Month: September 2010

Thank you for your support!

Update 9/16: I picked up another 46 votes today in the absentee count and increased my margin to 27.

It looks like I may have made it…just barely, but I may have made it.

With a few hundred absentee ballots out, I’m holding on to ninth place for the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee by a 25 vote margin. It’s a damn good thing my suggestion of a couple years ago (to expand the WCRCC from 7 to 9 members) was finally adopted by the committee or I’d be out in the cold!

Obviously I’m bummed that both of my statewide candidates I supported lost. It’s not a surprise that Brian Murphy lost, but I am heartened that he picked up 29% of the vote here – it means that Bob Ehrlich can’t take us conservatives for granted over the next seven weeks. (Murphy got over 30% of the vote in a handful of counties, peaking so far at 33 percent.)

But I guess Eric Wargotz may have bought himself a nomination, since he doesn’t seem to anywhere near the grassroots support that Jim Rutledge did. My friends who are Rutledge backers should be proud that the top two counties in the state to back Jim were (in order) Wicomico (#1) and Worcester (#2.) Shows we have some common sense, and it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see Wargotz skedaddle to the center now.

I did better on the homefront – wasn’t sure Marty Pusey would pull it off but she did! Congrats and way to go Marty!

More shocking was the ease in which Charles Otto won his primary. And people will be talking for awhile about the upset of Davis Ruark by Seth Mitchell.

Looks like later today I can condense my righthand column and prepare for November. But again, thanks to the 2,036 people who had faith in me and my efforts on the Wicomico County Republican Central Committee!

Just don’t tell me I’m a shoo-in next time!

Watch before you vote

Because he didn’t have the big money of the establishment behind him, many voters weren’t introduced to Brian Murphy. Take about 20 minutes to be educated and if you like what you see, go ahead and vote for him in the Republican primary. This is part one.

Part two is here.

I’d rather stand on principle than have to settle. Brian doesn’t need 160,000 votes – he only needs one vote 160,000 times. I think yours should be one.

“When you stand on principle, you never walk alone.”

Some thoughts on Brian Murphy

Even before yesterday, most people knew I was a Brian Murphy backer. I strongly endorse his bid for Governor. Yet all but maybe a handful of readers may wonder where I was yesterday and the long duration between posts.

Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to attend a rally for Brian Murphy supporters outside Annapolis. The reason I did so was to gather material for a Pajamas Media story I worked on this afternoon, and I got to speak to activists from all over who strongly support Brian and may only provide the most tepid of backing for Bob Ehrlich. I can’t say that I blame them, even though I’ll vote for Bob in November if he wins tomorrow (provided he doesn’t do anything absolutely stupid in the next seven weeks like embrace the Obama agenda.)

In the aftermath of this election cycle, though, it’s clear one of two things will be true:

  • We will have a Republican governor, or;
  • We will have the last Maryland GOP standardbearer be a two-time loser, whether in the primary or general election.

The last time we had a Republican governor, one of his cronies ran the party and just about ran it into the ground. (Now his wife is on the Ehrlich ticket as LG – talk about cronyism!) It was up to a man who I didn’t initially support but now have all the respect in the world for, Jim Pelura, to try and straighten out that mess. Pelura served as the master of ceremonies yesterday and had this to say about Brian in his introduction.

One can debate the merits of Pelura’s tenure as GOP head, but they can’t debate his integrity and principles. I happen to think part of the reason he was ousted and certain large donors held back was because he didn’t allow the party to be completely hijacked as a vehicle for re-electing Bob Ehrlich. Is there bad blood between Pelura and the Ehrlichs? Most likely, but there have been enough people who dislike each other personally but work together for a common goal that I dismiss that angle of sour grapes directed at Jim from the Ehrlich camp.

But let’s say the unthinkable happens and Martin O’Malley is re-elected. Obviously the Ehrlich supporters will be screaming that it’s all Brian Murphy’s fault, but I’m hoping they instead put on their big-boy pants and realize that Ehrlich obviously alienated a significant portion of the electorate, most likely the conservatives who backed Murphy. Sure, Ehrlich talked like this early on (back in April) but he’s never done a mea culpa for overspending during his term.

I just hope the Ehrlich backers recall the ‘no whining’ admonition if he loses. But it’s also up to Murphy backers to consider that they at least can’t ignore the downticket races, even if Murphy loses tomorrow and they can’t stomach the thought of either Ehrlich or O’Malley in office. For me, it’s not quite a ‘lesser of two evils’ race (because Bob Ehrlich does have some good points) but there is that potential for a lot of people.

