With the usual apologies to former Baltimore Sun Columnist John Eisenberg, here is another submission of my version of ‘Fact & Opinion.’

Fact:
The Baltimore Orioles have fallen to 10 games under 500 at 25-35.

Opinion:
The current 25 man roster is the most talented team the O’s have had since 1997. There are 102 games left in the 2009 season, including 46 games against the American League East. Baltimore will finish with 73-76 wins….

Fact:
Matt Wieters has started his Oriole career 8 for 35 – a .229 average. He has yet to homer, or have an rbi.

Opinion:
I’m sticking with my previously stated opinion that Wieters ends 2009 with the following numbers:
300 batting avg, 15 homers, 57 rbi, 850 OPS, 53 walks, 65 k’s, 19 doubles, 100 games, 395 at-bats.

Fact:
Nolan Reimold has an .867 OPS, with 7 homers in his first 85 Major League at-bats.

Opinion:
Reimold can go out of any park at any-time. The most impressive recent at-bat for him, was his line-drive to right Tuesday night to knock in a run.

Fact:
David Hernandez was sent back to AAA Norfolk yesterday, as the O’s activated Uehara.

Opinion:
If the O’s were looking to convert Hernandez into a reliever in the near-term, he would have stayed with the Orioles. The O’s sending Hernandez back to AAA is a sign they want to continue to look at him as a starter. I think you can now pencil Hernandez into the Opening Day 2010 rotation, and believe he will have the first two months of 2010 to make his case a starter.

Fact:
Troy Patton and Jake Arrieta were promoted to AAA Norfolk.

Opinion:
You can argue that Norfolk now has a more attractive rotation vs Baltimore. Tillman, Patton, Arrieta, Hernandez vs Guthrie, Uehara, Hill, Bergesen, Berken.

Fact:
Since being sent to Norfolk, Chris Ray is 0-1, with a 2.35 era and 1 save. In 7.2 innings, he has allowed 4 hits, 4 bb’s, and 9 k’s.

Opinion:
Sherrill can close in the Major Leagues, but once recalled, Ray should get another opportunity. I believe Sherrill is better suited as a lefty-specialist or set-up… and if Sherrill is in that roll, there is no need to carry Hendrickson. Sherrill teams with Castillo to give the pen two lefty relievers, and from the right-side you have Ray, Johnson, Albers, Baez, and Bass.

Fact:
MLB Network has reported the O’s are considering moving Guthrie, and would for the right price.

Opinion: Guthrie could help a lot of teams, as a solid 3, or maybe even a 2. Cheap contract under organizational control for several more years, will be attractive to plenty of teams – even with Guthrie’s recent inconsistency. Beyond Guthrie, contenders will also have interest in Baez, Sherrill, Huff, and Scott. I think the O’s listen to offers on each, and quite possibly move Baez and Sherrill. I think it is unlikely that Huff, Scott, and Guthrie are traded.

Fact:
WNST 1570 Producer Glenn Clark recently named Tampa Rays SS Jason Bartlett as one of the best 8 hitters in baseball

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Opinion:
Before heading to the DL May 26th with a sprained ankle, Bartlett was having an outstanding season: 373 batting avg, 7 homers, 30 rbi, 14 steals, and a 1.014 OPS.
Bartlett turns 30 in October… in 1,694 Major League at-bats, he has a lifetime OPS of .729. He is no where close to being one of the best 8 hitters in baseball, he is/was just having a great-year. The truth is there are numerous players in the Tampa lineup alone of far higher quality. There is not a GM in the game that would take Bartlett over Longoria, Crawford, Upton, or Pena. Frankly, if Iwamura was healthy, you could argue Tampa has at-least 8 bats better than Bartlett. (Burrell, Zobrist)

Fact:
The deadline to withdrawal from the NBA Draft is June 15th.

Opinion:
I have said for months that I believe Vasquez will be back in College Park for his Senior season. If he was set on becoming a professional regardless (ie Europe), he would have hired an agent immediately. He did not, and he stayed in-school. You only do that if the intent is NBA or nothing. I am sure he would love to leave now, but it has never made sense to come-out now when he is not likely to obtain a guaranteed 1st-round contract. My guess on the reason he is still visiting teams, is that he continues to seek-feedback on what will be necessary for him to improve on…. And also remains hopeful that 1 team will tell him he is their guy. I will be very surprised if by Sunday night it has not been announced he is returning.

