The Baltimore Orioles panic sell off of Eric Bedard should be a lesson to Oriole fans. Sometimes you have to rebuild and think of the future.
Imagine this conversation.
(Orioles ticket rep) "We see you haven't renewed your season tickets yet. We're excited about the upcoming season and hope that...."
(Orioles fan) I won't be renewing my tickets, I'm rebuilding.
(Orioles ticket rep) "I don't understand."
(Orioles fan) You should. Didn't Andy McPhail say trading Eric Bedard was a move for the future?
(Orioles ticket department) "Yes, Sir, we're very excited about the trade for Adam Jones. We think in a few years he'll be one of the most exciting young players in the league."
(Orioles fan) When Mr. McPhail said that it just made so much sense to me. The Orioles are like my bank account. I don't think my money is going to turn into good seats this season. You guys won't be able to get out of last place in the AL East and I won't be able to get out of the upper deck. But if I hold onto the money I was going to spend on Orioles tickets it might develop into something bigger. Like money to buy Redskins tickets.
(Orioles ticket rep) "But what about this season?"
(Orioles fan) Oh, I think you'll lose 95 games.
(Orioles ticket rep) "No, I mean your tickets."
(Orioles fan) You mean the tickets to see the Orioles lose 95 games.
(Orioles ticket rep) "Yes, I mean no. I mean you want to get in on the ground floor as the Orioles get ready to return to their glory days."
(Orioles fan) Back when they had great pitching?
(Orioles ticket rep) "Yes like Palmer, McNally, Cuellar, and Dobson."
(Orioles fan) I don't think so. You can't even afford one good pitcher, let alone four.
(Orioles ticket rep) "But TIllman might be the next Eric Bedard!"
(Orioles fan) But you already had an Eric Bedard?
(Orioles ticket rep) "He was young and talented and would have left in two years anyway."
(Orioles fan) But why would he leave? You just got through telling me how great things would be in a few years.
(Orioles ticket rep) "But, if we didn't get rid of Bedard how would we ever find the next Bedard."
(Orioles fan) The one you just traded? Seems to me if you kept Bedard, you could have developed the next Adam Jones.
(Orioles ticket rep) "But Jones isn't ready yet."
(Orioles fan) But you want me to buy tickets to see him now?
(Orioles ticket rep) "Yes! So, you can be in on the ground floor when the Orioles magic returns!"
(Orioles fan) When?
(Orioles ticket rep) "In three years."
(Orioles fan) So call me then.
(Orioles ticket rep) "When?"
(Orioles fan) In three years. Are you new at this, you sure don't seem to understand how this rebuilding stuff works. Can I ask you a question?
(Orioles ticket rep) "I don't think so. Not unless it's about seats."
(Orioles fan) It is.
(Orioles ticket rep) "OK."
(Orioles fan) Since you're rebuilding with cheaper players would my seats be cheaper this year?
(Orioles ticket rep) "No, there will be some upward price adjustments."
(Orioles) So you can afford to not pay Eric Bedard what he was going to make three years from now?
(Orioles ticket rep) "No, yes, I don't think I said what you thought I meant when you said what I said in response to what you were saying."
(Orioles) Are you on some kind of medication?
(Orioles ticket rep) "NO. I AM JUST TRYING TO EXPLAIN TO YOU HOW WE ARE RAISING PRICES FOR CHEAPER PLAYERS IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE ONES WE CAN'T PAY WHO ARE GOING TO LEAVE US ANYWAY AND GO PLAY FOR THE YANKEES OR RED SOX AND WILL DEVELOP INTO PLAYERS WE WON'T BE ABLE TO AFFORD IN THE FUTURE.
WE'RE GOING TO LOSE THIS YEAR, AND NEXT YEAR, AND THE YEAR AFTER THAT. WE'LL NEVER WIN AND WE'LL NEVER LOWER YOUR PRICES AND I AM NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO SELL ANY HORSE FEATHERS TICKETS TO SEE THIS HORSE FEATHERS TEAM.
I'M JUST TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING. BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOO.................."
(Orioles fan) I'm sorry I upset you. Sure, I'll buy some tickets.
(Orioles ticket rep) "You will. That's great. Look, I'm sorry about that. Now, how many can I put you down for?"
(Orioles fan) Well, I think I'll take two for that three game series with the Mariners. You see they've get that guy you wouldn't pay. Eric Bedard. And....
