It’s odd seeing the Orioles on top of the AL East with a record of 6-1 (almost as unusual as seeing a certain hockey team entering the playoffs as underdogs), but nice to notice that some of the credit goes to FLP and good guy, Brian Burres. In his two appearances in 08, Brian’s 1-0. His first game as a starter was yesterday in Texas - he went six innings in the 8-1 win, giving up one run on seven hits with two walks and 3Ks. The other name that figures prominently in the early season success is FLC, Dave Trembley:
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Left-hander Brian Burres will be the Orioles’ fifth starter, right-hander Matt Albers will pitch in long relief and rookie right-hander Randor Bierd won a role in Baltimore’s bullpen.
“It feels good,” said Burres, whose first start will be April 6 against Seattle. “The roles are all set up and it’s nice to know where everybody stands.”
Daniel Cabrera will follow opening-day starter Jeremy Guthrie in the Orioles’ rotation, manager Dave Trembley said Friday. Cabrera will be followed by Steve Trachsel and Adam Loewen…
Trembley said his familiarity with Burres, who will be available out of the bullpen Monday and Wednesday, was a factor in his decision.
Regulars know that I don’t live and die with the Sens. However, I must confess to some relief that they showed up last night and pounded Toronto with an 8-2 win. I despise the Leafs.
Moving on, FLP Sal Fasano continues to find work in baseball after signing on with the Braves organization. It appears that he’ll start the season in AAA Richmond. Catching up with FLC, John Russell, I found this quote in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
When (Jack) Wilson was asked near the end of spring training who had emerged as the team’s leader, he did not hesitate to answer.
“John Russell,” Wilson said.
The team’s new manager is not a loud or long talker. He chooses his words carefully and delivers them with a look on his face that lets you know the message is important.
“He’s let us know that everybody is accountable for themselves,” Wilson said. “It’s not one person saying, ‘I’m going to step up and do it. I’m the leader.’ It’s not like that. Everybody should be accountable. Everybody should be a leader. If you’re accountable for yourself, no one should have to come up to you and tell you what you’re doing wrong or get in your face.”
And finally for tonight, some discussion about the future of the UOLB. A few months back I posted a poll, seeking reader input about whether I should pack it in. For a while, the votes were coming in at about a 3-1 clip in favor of keeping the blog running. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve considered putting the blog on hiatus - as I’ve written before, this won’t become an Ironpigs blog and I don’t have a lot of free time. And let’s be honest, there’s only so much FLP news that’s meaningful and it certainly could be left to others. Having said that, there’s still unfinished business to attend to - the Lynx have ongoing issues here in Ottawa, away from the diamond. So for as long as that endures, the blog will continue.
Former Lynx Coach (FLC) John Russell probably didn’t hesitate when the call came from Pittsburgh last fall, but one wonders if he isn’t just a little uncertain now, some six months later. The Pirates have had fifteen consecutive losing seasons. Fifteen. Presumably no one is looking at John as the entire “answer”, and expectations that this team will make the playoffs are probably quite low, but the new skipper will still face a great deal of scrutiny.
“The difference I need to make is in the clubhouse and on the field,” Russell said. “Accountability is the backbone of what we’re going to do. There is going to be accountability.
“There’s going to be attention to detail. We’re going to try to win, and we’re going to try to win today. I’m going to be accountable for what happens — myself and my coaching staff and the players. That’s one of the things I’m going to instill in them. If we do it right, we’re going to win more games. It’s worked for me in the past.”
So far this spring, they’re 9-15 - but as they say, it’s just Spring Training. And it’s reassuring to know that players, and not all of them his, have a great deal of confidence in his abilities.
(David) Ortiz, now an All-Star with the Boston Red Sox, became one of several former Miracle players under Russell in 1996-97 to reach the majors. Others include Torii Hunter, A.J. Pierzynski, Jacque Jones, Corey Koskie, Mark Redman and Doug Mientkiewicz, who’s with the Pirates, trying to make the team as a utility player.
“He hasn’t changed,” Mientkiewicz said of his manager’s demeanor and style. “He’s exactly the same. He’s in the perfect spot.”
“He has that quiet confidence that a manager needs to have,” said Twins right fielder Michael Cuddyer, who played for Russell in 2002 at Triple-A Edmonton. “He never blew up at people. There’s different styles. Not one way is right, not one way is wrong.”
Count Cuddyer and Ortiz as players who like Russell’s style.
“Russell is my man,” Ortiz said. “He’s my man. He was one of the best managers I’ve ever had. He makes it fun.
“He’s a guy who doesn’t talk too much. But he makes you feel comfortable. I knew that he was going to be at the major league level as a manager one day. He doesn’t talk too much, but he says everything that needs to be said. I was happy for him. He knows what’s going on.”
With the storm raging outside and the rest of the family in balmy Toronto, it’s time to get back to the blogs. Apart from the serious setback to my cycling plans for tomorrow, this snowstorm would normally have me very concerned about OD. With the season start now pushed back to May 22, we should be safe - but you just never really know around here.
While this year’s newer, sexier pitching prospects Joe Savery, Josh Outman and Carlos Carrasco garner the attention, J.A. Happ, last year’s model, quietly walks in and out of the clubhouse.
