Wrapping up the Morning Show talk, and back to discussing sports

Many of those who read my blog have read, and inquired about, the constant back and forth between myself, Glenn Clark, and Drew Forrester (of the WNST Morning Show)

In my most recent blog that Glenn swore that he wouldn’t read, yet spent the next morning on the air going on and on about, I pointed out some comments that these two have written or said over the past month, that quite frankly, left a lot to be desired for any somewhat casual sports fan.

That blog was in response to the numerous times that I have been called out on the air, in their blogs, and on their Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Of course, yesterday when I took the bait and called into the show, neither Glenn nor Drew had any answers to the questions that I presented to them on the air, and their comments that I pointed out in my blog.

Glenn and Drew constantly bash and mock sabermetrics and “adjusted records.” So I asked Glenn, if he as a respected journalist, does not, after watching the first 22 games of the O’s, at that point when they were 4-18, understand why it is more likely that the Orioles will have a better record in their next 22 games.

Glenn’s response? That’s why they play the games. They MIGHT be better, but it’s not likely.

Really, that is all I need to know about where this argument/debate is ever going to go.

They want to promote me as the kid who thinks he knows everything. Rest assured, I don’t think I know everything. There are many people in this industry that cover sports that can teach me more than I would be able to remember about sports and sports radio, media, etc.

The fact is though that neither Glenn nor Drew can teach me anything about baseball, and they constantly try to discuss it on the radio, with the notion that they know more than me or anyone else, because they have radio shows and because I don’t. The fact is that I could teach Glenn and Drew numerous things about baseball; starting with sabermetrics, long-term rebuilding plans, and more.

I do not like this blog to blog/air battle. I created this blog to be able to get my voice out and discuss sports. While I appreciate the opportunity to get my voice out regarding this matter, it is not much in the way of discussing sports. For that, I apologize to my readers.

After being on the radio yesterday for 20 minutes in which again, most of my questions went unanswered or were dismissed with an opinion that only these 2 and those who refuse to acknowledge any progress in the Orioles organization over the past 3 years could possibly possess, Drew told me that I was on the air too long, and he would not be able to give me that amount of time in the future. He mentioned that I was free to call the show whenever I desired, but that he would have to hold me for 3-5 minutes.

Unfortunately, on that show it is tough to make a point in 20 minutes in between Drew’s childish nonsensical quips, along with Glenn’s repeated attempts to fill the holes in his baseball arguments with sand full of non-related clichés and sarcastic comments, much less 3-5 minutes.

I will say that a few weeks ago I wrote a similar blog about the Morning Show, and had indicated that I was done communicating with them/about them. Of course, Glenn (who is too busy to discuss things when he finds himself in a hole too deep to dig out of) had plenty of time over the past 2 weeks to bring my name up every way that he could.

Now, Glenn insists he is a highly respected, professional journalist in the area. I’m no journalist, but I thought a key to writing a solid piece and expressing a solid thought was to express both sides of the argument? Glenn and Drew claim, along with Nestor, that WNST is the only objective O’s radio station in Baltimore.

Why then, do Glenn and Drew only present their side of the story with me, expressing and mocking my opinions and my thoughts, without giving me a chance to respond?

Yes, Drew said I was free to call anytime for 3-5 minutes. Again, that is not enough time to make any kind of thought-out point, and most importantly, I do, believe it or not, have something that resembles a life. I cannot wake up at 6 and chase around Glenn and Drew on their radio show, blogs, Twitter, and Facebook, waiting for them to twist my words and opinions around in a manner that deserves my response/defense.

When I realized yesterday that this was going no where fast, I asked both Glenn and Drew to either keep my name out of their blog, social media feeds, and radio show, or to allow me the opportunity to either come in and do a couple of hours on the show with them in order to get everything out there, and allow proper time to respond to all of their claims and give my true point of view, without it being twisted and manipulated by those two.

I was denied that opportunity. Honestly, I do not care one way or another; I just do not want my words to be constantly manipulated without knowledge that something is even being said, much less the opportunity to respond.

So, when I then asked Drew to refrain from using my name and my thoughts, he responded (in a much snarkier manner) that he will not do that, as it is his blog and his show.

There you have it. 2 men who get their kicks twisting others’ opinions and thoughts, while giving them 3-5 minutes to respond.

Does Peter Schmuck write an article about Nick Markakis, and tell Nick “feel free to call me between 6-10 and give me your quotes, but limit it to one line?” No, he seeks Nick out, gets his side and his quotes, and writes his story.

But why am I comparing a respected media source to these two?

The bottom line is that they have proven that they will take their biased opinions, express it as the truth, and look down on anyone who holds a different viewpoint.

For one, that is arrogant. It is even worse when they are widely considered to be wrong by the majority of those that listen and read their work.

What they have also proven is that they have no problem bringing my name up in their show, and presenting my personal opinions in their manner, without giving me the opportunity to give my extended thoughts on air without interference, so that the audience can once and for all, not even judge for themselves, but at least hear what I have to say.

There you have it. Glenn and Drew, I’m sure, will continue to talk about me. They’ll continue to call me an apologist who thinks I know everything. They’ll continue to call me Peter Delusional at 7 AM when I am not there to respond to them.

They’ll continue to call out every single respected member of the media who doesn’t bash the Orioles 24 hours a day. They’ll continue with their apologist of the morning, and with their jerk of the morning.

They’ll continue insisting on the air that what Jake Arrieta and Chris Tillman do in the minors means nothing to the Orioles until they get up to the big leagues; and then 15 minutes later, one of them will write a blog in which he portrays Strasburg as a positive for the Nationals.

But I’m done with it. I want to get back to talking sports, something that is absolutely, 100% not done on that show or in the majority of their blogs.

