Overwinning

Kevin Millar (15) celebrates with Aubrey Huff (17) and Brian Roberts (1) after scoring the winning run on a single by Adam Jones against Chicago White Sox during the tenth inning. The O's beat the White Sox, 6-5

Jump!

Tampa Bay's Akinori Iwamura slides under the Orioles' Brian Roberts after being forced out at second base during the first inning.

People to Avoid at the Ballpark

• People who keep getting up. Over nine innings, you should get up once, twice if you’re female. Go to the bathroom, get something to eat then sit back down and don’t get up again until the game is over. Stop making people in your row get up.
• People waving signs trying to get on ESPN or Fox. This isn’t a game show. Sit down.
• There are two categories of cell-phone users who need savage beatings. First is the guy who has a friend in the crowd eight sections over and calls him so they can wave at each other. Your friend knows what you look like, bozo.Then there are the people who sit in box seats and call their friends watching at home and wave every time the camera catches them in the background. Teams should employ snipers to wound these people.
• Drunks. Why would you spent so much money on tickets, gas and parking and then crush so many $8.50 beers that you can’t remember half of what happened the next day? It makes no sense. Meanwhile, they’re loud, obnoxious and usually fans of the other team.
• Adult autograph seekers. I think players should be contractually mandated to sign 10 autographs every day for kids. But once you’re 18, give it up. Let the kids through. I’m always disgusted at the get-a-lifers who jockey for position with children.
• Trampy girls at batting practice. This always brings a smile. No matter what stadium you’re in, you see scantily clad women in stripper heels posing near the dugout trying to catch the attention of the players. This strategy may work in the minors. But do you really think Brian Roberts is going to look up and say, “Hey, purple halter, Room 812 at the Westin tonight.”
• People trying to start The Wave. The Wave is a plague on sports. It’s 50,000 people saying, “Look at us, we’re all mindless and we don’t care about the game.

Is there anybody I’m missing?

Trade winds

"I still believe the Brian Roberts trade goes down before Opening Day. And I predict that Jay Payton is going with him, with the Orioles getting five players in return from the Cubs."

Roch Kubatko

Fielden

In sequence, Brian Roberts stops, bobbles, then corrals a hard ground ball off the bat of Florida's Jeremy Hermida in the first inning of the Orioles' 7-6 loss to the Marlins. (Sun photo by Doug Kapustin / March 15, 2008)

Niet aan te slepen

Zo gebeurt er absoluut niets de afgelopen twee dagen en zo is het niet bij te houden. Allereerst verliezen ze drie van de vier laatste wedstrijden maar aangezien dit Springtraining is het resultaat niet belangrijk.

• Matt Wieters is naar het Minorleague camp gegaan. Zijn eerste trip in het ‘Grote Mannen Kamp’ is erg goed bevallen. Hij heeft veel geleerd van Hernandez en de coaches. Trembley had het volgende over hem te zeggen: Tools, good work ethic, demeanor. Like I said, and I told him today, he looked like he'd been here before," manager Dave Trembley said. "He’s receptive.
• De B. Roberts deal is on hold. Geen talk meer op het ogenblik maar ik heb nog steeds het gevoel dat hij met opening day niet op het rooster staat.
• Sidney Ponson heeft een bullpen sessie gegooid voor zes scouts in de hoop ergens een contract te verdienen. Hij heeft nog steeds een boel geld van de O’s tegoed, benieuwd of dat ooit nog loskomt.
• Troy Patton moet een operatie aan zijn linkerschouder ondergaan, Seizoen voorbij. Hij kwam als één van de keystones mee uit de Tejada trade. Bummer.
• Jay Gibbons staat geen pepernoot en is de eerste 15 wedstrijden geschorst. Toch zal die wel op het rooster voorkomen, dat 11 miljoen contract hangt als een molensteen, voor de O’s tenminste, om zijn nek.
• We hebben kaartjes voor de Kansas City Royals! Ja en, boeien, ha, ha. Nou eigenlijk wel want op 11 mei 2008 zitten wij in section 207, row E, seat 9 & 10 in het Kauffman Stadium te kijken naar de Royals tegen de Orioles!

Gone?

