From an angry O's fan: Dear Dan...

Dear Dan Duquette,

I've been an Orioles fan since birth and have just about had it with you NOT signing anyone in the offseason and IMPROVING the team. I saw other teams spend big money to sign talent and improve their teams. We again, stood pat at free agency, and signed a shortstop who's doing nothing but committing errors and hitting into double plays. I, as a fan, demand an explanation as to WHY you are not signing anyone.

Our talent in the minor leagues is nowhere near ready. Hunter Harvey is still probably a good 2 to 3 years away, Bundy is showing some signs of regression, our hitters are pretty lackluster at best... Do we have ANY developing and ready made rookies to bring up to the minor leagues? The answer to that is NO.

Did the Blue Jays President and CEO title distract you this season from signing anyone? I think it did. All these free agents and international talent could've been signed. Yasmany Tomas and Rusney Castillo are still in their respective minor league systems with NO PLACE TO PUT THEM.... You could've signed them! YOU HAD MONEY...

I am really glad that the Oriole players are questioning the commitment to winning. Yes we were close to getting to the World Series last year but ran into a very good KC team who outplayed us with their D and hitting... But in order to get to that next stage... You have to make IMPROVEMENTS TO THE TEAM. I don't see Everth Cabrera as an upgrade... I see him as a serious downgrade.

Loads of money to spend and not a dime was spent. I believe the fans are going to start questioning our commitment to winning if nothing is done in the offseason... You can take that to the bank... I'm a very upset fan and tired of seeing the same thing in the offseason: NOTHING DONE...

Personally, I believe it's time to send some players to contenders and start growing our minor league system more with better talent. Start gutting the team and having a fire sale.

RAISING PAYROLL does not mean you improved the team, that just means you are paying more money to players.

Letting Markakis and Cruz go was the worst idea ever. Markakis is still mashing the ball and Cruz has 15 homeruns already. Boy did we lose defense, power, and LEADERSHIP. Markakis is a very quiet leader... Jones is too cocky as a leader...

I want to see some changes next offseason... a lot of changes...

The sermon about glue

A sermon on Glue:

GLUE: A hard, impure, protein gelatin that is an adhesive or bonding agent.

Useful for pretty much everything.

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Why are we talking about glue? Because glue is a bond... a bond that is tight... a tightness keeps it together. Sure glue will wear off and make things fall apart if not properly sealed but you can easily fix that.

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Thursday was a night that put a lot of things in perspective for me and why it is time to fix fences and make them stronger than ever.

Thursday was a wake-up call that sounded an alarm to me. It also made me realize that I was harming myself as well in more ways than ever.

Thursday was a divine example of why animosity must stop and why family is more important than ever in this time of worry and fear.

Thursday was a time for me to be that bond that held things together and I mercifully succeeded.

Saturday was a day of healing and atonement for past failures and mistakes.

Saturday was a day to end the past.

Saturday was a day to end the war.

Saturday was a day to normalize things and guess what. I did just that.

Family is the most important thing on this planet and no one is perfect. But someone in the family has got to rise up and say: I'm taking matters into my own hands and being the bigger person. I can honestly say, I've become the glue.

Glue is a bond that hold things together. An model of something can be broken but fixed with something. A broken chair can be fixed with glue. But I realized more and more that I was becoming that.

I also realized that I am forming tighter bonds with my fiance's family. I was accepted almost instantly.

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I found out that Kaylyn, one of my friends from high school, and also working at my place of business is getting married on the same day as me.

Her and I made a pact that we were going to send each other good luck messages on the night before our respective wedding. Kaylyn loved the idea.

That's glue right there.

Liz and I have a strong bond between us and its gotten even better in the short period that I've talked to her. It proved to me that I am normalizing things and fixing the problem

That's glue right there.

Building better relations... It takes work but if you can be THAT glue that holds the bond together, you did yourself a huge favor.

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Today was the start of that new glue and bond. I hope that you can find it in your hearts to be the bigger person, mend fences, restart relations, and be the glue that hold things together.

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Some food for thought: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" - Philippians 4:13

Christ strengthens us through prayer and his word. Jesus was definitely a family man. His disciples were his family along with his mother Mary and father Joseph. He was a very strong bond that held the team together.

He was the reason that his disciples stayed noble to him through his words, parables, sermons, and miracles.

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Remember, glue is a bond, be that bond, fix the relations, mend the fences, and begin anew as it is time.

I did it... Can you.

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And now may the peace of Christ which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, amen.

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God bless you,
Joshua