third annual year Of team recaptacular

It was year of losing. Lots of losing. It was year of hope. Lots of hope. More hope than losing? It was year in which young, talented children left mothers, bindlestiff containing nothing but mitt and multimillion bonus baby contract, to head for City in hopes of chasing very, very elusive dream of playoff baseball.


Wandering Dog

But enough meandering, here is Team year in review:

Jan. 6: Mark Charles Teixeira dons pinstripes, spurning $140 million hometown offer. God told him to do it, around Christmas 2008. Deity's mandate renders Team dead in water for Season in terms of potential to contend. Later in season God allows first baseman to win World Series or something.

Jan. 17: Wayward O fires up tweetbox!

Jan. 18: Rumblings from Warehouse that Nicholas William Markakis has agreed with Team to $66 million deal that runs through 2014. Also this chilly weekend Brian Michael Roberts marries model Diana Chiafair.

Jan. 19: Team sends Garrett Andrew Olson to Chicago for Felix Pie, whose presence in Baltimore over year sparks more flameposts on Yardyack.net and other sportsyaps than any other save perhaps Derk Jeeter's presence on Earth. Pie gets into 101 games for Team over '09 and shows flashes of brilliance as well as bouts with Nincompoopery. Meanwhile Olson - one of genuine good people in World - gets flipped to Seattle and more or less disappears. Olson is exhibit A of touted prospect potential versus reality. But of course he was touted by Old Guard, not necessarily Col. Lance Pickett A. MacPhail.

Feb. 2: By groundhog day Team accreted players including Cesar David Izturis, Gregory Owen Zaun, Koji Uehara of Land of Rising Sun, Mark Allan Hendrickson and Ryan Freel. Oh, and Richard Joseph Hill. Wayward O was excited about Koji for a minute and of course Izturis move has borne out. But good deal of cured meat was on display too. Weaver's Tant. did a nice write on Hill.

Feb. 3: Ty Allen Wigginton leaps atop pigpile of mediocrity. Fat jokes ensue as baseball's Kevin James finds new locale to call home.

Feb. 12: Miguel Odalis (Martinez) Tejada pleads guilty to lying to federal investigators about ... everything? Former AL MVP as of this writing is man without team. And speaking of controversial former members of Team, rumors swirl about Roberto (Velazquez) Alomar, his former ladyfriend and, um, AIDs. Wayward O could never figure out which parts of that mess were true.

Feb. 19: Roberts becomes Oriole-for-life with $40 million deal that runs through 2013. Whine-o-Spere drops endless posts about 2nd-basemen "wearing down" and pointing toward inane stats. But Reality-o-Sphere lauds signing, considered to be second crucial off-season extension. Earlier in week Roberts publicly forgave everyone but self (read: Larry Robert Bigbie) for steroids debacle, which would claim more big names as season progressed.

Feb. 20: Peter Schmuck drops yearly scoop on Diaspora - Aub. has MANHORSE tatt! Only brief glimpses from grainy video stills are made available of artwork but new nickname is spawned. Aub. if you are out there ... send pic to Blog! This and reports of Pie rap song are two enduring cultural mysteries.

March 4: Young Adam Jones, on way to Gold Glove, standout year, says "I’d like to see more black athletes playing baseball." Black athletes Yawn, stretch, shoot around.

March 7: When you are blogger, you say things. Some of them are stupid. Wayward O wrote "team doesn't have best bench in AL East with Scott, Freel and Wigginton?" What teh Hell, Wayward O? Wayward O does not admit or deny liability for statement as condition of settlement and agrees to injunctive relief sought by Prosecutor of Dumb.

March 8: Matthew Richard Wieters breaks up putative Twins' no-hitter in Spring tilt. Team loses 2-0 but feat quickly adds to legend of future Greatest Catcher Ever. After game Weet says, "I think every at-bat you go up there trying to get a hit," which, damn.

March 23: Some doods upload fight song. And manage to rhyme Izturis with Markakis ... what a country!