Stationed in the back of the clubhouse, wearing No. 66, Happ realizes how close Triple-A is to the Major Leagues, but he understands it is also quite far away.
Maybe rushing things, like he did last season, isn’t the right idea.
“Last year, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” Happ said. “I thought it was the year I had to put up great numbers, because I wanted to get [to the Major Leagues]. I was focused on a week ahead instead of what I needed to do that day. I had to concentrate on Triple-A instead of worrying about getting to the big leagues.
“Obviously, that’s still what I’m aiming for, but day-by-day is the biggest thing.”
Here’s hoping that J.A. has a better 2008. (I never really knew how to refer to him last season - was it J.A? James? Jim?) Another former member of the Lynx, Tim Leiper was also making headlines this past week - this story c/o Benjamin Hill’s blog:
In recognition of their manager, Tim Leiper, the Altoona Curve have announced that they will be celebrating “Leip Year” all season long! The 2008 campaign is Leiper’s third as Curve manager, but the first that has occurred on an honest-to-God “Leip” Year. Accordingly, the club is pulling out all the stops in order to fully recognize this exquisite confluence of events.
Leiper is on board with this promotion, and has even agreed to change his uniform number to 29 (in order to honor February 29, of course).
“My only concern is that I hope the jersey fits because if not, I might be forced to go on an emergency diet before the start of the season,” remarked the fortuitously-named skipper in the Curve’s press release.
I regret that my interest in the Lynx came so late; I’m sure that I went to a few games during Leiper’s stint(s) here, but not enough to have any particular memory of Ottawa’s colorful former manager. I’m sure that many Lynx faithful have stories to share - or not, as the case may be.
From earlier this afternoon, during our regular “guessing game” on the drive home.
Me: It’s my turn to guess something.
Bekah: No. It’s always your turn.
Me: Why don’t you make something up for me to guess?
Bekah: Because I don’t know anything!
Now, will she still be saying that in 10 years? I doubt it.
Similarly, and from earlier this afternoon, a popular Phillies blog had this to say about John Russell’s Pirates in advance of today’s Grapefruit league opener with the Phillies:
The Pirates were the worst team in the National League last season and chances are quite strong they’ll finish that way again. They actually lost depth in their bullpen, which was an enviable unit for a couple of seasons. Gorzelanny and Ian Snell are nice pitchers, but I have some doubts. I was shocked their pitching staff ranked as low as it did in 2007; even worse than the Phils in many respects. They’re sinking pretty low for help, signing Byung-Hyun Kim to a guaranteed deal. Kim was technically their biggest off-season acquisition. Wright, the very definition of an up-and-down career, is a non-roster invitee trying to catch on at 32-years-old. Their lineup is wretched and without power. Too many Chris Duffy types. Their mission should be to get as much as they can for Snell and others at the non-waiver trade deadline. They need to do a better job finding cheap talent. I’m not high on their prospects.
In the spirit of positive spin – which I’m warned is at an all-time low here – at least we’re not Pirates fans. At least our star nucleus isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, and at least management addressed a couple needs this off-season. What’s Pittsburgh done? What’s the point of it?
Which of course is why they play the games. Final score Pittsburgh 11, Philadelphia 6. FLPs Andy Tracy went 0-0 with a walk, and Jason Jaramillo went 0-1 with a walk and defensively gave up a stolen base. Are the Pirates going to go out and win the World Series? Probably not, but every once in a while it’s nice to dish out a little humble pie. Below is an audio clip of an interview with John Russell (blogger: I finally ponied up the cash to allow me to “host” audio on this blog too). It’s conducted during a “winter caravan” type event, probably back in January.
With my little Bekah still under the weather Tuesday, I’ve had the opportunity to update all three blogs (the UOCAB, the full disclosure blog, and the UOLB), I nearly completed the feat within a 24hr. span - it’s something that hasn’t happened in months.
As I struggle a little for material in these last few days before ST, I’ve found myself reflecting a lot on last season (primarily, I think, due to the amount of time spent going through the hundreds of photos I took and never had the chance to look at). Since the blog started back in September of 2006, I’ve been contacted by people from as far away as South Korea - most of whom were seeking out information about a player, some just to let me know they enjoyed the blog. There’s a small minority that have disagreed with the blog’s “take” on things, but that’s to be expected and as I learned, it comes with the territory. From a local perspective, through the blog I’ve met some great people, most of whom I would consider friends - Bruce, Patrick, Neate, Pete, Todd and others. And that’s just my own experience, from relatively recent and limited contact with the organization. I’m quite certain that the Cat’s Pride group, and many other people/fans have stories to relate about lasting friendships they’ve made (to say nothing of the former Lynx employees - follow the link, there are some interesting photos over there). Over the past few years, we met all kinds of people in the stands - a California to Ottawa transplant (what was he thinking?) who loved baseball, a family up from Mississauga, a guy visiting all the MLB and MiLB parks in one season to name but a few.
The incredible reach of the internet has added to the list of acquaintances. I was recently contacted by a gentleman who’s put up a very nice website dedicated to Former Lynx Coach (FLC, I guess), Rod Nichols. Tom’s site includes Rod’s Lynx card and some photos from the 2007 season and is more than worth a visit.
Former Lynx Coach (FLC) John Russell probably didn’t hesitate 