It’s all about them. Gary Williams was mean to Glenn at a press conference so he’s a jerk. Bruce Cunningham didn’t say hi to Drew at Towson so he’s a jerk. The Orioles do not give Drew a press pass so they are jerks.

I’m onto them, and many others in the area are as well.

Thank you guys for giving me no choice but to clutter my sports blog with the personal insults that you guys soak in like pigs in a mudslide.

Next time you hear “the professor” mentioned on the radio, just remember that whatever they say are not likely to be my true thoughts/opinions, and that I’m not afforded the opportunity to respond…unless of course I want to listen to the radio (which I can’t get 15 minutes away from the studio unless I listen online) and hawk their blogs and social media feeds waiting for the next shoe to drop.

There you have it. Now, let’s get back to talking sports. After all, this is Charm City Sports Talk.

WNST Morning Show “Comments of the Month”

In case anyone wasn’t aware, I was recently one of 9 local sports figures/fans/bloggers nominated for WNST’s Apologist of the Month.

Peter “The Professor” DiLutis (who knows more about baseball than myself, Drew, Jon Miller, Pat Gillick, George Steinbrenner and Tony Gwynn combined)

I appreciate the plug Glenn, I really do. Just take out all the names after “myself” and “Drew” and you’d have yourself an accurate statement.

Regardless of my failure to capture the title (My sincere congratulations goes to Neal S. of The Loss Column) Glenn and Drew’s contest has sparked me to create my very own monthly contest.

As many of you know, Drew and Glenn each have their own blogs over at WNST.net. While I haven’t been cluttering this blog with analysis’ of their work, I have been monitoring some of their thoughts and opinions throughout the past month, and I feel that I have enough material to create my own version of a sports “contest,” if you will.

Before we start, I want to say that I did not wish to devote any more time on this blog to these 2 individuals. I felt like I wanted to stick to analysis and less on personal attacks/blog debates.

But numerous times, both Glenn and Drew have told me that they can teach me so much about the sports media business. And low and behold, for the past 2 weeks, Glenn and Drew have been non stop with their Facebook, Twitter, and blog quips regarding me and other “apologists” that just clog up the airwaves and blogosphere day after day, night after night.

Well, I took these fine media fellows example, and I gave in. I am the fish looking up at that nice juicy, tender worm. I took the bait. I apologize in advance for doing so, but stay with me and grab the popcorn, because this is sure to be an entertaining read.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t decide on a catchy name. I considered “Drewisms,”Glennisms,” “Genius’ at work,” but in the end, I’ll just stick with the grand title of WNST Morning Show’s “Comments of the Month.” (Featuring Drew Forrester, and Glenn Clark)

I’ll start with this gem that Drew expressed on the air this morning (I know, May 3rd, but it’s too good to pass up)..Picture me surprised (those driving next to me, in front of me, and behind me surely did) when Drew referred to Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez, the same Victor Martinez who will turn 32 years old on December 23, who has been in the league since 2002…as a “budding superstar.”

Now, onto more in depth analysis.

From Drew’s April 24th blog:

DREW: And to make matters worse, one of those bats MacPhail DIDN’T buy last winter squandered two bases-loaded situations on Friday night (Garrett Atkins) and another bat Andy figured he couldn’t use struck out to end the game with the tying run at 2nd base.  This time, it was Julio Lugo who whiffed with the game on the line.

I won’t even mention that shortstop-turned-3rd-baseman Miguel Tejada made two errors on Friday.

Let’s leave it like this:  ”The plan” didn’t have a good night on Friday.

The 8th inning was quite a spectacle.  Matt Albers started the 8th for the O’s and promptly gave up a single to J.D. Drew, who, at .158, had to actually be reminded to run down to first when the ball got through the infield.  Dustin Pedroia then advanced him to 2nd base — and when Kevin Youkilis grounded out to short (with Drew going to third), it looked like Albers was going to wiggle out of a jam.

Enter Will Ohman.  After falling behind 2-0 to Victor Martinez, Trembley called for the intentional walk, bringing David Ortiz to the plate.  Ortiz had connected on his first home run earlier in the game off of Jeremy Guthrie, but make no mistake about it…Ortiz is a shadow of the man who used to be one of the most feared hitters in the game.  In fact, there’s an argument his shadow is probably more capable of making contact these days than the big fella himself.

When you have a guy hitting .159 — and .111 against left handers — you probably don’t have much reason to fear him.  Someone should have told that Ohman, who couldn’t – or wouldn’t – throw him a strike and Ortiz walked on four pitches.  With the bases loaded and Adrian Beltre due up, Trembley went to one of the bullpen arms the O’s HAVE grown, 2001 draft pick Jim Johnson.  And Johnson walked him on 5 pitches, sending in J.D. Drew with what turned out to be the winning run.

So, Drew mentions “the plan,” and goes on to talk about Jeremy Guthrie, Matt Albers, Will Ohman, Garrett Atkins, Miguel Tejada, and Jim Johnson: ONE of whom, Jim Johnson, is a part of that plan. And how did Johnson deserve this honorable mention? He walked a guy.

But wait, there’s more.

“This growing-the-arms thing he’s trying isn’t working out too well.”