March 25: Wayward O predicts Mets will go to World Series behind NL MVP David Allen Wright. Ha ha ha. Actually not worst prediction ever. But still funny. In August conking of Wright on head by pitch caps hellish Met year.

March 29: Miniature shitstorm ensues after rainout turns into game -- and broadcasters aren't there. Joe and Fred issue explanation. What if Joe Angel were pilot? It would be scary ride but announcements from cockpit would be funny. And Fred could deploy Moustache as emergency slide chute after flying past Minneapolis. Actually radio broadcast Team gets high marks despite occasional bouts with hopelessness as often-frustrating year drags on.

April 3: Hayden Penn sent packing for Robert Lazaro Andino, who got into nearly half of Team's games in 2009 and acquitted self. Redundant note to fans who currently think every young pitcher on Team is next Jim Palmer: there will be Penns. Christopher Cory Gomez is last man cut -- which in retrospect was dumb.

April 8: After gut-wrenching Opening Day win, Koji goes 5 and Team runs regular season record to 2-0 with second win over eventual Champs. DiaspOra giddy.

April 11: Melly Mo hits Grand Slam in 6-0 win over 2008 AL Champs Tampa Bay. Jeremy Guthrie runs record to 2-0.

April 13: Baltimore jerseys MAKE DEBUT!

April 20: Team completes four-game sweep in Boston in which Team gets swept. Your losing pitchers are Danys Baez, Adam Eaton, Uehara and Hendrickson. Although to be fair it was Guthrie who kind of lost first game, squandering 7-run outburst by Team. In final game Freel gets conked by baseball never to return or something. Freel. Another particle on dustbin of recent history.

April 21: Bradley Steven Bergesen, on tight pitch count, stops losing madness with a 1-ER win in Chicago. Wayward O, in effort to remember how to spell name, is first ever to call him "three E" -- and you could look it up (provided you know how to advance search in Google) so stop taking credit for shits you didn't invent.

April 27: Adam Jones takes out Texas with three-run homer, splits pants...


Image via MASN
April 29: For some reason Nick M. decides he's Lou Brock in 8th inning during close game v. Angels. Attempt to steal second helps seal 3-2 home loss and it's one of many, many baserunning blunders Team makes on season. Said bumbling almost gets Manager run.

May 7:


That is all

May 12: Amber's Wiki hacked. Silly season in full swing and not even Summer yet! Well why not? It's 'nother lost season anyway. Red Sox fans secretly jellus, though, because Team's players are cooler. And Boston Girls got Broccoli in they teeth.

May 21: Team completes three-game sweep at Yankee stadium in which Team is swept by Yankees. In attendance at new ballpark Wayward O remembers thinking Andino looked nervous and pretty much out of depth.

May 26: Daniel Alberto (Cruz) Cabrera, jettisoned by Team in December, is jettisoned by lowly Nationals of Washington.

May 26: BLOGGER NITE! Wayward O cracks Billy Ripken jokes, eats free crabcake. Also: Wieters coming up to big club.

May 28: Nolan G. Reimold hits 3-run homer in 11th to sink Blue Jays in SuperPalooka Double Overtime Massacre. Dwindling crowds at Camden buzz with news talented kids finally are on way.


Sweet
May 29: Wieters ohfer in MLB debut but conjurs up sweet rainbow. Luke Brandon Scott hits Grand Slam. Scott annointed next Jim Thome. Wayward O yawns, checks out Aubrey Huff Wiki for nuggets from life lived not-so-deliberately.

June 7: Team starts month with 1-5 road trip out west. In one Seattle game future and erstwhile member of Team Erik Joseph Bedard goes 6.1 allowing one earned run.

June 17: Wieters hits first of 527 MLB home runs, most of which are still pending. Fact: Wieters got full extension on that one.

June 21: Team sweeps World Series-bound Phillies in Philly.


Always sunny...

