Most notable and memorable Orioles games of 2012

2012 has brought us a whole different prespective of Orioles baseball; the winning prespective. This has been a great season of Orioles baseball, and I’m hoping it continues into late October. But, here are some of the most memorable O’s games from this year so far..

April 6th vs. Twins-Opening Day.

April 29th vs. Athletics-Betemit Walkoff Home Run.

May 1st at Yankees-Buck Showalter’s 1000th Managerial Win.

May 6th at Red Sox-17 inning game, Chris Davis was the winning pitcher.

May 10th vs. Rangers-3 straight HRs: Flaherty, Hardy, Markakis.

June 9th vs. Phillies-Adam Jones Walkoff HR.

June 10th vs. Phillies-Wieters Walkoff, New Franchise record for consecutive walkoff wins.

June 12th vs. Pirates-Brian Roberts’ return from concussion. This game had so much hype, Charlie Sheen tweeted about it! https://mobile.twitter.com/charliesheen/status/213029905036886017#

June 16th at Braves-Jason Hammel 1 hitter.

July 14th vs. Tigers-Taylor Teagarden Walkoff HR in the 13th inning.

September 6th vs. Yankees-Sellout crowd, 8th inning comeback, Ripken statue, overall great night at the Yard.

Yes, there may be more that you thought should be on here, but these are the ones that I think are the most important. The turning point for the season IMO had to be the Teagarden walkoff. We had just lost Jason Hammel, and we were looking sluggish at the time, but that game gave the players and fans hope that we can do this! Let’s Go O’s!

*UPDATED* MLB 2012 Predictions

It is the midway point of the MLB season, and I’m gonna update my 2012 predictions and Award winner picks.

American League

East: New York Yankees: They are one of, if not, the hottest teams in baseball right now, and I think they will hold off the rest of the tough AL East and take another division title.

Central: Chicago White Sox: Who saw this coming? Not me! Adam Dunn returning to Adam Dunn status, Paul Konerko dominating, under the radar as ususl, and Chris Sale leading the rotation. Also, Robin Ventura is gonna be in the running for AL Manager of the Year with Buck Showalter.

West: Texas Rangers: Nobody can stop the Rangers, except the NL All Star pitching staff. Josh Hamilton is just killing the ball, Yu Darvish is striking out everyone, along with Matt Harrison, and Joe Nathan, who is making a hell of a comeback! Maybe even another WS appearance for these guys.

Wild Card 1: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Despite their very wrong, and geographically wrong name, the Angels are good. C.J. Wilson and Jered Weaver in the rotation, and Ernesto Frieri in the back of the bullpen with a 0.00 ERA, and he didn’t make the All Star team. And some dude named Mike Trout is killing the ball, and robbing every potential HR coming his way! Along with Trumbo, Pujols, and co. the Angels are a WS favorite.

Wild Card 2: Baltimore Orioles: I believe in my birds! The Orioles have come out of no where to surprise everyone, including me. I was expecting another 90 loss season, but Dan Duquette and Buck Showalter can do no wrong! This team is heading for big things, lead by Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, and Nick Markakis, and pitchers Jason Hammel, Wei-Yin Chen and Jim Johnson. I’m praying and hoping for a Baltimore playoff game, and not a Ravens one this year!

Pennant: Texas Rangers: I’d love to say Baltimore Orioles here, but that’s not the case. The Rangers are unstoppable, as I said, and I believe this. They will make a 3rd straight World Series appearance, and maybe win this one.

MVP: Mike Trout: Mike Trout is only 20 year old, and he is heading for HUGE things, and he is my MVP this year.

Cy Young: Justin Verlander: His ASG appearance wasn’t the best, but I believe Verlander will repeat for another Cy Young.

Rookie of the Year: Mike Trout: Who else am I gonna put here? Unquestionably Trout wins the Rookie of the Year, and the MVP.

National League

East: Washington Nationals: My Natitude has been ignited, and I’m a believers in the Nats! With guys like Gio Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, and Jordan Zimmerman in the rotation, and guys like Bryce Harper, Ian Desmond, Michael Morse, and Steve Lombardozzi in the lineup, you are gonna go far. With Jayson Werth coming back soon, I think we’ll see the Nats winning the divsion for the 1st time with the name “Nationals”.

Central: Pittsburgh Pirates: Who would’ve thought 5 years ago, that in a couple of years, the best teams in the NL are the Nationals and the Pirates? Not me, that’s for sure. The Pirates have one of the best players in the game in Andrew McCutchen and the resurging A.J. Burnett. I think the Pirates will win out the NL Central and go on to the playoffs.

