As I've said before, the Orioles have always been MY BOYS so I'm trying desperately to do that rosey goggles thing and see them for what they are in a positive light: The Bad News Bears if you replaced all the children with goofy looking white teenagers and Hispanic guys. I'm hoping for some karmic retribution for that 69 World Series loss in the form of a Miracle Season where the Orioles win a hundred games out of nowhere and make it deep into the playoffs.
I will settle for Albers and Sarfate being adopted by a homeless guy. This is Birdland~! after the jump.
It was probably safe to figure that the Orioles' 2007 season wasn't going to rank among manager Dave Trembley's most cherished memories. But now the guy's gone and made it official -- once spring training kicks in, he's literally wiping 2007 from the memory banks, prefering to focus on the future rather than dwell on the problems of this year's model.
"I'm letting it go. I'm not talking about 2007 anymore," he said. "I'm not going throw anything in anybody's face and try to rub salt in anybody's wounds. Everybody knows what's happened here, but it's going to be gone."
Of course, in making this proclamation, Trembley was careful to note that he's reserving the right to reneg on this promise, particularly if he ever needs to reference 2007 for inspirational fodder to fire up the troops.
"I'm going to use it to re-enforce a lot of things I think are important, that I'm convinced could be helpful in making it better," he said of his plans for next season. "It will be a motivator for me, because I'm convinced [that] there's a certain way to do things and there's a certain amount of commitment [needed]. I've got one chance to do it, and I'm going to do it."
I don't know about you, but I'm totally looking forward to a full season of Trembley. Next year just can't come soon enough.
Let's face it, the Devil Rays playing a late-August series against the Orioles isn't exactly Red Sox versus Yankees. While both teams showcase some very promising young major league talent, it is a foregone conclusion as to where they will finish in the AL East. I say let's mix it up a bit. Forget about baseball - it's time for a dance-off! This is better than Will Smith versus Carlton on Fresh Prince!
In the clubhouse, Kevin Millar is a valuable commodity. Having a guy who'll drop trou, bust with some karaoke or do just about anything to lighten the mood after a nutcrunching loss pays dividends throughout a long, tough summer.
In the field, however, Millar's long been considered something of a defensive liability, a rap he's been trying to beat. While Millar does admit to limited range in the outfield, he thinks his glove work at first base is vastly underrated.
"I have never been a bad first baseman," Millar said. "I have always been a below average outfielder because of my lack of speed and arm strength."
The problem, he said, is that the tag of poor outfielder turned into "below-average defender. But at first base I never earned that label. It was just there."
"Is it frustrating to have the label? Of course, but I have enjoyed to try and prove every year that I am a better first baseman than people give me credit for," Millar said. "By no means do I feel I'm Don Mattingly, but my job is to be the best I can be."
The numbers speak for themselves: Millar is the only player in the MLB besides the Red Sox' Kevin Youkilis to play more than 50 games at first base this season without an error. But with Millar, the intangibles will probably always speak louder. How can you help it, when the guy does such a great Ray Lewis dance?
During last night's game against the Angels, Aubrey Huff became the first Oriole to hit for the cycle since Cal Ripken did it in 1984, and the first guy named "Aubrey" to do anything even remotely spectacular in the history of baseball.
Sure, it was a great moment for Huff and the Orioles. But, according to teammate Kevin Millar, it was also a great moment for fat dudes.
Huff tripled in the second inning, doubled in the fourth, and homered in the fifth to give the Os a 7-5 lead. When he stepped to the plate in the seventh, Millar had some inspirational words for him, according to the Baltimore Sun.
"[MIllar] said, 'You've got to go get that single for all the fat guys out there,'" Huff said. "It was really a sigh of relief to see it drop. I know Gary Matthews is a great center fielder and I saw him closing on it."
So was his team able to capitalize on all this magic? Dude, this is the 2007 Baltimore Orioles! The bullpen coughed up the lead in the eighth, and the game in the ninth.
As I'm sure many of you did, I watched a lot of baseball yesterday. Tons. Hours even. Where as there were a lot of cool moments during the day, and some craptacular ones, there is one incident that stands out.
