Charles Schulz was an O's fan

On the O's Week 2

The O's went 2-4 in Week 2 taking 2 of 3 from Texas and losing 3 straight to Boston, all on the road.

The offense continued to bash while in Texas but immediately cooled once reaching Boston. No big surprise there, however, Adam Jones left Sunday's game in the 2nd inning with right (ugh) hamstring soreness. Melvin Mora is on the DL already with a hamstring problem.

The starters were awful in Week 2, completing only 25 2/3 innings of the 51 pitched and logging a 9.81 ERA. Alfredo Simon went on the DL after completing 1 1/3 innings in his start at Texas. Brad Bergesen (1-1, 2.45 ERA at Norfolk) is expected to take Simons' start on Tuesday. At least there is that to look forward to.

The bullpen showed signs of rounding into form while posting a 5.68 ERA in 25 1/3 innings. 10 runs in 4 1/3 innings in Game 3 against Texas was the only sore spot for the week.

The defense was shabby and currently ranks 10th in the AL.

So, game 4 in Boston today and then back home to face the White Sox and Rangers.

A weakened batting order, poor starting pitching and a shaky defense does not bode well for Week 3.

Cael Sanderson...

... is Penn State's new head wrestling coach! Woah!

Reporters Notebook: 041809 - "Call Me Mr. Pitzer"

One of my cousins brought her new boyfriend to Grandma Mentzer’s house for Easter dinner last weekend.
It’s a tradition that dates back to the Uncle Jeff era, when he brought over the smoking young lass that he was dating at the time.
From what I was told (I was not born at the time), Aunt Sharon underwent questioning. After all, she is from Bermudian Springs, so she was subject to heavy scrutiny.
Sharon made it through alive, and I’m happy to report that she has been happily married to Uncle Jeff for about 15 years.
So here we are last weekend, around the kitchen table, and Pappy Mentzer introduced my cousin’s new boyfriend.
Pappy named all of us aloud, before Uncle Stan walked into the room with an outstretched hand.
“I’m Uncle Stan,” he said to the young lad.
Laughter ensued.
“Are you going to make him call you that?” I asked.
Stan replied: “No, he can call me Mr. Mentzer.”
I think he was joking.
But I’m not sure.
~ Mr. Scot A. Pitzer

On History

A gripping recount.

Drunk History vol. 3 - Featuring Danny McBride from Danny McBride

On Appearances

Not seen since 1973, the O's unveil the new (old) road uniforms last night in Texas.

On the O's Week One

The O's bashed their way thru Week 1 taking 2 of 3 from both the Yankees and the Rays to complete the opening homestand at 4-2.

The O's hit .289 and scored 6.5 runs/game. Kudos to hitting coach Terry Crowley for having the lumber ready for Opening Day.

O's pitching had a 5.67 ERA for the week. The starting pitching performed surprisingly well, posting a 3.73 ERA. The bullpen was alternately great and awful in posting an 8.34 ERA. Danys Baez and Jamie Walker were untouched. George Sherril, Dennis Sarfate, Matt Albers and Jim Johnson pitched so-so. Chris Ray struggled and Brian Bass was outright awful.

To the pitching staff's credit, only the Kansas City Royals issued fewer walks in Week 1 than O's pitching.

It's off to Texas and then Boston in Week 2. Hopefully, the bullpen rounds into form and it remains too early for hitters to expose the O's starting pitching weakness. That and continued hot bats will make for another fun week to be an O's fan.

On Commercials

My favorite.