Young fan of Philadelphia team gets into it as fans jeer apparent blown call that went way of Team. Something akin to "Replay Madness" grips Whine-o-Sphere. Please let it go away.

June 25: Team completes sweep in Florida in which Marlins sweep Team.

June 28: Team signs first-round draft pick Matthew Micah Hobgood, handing him $2 million-plus bonus, avoiding signing deadline drama and spawning raft of hobgoblin jokes. Jones and Huff make fun of his clothes. He buys suit.

July 4: For 837th time Buck Martinez notes how player "gets full extension" while swinging baseball bat at baseball. Gasping with shock at revelation, entire baseball world stands silent for few moments while regaining composure. By end of year Buck takes his edgy act out of City and briefly can be found at Poetry Slams in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, plying verbal Wares.

July 8: Aubrey Lewis Huff takes field sporting moustache. Team scores 5 in ninth to beat Seattle a day after...

Manager blows lid July 7
Ejecto-Tremb! Wess Coass' Style

July 14: Jones collects sac fly to put AL up run in All-Star game. Then somehow Jones ends up in right field for final inning. Jones in RF is TAMPA AFFRONT to Team but it's cool. Revenge best served cold when Trembo someday is All-Star Mgr. he will stick Carlos Pena at short. Hahaha Wayward O has vivid imagination.

July 17: "Fire Dave Trembley" brass band achieves full roar and manager says "I'm the holding tank, I'm here until it gets real good. I've heard all that stuff. I don't think I work for people like that." Manager would have to wait more than two months to discover whether bluff worked.

July 18: Tired, sweaty Koji goes on disabled list to spend more time with masseuse.

Aug. 11: David Jose Hernandez takes down a QS in 3-2 home win over Oakland in which Melvin Mora gets weirdest RBI of season -- off nub of bat. Buck silent, unable to work "full extension" into call. Just another Memlocious Moment to savor amid Third Baseman's Latter Days.

Aug. 14: Felix hits for Cycle and Grumpy Angel Skipper gets mad. Felix becoming known throughout MLB for inappropriately hearty celebrations.

Aug. 17: NOT DRY EYE IN CRABTOWN as AUB. gets traded to Vidalia. Huff proceeds to stink up Tigers' already sputtering chase for playoffs and as Blogpost is being typed does not appear to be man with baseball contract.


Wayward O to Aub.: Please trade in all Country discs for Rock musics. You will hit better. Promise.

July 29: Christopher S. Tillman makes debut going 4+ in win over Kansas City Royals.

Aug. 4: Brian Robert Matusz makes sparkling debut going 5 in win over Detroit. Young talent translates to elusive late-season wins for Team.

Aug. 18: During one nasty stretch, Dempsey's Army remarks "[I]f you are writing a blog strictly about the Baltimore Orioles, there is no respite. You suck it up, keep writing about the losing or fade away." Wayward O nods. Keeps blogging.

Aug. 29: Rain storm clogs Camden drain during loss to Cleveland. And in move that makes some wonder Team sends Joey Renard Gathright to Boston for a player to be named.

Aug. 31 - Sept. 2: Team kicks off playoff push with home sweep versus Yankees in which Team is swept at home by Yankees.

Sept. 17 - 30: Team completes playoff push with 13-game streak in which Team loses 13 straight games. Over stretch Team outscOred by 85 - 39. On Sept. 18 Memlo becomes 2nd all-time Team third baseman in terms of games played, passing Doug DeCinces and getting props from Brooksie.


A wonderful Sun Photo
Sept. 12: Nolan ROY-mold makes sick catch.


Don't even say it! (jeteresque)
... then gets shut down for year a few days later because of Bum Tendon. Much of month is spent by Team and last 16 fans discussing which Kids should be spelled for remainder of Year.

Oct. 2: Trembley does not get fired! And Maj. Brig. Col. Gen. Andrew Schippenbacher MacPhail coins MEANINGFUL IMPROVEMENT sobriquent for 2010 season. But Team ends season Oct. 4 with four-game win streak, avoiding stigma of 100-loss season.