Brian Matusz, 2008 first round pick currently the best pitcher in the O’s rotation. (Also, #7 on The Scouting Book’s prospect list heading into 2010) 23 years old, 6 years of service time remaining

Jake Arrieta, who was #40 on that list. Arrieta has pitched 31 innings thus far in 2010 at AAA Norfolk. In those 31 innings, he has given up a grand total of 4 ER, while striking out 27. Last season between Bowie and Norfolk, Arrieta started 28 games, posting a 3.40 ERA, while striking out 148 batters in 150 innings. 24 years old

Chris Tillman, who was not considered a prospect heading into 2010. Tillman is widely considered to be a better prospect than Arrieta. Just last week, Tillman pitched an AAA no hitter. 22 years old, 6 years of service time remaining

David Hernandez, currently in his first full season as a starter, pitching to the tune of a 4.55 ERA in the 5th starters role, only 24 years old, 6 years of service time remaining

Zach Britton , #68 on that prospect list coming into 2010. Last season in Frederick, Britton started 24 games, pitching to a 2.70 ERA, while striking out 131 in 140 innings, with a WHIP of 1.27. The year before that in Delmarva, he started 27 games, to the tune of a 3.12 ERA. 22 years old

Brandon Erbe, #69 on that same prospect list (giving the Orioles 4 pitching prospect, not counting Tillman who wasn’t included on the list, in the top 69 prospects in all of baseball coming into 2010) 22 years old

Brad Bergesen, who started 19 games last season, with a 3.43 ERA, who many feel will not be able to crack the Orioles rotation in August much less next season.

This is not even counting 2009 first round pick Matt Hobgood (19 years old)

But yet, according to Drew Forrester “MacPhail’s garden not doing so well.”

Next, we’ll go take a look at “Drew’s Friday Mailbag” .

Drew,

If you ran the Orioles and they allowed you to make one on-field move right now, what would it be?

Scott,

That’s tough, because to answer that we’d have to assume the other team would be willing to trade.  But the answer is this:  I’d figure out a way to get Gonzalez from San Diego.  If it costs me Tillman and Reimold and something else, than that’s what it costs.  Hey, Adam Jones is from San Diego…maybe the Padres would bit on him.  He IS an All-Star, you know.  But they need a big bat.  And a big left handed bat would really help.  I’d get Gonzalez by hook or by crook.

So, Drew Forrester, the great Ravens and Ozzie Newsome supporter, who constantly talks about “right player, right price,” is going to get Adrian Gonzalez, by hook or by crook!

And who might the Orioles have to trade? Who needs such details? Drew doesn’t care, if it’s Chris Tillman, Nolan Reimold, and “something else.” What if that “something else” is Brian Matusz, or Matt Wieters, or Jake Arrieta and Zach Britton? Anyone? Bueller? Ahh, next question.

So Drew finally gets his chance to state his case for decision maker of the O’s, and he states that he is going to trade Tillman, a currently injured and underperforming Reimold, and “something else,” for Adrian Gonzalez. I wonder what Bud Black thinks about this?

Not to mention that yes, that something else would be a very good young player, whether it is Adam Jones, Brian Matusz, or Matt Wieters. So, the Orioles would be trading at least 18 years of controlled time from at least 3 top young players, for 2 seasons of Adrian Gonzalez, and then the O’s would have to either outbid everyone else on the free agent market (and there is a hole at 1B long-term in Boston) or dramatically overpay Gonzalez to re-sign in Baltimore, a losing organization for the past 12 years, prior to hitting free agency. (Note: Ryan Howard just signed a 5 year, $125 million extension, starting in 2012. Note: Ryan Howard is not as good of a player as Adrian Gonzalez.)

Yes, I’d qualify this as another gem from Mr. Forrester.

April 19th – Drew writes a blog titled “Ripken wants in. So why isn’t he in? Here’s why…”

Drew includes this in his piece (which, by the way, is full of complete 100% speculation, without including any part of Ripken’s press release which was actually posted on WNST.net)

Maybe the O’s don’t want Cal knowing the truth about the organization.  They’re a cash cow, not a winning cow.

Perhaps Cal “can’t handle the truth”.  You know, the truth that is apparently Orioles 2010.  ”We refuse to compete financially with the Yankees and Red Sox so we’ll just do our best and make a lot of money and keep on appearing as if we’re legitimately interested in winning.”

This is very nice and dramatic, but it’s absurd to insinuate that there is one ounce of truth in these assertions.

Let me explain some business 101 to Drew. (Of course, Drew indicated in an e-mail to me that he was once involved in a million dollar business, whereas I had never done so, so Drew is more qualified to speak on this subject than me, so perhaps this is a waste of time, but I digress)

The Orioles are a business. The primary goal of the Baltimore Orioles team is to win games. The primary goal of the fans of Baltimore who watch the Orioles, and go to games (and at these games, the team makes money on concessions, merchandise, etc) is for the team to win games.

The organization, which is a business, makes more money when the team wins games. That is not really difficult to understand.

Any money the Orioles would have to spend to turn the team into a winner, would be made back over and over if the Orioles did in fact turn into a winner.

Not to mention that Andy MacPhail has established a plan that up until this point has been a full-scale rebuild. When teams are undergoing a full-scale rebuild, they do not go out and spend money on free agents.

However, Andy MacPhail has said that he will put an emphasis on extending his homegrown players, and he has done that with Nick Markakis, giving him  6 year, $66 million dollar extension. He also offered Mark Teixeira nearly double the franchise record offer to any player.

Those are facts. Drew presents 0 facts.

But, Drew says the O’s are just a cash cow who do not care about winning, so he must be right, right?

Let’s jump to Drew’s April 26th blog. Folks, this is a doozy. It’s titled “Orioles shouldn’t run from the challenge flag.”

To make a long ramble short, Drew implies that the Orioles do not step up to the challenge of answering the tough questions that Drew and the rest of the media at WNST have for them.

I’ll challenge Eric DeCosta.

And he’ll give me the answers.

Actually, though, he’ll give YOU the answers.  I ask the questions mainly on behalf of the fans.  You’re the ones who pay the tickets and the PSL charges.  You’re the ones who deserve the answers.  I just happen to be the guy who asks the questions.  The answers are for the fans.

And DeCosta knows that.

Drew, the Ravens give you and your station answers, because you serve as an objective media outlet for the Ravens.

