302 replies to this topic

[David Robinette]

I am not a conspiracy theorist, but something about the ongoing absence of Brian Roberts from the Orioles' lineup just strikes me as just a little bit suspicious. In the language of Las Vegas casino operators, it JDLR. (Just don't look right.) Or smell right. I am not implying that Roberts is an axe-murderer in the off-season, but it's difficult to understand his prolonged stays on the DL, especially in view of the vague descriptions of the causes of his disabilities. "Concussion-like symptoms" may be OK for a preliminary diagnosis, but after a year, I would think the Orioles could maybe explain that in more detail, along with a prognosis -- is this guy done with baseball or what?

Maybe it's just me and my skeptical mind. It usually is.

[jsh]

Morneau was out for roughly a year with similar symptoms and when he came back last year he was nothing like his former self. Sydney Crosby is going through the same thing in hockey. Concussions are no joke and their effects can last forever.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Morneau was out for roughly a year with similar symptoms and when he came back last year he was nothing like his former self. Sydney Crosby is going through the same thing in hockey. Concussions are no joke and their effects can last forever.

Totally agree.

ESPN's Outside the Line looked at what Roberts was going through earlier this year:
http://espn.go.com/v...egoryid=2378529

davidrobinette, I think you posed this as a legitimate question, and I have no problem with that. I do have problems with the people that have called Roberts weak, and have said he is cheating his contract.

Roar from 34 had a response to those fans, which I agree with:
http://roarfrom34.co...ves-better-fans


In 2010 Roberts missed basically all of April, May, June, before returning at the end of July. Roberts would finish the year playing nearly everyday for the last two months prior to giving himself a concussion to end his year. In 2011, Roberts played in the first 39 games before suffering a 2nd concussion in a relatively short period of time. At the end of '11 Roberts was still having trouble going multiple days symptom free. By next Spring, I could see him being ready to play again. Obviously it would be hard to believe he would get through the 2012 season unscathed. Obviously you would not be able to expect him to play in the 157 games he averaged per year during the ’07-’09 seasons. Even if he does play regularly, his production figures to be at his ’06, and ’10 levels vs. what he did during that ’07-’09 period. He has 2 years and $20M left on his contract. He is not going to walk away from that contract easily. However, if by next Spring he is still suffering symptoms; I could see a buyout of his contract occurring at that point.

[Luke Jackson]

Someone close to me has gone through multiple concussions due to athletics...let's just say that I don't doubt Roberts one bit. Concussions can lead to after-effects like dizziness and inability to read properly for months, if not more than a full year. Everyday activities can become a major chore, and at times, be impossible to perform.

[Luke Jackson]

Chris Pronger of the Flyers is going through the after-effects of a concussion and was recently shut down for the entire rest of the season and postseason. That could be end up being a little more than five months of hockey that doctors just wiped out for Pronger. It's not just Roberts.

[David Robinette]

I do not mean to question the fact that Brian is unable to play. When he DOES play, he is very good -- quite a hustler. One of my favorites. It just seems that his injuries drag on forever and the Orioles don't do a very good job of explaining their plans, so one is left to assume the plan is 'play it by ear', which seems compatible with the organization's inherent reactive approach to baseball operations.

I certainly wish Brian all the best. Thanks for the comments.

[SportsGuy]

Let's hope he takes some kind of a contract buyout and retires.

It would be best for everyone involved.

[Can_of_corn]

Let's hope he takes some kind of a contract buyout and retires.

It would be best for everyone involved.

Exactly. Honestly even if he can come back healthy I have serious doubts that he would be much more then a replacement level player at this point.

[SportsGuy]

Seemingly every conversation that is had about the 2012 Orioles is done without the name Brian Roberts being mentioned.

The Orioles have signed MIers this offseason and are trying to get Prado in a Jones deal.

They are indicating that BRob will not be around by their actions...But how should they handle it? Should they approach him about a buyout? Should they just let things happen as they do?

[BSLChrisStoner]

Seemingly every conversation that is had about the 2012 Orioles is done without the name Brian Roberts being mentioned.

