One or two of you may recognize part of this from something I wrote a long time ago. Almost 5 years later and with a few new tweaks:

Peter…Peter, Pocket Feeder, Profit Bleeder, Dirty Deeder

2011 like 13 years before

The theme is decidedly tragic

Gone are the days of the Oriole Way

Forgotten is Oriole Magic

It seems with this team there’s a singular theme

But the owner’s not solely to blame

This fire’s been burning for 20+ years

But now he’s the one fanning the flames

Not here to defend what I can’t comprehend

So I’ll stop short of calling him devil

I will say quite surely he’s run the team poorly

And taken losing to a whole ‘nother level

He sure had me snowed when he first bought the O’s

And finally brought players to town

He wasn’t a bad man, and spent like a madman

For Alomar, Raffy and Brown

In Gillick he got a pro to call shots

Or at least that’s the way that it seemed

But with Gillick in place and the O’s in the race

Pete decided that he’d run the team

The day it began is when Pete took a stand

And squashed the trade of Bobby Bo

When it didn’t go down the Birds turned it around

And Pete figured that he’d run the show

It seems since that day he has been in the way

And preventing the team from success

GMs and agents on numerous occasions

Won’t take our calls due to this mess

It seems that our slide also coincides

When the Ravens showed up on the spot

The great deal Pete had was suddenly bad

Compared to what Art Modell got

A team in DC brought on more “Woe is me”

And it seems he’s conceded defeat

And I just can’t explain my unthinkable pain

As I fear we may never compete

A sweet deal with MASN brings boatloads of cash in

And should give the O’s hope at winning

Instead what we’ve seen is the revenue stream

Go to Pete who’s collecting and grinning

He can leach from the Nats and let them but the bats

A concept too true to be funny

Let them grow the arms and let them stock the farms

While Pete collects risk free cash money

To him it’s just business to others a game

For some an unfortunate passion

Who’ve watched in dismay as the Oriole Way

Has been bashed in and smashed in and cashed in

So what’s left for us the unfortunate few

Who are stuck in our Orioles ruts?

Whose undying patience and mild expectations

Are met with punch after punch in the gut

What do we do if we still give a damn?

Too sick with the owner to be a good fan

Where do we turn for the help that we need

To combat this owner’s compulsion for greed?

What do we think as the door still revolves

On GMs and skippers and problems to solve?

While turnstiles go silent and seats go unsat

And the owner and his wallet are still getting fat

Do we simply concede that the Oriole Way

Of today isn’t what it was back in the day?

And that this IS the Oriole Way of today

Where fans get back nothing and owners get paid

As long as old Peter is running the show

He’ll press us and test us and drive us all whacko

Instead of just sticking to that which he knows

Law suits, asbestos and freaking tobacco!!!

Honorable Mention: WNBA-Los Angeles Sparks @ Washington Mystics (Tuesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Phoenix Mercury @ Washington Mystics (Sunday 4pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet/NBA TV); Soccer: MLS-Portland Timbers @ DC United (Saturday 7:30pm from RFK Stadium live on Comcast SportsNet); College Football: Towson Media Day (Wednesday 3:30pm Unitas Stadium); Canadian Football League: Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Friday 8pm from Winnipeg live on NFL Network)

10. Silopanna feat. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Matt And Kim, Fitz And The Tantrums, Jimmie’s Chicken Shack (Saturday 11:30am Anne Arundel County Fairgrounds); John Prine (Saturday 6:30pm Pier Six Pavilion); Train & Maroon 5 feat. Gavin DeGraw (Wednesday 5:30pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); Jimmy Buffett & The Corral Reefer Band (Saturday 8pm Jiffy Lube Live), Journey feat. Foreigner & Night Ranger (Sunday 7pm Jiffy Lube Live); The Temptations/The Four Tops (Thursday 8pm Wolf Trap), Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers (Sunday 8pm Wolf Trap), Doobie Brothers (Monday 8pm Wolf Trap); Buckethead (Tuesday 7pm Rams Head Live); Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Tuesday 8pm Rams Head On Stage); Chuck Brown (Saturday 9pm 9:30 Club); “Our Idiot Brother” out in theaters (Friday)