Tomorrow everyone will have a good laugh. 30-3 Texas beats Baltimore. 'It would have been worse if they hadn't missed the extra point after the last touchdown.' Laugh, laugh.
Well, it isn't that funny.
The Orioles didn't just embarrass themselves tonight. They put a punctuation point at the end of the joke that has become the quality of pitching in major league baseball. The worst of it is the first 30 run game in 110 years should have been expected.
The Orioles starter, Daniel Cabrera, has potential. He has a big arm and strikes out a lot of batters. Baltimore has waited 4 years for potential to translate to performance. It hasn't happened yet. Meanwhile, a pitcher who needed 96 pitches to stagger through 5 innings and give up 6 runs, is making $1,825,000 for making opponents look like the 1927 New York Yankees.
A 4.79 ERA and 366 walks in 621 innings says Cabrera hasn't learned to pitch yet. It's no wonder. He only had 61 innings above Class A when he came up. The big right hander can go one of two ways now, neither of them good for Baltimore. He could get it together, in which case the Yankees or RedSox sign him as a free agent in a few years. Or maybe we've seen the best that Cabrera has already.
Tonight three relievers followed Cabrera put up 4 innings of 20 hit, 24 run, 7 walk relief. If you can call that a relief. Here is the perp walk:
Brian Burress is a 26 year old who went into tonight's game with 49 walks in 87 innings. He's not without talent, but major league pitchers don't walk a batter every other inning. Tonight he got two batters out and gave up 8 hits and a walk.
Rob Bell has a career 5.62 ERA. Going into tonight's game he had walked 13 and struck out 17. That doesn't get the job done. It didn't get it done in Cincinnati, it didn't get it done in Texas, it didn't get it done in Tampa Bay, and it won't get it done in Baltimore. Somehow I'd still bet a considerable sum Rob Bell is on an opening day roster next season. Tonight Bell retired 4 batters out and gave up 7 runs on 8 baseruners.
Paul Shuey has 11 major league seasons under his belt. He went into tonight's game with a 6.75 ERA, 17 walks and 16 strikeouts and had walked 8 in his last 4 1/3 innings. Shuey had been out of the majors for 4 seasons because of various injuries. The final tally for tonight, 2 innings, 10 baserunners, 9 scored.
Aging veterans who are struggling to regain their talents used to do it AAA. Now they fly first class on chartered jets. Shuey is probably not ever going to be an effective pitcher again, but if the Orioles let him go would his replacement be better?
Major league owners have built their dream world. Too many teams, pulled in fences, and a DH rule that turns American League baseball into a video game. Put in a big scoreboard and launch some fireworks when the home runs come. If you get someone else to build it, the fans will come and you can sell all the $6 hot dogs and $5 beer you want.
Fans who care about baseball know teams like the Orioles are ripping off their fans and tearing apart the game. But it won't change. The owners aren't baseball people for the most part and the Player's Association isn't giving to give up on $5 million DH's or dead weight franchises like the Florida Marlins that dilute the talent pool. Baseball is what it is and what it will be.
Before the game the Orioles announced they have signed Dave Trembley to a contract to return next season as manager. In Bud Selig's world that sounds just about right.
Who is this Cal Ripken Jr. the sports media talked about this weekend? A regular American hero. The living embodiment of what can be achieved through hard work. An example to the youth of America. A counterweight to the evil Barry Bonds.
That Cal Ripken is partly truth, partly fiction, and wholly an invention of sportswriters and broadcasters. The contrast between Ripken and Bonds was too good to pass on so they picked it up and passed it around like a joint at a Grateful Dead concert. 'Here, take a hit of Ripken. You'll forget there ever was a Barry Bonds'.
It doesn't work like that. Barry Bonds has children that love him, a wife who is standing by him, teammates who respect and even like him, and has occasionally been seen smiling around fans. And he's also a churlish egomaniac who called Bob Costas a midget (which surely is an affront to little people everywhere), and most likely an over amped exercise freak who has been practicing better batting through chemistry.
If Bonds is good and bad in some mix of parts, why are we supposed to believe Ripken (also a member of the human race) is entirely sunshine and good feelings? The truth is Oriole fans, at least the ones who followed the team closely in the Ripken era, know him as a complicated man with alot more Barry Bonds in him than the media would ever let on.