Let me give Drew another business 101 lesson. When a source bashes a company non-stop, sometimes rightfully, other times completely uncalled for, and then stages a protest of that company, aimed at the owner of that company; well, it may not be smart business sense to you know, do business with them.

Drew goes on to attack more respected, credible members of the local media in Baltimore.

Their idea of “working with the media” is hand feeding one of their employees-in-law like Steve Melewski or Jen Royle and letting them spread the word about the latest player acquisition or minor league roster call-up.

What kind of challenge will Melewski pose?  Tough questions?  Pressing them for a reason why they did this or that? Answers:  Not much.  None. No chance.

I’ll check the MASN web-site this week to see when Steve or one of the other hired guns over there asks Trembley why his team only stole one base in three games at Boston when the team who played at Fenway just before them (Texas) stole nine bases in one game.  And I’ll check the MASN site sometime this week to see how MacPhail responds to the benching of one of those bats he bought in the off-season, Garrett Atkins, just 17 games into his O’s career.

Jen Royle is the new O’s beat reporter for the team’s flagship radio station, 105.7.  In typical “Fan Fashion”, they hired an out-of-towner to handle the duties of covering the team.  (In all fairness, if you’re going to hire a beat reporter, she might as well be pretty…no offense, Casey)

What will Jen Royle ask MacPhail?  Answer:  She’s not equipped to even ask anything, she’s a Yankees fan.  Maybe she can ask MacPhail if he’s ever been to the Cobb Chop House in Manhattan.  I think I heard her say it’s one of “Swish’s” favorite hang outs.

So Drew is now attacking the credentials of Jen Royle, and of course, calling out Steve Melewski once again. Why? Because she worked in New York? Nice!

I guess new Orioles beat reporter Britt Ghiroli is also not equipped to ask Dave any tough questions, since she covered the Rays in 2008. And I guess Scott Van Pelt isn’t entitled to talk about any baseball team or college basketball team on Sportscenter because, well, he’s an Orioles and Terps fan!

But wait, there’s even more, in the same piece!

With Matt Holliday half-begging for a contract in Baltimore in the off-season, it would be nice to know if the club made him a legitimate offer – or not.  We’re not allowed to ask that question, though.

You’re not allowed to ask that question Drew, because the Orioles do not respect you as an objective source. They do not think that you have the credentials to cover the team. Therefore, you are not entitled to a press pass in the eyes of the Orioles.

Any other media outlet in Baltimore can ask the Orioles whatever questions they want.

By the way, for readers wondering where the evidence is that Matt Holliday was “half-begging” for a contract in Baltimore, I’m wondering the same thing. I wonder a lot of things when I’m reading Drew’s work. I always have my magnifying glass out looking for facts, logic, quotes, sources, and more. Maybe I need a new one?

For those wondering, Holliday was hurting so badly this offseason from a lack of suitors that he had to settle for a 7 year, $100 million dollar deal with the Cardinals.

Yes, that is the same Matt Holliday who will be playing out that deal in his 30′s, and who happens to play LF. Yes, that LF; the same position that the Orioles have not one, not two, not three, but 4 players who have received significant time there in the past year (Felix Pie, Nolan Reimold, Luke Scott, and Lou Montanez)

We hear everyday from Drew and Glenn how horrible the Orioles are. So, if they are so bad, what is the point of giving an aging outfielder that plays a position of strength a $100 million dollar deal?

(Crickets)

Here are some Twitter gems from Drew Forrester in the past few days:

Drew: #Orioles lose 4-0 to the #Yankees, that’s the bad news. Good news: using sabermetrics, O’s 3 hits were upped to 11 and they won, 3-2.

Of course, this is a sarcastic play on those of us who actually like to use reason and stats to back up our opinions and assertions. Those of us who believe that it is possible that the Orioles have been just a tad bit unlucky thus far this season, and that they are maybe not as bad as their record indicates. You know, kind of like how if Kobe Bryant goes 0 for 25 shooting in a night, he isn’t really that bad?

Now, one of the teams these Orioles have been chasing for the past decade? The Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox GM? Theo Epstein. Yes, the same Theo Epstein that has Bill James, a sabermetrics expert, on his payroll, becoming one of the first GM’s to utilize sabermetrics over the more conventional stats that Drew and Glenn are more familiar with (wins, RBI’s HR’s, yay!)

Yes, the same Theo Epstein that was in charge of the Red Sox for their 2 World Series wins in 4 seasons.

Of course, the same Bill James describes sabermetrics as “the search for objective knowledge about baseball.”

Now I know why these two struggle to understand the concept!

Here are some more…

Drew: #Orioles trail 1-0 to the #Yankees. But using sabermetrics, the #Texeira double should have been an out. Game should be 0-0.

Drew: Thrilled to update you with this…using baseball sabermetrics, the #Orioles now lead the Yankees, 5-0 thru 4 in tonight’s game.11:28 AM Apr 29th via web

Ahh, nothing like Drew Forrester and Glenn Clark insinuating that Theo Epstein, Billy Beane, Bill James and the rest are just not credible.

Here is another gem where Drew is trying to bash the Orioles for raising their ticket prices 2 dollars for those who buy tickets the day of the game.

@CamdenCrazies Drew: You’re wrong, sir. You give people who buy early a break. You don’t penalize people who buy on the day of the game.

Am I the only one wondering how the Orioles can give people who buy early a break, without penalizing those who buy on the day of the game?

Yes, there’s more…

Drew: Why put #Ohman in the game, down 8-3? I don’t get it.#Trembley does some weird stuff. That’s one reason they’re 4-17. #Orioles9:54 PM Apr 28th via web

Note the date on that, April 28th. Will Ohman had pitched a grand total of 1.1+ innings within a 10 day stretch from April 18th to April 28th. Yet Drew found a way to bash Trembley for putting Ohman in the game for an inning.

