Our long national nightmare is over.....

Erik Bedard is finally a Seattle Mariner:

Erik Bedard, the Orioles' first true ace since Mike Mussina, was traded today to the Seattle Mariners for five players, including promising young outfielder Adam Jones.

The Orioles also will receive left-handed reliever George Sherrill and three pitching prospects -- Chris Tillman, Kam Mickolio and Tony Butler.

The move caps months of trade dialogue surrounding the 28-year-old Bedard, the left-hander who attracted inquiries from more than 10 teams after a season in which he went 13-5 with a 3.16 ERA and set a single-season franchise record with 221 strikeouts.

And for once with an Orioles deal, everybody loves the trade.

Now, we unload Brian Roberts to the Cubs as I mentioned before, and we can finally, after ten years, allow the rebuilding to begin...