Start with the positives. Ripken played baseball hard and played it smart. He was among the best fielders at two different positions (shortstop and third base), and a steady 19 HR and 95 RBI run producer. Twenty one seasons, 3184 hits, 431 HR, and 1305 RBI. Twice an MVP, once a world champion. A winner and a baseball mind you would gladly turn over a team to as manager.
You'll notice I didn't say anything about Ripken breaking Gehrig's consecutive game streak. To the media, it's evidence of the noble working man's ethic that propelled Ripken to greatness. But at the time, it was a source of controversy among O's fans.
In an age of jet travel players need time off, especially players late in their career. Ripken wouldn't take a day, and some argue he hurt both the team and his stats as a result. In 1992 he slumped to 14 HR and a .251 average. After a slight power rebound in 93 (a second straight .250 season), he snapped back with a .315 average in 94' but only 13 HR.
Earlier this year Ripken told the author of a book on Gehrig "Yes, I respected him. But I was never obsessed with him or his streak." He claimed that taking a day off would have "dishonored the game". It seems, at best, disingenuous and at worst egotistical. Say this clearly and without fear of contradiction. Cal Ripken was no Lou Gehrig on the baseball field. Not even close.
Although Ripken is now considered as much an Baltimore icon as the Robinson's, Brooks and Franks, and often goes on at great length about the Oriole traditions this didn't stop him from threatening to leave town during his contract negotiations.
In the clubhouse, Cal was respected but by all accounts never particularly liked. He didn't go out of his way to interact with his teammates and pressed for perks, such as separate lodging in a different hotel from the rest of the team. Reporters who dared even mildly question his pursuit of Gehrig's record were frozen out afterwards.
In retirement Ripken has bought two minor league teams, speaks often with feeling about his children, and promotes youth baseball. He is reflective about his career, his values, and place in the game. He is, for good and bad, the same Cal Ripken of twenty-one Baltimore summers.
Bloggers make value judgements, but we're not alone. Writers and broadcasters do as well. And often we all get it wrong when it comes to athletes. Like a sports version of an inspect collector we want to classify each new athlete as good or bad, from the family "good guy" or the phylum "horsus posterious".
This week Cal Ripken became a Hall of Famer, and for a weekend was cast as a white knight in untarnished armor doing battle against an impending victory for the forces of steroids. That it isn't the whole truth doesn't take away from the Oriole star's legend. Ripken, the writers say, isn't Bonds. But Bonds isn't Ripken either. And that's not entirely a bad thing.
Quoted from anonymous sources within Peter Angelo's command bunker deep under Camden Yards.
When you hired Sam Perlazzo you said "Rough seas make a great sea captain." What did you mean by that?
We expected Sam to follow the tradition of great captains such as Edward John Smith of the Titanic, who went down with his ship and became a convenient excuse for the malfeasance of the White Star Line.
So the Orioles record is Perlazzo's fault?
Look at the lineup we assembled for him. Kevin Millar, Corey Patterson, Jay Gibbons, Paul Bako. Should I go on?
No, please don't. Didn't you tell Perlazzo help would be coming from AAA?
No, and I'm glad you've given me the opportunity to clear that up. We told Sam that he could call AAA up if his rental car broke down on the way out of Baltimore. Or, at least the first fifty miles. After that our discount coupon expires and he's on his own.
Your off season priority seemed to be signing as many free agent middle relievers as possible. Why was that?
We had seen our starting pitching the previous year and felt it was a prudent thing to do. If you've employed a staff of chain smokers to work in a fire works factory, it seems only prudent to keep extinguishers around.
How did that work out?
We feel confident that when Danys Baez returns from the disabled list he will be able to get his ERA down below 6.00, maybe even to the mid 5's by the end of the season. We're looking for at least 50 innings from him this season so we can get our return on investment down into the $100,000 per inning range.
Before the O's June slump the team was at .500 and in second place in the AL East. At that time, did you believe the team was playing up to it's potential?
No, but it has been lately.
So...you fired the manager because?
The team has been playing to it's potential. Weren't you paying attention?
Well, yes, but...
Let me explain it. As long as the team was playing above it's potential people thought we knew what we were doing. But when the Orioles began playing at their potential the fans and media started to notice and somebody had to go. It wasn't going to be ownership or management and nobody in their right mind would trade for our players. That left Sam.
