I have made it my life’s work via owning WNST.net to study these sports owners and how these local teams operate, function, thrive and compete.

And oft-times, checking their sobriety level and true intentions, goals and desires for their ownership becomes a guiding force for their popularity, success and profit. Somewhere deep inside of every Bob Irsay, Abe Pollin or Edward Bennett Williams, there’s a hunger for something intangible that their millions of dollars of U.S. currency can’t really buy – not that feeding their egos and wallets simultaneously would be turned down by any of these men.

But they want to be heroes. They want to be winners in a way that no court case or big sale or transaction can be felt in the traditional business world. They’re sportsmen. They want to save the city. They want to have that “one moment in time” feeling of watching the confetti drop while they toast a championship and host a ticker tape parade. Billy Joel once sang about them in a song called “Big Shot.”

No one associated with big-league sports ever lost money owning a team in Baltimore, with or without championships or competitive teams. The Colts, Orioles, Ravens all sold for more than their original purchase price. So, making money comes with the territory, even if you wreck the franchise for the fanbase, as has been witnessed here with Peter Angelos since 1993.

But I’ll also say this much: I also personally know some very good, civic-minded people who lost hundreds of thousands – if not MILLIONS of dollars – trying to run minor-leagues sports franchises in Baltimore since 1968, when I entered the planet and the local sports scene. The losses of Skipjacks, Clippers, Bandits, Lightning, Spirit, Claws, Blades, et. al. means there were some nice guys like Bill Stealey, Tom Ebright or Mike Caggiano losing a helluva lotta money on a hobby and sports dream gone wrong.

These are businesses. And as a business owner who has taken on immense risk buying and operating WNST over the years, I respect and honor the amount of work it takes to make a profit and keep customers and the community at-large happy.

I respect that Peter Angelos once bought the Baltimore Orioles to win championships and be the local hero owner. I also have watched him humiliate and degrade a whole generation of passionate Orioles fans and piss on the brand for better part of two decades with equal parts wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

This week, Steve Bisciotti, the owner of the Baltimore Ravens maneuvered quite heavy-handedly behind the scenes to oust offensive coordinator Cam Cameron, while head coach John Harbaugh took the podium to make an announcement that it was pretty clear he was uncomfortable with in just about every way.

As a fan, all I’ve ever asked for is accountability and knowing what the intentions of the owner are so I can tell Baltimore sports fans what’s really happening.

It really speaks volumes when you watch the way the two franchises in Baltimore weave through a sports calendar with incredibly expensive, risky and “no turning back” decisions.

And let’s make this really clear: Steve Bisciotti and Peter Angelos run their franchises and make the last call on virtually every decision. They’ve earned that right because they took the

The post Bisciotti vs. Angelos — Oh, those meddling owners of Baltimore sports teams… appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

We learned through the labor discords that every league has had to deal with over the last decade or so that the greatest leverage that one side can have over another is the ability or potential to make one of these organizations “open their books”. The suggestion has been made that Peter Angelos’ inherent understanding of this leverage was the very tool that he used in negotiating the settlement that allowed the Montreal Expos to land in DC and become the Nationals; thereby creating the MASN network and the lopsided deal at the heart of it.

Orioles fans were given cause to celebrate the creation of MASN as it was supposed to level the financial playing field for the Orioles with the top financial echelon of the AL East. As yet, those promises have gone unfulfilled and the lesson that Orioles fans have slowly been made to accept is that the creation of MASN ultimately benefits no one but Mr. Angelos himself.

It’s funny how baseball will allow the mismanagement of certain, even most, teams to go unchecked. Actually you could probably make a viable case that MLB and the commissioner’s office has been an enabler of franchise mismanagement on far more occasions than they’ve ever acted as a deterrent. Except when it came to the Los Angeles Dodgers that is.

When Frank McCourt found himself in financial straits and seemed to as a result look to quickly negotiate the Dodgers local television deal, MLB and commissioner Bud Selig wouldn’t have it. Now as the Dodgers stand on the precipice of closing a long-term TV rights deal that will pay them in the ballpark of $6 billion or more over the next 25 years it’s clear why Selig was so interested.