But the bigger question is whether the Ehrlich era is over if he loses. Does Brian Murphy become the next rendition of Bob Ehrlich, and will the party become a machine to put Brian Murphy in the governor’s office for the open seat come 2014? Somehow I don’t see that happening because Ehrlich is the “establishment” candidate, and they’ll find someone else to play the role if and when Ehrlich departs from the stage. I’d be shocked if Brian Murphy is invited to speak at a Lincoln Day dinner next year. (Now, if he could bring along Sarah Palin that may become a ‘go’.)

I know Brian Murphy’s stances, and I think he would be a great governor. But there are those out there for whom he needs to earn their respect, and if he loses I hope he doesn’t take too long to back Bob Ehrlich. We will need all hands on deck this fall. However, it’s also up to Ehrlich to regain the trust he lost, and tacking to the center right away isn’t going to make it with a lot of his base. If those people stay home in November we have a problem.

Consider it a real life application of Murphy’s Law.

Election Calendar: September 13-26, 2010

This is sort of a slack Election Calendar simply because the primary election looms and the number of candidates will be cut significantly. Why plan an event if you’re eliminated? I also dropped the September 19 Colburn/Haddaway event at the Red Roost from last week since the RSVP date had passed.

So my usual check this week was limited to those I knew would advance through the primary because they were unopposed.

Tuesday, September 14 – Primary Election Day, where Republicans and Democrats will select their nominees and local Central Committees. Voting runs from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

(continued on my Examiner.com page…)

My annual 9-11 statement

I’ve done something pretty much every September 11 I’ve had a website, but I think the best piece was the one I wrote three years ago to mark the occasion. I pick it up in the second paragraph.

**********

That day was a glorious Tuesday weatherwise, a perfect late summer day in northwest Ohio. At the time I was working for my last firm, Hobbs and Black Architects, and as was normal on most days I had my headphones on listening to a CD when the phone rang. For whatever reason, I picked it up and it was my co-worker Larry who informed me that he would be in shortly and did I know that a plane had hit the World Trade Center? I told him no, and I’d see him shortly.

What I assumed, not knowing the whole story at the time, was that what struck the WTC was a small Cessna-type plane. I had no idea that it was the first jetliner to hit or that by the time Larry made it in that a second plane was making contact. But when Larry turned on his radio straight away to continue monitoring the events, we all knew something bad was happening. This was probably about 9:15 or so.

Obviously we were all glued to the radio accounts of the news, but we did have work to get done. Some of my cohorts were wrapping up presentation drawings for a new synagogue that was to be presented in a meeting to the congregation that evening. But later that morning we got a call from the design architect who decided maybe meeting that night would not be a good idea. Not a whole lot was done that day as obviously we were all waiting for another shoe to drop, particularly when we heard that the Pentagon was hit and there was another plane that had dropped out of contact over Ohio (this would be Flight 93.)

It seemed like an eternity until 5:30 when my workday was done. I figured I’d better stop for gas on the way back home and found that the gas priced at $1.10 or so when I went to work was now $1.80. Still, there were lines to get in the station. And all that was normal when the day began was now different. There were no ballgames on, nor any of the regular TV shows. All we had on was the wall-to-wall coverage of the mounting death toll and the question about why we were targeted.

In the days that followed, the questioning turned to mourning and then to solidarity. I remember all the members of Congress singing patriotically on the Capitol steps. For a few days afterward we weren’t Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, we were just Americans.

But when I think about that day, I think more about the effect it had on my daughter. We all live some of our lives through our children and even though I wasn’t around when she was born Dani is still my daughter. So perhaps the thing that upsets me the most is that this occurred during her senior year of high school. It’s supposed to be one of the most fun years of a child’s life, but hers forever has the black mark of being associated with 9/11.

There’s one incident that typifies that melancholy feeling I get when 9/11 comes up. On the Saturday afterward, Dani’s high school hosted a band concert with several other bands in the region. They all played 3 or 4 songs, essentially a typical halftime show.

As was traditional, her school’s band closed the show. Instead of a regular show though, as I recall they marched onto the field and took their formation. Then, to the sound of a single drum keeping time they slowly and somberly marched off one by one. It’s a bitter memory that I have, thinking about the joy that a high school marching band generally brings tempered by events beyond their control.

9/11 was an event that continues to define a generation. It’s Dani’s age group that volunteered to fight against the enemy who took the fight to us on that brilliant day turned dark, and it’s her age group that takes most of the casualties in that fight on both sides.

But for those of us who were just doing our jobs on a regular workday not unlike the thousand before, living through that one changed us too. We still take time to remember and mourn those for whom it was their last workday; the ones who never knew what hit them, those on the planes who never made it to their destinations, some who died trying to save their cohorts in the Twin Towers, and still others unfortunate enough to be at the top of the  towers who faced a horrible choice of how to end their life.

