The Loss Column — Baltimore Sports Blog and Community

By now everyone probably knows that today’s game is not a sellout. At least, it’s not a sellout as of 2:10 pm.

I’ve been going back and forth on the question of whether or not this is a big deal. I still don’t know, but I can say this: it’s not entirely surprising. The local fanbase has proven time and again that it’s, shall we say, less than loyal.

Rebuilding club + sketchy weather + weak fanbase = no sellout.

Makes a sad kind of sense.

In any case, I’m not letting it dampen my enthusiasm for today’s Jeremy Guthrie vs. James Shields matchup.

Or any other game this year. Go O’s.

Apropos of nothing, did you know that Adam Jones‘ middle name is “LaMarque”? Yet another reason to get on board.

Opening day is finally here (well, almost) and with it we celebrate the dawn of the Lost Season (a term for which I believe all credit must go to Wayward O).

We who have long suffered, who have long trafficked in dreams, finally have our feet on the ground with a path spread out before us. No longer will we regard the Scott Williamsons and Marty Cordovas of the world with a cautious but nonetheless blind optimism — for we are no longer being asked to.

On Jones! On Scott! On Sherril, on Loewen! On Markakis and Trembley and Wieters and Moore!

Stoked.

As far as The Loss Column goes, my goal is to make this Ground Zero for the New Oriole Renaissance (NOR). I’m anticipating that over the next two years we’ll see a flowering of love for this team throughout the area, and what we’ve got here is exactly the right kind of community to facilitate it. With your help I think we can make it happen. Without your help, though, I can’t do it. So consider that a humble plea.

And, of course, don’t forget to show love to the other Orioles sites out there. Camden Chat, Oriole Central, Oriole Magic, Oriole Post, Weaver’s Tantrum, Dempsey’s Army, Wayward O, and all the rest. We’re all in it together.

Expect the same regular coverage, insights, and analysis this year as we had last year. I’ll try to have open threads available on a regular basis for gameday discussion, and at least two or three regular, more specific posts each week to go along with those.

And, of course, we’ll continue to talk All Things Baltimore Sports along the way.

If you’re not in the mood already, click here (mp3) and see if it doesn’t get your blood flowing.

Ahh, spring…

As pointed out in the comments, the news we’ve all been waiting for has finally come down: Jay Gibbons is officially an ex-Oriole.

Gotta say I was worried about this one. I figured it would happen, and I hoped it would happen, but deep down I also doubted it would happen. Now that it has, though, we can say with confidence that rebuilding is no joke in Baltimore, and that Peter Angelos really has given AndyMac a lot more control than anyone else has ever had.

“I certainly talked to Peter about it as I do with all the big decisions we make,” MacPhail said. “I gave him the ramifications and what my thinking was. I hadn’t really reached any conclusions myself. I was wrestling with this one. I was really, to be honest with you, looking for some advice. His advice was, ‘You got to do what you got to do.’ Those were the last words that he left me with and I took the position of well, this is what we have to do.”

I think it’s finally time to stop wondering. I think we’ve finally turned the corner. Famous last words maybe, but I’m going out on that limb.

I feel so damn psyched for this season, a completely different thing than I’ve ever felt before about this team. This is going to be one fun summer, folks.

It looks more and more like 2008 will open with Luis Hernandez at shortstop, Brian Roberts at second, and Brandon Fahey in the utility role (though that’s less certain). If the price of keeping Roberts is starting Hernandez, then I’m OK with it. His defense will come around once he realizes that none of this was a dream and that, yes, he really is replacing former MVP Miguel Tejada as the team’s everyday starter.

Turning to the outfield, we all know that the day-in, day-out starters are Luke Scott, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis. Not bad, right? After that, however…

Jay Payton is a quality guy with no business on this team. Jay Gibbons is a…guy with no business on any team. So I had to chuckle when I read this quote from Dave Trembley:

Trembley took most of the responsibility for the shoddy outfield play in Wednesday’s loss, which included two dropped fly balls. “That’s my fault, because I had the wrong guys out there,” he said. “I won’t have the wrong guys out there the next time. You have to be able to make the routine plays. If you can’t make the routine plays, it’s the big leagues, you shouldn’t be out there. I don’t mean to be disrespectful to anybody, but come on, it’s late in the spring, and when things like that happen, that’s not acceptable.”

If this team is going to get turned around it will be because guys like Trembley are finally in charge. Gotta love ‘im.

Opening Day is Monday, folks. Monday!

As spring training winds to a close, a handful of roster questions inch closer to resolution.

– It looks like Brian Roberts will, for now at least, remain a Baltimore Oriole.

– Everyone seems to think that Matt Albers will hold down the fifth starter’s spot, with Brian Burres heading to the ‘pen as a long man.

– Jay Payton, Jay Gibbons, and Aubrey Huff will all open the season as members of the organization. No miracles yet.