Reporters Notebook: 041109 - "Easter Memories"

Every year at Easter, I reflect upon my favorite memories from past holidays.
Like the time Pappy Pitzer nailed the plastic egg to a backyard tree, fooling everyone during the annual hunt.
Or when Mike and Jamie and I were growing up, we’d set a bowl of Trix cereal out for the Easter Bunny at night.
There was the year when Jamie was running in a track tournament on Saturday, and I caught some sort of allergic ailment. The next morning, on Easter Sunday in Church, my eyes were so swollen that everyone thought I had been out partying all night long. Dad took me to the emergency room at Gettysburg Hospital.
And who could forget the year when Grandma Mentzer promised her older grandchildren that there were four large plastic eggs, all containing money, hidden in the backward. We hunted for 60 minutes, but to no avail. When we went indoors, Uncle Stan informed us that they never actually hid our eggs — it was all just a big trick. We didn’t think it was funny. Meanwhile, our aunts and uncles laughed all afternoon.
What will this year bring? It’s tough to say.
I just hope there aren’t any rabbit pellets in my Easter Basket this year.
~ Scot A. Pitzer

President Obama Hosts Seder Dinner

"By hosting the first presidential seder in America's history, President Barack Obama shows the personal and deep relationship he has with the Jewish community," said Alexis C. Rice, the group's deputy executive director.

WHAAAAT? I wonder what the Rev. Jeremiah Wright has to say about the Jews?

Opening Day

The Oriole Bird visits Section 6 along the right field foul poul.

Donklephant » Blog Archive » Quote Of The Day - Pitchforks

Now this will be remembered and quoted as long as any of us are alive:
"“Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that. My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”
- Obama cautioning bank executives on justifying high salaries in a recent private meeting"

Study: Touching merchandise...

...increases chances you'll buy it!

Perhaps I need to "accidentally" bump into a few more attractive women each day...

Scroll the whole way down...

... well, I suppose not the whole way!

On the NIT

50% of Free Advice respondents correctly predicted that Penn State would win the NIT championship.

Reporters Notebook: Gettysburg Times - 040409

Last weekend when I was out with a group of friends, I was introduced to a young lass.
She recognized my name.
“Scot Pitzer?” she said. “The reporter in Gettysburg, right?”
Yes, that’s me.
She paused.
“I always thought you’d be fat,” she added.
Another disappointed fan.
~ Scot A. Pitzer

On the Good Shephard

On the O's Rotation

Although not officially stated by Manager Dave Trembley, all indications are that the O's rotation is set to go with Jeremy Guthrie, Koji Uehara, Adam Eaton, Alfredo Simon and Mark Hendrickson.

This is not official either, but this rotation will almost certainly be awful. Nevertheless, there is a reasonable possibility that it will be better than the 2008 version (which was officially awful) of Jeremy Guthrie, Daniel Cabrera, Adam Loewen, Brian Burress and Steve Trachsel.

Jeremy Guthrie (10-12, 3.63 era in '08) is at the top of both rotations. Despite a horrible spring, I remain hopeful that he'll be as effective as he was in 2008. I'd like to see Trembley juggle the rotation such that Guthrie faces more 3 & 4 opposing pitchers and fewer 1's and 2's. Guthrie is a legitimate ML starter, but not a legitimate #1 starter. Whaddya say, Skip? Back him up a day here and there because of a "twinge" in his elbow.

Koji Uehara (6-5, 3.81 era in Japan in '08) is slated for the #2 spot. He's 102-55 with a 2.91 era in his career in Japan. He had a good enough spring to expect that he'll be an improvement over Daniel Cabrera (8-10, 5.25 era in '08).

Adam Eaton (4-8, 5.80 era in '08) might reasonably be expected to perform no worse than the '08 #3 slot in the rotation of Adam Loewen (0-2, 8.02 era) and his replacement - Garrett Olsen (9-10, 6.65 era). If Eaton regains his top form, he could even improve on those numbers.

Alfredo Simon was 5-10, 6.43 era in '07 in AAA with Texas. He only pitched 17 2/3 innings in 2008. The 2008 #4 slot - Brian Burress - was 7-10 with a 6.04 era. Simon has pitched "lights out" this spring, allowing 2 Runs in 16 innings. I have no idea how he did this, but it's won him a spot in the rotation and we'll get to see if can really pitch in the AL.

Mark Hendrickson (7-8, 5.45 era in '08) my have the most difficult challenge when it comes to improving the #5 slot in the rotation. Steve Trachsel (2-5, 8.39 era), Rhadames Liz (6-6, 6.72 era) and Chris Waters (3-5, 5.01) combined for 11 wins from the #5 slot in 2008 despite giving up boatloads of runs. I doubt that any O's starter will have 11 wins in 2009.

