Orioles guest bloggers returning to MASNsports.com for 2014 season

Orioles guest bloggers returning to MASNsports.com for 2014 season
Baseball's back - well, almost - and so are the guest bloggers that have been a staple at MASNsports.com since 2011. Starting with March 31, the date of the Orioles' home and season opener at Camden Yards, a different guest blogger will share their opinions each weekday. There are a host of fan blogs that follow the Orioles, and welcoming guest bloggers to our pages is a way for MASNsports.com to both offer a platform for their distinctive voices and supplement our beat writers' work with a...

Neal Shaffer: Finding positives among O's shortcomings

Neal Shaffer: Finding positives among O's shortcomings
With last night's loss, the Orioles are officially out of the 2013 playoff picture. Would it be wrong to call that a relief? We've suspected this day was coming for a while. Last Friday's epic 18-inning loss to the Rays basically sealed the deal. That game had all the markings of a last stand and the Orioles, to their credit, did what they do: They fought hard. They simply didn't have an extra gear this time around. To finally know that they won't be revisiting the postseason is indeed...

Neal Shaffer: Correcting the course

Neal Shaffer: Correcting the course
The Orioles beat the Red Sox last night and it's worth noting. The win raises the 2013 record against their hated rivals to 8-6, meaning they've got a good shot at winning the season series. Given that the Sox are running away with the division, that counts for something. The win also leaves the O's just two games back of both Tampa Bay and Cleveland for a wild card berth. That, I suppose, also counts for something. Nothing's decided yet. I remain, despite this, mostly (and...

Neal Shaffer: Thinking about Cal Ripken Jr. as O's return to prominence

Neal Shaffer: Thinking about Cal Ripken Jr. as O's return to prominence
The other day I got to thinking about Cal Ripken. I've got this old baseball. In great shape, still in the Rawlings box. Model RO-A. "Official American League Baseball" from back when the American and National Leagues were separate entities. "Cushioned Cork Center," it says. Emblazoned with the script signature mark of then-AL president Bobby Brown. I'm not actually sure when or how I got the ball. It must have arrived shortly after my family moved to Maryland in '88, right around the...

Neal Shaffer: A resolution to embrace city's sports success

Neal Shaffer: A resolution to embrace city's sports success
It's September again. And Baltimore, let's agree, is a great autumn city. It's harsh in the depths of summer and winter, but fall is our reward for enduring both. This is a place for when things get just cold enough for a sweater at night. That's when we're at our best. In terms of sports, "at our best" in fall also meant, for many years, "the Ravens are back." But we're in year two now of the September experiment, when the Orioles remain relevant even as the NFL settles in to...

Neal Shaffer: A tale of coming close

Neal Shaffer: A tale of coming close
If given the choice, how would you want to fail? Failing miserably - which is to say not even being in the mix for whatever you're after - sucks. On balance, though, it's better than coming up just short. Failure itself is absolute. The final marker is always either "you did" or "you didn't." Within that construct, however, there exists a hierarchy. One that has little bearing on the end results but plays a major role in how we feel about them. Coming close hurts because it teases...

Neal Shaffer: Sky isn't falling, but O's need to step it up a notch

Neal Shaffer: Sky isn't falling, but O's need to step it up a notch
Anyone who has read even a handful of my work here or over at The Loss Column (where I'm not posting as much as I want to), knows that I'm bullish on the Orioles. Not optimistic per se, but certainly inclined to point out when the sky is not falling. I also do my best to be honest. Just because the sky's not falling doesn't mean all is well. Right now, all is not well. There comes a point toward the end of every season - usually around now - when you get a feeling about things. The...

Neal Shaffer: There but for the grace of the baseball gods ...

Neal Shaffer: There but for the grace of the baseball gods ...
Today, let's talk about a team. A team with more than a couple of young, All-Star-capable players and an overall talent level that grades out better than average. One with a decorated, veteran manager. They were very bad for a long time but they made a playoff run last year and, in doing so, laid the foundation for a strong future. We're talking, of course, about the Washington Nationals. Maybe you're one of those Baltimore fans who harbors a weird hatred of D.C. I'm not. I loved watching...

Neal Shaffer: Still too much negativity and complaining despite O's success

Neal Shaffer: Still too much negativity and complaining despite O's success
It's been going on all season, pretty much. Maybe not a lot during the first month, but full-swing since sometime in May. If you're on Twitter or you listen to sports talk radio, you know it. You might even be guilty yourself. "It," of course, is complaining. We're no stranger to complaining here in Baltimore. Prior to last year, we endured a solid decade of nothing but (we had 14 total years of losing, sure, but it took time for the pattern to settle in). This was not without reason....

Neal Shaffer: Some stretch run predictions

Neal Shaffer: Some stretch run predictions
The non-waiver trade deadline traditionally marks the beginning of the home stretch for baseball season, which makes now a great time to indulge in the fun of making a few Orioles predictions. Of course, the usual disclaimers apply: I wouldn't bet on me being right so you shouldn't, either. With that, here we go: * Chris Davis will break the 50-home run mark, but not 60 As amazing a first half as that was we all knew he wasn't going to keep up the pace. The good news is he's already had...