When Drew was questioned on this ridiculous assertion, he gave the following response

@CamdenCrazies Drew: Oh, God, you’re back. No one is allowed to question the manager anymore without you giving him a hummer. Please.

@CamdenCrazies Drew: I didn’t make anything up. Ohman didn’t have to be in the game. Quick…Trembley’s asking for you. Needs a back rub.

Classy.

No, Ohman didn’t have to be in the game. And (using Glenn Clark’s signature sarcasm) dogs didn’t have to be created with 4 legs. And Drew’s tee shot didn’t have to go in the woods. He didn’t have to be, but there was nothing to suggest that he shouldn’t be.

@CamdenCrazies Drew: They’re losing 8-3. Save him for tomorrow when his services might actually be needed. Didn’t see Rivera in there…

So Drew is now comparing Mariano Rivera, the greatest closer to ever play the game, who is 40 years old, making $15 million this season, to Will Ohman.

Take a bow, Drew!

Next up to the stage, Glenn Clark.

In naming Chris Stoner (fellow apologist nominee) Apologist of the Morning on April 13, Glenn had this to say about Mike Gonzalez.

If Mike Gonzalez is going to “bounce back” and be as effective as Felix Pie, he’ll be gone in June.

I’m personally PRAYING that he’s much better than that. But nothing about his track record leads me to EXPECT that.

Again, Glenn stated that “nothing about his track record leads me (Glenn Clark) to EXPECT that.”

Michael Gonzalez’ career stats are as follows:

282.2 innings pitched, 333 K’s, 2.67 ERA, 1.24 WHIP.

But again, according to Glenn, there is nothing in those stats to suggest that Gonzalez will be much better than his first two (2!) innings in Baltimore.

To use some of Glenn’s sarcasm which he routinely displays every morning in his “Crabs and Beer” blog (in place of analysis), yeah, and the sun is out right now, so there is NO reason to believe that the moon will come out tonight!

Now to Glenn Clark’s April 22nd edition of “Crabs and Beer,” in which he says the following in reference to MASN’s Steve Melewski

Nothing like a team whose own employees try to divide their fan base. “Are you with us or not? If you are, you better get behind the Andy MacPhail plan and not criticize what we’re doing!”

What did Steve write to cause such a stir?

“We can’t demand that O’s players get hits every night, strike out batters, pitch great or win”

“Some fans won’t ever jump ship and will be around all year”

So, from those 2 quotes, Glenn got the idea that Melewski says that in order for an O’s fan to be “with them,” that they cannot criticize Andy MacPhail?

All I can say is, wow. Luckily for Glenn, reading comprehension is not tested prior to registering for a blog.

Glenn had this to say on April 22nd regarding Kevin Millwood.

Like so many others on this team right now, he was miscast. He knew it, and he had no interest in being here. I hope he doesn’t have to go through it too much longer.

So Glenn asserts that Kevin Millwood had no interest in being in Baltimore. Of course, Millwood said nothing of the sort to any media personality in neither Baltimore nor Texas, and as Drew and Glenn state over, and over, and over, and over, and over, they are not given any access to the Orioles. So how, in fact, does Glenn know this? Good question! (Of course, not including another swipe at the O’s would take away from the 24/7 bash fest on Glenn’s blog, so taking out his made up conjecture is out of the question)

Glenn also asked “What evidence do you have of that” when I claimed on the air 2 weeks ago that Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, and Matt Wieters were not going to hit as they had up to that point, for the rest of the season.

Golly be, all 3 players have started to play better, and Markakis is now on pace for one of his best seasons as an Oriole. Who would have thought?

That’s all I have for Glenn at the moment, other than numerous Felix Pie/Joey Gathright comparisons from the past year. In case anyone is wondering about that, Glenn Steinbenner MacPhail Torre Francona Piniella Clark didn’t see any reason last season to suggest that Felix Pie would be any better than Joey Gathright.

Was it sunny in that room? Glenn didn’t see a 5 tool talented player, who was adjusting leagues, playing with different teammates, with a new manager, against completely different pitching, playing a new position, struggling to speak English, and think to himself “Gee Glenn, maybe this guy might actually, heh, improve as he gets more playing time?”

When looking back for more “Glennisms,” I got distracted by all the YouTube videos, pictures of half-naked women, and suggestive pictures of his female intern (in place of analysis) that make their way through the “Crabs and Beer” set each and everyday.

Maybe more of them will pop up in next month’s edition of the WNST Morning Show “Comments of the Month.”

The question becomes, which one takes the cake?

I’m not really sure, I’ll need some help with that one. The only thing I’m sure of right now, is that my knowledge of all things sports actually decreased after writing this blog.

It’s my forum now: Regarding WNST’s Morning Show

Many of my friends and followers of this blog know that I aspire to get to a point in my life where I am lucky enough to discuss sports for a living. I want to discuss sports with the passionate fans of this great city. The columnists, sports talk hosts, and the rest of the sports journalists in this town are extremely lucky to be able to do just that.

Those same people who follow this blog know that I am very passionate about sports. I feel that I have the knowledge to discuss sports with anyone in the industry, about most any sports topic.

The reason that I created this blog is because it gives me a forum to express these thoughts. I want to be clear; there are many people who know more about different areas of sports than I do. There are many people who can teach me more than I would be able to remember about sports journalism and communication. I do not feel that I am above the rest, or special, due to my sports knowledge.

What I do believe is that my thoughts are worth expressing, and worth discussing. I believe that my thoughts are worth throwing into the hat, and I’d like to think that my insights and opinions make sense, and are backed up by facts and logic that I try to repeatedly use when discussing sports topics on this blog.

