An Interview with Orioles VP Mike Flanagan

At 8:30 a.m. on Friday March 24, the phone rang in my office, as previously arranged, and I had the privilege of talking baseball for 40 minutes with Mike Flanagan, Executive Vice President, Baseball Operations of the Baltimore Orioles.

We began our discussion with the usual pleasantries and I congratulated him on his new responsibilities with the club. Throughout last year I had been hoping that the club would promote Mike to the lead operations position, and I told him that I had been “rooting for him” in that regard. I also shared that one of my own frustrations with the previous “dual GM” arrangement had been the perception of indecision and congratulated him on the perceived increase in decisiveness since he took over the helm. He was grateful for the comments.

We discussed the many changes in personnel since he assumed his new responsibilities. He was careful not to make comparisons between Jim Beattie and Jim Duquette, but simply stated that the addition of Duquette has brought “a lot of energy to the front office.” He explained that Duquette is well connected, well respected and has lots of very valuable experience.

We did not get into the controversial aspects of the departure of Dave Ritterpusch, but I did ask him if the organization had changed its use of the evaluation tools that are associated with Ritterpusch’s contributions to the Orioles. Mike said that those tools are still being used in much the same way as before, but that the new personnel who have come in have also brought evaluation tools with them from their previous experience. These new ideas from outside the organization are being incorporated into the overall evaluation strategies used by the Orioles.

Mike explained that they really have focused on re-energizing the minors at both the personnel and player levels. The front office is unified in the belief that this is the most effective way to build a ball club with a sustained winning legacy. Additionally, he noted that there are 27 players in the major league camp this year who were not there last year.

Most of the mainstream press focuses on Angelos, Flanagan and Duquette, but the Orioles also added people like Scott Proefrock to the front office. For my own curiosity, I asked Mike what specific role Scott plays. Mike said that Scott focuses mostly on contract negotiation, arbitration issues, scouting review and keeping a constant eye on the waiver wire. This last function is especially important at this time of the year as other clubs deal with paring down their rosters, dealing with problems finding slots for talented players who are out of options etc. Though Mike explained that they are always in conversation with someone about trade possibilities that could improve the Orioles, he said that there was “nothing earth shattering going on right now.” Most of their effort right now is focused on the waiver wire in the hopes of finding a useful player who can help the Orioles immediately.

We shifted our conversation to the major league camp and talked about roster make up as we approach the last days of spring training. I acknowledged that I understood that he wasn’t going to tell me who has made the club and who hasn’t. Indeed, he said more than once that the final choices have not yet been made. “We’re going to use all the spring games to make those decisions – that’s what spring training is for.” But I did ask if he thought there would be any surprises on the 25-man roster and he acknowledged that this was certainly a possibility. During this vein of our conversation, Mike brought up the outstanding spring performances of both Nick Markakis and Sendy Rleal.

Given the high praise for Hayden Penn earlier in camp, and the discussion about perhaps using him out of the bullpen, some members of the Belfry community wondered if he might be an example of breaking in a major league starter out of the pen, in much the same way as McGregor, Martinez, Garland and even Flanagan himself had been in bygone days. Mike was quick to point out that just because Penn has now been assigned to Ottawa does not necessarily preclude the above scenario from unfolding. The decision was made primarily because Penn is young (21) and they felt he needed innings to improve. Mike also said that because he’s always been a starter the jury was still out as to how Penn would handle pitching more frequently and whether his arm would recover quickly enough to effectively fill that role. Additionally, Mike said “we see Hayden as our 6^th starter in the event anything happens in our rotation.” He explained that if he were working out of the major league bullpen, he wouldn’t be immediately “stretched out enough” to come in and fill that 6^th starter role.

Cory Morris is another minor league starter who has had fine success this spring. I asked Mike if the same criteria might apply to Morris as we had just discussed about Penn. Mike felt the two situations were different for two reasons. First, Morris is older (26) and has more minor league innings and years under his belt. And second, even though Morris has also always been a starter throughout his career, Mike felt that he had responded especially well to the short, more frequent work he has received this spring.

When I asked specifically about Nick Markakis as both a person and as a player, Mike was quick to speak highly of him in both regards. He said that Nick was noticeably “more mature this spring, and focused” that “he has handled every situation extremely well,” and that “he has had good at bats all spring.” But the most revealing comment, I felt, was that Mike referred to him as “a man.” I also asked if it was possible that Markakis could make the 25-man roster, but not be a starter. There was a short pause before Mike answered, and then he said, “we’ll take the best 25 players north.”

As we wrapped up this portion of our talk, Mike said “none of these players (referring to Markakis, Rleal and Morris) have done anything not to be on this team.”