It occured in the Twins/Orioles game. Justin Morneau was trying to score from second on a single. Nick Markakis' throw from right field beat the AL MVP by about 20 feet, but Morneau did everything he could to score, including delivering an atomic elbow to the face of Orioles catcher Paul Bako.
The game had to be delayed for a few minutes as Bako tried to figure out where the hell he was, and went to get his bleeding chin bandaged up.
"You never want to see anybody get hurt," Morneau said.
That's what Morneau said after the game, but I swear I heard him yelling at Bako as he came down the third base line.
"Whatchoo gonna do when the 24 inch pythons run wild on you!? AAARRRRRGH!!"
As for whether that's true or not, the still bleeding Bako wouldn't admit to the elbow being a cheap shot afterwards.
"It's nothing," Bako said. "I didn't see a replay. You just catch the ball and try to make the tag. I have no idea what transpired."
You gotta feel bad for Bako who wasn't even supposed to start the game, but had to after Ramon Hernandez strained his left oblique. As for the source of Morneau's rage, it's either an intense desire to win, or just frustration from not getting that new deal he wanted. Personally I think it has to be a direct relation to the Todd Bertuzzi shirt Morneau wears under his jersey.
Whatever it is, catchers of the AL should be scared. Cuz Morneau's a comin', and he's angry.
On Deck is the Fanhouse's look at the day's most important games
New York Yankees (0-0) vs. Tampa Bay Devil Rays - ESPN 1:05PM Est.
There's a whole lot of questions that will be answered in this game. Let's start with Carl Pavano. Will the most unlikeliest of Yankees Opening Day starters be able to shake off the heartbreak of losing his hot girlfriend? How long until A-Rod hears those first boos, or will The Movement stem the tide of negativity? Can Scott Kazmir start every game for the Devil Rays? If he does, will anybody notice?
Cincinnati Reds (0-0) vs. Chicago Cubs (0-0) - ESPN2 2:10PM Est.
The Chicago Cubs start yet another season without winning a World Series, the 99th straight Opening Day which they've played under those circumstances. Will next year finally be this year? I don't know, but the good news for Cubs fans is that it's likely the team will make an announcement that Carlos Zambrano has a new contract. For the Reds, last season's NL strikeout king Aaron Harang takes the mound. How weird will it be to see Ken Griffey Jr. playing in right field, and how long until Ryan Freel goes running headfirst into Junior?
Minnesota Twins (0-0) vs. Baltimore Orioles (0-0) - ESPN2 7:10PM Est.
The Twins may be feeling the disrespect right now, but nobody in their right mind has anything but respect for the man taking the mound for them tonight. Johan Santana begins his quest for a third Cy Young award, and Joe Mauer looks to be the first guy since Ted Williams to hit .400. Can the Twins quiet the doubters, and once again take the AL Central? Expectations are low in Baltimore, but at least the Oriole faithful can hang out with Al Bumbry and Tippy Martinez today. That has to be worth something. The young and talented Erik Bedard goes to the mound for the O's.
Oh, yeah ... Anna Benson exists. It's easy to forget that now that she's spent a season in Baltimore after her husband was traded ... a trade possibly caused by Anna's appearance at a 2005 children's Christmas party in a very low cut red dress. Her new found irrelevance must really bother her, because she's trying to get back into the consciousness of America by bashing the Mets in a recent article for Penthouse magazine. For those who don't read Penthouse for the articles, the best quotes are recanted here:
On trading her husband on the brink of winning a World Series: "The Mets lost (a chance at winning) the World Series because of a little red dress. That doesn't bother me. That should bother them."
On the "Anna Claus" incident: "What do they (the Mets) care more about, a bleeping dress or a World Championship?
On the Mets getting the better of the trade: "They got a bleeping bag of balls for Kris. They didn't get expletive. Julio Jorge and John Maine. They traded a number one stud pitcher who was 30 for at the time, and they blame the red dress."