Fact:
Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog.com reported this week that Florida was out of the running for Stephenson, that MD might be the leader, and again confirmed with Stephenson that Europe is not an option being considered. Zagoria also again confirmed with Stephenson that he wants the court case that resumes June 29th, behind him before committing to college.

Opinion:
I really think this has been less of circus than it has been made out to be. He wanted to go to Kansas, that was his preferred choice. When Henry left Memphis for Kansas, that left Stephenson having to reevaluate his options. He eliminated St Johns, but has said repeatedly that MD was an option. Not shocking considering his visit to CP, the familiarity with Padgett, the relative proximity to NY, and the fact that MD has stayed after him. With FL now being a non-option… Arizona unlikely (which he still has not visited), and Memphis being up in the air…. The odds say he winds up being a Terp.


1 Vasquez, Bowie
2 Mosley, Hayes
3 Stephenson, Tucker, Kim
4 Milbourne, Gregory, Padgett
5 Williams, Goins, Burney

Final 4 Caliber.

Fact:
2010 recruits Mychal Parker, and Baltimore’s Roscoe Smith are expected to be in College Park this weekend for Maryland’s Elite Basketball Camp.

Opinion:
Both are tremendous talents that would greatly add to the current verbals of Stoglin, and Ross. Parker seems more likely of the two to commit, as Smith has been seen as unlikely for months.

Fact:
College Football News says 6 wins should be the absolute minimum for MD, and 8 is within reach if everything goes right.
http://cfn.scout.com/2/859850.html

Opinion:
Everything does not have to go right for MD to win 8 games.
In out of conference play, MD figures to lose at California, and beat James Madison, Middle Tennessee, and Rutgers at home.
In conference play, I expect MD to beat Clemson, BC, UVA at home… and Wake, and Duke on the road. I expect the Terps will lose @ NCST, @ FSU, and against VaTech at home.
That will have MD at 8-4 overall, and 5-3 in conference play.
If everything goes right, ie the offensive line is semi-productive, the defensive line gets more of a consistent pass rush, and Turner elevates his game; 9 and even 10 wins are possible.

Fact:
New York Jets’ Head Coach Rex Ryan has received National attention for a number of recent comments.

Opinion:
If the Jets win games, the NY Media and the fan-base will make Ryan a King; if they are mediocre, the media is going to eat him alive for his off the cuff comments.
With the constant 24 hour news cycle, every coach in every city faces scrutiny, but the fishbowl is even more intense in New York. My guess on part of the reason that Ryan did not get the Head Coaching position in Baltimore, is that Ravens Owner Steve Biscotti deemed Ryan a liability behind the microphone. I expect that will continue to be exposed in New York.
Ryan was a good Defensive Coordinator, that had a scheme that allowed for a lot of offensive confusion, and un-blocked hits. Ryan deserves credit for that. I personally believe he was vastly over-rated though.
He was named the Ravens Defensive Coordinator prior to the 2005 season. During the 2005-8 seasons, his defense included players like Hall of Famers Lewis and Reed…. All-Pro talent like Cmac, Suggs, Ngata (know he has not yet been named as such), and Pryce… solid players such as Scott, Gregg, Johnson and Rolle.
Regularly finishing in the Top 5 in defense is an accomplishment, but also expected with that assortment of talent.

Fact:
Former Jacksonville WR Matt Jones had 65 receptions for 771 yards in 2008, and was suspended for the last 3 games for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. On March 9th, 2009 Jones was arrested again after a drug test revealed he had alcohol in his system, which violated his probation. On March 14th, 2009 he was released by the Jaguars.

Opinion:
He is 6’6 220 lbs, and could bring another dimension to the Ravens receiving core. Jones obviously has his troubles, but that is part of the reason why he could be attractive. Because of the drugs, nobody is going to offer significant dollars or years to Jones. If you could sign him for one year, and get him trying to improve his reputation; you could stand to get a lot of production for minimal investment.

Chris Stoner
Chris Stoner

Owner

Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.

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