Cised for Silopanna. If you’re not in on Fitz & The Tantrums, you’re making a HUGE mistake. I’m not surprised knowing you…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doe1KdaywKg[/youtube]

Trombone Shorty opened for Dave Matthews last fall when I saw him in Charlottesville. I’m the idiot for waiting this long to see him again…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWYA5OzK9xE[/youtube]

Sharon Jones is outstanding. That’s about all I have to say here.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ouI5KcyHfE[/youtube]

If you’re from Maryland and don’t love Jimmie’s Chicken Shack, you should probably just move already…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JobkYSL1W_o[/youtube]

9. Maryland State Fair (Friday-Monday Timonium Fairgrounds); Maryland Renaissance Festival (Saturday & Sunday RennFest Fairgrounds Annapolis); Cirque du Soleil Quidam (Wednesday-Sunday 1st Mariner Arena)

Good God I LOVE the State Fair. Not kidding. I honestly LOVE the State Fair. In fact, I will go over there with ANYONE and bet on Pig Races if you’re interested. Pig Races are awesome…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHKZRhFLpkY[/youtube]

And the RennFest? I mean, is there anything…in the world…greater than ax throwing?

The shirtless guy behind me? Coolest MF-er on the face of the planet.

Honorable Mention: Pro Wrestling-MCW Shane Shamrock Cup (Saturday 7pm New Green Room Dundalk); WNBA: San Antonio Silver Stars @ Washington Mystics (Tuesday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet), Indiana Fever @ Washington Mystics (Friday 7pm from Verizon Center live on Comcast SportsNet & NBA TV); Pro Lacrosse: MLL Hamilton Nationals @ Chesapeake Bayhawks (Saturday 7pm from Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium live on ESPN3.com); Arena Football: AFL Playoffs-Orlando Predators @ Jacksonville Sharks (Friday 8pm from Jacksonville live on NFL Network); Canadian Football League: British Columbia Lions @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Thursday 8pm from Winnipeg live on NFL Network), Calgary Stampeders @ Saskatchewan Roughriders (Saturday 9:30pm from Saskatchewan live on NFL Network); Boxing: Friday Night Fights-Victor Cayo vs. Anthony Peterson (Friday 9pm from Las Vegas live on ESPN2)

10. Emmylou Harris (Tuesday 6pm Pier Six Pavilion); Vans Warped Tour feat. Less Than Jake, Gym Class Heroes (Tuesday 12pm Merriweather Post Pavilion), Black Eyed Peas (Saturday 6pm Merriweather Post Pavilion); 311 & Sublime with Rome (Friday 6:30pm Jiffy Lube Live), Mayhem Festival feat. Godsmack/Disturbed/Megadeth (Saturday 2:15pm Jiffy Lube Live); Goo Goo Dolls/Michelle Branch (Tuesday 7pm Wolf Trap), Lynyrd Skynyrd (Wednesday 8pm Wolf Trap); Kottonmouth Kings (Thursday 7pm Rams Head Live); Marc Broussard (Thursday 7:30pm Rams Head On Stage); Reel Big Fish (Sunday 6:30pm 9:30 Club), Bon Iver (Monday 7pm 9:30 Club); Josh Groban (Wednesday 7:30pm Verizon Center), Keith Urban (Thursday 7:30pm Verizon Center), Britney Spears (Sunday 7pm Verizon Center); Congressional Blues Festival feat. Kenny Wayne Shepherd (Wednesday 6:30pm National Building Museum DC); Outlaw Jam feat. Motley Crue, Poison, Brian Setzer (Saturday & Sunday Frederick Fairgrounds)

I hate driving to Bristow, Virginia for ANYTHING…but I really dig 311. I might be in…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHXCyc279Cc[/youtube]