Oct. 4: Sad Memlo tips cap to fans. Bloggers shed Tear. Wayward O maybe too. Just sayin'. Times gone by...


Sun Photo
Wayward O finds it disconcerting baseball is being played by Team in October when normally October is ...


Uneventful
But thanks to suits at Fox, who treat all that is holy with extreme prejudice in lustful pursuit of money, entire post-season pushed back week. Also during postseason Fox Yaps make endless push to sell more beer ads expand Replay in Baseball. Joe Buck you are a partisan and a cad.

Oct 5. - Nov. 4: Playoffs or something.

Nov. 11: Adam Jones wins Gold Glove!


Image via MASN

Friends of Blog meet Jonesie at party, ask Jonesie which Flavor of Gum he prefers. Jonesie Demurs, saying he likes all kinds. So very Magnanimous!

Dec. 2: Team releases enticing March 2010 Grapefruit Schedule for new Spring training venue.

Dec. 7: Slimmed-down David Trembley vows to be hard-ass next year. Doesn't want to give away outs on basepaths! Teams off-field moves have clearly put pressure on Manager to show he can take off losing hat and put on some other hat.

Dec. 10: Would you look at that extension? Buck Martinez departs MASN for Toronto. See ya!

Decemberish: Team signs Garrett Bernard Atkins and Michael Vela Gonzalez to play for Team in 2010. Team trades Christopher T. Ray for Kevin Austin Millwood and also gets suitcase full of cash. Many days leading up to Christmas-tide and Chanuka-mas are spent chewing over what means moves. Overall consensus is Moves are measured more with upside than downside. Endless Yack ensues about how every single prospect on Team is future HoF'er and should never be traded or even dangled.

Dec. 22: Team signs Aussie Hurler with 7.00 ERA but in Southern Hemisphere stat is calculated using Square Root of Earth's Corialis Constant so Chris Lamb widely seen as major piece of puzzle going forward.

Dec. 25: Wayward O receives spiffy Spring Os jacket and picks up Team-branded winter hat at 20% off Sale. Wayward O's ladyfriend notes profusion of Team-branded apparel in apartment.

Rest of Year: Seems destined to be quiet except for fans harassing Rock about Adrian Gonzalez.

As ever, dear reader, please let Blog know what nuggets Blog overlooked ...

lObsterbacks!

as diaspora sits around waiting for wieters, reimold, bergesen, tillman and patton, among others, to come up and start playing in big leagues, baseball is set to air BOMBSHELL DOCUMENTARY that claims game was played in ENGLAND as early as 1755.


They shyte ye not
ENGLAND, PEOPLE!

UK already tried to say they invented ROCK AND ROLL. now game?

that, if true, would be same as if that LOSER SIMON COWELL invented HOT DOG or if ELTON JOHN was from LONDON.

ummmm. wait a second... does that mean HONKY CAT is about SOCCER PLAYER instead of, you know, JAMIE WALKER?

wayward O is confused.
what happened to ABNER DOUBLEDAY?? What happened to KEN BURNS DOCUMENTARY? you know, all that business about "In Our Perambulations of Late......" and how drunks in Manhattan went over to HOBOKEN to AIR OUT LIVERS and all that?????


next thing you know we'll all be SPEAKING ENGLISH. where is TOM HANKS when you need him?

videOgraphy

it is 17 degrees outside. superbowl match up is lame. now is time to mine youtube for team-related videos!

it is safe to say team doesn't have the kind of internet presence one would hope for and/or expect. message to balto.-area fans: start making Os vids!

however nuggets are out there if you search. here is smattering.

1. el nick talks of teams young outfield...


nice job wnst. (now if you guys could just admit how much you really love aub.)

2. funny nick ad...




3. idealistic memlo video in spanish-language citgo ad...



¿Puede usted sentir el Melmosity?

4. oriole bird totally pwning nats prez-race ...




5. bird pwns tigers fan at stadium...




