I'm a O's fan but a realist

Hello,

Baseball season is in full swing and once again, the O's failed to sign anyone to bring mystique, intrigue, and fun to this team. It was evident in spring training when we went 11-18 and hit a paltry .229 as a team. Cabrera wasn't really a signing, that was a band aid.

As an O's fan, I've seen 3 Division Titles, 14 straight losing seasons, and 2 AL East Championships.

But I also see in the last 2 seasons, we have not really committed ourselves to thinking in the long-term. Whereas, I'm very happy this team didn't give up the farm, I'm also realizing that the talent we have in the farm system is not even CLOSE to major-league ready. Our drafts have been so poor in recent memory (Rowell, Hobgood, just to name a few) that we've tended to pick up washed up talent or players that just fizzle out in a few years. The MLB draft is very hard to pick great players by but still we have no developed talent.

I question the commitment myself as do the players.

As a fan, I want to be WOWED by the season's signings in the offseason saying: "Hey this just may be our year. This team made some big moves and... it just may be OUR YEAR"

Instead this year: I was not excited for opening day in Tampa Bay. I saw the same exact team from last year minus Markakis and Cruz. I saw nothing that made me excited.

The 6-2 win the team had on Opening Day was basically chump change because the team always seems to get a W on Opening Day, it's been a long time since this team lost on an opening day.

I'm very critical of Peter Angelos and his meddling ways. There was lots of great free agent talent out there we could've used to upgrade the team, instead, he commits nothing.

If you are going to have a consistent winning base and get the fans to return, YOU HAVE TO PUT A GOOD PRODUCT ON THE FIELD!!!! Fans pay good money for a good product to see teams win a championship. The team made over $100 million last year and we can't spend a dime!? Come on!

As a fan of the team, the goal is to buy the players, make the product better, and bring the fans back. The fans have been coming back but seeing this, the fans are going to start thinking twice about going to games because the O's don't have a long term commitment to many players.

Raising payroll doesn't mean you made a signing, it just means you spent money on the existing team. Hardy, Davis, and Jones had EVERY RIGHT to question the commitment of the franchise. They want to be a winning team.

As one who wants to work in radio. I'm told I am not critical enough. Well guess what, this was extreme criticism.

I'm very critical of the owner of the franchise who's only care in the world is to make money and not put a franchise out there for winning.

He reminds me of Hugh Culverhouse, who ran the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for several years and he was criticized for being a cheapskate. He blackballed Doug Williams, a quarterback who would win a Super Bowl with the Redskins, by giving him a $400,000 contract when he asked for $600,000. His idea of a good product was watching his team win just a meager 30% of their games while he owned the team with 14 consecutive LOSING SEASONS which included a 0-26 beginning. He believed that his business should be profitable and which it should but you also need to remind yourself that hey, the fans want to win, so I am committed to putting a great product on the field.

The O's have not done that since 2005 (When we spent over $150 million in free agents). We managed a playoff bid in '12 and '14 but seeing what I am seeing now, I'm not seeing a long-term commitment to winning.

This team could've signed some moves that brought an upgrade or two to this franchise and made sure the fans were happy.

Fans are not happy right now, I for one am NOT a happy fan because this team did not greenlight spending. We lost players left and right and made no moves.

So I say this:

If the O's are committed to winning... You go out there, you find the talent, you spend the money, you bring them here. When you bring the player here, it brings the mystique, intrigue, and hope of a great season. You want to park the fans in the seats and get them excited for a great season.

I don't see an AL East Championship. I see a 4th place finish.

Sorry, but that's being a realist and that's being critical. You wanted me to be critical. Guess what, I just was.

Were you there?

Hello,

On this Good Friday, we remember Jesus's death and his passion. We remember how he gave up his life to save ours and we pray for his church.

Yesterday, 147 members of a Christian church were murdered because they believed in Jesus. Murdered just because they believed in Jesus. Where have we gone wrong? What did we do that deserves our execution?

Christ was obedient to death and he gave up his life for our sins and transgressions.

And yet today, just saying you're a Christian earns you scorn, rebuke... Many things involving Easter or Christmas have been torn down because ACLU whines, complains, and gets their way... Yet... nothing is said about Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Jewish Holidays, and Muslim Holidays... Because according to the ACLU, they are not religions, they are more CULTURES.

Christianity isn't a culture? Oh, we're just a religion... We just believe the man who created this Earth and the galaxies among us.

You haven't really been hearing a lot of stories about the Christian Crusades... You've been hearing more about the Christian Cleansing from muslim-dominated nations by ISIL. ISIL has claimed the lives of more than 6.8 million Christians.

Sure Christians aren't perfect, but I never hear a word about us making a crusade against Muslim-dominated countries and Judaism. No way, we are attempting to coexist.

In the last 250 years, according to many sources, over 203 million Christians have been killed or executed for their beliefs. Why? What did we do.

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Take Pilate for example... He was trying to save Jesus from Capital Punishment but he had to give in what the chief priests wanted him to do.

However, his wife said: "HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS RIGHTEOUS MAN!"

He probably felt really bad that he even put him to death because he just didn't listen to that little voice in his head saying: "Hey, don't do it."

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Today, we mark the death of our Lord and Savior...

Let us mourn his death and be joyful of his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

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Thank you.