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If you all have not read this, former Oriole manager Dave Trembley is back in Major League Baseball. According to the Baltimore Sun, Trembley will be the minor league field coordinator for the Atlanta Braves, working throughout their organization with young players and prospects. He will also work with coaches and key personnel as well.

Good for him.

The man was stuck between a rock and a hard place with the Baltimore Orioles. Seriously, after each and every loss, he looked very grim. Obviously, Trembley didn't have the talent to compete in the American League East; however, a poor start in 2010, struggling players, injuries and just very bad luck did him in.

In addition, Trembley just didn't get the best of his squad that he could have and over time that probably got him fired more than anything. I did feel bad for him when he was let go by the team and declined another position; however, the right decision was made considering the impact of Buck Showalter.

He was probably done a favor by being fired when it happened. I don't think much has been heard from Trembley once he left the team. So far, I don't think he's even given an lengthy interview about his time in Baltimore, much less said anything negative.

The one thing I will remember about him is that he was very much a nice, humble person, plus always said hello to people and interacted with fans before the game. Literally, Trembley would walk down the first base line, wave at fans, sign some autographs and chat (it's a stark contrast to what I see from Showalter before games).

Trembley could get serious at times, but overall, I think he was sincerely glad to have the job as manager of the Baltimore Orioles.

We all should wish him well. The man presided over some horrible teams, but there's was only so he could do.

In other news, James mentioned yesterday that Oriole Park at Camden Yards will undergo a makeover this off-season (Let's not forget about the work being done in Sarasota).

It's hard to believe the stadium is almost 20 years old, but it's considered a crown jewel in terms of sports architectue and the impact on the sport.

Despite Camden Yards' beauty, it obviously does not compare to the newer parks built with open concourses, tiered, super-exclusive seating, and whatever else you can think of.

I think in a way, it's a good thing. Unlike, let's say in terms of Nationals Park -- 40 miles down the road, you feel like you're in a ballpark not a entertainment venue or a mall.

It's always nice to keep up your property, but hope the ushered changes aren't too radical. In the end, I'll be curious how all this work will impact ticket pricing and the structure of things.

Although at this point, I'm more concerned what the team does in terms of the roster this off-season; nevertheless, it's also important to get the organization's venues modernized in comparison to their what their peers have.

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Fans sitting in the upper deck will get a bit more room to stretch their legs as the Maryland Stadium Authority has announced that there will be some changes made to Camden Yards. Larger seats in the upper deck is just one of the few minor changes announced for the ballpark as it enters its 20th year in service. Railings that currently obstruct the view of the field in the upper deck will be redesigned to be less conspicuous and out of the way.

The left field "all you can eat porch" will have its bistro-style seating expanded and further minor improvements. All-in-all the end result will be a reduction in the stadium's overall capacity from just under 49 thousand seats to just under 46 thousand seats.

So any rumors about a restaurant or expanded bar or picnic area - this should put them all to rest. For now at least.

In other Orioles news; in a recent tweet Sports Illustrated Jon Heyman stated that the Orioles were being "aggressive" at the early onset of Free Agency. What exactly does that mean? I have no idea. The cynic in me immediately goes: "...when I see it.." and there is next to nothing we can actually sink our teeth into here but its nice to think that the Orioles are being proactive for a change.

Former Seattle Mariners skipper Don Wakamatsu, close friend and colleague of Orioles manager Buck Showalter, decided to take the bench coach job with the Toronto Blue Jays. Some people have used this as criticism of the Orioels situation. That is to say, how bad must the Orioles be that even Showalter's friends are turning him down. But that is just reaching. Wakamatsu was a major league manager, he wants to be a major league manager again in the near-term odds are he has a much better chance of that happening in Toronto than in Baltimore, I think it is just as simple as that.

Outside of that not a lot is happening in Birdland right now. The winter meetings are just around the corner and we should start seeing things pick up, hopefully. The Orioles need to take some serious steps forward this offseason, they simply have no reason to stand pat.

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The Rawlings' Gold Glove winners for the American League were announced today and this time around there were no Orioles on the list. I really have no qualms about who earned the award this year (except for the up-the-middle-combo, ahem, mainly Derek Jeter), but I do figure if Nick Markakis played for a winning team, the conversation as to who is selected might be different.