The Dodgers deal is a game changer. Yahoo sports Jeff Passan reports that not only will the Dodgers make upwards of $1.5 million per game under the terms of the new deal but also that it would make the Dodgers TV revenue alone exceed the total revenues of 26 of baseball’s other 29 teams.

Meanwhile the MASN finds itself entrenched in a battle to keep the TV rights for the Washington Nationals at a paltry by comparison $35 million per season, up from $29 million in 2012. The interesting part of the battle that Peter Angelos is set to stage against the Washington franchise is that by the terms of the original agreement between baseball and the Orioles’ owner, the Orioles would take that same $35 million in TV revenues. So essentially Angelos finds himself set to go to court and fight it out in an effort to keep down the TV revenues that his baseball team draws from his network.

Angelos’ motivation is an easy one to figure out. Any money that MASN pays out to the Orioles directly has to be paid out equally to the Nationals, however as a result of the aforementioned lopsided agreement any money kept under the MASN “umbrella” is currently divided with 87% going to Angelos and 13% to Nationals ownership. Some have made educated suggestions that total MASN revenues are likely upward of $200 million.

So let’s look at it in these terms. If (and I repeat if) total MASN revenues are $200 million, and the Orioles and Nationals each receive $35 million, that leaves $130 million as MASN profits. Of that $130 million the Orioles ownership would walk away with $113.1 million and Nationals ownership just $16.9 million. That’s $148.1 million to Angelos and company and $51.9 million to the Nationals ownership group. If television rights fees were increased to $75 million per side it would leave “only” $50 million in MASN money. Under the 87/13 split, that $50 million would send $43.5 million to the Orioles and $6.5 to the Nats. In total that’d be $118.5 million to Angelos and company and $81.5 to Nats ownership, a financial swing of about $30 million from the Orioles to the Nationals.

The post Peter Angelos vs The Orioles appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Three years ago when I wrote this in depth look at where the Baltimore sports media universe was heading, Twitter was truly at the dawn of its existence. The ability of mobile devices was far more limited and far less distributed. And the access to the genie of instant information in the palms of our hands that we’ve quickly become accustomed to will never go backward into the narrow bottle of the limited access of newspapers, television and radio waves.

Today, I will examine the current state of the Baltimore sports media experience and as much as many local journalists like to give “report cards” on the Ravens every Sunday night and Monday morning, I’m sure some folks will get their feelings hurt today.

I’ll tell you what I think about our competitors and the intentions of their bosses and their corporate, money-making media machines. Honesty. Candidly. Openly. As usual…

And, we’d love to hear what you think here in our “2012 State Of Baltimore Sports Media Survey” here.

One lucky survey entrant will win a trip next weekend to Cleveland on our Miller Lite Orange Roadtrip powered by Jiffy Lube.

As I’ve said over the past month, we’re trying to make WNST.net better every minute of every day so that we can be your primary source of Baltimore sports news and information on your mobile device.

Examining the Baltimore sports media business is the most important thing I do on a daily basis and while I rarely write about this stuff, it’s been my life’s mission to improve your experience as a local sports fan.

I find it almost hilarious and/or pathetic that anyone would listen to the radio station that calls itself  “The Fan” when the entire concept was drawn up in a board room in New York and never factors the actual “fans” into the equation when they assembled their corporate radio station team.

But competition is good. It sets the bar. At WNST.net, we’ve never ducked the obvious or taken Baltimore sports fans for granted – we know you’re judging us and comparing us every day because you utilize more than one outlet for your sports media consumption on a daily basis in 2012.

But we’re always striving to the be the FIRST place you go to get Baltimore sports information on your IPhone, Droid or mobile device.

In an effort to encourage you to give your feedback on the local Baltimore sports media scene, it’s only fair that I file my own report card.

