SB Nation User Blog: mathalot

Deadspin takes a shot at OPACY

mathalot — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:50:58 -0000

Deadspin has started a new weekly feature called Why Your Stadium Sucks. This week's column focuses on our beloved OPACY.

You should head over to the site to check out the article. Previous versions of this column have focused on stadiums that actually do suck. Admittedly, I'm biased, but the arguments against OPACY are political and historical, and those might not be great arguments anyway. The only complaints about the stadium itself? No tailgating allowed, no seat switching allowed, there are a lot of Red Sox fans.

I thought is was funny that this piece showed up shortly after zknower's post about stadiums.

Thoughts?

B.J. Ryan released

mathalot — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:23:20 -0000

B.J. Ryan released

The Blue Jays decided they'd rather do without him. I'd say the O's made the correct decision about him once upon a time.

A Nickname for Ty?

mathalot — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 14:09:17 -0000

I went to last Thursday's magnificent comeback win at OPACY with my brother. As we were watching Ty Wigginton do his thing, we realized that he really needs a nickname. And, based upon his last name and my affinity for The Simpsons, I realized that there is really only one option: Chief. It totally fits, and it is pretty easy to shout. The Mets fans around us didn't even do a double-take when we let forth with a "Chieeeeeeeeeeef!!" here and there.

Thoughts?

Orioles manager Dave Trembley said that he told hitting coach Terry Crowley before the inning that...

mathalot — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 10:04:28 -0000

Orioles manager Dave Trembley said that he told hitting coach Terry Crowley before the inning that he thought the team would score five runs in the seventh.

It appears that we have Nostradamus managing our team these days.

"Put him in the Hall of Fame."—CF Adam Jones, joking about the arrival of C Matt Wieters(notes), b...

mathalot — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:23:37 -0000

"Put him in the Hall of Fame."—CF Adam Jones, joking about the arrival of C Matt Wieters(notes), before the top prospect had even appeared in an Orioles uniform.

It looks like Adam Jones has a little Camden Chat in him.

Matt Weiters in The Dugout

mathalot — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:59:23 -0000

Matt Weiters in The Dugout

If you appreciate the humor of The Dugout and you have high expectations for Matt Weiters (anyone?), you might enjoy this one.

"Sometimes, he brought his bike in the clubhouse," said former Orioles teammate Daniel Cabrera, now...

mathalot — Fri, 22 May 2009 14:37:44 -0000

"Sometimes, he brought his bike in the clubhouse," said former Orioles teammate Daniel Cabrera, now with the Washington Nationals, "and he would go riding around, butt-naked, doing tricks and stuff. Jumping over things, [riding with] no hands. I'm telling you, he's crazy. Great guy, great teammate."

One of the best quotes in this article from the Post about Markakis.

Is he any good?

mathalot — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:08:54 -0000

Warning: the following may contain blasphemy.

I have to confess that I'm a bit worried about a member of our bullpen. Jamie Walker helped to hold our tattered 'pen together last year and is one of only two returning bullpen members from 2007 (the other is Chad Bradford). However, I'm worried that he sucks. Shall we examine the evidence?

Year   ERA  WHIP   BAA
2007  3.23  1.21  .244
2008  5.06  1.64  .326

I know that ERA doesn't mean much, but in this instance BAA is the stat that confirms what my eyes have told me: dude is getting rocked. Now, relievers are well-known to go through ups and downs and to suffer slumps. That's fine. But I'm a bit worried that this isn't a slump.

Here's the thing that blows me away. Ostensibly, until he was thrust into the closer's role at the end of last season, Walker was our situational lefty out of the bullpen. This season? He's pitching better against righties, and it's not even close:

vs  WHIP   BAA
LH  1.92  .389
RH  1.29  .219

In 2007, lefties only hit .216 against him.

Thus, my question for the masses: Is Jamie Walker any good any more? If he's not any good (as I suspect), can/should the team do anything about it?

Yankees desperate enough to sign Sidney Ponson

mathalot — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:00:34 -0000

Yankees desperate enough to sign Sidney Ponson

This makes me chuckle.

Who will be our All-Star?

mathalot — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:53:58 -0000

All-Star voting ends at 11:59 PM ET on July 2, 2008, so there are less than three weeks left before the All-Star starters are chosen. It goes without saying that the Orioles won't get a sniff at a starting position. According to this article on MLB.com (scroll down to the bottom), the highest ranking Oriole is Brian Roberts at 2B, and he is in fifth place, waaay behind Red Sox (surprise) second baseman, Dustin Pedroia.

The managers' selections will come out a few days after the starters are announced. So, here's the question: since every team must be represented, who will be the Orioles' representative at the All-Star game? The only reasonable options for position players would have to be Roberts and Markakis, right? Since the OF positions are always jammed with potential selections, and since Roberts is having a relatively quiet year, I don't see Terry Francona picking either of these two guys.

So that leaves a pitcher. Just from my observations it would appear that the one-and-only-one teams usually end up getting their closer chosen. I could see Sherrill getting the nod from us, since he's currently second in the majors in saves (21, behind Francisco Rodriguez's 27). Frankly, I don't like this, as I would be willing to bet money he gives up a home run in the game (assuming he ever gets into it). As SC pointed out yesterday, he "has a tendency to make it exciting," and the Orioles have been enough of a laughingstock on the national stage for my taste without an All-Star game debacle.

I couldn't see any other pitcher being chosen.

So, for those that care about such things, any opinions?