Free Kicks: Manny, O's, and NBA Playoffs Edition

Why am I Not Surprised?
I was not one of those baseball fans who cheered with glee when A-Rod finally admitted to his steroid use, and didn’t yell a quick “A ha!” when Selena Roberts’ upcoming book asserted that he has used for years even after his move from Texas. As such, when it was discovered that Manny Ramirez had been suspended for 50 games for use of a banned substance I simply shook my head. I, like many baseball fans, simply want all of this to be gone. Honestly, I don’t want to know anymore which players were juicing or whatever other chemicals were in their system. I am tired of every great hitter being attached to substance violations in one way or another. Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, A-Rod, Palmeiro (who was my favorite player growing up), and now Manny? I want to believe Albert Pujols when he defiantly goes out and says he has never and will never use performance enhancing drugs, but unfortunately for him I just can’t believe it anymore.

Is the Commissioner’s office partly culpable? Absolutely- Selig could have put a stop to this early but chose to ignore it, riding the waves of popularity in the sport before reality hit. Are doctors responsible? Partly. They sometimes gave their patients these supplements and assured them they were legal under the drug policy, only later finding out they were badly mistaken. But in the end it comes down to the players. Three years ago this would have been huge news. How sad it is that it is now just something to shrug about and move on.

An Uncomfortable “Sweep”
A two game “sweep” is a bit of a misnomer considering the Orioles won their first two games of their first two series and failed to take the third. But if I get to say that the Orioles swept the Twins I will take it, and I do think we learned a lot over this game and two-thirds (considering the first was called after 6 innings). The good news is that the top of the order doesn’t necessarily have to run the show, as Jones, Markakis and Roberts all went hitless in last night’s ballgame. Additionally, Lou Montanez and Gregg Zaun have started to come around, with Zaun getting a hit in 8 of his last 19 at-bats and Montanez driving in a game winning run in the 8th. We should also be pleased that Brad Bergesen is settling into about where we expected- he could have easily been blown up on his call up to the majors. Sure, his 4.98 ERA is not ideal and his WHIP is higher than it should be, but he has shown consistency in his last two starts, going 6 innings and giving up 3 runs in each. That is more than one can say about Mark Hendrickson, who has yet to pitch 6 innings this season. The bad news is that the bullpen is still not solid, with Dennis Sarfate going on the DL with a circulatory problem that could threaten his career. All things considered this could be the right way to open up a homestand against the struggling Yankees, even with the return of Alex Rodriguez to the lineup.

NBA Predictions
Okay, I have long lamented the lack of an NBA presence on this blog, for the simple and irreconcilable reason that Baltimore does not have a rooting interest anywhere. I would never root for a DC team, and most Baltimore fans couldn’t care less about my team (the 76ers). However, there is nothing quite like the NBA playoffs, and so I had to share some thoughts on the conference semifinal action:

Cavs lead Hawks in the series, 2-0: Honestly, I figured at some point they would tack on an extra win with the way the Cavaliers have beat down on the Hawks. At first I had this series going to 6 games… now I can’t see anything but a sweep. This team is on a mission.

Lakers tied with Rockets in the series, 1-1: I really like the way the Rockets are performing in the playoffs. Yao Ming has been so physical inside (which had been a problem in the playoffs in the last few years) and Ron Artest, when able to produce offensively is one of the best overall players in the game. The loss of Derek Fisher will hurt the Lakers more than they think, and Aaron Brook’s sharpshooting will give the Rockets a win in game 3. This one will go to seven, with the Lakers taking one in Houston and game seven at home.

Celtics tied with Magic in the series, 1-1: I am very worried if I am a Magic fan about game 3. Without Rafer Alston, the Magic lack the floor general required to distribute the ball to Orlando’s sharpshooters and create opportunities for Dwight Howard. This could get ugly if the Magic simply force the ball inside and aren’t able to move the basketball around the perimeter. I think Orlando is the better team, but Boston has the playoff experience to take game three tonight.

Nuggets lead Mavericks in the series, 2-0: I like the Rockets, but I love the way the Nuggets are playing right now. Having lived in Michigan (and about to move back there), I have had my share of experience watching Chauncey Billups and I loved the trade for Chauncey from the Nuggets side of things. He has provided a solid leadership figure, a confident clutch performer, and a desire to play great defense to this Denver squad, something they never had before he arrived. He has given this team a little bit of Detroit grit and they are showing it in the playoffs. Expect this series to end in 5, with the Mavs pulling it all together for just one game.

Looking Back: 2008 Orioles Trades

The Orioles went absent from this year's trade deadline, which isn't entirely surprising. Earlier, George Sherrill seemed to peak some team's interest, but MacPhail's wanting a future shortstop halted most talks. Perhaps the struggle to sign 2008 5th round pick Gregory Miclat had something to do with that (he is finalizing a deal soon, Windsor I expect a Prospect Report on him before the year ends!). But, let's take a stroll down memory lane and take a look at the Orioles trades this year and see how they worked out.
(Note: all pictures show players from their former teams)

December 11th, 2007: Orioles trade shortstop Miguel Tejada (left) to the Houston Astros for outfielder Luke Scott (middle), pitcher Dennis Sarfate (right), pitcher Matt Albers, pitcher Troy Patton, and third baseman Mike Costanzo.

The reasons: All right, I'm cheating by a month, but it mainly affected 2008. Tejada supposedly wanted out of Baltimore and his value had gone way down since two years before. Two days before he'd be named in the Mitchell Report, Tejada was traded to the Houston Astros for five players. The Orioles big land was Troy Patton, a possible future star pitcher.