Mike and I talked about Cory Patterson and his obvious physical skills. Mike explained that he felt Patterson has had a good camp. He has been working hard with Terry Crowley to correct “some habits in his swing.” And Mike felt that he has worked hard, played good defense, run well and had lots of good at bats. They see progress in his development. I also asked specifically if Patterson has minor league options left, and Mike said that he does.

Another of the Orioles major off-season acquisitions has been Kris Benson, to fill a top spot in the major league rotation. Mike and I discussed Benson’s struggles on the mound so far this spring. Mike felt that mostly this was the result of a veteran pitcher working on new things and knowing what it takes to pace himself to be ready for the regular season. He didn’t seem at all concerned that Benson would be ready to answer the bell come April. I noted the leadership of Benson in getting together with the other starting pitchers for outings like the recent fishing trip. I asked if Benson had been taking these initiatives on his own, or if he had been encouraged by management to do so. Mike said that Kris has been doing this on his own, and that he felt the bonding and camaraderie shown amongst the starters was flowing out of Mazzone’s emphasis on the starting pitchers taking responsibility for the whole game, not just the innings they pitch. This means that not only do they need to focus on pitching well, but on going deep into the game and on turning the game over to the pen (should that be necessary) in good shape for the O’s to win.

I suppose no discussion of Kris Benson would be complete without mentioning Anna. Mike said they haven’t seen much of Anna, and that their “focus was obviously on Kris.”

As we talked about Leo Mazzone, I asked Mike about any differences between Mazzone’s philosophies and those of Ray Miller and Mike’s own philosophies when he was a pitching coach. Mike said that he “likes everything about Mazzone’s approach” and that all three of them (Miller, Flanagan and Mazzone) have similar approaches. I described the approach as “old-school” with the focus on responsibility, throwing more often and pitching deep, and Mike agreed that this is exactly what it is.

Mike and I talked about the SABR research that shows that Mazzone has a track record of improving a pitcher’s ERA by more than half a run. I pondered about the fact that Miller was already a fine coach and wondered if the effect of Mazzone might actually be less by comparison. Mike said that they really believe that Mazzone will continue to improve the O’s staff at much the same level because of his skill/track record and the relative inexperience of the current staff. He was also quick to point out that Ramon Hernandez has a similar track record for improving the staffs that he catches and that if both Mazzone and Hernandez can continue this effect, the Orioles will have something “really special.”

Since we’d been talking about Ray Miller, I asked Mike if he has had recent contact with him. Mike said that he and Ray spoke “a week or so ago, and had good long baseball talk.” Mike said that Ray is still recovering from his aortic aneurism surgery, but that he’s doing well. I asked if they discussed the possibility of Ray getting back to coaching in general or back to the Orioles as a roving instructor or in some other capacity. Mike said it’s still too early to discuss that. I expressed my own fondness and best wishes for Ray and told Mike that many of the fans at BITB share that sentiment. Mike said he’d pass-on our best wishes to Ray in his next conversation.

Another hot topic in recent weeks has been the contract negotiations of Melvin Mora. As I assumed, Mike couldn’t comment specifically about the negotiations and wouldn’t characterize the hurdles in the negotiations as being mostly about years or dollars. He simply said that the negotiations are “on-going,” and that the hurdles they’re experiencing are “the nature of contract negotiation.”

There has been a fair amount of discussion about Javy Lopez and exactly how he might be used defensively. Mike explained that the most important aspect of Javy’s playing time is that they keep his bat in the lineup everyday. Mike clearly indicated that Javy will be moving around, getting at-bats from first base, catcher and DH. Mike’s comments revealed that he’ll be used behind the plate in a greater capacity than just as an emergency catcher.

The second half of last year was a clubhouse chemistry disaster by most accounts. I asked Mike how he felt about “Chemistry 2006.” Mike said, “so far so good.” He specifically mentioned that in addition to the usual suspects (Tejada, Millar and Conine) that Ramon Hernandez has really taken a positive leadership roll in the clubhouse.

Our discussion turned toward the minor league camp when I told Mike of the brutal drive I took a couple of weeks ago across the state of Florida to Twin Lakes near Sarasota. (Long, narrow, winding roads with poor signage and starting & stopping at every little town. Ugh!) It took forever. Though I was sure I knew the answer already, I again asked about the possibility of getting the Major and Minor league spring camps together. Mike said there is still a hope to do that, but that there is no specific plan to do so at this time. He did say that the lease in Fort Lauderdale is year-to-year, which gives them the flexibility to do something if the opportunity comes together. He skillfully turned the focus away from spring and said that they’re really happy with their regular season relationships with Fredrick, Bowie and the like. We didn’t have time to specifically discuss the situation with Ottawa, and their possible move, but I got the impression that this relationship will be more favorable soon.

