Sparky The Grand Salami King!

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OHMIGOD!!!!! HE HIT ANOTHER ONE!!!

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

What planet is he from?!?!?!


:hail: :hail: :hail: :hail:

It was in the bottom of the 2nd.... two outs..... bases loaded with Gibby, Tony B, and The Chief.

Brian homered to right.

Dang. I'm speechless.

Now it's the top of the 6th, score is 5-2, O's. Deivi Cruz homered in the 4th. :eek: (Is this heaven? No..... it's Baltimore. :D )

[Nanner]

6-2, ORIOLES, TOP OF THE 7TH!!!

Mighty Mel scored in the bottom of the 6th on a 2-out single by Bubble-Boy.

:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Here's Sparky and his little ol' Grand Slam.

:D

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030529/capt.1054170714.angels_orioles_bab102.jpg

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Here's our Sparky rounding the bases.

:D

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/images/2003/05/28/lCBKJO2G.jpg

[MarylandMan]

:eek: Whoa! :eek:
I couldn't believe my eyes... this kid is just amazing. If only he could get his defense in order and learn to play shortstop, we could have him AND Jerry in the lineup, and we'd be unstoppable! Anyway I love the way the O's are playing right now, and its even better that the young kids are contributing. And omg, Melvin?! He was 3 for 3? Wow I gotta see what hjs average is up to... I wouldn't be surprised if he's leading the AL now!

[Nanner]

I wouldn't be surprised if he's leading the AL now!

Funny you should say this..... because he is!!!!!

:jump: :jump: :jump: :hail:

Mel Mora..... BA .359..... best in the AL!!

[Nanner]

Originally posted by Nanner
Funny you should say this..... because he is!!!!!

:jump: :jump: :jump: :hail:

Mel Mora..... BA .359..... best in the AL!!

Correction:

HE LEADS THE MAJORS!!!!!

:eek:

:clap2:

GO MELVIN! GO MELVIN! GO MELVIN!

:dancin:

[Nanner]

:thumbsup:

And yes, it does, indeed, beg the question: What happens when Jerry comes back. :um:

Well, we'll see in the next couple of weeks. If this offense continues, things could become very interesting. :Peep:

Orioles batter Angels again in 6-2 victory
Roberts' 2nd grand slam in past week powers O's to 4th consecutive win; Rejuvenated offense has 13 hits; Mora's 3-for-3 night lifts hit streak to 10, average to major league-best .359
By Joe Christensen
Sun Staff
Originally published May 29, 2003



The baseball season is almost two months old, and the Orioles have a better record than the defending World Series champion Anaheim Angels.

Indeed, that's not a misprint in the standings. For the past eight days, the Orioles have played with their own spirit in the sky.

Brian Roberts stands 5 feet 9 in baseball spikes and had never hit a grand slam in his life. But last night he hit his second slam in a week, lifting the Orioles over the Angels, 6-2, before 20,366 at Camden Yards for their fourth straight win.

"Those things are normal, right?" Roberts said. "Don't ask me. It's the grace of God, or something you can't explain."

Melvin Mora wasn't in the Orioles' Opening Day lineup, and now he leads the major leagues in hitting. He went 3-for-3 with two walks last night, raising his average to .359.

Mora has reached base in 16 of his past 18 plate appearances. He's riding a career-best 10-game hitting streak, and manager Mike Hargrove acknowledged he might be shedding the label of a bench player.

"The easiest thing in the world to get in baseball is a label," Hargrove said. "It takes two weeks to get a label, and it takes four weeks to get rid of it.

"I don't think we're so closed-minded that we are not looking at Melvin more as an everyday player now, especially given the fact that he's playing as well as he is. And it's not just for a little bit of time, it's for an extended period."

On May 20, the Angels defeated the Orioles for the seventh consecutive time dating to last season, when Anaheim finished with 99 victories and the Orioles finished with 67.

Since that night, the Orioles have won six of seven games, including four straight against the Angels by a combined 32-16. Have the Orioles (25-26) been that good, or have the Angels (24-26) been that bad?

"I think it's less them playing poorly," Hargrove said, "and I think it's more that we've gotten very good pitching from our people, we've had some big hits, and we're aggressive on the bases. I think we're playing very well right now."

The Orioles activated B.J. Surhoff from the disabled list last night, and Hargrove didn't play him. Surhoff's left knee is better, but why rush him back when the rest of the offense is playing this well? The Orioles had 13 hits last night, the ninth straight game they've had more than 10. In their first 42 games, that happened only 14 times.

For Roberts, few things will top the grand slam he hit off Angels closer Troy Percival last Thursday, which lifted the Orioles from a 4-3 ninth-inning deficit to a 7-4 win.

This time, he came up in the second inning against Angels starter Ramon Ortiz (4-5) with the bases loaded and two outs. After falling behind in the count 2-0, Ortiz left a fastball over the plate, and Roberts lined it over the right-field scoreboard.

