if (theOrioles == CRAP)
{
switch (myMood)
{
case MOOD_HAPPY:
hopeForAReboundTomorrow();
break;
case MOOD_DISGUSTED:
changeChannel();
break;
case MOOD_OUTRAGED:
rantAndRave();
break;
case MOOD_DELIRIOUS:
dealOrNoDeal();
break;
default:
watchMoraAndTejadaBat();
watchGibbonsMakeAssOfSelf();
changeChannel();
break;
}
}
else
{
// warning: this statement generates the compiler error
// "unreachable code"
cheerObnoxiously();
}
And just so you're wondering, right now
myMood == MOOD_OUTRAGED. Take a look at the O's roster and see if you notice anything. Done? Maybe you didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but watching the O's for the past 6 years or so has driven me to give this piece of advice to Flanagan and Co. Pay attention, Mikey, this one's for you:Just because a player hails from Latin America doesn't mean he's a good ballplayer!
Ahem. I don't mean that in a bigoted, racist way. I'm simply saying that country of origin shouldn't be the sole factor in determining a player's value or potential. It seems to me that around five years or so, give or take, MLB imported some tremendous Latin American talent, such as Alfonso Soriano, Albert Pujols, Miguel Tejada, etc. It appeared, from a moron's perspective, that Latin America was brimming with megastars, and all you had to do was land in the Dominican Republic with a plane ticket and you could leave the airport with the latino Babe Ruth. That was probably close to the truth very early on, as teams swooped in to gobble up the best Latin America had to offer. Unfortunately for teams like the Orioles, they missed that bus. So now it seems like the O's are focusing exclusively on latino "talent" in the hopes of uncovering a superstar. Fat chance.
Guess what, guys. Most of these kids just aren't very good. "Sendy Rleal? How do you pronounce that? Yeah, I can't say it either, so he must by dynamite! Sign him up before the Yankees get to him!" Meanwhile, Brian Cashman is chuckling to himself in the back of the room.
Hey O's front office and talent scouts - are you paying attention to what's happening on the field? Rleal sucks. He's 26. His stuff is mediocre at best. He doesn't have the mentality to be dominating. He rattles easily. He doesn't think through an entire at-bat. He's just not a good pitcher, and I don't think Mazzone can help him much. Luis Matos? I guess being part bionic man (titanium shin) hasn't helped him. He still sucks. Can't hit, can't throw. He chases down balls in the outfield pretty well but that's it. Here's a tip - give the guy some vitamins with his meals every day so his body stops falling apart. Raul Chavez - who? Exactly. Luis Terrero? He's a poor-man's Tony Tarasco, so what does that tell you? I know he's just filling a spot while our starters heal up, but c'mon. Why not give Fiorentino some extra MLB at-bats while we can? Julio Manon? Who's this guy? I haven't seen him pitch, probably because I've already changed the channel by the time he enters a game, but it doesn't sound like he's lighting hitters up.
I guess that's enough of a rant for now. I'm just tired of sitting at home and watching the Orioles parade a bunch of never-will-bes in front of me, hoping against hope that they've managed to find the next Pujols or Johan Santana. Trust me, they haven't. Yes, Tejada, Melvin Mora and Javy Lopez (before the 1st-base fiasco) are the real deal. I just wish the O's would realize that latino ballplayers are just like everyone else - some are great, most aren't. Nationality doesn't make a ballplayer.
1 comment:
Personally I like Kurt Birkins. Or Burt Kirkins. Or Birk Kurtins.
The injuries to Newhan, Lopez and Roberts have left the O's a little shorthanded. Luis Matos is never going to be good and I guess Terrero is up to replace Newhan, but he's nothing special.
As for the bullpen, the O's are missing Byrdak and Parrish, but those guys are middle relief. The fact that our bullpen isn't good (with the exception of Chris Ray) doesn't worry me too much, because a) it's not our biggest problem and b) it's something that could be fixed through free agency.
The real problems that the O's have is that the starting pitching hasn't been good and that the O's aren't good offensively. The lowest ERA for a starter right now is Kris Benson (4.54). Lopez and Chen are essentially journeymen pitchers - mediocre fifth starters or good middle relief guys. Bedard and Cabrera at least have potential, even if they're up and down this year. The pipeline of starting pitching (Hayden Penn, Adam Loewen, Craig Anderson, Radhames Liz) isn't too bad, but anywhere from 1-3 years away from helping the team.
Hitting is another matter. The O's have A/B+ offensive players (for their position) at 2B, SS and 3B (Roberts, Tejada, Mora). I didn't hate the Ramon Hernandez signing given Javy Lopez's age and mediocre defense, but Javy isn't more than a B (when healthy) as a DH. Hernandez is a B/C hitter at catcher. But the O's are no better than a C or D at the other spots (1B, LF, CF, RF). With the exception of CF, the others ought to be relatively easy to fill ... and with the exception of Markakis (he of many walks) and Patterson (he of few walks), none of the other guys are getting better (Conine, Millar, Gibbons, Matos). And the pipeline of future hitters in the O's system is not very strong.
My guess is that you'll get your wish of more young players by August. It's another year of suckitude. But we really need to go out to see Liz pitch in Frederick some time soon.
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