As for Adam Jones - who won the award as one of three outfielders selected in 2010, he was not worthy this season. Jones was inconsistent at times in the field, made quite a few gaffes, and just didn't have the form he had in the year prior. Adam's a great athlete and if he can play the position a tad deeper in the field, he'll be better off.

NEW YORK -- Ichiro Suzuki won his 10th straight Gold Glove for a full season of fielding excellence. Mark Buehrle won again, perhaps clinching his spot with an acrobatic play on Opening Day.

Derek Jeter, well, his selection is likely to set off another loud round of dispute over whether the award is relevant anymore.

Rawlings announced the American League honors Tuesday. Managers and coaches vote for players in their leagues and can't pick players on their own teams.

Also chosen were first baseman Mark Teixeira and second baseman Robinson Cano of the New York Yankees; third baseman Evan Longoria and outfielder Carl Crawford of the Tampa Bay Rays; Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer and Seattle outfielder Franklin Gutierrez.

Sometimes, I think these awards are like choosing a 'student council president' in high school. Popularity matters, as well as a player's profile, plus reputation. There are sometimes exceptions to the rule, but that's just me feeling about the whole Gold Glove honor.

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It looks like ESPN is going to revamp their Sunday Night Baseball telecast. While I've thought Joe Morgan is his role was less than adequate, Jon Miller was a joy to listen. It will be disapointing not hearing him on Sunday nights during the baseball season.

Jon Miller and Joe Morgan's 21-year run on ESPN's "Sunday Night Baseball" is over.

Morgan's contract is expiring and he will not be renewed. Miller's contract is also expiring though he may remain at ESPN working the "Sunday Night Baseball" series and postseason baseball for ESPN Radio.

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The free agency period for Major League Baseball starts in a few hours (Sunday at 12am) and thought among most Oriole fan is this question – who will the team get?

As it is right now, no one expects the Baltimore Orioles to be a contender, but stranger things have happened in sports. The team did finish strong last year, but that still didn’t stop Buck Showalter from making wholesale changes with his staff.

It’s obvious that the Orioles need a power bat in their lineup, a strong corner infielder, perhaps another starting pitcher or two (an ace would be beautiful – but, I see Andy MacPhail getting a middle-of-road, innings eating arm).

Lest we forget, the Orioles do potentially a shortstop along with some bullpen help. Again, the team has some serious needs and at this point, finishing up with a respectable record would be nice to see.

With a plethora of young talent on the team and up-and-comers, will the Orioles make a splash in Spring Training? These days, unless you’re one of big financial powerhouses of the sport, the mantra for most teams have been building from within (especially arms) and retaining young/cheap talent.

This offseason, I sincerely hope the Orioles do go after an established bat such as Adam Dunn – who played down the road in Washington, or a Paul Konerko, Carlos Pena (the low BA in ’10 was a conern).

Then again, the Orioles might find themselves shut out of top tier free agents and might have to go after some of the second tier guys (Lance Berkman, Derek Lee) or do some dumpster diving/creative trades. Really, I do wish we could get some young bats in here to help and grow with the current crop of guys the Orioles have now.

However, at this point, the team really needs a benefited bat in the lineup. Things with the Orioles certainly would not have been that bad in ’10 if the injuries obviously didn’t take place with key members’ however, Markakis, Scott and Adam Jones could have been greatly benefited with some protection in the lineup.

At this point, as long as improvement comes in 2011 for the Orioles, most would be happy with that. They are still a few players away from contending, but creating a winner does take time. Let’s hope it doesn’t take twenty years.

As long as the pitching continues to develop, and some of the key members of the team (Markakis, Wieters) bounce back, things will look up for Baltimore.

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Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for winning the 2010 World Series. If you would have asked most, they would not have even considered this team a contender.

However, they had very excellent starting pitching, clutch hitting when needed, and an excellent bullpen to neutralize a Texas Ranger team that led the American League in hitting.

Again, I would have never expected San Francisco – especially their offense and roster construction – to win the pennant, but they did things the right way and have a good crop of young players as part of the organization for years to come.