So, who are the competitors and players on the local scene and where do you turn when breaking news happens in Baltimore?

My general overview of this is candidly clear: Baltimore is a lazy market on the new media end. I know how hard we work at WNST.net and I know what our resources are. I know the strengths and weaknesses of all of our competitors in the marketplace and many of the assembled group of “journalists” in the market have either been on my team, interviewed to be on my team or have cross-pollinated in something I’ve touched because I’ve been doing Baltimore sports media longer than virtually anyone in the marketplace.

My journey began almost 29 years ago in January 1984 at age 15 when Baltimore had three newspapers, three TV stations and a handful of AM radio stations that did local sports of any kind.

In 2012, there has been a mass fracturing in the way and convenience in which we consume media so many of the entities have “loose ends” in their coverage or holes in the strategy. Some of their portals to garner attention, feedback and building a trusted community of information are very old world and “lazy” for my tastes.

And before I begin defecating on all of our competitors – and that will be prevalent below – no less than two of these fossilized radio stations have the arrogance to call themselves “the only station that matters.”

It’s hilarious. And the truth is that WNST.net is kicking all of their asses in the only place that really matters – the internet and on your mobile device via instant access.

Here’s a report card from two weeks ago via Twitter:

Some will get their feelings hurt, but if you click to Page 2 you’ll see what I think of our “competition” at WNST.net…

The post Part 3: Which Baltimore sports media entities suck? Here’s my report card… appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

It’s very apparent that Adam Jones cares more about whether the good people of Baltimore come to Orioles games than his bosses and owner do but still not enough to vest himself in our community enough to recruit people to come and pay to see the team play.

It must be a bummer for any Orioles player to endure the emptiness of the home ballpark while finally playing meaningful games and quality baseball.

In 2012, the price to pay for 15 years of losing and the worst owner in the history of professional sports is what Adam Jones now sees with a fantastic view from centerfield every night: an empty stadium in downtown Baltimore and plenty of green seats to backdrop every fly ball.

It’s been very clear that the prescient message I sent with “Free The Birds” in 2006 – “if you’re not careful, Mr. Angelos, we might leave and never come back” – has now become a prophecy. The 2012 Baltimore Orioles are everything you’d want in a local sports team to follow – interesting, fun, lively and relevant – and a grand total of 48K came to Camden Yards over four days to watch the best baseball this city has seen in 15 years.

The empty seats are a glaring reminder of what’s gone wrong with the franchise and the city’s passion for the Baltimore Orioles since Peter Angelos bought — and then wrecked — the franchise.

Once Adam Jones stops talking out of the side of his mouth and at the end of this run of success in 2012 – and I’m not betting it won’t end in a parade just yet because I’ve seen stranger things happen — it’ll then be time to invest himself in our community the way he likes to on his Twitter account.

He got the $85.5 million deal back in May and it’ll be his turn to become a Baltimore resident or not. If he’s really interested in people coming to the ballpark then I hope he’ll spend the offseason with the fans here and be Mr. Oriole all winter.

Where will he be in November…and December…or January?

Will he be shaking hands, kissing babies and attempting to become a guy who eventually gets one of those shiny statues out on the patio that no one is visiting these days?

Will Adam Jones be in the community trying to win back the fans of Baltimore?

I’m not talking sitting at a table in a card shop or swag store charging $50 for an autograph. I’m talking about being a true ambassador for the community.

This isn’t about the marketing department. This isn’t about buying more billboards or state-run MASN ads. This isn’t about popping off on Twitter or mandating “sitdowns” with people like me who are still pissed about the entire tenor and arrogance of the Baltimore Orioles and Peter Angelos over two decades.

If the players on the field are embarrassed by an empty stadium, it’s my belief is that THEY – directly – are the only ones who can do something about it. We have to care about them and want to invest our money

The post An open letter to Adam Jones (and anyone else who doesn’t like Orioles attendance) appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Even into the great beyond via the long reach of MASN – not to mention the reach into your pockets every month like a public utility – for whatever reason people aren’t coming back in droves to give King Peter Angelos their money to watch the likes of Adam Jones, Matt Wieters, Nick Markakis and even boy wonder Manny Machado, who has been worth the price of admission alone this week.