The strength of the '09 Orioles (if they have one) will be the bullpen and offense. If the O's bash (which they might) and the starters can go deep enough, regularly enough to keep the bullpen healthy and in their roles, the O's may just improve on their 68 wins in 2008.

On Baptists

There's always going to be an argument whether or not it’s the actual item or the belief behind it that makes a religious symbol an apotropaic ward against the Undead .......become either a Roman Catholic, or a Baptist: the first gives you a valuable formal support structure and the second pretty much lets you use a shotgun as your apotropaic symbol anyway.

Read the whole thing.

On the Administration

Looks like somebody is in line for nomination to a cabinet position!

On the Hopes of Spring

This is not exactly what I was hoping for.

On Rubbish

When all stories are rubbish, the fact that a particular story is rubbish is immaterial.

On Dumb Presidents

Deficit Spending

On Politics

The same government that created this crisis with their incompetence is now blaming it all on Wall Street and promising to fix it. No wonder the American people are terrified that we’re about to slip into a long-term depression.

Entire article here.

On Frontal Lobotomy

This is a horrible procedure with an interesting history. Frontal lobotomies were performed for almost half a century in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Doctors basically disconnected the front of the brain (the part that sits above and close to your eyes) from the rest of it. The basic theory was that the "frontal lobes" are responsible for "executive function." This part of the brain is responsible for making us act like normal functioning adults. Doctors at the time thought that patients with severe mental illness (patient not acting like normal functioning adults) had a problem with the frontal lobes of their brain, and by disconnecting this part of the brain from the rest, patients might function more normally.

It didn't really work, but thousands of frontal lobotomies were performed anyway. This was in an era of medicine when you didn't need the FDA to "approve" a therapy for use on humans. Interestingly, the FDA probably wouldn't approve aspirin today, if given the option, because of the side effects (it is a leading cause of stomach ulcers in the US).

Most notably, Walter Freeman, a neurologist, traveled around the country severing off the frontal lobes of patients for almost any indication. He even performed this procedure on Howard Dully, a boy of 12 years of age, after his stepmother was simply tired of his "youthful defiance". You can imagine that disconnecting the part of the brain that makes you act like a normally functional adult in a 12 year old boy, with the indication that he was acting like a 12 year old boy, might not have been the best treatment.

Interestingly, in 1950 the USSR was the first country to outlaw frontal lobotomies... because it didn't seem to work and was inhumane. That's right - the USSR took the lead in outlawing bizarre, inhumane practice!

Today, frontal lobotomies are almost only performed in patients with severely refractory OCD. These patients need fail multiple other therapies over the course of years before the procedure is even considered. Thus, "youthful defiance" is no longer considered an indication for having the front of your brain removed!

Fading Movie-Star Status?

Obama has been the President of the United States of America for two full months now! American soldiers are still working hard in the Middle East. The economy still sucks (and might be worse off now than two months ago). And politics in D.C. seem to be conducting business as usual...

The only small "change" I've seen is perhaps a little diminishment of his Movie Star image. Fortunately, the President is quick witted and sought to re-establish his image with appearances on late-night shows this week. My favorite part was when he mocked his own bowling prowess, likening his performance to the quality of a Special Olympics participant.

Unfortunately for Mr. President, his game wouldn't even be good enough for the Special Olympics. Perhaps we should let Kolan McConiughey run D.C. as well?

On Politics

Does President Obama even know anyone that is not a criminal?

On Wishful Thinking

So, if this turns out to be accurate, is the UN gone in 2010?

On Investing

Since I sold my entire position in the stock market just this past Friday, I take credit for this.

On O's Spring Training

2 more have been eliminated in the O's starting rotation sweepstakes.  The O's are now down to 32 of the original 37, however, the recent addition of Adam Eaton bumps the original number to 38 and leaves the remaining number of hopefuls at 33.

It still won't be enough.