We talked a little about some of the pitchers in the minor league camp, first about Brandon Erbe. Mike described him as “a good young arm.” Mike said its hard for him or Duquette to get over to Sarasota often during the spring and that they typically only do so about twice. But he said that they talk with the minor league director and coaches nearly everyday. Mike wouldn’t comment about where some of the stars of the system might start the season, saying that it’s just too early in minor league camp to make those determinations.

We talked about the draft position of players and how this does or does not effect how the organization sees these players and their timely ability to move up the organizational ladder. I sited Sendy Rleal and Eddy Rodriguez as examples of guys who weren’t high draft picks but who have pitched effectively throughout the minors. Mike said that they hope that they are able to judge a player on his talents and performance, but said that sometimes considering draft position is inevitable. The obvious example he sited was that of Adam Loewen. Since he signed a Major League contract, his promotional schedule is very much tied to his draft/contract status.

I asked Mike about the 2006 First Year Players draft in general and how the Orioles might approach it specifically. He felt that this year’s draft is not as deep as last year’s. That will make it more challenging for the Orioles to identify and sign good value for the organization. Mike said that they’ll take “the best available player” in the draft rather than trying to profile players. He felt that profiling players (such as looking for a catcher or a college pitcher etc.) often leads to picking a player higher than would otherwise be necessary. The result, of course is that you over pay for the player and leave a more talented player who doesn’t fit the profile on the table.

We wrapped up our minor league discussion by talking about how the so-called “Mazzone Effect” would impact the minor league teams. Would they implement these philosophies throughout, or would each minor league pitching coach do their own thing? Mike said that the increased throwing programs are being used throughout the minors already and that the other philosophies are being passed down. Recently all the minor league pitching coaches were in the major league camp and they were “all huddled around Mazzone.” His reputation and track record make others hungry to learn from him.

Before transitioning to a more personal set of inquiries, I asked Mike, “if you could shore up only one aspect of the team before opening day, would it be offense, defense, starting pitching or relief pitching?” “Offensive efficiency,” was his answer. Converting base runners into actual runs-on-the-board is his focus as he looks to tweak the team before opening day.

There certainly was too much tragedy and loss of life in the Oriole family last year. With the recent passing of Elrod Hendricks, I asked what the organization might be doing to honor his life and legacy with the Orioles. Mike didn’t know about the specific plans (obviously this doesn’t fall under his responsibility) but said that in general he knew that the Orioles were planning something that would be “first-class.”

We talked on a personal level about Mike’s relationship with Elrod. He reminisced about Elrod catching Mike’s first game in the big leagues and warmed him up before he pitched in the last game at Memorial Stadium. Mike had the highest and warmest regard for Elrod and said, that he “is missed everyday.”

We also talked about how Chuck Thompson’s family is doing with their loss and Mike mentioned the passing of Jerry Wachter (long time Orioles photographer whom all of us Fantasy Campers knew well) and Pat Kelly, former Orioles outfielder from the teams of the late 70s. I related to Mike that I had spent a fair amount of time talking to Pat during fantasy camp 2005 and had even mentioned him, and our mutual faith, on the back of my fantasy camp baseball card. Unfortunately Pat passed away before I even got a chance to send the card out to friends and family in our Thanksgiving letter. It was clear to me that Mike considered all of these people “family,” and felt their loss deeply.

By about ten minutes after nine I had exhausted my little list of questions. I was feeling that Mike certainly could use his time better by focusing on improving the team to compete in the A.L. East – rather than talking to li’l-ole-me. :-) So, I thanked Mike for his generous availability for the discussion and his consistent willingness to answer questions for the Belfry. Mike was his usual affable self as we bid each other the best of life for the coming season. Thanks Mike.

Orioles Spring Training Report #6

March 12, 2006

Citation :

This will make more sense if you FIRST read This Thread

I spent about 2 hours at the Orioles Minor League camp at Twin Lakes Park in Sarasota. It was a gorgeous day with a brisk breeze. The O’s were running a very efficient camp with some of the coaches sitting in a tower in the center of the 4 field complex and blowing a horn every 15 –20 minuets at which time many of the players literally ran from one field to another. I’m not quite sure what the point of this was, as it seemed to me that the same drills, BP and pitching practice were happening on all four fields – but that’s how they did it.