Like they say, good pitching always beats good hitting.

It’s good to see Aubrey Huff – no matter how you feel about him - finally win the big one after ten years in the majors. As well, the team had quite a few former Orioles and it’s good for them to have a taste of winning it all.

It looks like the suspected winds of change have really come to head for the Orioles as Rick Kranitz will no longer be in the organization.

The Orioles.com website reported yesterday that Kranitz will leaving the Orioles and will join the Houston Astros – not as a pitching coach, but as a minor league pitching coordinator with the Houston Astros.

I wondered if Kranitz would stay with the team considering the strong finish that the pitching staff had in 2010, plus the improvement of the young arms and stabilization of a staff that started out just plain awful.

In the end, it looked as if Showaliter wants his own staff in the fold and Kranitz was expendable. Reports have it that Mark Connor – who worked with Showalter as part of the Rangers – will join the Orioles at some point in the off-season.

Despite Kranitz leaving the organization, Mark Connor has a very good reputation and should pick up where things left off.

In addition, it looks like Juan Samuel will probably be the third base coach of the Orioles again.

Samuel might have not had a managerial stint to remember in Baltimore – all things considered, but the fact he was asked back to be part of the major league staff speaks volumes. <-->

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Sorry for the lack of posts over the past week or two, but I had gone on vacation and pretty much took a break from blogging for a bit. In addition, life had gotten in the way and to attend to some other things.

In the meantime, the 2010 baseball season in winding down and it’s a big surprise to me that the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants are against one another for the championship. Personally, I would have expected Texas to win the American League pennant (or maybe New York), but the Giants I didn’t see taking the National League at all.

I’m sure most fans expected to see the Philadelphia Phillies with their big payroll, high-powered offense and the pitching triumvirate of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels in the World Series. Let's not forget the Yankees -- I go can on and on about them; however, one has to think they will have to think about their aging playing and the lack of pitching efficiency in the ALCS.

Again, I sure as hell didn’t see the Giants playing for it all. I mean they have a real strong pitching corps with two-time Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez in the fold; however, their everyday lineup perhaps with exception of Buster Posey are filled with non-household names and veteran who have been around the league.

They are an odd team for sure. With the roster they have (Aubrey Huff, Pat Burrell (?), Edgar Reneteria, Freddy Sanchez, Cody Ross, Andres Torres & Juan Uribe) don’t note anything special, but they have come together and won. Heck, their highest paid player - Barry Zito - was ommitted from the post-season roster!

I’ve never seen a hodgepodge of players such as the Giants play in the World Series, but like they say you can’t script October and games aren’t decided on paper, in the media, or online.

That being said, I’ll be rooting for the Giants since they have a handful of former Orioles (Huff, Eli Whiteside, Mike Fontenot and Chris Ray) who suited up for the this year. Nothing against Texas and they definitely would make a fine champion, but the Giants would make one hell of a story if they win it all.

Plus, Cliff Lee losing that first game, combined with a litany of Texas errors may have swung the pendulum in the Giants’ favor.

Then again, it’s only been one game. A lot can happen.

As for the Orioles, the biggest news of the off-season so far has been the reassignment of Terry Crowley. It looks like that Crowley – the team’s hitting coach for the past dozen seasons – will become a ‘hitting-evaluator’ throughout the organization.

According to the Baltimore Sun, Crowley, “is expected to have a wide range of responsibilities that would include tutoring specific minor league hitters, evaluating potential amateur draft choices and scouting hitters from other organizations who could be available via trade or free agency.”

I would venture to think Showalter will have a new staff with him when the 2011 season comes around. There have been some names thrown around as former Seattle manager Don Wakamatsu and few others, but changes will remain to be seen.

Other than that, it will be interesting to see who the Orioles go after in free agency. James, in a post this week, mused about this topic and I agree with him for the most part. The team needs a big bat, perhaps another arm in the rotation and a deeper bench.

Let’s hope the organization builds upon their strong finish to the season by bolstering the talent on the big league squad.

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Good morning fellow readers.