As the fall guy?
We like to think of him as a retrograde performance justification asset. Sam served us well in that capacity.
And now you're talking to Joe Girardi?
Yes. Joe will be the perfect manager for this club. He finished six games under .500 in his one season managing the Marlins and the press and fans practically threw roses at his feet. To be able to take mediocrity and recast it as genius, that's something we've needed here for a long time.
But Girardi has a reputation for having a gigantic ego, only listening to himself, not extending himself toward the fans, and often making decisions that seem illogical?
Exactly, Mr. Angelos sees so much of himself in Joe. It's like the son he never had but wanted to take the place of the ones he did.
Perlazzo lasted just over one season as manager. How long do you think Girardi will take to make the team successful?
Oh, I wouldn't expect that. But he should be able to get us at least through the next ticket price increase.
One final question. What has this organization done to the great Oriole tradition?
You can buy a bobble head of Cal Ripken in the team store.
But that's cheap and plastic and doesn't connect to the team's past.
Exactly. It's the embodiment of everything we stand for as an organization.
I once met a man whose great grandmother remembered hearing the rumble of the Civil War battle of Stones River in Tennessee as a child. Nearly a century later, seeing film of the Hiroshima mushroom cloud, she said it looked just like the column of gunsmoke and dust that rose above the barren trees outside Murfreesboro on New Year's Eve in 1862.
History is funny that way. It seems so far in the past, but is only a few connections away from the present. The passing at 84 of Hank Bauer, the New York Yankee outfielder and Oriole manager, underlines that point.
Bauer was a twelve year old kid in Saint Louis when the Gas House Gang of Dizzy Dean, Frankie Frisch, Pepper Martin, Leo Durocher, and Joe Medwick beat the Detroit Tigers to take the World Series in 1934. He admired that hard nosed style of baseball and carried it with him through American Legion ball and his first pro contract with Oskosh in 1941.
When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Bauer didn't wait long to join the Marines. It takes a special type to be a Marine, and Hank Bauer was that type. Three years as a combat platoon leader, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts. He took shrapnel at Guam and Okinawa, and suffered 24 attacks of malaria. Enough action and physical suffering to draw alot of men up short. Not Bauer. He came home, became a pipe fitter, got a lucky break when a scout remembered him, and finally got through the minors and up to the New York Yankees as a 26 year old rookie.
These were the Casey Stengel Yankees who routinely punched the World Series clock every October. Bauer was there between DiMaggio and Mantle. Not nearly so talented, but enough of a hitter to put together a 17 game World Series hit streak and knock out four home runs in 1958 against the Braves. Late in his career he went to Kansas City in the Roger Maris deal and became the A's manager in 1961.
Bauer found his way to the Orioles and in 1966 took them to their first World Championship. They were supposed to roll over for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Koufax and Drysdale, but managed to sweep them 4-0. A big part of that Orioles was another hard nosed right fielder named Frank Robinson.
That Robinson played hard before coming to Baltimore from the Reds is not in question. But he found a kindred spirit in Bauer, who once pinned Whitey Ford to the dugout wall for overindulging the night before he pitched, telling him "Don't mess with my money." That's the way the "Greatest Generation" was. They grew up hard, survived World War II physically and emotionally, and didn't expect or give easy rides.
If you saw Pepper Martin come in hard to wipe out a second baseman for the Cards back in the 30's, you were seeing what Hank Bauer did on the bases with New York in the 50's. And if you saw Frank Robinson hunting down middle infielders in the 60's and 70's you saw Bauer. I suspect that Ryan Zimmerman, who Frank Robinson managed last year with the Washington Nationals is going to carry on the tradition.
Those connections make baseball different from any other sport. Not better, necessarily, but more enduring in ways that matter. The World Series has been eclispsed by the Super Bowl, but as long as parents take children to baseball games then watch them grow into adults who head for the ball park with their kids, baseball will be OK. Pepper Martin, Hank Bauer, and Frank Robinson wouldn't have it any other way.
In the interest of full disclosure I am a diehard Orioles fan. The first thing I remember seeing on TV as a child was an Orioles game. Actually, it was a Ballentine Beer commercial with a singing clam during an Orioles game. And, before you ask, it was a cartoon clam. (The real singing clams rarely make public appearances.)