I mentioned in my previous post about the former Oriole players, now coaches, with whom I spoke while there. Now I’ll give you a bit more info about some of the young players I observed:

Brandon Erbe – Was throwing live BP from the mound with a screen when I got there. There was quite a crowd of players and coaches standing around watching. He threw VERY hard – but with an easy motion. I’d say he was clearly the hardest thrower I observed in either the major or minor league camps this week. The batters were always told what pitch was coming, but in the 15-20 minutes I watched, only two balls were hit out of the cage; both by P. Figueroa (whom I know nothing about). The players standing around with Andy Etchebarren called Erbe’s fastball “the mysterious disappearing fastball.” Returning from having faced Erbe in the batting cage, Ryan Steinbach explained that he had started to swing when the pitch was “here” (gesturing out in front of the plate) but before his bat got in the hitting zone the pitch was “here” (gesturing toward the catchers glove. Because Erbe was motioning to the catcher and hitter what pitches he was about to throw, I noticed a distinct difference between his windup when he threw his fastball, than when he threw his other pitches. His windup was clearly faster when he was throwing the heater. I don’t know if he does this in game situations too, but if he does, it won’t take long for hitters and coaches to figure that out.

Nolan Reimold I watched him take 40 or 50 swings in the cage vs full-speed, full-distance, minor leaguers and also against traditional BP pitches. On this day, he was not impressive. He seem nonchalant to me, and didn’t hit anything particularly hard. In fact, he barely got wood on Erbe. There was another player named Franz (#18) who was in the same BP rotation with Reimold and who was about the same size and build as Reimold. Franz was hitting the ball with much more regularity and authority than Reimold. I don’t know anything about this Franz fellow – but if you do, please post.

Ryan Schwabe was walking around with a handheld video camera. Maybe he was doing something official (Mo Drabowski mentioned he was doing some video work with some of the pitchers) but he looked like someone who knew this was going to be the highlight of his professional career.

Jarod Rine Was also hitting in the same rotation with Reimold and Franz. He’s much smaller than the other two, but I liked his compact swing and his approach to the ball. He seemed confident, and hustled everywhere he went. The above link lists him at 6 feet 190 lbs. Based on what I saw, that’s pretty generous – he seemed quite a bit smaller than that to me.

Kevin Kotch Another very large catcher. Unlike Michaleski, however, Kevin appears to be just out of shape and a bit slovenly. He was the biggest guy I saw in camp, but he hit some balls a long way.

Kieron Pope Here’s a guy who almost never walked and struck out about half the time last year in Bluefield at age 18. He was very workman like, stuck to himself (I didn’t see him talking to anyone as virtually everyone else was). He wasn’t nearly as aggressive at the plate as one might expect from someone with his K record. I only saw him facing traditional left-handed BP, so the pitches were made to be hit, but he did make consistent good contact and showed warning-track power to LC field. He didn’t pull the ball; he just hit everything between the power alleys.

Pete Shier The baseball cube has him at 6’2” and 163 lbs. He looked at least 20 lbs heavier than that to me. Perhaps he’s been hitting the weights. He had a very nice, easy, swing and hit several balls way out of the park. He’s 25 in two days, but I like what I saw offensively.

Mark Fleisher Here’s another very big kid. He seemed more raw than several of the others in his hitting rotation, but he had a good approach, was trying hard, and showed excellent HR power when he made solid contact.

All in all I was impressed with the staff, the efficiency of the camp and the intensity of the players. I tend to root for the underdogs, so I’m going to keep my eye on guys like Shier, Michalski, and Rine.

There is no secret why people are all excited about Erbe. He was clearly the dynamo of the camp. IFFFFF he can avoid the injury bug, refine his second and third pitches, and develop a motion that does not tip pitches, he’ll move quickly through the org. He’s truly impressive. I’ve played a lot of ball over the years and, even among major league pitchers, there aren’t many guys who throw so hard that I would categorically say “I can’t hit that.” (I’m just talking about speed here, not “stuff” and I’m probably a bit over confident, but hey, why not.) But I’d definitely have to lay aside my pride and tell you, there is NO WAY I could hit Erbe.

Orioles Spring Training Report #5

It was both great and odd being back at Twin Lakes. Great because of all the memories and familiarity of having played three years of Fantasy Camp ball here. Odd because its the first time I've ever been here when I'm not playing and not able to just walk into the clubhouse.

To answer one of Kerry's questions right out of the gate, there were exactly 3 fans milling about all looking like they didn't quite know what to do with themselves. By contrast, there are usually scores of folks here during fantasy camp -- obviously looking to see real talent play. :-)

I've gotta get onto the road here, but wanted to give you a few insights now and I'll add more later.

Most importantly, Mo Drabowski was here and working with pitchers. He's a little slower, but still the same old Mo. We chatted a bit and he said he's doing "ok." What a great guy. He's been battling cancer for many years now, but he's a fighter and hasn't let it rob him of his sense of humor.