West: San Francisco Giants: With guys in the rotation like Matt Cain, Ryan Vogelsong, and Madison Bumgardner, and hitters like Buster Posey, Pablo Sandoval, and Melky Cabrera, the Giants are one of the best teams in baseball. I think the Giants will beat out the Dodgers for the West division.

Wild Card 1: Los Angeles Dodgers: They have been battling injuries all year, but I think they will get in the playoffs with the 1st Wild Card spot.

Wild Card 2: Cincinnati Reds: Led by the $200 Million man, Joey Votto, and All Stars Aroldis Chapman and Jay Bruce, I think the Reds will battle all the way with Pittsburgh and end up with the 2nd Wild Card spot.

Pennant: Washington Nationals: The Nationals are the best team in baseball and nothing has proven me otherwise. They are the first NL team to 50 wins, and they are just getting better.

MVP: Matt Kemp: Injuries have sidelined him for most of 2012, but I think Matt Kemp will not get beat out for the MVP this year. It’s his to lose.

Cy Young: R.A. Dickey: I say this year, a knuckleballer will win the Cy Young. I thought the knuckleball was dead, until R.A. Dickey came out of no where to throw 2 straight 1 hitters. He is the best pitcher in the National League, and I think he will win the Cy Young.

Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper: If you don’t have this kid winning the NL ROY, you’re a clown, bro. Harper has came onto the scene to steal the hearts of baseball fans in DC and all over the Majors.

Those are my updated predictions for the 2012 season.

The Return of Brian Roberts

On Tuesday, June 12th, 2012, Brian Roberts, second baseman for the Baltimore Orioles, returned to play in the MLB. He has been out for 13 months with a concussion he suffered last May in Boston. When he stepped into the batters box for the first time, he got a standing ovation from the Camden Yards faithful, and then singled up the middle. I’ll admit it, I wanted to cry when he got that single, because he is my favorite player, and when I saw that, I was elated! He ended up going 3-4 on the day, and was named Player of the Game, and got the celeratory pie-in-the-face from Adam Jones, which was the best one ever! Everything was perfect, included with a O’s win, and a great effort from every single O’s player! I can say, with Brian Roberts leading off, this team is way better, because of his presence alone is great! Brian got national attention with his return, including being trending worldwide on Twitter after his first hit back, and the one and only, Charlie Sheen gave Brian his congrats on his return, which I thought was awesome! Overall, I’m so happy Roberts is back, and I think he should lead us to newer heights! Maybe even a World Series..?

My Interview with MLB Fan Cave dweller, Benjamin Christensen

Back in February, I saw that the MLB Fan Cave had the Top 50 finalists, and I watched all the audition tapes, and the one that stood out was the guy infront of all the hats and had the Brian Wilson like beard, and his name is Benjamin Christensen. He won my vote, and moved onto the Fan Cave 30, and got the nod to be in the starting 9 in the MLB Fan Cave this summer. I interviewed him today, and he is an overall cool dude!

Me: Where did you first hear about the MLB Fan Cave?

Ben: I heard about it last season on the MLB.com Web site. I was going to sign up for it but I had one class to finish to get my News/Editorial journalism degree at the University of Oregon so I decided to let it slide because it conflicted with that.

Me: Who was your player growing up?

Ben: I had 2 but they both retired retired by the time I was 8 years old: Gary Carter and Mike Schmidt
Sorry, 9 years old

Me: What is your favorite baseball memory?

Ben: My favorite baseball memory and my first baseball memory are the same: Game 6 of the 1986 WS. Gary Carter leading the offense in the bottom of the 10th inning against the Red Sox with 2 outs on the board. They guy was clutch!

Me: What has been the best thing to happen during you’re time being with the Fan Cave, including the MLB FC 30?

Ben: Hmmmm…
Being able to chill on the same level with big name guys has been unreal. Eric Byrnes, Gio Gonzalez and Luis Gonzales were really down to earth and loved cracking jokes. Not to mention it was a trip when Luis and Byrnes-y asked to take pictures with me because of my tattoos.

Me: What do you think you will remember the most?

Ben: I’ll remember being appreciated for representing the fans to the best of my ability. That, in my opinion is what this experience is about. I’m here to represent everyone who loves baseball and I am also here to interact with as many as possible. I will never forget all the smiles and conversations with everyone I meet and chat with.

Me: Being an Athletics fan, did you see Moneyball?