The Good Goo Dolls may have fallen off a bit, but there was a time when they were pretty damn good…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP4qdefD2To&ob=av2e[/youtube]

You can make fun of me all you want, but I’m ALL IN on Keith Urban. Honestly. It’s just a shame he can’t bring John Mayer along with him for “Sweet Thing”…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiY9knTNnDg[/youtube]

I’m not sure how Brian Setzer fits in out in Fredrock at a festival that also features Poison & Motley Crue, but he’s definitely awesome…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_MMbiyVLRk[/youtube]

9. Otakon 2011 (Friday-Sunday Baltimore Convention Center); “Shark Week” begins (Sunday 9pm Discovery Channel)

What do these things have to do with each other?

Actually I’m not really sure but I think there’s a good “parents’ basement” joke in there somewhere.

I’ll probably pass on Otakon again this year, but I’ll at least be willing to admit that there might be more here than initially meets the eye…

(Edit from GMC: Seriously. You go to a bar. You meet a gal. She’s attractive and engaging. You find out THIS is what she’s into. What do you do next? Your move.)

I bite my tongue a lot when it comes to the Orioles. Go back and read the last two or three years’ worth of material I’ve produced when it comes to Peter Angelos and you’ll see that while the losing hasn’t subsided one iota in the standings, my bile, venom and anger have dissipated publicly for lots of reasons. Here are a few:

1.    I’m older and a tad more mellow and I openly realize that while Angelos is one day closer to not owning the team any longer, I’m also one day closer to death. I sincerely hope I outlive him and the losing but as the tragic death of WNST’s No. 1 fan Fergy Commodari taught me last week, life is short so I focus on things I can control.
2.    I’m so insanely busy building WNST.net and all of our web platforms and initiatives that writing blogs every night about why the Orioles suck just isn’t a quality use of my time, energy or ambition.
3.    It’s hard to justify writing these “anti-Angelos” blogs when I have no energy to write about it and you really have no energy to read it.

But, that said, it’s during times like these when the football team has essentially suspended all operations and I see our web traffic get the annual June and July “Bird Flu” due to your complete lack of interest in the Baltimore Orioles that I get truly sickened enough to write a missive.

So, while I’d love to hold a 5-year reunion for Free The Birds and do something righteously fun and charitable to continue our protest of the ownership reign of terror that Peter Angelos has profited from to the tune of a half a BILLION dollars, I realize it would be me, Drew and 14 drunks because no one in Baltimore gives a rat’s ass about the Orioles.

And no one seems to care that the Orioles are ripping off the community with this sham of a product and the likes of CBS and WBAL and WJZ and PressBox and 98 Rock and The Baltimore Sun are all on the take for advertising money and won’t be telling you “the truth” about the Orioles.

And, yes, I know it’s hard to believe it’s been FIVE FREAKING YEARS since Free The Birds but it has been. And nothing – other than the more than 500 nights you’ve probably given them in your living rooms over the past 58 months and perhaps the grey in your hairline – has changed with the real structure and reasons about why the team sucks and why Baltimore will never have a winner with Angelos running the franchise.

Tonight’s blog won’t be a traditional lengthy missive regarding every transgression since 1994 – or 1997, when they played the last real meaningful inning of baseball in Baltimore – but instead just a few key “reminders” about why the Orioles continually suck.

But, my experience has taught me that you can’t handle “the truth” about the Baltimore Orioles, circa 2011.

The first point is pretty elementary and begins and ends the entire debate – the Orioles are not really interested in winning and deep down you know it.

Sure, they’d like to win with a half-assed payroll full of young prospects and washed up, last-to-sign one-year contract guys who no one else in Major League Baseball is offering a two-year deal to during Super Bowl week. Winning would be nice but it’s very unnecessary when you’re making $50 million in profit and risking none of your guaranteed future revenue to make that kind of loot.

The Orioles would like to win but they don’t need to win.