I'm not that deep. The only classic philosophy I've devoted much study to is the school that says not to give away outs, always build your team around three run homeruns, play solid defense, and get quality starts. This I learned from baseball's Socrates, Earl Weaver. You can definitely say that I'm an Orioles fan, even with all the pain and suffering of recent years.
Now comes the news that Cal Ripken will be up for the Hall of Fame in 2007. Given my love for the O's you'd think I'd be on a soapbox singing his praises and demanding first ballot admission to Cooperstown. But I've got mixed emotions. Some of them baseball related, some of them personal.
Ripken's work ethic is well known. It is what Ripken prided himself in, the signature he will leave on the game. His dad was a coach on the great Oriole teams lead by the Robinsons, Frank and Brooks. Ripken picked up on the traditions of Oriole baseball and wrapped himself in them in much the same way some people wrap themselves in the flag politically.
But was he really the living embodiment of he Oriole way? An heir to the Robinsons by virtue of what he did on the field or because he claimed it as his birthright? The answer isn't easy. Ripken was a moody teamate to some, and sought publicity in a way none of the old Orioles would have imagined or tolerated. Then there was "the streak".
I will say it up front. Ripken probably hurt the Orioles by staying in the lineup fpr 2,632 straight games. Was it a symbol of Ripken's lengendary work ethic? Yes. Was it difficult? Certainly. But unlike Lou Gehrig Ripken was not essential to the lineup and his eroding skills later in his career should, by rights, have taken resulted in some days off. The streak wasn't about the Orioles, wasn't just about putting W's by the name Baltimore in the standings, and didn't always make the team better. It drove Cal Ripken, maybe kept him in the game longer, but it was not an unalloyed good.
So, is Ripken Hall of Fame worthy? Is his career a product of brilliance, longevity, or both? And are there other factors speaking for or against his candidacy?
Let's start with hitting. Ripken hit .276 with 431 HR and 1695 RBI. So far so good, definite HoF stat line there. But it came over 21 seasons, raising the question-what did a normal Cal Ripken season look like? Try 20-80-.260. Throw in 55 walks and a couple of MVP years and that's what you've got. A power hitting shortstop who played a long time. Add points for longevity, for being a Baltimore icon, and for how hard he played the game. A Hall of Famer? Probably. A first round shoe in? Not likely.
Then you look at his fielding and the view changes. The question you have to ask is, was Ripken a hitting shortstop or a shortstop who hit? Looking at his career stats I was surprised to find the answer was the later.
In 14 seasons as a 6'4" shortstop Ripken had 12 years with 100 or more double plays. His fielding average was a solid .979 and his range factor, (putouts+assists+errors)/game, was considerably above the league average. And here is the kicker. His fielding average at short was better than Ozzie Smith's. Smith only had 5 seasons with 100 double plays. And Ripken averaged roughly the same number of errors per season as the Hall of Famer who widely acclaimed the greatest fielding shortstop of his era, if not of all time. Smith had more range, but Ripken was better at turning the double play, the gold standard for middle infielders.
Examined in that light, you're no longer talking about just a hitter with marginal Hall of Fame credentials. You are also discussing a great shortstop, one of the best of his era. Put the two together and you have one of the top five of all time at his position. And, reservations or not, the idea of first ballot election is not so far fetched.
So here's to Cal Ripken. He was not the greatest Oriole of them all. But he was pretty darn good. And, just maybe, Hall of Fame first ballot worthy.
After the rosy glow of Christmas morning fades we usually begin to think about the gifts we bought. Did we really need to spend $400 on the new computer gaming system that's only marginally better than the $200 system we bought 2 years ago? Then there are the gifts that you look back on and just can't figure out why they were needed or wanted. Which brings us to baseball's free agent market. A few observations:
Pennants aren't won with free agents: One player doesn't turn a team around and when it happens it's usually a younger position player who changes the dynamic in a lineup. Think Miguel Cabrera with the Marlins, Andruw Jones in Atlanta, or Albert Pujols with the Cardinals Free agency is about aging pitchers who are treated by general managers like the first women at the docks after the fleet comes in from a six month cruise. The only difference making hitter in this year's market was Paul Konerko who resigned with the WhiteSox. At $12 million a year for 5 years he is probably a little overpriced but not by much.