While this blog is a great forum, it is not the type of forum that a sports talk host, columnist, or television reporter gets to enjoy everyday. I am going to talk about my experience listening to, and interacting with, WNST’s Comcast Morning Show, during the past two mornings.

I want to put a few things out there regarding WNST before I start sharing my thoughts. I am a big fan of WNST, and the talents that discuss sports both online, and on their station. WNST is a very socially minded company. They have the #1 text service of any sports company, they put together the best sports trips (which I greatly enjoyed even through the playoff loss to the Colts) and have a highly developed and viewed website when compared to other radio station websites.

WNST is very out there in the public eye. Any sports fan in the area knows who they are, and what kind of product they produce. After engaging in a few debates with Glenn Clark and Drew Forrester with regards to their blogs on wnst.net, I decided to tune in the mornings to see what they had to say, and perhaps if I could join in their discussions. I told Drew I would call in the next morning, after I was mocked for saying that the Orioles are in 500% better position in 2010, than in 2006 when WNST last held a Free the Birds protest.

I did call, and many WNST listeners now know me as The Professor, Peter MacPhail, or Uncle Pete’s (Angelos) nephew.

I will say that on Monday morning, that both Drew and I were a bit out of line. Drew and Glenn constantly like to bring my age (19) into play, and I feel that is not warranted. Drew made a few comments which I will not post here. Nothing too bad, but very sarcastic and not suitable to a productive discussion. I responded, inappropriately, that I had more knowledge in my left toe nail than Drew Forrester will ever have. I obviously do not believe that. Drew obviously has sports knowledge, and is a terrific radio host. I believe that 100%.

Part of my frustration came from my presentation of facts, and the lack of responses that I would get from Drew with regards to those facts. More often, I would get a sarcastic comment, or collective laughs from Drew and Glenn.

At one point, Drew asked me why the Orioles are losing. I responded that the main reasons were due to injuries, and due to the fact that so many guys that are going to be there, and are going to produce, are currently playing horribly. I went on to say that if Adam Jones and Nick Markakis hit .220 all season, that they are going to be in big trouble. But I said that obviously, that is not going to happen. The response from Drew and Glenn, was how do I know that? Obviously, if I have to explain to them why that is not going to continue all season, then I believe that one is on them.

Focus shifted to the O’s not having a closer since Mike Gonzalez is currently injured. We started talking about the Sherrill trade. I made the point that a closer on a losing team is not much of an advantage. What is the point of a closer racking up 30 saves if the team is only winning 65 games all season? I told Drew that with only 8 months left on Sherrill’s deal, that Andy MacPhail made a great move in trading Sherrill for 3B Josh Bell. My response from Drew and Glenn? A sarcastic, “who is Josh Bell?” A caller that called in after I hung up, sarcastically asked what Josh Bell did in the Oakland series over the weekend.

This morning, I decided to call back. Yesterday, things steered away from baseball. Today, I wanted to talk baseball. Drew had asked me a question yesterday “Why do fans not go to the games?” I wanted to give him some insight on that, and also, I wanted to comment on 2 things that Drew wrote on his blog this morning.

http://wnst.net/wordpress/drewforrester/2010/04/21/orioles-options-for-improvement-include-firings-unfortunately/

Firing Trembley right now would be way out of character for MacPhail, given that he had that opportunity, basically, last October. But he brought Trembley back for another go-round and dismissing him now would be a tough pill for the O’s to swallow every other Friday when DT gets that free check.

NOT firing him, though, just shows everyone that wins and losses don’t really matter after all.

Firing anyone costs money.

If the O’s don’t like to spend money to bring people TO their club, you surely must know they don’t want to spend money to make someone go AWAY, right?

I told Drew that I agreed with much of what he says in this blog. I told him that some of his opinions, I felt, did not have much substance behind them. Specifically, that Andy MacPhail would not fire Dave Trembley simply because of the money. (Also, the notion that the O’s not firing Trembley just 15 games into the season, a season in which Trembley is severely undermanned due to injuries, would indicate that wins and losses do not matter, seems a bit far to me, but we did not discuss that much on the air today)

Drew repeatedly indicated to me, when I broached this subject with him, that he believes Andy MacPhail is cheap. I pointed out the contract that he gave Markakis, the money he offered Teixeira, in support of the fact that he is in fact not cheap. I also asked Drew if there are any players that he would have preferred MacPhail give big money to in free agency the past few years. Drew responded with Adrian Beltre, Adam Laroche, and John Lackey.

Regarding Lackey, I asked Drew how many 5 year deals for pitchers over 30 years of age worked out for the team. I did not receive a response. I mentioned to Drew that the difference between Tejada and Beltre’s salaries (2.5 million) were highly unlikely to be a factor. I told Drew that I do not believe that if Beltre and Tejada were making the same 2010 salary, that Beltre would be an Oriole over Tejada. I received no response on the air; just silence from the other end.

Drew continued to say that MacPhail was cheap. I explained to him that it is MacPhail’s strategy, and a correct one, to be somewhat conservative when the O’s are unlikely to contend. I pointed out that previous GM’s tried for the quick fix (Tejada, Lopez, Palmerio, Ponson in 2004) (bullpen overhaul in 2007) and failed. I said that in the AL East, playing 18 games each against 3 of the top 5 teams in baseball, that the only way to get where all O’s fans want to go, is to build from the ground up, through the system, through great trades, and without spending money that would take Drew off of his “MacPhail is cheap” stance. I received no response.