Let me get this straight: She can't get Jorge Julio's name right, she thinks her husband is a number one pitcher even though he has a career record under .500, breaks down at the end of every season, and isn't going to throw a pitch in 2007, and she would take a bag of balls over John Maine, who pitched shutout ball in Game 6 of the NLCS last year.
Hey, she's qualified to be a baseball analyst for FOX.
The Rangers feature one of the most talented infields in the entire game, but just how long will their core of sluggers stay together? If you believe the rumors, two years, tops. Mark Teixeira will be a free agent following the 2008 season and he sounds excited about testing free agency -- perhaps so he can bolt back to his native east coast. From Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman:
"I'm going to enjoy my two years here in Texas and hopefully we'll win a championship," Teixeira said here at Rangers camp, "and after that, I'll weigh my options and see what's best for my family." ...
It doesn't hurt him, either, that by the time he's free, both New York teams could be looking for a first baseman, as could Boston. Plus, the Orioles' attention-starved owner Peter Angelos is said to have been salivating for years at the chance to add the well-spoken, well-rounded switch-hitting star first baseman. Teixeira has more power and personality than Orioles great Eddie Murray, and also happens to hail from Severna Park, Md. ...
Teixeira doesn't downplay his excitement about the idea of playing for the Orioles. "That would really be a dream come true," he said. Of course, Teixeira is nothing if not polite. He finished that thought by saying, "But at the same time, I have two years here with Texas and I'm going to concentrate on winning with Texas."
If the Rangers become convinced they don't have a shot at re-signing Teixeira, don't be surprised to see the team move him this winter so they can get back at least something in return, much like they did when they sent Alfonso Soriano packing before last season. And in addition to the teams Heyman mentions, I'll also throw the Atlanta Braves out there, even if for no other reason than the fact Teixeira went to Georgia Tech for three years.
Sidney Ponson started for the Twins yesterday in a game against the organization he called home for 12 seasons. He last 4 innings, and gave up only one run en route to a 14-2 Twins victory. He received some boos from Orioles fans in attendance during the game, but Sidney waited until the game was over before he fired back.
"They booed me when I was playing there. It doesn't bother me. Baltimore fans have no clue what baseball is all about," Ponson said. "The old Baltimore fans over on 33rd Street [Memorial Stadium], that's true baseball fans. "[The Camden Yards fans] were booing me the last two years. It doesn't matter. I could be pitching a good game and give up a run in the eighth and they would boo me. It doesn't hurt my feelings."
Of course, it's not just the fans of Baltimore that Ponson thinks are morons. He refused to talk to any reporters from Baltimore after the game, and doesn't plan on talking to them anytime soon.
"I don't want the [Baltimore] media to know nothing about what's going on with me. I don't like them," he said. "I didn't like the last two years over there, so I didn't talk to them the last two years over there."
I think it's safe to say that when the Twins make the trip to Camden Yards on August 23rd, there won't be any "Welcome Home, Sidney" parties going on. Although, that assumes Ponson is still on the Twins roster and not punching a judge somewhere.
Recommended reading:
It was probably safe to figure that the 
In the clubhouse, Kevin Millar is a valuable commodity. Having a guy who'll drop trou, bust with some karaoke or do just about anything to lighten the mood after a nutcrunching loss pays dividends throughout a long, tough summer. 
During last night's game against the Angels, Aubrey Huff became the first Oriole to hit for the cycle since Cal Ripken did it in 1984, and the first guy named "Aubrey" to do anything even remotely spectacular in the history of baseball.
Oh, yeah ... Anna Benson exists. It's easy to forget that now that she's spent a season in Baltimore after her husband was traded ... a trade possibly caused by Anna's appearance at a 2005 children's Christmas party in a very low cut red dress. Her new found irrelevance must really bother her, because she's trying to get back into the consciousness of America by bashing the Mets in a recent article for Penthouse magazine. For those who don't read Penthouse for the articles, the best quotes are recanted 
The Rangers feature 
Sidney Ponson started for the Twins yesterday in a game against the organization he called home for 12 seasons. He last 4 innings, and gave up only one run en route to a 14-2 Twins victory. He received some boos from Orioles fans in attendance during the game, but Sidney waited until the game was over before 