Because of some agenda, political or otherwise, we rarely see the pictures anymore. But placing the events that happened on a Tuesday not unlike today six years ago out of sight cannot and should not place them out of mind. We owe it to my daughter’s generation not to forget.

luvya, kiddo.

**********

You know, with all the hullabaloo over the mosque nearby Ground Zero, the events of 9/11 remain on our mind and the wounds unhealed. Personally I’d prefer they built it someplace else in New York (my understanding is there’s another mosque just blocks away) but what will be will be I suppose. Just don’t be surprised if someone tosses a firebomb in the place sometime down the road.

But as the years are removed and other events occur in our lives, my fear is that we return to the so-called 9/10 mindset. Just because we have ceased operations in Iraq and are getting ready to pull out of Afghanistan next year doesn’t mean the threat from Islamic terrorism has ceased – in fact, they may see this manuever as a sign of weakness. Perhaps the next anniversary and the prospect of the groundbreaking for a new mosque will bring us a new vigilance.

Friday night videos – episode 45

Call this the primary edition. It’s some of the interesting things which have come across my screen lately and I want to share with you.

First, I love the smell of hypocricy in the evening as much as I do in the morning.

Yep, let’s hire non-union people to protest on behalf of a union. Unless there’s full employment within the union (in which case they shouldn’t need the work anyway) why can’t they use their own members?

In the meantime, the administration they blindly support is killing other union and non-union jobs in the energy industry.

It’s interesting – 5,500 people came of their own accord to speak out on their jobs but providing a handful of jobs to the members of the union who instead paid scab labor to picket was out of the question.

The statewide races for Governor and Senate are quite interesting, with Jim Rutledge and Eric Wargotz fighting out the U.S. Senate nod and Brian Murphy closing the gap on Bob Ehrlich. Here’s a little something from each, beginning with Rutledge. Someone came up with a great video on Jim’s behalf.

I still like the bearded look on Jim. Meanwhile, his opponent Eric Wargotz hit the airwaves with this last week.

It’s a humorous ad, and certainly gets the point across. But is appearing in safari garb Eric’s ‘Dukakis moment’?

A more conventional message comes from Brian Murphy in his TV spot.

It sounds pretty Eastern Shore to me, since that’s where he grew up. Meanwhile, Bob Ehrlich vows to kill the expansion of the sales tax to 43 services.

Oh, I remember the bill – they’ve tried to sneak it through but didn’t have the cajones to do it back then. We fought it tooth and nail and won.

Finally, this week wouldn’t be complete without mentioning something about tomorrow. It’s this week’s Freedom Minute from the Center for Individual Freedom.I decided to skip the music video this week because I may just have fresh ones next week if I’m able. We’ll have to see on that; otherwise enjoy the rest of your night!

A centrist’s lonely path

With a crowded field of nearly a dozen entrants, you would think one who stakes for himself a little different position from the rest would stand out. But Neil Cohen, a dentist from Rockville and unabashed moderate (if there is such a thing) has nearly no name recognition and donations aren’t exactly pouring into his coffers as the Republican U.S. Senate primary election looms on Tuesday. This interview captures well the resignation and bitterness Cohen feels at not making more of a splash in the process.

(continued on my Examiner.com page…)

Somebody owes me some steak!

I was looking up something else and saw this passage from a post I did two years ago:

By the way, (Frank Kratovil) is a Democrat and not an independent because he’ll caucus with Nancy Pelosi and company. If he votes with San Fran Nan even 50% of the time the voters would likely want him thrown out, and I’m willing to wager a steak dinner with Joe that, if elected, Frank will have an ACU rating lower than Wayne Gilchrest’s 2007 rating of 36.

This was in the wake of Frank Kratovil’s “I’ll be an independent” campaign. Gee, before it was uncool to be a Democrat Frank was already running away from the label.

Well, you know I forgot about this until just now but when the 2009 ACU ratings came out back in February Frank Kratovil’s rating was…. 28. Did I call it or did I call it?

Admittedly, that’s one of the higher ratings among Democrats (only Dutch Ruppersberger has a lifetime ACU rating above 10 among the other Maryland Democrats) but it goes to show that there is a big difference between parties. Even the much-maligned Mike Castle in Delaware has a 52.49 lifetime ACU rating.

I really don’t want to have to keep a wary eye on my Congressman to be assured he’s doing the right thing and voting for the principles our district holds dear – it is a conservative district and should have a conservative Congressman. With Frank Kratovil we haven’t progressed any farther toward representation which reflects us, so whether Rob Fisher or Andy Harris wins the GOP primary they should be strongly considered as a viable replacement for ‘flip-flop Frank.’

Shorebird of the Year – a 2010 season wrapup

You know, after a 6-2 roadtrip to begin the season, many thought we would have a team of world-beaters here at Delmarva. I guess they peaked WAY too soon.

