Second Half Expections For The Baltimore Orioles

Congrats to David Ortiz (Red Sox) for winning the home run derby. And thank you FOX for taking the All-Star game to a new commeralized high for network television coverage. Joe Buck and Tim McCarver should have drank a couple of red bulls before the game... their PBP nearly put me to (zzzzzzz) sleep. Heard audience ratings were way down compared to previous years as well.


Not alot has changed for the Orioles since my last post. They continue to find ways to lose games, and are 29 - 62 at this writting. They were swept for the third time this season by the Blue Jays over the weekend. Interesting that good crowds still show up and cheer the birds on. Must be the opportunity to share time with family and friends, along with great food and beverages in the fun atmosphere of Camden Yards for the evening. Who cares if they win, right???

The rumor mill is running rampant in blogs, posts, and Twitter about all the possible new managers the Orioles are considering. It would seem Juan Samuel's days as interm-manager are numbered now. Since taking over the helm he has certainly done no better than Dave Trembly did. Juan does explain the games bad plays and errors better at post-game press conferences on MASN than Trembly ever did. Not sure whether or not that is an managerial asset worth having.

Hopefully, Brian Roberts and Luke Scott will return to the line-up this week. Their contributions to the team are not always reflected in the stats or on paper. Their presence in the club house and dugout, attitude, and advice to fellow team members can not be measured or quantified. With either Roberts or Scott in the line-up, you WILL see an entirely different team playing on the field. Add a new manager to the mix with different line-up ideas, and the Orioles may win a few more games than you might expect. As trade dead line approaches, look for some serious changes on the 25 man roster.

As we continue into the second half of the season 29 games back, best Orioles fans can realistically hope for now is maybe 62 wins and 100 loses. There are some tough series against some great teams ahead in the schedule... and for those teams "the cylinders are all clicking". They are already fighting for post season playoff positions, and are probably looking at their Orioles games as a way to "pad their overall standings". While trying to think positive... perhaps Baltimore can at least have the satisfaction of being "the spoiler" to some teams playoff hopes in the American League East division.

Guess we need to keep an eye on the offical press releases and transaction reports and see what the Orioles decide in the next couple of weeks. Meantime, we gather around the HDTV near 7pm each evening with drinks and snacks, and watch that nights games on MASN, ESPN, WGN, or TBS. Some nights the remote control gets a through work-out.

During and after the game we check #Twitter for Orioles beat reporters comments, and links to blog posts and game summaries. Even the reporters ocassionally agree that the REAL reason for going to Baltimore Orioles games is sharing quality time with family and friends... and lets not forget "the great food and beverages" !

Please feel free to "click on" the comments section below and share your Orioles fan or baseball in general thoughts. Agree or disagree, it's all good --- just keep it clean. Can also be found on #Twitter: @batspeed29 of course !