I went on to talk about why fans do not go to the games. I talked about how for the past 10 years, the organization has tried to sell a rebuilding effort. Syd Thrift, Jim Beattie, Mike Flanagan, Jim Duquette, and now Andy MacPhail. It is always about waiting until next year. I related this to the boy who cried wolf. I said that the fans that the Orioles losing are casual fans; fans that pick up the newspaper, log online, or go to the bar, and for the past decade, have been told by 5 different GM’s to be patient. I told Drew that the casual fans do not buy this anymore; and they are 100% warranted in being fed up with the Orioles. But that does not change the reality for those of us who like to cover the team and constantly analyze and discuss the state of the team and organization, that this time, the rebuilding effort is on the right track.

I told Drew that it is fine to be pessimistic. It is fine to be fed up with the O’s. But I maintained that even the most pessimistic and cynical O’s fan has to admit that the team is making progress. Is it a big improvement, marginal improvement, slight improvement, or 500% improvement? That is open to interpretation. But to compare the major league rosters between 2010 and 2006, along with the minor league rosters, there is no comparison. Compare the front office situations, and there is even a bigger discrepancy.

Again, I received no response. Yesterday when I brought up Luis Matos, Jay Gibbons, Corey Patterson, and Ramon Hernandez compared to Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Felix Pie, and Nolan Reimold, I received no discussion coming back my way; only sarcastic quips and remarks. When I compared our prospect lists at the two times, I received no discussion, no response.

Of course, after I hung up today, Glenn and Drew became very talkative. Glenn got the first word in, quipping sarcastically that “MacPhail has a strategy Drew.” (referring to my point that MacPhail not dishing out multi-millions to Lackey and Holliday, or high priced FA’s in general, was a smart strategy)

Drew made the remark that the best way to deal with me was to just let me talk and have my own show. My thoughts are that Drew and Glenn have trouble when baseball logic is brought to them on the show; they have trouble giving a knowledgable response. Maybe they can’t? As Glenn said to me, prove that Jones will get better this year. Well Drew and Glenn, can you guys prove that you can debate baseball with me, using more logic than sarcastic remarks? Thus far, you have not done that.

The next caller of course bashed me. He went on to say that anyone that sees any progress with the Orioles organization, must be either high or on the Orioles payroll. He said that a team cannot make improvement without seeing improvement in the win column

The following caller, I believe Rick from Reisterstown, first implied that “Peter” was not even worth his time. He went on to say that Andy MacPhail is a loser. Yes, sir, a man that has 2 World Series rings from Minnesota, and the man that took the Cubs closer to the World Series than anyone else since 1945, is a loser. Shame on you Rick, shame on you.

Unfortunately, I could not respond to Glenn or Drew as they continued to discuss me after our call ended, and I could not respond to these two callers. Anyone that knows me is aware that that does not sit well with me. If I hear something that I do not agree with, I want to have the opportunity to respond. Today, I am very glad that I have this blog to turn to.

So, if you turn on 1570AM and hear Glenn talking about the 19 year old that WNST built up by allowing me to blog, and now has to knock him down, now you know the story. Now you know how it all started.

Again, I respect everyone’s sports opinions; I do not feel that I am anything special or better than the norm. I just feel like I am passionate for sports, and as a result, have become knowledgeable about sports. With all due respect to Glenn and Drew, nothing that they say is going to knock me down. They do not have the reputation regarding baseball knowledge that is going to make me reconsider my opinions on these subjects. Does that mean I am like any other 19 year old that thinks they are always right? That is what Glenn and Drew are feeding to their audience, after I hang up of course.

My response? The reason that I sound like I believe I’m always right when I debate with Drew or Glenn, is because I am always right. Am I always right regarding sports discussions? Absolutely not, that notion would be laughable. But in this situation, I am the one that is trying to debate. Aside from a few frustrated remarks yesterday morning that took away from our baseball discussion, I am the one bringing the sports logic. They are the ones carrying on.

Today, I decided to get away from the personal attacks. They were uncalled for by both sides yesterday, and that is not what I want to spend my time doing when I’m on the air with them. I decided to bring straight logic and facts to support my opinion; something that Drew did not do on his blog today, and something that he fails to do many times on the air.

All I received from the other side was silence. That silence changed, when I hung up the phone and continued to listen. At that point, Glenn and Drew had the forum. They had the forum to minimize my thoughts and opinions so that their lack of response was not noticed by their loyal, O’s bashing audience.

That is fine. But this is my forum. And I hope anyone who heard my time on WNST the past 2 mornings, and who reads this blog, has a bit more insight into who I am, and where my opinions come from.

Drew says the best way to deal with me is to just let me talk. Well, I’m talking. And if I get no back and forth to my logical and well-thought out opinions regarding the Orioles, then there is no point in engaging in further conversations with them in the morning.

I really like and respect Nestor Aparicio. I appreciate the opportunity he has given me to blog for his site. It is exposure that I otherwise would not have gotten at such a young age and at this point in my life. I enjoy WNST, and will continue to log on, and listen in.

It’s been fun. You guys think the joke is on me; the Professor. The 19-year-old who thinks he knows everything, just like Glenn says he did when he was my age.

I like Glenn Clark a lot. I like Drew. I respect you both.

But in my opinion, the joke’s on you guys.

Biggest Baltimore Sports Moment of the Decade….Free the Birds?

Here we are wrapping up the decade, and for sports fans, it is a time of reflection. What events have transpired over the course of the past decade that we, as fans, will carry with us for the rest of our lives?

For Baltimore fans, there are many possibilities, including the following…

-Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV
-Maryland Terrapins basketball makes 2 Final Four’s, wins National Championship
-Ralph Friedgen takes Terps football to Orange Bowl
-Ravens lose to Colts at home in 2006 playoffs while city seeks revenge
-Brian Billick fired
-John Harbaugh hired
-Orioles sign Tejada, Lopez, Palmerio, Ponson in 2003-2004 offseason
-Ravens defeat Titans on Stover FG in 2008 AFC Divisional Round, advance to face Steelers
-Steve Bisciotti takes over Ravens ownership from Art Modell
-Orioles hire Andy MacPhail as GM in 2007
-Ravens draft Kyle Boller in 2003

Picture me surprised today when I found WNST’s  front page article to be one in which Drew Forrester claims that the WNST “Free the Birds” Campaign had the biggest impact of any Baltimore sports event this decade.