And, really, from an accounting standpoint – and with guys like Angelos and MacPhail, the descendents of The Lords of The Realm running the Orioles – it’s not at ALL an incentive to even try to win when MASN spins off more than $100 million in annual revenue for yelling “Play Ball” no matter what collection of miscreants, castoffs and bums they field between the lines.

The Orioles don’t spend money. They don’t buy the best players. They accept no accountability at all for last place every year. They ban and restrict and punish media members and intimidate everyone else who doesn’t fall in line like the Third Reich. I’m in my fifth year of banishment from having a press pass so I’m in the unique position of being able to tell the truth.

Here’s the truth: the Orioles make more money losing than they’d EVER make trying to win. That’s the deal Selig and the other owners cut with him, same as when they gave franchises like the Pirates and Royals welfare checks (they call it “revenue sharing”) that somehow never got invested back into talent on the field.

Angelos has just found a more creative way to get it done – he’s passing the bill directly to you through your cable bill every month and you suckers are getting fleeced for it and no one says ANYTHING about it.

And these are the same people who wonder why the team blows every year?

Duh…is it really all that hard to do the math on this and figure out that these are business owners, not people who are interested in bringing a parade to their hometowns?

Angelos couldn’t care less about a World Series trophy. He’s making $50 million a year in profit on the team and has grown his investment by 500% in 16 years. And he’s done giving Palmeiro and Sosa and Belle and Segui and their ilk money. And no legitimate A-list player will take his “Confederate money” (thank you, Syd Thrift for that priceless gem from up above!) so the notion that the Orioles could’ve acquired Adrian Gonzalez last year or might acquire Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols this year is just “Rex Barney call-in fodder.”

I insult your intelligence to even bring it up as a possibility. I pander to the lowest common denominator and the dumbest fan if I bring this up with a straight face.

The team has been in last place for a decade, hasn’t played a meaningful game since 1997 and they’ve chased TWO MILLION PEOPLE from downtown Baltimore every summer night.

At this point, Angelos has no pride at all in this franchise and what it’s become. I’m not sure at what point you “caught on” and stopped going to games

The last time the Orioles had a winning season, as we all know, was 1997. I was seven years old at the time, yet I remember following the Orioles religiously. I would watch the games every night, and then wake up the next morning to scan the boxscore and standings in the Baltimore Sun.

For whatever reason, when I think of that ’97 team, I don’t think of Rafael Palmeiro, Robbie Alomar, Mike Mussina, Scott Erickson, or Cal Ripken. I think of Davey Johnson.

That image has been reinforced over the years as I have gotten so into baseball, numbers, and particularly the managerial aspect of the game. Baseball managers fascinate me. Managers that push buttons and manage “by the book” infuriate me. I notice how some managers do not have the personality to manage a group of men with 25 different goals, personalities, and egos. Some managers get burned out after a few years, while some manage in one place for a decade.

As an Orioles fan, I have witnessed the rotating door at manager over the past 14 seasons. They tried to pitching coach route with Ray Miller. Then the experienced winner in Mike Hargrove came and failed. The ex-Yankee player and coach in Lee Mazzilli. The longtime Orioles coach in Sam Perlozzo. The minor league manager who had paid his dues in Dave Trembley. Now, Buck Showalter, the control-freak who specializes in reviving clubs just enough so the next manager can take over and win a championship, is at the helm in Baltimore, and the reviews have been mixed.

The reviews weren’t mixed with Davey Johnson. This guy got it. Davey was a proven winner before he came to Baltimore in 1996, and he left with an even more impressive resume. Including his most recent series with Washington, Davey Johnson is 1148 and 891 in his managerial career. He has finished below second place in just three out of his fourteen seasons as manager.

Davey was an excellent bullpen manager. He thought outside the box. He knew the right buttons to push and when to push them. He handled the veteran personalities on the 1996 and 1997 teams with ease. Again, this guy gets it.

As an Orioles fan, I desperately wanted Davey Johnson to come back to Baltimore as manager over the years, whether it was in 2004, 2005, 2007, and even last season. The common theme around town was that the game had passed Davey by. Turn on talk radio or browse message boards and fans were convinced that Davey Johnson would never manage in the big leagues again. Why would he come back to any team, much less the Orioles?