(listen at :17 for moment of pure passion!)

6. testudo mascot gets jellus of oriole bird...




oriole bird usually is one getting pwned but had decent offseason as far as wayward o can tell.

7. this is just weird...



bored kid from l.a. finds niche in life with 'music mayhem.'

8. and speaking of music .... aubrey sings how could we have missed...?



aub. is multi-talented!

9. last but not least ...



baltimore is great place to pick up dance mOves!

the seasOn that was...

It is time for Wayward O's SECOND ANNUAL look-back at key dates for Orioles. Strap on your sad pants, diasporational dunderheads, order up a large chocklit dipndotz and let's have a look ......

Jan. 13 - Baltimore Sun scribe Dan Connolly coins "the lost season" sobriquet for upcoming year as team struggles to find identity and hopes dim for anything other than a basement finish in AL East. Throughout early part of year, yapping about Brian Roberts being traded pervades airwaves but sprightly 2nd baseman remains with team. Question: If last year was lost season, what is this year? The even loster season?

Jan. 17 - Houston paper freaks out over legal implications of Miguel Tejada trade. Did Os pull fast one on Astros? Well, ya. Question: Is Miguel actually still in legal limbo with respect to JUICING? Unclear. Tejada's .283 with continued dramatic HR fall off in 2008 suggests star's best years may be behind him. However, 86-win Astros did contend in tough division. That is what team sought for in trade.

Jan. 27 - Fancy Ken Rosenthal gums up works with thinly sourced reports about impending trade of Erik Bedard to Seattle Mariners for several players. Nearly two weeks of media gyrations ensue before trade is consummated Feb. 8 and Orioles boss Andy MacPhail chides reporters for happy idiot dance. "None of that was accurate," he says of Ken Rosenthal's reporting among others'. But it doesn't stop Foxburger McNews from hyping Rosenthal all year. This pooptastic dynamic along with ESPN blatant hate for team continues to confound Wayward O as era of corrupt sports journalism persists.

Feb. 13 - Blog celebrates first birthday!

Feb. 28 - MLB.com kicks off season with thud as grapefruit league radio broadcasts FAIL to be delivered via new streaming media system powered by Microsoft. Later in year MLB.com unceremoniously dumps "new" Silverlight player without a word. ALSO ON THIS DATE: New 1B coach and former hidden ball trick vic John Shelby says "one thing that i have to make sure of is where the ball is." Modest but acceptably truthful. T-bone succeeds in achieving 2008 goal(s)!

March 10 - Wayward O and everyone else in world picks team to finish last in division. Do not be sad.

March 30 - Rule 5 draftee and kiddee fan favorite Jay Gibbons, caught up in steroid scandal, is cut by team. And it is sad in many ways ... it is life's rich pageant. Gibbons is currently a free agent. Or something.

March 31 - "Jacked up" Rays shtoonk Team in season opener with a 6-2 as they wend their way toward WORLD SERIES. Fat Kevin Millar accounts for team's only 2 runs. Wire service reports note following:

The announced attendance at Camden Yards was 46,807, a sellout, but the stadium was far from full. The thousands of empty seats might have been the result of the cool, damp weather.

Our opening day short stop.
And our empty seats....
ALSO ON THIS DATE: Team signs Alex Cintron to minor league contract as year-long dance of futility begins at short. No fewer than six short stops will kick baseball around Camden dirt before '08 is said and done.

April 7 - Os fans are first to realize that team got over on Seattle Mariners, big time, with Bedard / Jones, Sherrill trade. Team sweeps ass-dragging Ms in four-game set. By year's end Seattle media and fans enter OPEN REBELLION against Bedard, whose attitude long has been in question, and trade goes on to claim KEY MEMBERS of Ms front office. ALSO: Relievers Dennis Sarfate and Matt Albers show some early promise.