Instead, Delmarva’s team grew steadily worse as the year dragged on, thanks in no small part to a revolving door of players – for example, a total of 31 pitchers threw for the Shorebirds this season (including two position players pressed into service.) They ended the season 11-24 in August and September and losing their last five at home to stagger home at 59-81, their highest loss total ever and worst record since 1999 (58-80.)

The ugly truth manifested itself in a number of other ways as well:

  • Batting average: .243, 13th of 14 teams in the league. Greensboro’s .239 overall mark held us up.
  • Runs: 578, again 13th of 14.  Rome scored just 520.
  • Doubles: 249, 8th in the league.
  • Triples: 42, 5th.
  • Home runs: 63, 12th in the league.
  • Walks: 439, 4th in the league.
  • Strikeouts: 1160, 3rd most of 16. They always seemed to come when we had a runner on third and less than two outs.
  • Stolen bases: 118, 11th.
  • OPS: .669, 13th in the league. On-base percentage was 12th while slugging percentage was 13th. Only Rome had a more punchless offense.

The pitching was much more noteworthy; that is if you consider more toward league averages noteworthy. The 4.07 team ERA ranked 9th in the loop. Some of the other numbers and how they compared to the rest of the SAL:

  • Shutouts: 6, tied for 12th.
  • Saves: 29, last of 14.
  • Hits allowed: 1265, second most in the league. Only Hagerstown (1316) allowed more.
  • Runs allowed: 689, 3rd most in the league. 565 earned runs was 5th most.
  • Home runs allowed: 89, 6th most.
  • Walks allowed, 441, 4th most. 
  • Strikeouts: 1043, 8th.
  • WHIP: their 1.37 WHIP tied for 10th.

With the higher-than-average number of unearned runs allowed, the pitching staff actually looks a little better than it was. We didn’t have the real high-error games of seasons past; instead the defense was like a slow leak – maybe an error or two game in and game out.

Yet again, there were a number of also-rans in the system below us. Aberdeen finished 34-40, which tied for third in their four-team division. At 23-45 Bluefield was by far the doormat of the Appalachian League; however I have it on good authority they will be eliminated next season as an Orioles affiliate (we will have one fewer rookie league team.) But the GCL Orioles were 25-34 and near the bottom too, as were the Orioles’ two Dominican Summer League teams. Only Frederick and Bowie had records over .500 and those weren’t by much. (Frederick leads their playoff series against Potomac 1-0 as of this writing, though.) Needless to say, the Orioles chain seems to be lacking in overall talent in comparison to its peers.

But there are some good individual players and the Orioles just need their cream of the crop to be superior to see success. Here’s how the 21 players and special 100th overall pick I selected as Shorebirds of the Week ended up faring for the season.

April 8: Tony Butler

I picked Tony because he’s a nice guy and I was hoping he would present a great comeback story. Unfortunately, the comeback aspect failed to materialize. For the Shorebirds he was 1-4 with a 7.66 ERA in 12 games and 8 starts before being released June 14. His unemployment didn’t last long, though, as he was picked up by the Milwaukee Brewers organization. But in three stops there (AZL Brewers, Helena, and Wisconsin) he struggled to a 1-1 mark and 9.20 ERA – after allowing 5 runs without retiring a batter August 5th for Wisconsin he was released again.

April 15: Mikey Planeta

One of just a handful of Shorebirds who spent the whole season here (and avoided the disabled list), Mikey got into 117 games and had a .226/0/33 mark to show for it. He was also one of the top base stealers for the season, swiping 14. At 21 Mikey could stand another season here to see if he could improve the average closer to the .288 he posted at Bluefield in 2009. Certainly he has a solid arm and is a good defensive outfielder, but what holds him back is the average and high number of strikeouts (123 this season in 438 at-bats.)

April 22: Tyler Kolodny

A second-year Shorebird, Tyler got off to a good start here – he hit .260/10/29 and, despite the fact he played less than half the season here before being reassigned to Aberdeen, he led the Shorebirds with those 10 home runs in just 41 games. Unfortunately, the injury bug got him in Aberdeen and he played just 10 games there, hitting .207 with just one homerun. He will be 23 by the next season opener so yet another Delmarva campaign may not be out of the question. Certainly he shows power potential but may need to throttle things down just a bit to stay healthy.

Other honors: Tyler was the SAL Player of the Week April 19.

April 29: Garabez Rosa

Garabez initially burned up the SAL like a house afire, hitting .333 in April and maintaining a .300 mark deep into May. But the league eventually figured him out and his average had dipped into the .230’s by August. Rosa recovered in the season’s final month, though, and finished with a fairly decent .251/5/44 line in 124 games. He also led the team with 32 doubles. Obviously he has to cut down on the 46 errors he committed to move up the system, as well as improve on a ratio of 114 strikeouts to seven walks he compiled. Garabez loved to swing at the breaking ball in the dirt. Since he’s only 21 next year he could move up or stay here.