Talked with Scott McGregor for a good while -- mostly about his faith and his new "mission field" with these young players now that he has mostly retired from pastoring after 14 years full time. He said he wanted to have a positive influence on these kids much like one of his old coaches had on him when he was a kid pitcher. I believe he said his name was Boyer. We also talked about Richard Sahl who was throwing while we talked. He said Stahl just needs to get past all the early comparisons to Randy Johnson and just "realize he's never going to throw like that again." (after several injuries) But he also said, "he's still got plenty to be an effective MLB pitcher." The good news is that Stahl is healthy and has been (mostly) for a couple of years now.

Talked with Andy Etchebarren a bit, he's got his arm in a sling said he had rotator cuff surgery and will get out of the sling in 2 weeks.

The talk of the camp was Brandon Erbe's "mysterious dissapearing fastball" as Steinbach called it. Erbe threw hard against live hitters but was telling them what pitch was coming. In 15 minutes only two balls made it out of the cage. Both hit by P. Figueroa.

I overheard a conversation between a couple of the catchers and Etchebarren -- they were talking about Blake Owen throwing "the heaviest fastball they have ever caught."

I saw lots of top prospects take BP -- the most impressive of which were Snyder and Musslewhite. Saw a couple of guys I didn't recognize who were also impressive -- a big, cut catcher named Michalski who hit the crap out of the ball.

Saw Pope, Reimold, and many others ... But you'll have to wait for the second edition for me to have time to elaborate on them.

Gotta get on the road so I can get north of Atlanta before I stop for the night. Don't want to be driving through there on a Monday morning.

Stay tuned.

Orioles Spring Training Report #4

March 11, 2006

OK, this losing crap is starting to wear on me. I know it’s spring training and the O’s had exactly ONE player in the entire game today who is a lock to be in the opening day lineup (Mora), but I still hate the losing. Today’s flavor of losing was shutout, 5-0.

I got to the park pretty early again, parked in the same lot for $7 and bought the same $8 lawn seat – but again, never quite made it out to right field where that patch of grass is located.

Mostly the same drills going on as yesterday. A couple more vets in camp today than yesterday – Mora, Millar & Hawkins. There were a couple of notable things in BP. First, Millar and someone else (maybe Tatis, but I’m not sure because he was wearing a warmup over his jersey so I couldn’t see a number) both hit balls off of the Marlins clubhouse building out in left field. There are no distances posted on the left or right field walls (covered with ads instead) but center says 400 ft. This building is way beyond that – these were truly prodigious pokes, folks.

All during BP, Duquette was talking with Sammy Perlazzo behind the batting cage. Later, Flanagan joined them, phone in ear, and then talked with them for a good half hour or more until BP was over. As they were all heading for the clubhouse, I asked Mike if he would have any time today or tonight to share his thoughts about the team with the Belfry. He explained that he “had brought some people to Jupiter with him” and they were all going to have a meeting during the game. He took my phone number and told me if the meeting ended early, I could come up to the press area and join him.

After BP Rick Dempsey goofed around with a kid who asked him for an autograph because he was wearing cardinal red. The kid tossed him a ball to sign, but it already had a Tejada signature (of course Tejada is not in camp, so he must have brought it with him). Rick looked at it and asked who’s signature it was. Embarrassed, the kid asked for the ball back (he had tossed the wrong ball) and Rick hung in there till the kid could get his stuff together, but Dempsey razzed him good while he did. All in good fun!

While Rick was waiting I took the opportunity to solve a little mystery from Thursday by asking him who the young fellow was whom Rich had been instructing in the finer points of catching – mostly technique on how to block balls in the dirt. Rick said, “it was Brian Ebel’s kid.” For those who don’t know, Brian is the assistant trainer for the O’s and has been staffing the “infirmary” down at fantasy camp many times with Kerry, David, John and me. Mystery solved.

The singer of the national anthem was a remarkably talented (and easy to look at) blond. She was clearly nervous or in a hurry, because after she completed it she quickly walked off up the third base line with players smiling like adolescents and stopping to watch her.

Cardinal Hall of Famer Red Schoendienst was at the game and in uniform. He had a small group of kids at home plate for the first-pitch ceremonies. He still looks quite good.

I sat in the third row just to the third base side of home plate. There was an older gentleman sitting next to me who was quite a baseball fan and we engaged in conversation through the entire game. In the first inning I was explaining that the O’s have a lot of folks playing in the WBC and that as a result nearly all of the players he’d see would not be going north with the club. Jeff Fiorentino was in the “hole” and I gestured to him and said something like, “this kid is going to be a good ballplayer, he’s kind of a throwback, he just comes here, works hard, isn’t flamboyant like some of these guys, and is just hoping to play his way onto the team. I like him.” At that point a man sitting in the seat immediately in front of me, turned around, looked me right in the eye and said – “Jeff is my son.”

