Progress in Birdland?

Andy McPhail's goal for this season's Baltimore Orioles was not for the team to compete in the tough A.L. East, rather to, no matter what, finish stronger than they started. Well folks, the Orioles' record so far in September is 6-19 while losing their last 12; not exactly closing out the season in the strongest fashion to say the least. I personally cannot wait for the season to end.

So, if we all knew that this was going to be a rough season, which I think we can agree that it has been, what are the positives that O's fans can take away from this year? The arrival of Matt Weiters, Nolan Reimold, Felix Pie, Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Brian Matusz, David Hernandez, and Jason Berken gives Orioles fans some hope for the future.

There are many questions, however, that the Orioles front office has to answer: #1, who is going to be playing the corner infield positions for this club next year? With Aubrey Huff traded to Detroit and Melvin Mora, more than likely, leaving at the end of the season(The O's have an option on his contract for next year that makes no sense for them to pick up) leaves no players on the big club to fill those voids. Michael Aubrey has been a decent stop-gap at first, but do you really want him starting opening day 2010 at first? Didn't think so. There is prospect Brandon Snyder, who produced in minor league action this year. Will he be ready to play in April? Who knows. The Luke Scott experiment at first seems to have ended, and the club needs a more consistent bat there anyway. Ty Wigginton can play there occasionally, but then again, the O's need a first baseman who can do more than pop out every at-bat. With Nolan Reimold's nagging achilles injury, I think he should get a look at first, especially with Felix Pie showing that he just might be able to produce on a Major League club. Reimold has the pop and the size to play first. I think that he's a good fit there. We could always trade for a first baseman, but that would cost prospects, and it doesn't look like the brass is willing to part with much young talent. The free agent market won't provide much either...Chris Davis, Russell Branyan?

That brings us to the hot corner, where Melvin Mora is seeing his final starts there in an Oriole uniform. When the Orioles traded closer George Sherrill to the Dodgers, they in turn received third base prospect Josh Bell. The word on the street is that Bell has middle of the line-up pop but a very suspect glove at the moment. With his defense improving, Bell has been labeled the third baseman of the future in Baltimore. Okay, but is the future 2010? Don't think so for Bell. So, that leaves the O's with few options. Do you just plug Wigginton there as a stop gap for the season (pop-ups once again), Bring Bell up before he is ready, or (gasp!) go out and sign a legitimate free agent to man the position. I say go out there and grab somebody who can play. Unfortunately the list of pending free agent third basemen is slim at best. I love Chone Figgins in an Oriole uniform, or maybe Adrian Beltre, but other than that the O's options are pretty limited.

Pitching is always a concern for this club. The bullpen needs to be completely overhauled. I'd say hold on to Johnson, Mickilio, and Hendrickson, then fill in the blanks with fresh meat. When Koji Uehara returns he will more than likely end up in the pen. With the emergence of Bergesen, Matusz and Tillman, either David Hernandez or Jason Berken (or both) will be sent to the pen as well. I believe Jeremy Guthrie deserves to be this team's opening day starter next year. Yes he has had a rough season, but we have seen what he is capable of. With prospects such as Jake Arrieta, Brandon Erbe, and Zach Britton still making their way through the system, the Orioles have a problem that they haven't had in a very long time...a deep farm system full of pitching prospects.

Finally that brings us to the management of this club. Look, I get it...Dave Trembley is a nice guy and knows how to handle young talent. That's all well and good for Mr. Trembley, but this club needs someone who will fire them up and not accept mental errors by young players or veterans. Blaming bad, unfocused play on youth is unacceptable. These guys have been playing ball their entire lives. Some of the mistakes they make wouldn't be acceptable in high school, much less the Majors. Why not bring in a guy with fire, someone who knows what it's like to win with this organization, a guy who will never accept lackluster play...a guy like Rick Dempsey.

It's quite simple for Mr. Angelos...put a winner on the field and the yards will be packed once again. He owes it to the city, the organization, and the fans to go out there this winter and MAKE this team a contender again.

What would you do to improve the Baltimore Orioles? Would you trade any of the prospects? If so, which would you be willing to part ways with, and what players would you target if you were acting G.M. for a day?