Personally, I always believed he would have come back to Baltimore if offered the job. While Davey was retired, he clearly kept himself busy and around the game. He was bench coach for the USA in the World Baseball Classic in 2006, and then managed them in 2009. He managed the Netherlands in 2003. He has been involved with the Nationals organization as a special assistant. He even managed in a wooden bat collegiate summer league during his “retirement.”

I’ll be the first to admit that for the most part, I have enjoyed interleague play since its inception in 1997. As a fan, I have been able to watch the Orioles play teams that I would have never gotten a chance to see under normal circumstances.

For example, Albert Pujols is coming to Camden Yards next week. A few years before Sammy Sosa arrived in Baltimore, the Orioles made the trip to Wrigley, which was pretty neat. I remember when the Birds traveled to Chavez Ravine when Eric Gagne was the star of the Dodgers. That too was pretty cool to experience as a fan.

That being said, I think the biggest reason why I enjoyed interleague play so much growing up was because it was a novelty. It was different. I enjoyed seeing the different teams with the different players wearing different uniforms. It was funny watching Daniel Cabrera and Jason Johnson attempt to swing a baseball bat. It was equally as comical watching American League managers attempt to adhere to the National League rules and strategies.

The Orioles playing National League teams, especially in National League parks, was unique. It was fun. Our society gets bored very easily. Interleague play spiced things up because it wasn’t the same old teams playing in the same old stadiums.

I feel baseball is at a point now where the concept of interleague play needs to be examined once again. No longer is interleague play a huge hit at the ticket window. Fans have been taking in interleague play every season since 1997. What once was uncommon is now common. Matchups that once were different and fun are becoming standard and boring.

At this point in 2011, interleague play is just not necessary. It also isn’t fair.

When American League teams travel to National League parks, they lose their DH. Boston is forced to either sit David Ortiz or put him at first, leaving him at risk and severely hurting the entire defense. We saw first-hand Friday night how the Orioles lost their cleanup hitter save for a 6th inning pinch-hit appearance. On top of that, the overwhelming majority of American League pitchers are helpless with a bat in their hands. So often in interleague games, the American League team will rally, only to have the number eight hitter come up and get intentionally walked while the lame duck pitcher goes on to strike out to end an inning.

**Join us in the Orange Crush live chat at 7:00 as the Orioles welcome the Washington Nationals to town in the first interleague series of the year.**

BALTIMORE — With the New York Yankees thankfully back in the Bronx after sweeping Baltimore in a two-game series, the Orioles welcome the Washington Nationals to town to open interleague play for 2011.

The Orioles (19-23) took the season series last year, 4-2, after going 3-0 in Baltimore and losing two of three at Nationals Park in D.C. Baltimore holds a 16-14 all-time edge over Washington in the annual interleague matchups.

Jake Arrieta will try to halt the Orioles’ three-game slide when he takes the hill against Washington’s Jason Marquis. The 25-year-old will be making his second career start against the Nationals after surrendering five earned runs over 4 1/3 innings in a game the Orioles eventually won with seven unanswered runs scored from the fifth inning on in a 7-6 victory.

The 32-year-old Marquis made his only start against Baltimore as a member of the Chicago Cubs. He allowed seven runs and seven hits in four innings of work at Wrigley Field in an Orioles win in 2008. Marquis has pitched two other times in relief against the Orioles, holding a career 11.57 earned run average in seven career innings.

After using Chris Jakubauskas and Troy Patton to rest a tired bullpen on Thursday night, the Orioles have optioned both to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled second baseman Ryan Adams and outfielder Nolan Reimold. Adams will make his major league debut tonight and was hitting .303 with two home runs and eight runs batted in for the Tides.