Ben: I did see it and, I say this as a film critic/baseball historian, but it could have been much better. I give it a 7/10. There were too many important details left out like Zito/Hudson/Mulder and the fact that Hatteberg and Art Howe didn’t squabble. In fact Hatteberg played DH for most of the season.

Me: Do you ever get called a bandwagon or fairweather fan for having multiple teams shirts and hats?

Ben: All the time. Soooooo many haters! The thing they don’t realize in this mix is that there are 22 teams that aren’t being represented. As much of a an A’s loyalist as I am, I’m a bigger baseball fan. Therefore, I don’t want anyone to feel like their club is being cheated out of this experience. Plus, when you have every team inked on your body, I honestly feel that I have more of a right to get away with it without betraying my team.

Me: What is your favorite feature of the MLB Fan Cave?

Ben: The Home Run Slide and I have become the best of friends, especially because of Yoenis Cespedes and David Freese. Cespedes for the obvious reason, but Freese because of my fantasy squad.

Me: When did you start collecting hats, and where did the idea for the hat wall come from?

Ben: I’ve had a few hat from when I was younger, but I really didn’t start actively collecting them until June of last year. I never really liked the way I looked in hats until I grew my hair out, but I always wanted those hats.
The hat wall came about by accident. I wanted to put something together where I could show the logos off, but everything I came up with was too expensive. I was literally laying down and getting tattooed and saw a paper bundle clip and the idea popped in my head.

Me: And now, the question everyone wants to know, how long did it for your beard to grow that long?

Ben: Ha! Not that long actually. I got dared to do it during the All-Star game last year by my co-worker Emily Wasson. It was only supposed to be for Halloween but then I got real lazy about doing anything with it. And then the Fan Cave application came back around and figured it would probably be a good idea to hang on to it until I got rejected. I was honestly not expecting to get chosen.

Ben is a real nice guy, and a great baseball fan, and was a great choice by the MLB Fan Cave! Check out Ben and the rest of the Cave Dwellers at http://www.mlbfancave.com, and follow Ben on Twitter @shakabrodie Thanks for reading!

First Impression: Orioles

Yesterday, I went to Opening Day at Camden Yards for my 5th time now. Let me start with the obvious, Nick Markakis. He has been slacking in the HR department for a couple of years now, and it’s nice to see him get into the groove of things again. He is one of my favorite Orioles (I love them all), and I miss him hitting homers. Now, to Jake Arrieta. He brought his best stuff yesterday! Probably one of the best pitching performances of the Opening Weekend. He has everything working for him, and hopefully that will continue to happen, and rub off on the other pitchers. I feel Jake will be a big piece to this team’s future! Matt Lindstrom got his job done in the 8th, and now… Troy Patton. Patton gave up a 2 run HR to Josh Willingham, and erased the shutout, and then Jim Johnson entered the game. Johnson did his job, and got the save, and secured the O’s win! 4-2 on Opening Day, I’ll take it! This team has talent, and when we get B-Rob back, we will be even better! Go O’s!

My MLB Predictions for 2012

The 2012 baseball season is upon us, and that means it’s time for me to make my predictions this year. No bias, like usual.

American League

East: New York Yankees: They are hard to pick against for the AL East, and it pains me as an O’s fan to see them win.

Central: Detroit Tigers: Bringing in Prince Fielder will give them the extra offensive power that they didn’t have last year.

West: Los Angeles Angels: Pujols and Wilson, added with Trout, Bourjos, Weaver, and Haren, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Wild Card 1: Texas Rangers: Yu Darvish is a big step up, and at his price, they hope he does good.

Wild Card 2: Tampa Bay Rays: Full season for Matt Moore will definatly show how he is super good.

Pennant: Detroit Tigers: It’s they’re Pennant for the taking, they just have to act on it.

MVP: Miguel Cabrera: He is the only guy that scares me in the AL, A-Rod, Tex, Jeter, no, Cabrera, yes.

Cy Young: Justin Verlander: It’s almost impossible to hit off this guy, who can still gun the ball at 100 MPH.

Rookie of the Year: Matt Moore: I saw this kid pitch against the Rangers in the ALDS last year, and he showed me that he will be the next face of the Rays in years to come, has some touch competition with Jesus Montero.

National League

East: Miami Marlins: Definatly gonna be an eye sore with the new uniforms, but they will be good for TV with Reyes, Buehrle, and Bell.

Central: St. Louis Cardinals: This was a tough one. I almost said Pittsburgh, that is how this division has changed! With STL, you get Beltran, Holliday, Carpenter, and Garcia, who will definatly try for #12in12

West: Arizona Diamondbacks: Justin Upton is gonna be a monster this year (and I’m not just saying that because he’s on my Fantasy Team), and with Chris Young, Aaron Hill, and Ian Kennedy, they will go far in the playoffs (foreshadowing).

