Opening Day!!!

My favorite day of the year is here! This year is extra special since it coincides with my wedding anniversary (2nd time it has done so for us). Also, I have a Nationals team that appears to be the cream of the NL East. Playoffs, here we come! Oh, and my beloved Orioles have a tough road ahead in the brutal AL East. However, I think they'll still be in the mix come September. Hope springs eternal! Good luck to everyone's teams today! We all can't win, but we can at least stay healthy. ***Make Opening Day a National Holiday***

Wei-Yin Chen

According to reports, the Orioles and the Nationals are interested in lefty Taiwanese pitcher Wei-Yin Chen, who is eligible for free agency in Japan and may test the Major Leagues. according to Dan Connolly's article in the Sun, Chen is 26 years old, has a fastball that sits in the low 90s with a good forkball and curveball. Obviously, the Orioles need the pitching help much more than the Nationals, but the fact that both teams are in the hunt along with the other major free agent players is saying something. Personally, I hope Chen is wearing an O's uniform next season.

What A Game!

Wow, what an exciting win for the O's today! I wish I was watching instead of listening on my computer at work, but the replays definitely lived up to the live calls. Luke is finally starting to get hot, so we need to ride him for all that he's worth right now. And how about Corey Patterson? A homer and the game-saving assist in the 9th...While I didn't like being down 5-1 to the Mariners inept offensive attack, the comeback me feel good about this team and the fight they still have as a unit. Great job! More later...

Orioles Pre-Game Thoughts

While it seems like the entire Western world is getting amped up for LeBron's ouster tonight at the hands of the Celtics (and the final time we'll see him in a Cavs uniform), I'm interested in our area teams, of course. The Orioles are about to face the Mariners for the series finale, and they'll go up against King Felix (Yipes!). Matt Wieters has the day off, and Kevin Millwood will take the hill against a completely inept Mariners offense. I predict that this game will go scoreless until the fifth inning, at least. Other items of interest:

-There's no talk of replacing David Hernandez in the rotation. So, there's no Chris Tillman in the near future.
-Jim Johnson saw Dr. James Andrews today, and we should hear some news later today.
-Corey Patterson, according to Dave Trembley, is in the lineup to keep the O's from grounding into an excessive amount of double plays. However, if he's not on base...

Well, I'm about to watch the game. See ya!

RIP Robin Roberts

Today baseball lost another legend and Hall of Famer...Also a former Baltimore Oriole. Robin Roberts thoroughly dominated the NL between 1952 & 1955 as a member of the Phillies with nearly 4-1 K to BB ratios in 2 of those years. However, in 1962 Roberts became a member of the Orioles after a 1-10 season in Philly and a coffee break with the New York Yankees. He was with the team for 4 years, posting a 3.09 ERA and a 1.145 WHIP during that time...Not too shabby. He won 42 games and recorded 398 strikeouts. So, to an Oriole pitcher that puts are current bunch to shame, thanks for the memories, Mr. Roberts. More later...

O's are Swept by Yankees

So, the Orioles lost today 7-5, despite scoring four runs in the last two innings. Nothing more to say...

Worse & Worse

Man, this Orioles situation is getting out of hand...Sure, Wiggie just hit a 2-run homer to cut the lead to 3 in the 8th, but it's been another low day for the home town team. Clutch hitting continues to be a problem. Yeah, the Birds are facing O's-killer Andy Pettite, but there has to be an end to excuses...The truth is that our lineup doesn't scare any team in the AL, and it shows. Plus, Atkins is really burning my ass, despite his good batting average against Yankees pitching. He just cost himself an infield single by not running out a groundball down the third-base line. Atkins thought the ball was going to go foul, and didn't run it out. Pathetic...Then, to add insult to injury, Rick Kranitz was tossed from the game after having a legitimate beef about the strike zone. Yep, it's hard being an O's fan lately, and the misery against the Yankees continues...More later...

The Orioles are Killing Me Slowly...

Yep, these 4-1 losses by the Orioles are driving me batty...The Yankees so own us right now, it's not remotely funny. So, I won't spend any more time talking about our offensive woes or why I think Matt Wieters should be playing better (I'm too cruel!). Instead, let's talk about another dysfunctional team in the area...The Wizards. In an interview with Mike Jones this morning, Antawn Jamison claimed that Flip Saunders wasn't the problem with the team last year. 'It was individuals that had too many agendas that weren't the same.' Hmm, wonder who those individuals could be? Gotta get back to work, so I'll talk to you later...

What I Think of the Julio Lugo Acquisition

This morning various sources announced that the Orioles have acquired Julio Lugo from the Cardinals for a player to be named later. No, that player won't be Matt Wieters (Very funny, April Fools pranksters...). What's important right now is what the Lugo deal means to this year's team. Besides a guy who likes to show off his pipe cleaners in UnderArmour shirts, Lugo is a fairly decent offensive middle infielder. He walks a decent amount and has okay speed on the basepaths. Unfortunately, his batting average hasn't been great in a while (particularly against righties, who slay him) and he strikes out a lot more than he should considering his lack of pop. Defensively, he's a solid meh. Two bonuses: He's usually very good against left-handed pitching (an Oriole need) and the Red Sox are still paying for his crappy contract a couple of years back (which just makes me happy on a personal level). However, this acquisition makes me a little nervous, and probably in an irrational way. Lugo plays both shortstop and second base. Could he be insurance in case Roberts' recent back troubles are a little more serious than brass wants to admit? God, I hope not...Anyway, talk to you all later...

I'm Not Fooling...I Hate the Red Sox!

Once again, Jon Lester made the Baltimore Orioles hitters looks stupid. Yesterday was just another chapter in the mastery the lefty has against anyone wearing an O's jersey. Jim Palmer, one of the greatest O's pitchers, practically drooled about Lester, saying 'he's the complete pitcher," and "I put him in five top 5 guys in the majors." Lester is just another reason for me to hate the Red Sox. True, his story of conquering cancer to make it as a dominant starting pitcher is an inspiring tale, but that doesn't temper my venom when his team takes the field. Plus, I can't stand the Youkilis scowl everytime a lineup card is shown on the TV. Yeah, we get it...You're an intense guy. However, you don't even come close in the scary looks department to Albert Belle and Frank Martin. Well, gotta get back to work...Talk to y'all later...

Big Sports Day in D.C.

Wow, what a day for sports in the D.C. area! Right now, Maryland is up on Duke by 2 at halftime (after leading my double digits earlier in the half), but that's not the half of what's been going on. The Caps addressed their depth needs with a number of trades, including Joe Corvo, Scott Walker, and Eric Belanger (Oh, and an injured Milan Jurcina). The Orioles played their first spring training game of the season and it became the Josh Bell show, who homered from both sides of the plate. Finally, the Hokies beat the Wolfpack, hopefully improving their resume for a tournament berth. Oh, and the Wiz are losing to the Bucks right now, but...Look over here! Anyway, I'll be back with more after the Terps game...