Oh, I know I’m being “Negative Nestor” by even writing this blog when the Orioles are winning baseball games and on the verge of a sweep of the hated Boston Red Sox. But every time the TV cameras pan the more than half-empty stadium, I can’t help but thinking the same thing you’re thinking: “I wonder why people aren’t going to Camden Yards to support this winning team?”

Yeah, we all thought Camden Yards would be packed once the Orioles started winning. And as the team closes a 10-game homestand tonight in full control of a wild card berth and still within striking distance of the New York Yankees, a true “pennant fever” atmosphere has yet to emerge in Baltimore.

It seems that a few months of prosperity hasn’t wiped out 14 years of bad vibes, bad baseball, steroid needles, lies from the owner and the emergence of the Washington Nationals as the regional team with marketing legs and, dare we say, “Natitude.”

And here’s where we’ll piss off both side of the Baltimore fence.

I have one question for you: “Are you excited about the Baltimore Ravens’ upcoming season?”

My gut is that you just yelled, “YES!”

My gut also says that your neighbor is excited, your cousins, your co-workers, the folks in your social group – wherever your friends and loved ones reside — they’re ready to don purple and are counting down the minutes until the 7 p.m. kickoff on Monday, Sept. 10 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals.

I’m not sure when it became sort of fashionable to only support one of the two teams in Baltimore and perhaps for the younger generation there has never been a good time to embrace the Orioles. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m ready for Ravens’ season and that my love for the purple guys has superseded my spirit and energy for the Orioles. But I do love them both. And I will support them both equally for what it means for Baltimore to have a winning sports team and a chance to hang red, white and blue bunting here in October.

And, somehow during this emergence of the purple birds of Baltimore since 1996, this weird kind of divide has occurred here in the Charm City where some folks only have enough “love” – if not dollars and time and energy – for one of the two teams.

Do you know people who love the Orioles and have no use for football or the Ravens? Almost to the point where they root against the purple birds in football season?

I do.

And, conversely, from what I can tell there are a myriad of people everywhere around town who are fervent Baltimore Ravens fans and have long-since given up following the Orioles on a nightly basis, even now that the team on the field is representative of the community’s desire for hard work, overachieving and beating the Yankees and Red Sox.

I know many, many people who have purple “Man Caves” – an entire kingdom and closets dedicated to all things Baltimore Ravens. There are whole stores like The Raven Zone dedicated to selling merchandise year-round.

I don’t know anyone who has a basement that is an homage to the Orioles these days, despite the fact that you get 162 chances to enjoy games vs. just 16 that count.

I also admit that the amount of hours necessary to follow the Orioles is extraordinary. It’s a lifestyle commitment to watch four hours of baseball six nights a week for six months. It’s almost like a full-time job if you’re going to vest into MLB fandom.

And certainly this isn’t a new phenomenon for sports teams anywhere in America. It seems that there’s plenty of love for all four sports teams in places like Boston, Philadelphia, etc. where the seasons and the reasons all seem to blur together into a full calendar of activity and passion.

But it might be time to ask, “Where’s the emotional investment for Baltimore fans?”

Is it possible that you only have room in your heart — or wallet — for one successful local team?

The post Ravens fans vs. Orioles fans – are we two birds of a different feather? appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

We’ve been talking for months, as the team continues to exceed any reasonable expectations, about when the fans could and would begin to truly “buy in” and when they’d back up that faith with their attendance at the ballpark. Yet here we sit, in the latter stages of a legitimate playoff chase, and still the ballpark sits empty.

Maybe it’s time we looked a little deeper at how we arrived here in order to understand how we can all begin to move forward.

In his Masterpiece “The Prince” Niccolo Machiavelli lays out some political ideals that have not only stood the test of time and that remain viable in modern political theory, but also may have given Orioles ownership the blueprint by which they’ve been operating throughout the Peter Angelos regime.

