Author Archive for Dean Hybl
Dean Hybl: To read more from Dean, go to his sports blog: Sports Then and Now!
Baltimore Orioles: Keys for a Successful 2010
With Spring Training starting and the 2010 baseball season only weeks away, it is the time of the year when fans of the Baltimore Orioles can start dreaming that maybe this is the year that our decade long nightmare ends.
The Orioles were not among the most aggressive or highest spending teams [...]
Same Old Off-Season: The Rich Get Richer and the Orioles Watch
Image via Wikipedia
After enduring another long and disappointing season on the field in 2009, the 2009-2010 off-season was supposed to be the start of a new day for the Baltimore Orioles. With enough quality young pitchers to fill two rotations and a nucleus of talented young position players, this was to be the off-season in [...]
Joe Niekro Foundation and Arizona Fall League Partner To Strike Out Aneurysms
Natalie Niekro threw out the first pitch at the Houston Astros game on September 13, 2009. She will be throwing out the first pitch at three Arizona Fall League games between October 26-31 as part of “Aneurysm Awareness Week” at the Arizona Fall League.
Unlike the deceptive and tricky pitch that her father used to [...]
Baltimore Orioles Announce Return of Dave Trembley For 2010
At first reaction, the announcement on Friday that the Baltimore Orioles have retained the services of manager Dave Trembley for the 2010 season seems like a head-scratcher.
After all, typically in professional sports the fate of a manger is judged by wins and losses and in that area Trembley has failed miserably. Since Trembley [...]
Matt Wieters Gets On The Job Training
By any measure, Baltimore Orioles rookie catcher Matt Wieters has been outstanding since making his Major League debut for the Orioles on May 29.
While it is easy to notice his 13 RBI in the month of August and .277 batting average since July 1st, what is especially impressive is the strides Wieters is making [...]
Forgotten No More: The Story of Baseball in Baltimore
The history of baseball in Baltimore since the St. Louis Browns moved to the city in 1954 has been well chronicled. However, until now, the great history of baseball in Baltimore prior to the arrival of Major League Baseball has gone largely unrecognized.
That is about to change with the release this fall of the [...]
What If? The Lost Years of Williams, DiMaggio and Feller
The names Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and Bob Feller conjure up images of greatness on the baseball diamond, but a lack of overwhelming career statistics often hurts these superstars when the discussion turns to the greatest players in baseball history. What is generally forgotten is that all three missed significant time in the prime of [...]
Four Burning Questions Facing The Baltimore Orioles
As the Baltimore Orioles complete another disappointing season and prepare for 2010, there are 4 key questions that team president Andy MacPhail must answer.
Can The O’s Contend in 2010?
Before any other decisions about the team’s future can be addressed, MacPhail and the Baltimore front office must assess the team and realistically determine if they [...]
Can the Florida Marlins Win the NL East
With seven weeks left in the baseball season, the young Florida Marlins seem to be poised to stay in the hunt down to the wire in the National League East. However, the question is whether the Marlins have the experience needed to catapult pass the Phillies and claim the title.
At the start of [...]
Baltimore Orioles Need To Provide Young Pitchers With Offensive Support
The Baltimore Orioles couldn’t ask for much more from rookie hurler Brad Bergesen than what he has given them in his first 18 major league starts, but the right-hander sure should expect more from his teammates than what they have given back to him.
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
It is inevitable that every season each [...]
Great Moments in All-Star Game History: Part 3 (1990-2008)
Over the last two decades, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game has transformed from being simply a game to being a multi-day extravaganza where the game itself is simply one component. For that reason, the game has at times seemed to be anti-climatic, but has still produced some great memories.
After the National League dominated the [...]
Great Moments in All-Star Game History: Part 2 (1960-1989)
After becoming an American tradition following its inception in 1933, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game evolved into the “Midsummer Classic” through some memorable moments in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
The exhibition eventually moved beyond being just a game to include a home run contest and many other activities that gave fans the opportunity [...]
Great Moments in All-Star Game History: Part 1, 1933-1959
Since its inception in 1933, the Major League Baseball All-Star Game has provided fans an annual opportunity to see most of the great stars of the game on the same field. While the game is an exhibition and has withstood periods of indifference by some players, management and fans, it remains a special mid-season moment.
There [...]
Baltimore Orioles Midseason Report: Seeing Past the Ugliness
From the very beginning, the goal of the 2009 season for the Baltimore Orioles has been to be respectable on the field while continuing behind the scenes to develop the pieces needed to eventually lead the Orioles back to contention in the American League East.
With the season now three months old and nearing the [...]
Ryan Hanigan: From Rollins College to the Cincinnati Reds
When the Rollins College baseball team hosted the Cincinnati Reds for a spring training exhibition in 2001, no one could have anticipated that one of the Tars would some day be living the big-league dream as a key member of the Reds. But fast-forward ahead eight years and sure enough in 2009 former Rollins standout [...]
Will The Baltimore Orioles Have To Trade Aubrey Huff?
Baltimore Orioles team president Andy MacPhail made the right call in his decisions to trade Erik Bedard and Miguel Tejada and to keep Brian Roberts. He could soon get another test as he must decide whether to keep or trade free agent-to be Aubrey Huff.
There is no question that Huff is a valuable member of [...]
Hanley Ramirez: Is He the Best Shortstop in Baseball?
Playing for the Florida Marlins is about as close as Major League Baseball can come to having a site in the witness protection program, but even toiling away in anonymity, shortstop Hanley Ramirez is turning heads and creating a name for himself as one of the best young players in the game.
A year after becoming [...]
Matt Wieters Scheduled to Join the Baltimore Orioles on Friday
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
The wait is over. In an interview with Gary Thorne and Buck Martinez during Tuesday night’s game between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays, Orioles President Andy MacPhail announced that top prospect Matt Wieters will be making his major league debut on Friday, May 29, when the Detroit Tigers [...]
O’s CF Jones Living Up to Potential
We all know that one month of success does not make a season, but early returns indicate that Baltimore Orioles centerfielder Adam Jones is indeed the real deal.
When the Orioles traded ace starting pitcher Erik Bedard to the Seattle Mariners for a cast of players highlighted by Jones, there were many skeptics questioning whether the [...]
Reds Looking for Results in 2009
After spending the last few years rebuilding their minor league system, the Cincinnati Reds are ready to reap some of the rewards for their efforts in 2009.
Though Cincinnati has not posted a winning record since the 2000 season, there is a renewed sense of optimism in 2009 that the decade of disappointment may finally be [...]
Atlanta Braves Looking for Rebound Season in 2009
Following their worst season since Bobby Cox became the manager in 1990, all signs point to the Atlanta Braves returning to their typical spot near the top of the National League East in 2009.
Rather than signing high profile free agents, the Braves have made strategic additions designed to solidify the weaknesses exposed during their 72-90 [...]
Marlins Must Prove That Talent Trumps Experience
Considering that only the Red Sox and Yankees have won as many World Series titles in the last 12 years, you might think the young and talented Florida Marlins would be considered a trendy sleeper pick for a playoff run this season. After all, the squad did win 84 games last year and were in [...]
Orioles Sewing the Seeds for Future Success
After more than a decade of consistent losing, fans of the Baltimore Orioles are ready for the team to stop looking toward the future and instead start winning some baseball games. It is doubtful that the Orioles will be a contender in the tough American League East in 2009, but followers of the Birds can [...]
