The State of the Orioles...Part 2
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I’ve been getting some email recently criticizing me about my views about the Baltimore Orioles. Let’s get one thing clear: I don’t hate the Orioles…I hate what they’ve become. I hate how we, the fans, have been treated by an organization that sticks their nose in the air like they’ve actually accomplished something over the past decade. I hate how our owner, Peter Angelos, has run the team…wait, I forgot…he said “I let my baseball people make my baseball decisions.” I hate that, because of our front office, yesterday was the last day in a very, very long time that we will see the orange and black army in Cooperstown. I hate how Baltimore isn’t on the road jerseys. I hate how Yankees and Red Sox fans out-number Orioles fans on some nights at the most beautiful ballpark in the majors. And why? Because the organization has made the fans feel so distant and unimportant that some people have just stopped going. For the record, I’m not one of them, but I understand their reasoning and I certainly feel their frustration.
With all of that said, the Orioles seem to be on the up and up, and may be a few key players away from being a wild card contender (notice how I said contender…I’ll get into that later). Dave Trembley is doing a hell of a job managing this team. The O-birds look more rejuvenated and relaxed on the field, and, for the first time in a few years, the players are standing at the top of the dugout cheering on their teammates and talking baseball. The O’s are 20-14 under Trembley this season, and after a long west coast road trip, that’s saying something. If the success continues through September, give this guy a shot…his minor league record speaks for itself.
It’s also SO great to see how this team is just flat out dominating the vaunted New York Yankees this season. They have won 2 out of 3 games in each of the three series, and should have swept them in that fiasco “delayed rain delay” in June (Yankees fans, be honest, the umpires should have called that game long before Jeter’s at bat). The Orioles have dominated the pitching in the season series (they’ve beat Clemens TWICE), and seem to step up their level of play against the hated Yankees, which is reminiscent of the old Oriole way set forth by Earl Weaver and Cal Ripken, Sr. Not to mention it’s great to see Yankees fans quiet as they leave Camden Yards, as I witnessed first hand on Friday night (gotta be honest though, I was disappointed A-Rod didn’t hit 500).
As I mentioned earlier, it looks like the Orioles are about 4 key players away from being a wild card contender (contender being the key word). The Orioles need 2 power bats, a starting pitcher to replace Cabrera (really, anyone will do), and/or an arm or two to boost that god awful bullpen. Some suggestions for the O’s…not saying they’re actually going to do this, but get Alex Rodriguez! He’s going to opt out of his contract because the New York media treats him like the Orioles organization treats Baltimore fans. They can say: “Look, Alex…this organization needs you, the fan base and media would embrace you, we’ll pay you ‘til you’re wiping your butt with Franklins, and in 7 or 8 years, we’ll count down your home run record on the Warehouse.” But, when reality sets in, the Orioles will again be the anti-Ravens and probably sit on their hands again.
On that note, the Ravens took out a full page in the Baltimore Sun this morning congratulating Cal on his Hall of Fame induction. When the Ravens won the Super Bowl, O’s employees were not allowed to look out the window of the Warehouse to acknowledge the team during their parade…which franchise is doing the right thing, the CLASSY thing in this instance? I digress…
It’s time for Peter Angelos to use some of that MASN money and some of that money that MLB threw at him for allowing the Expos to go to Washington, back up that Brinks truck and dump $300 million dollars on A-Rod’s driveway. At least sweep up Teixiera after he becomes a free agent this year (whether or not he’s in a Ranger’s uniform…I’ve been preaching this for months, and I haven’t been the only one). Another bat that could be very useful but may be overlooked is Morgan Ensberg. He’s having a down year, but I think the Red Sox are pretty glad that they didn’t give up on Mike Lowell. Melvin Mora is very versatile and can fill a spot in the outfield or even play some first base, which also solves the A-Rod problem. As for the pitching, the free agent market seems to be a bit watered down, but we got Andy MacPhail for a reason, and he needs to make some moves to improve the bullpen via the trade block.
I love how Miguel Tejada gave Dave Trembley lip about doing some DH work and how Trembley kicked him in the ass and told him to shut his mouth. I love our young starting pitching, especially Jeremy Guthrie, who will probably win AL Rookie of the Year.
Ravens training camp opens today, and, for once, I’m not 100% preoccupied with football. It’s probably closer to 75/25, which is more than I can say for over the past decade or so since the Ravens came to town. Not only because the success of the Ravens far supersedes that of the Orioles, but the Ravens are a franchise who do it the right way…they’re classy, they’re available, they reach out to the fans, and, yeah, they do whatever it takes to win…wow, what a concept.
