I highly doubt you’ll ever find Nick Markakis on Twitter. I doubt anyone would think of him as a “vocal” leader. I’m always happy to hear what he has to say, but he’s not a great interview. In other words, he’s all baseball. And to the extent that he’s not he’d rather keep it quiet.

No problem. In fact, I love it. We need guys like that every bit as much as we need Jones. Markakis is a great teammate by all accounts and the fact that he makes his yearlong home in Maryland speaks volumes. He’s a credit to the team, and I couldn’t be happier to know that he’ll be here for years to come.

On the field I’m expecting an uptick. There’s been talk around the Orionet about how he had a lot on his mind last year (new contract, new family, new charitable foundation, new home) and how it might have caused him to press and/or scuffle a little bit. That sounds right. It’s a little weird to think of .293 with 18 HR and 101 RBI (along with a .453 SLG and .347 OBP) as a “down” year, but that’s the kind of player he is. He’s better than “better than average”.

Beyond just the expectations, I have one wish: I’d like to see him make the All-Star team. That he’ll deserve it I have no doubt, but deserving it and getting there are entirely separate things. Here’s hoping.

An aside: I’ve been holding on to this giddy YouTube video of his first home run for a few years now, waiting for the right time to post it. Listen closely, because it includes a discussion of underwear.

I was actually at that game but not, alas, with the chicks who filmed the clip.

(photo via Keith Allison)

Today’s news that he’s rejoining the broadcast team has me straining to recall what he was like during his last tour of duty. I can’t do it. I’m pretty sure he didn’t bother me, though, so I’m happy to welcome him back.

But if you’re out there, Mike, pay attention. There is one commandment above all others that I — and all right-thinking Orioles fans — demand from our color guys: be weird.

Don’t play it straight. Don’t try to bring Gary Thorne back down to earth. Don’t play yin to Palmer’s yang. The O’s have a grand tradition of weirdness in the booth and part of your job now is to uphold that tradition.

I don’t know if you’re up to the task or not. It’s not an easy thing. But you’ve got the baseball knowledge for sure so I figure you’re starting from a solid foundation.

Reach for the stars, Mike. Reach for the stars.

– I’m experimenting with a version of TLC that’s optimized for touch-based mobile devices (iPhone, iPod touch, Android, etc). I installed a plugin called WPtouch that detects if you’re viewing the site that way and feeds you a stripped down version. I’ve tested it on my phone and it feels pretty good. I’m not in love, but it seems like a net win.

If you see it, please chime in with thoughts. I can easily go back if need be. Also, for everyone, if you experience any weirdness that’s new as of today please let me know about that as well. Sometimes new plugins break things that I don’t immediately notice.

– Along those same lines, it came to my attention last night that the “comment preview” function is busted. I didn’t realize that because it still works fine for logged-in users, which is me when I’m on the site. Only problem is that’s only me.

I’d like to find a way to restore it, but as of now that doesn’t seem feasible. My apologies if it’s something you miss. Know that if I find a way to bring it back I definitely will.

– On a broader level, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the overall direction for TLC going forward. I think there’s a need to return to my/our roots.

Let me draw an analogy. If we think of the whole of New Media as a newspaper, most of the other blogs are the news stories, the “notes” sections, the features, and the other kinds of day-to-day stuff. TLC, on the other hand, is the columns (that’s actually part of the reason it’s called “The Loss Column”). It’s less frequent and it’s more driven by voice. I don’t think I ever really strayed from that, but I do think I drifted. Over the past month or so I’ve been making an effort to return, even if (and this is a possibility) it comes with a hit to traffic.

This isn’t a place for daily news links or game recaps (we handle those pretty well in the comments). It isn’t a place for rants on the news of the day. All of those things are good, but they’re being handled pretty well already at other sites. To me, those sites complement TLC and TLC complements them.

In the comings months I’m going to place more emphasis on being the columnist. I’ll still provide a place to talk O’s day-to-day but the main focus will shift a bit. I expect that will include more posts that don’t directly relate to sports (such as the the “Randoms” series) and more talk about things like beer and whisky (like in the early days). I expect it’ll include more posts like the 2010 Position-By-Position series, as well (thought/opinion pieces that aren’t necessarily tied directly to the news of the day).

I’m also open to suggestions. This is your site, too, so let me know what you want to see. I can’t guarantee I’ll provide it but I’ll certainly take everything under consideration.

By the way, that picture up there is of some Field Notes notebooks. They’re my favorite by far, and I highly recommend them. Affordable, disposable, yet worthwhile in a way that’s hard to explain until you’ve bought a pack.

(photo via)

No disrespect meant to Brian Roberts, Nick Markakis, or any of the other talented players who figure to form this club’s nucleus for years to come. It’s just that Jones is unique among them for that rare combination of skill and personality that often — not always, but often — paves the way to superstardom.

I followed him more closely than any other player this winter (thanks, Twitter) and came away impressed. He works hard, keeps himself in great shape, has a great attitude, and he gives a damn about the game and the team. But you’d expect any great player to have those attributes, right? There’s something else about this kid. Something that can’t be quantified but which is nonetheless very real. Charisma, confidence, leadership, presence. Whatever “it” is, that’s what Jones has.

That wouldn’t mean much in the hands of a guy who can’t deliver on the field. We know, though, that Jones has that end more than covered. He’s a beast out there. The intangibles just make him that much more valuable.

I expect giant things, starting this year. I expect the All Star-caliber production to continue, and I expect him to grow into the kind of attention-generating personality this team has lacked for so many years. When the wins start coming and the fans make their way back to the park, they’re going to fall in love with this guy. Much in the same way that most of us probably already have.

(photo via Keith Allison)

We’ve known for years that the Ravens needed a player like Boldin. The price to get him — third and fourth round draft picks — can only be described as reasonable. That the Ravens also got a fifth round pick makes it that much more so.

Plus you’ve got to love a guy who arrives in town saying “The Ravens play a certain way. They play as hard and as physical as any team in the league, and I want to add to that. I think I play the way they play.”.

Boldin’s injury history is a concern worth noting, but that sometimes comes with the territory for a guy who plays hard. Call it acceptable risk.

A tip of the cap is in order for Ozzie Newsome and the rest of the braintrust. If you didn’t already understand that they know what the hell they’re doing out in Owings Mills, you do now.