One of the most popular and debated Machiavellian questions arising from “The Price” is the question of whether it’s better to be loved or feared. Machiavelli suggests that while being loved is nice (I paraphrase), it is fear that stirs the hearts of men and keeps them in line. People will turn on those that they love when the going gets tough, but with fear comes the expectation of hardship, and that more than anything compelled by love will cause men to think twice before crossing their benevolent leaders.

During the early Angelos years, the owner operated the club like a fan would, bringing in high caliber baseball architects to build his club, giving them the authority and financial means to do their work and although at times still overbearing (rulers still have to remain the boss) Angelos, in comparison to previous regimes, was easy for fans to endorse and (dare I say?) love.

As the 1997 season wound down however and fans became disenchanted with the team, they weren’t shy about voicing their displeasure over everything from the crowds that now filled the stadium (wine and cheese) to the talent brought in to do the job (mercenaries). Fans complained about everything from the aging talent, to the misguided leadership of the club, to the seemingly preferential treatment given to Cal Ripken Jr. to the length of the speech that the owner gave on the night Ripken broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games record. Love indeed didn’t keep the fans from turning (at least in word) on the team and its owner.

That love didn’t compel the fans either to consider the plight of the Orioles when the city gave a far cushier deal to the Browns to relocate to Baltimore and become the Ravens, it didn’t compel fans to stand together with Angelos in his battle against the teams cable outlet or against Major League Baseball to keep the Expos out of DC. The goodwill built by the owner, with the fans, didn’t seem to serve him at all once the going got tough for the Orioles. Nor did the goodwill built by the owner toward his players (in taking care of them financially and in standing by them during baseball’s strike/lockout or in siding with a star player during a battle with his manager) serve him well when other teams came waving bigger checks, better chances to win or opportunities to play with their family members.

Maybe the 1993-2000 chapters of Orioles baseball did prove to Angelos that it was better to be feared than to be loved. It also seems that it’s cheaper, easier and more profitable too.

At that time it also likely became apparent to Angelos that he’d have some dirty work to do, and that no matter how he elected to run the franchise from that point forward, there was little the fans, the city, the league or anyone else could do about it. Angelos could (and arguably did) tear down the magnificent franchise he had helped to build and polish and in the process remind fans that not only was he the boss, but also that whatever he decided to do, he could do, and that everyone would simply have to accept it. Angelos laid the groundwork for fear. The fear that he could and would run this franchise in any way that he saw fit, from a competitive standpoint that he could and would be willing to run them into the ground, and that those who didn’t like it had no recourse.

The post The Orioles Peter Angelos and the Machiavellian Theorem appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

It is kind of weird talking about a professional player that is younger than me, but “Manny is being Manny” in a different way. He brings his bright smile to the ballpark each day and with everything he does. Whether it is batting practice, taking ground balls or just playing the game he loves, Manny just wants to be out there. The fans and especially the team have to appreciate that.

Even though Manny was facing a Royals team that had a team ERA of 4.41, the success he exhibited was impressive for a guy making the jump from Bowie. Even though the Royals were throwing out the who’s who of pitchers, like former Oriole Bruce Chen, Machado still exceeded immediate expectations of most people that follow the team. Being the number three overall prospect in our system, it was expected that he would develop into a star, or at least a good player at some point in his career.

An immediate impact? Highly doubtful.

Machado in the series went 6-for-16, with a double, triple, three homers and seven RBI. Seeing that the offense is there is great, but he was still playing the Royals.

I hate to downplay situations like this, but look at his statistics in Bowie: .266 batting average, 11 home runs and 59 RBI. In 402 at-bats, he struck out 70 times. The 70 strikeouts worry me because the Orioles already have enough players that do not put the ball play and these were his numbers in Bowie. The real test will come when he faces more seasoned and better pitchers to see if he can hit at the big-league-level at this preliminary stage of his career.