The Orioles have signed MIers this offseason and are trying to get Prado in a Jones deal.

They are indicating that BRob will not be around by their actions...But how should they handle it? Should they approach him about a buyout? Should they just let things happen as they do?

I think you go to ST, and let things play out. I think you have to go into ST not expecting him to start, but if you are planning out the 25 man roster, I count him on the bench. Of course if he is healthy enough to be on the bench, he will be starting.

[NCRaven]

Agree with Chris here. He's been a good player on a lousy team throughout his career. So, prepare for life without him, but bring him to camp, give him every opportunity, and then make decisions when needed, not before.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I've always been a big Roberts fan and supporter, but him talking about not showing up to FanFest to 'avoid undue stress' is hard to understand. Yes, there is a lot of ambient noise and lights which I imagine might not feel great if you are still suffering from concussion symptoms.... but still that sounds like a real reach.

I think Duquette's comments on this matter (https://twitter.com/...286335311380480), "I don’t really know any reason he can’t show up to sign autographs for 10-year-old kids," is correct.

If Brian can't go to FanFest because of medical issues, it is time for him to announce his retirement.

[NCRaven]

Duquette might be right, but I'm not sure what interest is served by calling him out on this. There is no player on this team more dedicated to children and their best interests. For Duquette to question his willingness to sign autographs for children is silly. And doing it on Twitter makes him look like a 12 year-old girl. And, I like Duquette - just not how he's handling this.

[Can_of_corn]

Duquette might be right, but I'm not sure what interest is served by calling him out on this. There is no player on this team more dedicated to children and their best interests. For Duquette to question his willingness to sign autographs for children is silly. And doing it on Twitter makes him look like a 12 year-old girl. And, I like Duquette - just not how he's handling this.

I like it fine. He doesn't owe Roberts anything.

I wouldn't be surprised if this is part of a plan to bring a long term resolution to the Roberts situation. I am quite sure that DD isn't pleased that he has 20 million and a 25/40 man roster spot tied up with someone who, right now, looks like he can't play.

[David Robinette]

Well, I understand Duquette's frustration. Roberts' cancellation of his scheduled appearance -- citing advice from his doctors that "the event could cause further stress" -- is in keeping with the way he has confronted the Orioles with his medical situation. If he can't travel from Florida to Baltimore for a fan event (they can be stressful, I guess) then the team should take the steps to disassociate. It is clear he either is unwilling or unable to play, and there is absolutely no reason to think that's going to change. I really like the guy for his contributions in previous seasons, but this has to be the last straw. And it's still pretty mysterious, at least to me.

[SportsGuy]

I don't have an issue with BRob not going to FF.

But if he can't make that, how is he going to be able to do baseball activities? How is he going to be able to play in games?

He is done...End it, one way or the other.

[Mackus]

I also don't have any problem with Roberts not going to fanfest if he isn't medically able to right now. We don't need him to be ready to play at FanFest, we need him to be ready to play in April, and anything that may hinder that should be avoided, I just hope he's as cautious at home as he's being about coming out to FanFest. I certainly don't think that he's skipping it just to avoid a minor annoyance for himself, and anyone making that insinuation is out of line, IMO.

However, I think it is totally reasonable to jump to the conclusion that since he's physically unable to do the incredibly simple task of sitting and signing autographs for fans in January, that he's also going to be unable to play baseball in April and probably much further going forward.

As far as whether he should retire and pass up his $20M, I think that's a completely different conversation. If he has to stop playing, I think he and the team should reach a buyout. It's absolutely unreasonable for any fan to sit here and say that Brian should have to walk away from his contract. I don't even think it matters that the concussion was from hitting himself in the head, that's essentially part of the game. And didn't he originally get a concussion from diving into first base? Either way, he doesn't owe the team anything. It would certainly be a nice gesture on his part if he walked away, but it's far from something that he should be expected to do. And people definitely should not hold it against him if he chooses just to collect his salary. Ideally, they figure out a buyout and pay him like half or two thirds of what he's owed and then get the roster spots back. I don't really think there will be any better outcome than that in this situation.