April 8 - Aubrey Huff hits home run two-run double in four-RBI effort vs. Texas Rangers of Texas. Despite ump's taking HR off the board, Aub goes on to SHUT THE MOUTHS OF HOLIER THAN THOU FANS with MASSIVE YEAR.


Note for 2009: Growed-up, mature Aubrey is on verge of greatness as a ballplayer. We may not miss Tex at all.

April 18 - Wild but effective Daniel Cabrera somehow beats Yankees and Wayward O (for fifteenth time) is convinced that old Big Bird's salad days finally have arrived. Twas a silly little notion as unwatchable fastballer ultimately stumbles through another summer.

April 22 - Jeremy Guthrie goes 7 2/3rds in tough loss to Mariners. DiaspOra pisses and moans about manager leaving St. Guts in too long even though Dave Trembley had previously said his starters will stay in games. Wayward O continues to marvel at fans who always take "right side" of issue depending on outcome of games. Such fans are a-holes.


Guts also made awesome putout
in above-mentioned contest.

May 3 - Amazing results from ESSKAY MEAT SURVEY!!!

May 13 - Guthrie outduels Beckett, 5-4 at Camden and Boston fan gets pummeled by friendly locals in land of pleasant living ....


Luke Scott hits 3-run doinger.

May 14 - Sherrill earns 15th save, Cabrera runs record to 4-1 and Jay Payton hits grand slam vs. Boston. "WHAT IS GOING ON????" wary fanz ask.

May 23 - Aub gets jobbed by shitty umpire in 2-0 loss to Rays.


HORSESHIT CALL
May 25 - Earl's Weaver's oft-replayed web rant about "Terry F*ckin' Crowley" bleeds into on-air sound during live YES Yankees broadcast. Clip of Earl going off on Alice and her, um, romantic proclivities is pulled from YES site not long after it surfaces. But Wayward O heard it. And you heard it. And that's all that matters.

May 27 - Luis Hernandez loses starting short stop job.

June 1 - Team finally admits for first time since 1972 that it is FROM BALTIMORE.

June 18 - Fat Kevin Millar hits walk-off single to beat Houston on retro cap night and Os run record in 1-run games to 17-10. Also, many $2 cans of Boh are consumed at Pickles.

June 22 - On Wayward O's birthday no less Freddy the Bee gets DFA'd and sent to minors. Wayward O continues to mourn departure of slick-fielding short stop with positive attitude. Oh well. It's probably for best.

July 30 - Dennis Sarfate gets his first-ever MLB start in the Bronx -- land of his birth no less -- for the demoted Brian Burress. Suffarty gets shellacked as team failed to deliver a rare sweep in enemy territory. ALSO ON THIS DATE: Super blogger Roch Kubatko leaves Sunpaper for fancy teevee web site. Sunpaper subsequently files for bankruptcy (well, sort of) proving Rock's value. And also team ships submariner Chad Bradford to Rays for player to be named. Player has yet to be named.

Aug. 5 - Chris Waters one-hits Angels in scintillating MLB debut.


'I focused on pounding the zone'
But he finishes lost season 3-5 with a 5+ era and kind of stinks. We still like him.

July 2 - Memlo's new, proununciationally challenged, nickname appears in cyberspace and catches on. Wayward O takes fulllllll credit.

July 4 - Freddy the Bee Part Deux, back from the minors! Short stop picks up three RBIs as team runs record to 44-41 and MOVES BRIEFLY INTO THIRD PLACE PRIOR TO Ye YEARLY PANTS~CRAPPING.

July 8 - Super Aub is AL PLAYER OF WEEK with .346 BA for week. Anger of pissy diaspora melts into jealousy.

Aug. 18-31 - Team goes 3 up and 11 down for 2nd half of August including a 14-3 shtoonking at hands of Tampa Bay Rays. Jamie Walker, once a cause for hope, sees complete collapse of pitching ability and draws ire and frustration of fans despite fact that fans would probably still buy him a beer and, you know, some shotgun shells.

Sept 1-3 - Team shtoonked by Red Sox in three-game sweep. Three-game score: Boston 26, Team 10.