Don't Drink and Sign: Obviously general managers are tanked up when they sign multi-year deals with pitchers over 30 years old. There can be no other logical explanation Think of it this way, would you rather have a nine year old BMW or something newer and more serviceable?. GM's take the used BMW every time, then spend most of the year following the deal explaining why they did and trying desparately to trade away their mistake. As Kenny Rodgers once said, "you've got to know when to walk away and when to run." The Tigers didn't know that and signed a 41 year old Kenny Rogers to a $16 million 2 year deal. Last year he struck out 87 batters and walked 53. Don't rush to buy tickertape in Detroit.
Oh, What A Relief It Isn't: Consistent middle of the lineup run producers are as scare as compassionate conservatives or liberals with children in the military. Relief pitchers arrive in cartons that aren't counted in the warehouse. You lose one, break one, don't sweat it. We'll mail you another one tomorrow, no charge. Yet the Phillies, after getting out from under Billy Wagner's contract, are paying Tom Gordon $18 million over 3 years to be their closer. Yes, that Tom Gordon, the 37 year old setup man whose strikeouts fell below IP for the first time last season.
Then again, the Cubs are paying $3.7 million a year to Scott Eyre and $4.0 million to Bobby Howry on the theory that their bullpen problems last year weren't somehow related to Dusty Baker's handling of his relievers. That's $7.7 million that isn't available to sign a center fielder and leadoff man ("where have you gone Johnny Damon, the Cubs nation turns it lonely eyes to you..."). How about Jose Mesa as a $2.5 million closer in Colorado. That should be more fun that an arsonist in a fireworks factory.
You Shouldn't Be Ashamed To Save Money On A Generic: Brad Ausmus calls a good game and can throw a little. He cost the Astros $7.5 million over two years. They could of had gotten the same type catcher in Gary Bennett for $800,000 or Einar Diaz for $625,000. The Cubs could have passed on Eyre and gotten Mike Myers to fill the same role for $1.25 million (which the Yankees did).
A Smart Shopper Can Still Find Quality Merchandise For Less: The Saint Louis Cardinals are going to get close to 100 RBI next season from Juan Encarnacion for $5 million. They have Bennett coming in as a veteran catcher for $800,000. And they got Braden Looper back for $4,500,000 giving them a top setup reliever and insurance for Jason Isringhausen. The Yankees of all people made three smart signings without much expense. If Octovia Dotel ($2 million) comes back strong he can pair with Myers to make it tough on opponents in the 7th and 8th innings. The Bernie Williams signing ($1.5 million) is a relatively cheap price to pay for a quality hitter and veteran backup. Put it in context. That's just $250,000 more than the Giants are paying Jose Vizcaino to come off their bench.
It's Not The Top Salaries That Are Excessive, It's Those Just Below. The Yankees get Damon for $13 million. A 34 year old Brian Giles cost San Diego $10 million. A.J. Burnett cost the Jays $11 million annually. Kenny Rogers comes with an $8 million price tag to Detroit. Rafael Furcal changes the Dodgers offense for $13 million. Ramon Hernandez doesn't change the heartbreak that is an Orioles season for $6.87 million a year.
Small Town Homies Don't Play That: A serious flaw in the system is that teams like the Pirates and Royals overpay for players like Joe Randa and Mark Grudzielanek just to fill positions. The Reds, Brewers, and Twins are not now nor ever will be places agents will try to move players to. Most major league teams sell game worn jerseys for charity at inflated prices. The Marlins leave the player in the jersey and donate them to more fortunate teams in larger markets.
And so it goes. The rich get richer, the GM's get dumber, the Orioles get no respect, the Astros are used to up the bid before the player signs elsewhere, and everything Scott Boras touches turns to gold. Here's hoping some year GM's learn to keep their pockets in their wallets and spend some money on scouting and development or at least ready cash for mid-season trades.
There are some people who shouldn't talk to the press. Enron executives, ex-lovers of European soccer stars, and Bobby Knight to name three. Add Miguel Tejeda to the list. After the original controversy over his trade demands died down, he now proclaims himself more upset than ever with the Orioles off-season moves.
Forget that the O's have spent more money so far this off season than the New York Yankees on free agents. Ignore the fact that they have added a quality catcher in Ramon Hernandez and a proven power bat in Jeromy Burnitz. This isn't about that. It comes down to money. Tejeda, or more likely Tejada's agent, has seen the market escalate to the point where his six year, seventy-two million dollar contract isn't as attractive as when it was signed. You can believe that if Tejada gets his way and is traded, a contract extension will be necessary for him to waive his trade rights.