[Can_of_corn]

I also don't have any problem with Roberts not going to fanfest if he isn't medically able to right now. We don't need him to be ready to play at FanFest, we need him to be ready to play in April, and anything that may hinder that should be avoided, I just hope he's as cautious at home as he's being about coming out to FanFest. I certainly don't think that he's skipping it just to avoid a minor annoyance for himself, and anyone making that insinuation is out of line, IMO.

However, I think it is totally reasonable to jump to the conclusion that since he's physically unable to do the incredibly simple task of sitting and signing autographs for fans in January, that he's also going to be unable to play baseball in April and probably much further going forward.

As far as whether he should retire and pass up his $20M, I think that's a completely different conversation. If he has to stop playing, I think he and the team should reach a buyout. It's absolutely unreasonable for any fan to sit here and say that Brian should have to walk away from his contract. I don't even think it matters that the concussion was from hitting himself in the head, that's essentially part of the game. And didn't he originally get a concussion from diving into first base? Either way, he doesn't owe the team anything. It would certainly be a nice gesture on his part if he walked away, but it's far from something that he should be expected to do. And people definitely should not hold it against him if he chooses just to collect his salary. Ideally, they figure out a buyout and pay him like half or two thirds of what he's owed and then get the roster spots back. I don't really think there will be any better outcome than that in this situation.

While I do not agree with that view I do not think it is absolutely unreasonable. The initial symptom causing incident was self inflicted.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Duquette might be right, but I'm not sure what interest is served by calling him out on this. There is no player on this team more dedicated to children and their best interests. For Duquette to question his willingness to sign autographs for children is silly. And doing it on Twitter makes him look like a 12 year-old girl. And, I like Duquette - just not how he's handling this.

As far as Duquette calling Roberts out in public, I can agree with your take there. To be clear though, Duquette was not doing so through Twitter. The Sun / Connolly was posting his quote via Twitter.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I also don't have any problem with Roberts not going to fanfest if he isn't medically able to right now. We don't need him to be ready to play at FanFest, we need him to be ready to play in April, and anything that may hinder that should be avoided, I just hope he's as cautious at home as he's being about coming out to FanFest. I certainly don't think that he's skipping it just to avoid a minor annoyance for himself, and anyone making that insinuation is out of line, IMO.

However, I think it is totally reasonable to jump to the conclusion that since he's physically unable to do the incredibly simple task of sitting and signing autographs for fans in January, that he's also going to be unable to play baseball in April and probably much further going forward.

As far as whether he should retire and pass up his $20M, I think that's a completely different conversation. If he has to stop playing, I think he and the team should reach a buyout. It's absolutely unreasonable for any fan to sit here and say that Brian should have to walk away from his contract. I don't even think it matters that the concussion was from hitting himself in the head, that's essentially part of the game. And didn't he originally get a concussion from diving into first base? Either way, he doesn't owe the team anything. It would certainly be a nice gesture on his part if he walked away, but it's far from something that he should be expected to do. And people definitely should not hold it against him if he chooses just to collect his salary. Ideally, they figure out a buyout and pay him like half or two thirds of what he's owed and then get the roster spots back. I don't really think there will be any better outcome than that in this situation.

I agree with a lot of this as well. I don't think anyone should expect Roberts to retire without a buyout. I also don't have a problem with Roberts choosing not to attend. I do get that A) He might just not want to, and B) The lights and sounds might be something to avoid with the concussion symptoms he has had.

I just think you nailed it when you said that,.. "since he's physically unable to do the incredibly simple task of sitting and signing autographs for fans in January, that he's also going to be unable to play baseball in April and probably much further going forward."

Probably not worth getting worked-up over either way though. Things will be sorted out in the Spring. At-least with Andino, Antonelli, and Flaherty the O's have options. As we discussed previously in this thread, you just go into Spring not expecting anything from Roberts, and if you do get him back - consider it a bonus.