The Angels saw a similar power surge from 5-8 shortstop David Eckstein last year. He hit grand slams on back-to-back days in April and finished the year with three.

"That did cross my mind," Roberts said. "That has to be two of the most unlikely sources ever."

Eckstein made a costly error, just before Roberts notched grand slam No. 2.

Tony Batista hit a potential double-play grounder to Eckstein, but he dropped the ball on the exchange to second baseman Adam Kennedy, leading to four unearned runs.

Roberts, who is now batting .364, has at least one hit in seven games since taking over for Hairston, who broke a bone in his right foot on May 20.

Mora's surge has been even more impressive. In the past 10 games, he's batting .548. Texas Rangers rookie Hank Blalock entered yesterday leading the majors with a .354 average, but Mora overtook him last night. Blalock went 0-for-3 to drop his average to .347.

Granted, it's only two months into the season, but the Orioles haven't had an American League batting champion since Frank Robinson hit .316 in 1966 .

"I didn't even think about that," Mora said of leading the majors in batting. "Every day's a new day for me."

Orioles starter Jason Johnson (5-2) allowed two runs in six innings, earning his first victory since April 29. B.J. Ryan got into a little jam in the seventh, walking two batters with one out, but Rick Bauer coaxed an inning-ending double-play ball out of Eckstein, then struck out the side in the eighth.

Buddy Groom pitched the ninth, and Mora ran into the left-field wall catching Bengie Molina's liner to end the game.

"I think Melvin is coming into his own," Hargrove said. "We should talk about that at the end of the year. Hopefully a month from now we're still on that subject, but he's doing an awfully good job right now, and I don't think it's by accident."


Copyright © 2003, The Baltimore Sun

[MarylandMan]

Here's what I'd like to see, when Jerry gets back.

1. Hairston 2B
2. Mora LF
3. Segui DH
4. Conine 1B
5. Gibbons RF
6. Batista 3B
7. Matos CF
8. Gil C
9. Roberts SS

I am reluctant to put Roberts all the way down there at #9, but I guess that would give Mora and Segui even more RBI chances. But we seem to have so many good hitters all of a sudden! I just don't know where to put them all... what a good problem to have.

[Nanner]

Originally posted by MarylandMan
Here's what I'd like to see, when Jerry gets back.

1. Hairston 2B
2. Mora LF
3. Segui DH
4. Conine 1B
5. Gibbons RF
6. Batista 3B
7. Matos CF
8. Gil C
9. Roberts SS

I am reluctant to put Roberts all the way down there at #9, but I guess that would give Mora and Segui even more RBI chances. But we seem to have so many good hitters all of a sudden! I just don't know where to put them all... what a good problem to have.

That looks like a darn good lineup to me. I'd love to see Sparky at short. If he could work even harder to tighten up his defense.... man.... what a cool combination out there that would be.

What about Bigbie? He was doing a pretty good job before he went on the DL with..... what was it now?:umm I can't remember. Anyhoo..... what a fine lookin' team we have! :thumbsup: I'm likin' it!!! :clap2:

[MarylandMan]

Yeah... another possibility would be to put Jerry at shortstop and keep Roberts at 2B. I believe that Hairston was originally a SS when we drafted him in 1997, but was converted to a 2B out of need.

[Nanner]

Originally posted by MarylandMan
Yeah... another possibility would be to put Jerry at shortstop and keep Roberts at 2B. I believe that Hairston was originally a SS when we drafted him in 1997, but was converted to a 2B out of need.

I sort of like the idea of Jerry at short.

And that outfield looks really good too, but I'm still worried about Big. He should be playing every day when he comes off the DL, and there's nowhere to put him. :(

But, you're right. It's a nice problem to have. :D

[MarylandMan]

I almost hate to say it, but I sorta think we should trade one of our old guys at the deadline. If we traded Conine, or even Segui for some prospects, that would make room for Gibbons at first and Bigbie in right.

[PopTop]

I saw that he hit another one on ESPN a couple of nights back and just knew you'd post something with that little bouncing blue smiley!

Go Sparky!:clap2:



Thanks again for helping out in the Houston forum.

[Obri]

When "Bubble Boy" is hitting well, you know things are going your way.:D

I'm loving Mora on my fantasy team, one of my better acquisitions.:D

:hail: :hail: :hail: MEL!

[Nanner]

Originally posted by PopTop
I saw that he hit another one on ESPN a couple of nights back and just knew you'd post something with that little bouncing blue smiley!

Go Sparky!:clap2:



Thanks again for helping out in the Houston forum.

Always happy to lend a hand, Willie. :)

:jump: <--------------this little guy comes in really handy.

Obri, happy Mel is working out for you! :D Good pickup! :thumbsup:

MM....... actually, as much as I like the veterans, I think you're right. Gotta get Big in there somewhere.

[PissedPrincess]

More Sparky pics please. :smokin:

[PissedPrincess]

:wavey2:

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:wavey2:


:D



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