Neal Shaffer: Potential, energy and a win-win trade

Neal Shaffer: Potential, energy and a win-win trade
Dan Duquette's successes as Orioles general manager (or whatever his title) have, for me, been a surprise from the jump. And, apparently, he's nowhere near finished surprising. In last week's guest blog, I talked about how there was no need for the Orioles to swing a win-now move. The thinking was that the depth-plus-progress model that has so far been the mark of his tenure is working just fine. What I didn't recognize (shame on me) was a strong middle option. Find an off-the-radar guy...

Neal Shaffer: A few thoughts on the win-now mentality

Neal Shaffer: A few thoughts on the win-now mentality
Not that we necessarily needed proof, but last weekend's series against the Blue Jays served as a stark reminder to O's fans (and possibly to the Orioles themselves) that the American League East is very, very strong. Strong enough, indeed, that the O's could finish solidly above .500 - win, say, 90 games - and still miss the playoffs. What to do? Truthfully, a case can be made for making a hard push. For cobbling together some kind of trade package and swinging for a win-now move. I have...

Neal Shaffer: All-Star voting indicates O's gaining national prominence

Neal Shaffer: All-Star voting indicates O's gaining national prominence
Of all of the positive developments we've witnessed in Birdland over the past 18 months or so, the best one (outside of the playoffs) might be this year's All-Star voting results. As of Monday, four Orioles - Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Chris Davis, and J.J. Hardy - were in position to start the All-Star Game. Not just make the team. Start. One more player - Manny Machado - is a near lock to be selected even if he isn't voted a starter (he's currently second behind Miguel Cabrera at third...

Neal Shaffer: Is it easier to talk O's baseball now than when team was losing?

Neal Shaffer: Is it easier to talk O's baseball now than when team was losing?
There's only one item on the agenda today and it's a pretty simple one. It takes the form of a question: Is it harder to talk about the Orioles now than it was when they were losing? It is, a little bit, for me. When they were losing, I loved digging in on what ifs and maybes because the rest of the world treated Birdland as an afterthought or a joke. I loved uncovering new angles. I loved placing long bets and playing the long game. I didn't love the baseball a lot of the time, but I...

Neal Shaffer: Don't become what we've lamented

Neal Shaffer: Don't become what we've lamented
So we know that times are changing in Birdland. Winning doesn't seem so weird. The Orioles no longer rank among the bottom feeders. With that comes renewed interest in the team, and with that comes more activity on game day. That means it's time to sound a clarion call for all O's fans to hear: Act like you know. When I read about the recent altercation down at Camden Yards between a couple of supposed Orioles fans and a guy in a Yankees hat, I got a sinking feeling in my gut. I'm no...

Neal Shaffer: J. Johnson's struggles illustrate why baseball should rethink closer role

Neal Shaffer: J. Johnson's struggles illustrate why baseball should rethink closer role
Timely piece of work on Tuesday from SI's Tom Verducci about struggling closers around MLB, with our own Jim Johnson starring as co-Exhibit A with Fernando Rodney of the Rays. It's worth a read, but here's the salient point: It's not a surprise that Johnson, 29, and Rodney, 36, are struggling, especially given their age and workload last season. The surprise would have been if they pitched as well this year as they did last year. I'm on record as one who argues against statistics...

Neal Shaffer: Was O's frustrating skid a necessary evil?

Neal Shaffer: Was O's frustrating skid a necessary evil?
Now that it's over, thanks to Nate McLouth and his walk-off 10th-inning heroics, I feel comfortable stating the less-than-obvious: Thank goodness for that six-game losing streak. Perhaps that sounds odd at best, a little stupid at worst. It should. But dig a little deeper with me and I think you'll see what I mean. It was just a week ago in this space that I declared the O's a good team and talked about how strange it was to adjust to the idea that they're no longer a band of losers. So,...

Neal Shaffer: Embracing a dilemma at the season's quarter-pole

Neal Shaffer: Embracing a dilemma at the season's quarter-pole
The 40-game mark, the quarter pole, has traditionally been one of the first real mile markers of the baseball season. It's the point at which we can no longer say, "Yeah, but it's early." By 40 games in, there's a sense of things. A lot will still happen, but the season is no longer a series of maybes. As the Orioles close in on that mark for 2013, it's safe to say they're off to a hell of a start. Here they stand at 23-16 with a 14-9 mark away from Camden Yards. They've scored 192...

Neal Shaffer: Bundy's issue demonstrates O's depth has improved

Neal Shaffer: Bundy's issue demonstrates O's depth has improved
Let's get this much out of the way early: Dylan Bundy is probably going to need surgery. Maybe not right now. It's possible that the current injury is a minor one and that the platelet-rich plasma injection will do the trick. Given his legendary dedication to fitness, he might not even miss much time. But let's be realistic. Tommy John surgery is an increasingly common occurrence among young pitchers, particularly the kinds of young pitchers who throw as hard as Bundy does. A 2003 USA...

Neal Shaffer: Confidence colors perspective as 2013 unfolds

Neal Shaffer: Confidence colors perspective as 2013 unfolds
Last Friday night, Adam Jones dropped an easy fly ball. He dropped that fly ball and it basically cost the Orioles a game against the hated Yankees. How did you feel when it happened? Did you think, "So it goes. Errors are part of the game, even for a player as good as Jones." Or did you find a more sinister angle? Did you think, "Why did he have to blow a bubble? Doesn't he know we need every out we can get? We can't afford to make mistakes like that!" It's not that these are the only...