SC posted eloquently about our problems with Sherrill after last night's debacle -- the bullpen as a whole was farking brilliant; Sherril not so much.

Let's live in a fantasy for a moment -- we have four guys in the 'pen who all could legitimately be a closer.  All four have some legitimate claim to the role, and all four have some obvious question marks as well.  Who would you pick?

SHERRILL

Pros: The established closer.  Our all-star last year.  Has largely gotten the job done with the biggest casualties being heart attack victims among the fanbase.

Cons: Kind of sucks.  Didn't actually deserve to be an all-star.  Might be more useful as a late-inning LOOGY.

JOHNSON

Pros: Hands-down the best Orioles reliever in 2008.  Appears to be having another great year so far.

Cons: Coming off of some serious shoulder issues.  Never closed games before.  Doing great in the 8th-inning role he already owns -- why rock the boat?

RAY

Pros: Has closing experience.  Has nasty stuff.

Cons: Coming off of Tommy John surgery and we've seen very little of him so far.  Was previously known as "Captain Explodes-a-lot" in his stint as closer.

BAEZ

Pros: Has closing experience.  Appears to be absolutely filthy so far this year.

Cons: We've seen very little of him this year, and the last two years, to be polite, were an absolute dung-heap.

So, what do you think?

OK, we're all bored with spring training.  But we're only one week from the real thing!  So here's a fun game -- let's guess who will take the field on opening day and what order they will bat in!  We have a decent number of unknowns this year, some position battles and several guys who are going to be playing multiple positions.  Obviously Guthrie is going to be the Opening Day starter, so we'll put that aside.

How to play -- post your Opening Day lineup, in order, plus the field position of each player.  Not the lineup you think we should have, but the one you think we will have.  If you agree exactly with one that is already posted, vote for it with the "Recommend" button.  We'll see who gets the most votes, and who's actually right, next week.

1. Roberts -- 2B

2. Jones -- CF

3. Markakis -- RF

4. Huff -- 1B

5. Mora -- 3B

6. Scott -- DH

7. Montanez  -- LF

8. ZAUN -- C

9. Izturis -- SS

Verducci thinks it's worth a mention. He does rank us last out of his four possible breakout teams, and does note that we have no actual chance being in the AL East (wait, what division were the 2008 Rays in?), but still, it's interesting to see a national writer noticing that Andy just might be doing it right.

I don't honestly think we're going to make the playoffs in 2009 or anything, but I thought that Verducci's notes about improving on Runs Allowed, and Pythag records, were interesting to note. It at least makes me start to think about 2010 rather than 2011.

So my wife and I were getting a slice of pizza in Sterling, VA, this weekend, when in walks Gheorghe Muresan behind us.  I have to say that it's hard to conceptualize just how tall 7'7" is until you see it in person.  I didn't bother him for a picture/autograph or anything, but it was still pretty cool.

So it got me thinking, who else has spotted athletes in day-to-day life (nowhere near a sporting event)?  I think I've seen references to it in the comments on other posts, but thought it would be cool to hear everyone else's sightings in one place.  I bet those of you who actually live IN Baltimore have seen some O's in the wild.  Share!

So I'll probably be at Saturday and/or Sunday's O's-Nats games at the new Nationals stadium.  And I'm already wondering -- is it OK to shout "O!" during the national anthem?  I have several disconnected thoughts about this:

- Shouting "O!" should be OK since I will be decked out in O's gear and this is a form of supporting my team.

- Shouting "O!" is discourteous, similar to the Boston/NY fans getting up chants for their teams and generally being asswipes at OPACY.

- Shouting "O!" at Nats games is normally ignorant since it's an Orioles thing, but is OK since the Orioles are actually there.

What do you think?

So, as of the close of yesterday's game, our starting shortstop INCREASED his hitting line to a robust .207/.255/.261.  His OPS+ now sits at a stunning 40.  I'm glad we got rid of Luis Luis and all, but is this supposed to be an upgrade?  All we can really say about Bynum is that he's average with the glove and decent on the basepaths, and those are both strengths I'd rather have on the bench.

Freddie is not a prospect.  Freddie is not our shortstop of the future.  This is not Adam Jones, taking his lumps in order to learn for next year and beyond (and even Adam Jones is better than this, anyway).  Freddie Bynum vs. Alex Cintron makes no difference whatsoever to the future or present fortunes of this ballclub, so seriously, it's time for the slightly less embarassing Cintron to take over.

This all hit rock bottom for me when Bynum struck out on three straight breaking balls out of the zone last night, swinging at all three.  The dude just doesn't have it at the dish, and we have no reason to wait around and see if he ever finds it.

And so, I cry with mock enthusiasm, CINTRON FOR SHORTSTOP!  THE TIME IS NOW, THE PLACE IS NOW!

I went to today's game, and while I was out on Eutaw St, a lady was giving away surplus "O" magnets.  I picked up two and I think I still have two or three extra from opening day as well.  Anyone want one?  PM me your address and I'll drop it in the mail.

Since I'm not up to 75 words yet, today's game was beautiful but very frustrating as a game.  Could you imagine anything worse than owning both Capps and Sherril on the same fantasy team this weekend?

So, the team didn't publicize this, since it's kind of embarassing, but tickets for Opening Day (Monday) are now available as single-game tickets.  Previously you had to buy a six-pack to get one Opening Day ticket.

Just go to the official website and click Schedule, then click the ticketing link next to Opening Day.  Hope this helps someone out, I know I was excited to stumble across it.  I'll be there!