So, for the entire game, I chatted with Jeff’s dad, (Phil III, and there is now a IV and V) older sister and nephew. Phil reminded me of the weathered Cal Ripken Sr. with a short white beard. There were 10 family members in all. These are family-first, working people who are really proud of Jeff. I fell in love with Jeff’s nephew (Neil, I think) who looked to be 8-10 years old, with a freckled face and a buzz cut. He knew baseball inside and out and watched intently. He rambled on about baseball situations and knew the batting order from his head. He burped, laughed freely, goofed with his siblings and ragged on fans who “can’t catch” foul balls hit into the stands. He looked and sounded like he could have just walked off the set of the movie “The Sandlot.” Of course he was a BIG Jeff fan. Jeff didn’t disappoint – several times he stopped in to give baseballs to the kids. Jeff’s dad said he too played ball constantly as a young man (with Steve Carlton) but had gotten hit in the eye by a ball and lost most or all of the vision in that eye, ruining his dreams of playing pro ball. Phil said Jeff has loved this game since he could walk – and it shows by the way he carries himself. I still think Jeff looks like a cross between Mark Fidrich and Fred Lynn. What a treat to have shared the game with the Fiorentinos.

Mr. Fiorentino also brought a bag of “Nike special contact lenses” for Jeff. Are these the same as Brian Roberts was wearing last April? Let’s home they do for Jeff what they seemed to do for Brian!

In the 7^th inning, just after Eddie Rodriguez turned in a truly impressive pitching performance (1-2-3 on 10 pitches and two Ks) I got a call from Mike Flanagan. His meeting still was not over, and he was going to be unable to meet. He invited me to meet with him tomorrow (Sunday) in Fort Lauderdale, but I explained that I was headed across the state to the minor league camp in Sarasota after today’s game. He promised to talk with me further on the phone in the coming weeks. We’ve done this before, so I’m confident he’ll follow through.

Oh yes, there was also a game played today wasn’t there? The only things of real note from my perspective were:

1. Very impressive outings from Penn & Rodriguez. The numbers you’ll see in the box don’t really tell the whole story. They both threw with confidence, worked fast and threw with impressive velocity. They threw strikes and kept hitters off balance. Penn threw 10, 17 and 16 pitches in his three innings. They were major league quality on this day.
2. Penn also made an unbelievable play on a ball that was just lasered back at him on one hop by the Cardinal DH Rodriguez. He flung his arm up and behind him, spun half way around toward third and caught Edmunds (who had singled earlier and went to second on a wild pitch) halfway between second and third with his jaw hanging at his chest in disbelief of the play. Penn simply jogged over and tagged him out. Three pitches later, he picked off Rodriguez from first to end the inning. Truly impressive!
3. Hawkins struggled with location and got hit pretty hard, though he escaped without allowing a run and with 2 Ks – but it took him 21 pitches to do so.

Darensbourg, Mitchell & Gracesqui, all got hammered and looked bad doing it. You know it ain’t goin well when you get yanked out of a spring training game after 2/3 of an inning and 28 (no typo) pitches as Gracesqui did! Britton came in with the bases loaded, threw 5 pitches and got a K to keep it from getting REALLY ugly. Britton has a body like David Wells, but pitched like him too.

Orioles Spring Training Report #3

March 10, 2006

The O’s lost another stinker to the Marlins today, 7-2.

I got there earlier today, but had to pay $7 for parking. I was so early that the scalpers weren’t out yet, so I ended up buying a lawn seat at the ticket window for $8. I never made it out to the lawn, however. J There were few people there, so I sat just to the first base side of home plate (to avoid having to sit behind the screen) and about 15 rows back so I could get into the shade. This white boy needs to keep from getting fried. On Wednesday at Vero, I was cooking in my own juices, and began to detect the distinct smell of pork rinds. J

The Roger Dean Stadium Complex is a VERY nice facility. This is a shared facility between the Cardinals and Marlins. There are two distinct buildings, one for each team, and a nicely manicured complex of practice fields adjoining. Why can’t the O’s have such a sweet deal? Did I mention how difficult it was to maneuver through Fort Lauderdale traffic?! But I digress.

The O’s took extensive BP while I was there, but none of the vets were a part of it. The only projected starter in today’s lineup was Conine (and I wish he wasn’t a projected starter). I guess he made the trip just to be kind to the Marlin fan base that seems to still love him.