Of course, Reimold is a familiar face to Orioles fans after a promising start to his big league career in 2009 before dealing with a heel injury. Last year was a disaster to say the least, as Reimold hit .207 in 116 at-bats and was demoted in May. He returned to Baltimore as a September call-up, hitting .212 in his 33 at-bats. Reimold is not in Friday’s lineup, but will start in left field on Saturday, according to Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

In other news, Brian Matusz is still slated to make his second rehab start on Saturday, this time for Double-A Bowie.

Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

Washington
CF Roger Bernadina
SS Ian Desmond
LF Laynce Nix
RF Jayson Werth
DH Matt Stairs
1B Adam LaRoche
C Wilson Ramos
2B Danny Espinosa
3B Jerry Hairston Jr.

SP Jason Marquis (5-1, 3.54 ERA)

Baltimore
LF Felix Pie
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
DH Vladimir Guerrero
C Matt Wieters
1B Luke Scott
SS J.J. Hardy
3B Mark Reynolds
2B Ryan Adams

SP Jake Arrieta (5-1, 4.03 ERA)

As we do for every weeknight home game, join us in the Orange Crush live chat beginning at 7:00. Talk about the game with us as an array of WNST.net personalities visit the cyber sports bar throughout the evening! Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) for the latest updates and analysis regarding the happenings from Oriole Park at Camden Yards!

**Join us in the Orange Crush live chat at 7:00 as the Orioles welcome the Washington Nationals to town in the first interleague series of the year.**

BALTIMORE — With the New York Yankees thankfully back in the Bronx after sweeping Baltimore in a two-game series, the Orioles welcome the Washington Nationals to town to open interleague play for 2011.

The Orioles (19-23) took the season series last year, 4-2, after going 3-0 in Baltimore and losing two of three at Nationals Park in D.C. Baltimore holds a 16-14 all-time edge over Washington in the annual interleague matchups.

Jake Arrieta will try to halt the Orioles’ three-game slide when he takes the hill against Washington’s Jason Marquis. The 25-year-old will be making his second career start against the Nationals after surrendering five earned runs over 4 1/3 innings in a game the Orioles eventually won with seven unanswered runs scored from the fifth inning on in a 7-6 victory.

The 32-year-old Marquis made his only start against Baltimore as a member of the Chicago Cubs. He allowed seven runs and seven hits in four innings of work at Wrigley Field in an Orioles win in 2008. Marquis has pitched two other times in relief against the Orioles, holding a career 11.57 earned run average in seven career innings.

After using Chris Jakubauskas and Troy Patton to rest a tired bullpen on Thursday night, the Orioles have optioned both to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled second baseman Ryan Adams and outfielder Nolan Reimold. Adams will make his major league debut tonight and was hitting .303 with two home runs and eight runs batted in for the Tides.

Of course, Reimold is a familiar face to Orioles fans after a promising start to his big league career in 2009 before dealing with a heel injury. Last year was a disaster to say the least, as Reimold hit .207 in 116 at-bats and was demoted in May. He returned to Baltimore as a September call-up, hitting .212 in his 33 at-bats. Reimold is not in Friday’s lineup, but will start in left field on Saturday, according to Orioles manager Buck Showalter.

In other news, Brian Matusz is still slated to make his second rehab start on Saturday, this time for Double-A Bowie.

Here are tonight’s starting lineups:

Washington
CF Roger Bernadina
SS Ian Desmond
LF Laynce Nix
RF Jayson Werth
DH Matt Stairs
1B Adam LaRoche
C Wilson Ramos
2B Danny Espinosa
3B Jerry Hairston Jr.

SP Jason Marquis (5-1, 3.54 ERA)

Baltimore
LF Felix Pie
CF Adam Jones
RF Nick Markakis
DH Vladimir Guerrero
C Matt Wieters
1B Luke Scott
SS J.J. Hardy
3B Mark Reynolds
2B Ryan Adams

SP Jake Arrieta (5-1, 4.03 ERA)

As we do for every weeknight home game, join us in the Orange Crush live chat beginning at 7:00. Talk about the game with us as an array of WNST.net personalities visit the cyber sports bar throughout the evening! Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@WNST) for the latest updates and analysis regarding the happenings from Oriole Park at Camden Yards!