If it were possible I'd love to see Tejeda traded to the Florida Marlins. Their key off season acquisitions are Wes Helms, Miguel Olivio, Joe Borowski, and Pokey Reese. They play their games not in a classic stadium like Camden Yards, but in a horrible football stadium with a baseball diamond shoved into it. Only 22,000 fans a game come to see Florida play and the front office is rapidly selling off it's best players. In that context, Tejeda might understand that being an Oriole isn't such a bad thing.
There is something Tejeda says he doesn't want to talk about anymore, which normally would count as a blessed relief. But, in this instance it's a B12 injection he allegedly gave to Rafael Palmero. Now, that's something I wouldn't mind hearing him talk about. While waiting to board the next flight out of BWI to Miami.
Ghost Headers Eerie story of soccer players who realize that even if they walk off the field it will have no effect on the game. ####y scenes of players sitting in stands, chatting up women, and driving away in parking lot provide Hitchcock like counterpoint to endless ball exchanges that never result in any real action. (Banned in Europe and Latin America).
Roid Rage NASCAR and baseball collide as former major league slugger joins racing circuit. Tragedy ensues as the rookie attacks racing legend Dale Jarrett in steroid induced rage, incoherently demanding that Jarrett "race the truck". Covered in sweat (or a cream known as 'the clear'), hero realizes he will never be free of the incident and drives his Viagara sponsored car into the surf off Daytona Beach.
SATBreakers Follow the story of five high school All Americans who are passed the answers to the SAT and still are unable to qualify for admission. (Note: Contains scenes of CBA play that may be unsuitable for young players).
Silent Shame A team of high school football players struggles to keep the secret that they are regularly beaten up by the cheerleading squad. Special guest appearance by #### Butkus as the crusty old coach who doesn't suspect that his players are victims of abuse, or that he doesn't still play for the Bears.
Maple Leaf Dawn Demoralized by years of losing to Navy in football, the Army officer corp gradually loses confidence to the point that an invasion by a visiting musical troop of singing Mounties results in a stunning Canadien takeover of the United States. (Contains graphic scenes of socialized medicine).
The K Mutiny After seeing their coach let loose a stream of obscenity at an official over a non-call during the last 10 seconds of a 75 point non-conference win over a school for disabled ophans, players become convinced their coach may be unstable. After the coach drives the team bus back and forth over their own school banner in the parking lot and then becomes lost in a blinding rainstorm on US15-501 the players take over the team. Winning by only 32 points over a travelling Atheltes in Action team, the players are shamed by an impassioned speech by their attorney (played by the understated #### Vitale) and are left to wonder if their actions were justified.
According to sources the Baltimore Orioles may be involved in a three way trade with the Oakland A's and Chicago Cubs that would see them send away Miguel Tejeda. The O's shortstop has 4 years left on a 6 year, $65 million dollar contract. Only the Orioles, or a crack adict who has just been hit repeatedly on the head with a blunt object, would trade away a hitter as productive as Tejeda when they have all the leverage. This is why I am feel reasonably sure that such a deal will take place. The Orioles organization under Peter Angelos has the judgement of a contestant on "Fear Factor".
It gets worse. The key players being offered by the A's and Cubs are pitchers. One is Mark Prior, the often injured right hander, the other Barry Zito. Both pitchers are signed only through 2006, after which at least one will presumably go on to the happy hunting grounds of baseball, AKA the Evil Empire in the Bronx. Having been turned down the likes of Carl Pavano it is hard to see why the Orioles would believe they have any chance of signing either to a long-term contract.
Supposedly, the O's will only make the deal if a top prospect is included. The name Felix Pie is being tossed about as that player. Up to this point, the name Felix Pie has only been the answer to the trivia question-"What is 3.14159 times Felix?" But perhaps the O's are holding out for a bigger deal, like Prior, Corey Patterson, 100 Swiffer dusters for all the empty seats in Camden, and a pocket full of magic beans.
For Orioles fans this is, as is the case annually, the winter of our discontent. For once the Orioles management needs to stop selling their fans down the Patapsco River and develop a plan. It starts with telling Tejada that contracts are enforceable and that suffering through mediocrity is part of what it is to be an Oriole. Maybe then someday it won't be.