First off, I looked at my calendar to double-check the date. I was pretty sure it was December 30th, but I did sleep in today. Perhaps I slept all the way until April 1st? Nope, still December 30th.

So, according to Forrester, Free the Birds carries more significance than any of these events?

In his own words…

A lot of sports events took place in Baltimore during this decade.

None of those events, though, created the impact of Free The Birds.

And that’s not a low blow…it’s a fact.

Forrester claims that the rally “woke them up.” He implies that the Orioles have taken steps to improve themselves, and that this improvement is a result from the Free the Birds rally.

Honestly, I could not believe what I was reading. Forrester implies 2 things in this piece which I find a bit outlandish. First off, the initial implication that the Free the Birds rally has had the most impact of any Baltimore sports event this decade is one that i totally disagree with, and I have a feeling that I am not alone with that opinion.

Secondly, he implies that many of the improvements that the O’s have made over the past few years have been in response to Free the Birds. Now, I think that most Orioles fans would agree that most of the improvements have been a direct result of the hiring of Andy MacPhail. Therefore, is Forrester implying that Peter Angelos hired MacPhail, in some part due to Free the Birds?

I asked Mr. Forrester a few questions about his article. I couldn’t believe that he really, truly believed that the Free the Birds protest was the Baltimore sports moment that had the biggest impact for fans this decade.

Although Drew did not answer my questions individually, he was gracious enough to respond with the following.

Peter,
The blog I wrote speaks for itself.
My reasoning behind the most important event in BALTIMORE being Free The Birds is simple.
It happened IN Baltimore.
That’s what I wrote.
The most important sporting event in BALTIMORE in the decade was Free The Birds.
The Ravens won the Super Bowl in Florida.
Maryland won the NCAA tournament in Atlanta.
Please refer back to the blog and note what I wrote regarding the timeline of Andy MacPhail’s hiring and the
beginning period of the franchise’s rebuilding process.
It all happened after September 21, 2006.
As for the Orioles and their media credentialing issue with me, personally, I was fully accredited by the Orioles
prior to the 2006 season.
After the 2006 season, I was put on the now famous “game-by-game” list and instructed to cover the team regularly in 2007 to prove I was worthy of being given a season credential again.
I covered – at the stadium 17 of the team’s first 51 home games before my wife gave birth to my first son on August 7, 2007…and I didn’t go to another game the rest of the season.
Evidently, that wasn’t good enough for the team.
And despite the fact that I’m on the radio 20 hours a week, I’m not “regular” enough to get a media credential from the team.
As for your assertion that things like drafting Kyle Boller and watching Maryland football go to three straight bowl games are more important than the Baltimore Orioles, you’re wrong there.
The Orioles and their return to glory (someday) with winning baseball and a packed stadium are more important than ANYTHING that happens at College Park…football or basketball wise.
Feel free to write your blog and make your case accordingly.
I made mine. I stand by it.  And I’d never do it any differently than I did it in this decade.
You guys will all thank us someday when you’re smart enough to know how important it was for someone in town to slap the Orioles in the face and say, “this isn’t good enough anymore…”
Regards,

DF

I thank Drew for sharing his opinion with us, and of course he is entitled to his opinion.

So, Forrester is talking about events that happened in the direct Baltimore area. Now, the Ravens played 3 playoff games in Baltimore this decade, including the game against the Colts in January of 2007 that was nearly as anticipated as the Super Bowl. Mark Teixeira came back to Baltimore as a member of the New York Yankees in Camden Yards last year on Opening Day, and was met with the greatest fan reaction out of Camden Yards since the 1997 playoffs. In fact, I’d venture to say that every regular season Ravens game played in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium has more impact on Baltimore sports fans than the Free the Birds rally.

Of course, If Drew believes that the Orioles have made moves over the past 3+ years in direct response to the Free the Birds rally, then he does have a point. If Drew thinks that the O’s will bring back their tradition as a result of these moves, and that these moves have been made as a result of this protest, then he certainly has a point.

Some people may believe that this is in fact the case. Personally, I find it just a bit-farfetched.

Does anyone know where John Harbaugh’s radio show is held? A caller last night told John that he should read his players the riot act to help get the penalty situation straightened out. Using Drew’s logic of “look at the timeline,” I think a case can be made that if the Ravens commit fewer penalties this Sunday than they did last Sunday against Pittsburgh and then go on to win the Super Bowl, that the call that went into John Harbaugh’s radio show on Tuesday, December 29th, is the moment that had the greatest impact on Baltimore sports this decade.

Of course, we’d have to establish where the call originated from, where the radio show took place, etc etc. So, it might be a tough sell.

I 100% agree with anyone who believes that the time when the Orioles return to their past status as an elite franchise will be a historic time. I 100% agree that the events that lead to that revival are critically important to this team and to this city. But was Free the Birds the main reason why these changes have occurred? Again, I think it’s a tough sell. Yes, the timeline supports it. But timelines support a lot of fictional thoughts as well. Drew’s timeline is logical, but not necessarily factual.

Free the Birds was a way to give fans a voice. Fans came together, showed their appreciation and support for the Orioles, and showed their displeasure with the team.

It was a very passionate and I would say successful event. After all, it allowed the fans to voice their opinions directly to players and management.

As an O’s fan, I thank Drew for slapping the O’s and letting them to know things cannot continue to go on as they were.

But will it prove to have the biggest impact of any sports event in Baltimore of the decade? That’s a stretch play that Peyton Manning would be proud of.