Results: Often trades don't work out for both teams, but this trade seemed to. Though Patton got hurt before serious work, the Birds found usefulness in three other players. Scott has been a fan favorite as the primary left fielder, Sarfate has been a solid reliever in the new bullpen, and Albers was a solid long reliever before his season-ending injury. Despite controversies with his age and steroids, Tejada became an All-Star shortstop for the Astros. Everybody wins on this deal.


January 2, 2008: Orioles give cash to Philadelphia Phillies for centerfielder Chris Roberson.

The reasons: Don't worry if you never heard about this, Roberson was on the Phillies Triple-A club. The Orioles were trying to rebuild their farm system before the season's start, and Roberson's decent play when up in the majors briefly must have enticed MacPhail. The Phillies got cash for Roberson.

Results: Baltimore getting Adam Jones the next month would nullify the need for a future centerfielder. Though he has had decent success with the Norfolk Tides, 28-year-old Roberson isn't expected to be a big part of the Orioles future.















February 8th, 2008: Orioles trade ace Erik Bedard (left) to Seattle Mariners for outfielder Adam Jones (center), and pitchers George Sherrill (right), Chris Tillman, Tony Butler, and Kam Mickolio.

The reasons: The Orioles, still trying to rebuild the farm system with solid future prospects, were trying to deal Erik Bedard, a low paid lefty ace that wasn't happy in Baltimore. They found a suitor in the Mariners, who were looking for a top ace for a possible race in the AL West. Seattle traded their best prospect, Adam Jones, along with four other pitchers to the Orioles. Both sides seemed happy, Seattle got their ace and the Orioles got solid future players.

Results: Jones immediately began as the Orioles centerfielder, steadily improving during the year and is a big part of their future. Sherrill took the role as closer, making to the All-Star Game and as of today saving 30 games, not to mention a fan favorite with the duckbill cap. Mickolio and Tillman have shown decent progress in the minors. As for Bedard? The Orioles seemed to have a crystal ball on this one. Though Bedard is 6-4 in 15 starts, he's constantly been on the injured list and seems to be just as unfriendly in Seattle as he was in Baltimore. Big, big, big win for the Orioles. The Mariners might still get the ace in Bedard, but it looked like they blew it on this one.

July 19th, 2008: Orioles trade infielder Mike McCoy to Colorado Rockies for infielder Juan Castro.

The reasons: With the injury of Alex Cintron and the struggles of Freddie Bynum and Luis Hernandez, the Orioles were looking for a new shortstop. Knowing they weren't going to get a star in trades, MacPhail elected for the temporary fix, trading Mike McCoy for the veteran Juan Castro.

Results: Though not showing much with the bat, 36-year-old Castro is helping out with the glove, giving strong defensive help at short, which would send Bynum out of the majors. McCoy is doing well in the Rockies farm system in his short time with the Triple-A Sky Sox (I just wanted to say Sky Sox on this blog). Neither is expected to be a huge deal, but time will tell for 27-year-old McCoy.

Overall, McPhail has done a very good job so far on trades with the Orioles. These trades have landed key pieces to the Orioles system without giving up too much. But, as we always have mentioned around here, more work needs to be done before the Orioles can be back to glory days.

(Photo credits: Minorleaguebaseball.com (Jones), MLB (Bedard, Sherill, Scott, Sarfate, Castro), ESPN (Tejada), Sportsline.ca (Roberson)

Filling the Void

The loss of Matt Albers has left a void in the O's bullpen that's becoming more and more evident. With the young birds' rotation is still trying to find it's way, there needs to be an arm (or arms) capable of shutting down the sixth and/or seventh innings in order to get to JJ and The Sherriff at the back end. So with the recent shuffling of the bullpen, let's whittle down the candidates for his replacement. This is excluding the back end (JJ, Sherrill), pitchers in rehab or DL (Randor Bierd, Jamie Walker), and Ryan Bukvich (if he hasn't been DFA'd by the time this post is made).

-Dennis Sarfate - Next to Loewen and Jim Johnson, Sarfate has the best natural arm in this pen. Sarfate hits 95-98 mph with relative ease with his fastball and has an excellent hard slider. However, Sarfate has a history of wildness (34 walks in 37.2 ip) and thus can be susceptible to the big inning.
-Fernando Cabrera - We haven't seen much of Fernando, and there is most likely a reason. Certainly Trembley will look to give him more opportunities, as both of his appearances have been scoreless this season. However, his reputation of wildness preceeds him and its unlikely that he'll settle into the lockdown middle relief this team is seeking.
-Chad Bradford - Safest guy to lock down the seventh. Balls aren't going to leave the yard with Bradford, and he's not going to get psyched out like some of the younger pitchers. Bradford is a stabilizer, which is exactly what you want. However, he's too valuable situationally to have him etched in to a specific inning. Far better to save the submariner for when you need him -- be it in the sixth, seventh, or eighth.
-Adam Loewen - Certainly has all the tools, the competitiveness, and the ability to go multiple innings without tiring. However, Loewen has had a roller coaster season from injury to poor performance. He has the gifts and the competitiveness, but he's not eased in enough to be relied on here and now.
-Lance Cormier - Probably the most deserving pitcher to get the Albers role. Like Albers Cormier is a former starter who has found exponentially more success coming out of the pen. In his past nine appearances he has pitched 15.2 innings and only allowed 3 earned runs, two of which coming at Wrigley when he was thrust into replacing Albers in the first inning. Of those nine appearances, six were of at least two innings.

Right now smart money is on Lance Cormier, who's been one of the many pleasant suprises this year for the Orioles. And get well soon, Matt.