Wild Card 1: San Francisco Giants: Lincecum has to win more games if the Giants want to make it back to the postseason. With Bumgardner, Cain, Vogelsong, and of course, Wilson, the Giants will have a great pitching staff again.

Wild Card 2: Philadelphia Phillies: It wouldn’t be the postseason without the Phillies, personally. They will definatly slow start, when they get Howard and Utley back, they will definatly battle for the top spot in the East. Their pitching staff is still the best in baseball.

Pennant: Arizona Diamondbacks: This is their year. They have the talent, youth, and the will to succeed, and bring Arizona another championship.

MVP: Justin Upton: Dude is a beast, and a hell-of-a-ballplayer. He will get more votes than Kemp, Votto, etc. because the DBacks are gonna be good this year.

Cy Young: Ian Kennedy: I’m sticking with the Diamondbacks theme here, but they are good, and Kennedy is too. He is making the Yankees regret trading him, and I love that!

Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper: Being in Baltimore, I (unfortunatly) get coverage of the Nats, and they are saying this kid has the stuff to be the best.

Tweet me @connorguercio with your predictions!

Orioles FanFest 2012

This Saturday, January 21st, the Baltimore Orioles and the Baltimore Convention Center will host the annual event, the Orioles FanFest, a chance to meet O’s players, get autographs, and win prizes! It is also the official day that single game tickets go on sale for the regular season. If you are going, tweet me @connorguercio I will be happy to hear who all is going!

Brian Roberts, you are my favorite baseball player, ever!

All Orioles fans know that Brian Roberts has been plagued by injuries for the last couple of years, but he remains the favorite player of many O’s fans around Baltimore. Roberts started his career with the Orioles in 2002, when he battled Jerry Hairston for the job. He would win the job in 2004, and find himself at the top of the Orioles lineup. In 2005, Roberts found himself at the All Star Game in Detroit, and at the top of the league as one of the best players. Despite his good year, he was plagued with injury at the end of the season when he collided with Bubba Crosby at First Base in New York. The injury would plague him throughout the offseason, and into Spring Training. Roberts would play at the beginning of 2006, and play though out the entire season. In 2007, Roberts would find himself back at the All Star Game, this time in Pittsburgh. In 2008, major milestones for Roberts occurred when he got his 1,000th career hit, and his 250th double. In late September, Roberts would have a bittersweet moment, when he grounded out for the final out in the Old Yankee Stadium. In 2009, Roberts was awarded a chance to play in the World Baseball Classic, along with other great baseball players from the United States. Later in the year, Roberts recorded his 300th career double, and would post 56 for the year, putting him in the list of Tris Speaker, Paul Waner, and Stan Musial for hitting 50+ doubles 3 different times in their career, all of which are Hall of Famers. In 2010, Roberts would suffer a herniated disk in Spring Training. He would though, start the season, but would miss most of it due to injury. He would return in late July, and would help the Orioles to record one of the best September win-loss records in a long time. 2011 would prove to be Roberts biggest eye opener, when in May, on a road trip to Boston, he would slide into first base, and hit his head on the base. He would develop a concussion, and would miss the rest of the year. Now, I am hearing things like “he will never play again”, and that makes me go, why would you say that? You have no idea what they are going through and what they are thinking, and this makes me mad. Brian is my favorite baseball player of all time, and it would make me very sad not to see him in that Orioles uniform again. I am confident that Brian will play again, and why? Because he is a trooper! He had open heart surgery when he was 5, and has played at a high level since high school! I would bet any dollar amount that Roberts will be on the field on Opening Day in 2012! Brian, you are my favorite baseball player, and you will be, always!

Best Player on every MLB team, hitting and pitching

Every team has that one player that makes you fear playing that team, and I’m here to list the players you should look out for.

