Pinch me, it's 2006 all over again!!!

I'm back, bitches!

It's about to start looking like 2006 all over again.

And the pathetic thing is, it's up to you whether that is a good or bad thing.

Corey Patterson has been called up from Norfolk just a couple of weeks after he was signed to a MiL deal to rejoin the Orioles organization.

You probably remember Patterson as an Oriole the first time around, and if you do, you probably remember that he wasn't anything to write home about. He was a big prospect in the Cubs system early on in the 2000's, but he never had enough consistency to warrant a starting job. So the Cubs traded him to the O's for your proverbial bag of balls in Carlos Perez and Nate Spears.

In 2006, he resurrected his career somewhat, after a dismal final season in Chicago, with a .757 OPS and 16 home runs. But in 2007, his OPS dropped by almost .070 pts and his home run totals were cut in half. By 2008, the Orioles had acquired Adam Jones and Patterson was a former Oriole on his way out of baseball. And after bouncing around with the Reds, Nationals and Brewers the last 2 seasons, he didn't have a job this spring.

Until the Orioles called.

Patterson has played well in Norfolk (.911 OPS in 62 plate appearances) and now finds himself as the Orioles lead-off hitter for the foreseeable future, since Brian Roberts was added to the 60-day DL today, meaning that his return in 2010 is well in doubt.

Hey, what else are you gonna do?

Adam Jones might find himself looking in the mirror when he looks at Patterson. At this point in Jones' disappointing career, he is basically a right handed version of Patterson: all promise, no production.

And maybe Corey can go up to Adam and say, "Take a good look at me, Adam. This is what you could turn into if you don't get your s--t together, and fast." Maybe Corey Patterson can scare Adam Jones straight.

Meanwhile in the 2010 Depressing Reminders Department, Nolan Reimold has been sent down to AAA Norfolk. And here why it is depressing: Reimold and Bergesen were arguably the Orioles' best players in '09 and were thought to be big contributors in '10. And yet both of them have struggled to the point of being sent down to AAA.

Reimold never broke out of his slow start to the season, and since it's May friggin' 12th, it's safe to stop calling it the "start of the season". Reimold's .639 OPS is a product of no power. He still has a good batter's eye, as evidenced by his OBP being almost .100 pts higher than his average, but he could probably use a week or two in Norfolk to get his s--t together. Last night he fumbled a weakly hit ground ball which allowed two runners to score and then walked into the dugout with his chin on his chest.

Awwwwww, poor Nolan!

Anyway, this move sucks for two reasons. First, it means that Reimold sucks. Secondly, it means that Lou Montanez and his .235 OPS is still in Baltimore. And, if ever there was a prospect who needed some time in Norfolk, it's Adam Jones.

In the end, it's much ado about nothing, because the Orioles are 9-23 and there is not a thing that Andy MacPhail can do to improve this team short of trading for Albert Pujols and six of his clones. He could fire Dave Trembley and Terry Crowley to make a statement, but it doesn't appear to be in his M.O. and if he would have fired Trembley, he probably would have done it by now.

So when you see Patterson batting lead-off tonight, you'll probably be able to squint your eyes enough and make it feel like 2006 all over again...those were the days, weren't they?

It was when we were still saying "2009 is OUR year!".

Silly 2006 Oriole fans. If you only knew what lay ahead.