Other honors: Garabez was selected to the SAL All-Star Game.

May 6: Ryan Berry

Ryan was only 0-3 with a 3.50 ERA in 8 starts here, but the Orioles liked him enough to promote him to Frederick later in May. There he was 2-2 with a 3.04 ERA in 17 appearances (12 starts) but he maintained a great strikeout-to-walk ratio (106-36 in 117.1 innings pitched total) and allowed fewer hits than innings pitched with the Keys. A good young pitcher who slipped in the draft because of injuries he suffered in college, Berry could be a diamond in the rough for the Orioles and just might make it to the Show with a solid 2011 season – more likely he should advance to Bowie.

May 13: Brian Conley

Brian put together a nice, steady 2010 campaign for Delmarva before being promoted to Frederick in August. For the Shorebirds Brian hit .270 in 98 games with 6 homers and 29 RBI, and was among league leaders by drawing 70 walks (he also struck out 70 times.) Brian also stole 20 bases here, placing him second on the team. Conley hit .222 in 16 games for Frederick after his promotion. He’ll be 25 early next season so we may have seen the last of Brian here – if he washes out with Frederick he’ll likely draw his release.

Other honors: Brian was selected to the SAL All-Star Game and picked as the Delmarva Shorebirds Fan Club Player of the Half for the first half.

May 20: Josh Dowdy

Once Josh was promoted in July, it seemed to affect both him and the Shorebirds staff adversely. He was pretty much lights-out as our closer, amassing 15 saves and a 1.23 ERA in 29 1/3 innings here. Yet once he settled in Frederick he was hammered, going 1-0 but allowing 15 runs in 14 2/3 innings. His 24 hits allowed with the Keys matched the total he allowed with the Shorebirds. But Dowdy has shown in his brief history that he struggles with a midseason promotion, so perhaps starting at Frederick next year will suit the 23-year-old well.

May 27: Steve Bumbry

Fans expected a lot out of Steve this season, and at times he delivered. But he slumped badly toward the end (hitting just .171 in August) and finished the season on the disabled list. Oddly enough, he was a player who fared much better on the road (.315/2/15) than at home (.215/2/19). Mixed together, Steve put together a decent season, hitting .263 with the 4 home runs and 34 knocked in. But he needs to cut down on strikeouts (131 was the most on the team) and take better advantage of his speed – he stole nine bases but was caught 11 times. Since he turns 23 next season I see him as a cusp player between repeating here or moving on to Frederick; more likely the latter.

June 3: Nathan Moreau

Nathan began in the bullpen but found his stride as a starter. For Delmarva he was 2-3 with a 2.98 ERA, allowing 45 hits in 60 1/3 innings while walking 23 and fanning 70. And you couldn’t make a better impression on your new teammates than tossing a no-hitter as Nate did on June 30 for Frederick. As it turned out, his numbers there were pedestrian at best, going 4-5 with a 5.29 ERA and allowing 43 hits in 49 1/3 innings (obviously all in the last 40 1/3.) Nate turns 24 later this month so he’s probably not coming back here since he dominated before.

Other honors: Nate was selected as Pitcher of the Week both by the South Atlantic League (June 1) and by the Carolina League (July 6.)

June 10: Kieron Pope

After a year-long layoff due to injury, Kieron returned to action in May and got off to a fast start. Unfortunately he couldn’t keep up the pace and struggled dreadfully after the All-Star break, hitting just .204 in the second half. Overall, he had to have two good games right at the end to place his average right at the .250 mark. Kieron also had 6 home runs and 44 knocked in. What he didn’t do was cut down appreciably on his strikeout pace, fanning 94 times in 284 at-bats. Pope has spent 5 seasons in the Orioles chain and hasn’t hit better than .257 for a season – very disappointing for a 4th round pick, I’m sure. (Ironically, current Orioles Josh Bell and Brian Matusz were picked in the same 2005 draft round by different teams.) He may have played himself out of a job despite the effort he made in just returning from a devastating injury.

June 17: Kenny Moreland

A solid, durable starter while he was here, Kenny pitched like he had something to prove after a demotion from Frederick. He ended up tying for the team lead in victories (7) in just 16 starts. For Delmarva he was 7-7 with a 4.20 ERA, allowing 101 hits in 100 2/3 innings while fanning 70 and walking just 10. He rejoined Frederick in August and didn’t do as well, finishing the year there with a 5.80 ERA in 49 2/3 innings. Still, he walked just 12 there. Kenny has come a long way since being signed as a non-drafted free agent out of a Division III school, and he may get yet another crack at Frederick next year (his fourth) – by next year’s season opener he’ll be 25 so I’d be surprised if he came back here.

