Maestrobjwa

And you know what...I do not think we have a talent problem. That's why I'd be against any rebuild. I hope they don't sell at the deadline, because there aren't that many pieces left to sell without completely starting over! You would not get much from the vets we do have (and you're not selling Alonso, lol). It's not like last year...I think we're just gonna have to stand pat while we search for a new GM.

1 hour ago, Chris78 said:

Orioles roster construction is a mess. It's  Home runs or bust. It's been this way for a while.

This weekend shows just how bad this roster is when compared to a contender. 

 

It's sucks we went through multiple 100 loss seasons for basically 1.5 seasons of contending baseball. 

Most of their young core has been busts or not able to stay on the field.

And Elias's unwillingness to actually sign a proven  front end starter long term is frustrating. 

Baz doesn't look like a 1 or 2 at this point.

 

 

They're gonna have to axe Elias. I'm not sure how you justify keeping him at this point. This is all his construction and it's come out terribly, smh

31 minutes ago, 40/70 Benchmark said:

Not necessarily.

I have a Mid-Atl bias--ninas are no good here, so yeah, lol

1 hour ago, 40/70 Benchmark said:

Still feel this will end up happening....sorry, @Stormchaserchuck1  Cool ENSO, anyway...we'll have to see about technical La Nina, but I would hedge yes.

So torch east-based super followed by another round of cool enso (which always double dips) being the worst case scenario? Sounds like a warminista's dream, smh

Seems the Orioles are headed for another mediocre season. I think this is it for Elias--and when he's fired we're really gonna find out what was going on (other than roster failure particularly on the pitching side) that made these players constantly underachieve their talent. I mean how does a GM mess THAT up? Has it really been the league's worst usage of analytics...so bad that it messed up all the talent? A soft philosophy that took the fight out of players?

I feel like it's something beyond just the roster that has happened. And then the injuries...half of these are just bad luck. But others I'm starting to wonder. I mean you would think new ownership...followed by a new manager and increased spending...would improve things. But somehow we're still here, smh The Monday morning QB on what happened is gonna be interesting.

Maaan I don't like where the discussion on the niño is headed in the other thread...sounds like the current thinking is very strong and east-based! Hope that ain't true...or else I'll have to start a "there's no way..." thread for the entire winter, lol

4 hours ago, CAPE said:

Except the second game isnt going so well. When the pitcher is awful, its kind of tough. Looks like a split. This team needs to find some consistency, unless they are content with playing 500 ball.

This team don't let you celebrate for too long, lol Well, at least they met my bar for this month: finish around .500. Since they've done that they'll have a chance to figure some things out and get going...encouraging starts by Baz on Tuesday and Bassit today. Hope that "come to Jesus" meeting Bass said they had will bear some fruit. 

Consistency, consistency, consistency...ya see the flashes but it feels like somebody keeps flipping the light switch on and off!

42 minutes ago, Paleocene said:

I think in 2018 DCA got 66" of precip lol. Basically double what we've had the last couple years.  I felt like we were living in Florida that year

Man that year it rained literally every. Single. Weekend. I think we broke some kind of record for consecutive weekends of rain, lol

2 hours ago, SnowenOutThere said:

You know as well as I do that calling my posts ludicrous was a political statement by itself. It is cowardly to then turn your tail and run when confronted by making an accusation. Either stay silent or be prepared to answer for your remarks - I am not the one who brought "political stuff" up... unless you think the claim that curiosity and engaging with others is inherently "woke"

I wouldn't spend any more energy on him, man. Losing battle, lol

2 hours ago, snowfan said:

GFS says if you thought this past weekend was blah, we’re going to crank up next weekend on the shitty weather scale. 
 

 

Well we can't complain about the drought then complain about the rain, lol

58 minutes ago, CAPE said:

Ever heard of Google lol

http://www.accidentmd.org/history.html

Man what the heck is your problem? That was nothing more than an amused casual wondering--I wasn't exactly asking the question (though perhaps I would've eventually looked it up). That came across as a talking down to, "Google it dummy" kind of post. If you wanted to share the link all you had to do was share it and I would've welcomed it being naturally curious as I am--but that other crap wasn't necessary.