HITTERS

AL East
Baltimore Orioles-MARK REYNOLDS
Boston Redsox-DAVID ORTIZ
New York Yankees-MARK TEIXEIRA
Tampa Bay Rays-EVAN LONGORIA
Toronto Blue Jays-JOSÉ BAUTISTA

AL Central
Chicago Whitesox-PAUL KONERKO
Cleveland Indians-ASDRUBAL CABRERA
Detroit Tigers-MIGUEL CABRERA
Kansas City Royals-BILLY BUTLER
Minnesota Twins-JOE MAUER

AL West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-ALBERT PUJOLS
Oakland Athletics-JEMILE WEEKS
Seattle Mariners-ICHIRO SUZUKI
Texas Rangers-JOSH HAMILTON

NL East
Atlanta Braves-JASON HEYWARD
Miami Marlins-JOSÉ REYES
New York Mets-DAVID WRIGHT
Philadelphia Phillies-RYAN HOWARD
Washington Nationals-RYAN ZIMMERMAN

NL Central
Chicago Cubs-STARLIN CASTRO
Cincinnati Reds-JOEY VOTTO
Houston Astros-CARLOS LEE
Milwaukee Brewers-RYAN BRAUN
Pittsburgh Pirates-ANDREW MCCUTCHEN
St. Louis Cardinals-DAVID FREESE

NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks-JUSTIN UPTON
Colorado Rockies-CARLOS GONZALEZ
Los Angeles Dodgers-MATT KEMP
San Diego Padres-ORLANDO HUDSON
San Francisco Giants-PABLO SANDOVAL

PITCHERS

AL East
Baltimore Orioles-PEDRO STROP
Boston Redsox-JON LESTER
New York Yankees-C.C. SABATHIA
Tampa Bay Rays-MATT MOORE
Toronto Blue Jays-RICKY ROMERO

AL Central
Chicago Whitesox-GAVIN FLOYD
Cleveland Indians-CHRIS PEREZ
Detroit Tigers-JUSTIN VERLANDER
Kansas City Royals-JOAKIM SORIA
Minnesota Twins-FRANCISCO LIRIANO

AL West
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim-JERED WEAVER
Oakland Athletics-DALLAS BRADEN
Seattle Mariners-FELIX HERNANDEZ
Texas Rangers-DEREK HOLLAND

NL East
Atlanta Braves-JAIR JURRJENS
Miami Marlins-MARK BUEHRLE
New York Mets-DILLON GEE
Philadelphia Phillies-ROY HALLADAY
Washington Nationals-STEPHEN STRASBURG

NL Central
Chicago Cubs-CARLOS MÁRMOL
Cincinnati Reds-AROLDIS CHAPMAN
Houston Astros-J.A. HAPP
Milwaukee Brewers-ZACH GREINKIE
Pittsburgh Pirates-JOEL HANRAHAN
St. Louis Cardinals-CHRIS CARPENTER

NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks-IAN KENNEDY
Colorado Rockies-UBALDO JIMENEZ
Los Angeles Dodgers-CLAYTON KERSHAW
San Diego Padres-HUSTON STREET
San Francisco Giants-TIM LINCECUM

What my expectations are for the Orioles in 2012

After 14 years of losing, Baltimore Orioles fans are sick and tired of the torture that comes every summer when the black and orange take the field. Every fan of the Orioles would love to see a World Series, let alone a .500 winning percentage. I have been an Orioles fan since 2004, when I started to get into baseball, and I can tell you, the best thing that has happened in my time watching the Orioles, was when they were playing against the Boston Redsox, and they eliminated those Sam Adam’s drinking, clam chowda eating bums from playoff contention!!! O’s fans watched as their team showed the caliber of a playoff team when they eliminated the Redsox, and shocked the baseball world! I may support a second or third team, but the Orioles will always and forever be my #1 team!!

For 2012, I want something worth watching this season. I am tired of losing, and I’m pretty sure Buck Showalter is too, along with every player that puts on that uniform, and every fan who supports the Orioles! Many things need to happen before we are ready to take on the World Series, but that would be cool, right? Here are the things that need to happen for this team to be recommended as a playoff caliber team!

1. PITCHING, PITCHING, PITCHING!
Like in football how defense wins championships, the same applies to pitching and baseball. Look at teams like the Phillies, Giants, Brewers, and Rangers. These teams were in the playoffs the last couple of years because they have starting pitching, bullpen help, and an established closer. The Orioles have NONE of these things! In order to succeed in the playoffs, you need great pitching, and yes there are exceptions, but 90% of the time, championships are won by pitching.

2. An established power hitter!
We haven’t had a power hitter since Brady Anderson, and we might have one with J.J. Hardy, or even with Mark Reynolds, but you never know. With a guy like Prince Fielder on the market, I’m surprised Dan Duquette isn’t going for a player like him.

3. A good group of coaches
We already have a great manager, and 1st base coach (Wayne Kirby), now we need a pitching, hitting, and 3rd base coach to match the caliber that Showalter and Kirby bring every game! I’m surprised Mike Bordick isn’t coming back as bullpen coach, personally.

Those are 3 things the Orioles need, and they will be a great team again!