Sept. 19-21 - Team shtoonked by Yankees in three-game sweep. Three-game score: New York 11, Team 5.

Sept. 22-24 - Team shtoonked by Rays in four-game sweep. Four-game score: Rays 27, Team 15.

Sept. 28 - Guts takes loss in 10-1 shtoonking at hands of Toronto Blue Jays as Lost Season comes to merciful close with a 68-93. Somehow Guts manages a 10-12 record with a 3.61 ERA. Amazing...

October - For eleventh straight year, October is uneventful for team.

Nov. 12 - Team unveils spiffy new unis with Balto on front.


Yippeee

Dec. 7 - Talks between above-pictured Nikolai Markakis and team over contract extension break off as sides can't agree over a couple million here, a couple million there. Initial hand-wringing soon gives way to hope that deal ultimately will get done.

Dec. 9 - Roch reports that Eddie Murray is skulking around winter meetings, hoping to link up with team's front office. Let's hope it happens!

Dec. 10 - Team sends fat catcher to Reds for Ryan Freel. Another good trade from MacPhail!

Dec. 16 - Cesar Izturis joins fellow Venezuelan MemLo on left side of infield, signing with team and ending yearlong quest for serviceable short stop. Welcome, Cesar!

Dec. 23 - Team's 7-year, $140 million (first) offer is not enough to keep greedy, mindless a-hole Mark Teixeira from doing right thing and making a stand against hideous Yankees. Fans rip Os for failure to sign Maryland boy but reality is that Yankees have overpaid by tens of millions and apparently Tex isn't the kind of guy to let a little something like decency get in the way of being a shithead.

Dec. 28 - Team rejects Sarasota's lowball offer to build low-rent spring stadium for team.

Dec. 29 - After dumping gangly, ineffective right hander, team signs gangly, ineffective left hander, presumably to help team stagger its way through new year. Kerfuffel over "warm bodies" comment erupts on Balto. Sun web pages.

Thank you for reading. Let Wayward O know in comments what he missed and he will add. Also ... what moniker is appropriate for '09 campaign?

new functiOnality

hello. please feel free to play with new search deal. result page display leaves something to be desired but overall it works kind of in case there was some nugget that you simply must revisit. perhaps in coming days it can be improved but for now it is what it is.

meanwhile, team is playing baseball in detroit and they have 13 runs through five innings. perhaps they will even win. time will tell.

harvey kOrman

actors come and actors go but nobody ever made wayward o laugh like harvey korman.



and here's one more ...



rest in peace.

jeffrey maier i see yOu!

jay cOmes clean, kinda

on sept. 10 of this year, here is what wayward O said about jay gibbons:

wayward O wants gibbons to differentiate himself from this sorry lot by standing up in public like a man and giving a full accounting of his cheating ways.

and you could look it up. today we learn that gibbons has done some of that. here is what he tells the baltimore sun:

"I am deeply sorry for the mistakes that I have made," Gibbons said. "I have
no excuses and bear sole responsibility for my decisions. Years ago, I relied on
the advice of a doctor, filled a prescription, charged the hGH, which is a
medication, to my credit card and had only intended to help speed my recovery
from my injuries and surgeries. I hope that my family, teammates, fans and
[Orioles owner] Peter Angelos and the entire Orioles organization will accept my
apologies and that we can all move on."

so now what do we do? well, i think it's best to trade gibbons if some other team will have him. try to sell him as a reclamation project and give him away -- even if it means eating some of his contract.

because while most of what gibbons says is admirable, wayward O wonders about his stated motive for juicing ... and finds it difficult to swallow the notion that jay simply wanted to heal from an injury.

jay gibbOns' big chance

what do gibbons, rafael palmeiro, troy glaus, rick ankiel, jason giambi, sammy sosa, mark mcgwire, guillermo mota, barry bonds, gary sheffield, jason grimsley, countless minor leaguers, and so many others in the majors have in common? a couple things...