I’m not expecting Machado to be Mike Trout immediately, but is he what the team needed at this point in the playoff race? Absolutely.

Machado could stink up the joint in half of his games, but he will always put on 100% effort, something Wilson Betemit and Mark Reynolds can say every day. Betemit and Reynolds sometimes look disinterested when they go out to field, Machado has shown the excitement and enthusiasm to just be out there.

Like all young players, he will go through growing pains. However, if he can contribute to the team both offensively and defensively, especially hitting toward the bottom of the lineup, Buck Showalter cannot ask for much more than that.

So far, he has taken advantage of an opportunity to showcase his skills, albeit against the Royals, and he has delivered.

Will it continue along with the unexplained success of the Orioles? Hopefully.

This team needs an “Energizer bunny.” Manny Machado is that spark that can ignite this team to places it has not been since 1997.  His contributions and mishaps may show up in the paper the next day, but the pure excitement he brings to a club that has been in the doldrums of Major League Baseball for so long will not.

Yes, I sound like Tim Tebow with all of the usage of “excitement” and “enthusiasm” in this write-up, but Manny has earned it. He has turned a city upside-down that was all-purple once the calendar turned to August and has brought some Orioles magic and excitement about the Birds back to Charm City.

See there I go again, here’s a picture of Tim Tebow ladies.

Follow me on Twitter @Jeff_Kryglik

The post Is Manny Machado What The Orioles Have Been Missing? appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Well, in case you haven’t noticed while you were dusting off your purple gear this week for tomorrow night’s meaningless and mostly unentertaining Ravens game in Atlanta, the 2012 Baltimore Orioles are just about everything you’d want in a MLB team in a “small market” where the owner is pocketing over $100 million in profit every year.

They have young stars. They are exciting every night – including last night’s 14-inning marathon victory over the Seattle Mariners that unfolded like The Ilyiad. They seem to play sudden death baseball a lot. It’s almost like they WANT you to fall asleep on them.

And these days, it appears, that most Baltimore sports fans have in fact “gone to sleep on the Orioles.”

By and large, most of you are not coming to Orioles games right now. The Orioles haven’t inspired you to buy a ticket, despite their good fortunes and entertainment value on the field.

This is a perfect day for me to write about going to Orioles games because I’m going to the game tonight.

Why?

Well, I got free tickets.

My complaints and reasons for not giving Peter Angelos my money are legendary and well-documented. The incident when the team stiffed me on a $30,000 sponsorship, then attacked me at a game in 2004 and sent an apology note signed, “The Bird.” Then, after 21 years of covering the Baltimore Orioles through three ownership groups, they took my press pass in 2007 and have summarily lied about why, which is standard operating procedure from the Angelos family.

Hell, four months ago at a charity cocktail function, Brady Anderson told me I “should leave Baltimore if I don’t like the way the team is being run.”

But I still watch them every night – which either makes me a sucker, a fool or an eternal optimist. Or maybe just someone who loves Baltimore and the Orioles and remembers how much fun baseball was for the entire community before Angelos wrecked the franchise for anyone who takes the time to examine all of the facts.

Oh, here’s one more warm and fuzzy — this Friday will mark the one-year anniversary that one of their legendary players, broadcaster and caring front office man Mike Flanagan put a gun to his temple and pulled the trigger.

The Orioles have played 110 games this year. I’ve watched about 95 of them in their entirety. The other 15 I’ve either fallen asleep (like last night) or kept track via my mobile device on WNST’s live box score feature.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might find five games where I haven’t been live tweeting most of the evening from my couch. So, I’m qualified to bitch in many ways because I’m the biggest Baltimore Orioles fan you’ll ever find.

And, again, I’m not giving Angelos my money – not tonight or any night.

In Dundalk, we would simply call him a scumbag and leave it at that.

