Gautam Mukunda wrote:
>
> Baltimore - My home town team <sob>. I've pretty much stopped following
> them now that Cal has retired. I would have no objections rooting for a
> team that doesn't win. I just can't bring myself to get caught up in
> rooting for a team run by idiots. Baltimore has nothing. It has a
pathetic
> lineup at the Major League level and a farm system so barren it beggars
> description.
Julia:
Could you make an attempt? I'm a little curious about their farm
system.
Me:
Well, Baltimore has some pitching and a few half-decent outfielders, but not
a whole lot. Matt Riley, there truly dazzling left-handed pitching prospect
of a few years back was grossly overworked in 2000, forced to start some
useless ML games even after the O's management itself stated that he was
tired. Unsurprisingly he blew out his arm and missed 2001 with Tommy John
surgery. Richard Stahl probably has the best ceiling now with really
phenomenal (Randy Johnson like) stuff, but he _also_ had arm troubles. A
few other guys but nobody really worth noting except the very interesting
John Stephens, who tops out at _87_ mph on his fastball, but has a truly
phenomenal strikeout ratio - 191/40 according to ESPN.com. Essentially he
seems to have quite possibly the best control in Organized Baseball. Scouts
don't like him, but I'm rooting hard for him - he would be completely unique
if he made it to the Majors, and I think he's got a good shot. I don't
think he'll ever be better than a #3 starter, though. Position players are
considerably more bleak. The O's traded away Josh Phelps, unquestionably
their best position player prospect, for a below-average middle reliever,
which tells you everything you need to know about their management. They
also wasted Calvin Pickering. Tim Raines Jr. has some potential as a
leadoff hitter but will never be even half the player his father was. Keith
Reed is a decent outfield prospect - great tools but not much in the way of
baseball skills. Ed Rogers is their best shortstop prospect but is even
worse in terms of actual performance - tools but no skills. Rick Elder
seems to have a lot of talent at 1B/LF, but gets injured _every year_ and so
far has not yet emerged from Rookie Ball, I believe. Basicall Baltimore has
two problems. One is that they don't understand that if you overwork young
pitchers, you blow their arms out and they will quite possibly never
recover. Second, they (like Tampa Bay) don't understand the difference
between tools and skills. They draft great athletes who can't actually
_play baseball_ because they can't judge the strike zone and so on.
> As long as Camden Yards remains the most perfect place
> imaginable to watch a baseball game I'll go there when I'm home, but
that's
> it. What a disaster. If I could pick them for sixth I would. I'm
actually
> not sure which team will be worse - Baltimore or Tampa Bay. I think
they'll
> probably race for 100 losses. It's about the only baseball excitement
there
> will be for either team, I'm guessing.
Julia:
Kinda like rooting for the Redskins to go 0 and 16, like a few folks
were after the first 5 games of the season? :)
Me:
I was one of those people, actually :-)
> Gautam (Is this why I can't get a date?) "Baseball Fanatic" Mukunda
Julia again:
Maybe. Although if you were Catholic and my friend didn't have a
boyfriend already, I betcha she'd say "yes" to a second date. (And you
can have her and her baseball fanaticism -- she's the reason I fell off
the wagon as far as following the Red Sox went last season.)
Julia
recovering Red Sox fan and AL snob, thank you very much
Me:
Up until my senior year of college I believe that every single girl I ever
dated was Catholic, oddly enough. I was actually an honorary member of our
Catholic Students Association. No idea what was up with that - just a
statistical fluke, I guess :-)
Gautam
