Odds and Ends: Kouzmanoff, Ricciardi, Wilson

Kouz would be a great pickup for the Giants.

He is young and helps the rebuilding stage...

thomson faced the yanks 2 times in spring training with a 1 2 3 inning twice if im not mistaken but spring training and yankee stadium is a different thing we might pitch very well he might get rocked but its good to see the red front office giving the young guys their chance

Would have been nice to have Jair Jurrjens, but there's really no one to fill in for Jack right now. I can't find a link, but I remember reading that the Phillies offered Ryan Howard for Brad Eldred when both were in AAA. In Littlefield's defense, they both had identical numbers then, but obviously one panned out just a bit better than the other.

As an O's fan, I must confess to a certain bias, but the comments here are ignorant if not entirely wrong-headed. Truth-be-told, I agree that Baltimore has little to no chance of winning the wild card or posing a serious threat to the Sox in the East or the bevy of clubs they're chasing for the Wild Card (although to claim the Yankees and Rays are such lofty opponents is to ignore the overall play of the former- before their current streak, of course- and the inevitable collapse of the latter due to inexperience). Nevertheless, their success in 1 run games- noted by thehoagster- is, by no means, a fluke. It's a testament to the character of this collective and to the cultural shift that Trembley has instilled. This, above all else, is why McPhail is hesitant to go trading away the veterans...even if it seemingly makes the most sense, long-term.

The Orioles have endured a decade of losing; something that has created a culture of losing. It's possible- likely even- that McPhail values a change in this culture over the possibility of adding a few more parts for the future. I'm not saying it's right or wrong; I'm simply saying that it's hardly a black or white issue.

How do you put a price on changing the league's perception of an organization? How many prospects is it worth, to demonstrate the effects of hard work and a never-say-die attitude on winning. Do you think it's lost upon young players like Adam Jones or even Markakis? Do you think it hasn't effected the development of the pitchers, who might otherwise see their strong performances wasted time and time again? Again, I don't know; I'm simply making a point.

I tend to side with those who want to see tangible results- added prospects and excised payroll- however it would be foolish to simply ignore the potentially powerful messages created by winning; even if the end result- in terms of tangibles- is the same as if we went 0-165.

Where's that dumb San Diego fan that said Kouzmanoff needed to bat 4th for them and Giles should bat leadoff and they'll just waltz into the playoffs?! I believe I said Kouzmanoff was at best a 5th hitter, but more fitting for 6th in the lineup, how I brutally kicked in the nuts for that comment. Guess I was wrong, oh well...

LongSuffering, my thoughts exactly when reading about the Jurrjens deal. Man was it painful to watch those six weeks without Jack. Clearly Bixler needs some polish, and Gomez/Rivas were just brutal at shortstop this year.

BTW, the Phils offered Howard for Kip Wells and we said no, using Brad Eldred as our defense for not needing Howard. God I hate everytime Savran finds the need to remind us of that blunder.

And to “guru” ~ I wasn’t completely involved in said argument till the last minute, so I don’t remember you making a statement like Kouz should bat 5th or 6th. I do however remember where I showed up and you relentless insisting that the Padres had to trade Kouz “straight up” for Reggie Willits if they ever wanted to win. How’s that one working out for ya?

By no means do I think the Orioles have a chance at the postseason, or should consider becoming buyers, but part of me can't help but look at history. The last time the Orioles were in this position, just a few years ago, they had the opportunity to trade for an electric pitcher by the name of AJ Burnett, failed to make a deal, and it had a profound effect on the players. I feel like this is the first season that the players and culture has rebounded from that lack of FO support, and I would hate to fall into the same trap again. It's a tough one to call.

Aww come on. We should totally trade Jay Payton. Sure he has a .831 OPS vs Lefties but we can use a young OF to platoon with Luke.

No I'm non-violent unless provoked and only fight when it's protecting something I care about, not attacking someone else... As far as the cocksuckers comments, I actually call them it to their face! ;) Hey, I get attacked a lot because people don't ask WHY did you come up with that... In theory, there might be a reason why I a fan of 20 years have come up with an idea that I think is reasonable... MAYBE you aren't aware of a detail, but instead of say how'd you come up with that, it's YOU'RE AN IDI*T, WHAT THE F*CKS WRONG WITH YOU!!! So I tell them to go f*ck their mothers! Do you have a problem with that Johnny?!