NFL Power Rankings.

The 2009 NFL season is now officially 3 weeks old. The Cowboys pulled off a come from behind win tonight edging the suddenly offensively inept Carolina Panthers 21-7 (What is wrong wih Jake Dellhome?)

To kick this blog off lets get some opinions out of you guys. We'll start with ranking the teams in the NFL, and then talk about overrated and underrated players. First the power rankings. If I had to rank the top ten teams in the NFL, my list would look a little like this:

1. New York Giants (Plaxico who? The G-men's passing attack hasn't missed a beat.)
2. Baltimore Ravens (This team can score now...very scary.)
3. Indianapolis Colts (New coaches, no more Marvin, injuries on defense...same old Peyton.)
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-2 start but its tough to look at this team as anything but defending Super Bowl Champions.)
5. New Orleans Saints (Name a defense that Drew Brees and company couldn't score on.)
6. Minnesota Vikings (Is The Ol' Gunslinger really the missing link?)
7. New York Jets (Gotta love the way Rexy has got these guys playing. Is Sanchez the real deal?)
8. San Diego Chargers (Has LT hit a wall? Rivers and company find ways to get it done even without LT on the field.)
9. Denver Broncos (When is the last time the Denver D gave up less than 20 points in one half, let alone 3 games)
10. Cincinnati Bengals (last time they were in a top ten, Carson Palmer was hurt and the article was ranking teams based on the number of criminal offenders on their roster.)

Now this is only week 3 so obviously this list is going to change. I'd like to hear who you would put on that list. Also, who do you guys think that the most overrated and underrated players in the NFL are...Tony Romo anyone?

MLB Playoff Chase

The MLB regular season is winding down with less than ten games to play. There are really no suprises as the teams who are in control of playoff spots are pretty much the usual suspects. New York leading the AL East with the Red Sox trailing, though holding a commanding lead on the wild card spot. The Tigers and Twins are in a close duel to win the AL Central (the first game in a crucial series between these two was rained out today), and the Angels have a firm grip on the AL West top spot.

In the National League it's pretty much a done deal except for the wild card chase where the Rockies hold a slim lead over the surging Braves. LA had a chance to clinch the NL West today but were thumped by the Pirates and their magic number remains at 1. St Louis has the NL Central wrapped up while the Phillies have the NL East in the bag with a 5 game lead over the Braves with 7 games to play.

My early predictions for the World Series? Glad you asked. I am going with the Yankees (as much as it pains me to say) and the Cardinals. I think the Cardinals win it in seven games, clinching the title in front of the masses at the new Yankee Stadium. Tell me what you think....

Drinking The Kool Aid.

The Denver Broncos are 3-0, and have to be considered one of the early NFL season's suprising stories. After an offseason filled with turmoil that has seen Mike Shannahan fired, the young Josh McDaniels hired as the teams first new head coach since 1995, Jay Cutler being traded and Brandon Marshall demanding to be traded, The Broncos have put together a string of victories that has put them on top of the AFC west. The biggest suprise however, is not that the Broncos are 3-0, but how they have achieved this success.


Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images

Led by a dominant, stingy defense which has allowed just 16 points in twelve quarters of play, the Broncos are a team with not only new personnel, but a new Identity. New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan has installed a 3-4 defense that has seen the Broncos transform one of the NFL's worst defenses over the past two seasons, to the early NFL seasons best.

Offensively, the Broncos, now led by oft criticized Kyle Orton have gone from a "sling it all over the field and win it for us with your golden arm Jay Cutler" style of play, to a quick slanting, run happy attack that has shown constant improvement over the past three weeks. With Brandon Marshall finally contributing, the offense has the talent, and the scheme to compete with just about any in the league.

I know what you're saying, "the Broncos have only played one decent team and they were very lucky to win that game" (see: "The Immaculate Deflection"), and you are right. The Broncos can only play the schedule that is laid out before them. Granted, they haven't played the "toughest" stretch of their schedule (which coincidentally starts next week with Dallas), but in my opinion every game in the NFL is a tough one and there are no such things as easy victories. Besides, if you can't have hope when things are going well, what's the point of being upset when they aren't?