So thanks for the link (I guess).

36 minutes ago, IronTy said:

Drove in to Accident to go to the cheese shop and drove through some very heavy rain.  We've had on and off rain here - got in a 3.5mile bushwhacking to The Glades earlier and avoided any rain then luckily.  

I still have no idea why they would name a town that, lolol

5 hours ago, bluewave said:

In effect that is what happened with the El Niño in 2018-2019 which had La Niña elements preventing it from fully coupling.

Perhaps if the RONI and ONI can come into closer alignment it could suppress the Southeast ridge more than we saw back in 2023-2024.

But that is really speculative at this point. It looks like we are headed for over +2.0 again on at least ONI and can use this as another test case.

None of the seasonal models back in 2023-2024 were able to correctly forecast the stronger ridge building down into the Mid-Atlantic. As they all had the stock El Niño composite.

Wasn't the 18-19 Niño like really weak sauce, though?

20 minutes ago, AnEndlessMaze said:

This was an oddly appropriate night to be unpacking and sorting Christmas decorations in our new home lol

Perfect temperature for that, haha Christmas a little after Easter? Merry Eastmas  Congratulations and blessings on your new home!

27 minutes ago, Chris78 said:

As an Orioles fan I'm so tired of this same shit game after game. It's been going on for 2 seasons. 

Started after the allstar break in 2024 and has continued up till now. Complete suckage.

Orioles fans endured a 5 year tear down to the studs rebuild to end up with  this crap.

A president of baseball operations that refuses to go out  and sign a legit front of the rotation starter. Who is also a prospect hugger who's missed out on selling high even while having Log jams at the MLB level.

Other than Gunner, the young core has been a disappointment, either from poor play or injuries.

Funny thing about your 4th paragraph...This off-season is the first time in his tenure that he actually started to reversed the prospect-hugging narrative...and the spending one. Some people don't believe we offered Suarez an identical deal, but that rumor makes sense given how agressive we were for Alonso. And then we gave up 3 prospects for Baz...while he may or may not be good, that was still more agressive than he has been--probably because ownership gave him an ultimatum.

But yes overall? I have no clue how the talent here has been so disappointing--I mean what the heck did Elias do to these bats? Too much analytics? It doesn't seem to be a swing for the fences approach as the homers haven't been there...I'd love to know what the heck he and Sig have going on in those coaching rooms to mess stuff up like this, smh

This will be Elias' last year for sure if things don't turn around. He's the only thing left that hasn't been changed, lol (That "promotion" last year isn't necessarily an indicator of any commitment from Rubenstein & co, imo)

Man why does everything we root for in Baltimore disappoint us?

We root for snow: we can't get it most of the time

Root for the Ravens: We get disappointed (but hopefully not this year)

Root for the Orioles: We get disappointed

Literally nothing here goes our way in terms of these three, bigger-than-us pleasures that we enjoy. It always finds a way to go sideways, smh I am thankful there are far more important things to enjoy, and these things are certainly not THE most important...but dang it how long does out losing streak with these have to continue??? Oy, lol

2 hours ago, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

Bateman had like 10 catches all year? Lamar is a running threat if they have to cover WR's.. big time variable vs other teams needs. Also injury threat if he has to hold the ball makes it ++variable. 

There were issues with the offense from a coaching side, imo. But either way we cannot afford to ignore the trenches: that is the main reason we lost last year. Could not get to the QB late in games. Could not protect Lamar. You HAVE to address that. I feel like our fanbase in general has a never-ending appetite for 1st rd WRs every year just out of habit, lol Adding a rookie WR doesn't help when the OL doesn't give Lamar any time. Trenches, trenches!

7 minutes ago, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

I think it wouldn't hurt to draft a good WR honestly. Especially with Likely gone. Build the team around Lamar. Defenses vary too much year-to-year. 