1) we're pretty certain they used steroids or hGH, maybe after it was illegal
2) they've been linked in some concrete way to said substances
3) so far, none has given a full, public accounting

there is a smaller group of players -- most famous among them david ortiz, miguel tejada and alex rodriguez -- who have been whispered about but who have never been linked to steroids and they are not part of this group.

so what does wayward O want from gibbons now that he clearly will never play in the majors again? wayward O wants gibbons to differentiate himself from this sorry lot by standing up in public like a man and giving a full accounting of his cheating ways.

don't do it for yourself jay ... do it for the thousands of screaming ten-year-olds who went to camden to root for you to hit home runs. when they're older they'll appreciate your candor.

wayward O is very sympathetic to players who used steroids and other now-banned substances before they were banned and sees no need to punish any such behavior. however, gibbons, it appears, continued to use and mask after baseball's wake-up-late policy was enacted.

on another note ... was it:

-- the new york times
--- espn
-- the daily news
--- the networks
-- and everybody else

who said george mitchell's little "probe" was impotent? yes. all of them...

the former senator from maine is the man behind the curtain, friends. he's getting it out there in ways no mere baseball player considered possible.

he got the irish to sit down and talk. did the meathead baseball players think they were going to outsmart or outlast him?

wild bill hagy, 1939 -2007

Os fan. cab driver. rally savant. baltimore legend.

Sun photo by Paul Hutchins

memories pour in to roch's blog such as:

It was the realization that fans could actually be heard on the field if they
spoke with one voice that spawned the many chants that followed, all dreamt up
by Wild Bill. A couple favorites of mine "C'mon Ken - hit it in the bullpen" and
"C'mon Lowenstein - hit the Busch Beer sign." Every time the O's would get a new
player Bill would have to quickly come up with a new chant unique to that
player.

and

As a young black kid in the late 70's and teenager in the 80's I remember
WILD BILL, he was the reason why you brought tickets in the bleachers at
memorial stadium, to cheer with him, catch a ball, and support a team that
had alot of african-americam talent,I miss that about the O;s and the team
should put out his name on the wall around Camden Yards.

and from the Sun coverage:

If ever an out-of-town fan happened into his cab wearing a Yankees hat, he
ordered it removed. If the person refused, he refused the fare.

and

In 1985, Mr. Hagy began a boycott of Memorial Stadium because he was no longer allowed to bring his own beer in a cooler.

many props to sun for solid coverage!

post-tradematic stress disorder

the wayward O was going over the roster this weekend and -- with many and heartfelt apologies to aubrey huff -- was noticing that Os don't have a BIG BOPPER

• boston has manny and ortiz
• toronto has vernon wellz
• tampa has um that young kid who's gonna be a big star one day
• yankees have a-rodious maximus

Os have a balanced lineup with 5 or 6 guys who will hit 20 hrs ... tejada, mora, huff, payton, the cake --- but do we lack the HULKING kent hrbek-like slugger who casts a shadow like the mountain at sunrise?

yes.

but all is not lost. because we have a LOT OF YOUNG PITCHING AND OUTFIELD TALENT. and we are going to PULL THE TRIGGER on a BIG TRADE like we did a few years back to get

WAIT!!!!

STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THE DREAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

they will not go away!!!!

mister angelos pleeeez don't trade any more of the kids it was bad enuf we sent maine to the mets for benson. maybe maine will be a harnish ... but WHAT IF HE'S A SCHILLING??????

WHO IS SCHILLING? IS IS MAINE? IS IT PENN? IS IT CABRERA? IS IT BEDARD? IS IS ADAM LOEWEN?

the baby birds are like little arrows haunting the wayward O's dreams.... keep them all. give them hot chocolate and as many marshmallows as they please. do whatever you can to keep them happy.

NO TRADESZZZZEEyAS

i think i need to go outside and see the sky. the planets. the natures. the trees. i will fly around the block six times and sit in the big oak tree to try and forget....