(Please excuse my pointless rant. I was kind of mad so I took my anger out on the draft, minor league players, the Orioles, and the Rays.)

* Written yesterday around six o’clock

Unlike the NBA and the NFL draft who really watches the draft. I know I sound crazy but there are 750 active players in the big leagues. Last year in the draft there were 1,504 picks. More then half the players in the draft will most likely never play in the big leagues and some will not get past AA.  

Sure Mike Piazza was the very last player drafted but that was a one in a million chance that he would turn out to be a future hall of famer.

Yes, one pick can turn a franchise around but the only picks I will watch is who Boston takes with their first pick and who the Nationals take with their first pick.

Now if you spend ten seasons in the minors or whatever and make an impact in the majors I will look at you as a major league player with talent. But if you never hit a ball, throw a strike, make a play, or steal a base you are not a major league player even if you are in the MLB.

Heck for all we know Steven Strasburg could throw out his arm in AAA. So I will watch him when he gets to the big leagues. I will never watch minor league baseball unless a player is about to get called up. Sure I follow it but I would never watch it.

In the NBA draft the early picks go on to start in that season 99 percent of the time. In the NFL a little less often but most still do. In baseball it can take some promising prospects five years to get called up. By that time most people forget about him because well he was probably not that good.

Then there is Matt Wieters who the last time I heard of him was January. Yes that is how bad and how many fans there are of the Baltimore Orioles. You can say what you want about me you might be thinking I am a liar. I am not The Orioles just suck.  

Wieters was spose to be the finishing touches to a new dynasty. While the Orioles are having a good season for their standers they are 22-26. On the bright side they are tied for last with the Rays. So there are two young teams who many thought would be good. Both suck.

I am sorry O’s and Ray fans but you have to face the facts. Maybe the Rays are just a one year team. You know B.J. Upton has not really lived up to expectations. However Longoria and Crawford are doing great.

Why do both teams suck? Well, the Orioles have six veterans along with no pitching at all. I mean what other team (besides the Nationals) would have Jeremy Guthrie as their ace? The Dodgers who have the best record in baseball have nine veterans without Manny Ramirez. Along with great pitching. And ohh ya they are super young with guys like Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Russell Martin, James Loney, etc.

The Rays what a joke. One year after winning the American League they are in last. Why? Their pitching and injuries. James Shields is three and four with an ERA of 3.63. To high for an ace. I have never thought Matt Garza was “special” in my mind he is very overrated. This year he is four and three with an ERA of 3.65.  

Now to be honest it is somewhat not the Rays’ fault. You cannot help it if your team has eight players on the D.L. Your second baseman is out for the season. Your closer and your second “ace” or also on the D.L. along with you starting shortstop. You cannot help it that you D.H. is hurt along with two relief pitchers and your backup catcher.

But in times like that someone has to pick it up. Longoria is doing good and Crawford is swiping bases like crazy. But they have no pitching to back them up. The bottom line is one pitcher, batter, fielder or baserunner has to pickup the team. The Rays only have two of those three.  

In most sports like basketball you can have one star and go far. Look at LeBron James and the Cavs. However in every sport you have to have good players every where like the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic to name a few. In baseball you have to have at least six stars to win it all. In 2008 the Phillies had Howard, Hamels, Lidge, Utley, Rollins, Victorino, Burrell, and at the time Jason Werth was doing good.

If the Rays want to see the postseason again they need better pitching and B.J. Upton and any starter have to pick it up. If they do not I am afraid their is a chance they will suck again. Some say that their staff will freak out and make all these moves fire people and all this junk. I doubt that will happen but the Rays have to pick it up.

Their “super” prospect David Price has started one game this year and in 3.1 innings he gave up two runs on four hits against Cleveland. Like I said before if you do not hit a ball, throw a strike, steal a base, or make a play you are not a major leaguer. David Price is but as of 6:38 eastern time Matt Wieters is not a big leaguer. Price is.

When will the Rays and the Orioles get better? Never. The Rays have a one percent chance for winning the A.L. East and Baltimore what a joke they are. They have a 0.0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% chance of winning the wild card for the rest of the teams future.  

If the Rays and Orioles want to get better they need to fire their manager, trade for Albert Pujols or Ryan Howard. The only problem? Well, the Rays love Joe Madden and I don’t even now who the Orioles manager is. Pujols and Howard have a huge paycheck that Tampa Bay and Baltimore can not afford.  

The bottom line is that the Orioles will have to look back at the Cal Ripken era and the Rays will have to look back at last year because they are never going to get another ring or just make the playoffs.

(OK sorry for well as you might see being pretty mad. It is a long story. Why I took my anger out on the O’s, Rays, the draft, and minor league players no clue)

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Mr. Epstein can you CALL UP CLAY ALREADY pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Oh by the way this is for you . . .

And remember to vote for Andre Ethier . . .