Only a few decisions left to be made before the Devil Rays come to town. Which makes now as good a time as any to go on record with our ‘08 season predictions. Mine are as follows:

–The O’s will win 70 games.

–Jeremy Guthrie will end up with a record right around 12-9, give or take a few. His ERA will hover right around 4.00.

– At least once this year, a player from an opposing team will be quoted — after that team has won — as saying “That’s a tough team they’ve got over there. They’re going to be really good really soon.” This happens every year.

– The players will respond to Dave Trembley and he will, at some point before Spring ‘09, get a contract extension.

– Daniel Cabrera won’t have a “break out” season, but he will be decent enough for everyone to say “well, he’s no Randy Johnson but he ain’t bad, either.”

– Erik Bedard will drive the media crazy in Seattle, and in doing so will make me yearn for the days when he did the same here.

I could go on, and maybe in the comments I will. In the meantime, though, the floor is open. Just remember: you’re on the record.

I’ve been mentioning in the comments for a week or two now how I had plans in the works for Loss Column-sanctioned events down at Oriole Park. With Opening Day less than a week away, it’s time to deliver the goods.

So here’s the deal: I’ve picked four dates on the schedule and pegged them as “promo nights” that the Loss Column will “sponsor” (read: suggest and talk about). They’ll work just like the team-sponsored promo nights except (a) the team has nothing to do with it, and (b) nobody gets anything for free. The trade off on those things is that these nights will be twice as fun.

The dates were selected specifically to target games when I figured attendance and morale might be low. No weekends, no existing promo nights, and no games against the Pink Sox or the Janquis. The idea is to make the Yard fun on a night when it might otherwise be a morgue.

So, mark your calendars now for…

Wednesday, April 30th vs. the Devil Rays: Nick Markakis Appreciation Night
This one’s pretty simple: we buy tickets in right field and we show our love for Nick. Signs, custom t-shirts, chants, and cheers are all encouraged.

Thursday, July 17th vs. the Tigers (first game after the All-Star break): To Be Determined

Monday, August 25th vs. the White Sox: To Be Determined

Wednesday, September 24th vs. the Devil Rays: To Be Determined

Why so many “TBD”s? Simple: I want to see what everyone else thinks. I’ve got three more ideas that I think are pretty good, but I’d be willing to bet there are better ones out there. So have at it, and let’s have some good times this summer.

ed. note: the following post is by UMBC student Zak Bratcher, who attended last week’s game in Raleigh. It’s long, but worth it.

I remember going to my first UMBC basketball game two years ago. My roommate and I, both sports-obsessed freshmen who considered ourselves diehard Terps fans in our formative years, felt it natural to support our Division I men’s basketball team. We were playing Delaware sometime in December, a non-conference contest that meant practically nothing. Considering the Retrievers were coming off three forgettable losing seasons, the RAC arena was noticeably void of fans. My roommate and I represented two of about 30 less-than-crazed students composing the less-than-intimidating Dawg Pound student section.

I glanced at my buddy, “You think we’ll ever make the Tournament?”

Mostly out of courtesy, he didn’t respond.

At the time, we both realized our men’s basketball team had an arduous journey ahead to become relevant – probably too laborious for us to witness the resurrection in just four years. Hell, all we really wanted was for the Dogs to play a meaningful conference game in February. We weren’t holding our breath.

Last Thursday morning, a hoard of eight of my closest friends loaded into two cars, fueled up on coffee and donuts, and trekked down to Raleigh, N.C. Two weekends prior, we had logged over a thousand miles to support the Retrievers in their quest for a first ever America East Conference title, so following the Retrievers to their first ever NCAA Tournament game seemed only natural. After all, the 300-plus-mile retreat to the Mecca of College Hoops wasn’t a bad way to spend Spring Break.

Upon arrival, we followed Tobacco Road from Durham, home of the rigid, gothic architecture of Duke University, into Chapel Hill, home of the University of North Carolina. UNC’s campus has an overwhelmingly communal feel, highlighted by Franklin Street, a pathway connecting the university with downtown shops, restaurants, and bars. Clad in our gold and black, we felt right at home in the prototypical college town’s expanse of sky blue.

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A few days ago in the comments, Andrew mentioned that he had a curiosity. He offered to send a picture and, sure enough (click for large version):

It’s a piece of “Baltimore” Orioles merchandise that appears to have been produced well after the Baltimore script logo was used.

So what gives? Any ideas?

– Want to know something the O’s have been progressive and proactive about lately? Nutrition, which I think is great.

– Daniel Cabrera felt good today, and if the Big Guy’s happy then so am I.

– Here’s the latest on the Cubs, who seem like they really could use Brian Roberts.

– Say adios to Javy Lopez, the walking, talking definition of the term “contract year”.

– I think I’m going to the second game of the year, or “Opening Night” as I’m calling it to make myself feel better. Anybody else?