Orioles Talked Extension With Markakis

Don't forget the other article about Sherrill:

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-sp.osnotes22jul22,0,131355.story

Markakis is worth every bit Rios is worth and more. Just SIGN HIM ANDY!!! So what if it's the season. So what if he wants a lot of money. Would you rather spend it on a 5 year extension for Kevin Millar?! Three more for Melvin Mora?!!!

Off the top of my head, I can't think of a better young right-fielder in the game (although, in time, Upton and Bruce COULD eclipse him). Nicky, Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters are the future of Baltimore's offense. But it seems that, even when the Birds luck out and find a friggin' star, they're too *&#%in' stupid to wrap him up. The Rays took 6 #$%*@&ing GAMES to sign Longoria!!! What are we waiting for! I'm so sick of the complete and utter incompetence of this organization under Peter Angelos. Lord, make him sell the team!!!

BTW, Lord...if you're taking requests, I'd also like you to get rid of TypeKey, which SUCKS!

Does anyone know where I could find a hilarious spoof of PTI? I've been looking everywhere but to no avail.

...and yes, I know Bruce is listed as a CF, but he'll move once Junior's gone...probably. If not, it only strengthens my case. Just looked: it comes down to Markakis (24), Corey Hart (26), Jeremy Hermida (24), Matt Kemp (23), Upton (20), Hunter Pence (25), and David Murphy (26). Right now, I'd take Markakis over any of the others (Hart's a close second), though I admit to a bias...and might switch to Upton for the future.

Poppa- Not sure I'm quite ready to jump on the 'fire McPhail' bandwagon just yet, but it goes without saying that Angelos must go. Is there an owner in sports hated by his fanbase MORE than Peter Angelos? The man effectively killed baseball in a city and for a team, rich in tradition and once heralded as one of the best baseball towns in America. Bravo, Pete...Bravo.

McPhail is burning through the goodwill he won himself with the Bedard/Tejada deals, but I'm not completely ready to give up on him yet. Sure, that draft was pretty weak (beyond Matusz) and he's been Billy Beane's b1tch in terms of trades (Cardenas should have been OURS); woefully slow in pulling the trigger on any number of deals, but I'll wait until the deadline before I give my verdict.

Oh, and Luke Scott's great (esp. of late- AL Player of the Week and all), but I still think Reimold is the future in left. Scott's welcome to stick around as a DH though. Reimold's younger, more athletic, toolsier, and has prodigious power potential...and he's killing Double A pitching (I think finally having some protection- in the form of Wieters- has helped him). Both Wieters and Reimold stand a good chance of making the team out of spring training next year. Add them to Scott, Markakis, Jones, and BRob and there's cause for excitement.

Of course, unless Matusz, Tillman, and Arrieta are ready to be front-line pitchers as rookies, a la Volquez, we're still pretty screwed!

Yeah I don't see what the problem with McPhail is, what bad moves has he made so far? Trading Trachsel last year for 3 younger players who all have at least some future with the team. Trading Tejada for 5 players outside of injuries to Patton and Albers this has looked like a steal. Trading Bedard for our CF of the future, either closer or top trade canidate and one of the top Pitching prospects in the minors. I also believe that him and Joe Jordan executed an excellent draft. We've been very agressive in signings and indications point that they might sign a few more over slot players before the deadline.

Even the releasing of Jay Gibbons I think was a great move, sure we are eating salary but why take at bats away from Scott, and Huff and Millar who have some trade value.

I also don't know about the being Beane's "lacky" we should say. I really don't know how we could have gotten Cardenas, we didn't have the starter they needed and while Sherril might have gotten the deal done, i'd rather see him traded to a better farm system (Rays or Angels work for me) and get more than one good prospect.

Not Joe Morgan,

now THAT was funny.

Steveo-

While I may have been a bit hard on McPhail, its primarily based on growing frustration regarding comments about finishing .500 and the related lack of action on the trade front. You're right about both the Tejada and Bedard deals, but in this, 'what have you done for me lately' world, it's time to move past that and on to the next deal.

I was decidedly NOT impressed- disappointed would be more accurate- by the Orioles' draft. As opposed to '07, when we notched Wieters and Arrieta- 2 potential stars- I thought we played it alternately safe or stupid. Matusz, I like...a lot. He could be special. Still, the devil's advocate in me wonders about using the 4th overall pick on a pitcher usually described as a future No. 2...even if he is a safe bet to meet those expectations. I'm just saying...gimme an ace if you're taking a pitcher! Also, I felt that with our pitching depth on the farm, a bat like Smoak or even Gordon Beckham might have been the better choice. Still, that was the one pick that I'm generally pretty cool with. Well, that and LJ Hoes, who- even before his recent tear; even during his early struggles- reminded me (and continues to remind me) of a young(er) BJ Upton. I really liked that pick.

But Xavier Avery?! With Isaac Galloway and any number of talented HS pitchers on the board! At least Avery has a huge ceiling... What about every pick between Hoes and Keith Landers- with the sole exception of Bobby Bundy?!!! There's no upside there! Greg Miclat?!!! Kyle Hudson?!!! Ugh. Admittedly, I like that we just signed Jesse Beale (who, for reasons I don't understand, I like) and will feel considerably better if we sign Landers, Bundy, and Ethan Martin, but I really thought we missed the boat a number of times. Brett Hunter fell to the seventh round or something! I was raving about Dennis Raben all spring and hoped we'd nab HIM in the second (rather than Avery). Niko Vasquez's play so far is hardly surprising either. And it's not like we didn't need a SS. And on it goes. Like I said, disappointing.

As for Cardenas? My thinking was that Cabrera and maybe Walker- if we ate most of his remaining contract- would suffice in netting Cardenas, Kyle Drabek (troubled, but still has a lot of potential), and a low-minors third piece like Heitor Correa (who I'd have pushed for over that crappy outfielder the A's took). Based on what the Phillies gave to Oakland for Blanton, an older starter minus the left handed reliever they've been looking for, with a higher ERA and considerably less upside than Cabrera, you gotta think we could've gotten something close to what I just presented. That, to me, would have been worth it.