With the Orioles' season over and my day job in full swing life has torn me away from the internet. This morning, however, I find myself with some time to rattle off some of the thoughts that have meandered through my baseball mind the past week. Meandered like a shallow stream through an autumnal glen; or a small child lost in the mall.

You pick.

-If I hear the phrase, "Great series - no one will watch it," one more time I am going to need bail money. Yes, we get it. Texas and San Fran are not the markets of Philly and NYC. We get it. We get that West Coast teams not based in LA are largely ignored by the national mind with its rather large Eastern bias. But guess what, the networks only really care about four maybe five teams anyway so odds are there is going to be a series every once and awhile that "no one" will watch. The snark behind that comment always drives me nuts. The people in San Francisco will certainly watch it as will all of the people in the greater Dallas-Arlington-Fort Worth metro area. That is who we should be worrying about. Don't these teams deserve a chance to play on the big stage just as much as the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox and Angles?

-As you all know by now the Yankees lost and were knocked out of the playoffs again. I know I am just all broken up about that. Haven't been able to sleep for days. Neither has the NYC press which has been, delightfully, all over the Yankees. What does this have to do with the Orioles? Because as Mike Lupica in the Daily News and the Joel Sherman in the NY Post bring up - the Yankees are getting old. Next season Jeter will be 37, Posada will be 40, Rivera will be 41and as these players have aged everyone has expected them to finally succumb to age like EVERY player - especially Posada. But the problem is they never seem to do it. After the lackluster performance in the ALCS people are starting to seriously look at this Yankee team and wonder how it will go on from here. This is great news for the Orioles.

The Yankees simply have to bring back Jeter and Rivera. I mean, I think Yankee fans could deal with Posada going and even Pettite but not Jeter. Jeter is Ripken. In the Sherman piece linked above he likens Jeter to Ripken as both a blessing and a curse. The difference here is that as Ripken aged he was able to shift over to third to keep from being anything less than a defensive asset to the team - Jeter and the Yankees do not have that option with a soon to be 36 year-old A-Rod and his albatross-like contract parked at third base. The Yankees have to bring him back he is the international face of a near-trillion dollar empire, but in the sense of good baseball it is probably a bad idea, but they are stick with him.

Again, great for the Orioles? Because if the Yankees have to trot out an older version of Jeter 162 times a year that makes them just that much weaker. Going out and getting Cliff Lee and Carl Crawford can help but the Yankees are getting old quickly in key positions with next to no help in the minor leagues and huge contracts that no other team could take on in a trade. The more questions the Yankees have this offseason the better. I think we are seeing a team finally on the downswing.

Which leads me to...

-This offseason is very important for the Orioles. The team built up a lot of good will with their remarkable turn-around at the end of last year. They need to makes the smart, correct moves this offseason to make the team more competitive next year in an AL East that figures to be a little different. The Yankees were discussed above, the Red Sox are coming off an injury-laden season filled with disappointment. The Rays figure to be a much different team and I don't think there is any chance in the world of the Jays repeating what they did last year. The Orioles have a chance to make up some ground and build off of the momentum they generated. I don't think the Orioles will be players in the Cliff Lee or Carl Crawford sweepstakes but there are intriguing options elsewhere in a player like Adam Dunn. To me Dunn is just they type of large homer-threat the Orioles could use in their lineup. he would be expensive and he does have a risk of his production just...stopping...like many power bats, but the Orioles have to take a shot now and solidifying that lineup. Placing a bat like Dunn in the middle makes Markakis, Wieters, Jones and Scott better hitters. And even if you account for some degredation from switching into the AL you can still count on a legitimate 30-35 homer threat in the lineup with an OBP in the .350s he basically becomes another Luke Scott.

Now, you can continue to try Luke Scott at first base. I don't know if it is an ideal move but he seemed to handle the job well when he got the opportunity last year. He certainly wouldn't be any worse than Wigginton or Kevin Millar from a couple years ago. That is to say our first base defense isn't going to cost us that many games when compared to finding room for both of Scott and, possibly, Dunn's bats.

The bottom line is the Orioles need to do something. Something that shows the fanbase which rallied around Buck's Birds that their loyalty was not in vain. I'm not asking for a San Francisco-like run into the World Series, but a winning record would be nice.