Other honors: Kenny was named SAL Pitcher of the Week on June 21.

June 24: Ryan Minor

Because it was my 100th Shorebird of the Week selection I decided to do something different, and Ryan was a good choice since he’s served the team as a player, coach, and manager. Certainly a 59-81 record isn’t something which looks good on a manager’s resume but considering the sheer number of players Ryan had to deal with this year, I’d like to see the Orioles give him another shot. He does have some managing skills to learn, but there is potential for Ryan to be a good skipper down the road.

July 1: Jesse Beal

Considering Jesse was shut down the last month of the season, he put together a good campaign. Jesse tied for the team lead in wins with 7, was just short of leadership with 114 1/3 innings pitched, and crafted a 3.86 ERA. 64 strikeouts to 23 walks is a nice ratio and allowing 122 hits is reasonable. All in all, it was good experience for a kid who won’t turn 21 until the middle of next year, and it may be a season he works in Frederick’s rotation.

Other honors: Jesse was selected to the SAL All-Star Game.

July 8: Luis Noel

I was surprised to see Luis back, and he didn’t stay long – in fact, right after I named Luis he was promoted. But in the 8 starts he was here, he won 4, lost 2, and had a sparkling 2.59 ERA. He allowed 16 walks in 41 2/3 innings. With Frederick, though, he struggled to a 6.18 ERA in 51 innings. The biggest difference was the longball – whereas Noel allowed just one home run here he gave up eight with Frederick. He’s only 23 at the start of next season, though, so he’ll probably stick with the Keys – I’d say it’s about a 1 in 5 chance he’ll be demoted back considering he’s played at this level twice and pitched well both times.

July 15: Brent Allar

Brent is entertaining to watch and a fan favorite. But he needed to put up better numbers than he did, particularly in allowing walks (47 in 75 2/3 innings is quite high compared to league averages.) Trying him in the starting rotation over the tail end of the year netted him a 1-4, 4.84 mark as part of a 2-4, 5.00 season. Allar can touch 95 on the radar gun but can’t always locate his pitches (even with adopting the practice of pitching out of the stretch full-time), and at higher levels batters will be more discerning. I hope he can latch on either here or with Frederick, but in a numbers game he may be squeezed out given he’s been in the organization five seasons and will turn 26 during spring training.

Other honors: Mountaire selected Brent as their Humanitarian of the Year based on his service to the community.

July 22: Tyler Townsend

Shorebird fans were looking forward all spring to seeing this local boy do well, and they got a brief glimpse in May before he injured his hamstring. Upon his return (after going 5-for-13 in the Gulf Coast League), he continued to tear up the SAL so the Orioles promoted him just days after I selected him as a SotW. Hitting .342/3/26 in 30 games definitely qualifies as tearing up the league, and the good news is that he continued his success in Frederick, hitting .284/3/14 in 19 games. Overall he had a superb .959 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage – .700 is considered average) so I’m naming him my 2010 Prospect of the Year and wouldn’t be completely surprised to see him in an Orioles jersey at the end of 2011. My guess is they fast-track him to Bowie to start next season.

July 29: Ty Kelly

Ty was the sort of player who came to work every day and quietly helped the team. By doing so, he led the squad in a number of offensive categories including games played, at-bats, and hits. He tailed off just enough at the end to finish with a batting mark under .260, but .259/4/58 is very respectable. He also drew 68 walks, which was among league leaders. He’ll turn 23 in the middle of next season so there’s a good chance he could come back but I think he deserves a chance at Frederick.

Other honors: The Shorebirds Fan Club picked Ty as their Player of the Half in the second half.

August 5: Bobby Bundy

What Ty Kelly was to the offense Bundy was to the pitching staff – by doing his job he ended up atop several categories. Of particular interest would be the most innings pitched (116) and strikeouts (91). Overall, Bobby finished 4-6 with a 3.65 ERA and was quite a bit better as a starter (a 3.55 ERA in 90 innings) than as a reliever (4.24 in 17 innings.) He also allowed just 100 hits, which is a solid ratio and could be an indicator of future success.  Bobby may be ticketed for Frederick next year even though he’ll be only 21 based on being a fairly high draft pick and the good season he posted.

Other honors: Mountaire selected Bobby as their Player of the Year and the Shorebirds Fan Club picked him as their Pitcher of the Half in the second half.

August 12: T.J. Baxter

The hard-nosed Baxter is another player who showed up daily to play but didn’t find quite as much success as the aforementioned Ty Kelly. Baxter hit .243/8/34 for the season, slumping with a 5-for-39 effort in his last 10 games to fall below the .250 mark. He did lead the team with 34 stolen bases, however. Baxter, who will be 25 by next season, is probably another player who’s at a career crossroads because he was less successful at this level, and having 118 strikeouts to 41 walks may not be desirable for a leadoff hitter. But he has versitility and speed, so there may yet be another shot for T.J.

