Right Off Russell

We at Right Off Russell are continuing our trip around the blogosphere to get opinions from other folks who blog on the Orioles.  If you are a blogger and want us to pester you with questions, then give us a shout!

In our second installment, we have Heath from Dempsey’s Army giving us his nuggets of wisdom as the season approaches.

1. Tell us more about your blog and your history as an Orioles fan.  Specifically I am interested in your earliest memory seeing the O’s play live and favorite players from your youth.    

I started the blog as a form of therapy. I live in Atlanta so there’s no one down here to talk Orioles with. This just gave me an outlet. But then I couldn’t shut up and I’ve been writing for nearly three years.

Earliest memories are hazy. I was 12 in 1983, the last time the Orioles won the World Series. I didn’t really stand a chance after that. I was hooked.

I lived in southern Maryland so going to a game meant at least an hour and a half drive each way. Consequently, I only saw a handful of games before I got my driver’s license. Memorial Stadium was a great place to see a game. It had a real working class neighborhood vibe. Cal Ripken, Jr, Rick Dempsey, Mike Boddicker, Mickey Tettleton, Eddie Murray and Larry Sheets were among my favorites back in the ’80’s.

2. What sense can you make of the rotation picture after Guthrie and Uehara?

It’s a mess. But they are only cannon fodder. As long as they prevent the young arms from being rushed to the minors, they’ve done their jobs. And if one guy emerges with a decent season in 2009, it’s icing on the cake.

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Ravens: Irsay = Douche
Orioles: Rhubarb = Brouhaha + Vegetable Idiom
UMD: Brenda Frese = Gary Williams - pit sweat
Wildcard!: Wizards + Agent Zero = Hero

Orioles: Fredo is not breakin’ anyone’s hearts
Ravens: Could the preseason actually be fun this year?
DC United: Stadium problems, nah, just a hiccup
Wildcard!: We will see Coach and Buddy Garrity fight it out for a couple more years

Orioles: Hammock continuing to make a play
Ravens: DHB is not the only local talent that is being considered
UMD: The unwatched Terp Spectacle
Wildcard!: Stringer Bell is ruffling some feathers on The Office

Made a brief venture into Maryland this weekend as I was picking up a friend at BWI. I made a point of stopping at G & M for some of their amazing signature crab cakes. They were some damn good crab cakes. Now if we could only fast forward a few months and pick up a few of those suckers and a case of Natty Boh for a Raven’s tailgate. That would be perfect.

With the Orioles starting rotation up in the air after Guthrie and Uehara, the bullpen has gone overlooked for a good part of the spring.  It seems that the O’s have the arms to make the bullpen a strength.  Provided they are healthy Sherrill, Ray, Johnson, Sarfate, Albers, Liz and Walker form a solid unit.  But who is the closer?

George Sherrill laid claim to the role in place of Chris Ray last year.  The guy was good enough to be an all-star.  He did however fade and go down with an injury as the season wore on.  Sherrill has also gotten hit pretty well this spring, allowing 13 hits and 17 base runners in just 5 1/3 innings.  Sherrill, however, has often been a slow starter in the spring citing that his mechanics take a bit of time to get themselves worked out.

Chris Ray, on the other hand, has looked pretty dominant at times this spring.  Ray seems poised to take the closer job back, but to this point Dave Trembley is sticking by Sherrill as the closer based on his performance for much of last season.  Trembley may not be using hard and fast roles when it comes to who finishes out games, but it seems he is making a mistake if Sherrill is the guy.

Apart from last season Sherrill has never been more than a left handed specialist.  He performed well closing out games for the O’s, but he faded with the larger work load and also struggled as he began to see teams the 2nd and 3rd time around.  The O’s ‘pen might be better served with Sherril returning to the specialist role.  Sherrill himself said he is not concerned whether he or Ray is the closer:

“He (Ray) has looked good this spring,’’ Sherrill said. “If that’s something they want to do, that’s fine. All I want to do is win. I don’t care what my title is.”

I appreciate Sherrill’s willingness to put his role aside for the benefit of the team.  It seems inevitable that Ray will have the closer job back.  Ray has pitched well enough to have won the job this spring.  Why not give it to him now?

Is it ok to get scared now?

6 runs in the 1st inning?

Am I supposed to be looking at the 3 2/3 innings of scoreless innings and ignore the debacle in the 1st inning?

Am I supposed to forget the WBC and what happened there?

Opening Day is 9 days away and I am getting the sinking feeling that we will not be able to enjoy having the O’s in contention for even the typical 2 months.

Hayden Penn was hit hard in his latest spring training appearance, yesterday.  Penn’s latest struggles lead me to believe that his shot at making the Oriole rotation to start the season are all but gone.  He may have even pitched himself off the team.  At this point Penn has been unable to regain the form that made him the Orioles top pitching prospect just 3 short years ago.  The Orioles are now faced with the decision of seeing if Penn can work out some of the kinks in the bullpen, or designating him for assignment and hoping no other teams claim him off waivers.  At this point Penn may easily clear waivers.

I am frustrated for the guy because it seemed like everything was lining up right for him to grab a starting role.  Either he has not regained the arm strength, after a series of injuries,  to cut it at the major league level, or his talent was over valued to begin with.  In fairness to Penn he has not gotten a regular look as a starter this spring.  The O’s have battled weather and the need to spread innings and starts around because of the sheer number of pitchers in camp this spring.  My hope is that Penn can right the ship.  It would be gratifying to see a young O’s arm live up to potential.

The Orioles also informed top prospect C Matt Weiters that he was going to be optioned to AAA Norfolk on Monday.  This move is not a big surprise as the front office has stated time and again their preference to see Weiters get more seasoning before breaking in with the big club.  Weiters, however, performed at a very high level this spring, leaving fans to think that he is ready.  And if Weiters is ready, why delay the inevitable? 

Lack of readiness for the big leagues is not the only reason Weiters is being sent down.  The Orioles seem bent on delaying Weiters service time clock.  You cannot really blame them since Weiters, a Scott Boras client, is likely to test the free agent waters when his time comes.  Sending Weiters down to start the season would give the club an extra year of control over Weiters’ contract rights.

Is Hayden Penn a lost cause that I do not want to let go of?  And are the Orioles making the right move in delaying the arrival of Matt Weiters?

UMD: Heyward-Bey is doing marketing up front to pay off for him later.
Ravens: FB Lorenzo Neal wants to keep playing, but it’s not clear the Ravens will sign him.
Orioles: Baez responds to his bullpen banishment.
Wildcard!: Bill Nye the Nats Guy.

Mike Tomlin is apparently coming to his senses.  After beating the Ravens 3 times last year he clearly realizes that his luck has run out and is picking the Ravens to win the division.  It is time for us to run out to the nearest sports book and lay that vacation fund on the Ravens to win the AFC North this year.  I am surprised Tomlin did not just clear the road to the Super Bowl for the Ravens.  Perhaps Tomlin knows that Big Ben has another helmet-less date with a windshield in his near future.

 

“You have to like Baltimore,” Tomlin said when asked for a prediction yesterday. “They won 11 games last year with a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback. They have a good football team. They have a great defense, they have a quarterback who proved he’s their quarterback of the future, he’s a guy on the rise. You have to respect that.”

I am not sure what angle Tomlin is working here.  Is he trying to take pressure off his club by talking up the Ravens?  Or perhaps create more pressure for the Ravens?  Whatever he is trying to do it is odd, but satisfying to hear of the respect he has for the Ravens and I am sure the opposite is true as well.