Base Hits: 4/20/2007

Leonard Shapiro has an article on WNST and the Orioles brass denying Nestor Aparicio press credentials.

I've made it pretty clear that I think Nestor's late-season walkout last year was pretty pointless and accomplished little more than garnering WNST some publicity. I never heard Nestor's radio show but his blog posts are rambling and sometimes incoherent and always self-promoting. He's a P.T. Barnum for sports radio and he's a clown in his own circus.

But he is a journalist. And the Baltimore Orioles denying him press credentials cannot be defended.



Over at The Hardball Times, John Brattain takes a look at his Blue Jays on the day they start their three game series in Baltimore and says "Don't Panic!" Strangely, he mentions the Yankees and Red Sox as Toronto's competition and neglects to mention the hottest team in the AL. Who could that be? Hmmmm....



I did a "Where are they now?" post about the 2000 Baltimore Orioles draftees and wasn't sure exactly what happened to top pick Beau Hale. The Baltimore Examiner goes into greater detail about the current Baysox pitcher.



Keith Law from ESPN rarely has anything nice to say about the Orioles and he continues his trend in yesterday's chat session:

Syracuse, NY: Can the Orioles remain in contention this season or is their success so far just a premonition?

Keith Law: I don't think they have the offense, and although their pen has performed well, I don't think that will hold up across the board.

Although I don't agree with the assessment of the offense, they certainly haven't done enough to instill confidence that they will deliver on their promise. But the bullpen? The only thing you can say is that they won't keep it up because up until now they have exceeded expectations. So why won't they keep it up Keith? Knee-jerk reaction perhaps? Nice analysis.

Matt (Springfield, MO): Is Loewen going to get his "stuff" together? Is he any good?

Keith Law: His stuff is only OK, and his control has never been good. I think that the "real" Adam Loewen was left on the operating table when he tore his labrum in '04.

Wow, how cheery. How do we know he left his "stuff" on the operating table? Reduced velocity? Law never explains. Loewen struck out nearly 8 per 9 last year and his control has been average for a young power pitcher. Scott Kazmir walked more than 5 per 9 over his first 39 major league starts and he is regarded as one of the bright young stars in the AL. Soon, Adam Loewen will be too.