August 19: James Brandhorst

The workhorse of the bullpen, James made a team-leading 46 appearances and pitched better than his 1-8 record may indicate. In 61 innings he allowed only 50 hits, struck out 65, and walked 28. Upon looking at his line, perhaps the only flaw is allowing a few more walks than one would prefer – if he can cut that down there’s no reason the 23-year-old Brandhorst can’t advance up the system beginning with Frederick next season.

August 26: Justin Dalles

Considering the aggregate average for all Shorebirds catchers was a puny .191 hitting .208/4/14  in 48 games isn’t all that bad. Believe it or not, that’s the most games any Shorebird catcher of the six we had played here this season. Over the last couple years the Shorebirds haven’t had many good-hitting catchers. But Dalles endured two trips to the disabled list after memorable collisions and was placed on a third time just before I named him as SotW. He’ll only be 22 and the Orioles have a tendency to repeat catchers at this level so I would expect Justin to be back for 2011.

September 2: Nick Haughian

Nick was another pitcher who did whatever was needed, mostly in long relief. He put together a good season, going 6-4 with a 3.97 ERA in 35 games and 5 starts. Nick struck out 90 in 93 innings while walking only 33, but he allowed 110 hits for a .293 average against. That is probably the area Haughian needs to improve upon most as he advances up the system, but since he’ll be 24 next spring I would expect that to occur in Frederick next season.

My 21 Shorebirds of the Week were definitely a mixed bag of successes and failures. And because of the turnover I probably had the hardest time of any of the five seasons I’ve done this to pick a winner for Shorebird of the Year.

There’s several guys who had the potential to be winners had they been here longer – Tyler Townsend immediately comes to mind, but had Mike Flacco arrived earlier and put up the same numbers he would have contended.

It came down to a group of four or five guys who played fairly well all year – Jesse Beal, Steve Bumbry, Bobby Bundy, Brian Conley, and Ty Kelly. But you can only pick one and this is who I decided on.

The 2010 Shorebird of the Year, Brian Conley.

Brian won out because I thought the team simply played better on those nights he was in the lineup than those when he was out. And while there were a number of other factors at play, the fade of the team in the late season seemed to coincide with the time period after he was called up. Conley was good at getting on base, swiping one if needed, and setting the table for those further down the lineup.

As I closed out my post last season, I wish nothing but the best to each and every one of the 2010 Shorebirds and thank them for making my third season as a season ticket holder a wonderful experience. Next week I turn my attention to the front office with my Shorebird Picks and Pans.

NOvember is coming…to Salisbury

While details are still being worked out (and the date might change a bit) the breaking news is that the national “NOvember is Coming” tour sponsored by Americans for Prosperity is scheduled to visit Salisbury on Thursday, September 30 from 1-3 p.m. I would anticipate something similar to this recent rally in Dover, Ohio as part of the festivities.

Salisbury will be a stop on the NiC tour swing along the east coast, with events planned beforehand in New Hampshire and New York before the bus travels to Florida. This is currently the only Maryland stop planned.

Do you think Jim Ireton will be giving them the key to the city?

This is a breaking story, with more details sure to follow. Mark your calendars (in pencil.)

Party uber alles?

Let me begin by saying that I’m quite aware Audrey Scott, as MDGOP Chair, is paid to elect Republicans. But is this the right message to put out?

Sometimes you have to stand for something besides not being the other guys. Oftentimes we make our decisions based on the letter after the name, not realizing that there’s supposed to be underlying principles inherent within.

I think Brian Murphy understands this too. He criticized Scott in a blistering radio interview message:

For the last 100 years, the Maryland Republican Party has been irrelevant, and so they’ve just said, ‘Well, the only way to win is to look like Democrats.’ No, the way to win is what Ronald Reagan did: to stand on principle.

[The GOP] is really having an identity crisis. Over the weekend, there was a telling video, and it was really pretty disgusting, quite frankly. The reason I’m running is because we’ve lost sight of our principles in our party. If the Republican Party is one thing, it is a party of principles. It is a party of conviction and passion. Our Founders were all men and women of principle and passion.

There was this Rule 11 thing, where the Republican Party, most folks don’t know about it, they don’t really care. It’s this little group that decided to endorse Ehrlich, even before he filed. It was basically a vote against me. But that was a symptom. And this video, this weekend, was the real disease. It was the Chairman of the Republican Party… she said, ‘Party first. Party over principle.’ Which shows she doesn’t understand the Republican Party is the party of principle. That’s why we’re losers in Maryland.