Whiteside and Fio just kept hitting line shots throughout BP. No one else really caught my eye. Fio has such an easy, fluid swing! Whiteside’s curly locks are turning grey (or are colored that way), but it makes him look about 45 years old.

Jim Palmer hung around the cage talking to Sammy and Elia and then wondered over to the visitors dugout and chatted with folks over there.

Fernando Tatis, walked past several autograph hounds and ignored their requests for a signature. He had a very sour expression on his face. However, in the game, he had a very good nine pitch at bat adjusting well to a variety of pitch speeds and locations. Eventually he broke his bat and popped out to shallow left (ss made the play).

Not many offensive highlights. Newhan nearly knocked one out, hitting it high off the rightfield wall in the third. The wind was blowing strongly to left, so I think it held up the drive. It went for a double. Rogers had a couple of hits while playing third – but didn’t look very comfortable over there. In the 3^rd Rogers had a baserunning brain fart. He went all the way to second on a fly to left by Conine and got thrown out going back to first 7-4-3. DOH! Fio laced a ball into the RF gap in the 7^th, but the Florida Centerfielder (Reed) made an all out diving catch parallel to the ground. Fio was robbed!

Markakis had 4 productive, if unspectacular, AB s. He reached on an error, singled, walked and hit a sac fly. His single was a very quick-bat drive of a low inside fastball, pounding it up the middle for a hit.

Keith Reed actually contributed. He came in for Val in the 7^th (Markakis moved to left to replace Val, and reed went to RF). Reed singled in the 8^th, but his real contribution was when Fio (CF) made a nice diving attempt on a vicious drive. Though Fio bounced up like he had flubber in his uni, the ball skipped to the wall. Reed was backing up the play, fielded the ball and pegged a throw to third to nail the runner (Little) trying to stretch it to a triple. VERY impressive throw.

Gomez made two errors in the 2nd and was later replaced by Fahey. I really like this kid a lot. He has very quick hands, good range, good speed and seems to really know how to play the game. He’s always hustling, and has a body type much like our very own Kerry Leibowitz – though Brandon is a bit taller. J I don’t think there’s any room on the 25 man roster (barring injury) but this kid will be a major leaguer someday.

The pitching was the story. Benson started and had a 1-2-3 first inning on 10 pitches with a strike out. In the second he got behind in the count and gave up a leadoff homer to Stokes. He then got behind 3-0 to the next two hitters and both ended up singling. Then another single, an error, a double play, another error and finally a pop up to second. He threw 20 pitches in the inning and gave up 4 runs. In the 3^rd he gave up 2 more hits and another run on 15 pitches with a second K. The good news, in my humble opinion, is that he threw hard, missed a few spots but didn’t adjust to throwing from the stretch. This looks like just a tweak in his mechanics to me. His full windup was very slow and deliberate, but when he worked from the stretch he didn’t seem to be able to establish a rhythm.

Halama pitched 3 effective innings giving up three hits and one run. He seemed pretty mature out there. The defense behind him wasn’t exactly stellar, but he didn’t get rattled. He squelched a couple of threats all by himself picking off two would-be base stealers. He may figure in the lefty relief picture. He threw 14, 8, & 13 pitches in his three innings

Johnson came in and finished the game going two effective innings yielding 2 hits and a run. He looked good out there, but got the ball up a couple of times resulting in a double and a triple. The triple was by none other than former O Mike Kinkade. This was a ball that Fio lost in the sun and it got by him and went to the wall. It should have been an out, but Fio never touched it and fell down trying to keep from getting killed out there. It sure looked ugly, but I’ve been there and it’s a hopeless feeling.

Another day without a Flanny or Duq siting. I’m sure they’re just avoiding me due to my reputation for insightful, probing questions. :-)

Orioles Spring Training Report #2

March 9, 2006

I found the park easily, though traffic in Fort Lauderdale is a BUMMER! Parking was $5 just like yesterday, and I was able to buy a ticket from an older gent for $9. He and I sat together right behind home plate about 10-12 rows up. We were under the overhang, so we were in the shade all day. A welcome relief from the rays that are nearly inescapable at Vero Beach.

Before the game, Rick Dempsey spent a good 15 minutes working on catching technique with a 10-12 year old kid dressed in full catching gear. I don't know who the kid was, but Dempsey was quite patient with him.

The O's had a nice verbal tribute to Kirby Puckett and a time of silence to honor him before the game. For those who have been living under a rock, Puckett died Monday at the age of 45 after suffering a massive stroke. He died at the youngest age of anyone who was already enshrined in Baseball's Hall of Fame -- except for Lou Gehrig.