Yeah but we lost many games in the trenches last year...WR is not our biggest need, imo No trenches no time to throw to said WR, lol

23 hours ago, CAPE said:

NFL Draft this week! OTAs, then training camp before you know it. Meanwhile the Os will probably still be struggling to stay around 500. Like you said, some of their highly valued/ coveted minor league talents look awfully mediocre in the Bigs. I think Elias labeled Mayo as one of the 'untouchables' for trades lmao.

He did? Lol This must've been just after he came up! I mean yeah obviously ya had to see how he did, but...now nobody is gonna want him...oy. Was rooting for him (quite a story him making the majors after surviving the Parkland school shooting as a kid). It's too bad...Man are qe gonna have to start treating the Orioles like we did during the 14-staright losing seasons? Lol

And yep, draft time indeed! Ravens have to be better this year...not sure where they go at 14. I'd imagine it's OL or pass rush?

22 minutes ago, Chris78 said:

What do you do with Ward? He can't DH on a regular basis with Basillo/Adley and Alonso all taking turns there. And you still have O'Neil in the mix if he's actually healthy.

This is all comes back to poor roster construction and being stuck with your off season decisions.

 

Not completely stuck...there is still the trade deadline. Now the DH problem...that's not poor roster construction. It's just a rather rare problem of having two catchers that you don't wanna take out of the lineup. You don't have a ton of room to navigate that in any case.

Somebody is gonna get less playing time. But it'll be worth it if the outfield defense improves. No idea how Ward is gonna fit in here. I guess he's gonna have to platoon with Cowser (or Cowser just gets less playing time overall since he sucks at the plate). Ward is a FA at the end of the year, so if ya gotta sacrifice the bat some days...

Guess they shoulda kept Grayson and gotten a better OFer? Or perhaps just kept Laureano

1 hour ago, CAPE said:

Perhaps when JH gets healthy and is back on the roster, JJ can play one of those outfield positions. Been pretty inconsistent(mostly awful) so far.

@Chris78

I could see a Cowser, EBJ, and JJ outfield later in the year...that could play. And they could also trade for somebody as well. Infield defense is going to improve, imo

@CAPE @Chris78

Quote from a few weeks ago about the defense. And Alby also said during ST that when he first talked to the players individually when he got here, they all said the same thing: they wanted to focus on fundamentals. So you can see just how much things had slipped under Hyde, smh But this also tells me that perhaps things will get better as the new coaching sets in more. We shall see!

11 minutes ago, CAPE said:

Tongue in cheek. That said he is playing well and can play multiple positions, so they will find ways to get him in the lineup if he keeps hitting like that.

Oh absolutely. I'll admit I hadn't been 100% convinced by JJ (that is, whether this is an early flash before the league gets a book on him, or is this actually a thing), but has shown some legit mental toughness this week. I mean he makes the error, but then looks completely unflappable and just goes down a gets that pitch in his next AB. Like Big Ben says: "No scar tissue", lol A very good sign.

Now of course, he's gonna eventually cool off and have to struggle a bit like they all do, but...if he gets through that and still hits like this? We've truly got something!

4 hours ago, CAPE said:

Jeremiah Jackson > Jackson Holliday

Too early to tell that for sure though, lol Now once JJ struggles and is able to overcome it at the same level, and JH hasn't improved any...then yeah I think we can say that! 

That being said...Jackson Holliday is not gonna be benched for JJ I don't think. Wonder if JJ can play outfield...or 3B?

13 hours ago, Chris78 said:

I agree with the 3 wild card spots if you can be around .500 around the trade deadline you have a chance.

Disagree on the defense 

Ward and O'Neil are not going to be different players than they've been for several seasons

Beavers has not been good either.

Cowser is better suited in left.

Not sure how you fix the D this year.

Basillo is not good behind the plate.

There bottom 5 in most defensive metrics

 

 

Bring up Enrique Bradfield for one. Put Cowser in left, and ya may have to platoon in right. Behind the plate I think we gotta give Basallo some time to figure it out--he is just a rookie after all. He could be better later in the season for all we know. And once Adley comes back that'll help to mitigate the shortcomings in the meantime.