Now, I already have heard the argument about Brian being a Democrat for awhile, yadda yadda yadda. Perhaps what attracted him to switch was the fact our party has good conservative principles and he felt he was the best person to lead us in that direction? To dismiss him is to dismiss a number of other leaders on a more local scale who simply were fed up with politics as usual. A church wouldn’t turn away someone who wants to convert, so why should we?

Unfortunately for establishment Republicans, I give a damn about principles too. One thing I demand is a fair shake for all candidates and let them stand or fall on their own merits, not being Obamalike and clearing the playing field for a chosen candidate. Yes, I’m proud to be a Republican but the “R” next to the name doesn’t guarantee a vote when I think they fall short on principles. That’s why I am unabashedly a Murphy supporter – on the other hand, Wayne Gilchrest was one of those types who wasn’t what I considered a good Republican to be. Fortunately Bob Ehrlich has just enough good points that I can support him in the general election if he doesn’t lose the primary. Chances are he won’t.

That being said, though, in the next term the GOP is going to need to have the whip handy in order to corral Ehrlich in the right direction and make sure he follows through on those areas conservatives supported him for. That means crossing the aisle to accomodate Democrats is verboten – let them come to us. If Ehrlich wins he makes the budget and that’s part of the political Golden Rule – he who has the gold, rules. So screw the Democrats – they’re more than happy to do it to us when they’re in power. It’s our contention as conservatives that following our philosophy of limiting government will lead to more prosperity and freedom for all, not just chosen special interests.

More than likely it’s too late for Murphy’s words to make much of an impact for this election – votes are already being cast and, with our party (led by Ehrlich) now hypocritically embracing the early voting we fought against, Brian Murphy has fewer minds to change. But there is still hope for the next cycle, and if Bob Ehrlich wins and becomes the titular leader of the Maryland GOP he shouldn’t be allowed to just expect the party to back his every move or become a vehicle for his re-election. We already tried that once and we see where we were led.

(On a side note, perhaps it’s time to consider something our neighbor to the south does and limit governors to one four-year term. While we’re at it, 12 years in the General Assembly is more than enough.)

It’s what makes your local Central Committee elections almost as important as choosing the best Republican candidates to follow the party’s conservative, limited-government philosophy through to a seat in the General Assembly. I happen to be running for one of those seats, and I’ll be thankful and humbled if Wicomico County voters place their trust in me for another term.

But it’s more important that our party conveys a message that principles matter and the people should have their say in electing a candidate. This Rule 11 fiasco wasn’t quite as covert as my birth state’s practice of regularly trying to avoid contested primaries in statewide races by cajolery but it still has the stench of a backroom deal written all over it. In an era where more people than ever are fed up with ‘politics as usual’ and don’t think there’s a significant difference between the two parties, there’s no need to make my job as a Republican harder by providing more evidence those perceptions are correct.

District 38A hopeful gathers gun endorsements

AFP co-chair Julie Brewington read from remarks she prepared and preposted on her website.

One can’t quite call her Maryland’s answer to Sarah Palin yet, but District 38A hopeful Julie Brewington is holding her own with the boys insofar as getting endorsements from Second Amendment groups goes.

The most recent ones in her bag come from a coalition of groups including Maryland Shall Issue/Citizen’s Defense League of Maryland, and the Maryland State NRA Rifle and Pistol Association.

(continued on my Examiner.com page…)

**********

Now for the remainder of my take on this.

I’m certainly glad that Julie is a defender of Second Amendment rights and I have little doubt about her conservative credentials considering who she supports and the body of her work on her blog Right Coast.

But it doesn’t always work that way among people who vote single-issue. For example, the same group which endorses Julie is also endorsing Delegate Joseph Vallario, Jr. (D – District 27A) and Delegate Rudy Cane (D – District 37A). Vallario chairs the House Judiciary Committee, where bills like Jessica’s Law went to die until a vast outcry finally forced him to relent and bring the bill out. Cane regularly votes with big-spending I-95 corridor liberals on economic issues, which outweigh the limited good he does on Second Amendment-related items. (For my money I think Cane challenger Dustin Mills would likely be as good or better for Second Amendment stalwarts and certainly more friendly to our local business interests.)

However, I did notice that the coalition specifically states:

Our vote recommendations are based upon 2nd Amendment positions only. When both candidates would benefit the 2nd Amendment community, we suggest that each voter consider other criteria in the Primary Election. These critia (sic) would include the voter’s personal knowledge of the candidate, candidate’s experience, past performance, and especially the candidate’s “electability” in the November General Election.

I would hope that this coalition comes to its senses regarding other issues once November’s endorsements roll around, and perhaps in cases where there is no primary they simply omit the candidate in question until then.