President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail reiterated his desire at FanFest Saturday to add a veteran starter to the rotation mix with spring training just two weeks away.

Just over 24 hours later, the Orioles appear to have found their man, agreeing to a one-year major league contract with veteran right-hander Justin Duchscherer — with all of 32 career starts — late Sunday night, according to multiple media outlets.

The 33-year-old has a 33-25 career record in eight seasons with the Athletics and Rangers, spending most of his career as a reliever while making two All-Star teams (2005 and 2008). However, Duchscherer has battled health problems the last two seasons, pitching just 28 innings last season before undergoing hip surgery and missing the 2009 campaign with shoulder and back issues as well as a bout with clinical depression.

His best season came in 2008 when he went 10-8 with a 2.54 ERA in 22 starts for Oakland.

Duchscherer threw in a workout for the Orioles on Friday and had reportedly narrowed his options to the Nationals and Baltimore before agreeing on the one-year deal. Given his health issues in recent seasons, any deal with the veteran was expected to be laced with incentives.

He will now be thrown into the rotation competition that includes Jake Arrieta, Brad Bergesen, Chris Tillman, Zach Britton, and Rick VandenHurk. Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Matusz figure to have the top spots nailed down with Bergesen and Arrieta heavily favored to secure places as well.

With Duchscherer agreeing to a major league contract and voicing his preference to start prior to working out for the Orioles, a healthy spring would likely push him into the rotation. Tillman would then head to Norfolk with Britton and possibly VandenHurk, both of whom were considered dark horses to make the rotation out of spring training.

It’s been 51 months now since the initial “Free The Birds” campaign that we launched at WNST.net in “Year Nine of The Black Cat” and motivated more than 2,000 other brave souls who said “enough is enough” to Peter Angelos and the losing and nasty ways of the Baltimore Orioles.

The holiday results are in yet again for another sad orange offseason and I’m feeling pretty confident — as is Las Vegas — that the Baltimore Orioles will not be a playoff team in 2011.

And the real reason the team won’t win this year is the same as last year and the year before that: they won’t (or can’t) spend all of the millions of dollars they have managed to extract from this community via their incredibly wealthy and lean “regional sports network” called MASN.

We’re talking about hundreds of millions of dollars in direct profit that was allegedly to be spent on improving the baseball team for the community to enjoy. But instead of the $150 million payrolls that were promised to “compete with the likes of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox,” that previously earmarked U.S. money donated by Middle Atlantic cable subscribers is in the pockets of Peter G. Angelos. Along with about $20 million more each year since Andy MacPhail took over in 2007 and slashed the payroll, bought off the local media and preached “young” to the fans while winking “cheap” at the owner that he just made a cool, clean profit for and shared in the financial windfall.

And like any other billionaire businessman without a soul for the pride of his own company and what it represents in the community, all of a sudden it’s very hard for any of them to part with “guaranteed money in the bank.” Especially when there’s no financial upside to giving the likes of Carl Crawford or Adrian Beltre or Cliff Lee tens of millions of guaranteed money when winning is so far from being a reality in the AL East that even the once-prideful Angelos has clearly quit on trying to win for the fans of the Baltimore Orioles.

Adam LaRoche or Derrek Lee? This is what it’s come down to for the Orioles as Santa brings goodies and toys and playoff-caliber baseball elsewhere to even the likes of Milwaukee.

If you’re trying to be a .500 team signing the “leftovers” and “growing the arms” might be a strategy. But, really, is the bar a World Series title for Baltimore or is the bar set at being in third place and making $50 million in profit?

The Orioles are so grossly pathetic at this point that no credentialed Major League Baseball player with any other option this side of Pittsburgh will elect to come and play here. And the remaining few lost souls in the fan base are so desperate for any morsel of progress that they’ve even given Buck Showalter a hall pass for lying