in the line up or something? I would say bench him, but we know that won't happen. Mora, outside of a few big hits, has been killing this team in every plausable way and something needs to be done.

Phat Albers out for two months to a year

the fix is in — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:44:08 -0000

MRI exam shows right-hander is suffering from torn right labrum

via www.baltimoresun.com

WASHINGTON -- One day after putting reliever Matt Albers on the 15-day disabled list, the Orioles got word Friday that the right-hander will not be ready in 15 days. An MRI on Albers' injured right shoulder showed that the reliever was suffering from a tear in his labrum.

Dave Trembley expands:

"He could rehab it, but if he rehabbed it, it would probably be almost a two-month period before he could pitch again," Trembley said. "Or he could go the route of surgery. He wants to discuss that with some people and consider what he's going to do. Obviously, that's a real big blow for our club. He did such a great job for us."

Albers status not encouraging to O's

This is definitely NOT GOOD NEWS at all. Albers has been eating up innings all year, and although he makes me nervous at times, I would always much rather have him come in the game than almost anyone else, including ChadBrad, Walker, and even Sarfate.

There's a hole in our bullpen now. I haven't looked at the AAA roster, so I have no idea who we're gonna call up.

OT: Great Web Content

Jonny Pops — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:41:42 -0000

I love finding new, interesting websites. It goes without saying that the Internets are an unbelievable resource, that over time just continue to grow and in many ways improve. Trouble is, there's just so damn much out there, sometimes it's hard to get your bearings and without a little guidance or a tip. So I thought since we do a lot of OT stuff on music, movies and even tv shows on here, it might be time to steer a discussion back to the medium we're all taking part in.

Just as a starter, what I'm asking is for you to name five or so great websites. Can be any topic (sans porn or other sexy-time sites, please), any format - blog, database, search engine, plain & simple html. Try to think of something a little off the beaten path though. We all know The Google is good for searching for stuff and Photobucket is a good place to store image files. The idea should be to try to turn people on to something new, a good resource, a great way to find stuff, a music blog with opinions you value etc. etc. You get the picture.

Orioles (40-37) @ Nationals (31-49), 6/27/08

daveh873 — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:44:12 -0000

No gameday thread yet, so we can talk here for now. Here's a few topics: Good Danny/ Bad Danny? How about Fahey (ugh)? How YOU doin'? Also, the yanks got creamed today by the mets in game one, so 1 more loss by them tonight and a win by us, and we're tied for 3rd. aint life grand?

D. Cabrera Bal	vs.	O. Pérez Was

5-3	Record	2-5
4.46	ERA	4.09
60	K	48
44	BB	28
1.38	WHIP	1.54

[Note by Stacey, 06/27/08 8:21 PM EDT ] Thanks for putting this up, Dave. I changed the title and added the pitchers from Yahoo. Go O's!

He's back

Baltimo — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 21:42:08 -0000

It was an odd move to me when the club told shortstop Freddie Bynum to pack his bags and head back to AAA Norfolk as it left a gaping hole for a backup shortstop as there really is no one who could fill that void without starting the domino effect and disrupting the rest of the team. Bynum was given his chance and wasn't able to bat above .200, but you still gotta feel bad for the guy because he is one of those players who you could tell really put it all on the line and loved the game.

As some of you may be aware, the Orioles have had a minor problem at the shortstop position this year. Brandon Fahey was given his own chance earlier in the year and posted a robust .200/.231/.240; compare that to Freddie Bynum's .192/.238/.242. Virtually identical stats, but it can be said that Bynum is more solid in the field, but make no mistake he is no more than average himself. The only reason that I believe they favor Fahey is because he was sent back down to Norfolk and did pretty well early but really, really tailed off as of late. I watch minor league baseball extensively and I can tell you that Fahey is no better, he is still a sack of shit. The O's decided to call him up today and it looks like he will back up Cintron until he falls under .200 himself and/or the O's acquire someone outside the organization.

Fahey was called up at the expense of Oscar Salazar who showed some promise, and a lot of people really liked him, but he just didn't fit in anywhere in particular.

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/roch/blog/2008/06/roster_move_19.html#comments

Rumor from Rosenthal: O's might acquire Lopez

birdman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:34:07 -0000

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8290500/O's-have-interest-in-deal-for-infielder-Lopez?CMP=OTC-K9B140813162&ATT=49

The Orioles, desperately seeking a shortstop, have engaged in substantive conversations with the Nationals about a trade for infielder Felipe Lopez, according to major league sources.

The Nationals reportedly are close to signing shortstop Cristian Guzman to a two-year contract extension for an unknown dollar amount and are unlikely to retain Lopez as a free agent after this season.

In return for Lopez, the Nationals likely would receive a marginal minor-league prospect.

The Orioles have been looking for help at shortstop ever since trading Miguel Tejada to the Astros last off-season.

Lopez is hitting .247 with 25 runs and 20 RBI.

If a deal is completed, it likely would not be announced until after the completion of the Orioles-Nationals series this weekend in Washington, sources say.

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Pretty much a worthless trade especially since Lopez is a 3 month rental. But if the O's give up next to nothing to get him, I suppose it can't hurt either.

Pink Hat Nation Article

birdman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 17:13:36 -0000

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/fashion/articles/2008/06/26/why_is_this_pink_hat_so_hated/?page=full

via www.massbaytrading.com

Next to Yankees caps and Giants jerseys, the pink Red Sox cap has become the most polarizing piece of clothing a Bostonian can wear. Fans of the hats think they're simply a cute way to show their love for the Sox. Haters say pink-hat owners are latecomers who only support the Sox because it's suddenly cool - even fashionable - to do so. Pink-hat wearers haven't suffered sufficiently, they reason. No one suffers in pink.

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Thought this article was amusing. I was hoping to find a picture of Curt Schilling, or even AMA would do :), in a pink but I had no such luck.