With Cubs scouts on hand, Roberts stands out

O's second baseman goes 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI double, run scored and two stolen bases

By Jeff Zrebiec and Roch Kubatko
Sun reporters
7:15 PM EST, February 28, 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.

On a day when two Chicago Cubs scouts were on hand to watch him play, Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts stood out in the Orioles' otherwise dreary exhibition season debut today. Roberts went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI double, a run scored and two stolen bases in the Orioles' 16-3 loss to the Florida Marlins at Fort Lauderdale Stadium.

"That's how Brian Roberts plays the game," said Orioles manager Dave Trembley. "That's what he's going to have to do to make our offense go."

Roberts, who hit .290 last season with 12 homers, 57 RBIs and 50 steals, led off the bottom of the first with a walk, stole second and third and then scored on Melvin Mora's chopper to the left side that was booted by third baseman Jorge Cantu.

The sequence, which was taken in by Cubs special assistant to the general manager Ken Kravec along with another Cubs scout, is an example of what makes Roberts so attractive to Chicago.

Looking for a leadoff hitter to jumpstart their offense and get on base ahead of sluggers Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee, the Cubs have targeted Roberts for months and there is a sense in the industry that the uncertainty with second baseman Mark DeRosa could accelerate the trade talks. DeRosa underwent a procedure today to correct an irregular heartbeat.

The Orioles are believed to be looking for a package that includes pitcher Sean Gallagher, shortstop Ronny Cedeno, pitching prospects Jose Ceda and¸or Donald Veal and perhaps one other player.

The Orioles will dispatch a scout to Arizona to look at some of the players being discussed next week. While both sides still feel confident that a deal could get done, talks are expected to continue for a couple more weeks.

"I don't think about those things that I don't control," said Trembley. "I've talked to Brian many times and the way he played today says a lot about him as a professional."

Brian

He is still here.

Wat zegt de media over de Orioles

ESPN’s Jayson Stark heeft 22 baseball man gevraagd wat ze het meest vooruitgegane team vonden en welke het minst. Er was er één die de O’s noemde als meest vooruitgegane team aangezien ze eindelijk de juiste weg zijn ingeslagen. Niet verbazend wekkend stemde de 21 andere precies andersom.

Stark zelf noemt de Tejada trade als één van de beste van de afgelopen winter en hij noemt Adam Jones als een voorname kandidaat voor rookie of the year.

SI.com’s Jon Heyman vraagt zich af of Angelos de Roberts trade tegenhoudt.
Note. Heyman is de winter al bezig met dit soort insinuaties en moet er natuurlijk mee doorblijven gaan ook al wordt hij keer op keer gelogenstraft.

Joel Sherman van Foxsport noemt Roberts één van de vijf spelers die in de vitrine kast staan.

Scott Miller van CBS bralt er wat ongenuanceerd op los maar komt aan het einde met pijn tot de conclusie dat we eventueel misschien toch op de juiste weg zijn.

Tim Brown van Yahoo Sports zegt min of meer hetzelfde alleen iets minder harsh.

Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein noemt his top-100 prospects op SI.com.

De onderstaande Orioles komen er op voor.

12. Matt Wieters, C, Orioles: A switch-hitting catcher with power and defensive chops, the Orioles surprised many by taking the expensive Scott Boras client with the fifth pick in last June's draft, and then gave him $6 million to sign.



44. Chris Tillman, RHP, Orioles: Now the best arm in the Baltimore system following the Erik Bedard trade, Tillman had California League scouts drooling because of his power-pitcher's frame, mid-90s velocity, and biting slider.



75. Chorye Spoone, RHP, Orioles: A wide-bodied righty, Spoone can generate strikeouts and groundballs with equal effectiveness; it's pronounced 'Cory' when you select him in your fantasy draft.



85. Radhames Liz, RHP, Orioles: The best pure arm in the Baltimore system hits the mid-90s with regularity and has a knee-buckling curve, but poor mechanics and control have most seeing him as an eventual late-innings reliever.

Brian Roberts

De door vele heilig verklaarde ideale godsdienstige schoonzoon is van zijn voetstuk afgevallen en heeft bekend dat hij anabole steroïde heeft gebruikt. Moet niet leuker worden.



Roberts admits he used steroids