But he doesn’t care about whether you or I come to the ballpark. He’s sucking that $3.00 per month from my cable bill and yours, 

The post Orioles are finally in pennant race — but where are Baltimore baseball fans? appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Over the past three seasons, Roberts has played a combined 115 games. Considering the Orioles play a 162 game schedule, you do the math on how many games he’s missed (371 if you don’t feel like doing it). For a guy that signed a four-year, $40 million contract through 2013 he hasn’t exactly showed up to work much. He has one more year left on the deal where is due to make $10 million, but will he even contribute to this club next year?

The Orioles have gone to several options at second base to try and fill Roberts’ absence. Robert Andino was the everyday starter until he injured his shoulder and was placed on the disabled list July 17. The problems I have with Andino are his inconsistency in the field (12 errors) and the amount of times he strikes out (73). While striking out is a common problem on the Orioles, and making errors as well, it still shows signs that he hasn’t fully adjusted to being an everyday player. Last year, he appeared in 139 games, but scattered throughout the field as he was more of a utility player than second basemen. I think if the Orioles are patient with Andino, next year will be his breakout year as he will have basically a full season under his belt.

As of late, recent pickup Omar Quintanilla has been making Buck Showalter’s job more difficult in trying to figure out who is going to play second base.  In the weekend series against the Oakland Athletics, Quintanilla shined going 7-13, with his first homer and RBI for the Birds in today’s game. While he did make an error on an easy ground ball that appeared to be a double play ball, for the most part he’s played well in the field. His hitting has grabbed the attention of the fans who probably had no idea who he was before he came to Baltimore. It will be interesting to see what Buck Showalter does with him once Andino comes off the disabled list, considering he his bat has somewhat ignited an on-again, off-again lineup.

As for Roberts, the future looks dismal for the 34-year-old, who turns 35 in October. Will the Orioles save a spot for him on the roster next year? I suggest not. How can you rely on a guy that has proven in recent years that he can not stay healthy? I loved watching him play earlier in his career as he was the heart of soul of the Orioles lineup. He was arguably one of the best lead-off hitters and base-runners in baseball. However, the injury bug has bit him far too many times since 2010 and it is time to move forward.

The post Moving Forward At Second Base appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.

Cundiff was significantly worse this past season and it reminded fans as to why he’s played for 9 different teams in the league. While he had similar numbers in terms of touchbacks, his field goal percentage took a significant hit. In 2010, Cundiff converted on 26 of his 29 field goal attempts good for an 89.7%. In 2011, he converted on 28 of his 37 field goal attempts for a percentage of 75.7%. While he did make more field goals, he tripled the amount of field goals he missed from the previous year. He missed two short field goals against Cleveland and also converted only one of his six field goal attempts from beyond 50 yards. At times, I found myself begging for Matt Stover to come back because while he didn’t have the leg, he had the consistency that Cundiff appears to lack.

In order to appease the problem and light a fie under Cundiff, the  Ravens decided to bring in undrafted free agent kicker Justin Tucker. Out of 48 field goal attempts at the University of Texas, Tucker missed only eight of them. He has shown consistency throughout his college career, but will it translate to the pros? Will he win the job? Who knows. It all depends on if Cundiff is willing to take charge and grab a hold of it.

I’m honestly shocked Cundiff returned to the Ravens, football for that matter, after all of the hatred and humiliation directed his way after missing that kick. What people fail to see is that while he was inconsistent last year, the Ravens didn’t lose the AFC Championship because of him, it just looks that way because he was the last person to touch the ball. If anything, John Harbaugh has to take a brunt of the blame for leaving a timeout on the board as Cundiff rushed onto the field trying to beat the play clock.

While that is neither here nor there, I expect Cundiff to win the job. However, don’t expect Tucker to not either give him a run for his money, or if he performs well enough, earn a roster spot. With the kickoffs moving back to the 30 this year, it will also be interesting to see if Cundiff returns to 2010 form in terms of touchback numbers, but fans hope to see more consistency putting the ball through the uprights no matter the distance.

Follow me @HI_IM_JEEF on Twitter.

The post A Kicker Competition? appeared first on We Never Stop Talking Baltimore Sports.