A better game today, but still another loss. The sticks are quiet as a church mouse.

I thought everyone pitched well today except Salas. I was quite impressed with Rleal, even though he gave up a run. Rleal threw hard down and in to lefties and hard down and away to righties. He was around the plate, and had a good off=speed pitch, but didn't mix it in quite enough IMO. And Morris pitched well too. He threw only 5 pitches in the first inning, but struggled a bit in the second and gave up a run. Abreu was also impressive, he threw very hard, but missed high when he missed, so there were some loud outs. Scott Rice quietly got 1-2-3 on 10 pitches. Rice has a very quick windup -- a bit odd. But not nearly as odd as the motion of Twins pitcher Neshek -- his delivery starts like a submariner, ends up side arm and he finishes on one leg in the upright position.

The loudest cheers all day were for Conine, Millar and Patterson. I really have no idea why. Millar rewarded the cheers with a homer. Tagged it to near straight away center! Conine looks heavier than I remember him -- looks like he's got a bit of excess "table muscle."

Patterson is enigmatic. He made a pathetic bunt attempt in the first again today -- then struck out. He got hit by a pitch in the 4th and then promptly stole second with great ease, then scored the first run from second on a hit by Mora. Later that inning, Mora got thrown out at third after making a head first belly-flop slide that came up short of the bag. Really UGLY! He laid there for several seconds before getting up. I thought he might be hurt -- but I think it was just his pride that got bruised. :-)

Tatis pinch hit for Tracy in the 7th and looked completely pathetic. That was his only appearance of the day. I know its only one AB, but I doubt we'll see him going North.

Fahey came on for Gomez at short defensively in the 6th. I really liked what I saw. He stung the ball, had good range, going behind second to make one play, and hussled every where he went. Very nice.

One funny moment in the game today. Going out to play firstbase in the top of the 6th, Kevin Millar tossed a ball out to Garabito at 2nd while simultaneously dropping his ballglove and then tripped over it. Too funny.

No sign of Flanny and Duq today. I think they were up in the press area which is not accessible to fans.

Orioles Spring Training Report #1

March 8, 2006

Greetings. I had a wild hair and jumped in the RV and drove to Vero Beach and watched the O's and Dodgers play today. I'll stick around and watch 4-5 games over the next several days. 16 hours is a long way to drive for a single game.

Today's game started out optimistically enough, with the O's taking a 3-0 lead sparked by Cory Patterson's first spring homer to lead off the 3rd. Unfortunately I was just returning to my seat after chit-chatting with Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette, so I actually didn't see the play till Cory was rounding second.

Later I teased Flanagan, that I was his good luck charm, to which he replied with his dry wit, "where have you been all spring?"

Unfortunately the "luck" didn't last long, as the O's dropped the game 9-3.

The highlights:

• Dubose, Hawkins and Mitchell all looked sharp on the mound covering 4 scoreless innings amongst them.

• Patterson made two VERY nice catches in the outfield, and hit the homer and walked
  

• Whiteside had a couple of hits and looked good behind the plate
  

• Markakis didn't show me much today, but he did walk twice
  

• Hawkins made JD drew look absolutely pathetic in a good morning, good afternoon, good night confrontation in the 5th
  

• Calzado hit a triple in the 3rd. He is WAY faster than I ever thought he was. The ball was a gapper played well off the fence and I thought it was a clear double. I was surprised to look up and see Nap taking long quick strides between second and third!
  

The Lowlights:

• Patterson failed to get a bunt down in the first
  

• Gomez got picked off second in the 6th
  

• Brower, Bottalico were absolutely brutal and got hit very hard. They pitched behind throughout their stints and were not commanding the strike zone. Leo went out to talk with Bottalico at one point. It didn't seem to help him.
  

• Val played first and did an ok job over there. But I noticed that every time he threw the ball he had a very noticeable "short-arm" motion. I'm no orthopedist, but he looked like someone who has not yet regained full extension of the elbow since his surgery…just my observation.
  

• Calzado played ok at 3rd, but he played like someone not completely comfortable with the position.
  

• Most of the vets didn't make the trip to Vero == as per usual. But the team seemed flat to me and could have used some of that touted veteran leadership.
  

The Lighter side:

• Flanny and Duq looked relaxed and dapper, munching popcorn and talking continuously throughout the game.
  

• Flanny was on a lengthy phone call during the entire 6th and 7th innings
  

• When Bottalico pitched, Duq left his shaded seat in the “pressbox” and went down and sat right behind home plate at nearly ground level. I hope he doesn’t need therapy after that close-up. :-)
  

That's it for today. I'll try to get some time to chat with Flanny sometime while I'm down here.