OK, seriously

by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2005 4:20 AM EDT in News & Rumors

The Orioles can't hit. Roberts can't hit, Mora can't hit, Palmeiro can't hit, Sosa can't hit, Byrnes can't hit, Javy can't hit, Gibbons can't hit, Surhoff can't hit, the Oriole Bird can't hit. Luis Matos can hit singles. Tejada hits sometimes. Luis Matos is like my favorite player right now. He's the only guy on the team whose at-bats I'm not dreading right now.

It seems like every year I get to the point where I'm just fed up with watching the Orioles flail about uselessly. That's possibly why I was so easily suckered early in the year. Things were good for once. Now they're back to normal. Yeah, they've been slumping for a while, but during that I said, in the back of my mind, that they'd get out of it and they could still finish well. The team seems to have other plans.

Bedard's control was all over the place last night. He's pitching more and more like the 2004 Bedard, and that troubles me.

I've had it. Again. And I don't consider this being a bad fan or anything. I'm still on board. I want them to win every day. But man, it wears on any fan, doesn't it?

Bottom line: We stink.

If you want to vent about how bad this team is, have at. I mean it, get it out. No optimism here. No "yeah, but..." Save that for later. Just get it off your chest.

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Question...

I guess they have a big enough lead on the Rays to avoid the cellar, but I think they'll pass the O's next year.

Maybe I'm overreacting, but I thought with the team in DC, this was really a make or break year for the Orioles to be interesting and improved and generate some fan interest. Now, with Washington coming in and being, well, not great either, but instantly better than the Orioles, I've got to think this collapse will have a pretty big impact on attendance and interest.

I don't know how to fix this team. They've got to turn this around, or they're going to end-up small market.

I've never been a big Angelos basher, but I've had it. 8 straight losing seasons is enough. Sell the f***ing team, Peter.

by BrianS on Aug 25, 2005 8:25 AM EDT reply actions

Venting is good....

so here we go.
This team is maybe the most disappointing thing I have seen in many many years of fandom. The season began with all of our regulars just hitting the snot out of the ball. Line drives and home runs all over the place. Then came the big injuries to Melmo ( hammy ), Javy ( thumb ), Luis ( finger ), Erik ( knee ), Brob ( back ), and Sammy ( foot ). At one point this early summer, all three starting outfielders from opening day, our ace, and our starting catcher were all on the DL at the same time. Unlike the Bosox and Skanks, who have multi million dollar subs waiting to play when regulars go down,or legitimate AAA players they could call up, we were not deep at all and that doomed us from the time that the injury bug hit until the crap on the field we see today.

I believe that Melmo is still hurting from his ankle and hammy, Brob's back has been giving him trouble all summer, Javy is just beginning to be back to seeing the ball well, Sammy never did get comfortable in the AL, Erik is afraid to push off real hard..and the lack of adequate call ups and good subs has led us to where we are today, back to 5 games under .500 and a solidified 4th place once again.

Add to that a terrible Raffy situation, Mazz getting canned, and Shamu's issues and you have one giant cluster f*** of a season that began with so much hope and promise.
This once very proud organization is a shadow of it's former self, and I for one have decided that I will not waste one more ounce of angst over this team until somebody takes the whole friggin organization and shakes it by the ears. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore.

"What's my secret for winning? That's easy. Pitching, defense, and three run homers" Earl Weaver

by elktonfan on Aug 25, 2005 8:29 AM EDT reply actions

Mora

Yeah, he's gotta still be well under 100%, because he's not hitting anything with authority right now.

Avoid the rhubarb, hurl it whitewash and have 'em wearing the old golden sombrero! Crackerjack, boys, crackerjack!

by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2005 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions

Personal Issues

Instead of ranting specifically about the team, I'm going to rant about the fact that I still have tickets to a Sept. game against Boston. I got suckered into the early season fun and went to Fenway to see Ortiz's three run blast in the bottom of the ninth against Ryan. OK, I thought, the O's were still in first. They were hurting but hanging tough. I made plans to come to Baltimore for the first time in several years.

I decided to buy some tickets to a Boston game in Sept., hoping it might be meaningful. I was going to buy 3 or 4 tickets for my family and make the trek down. Then this turned into a family affair with about 15-20 family members attending. Now I wish I had stuck with my original plan and just bought my tickets. I could now sell them to some Red Sox fan and just be done with it. This is a short trip back home, and I'd still go. But instead of watching a miserable game, I'd just enjoy some crabs with the family.

Instead I'm doomed to be surrounded by a bunch of Red Sox fans. By Sept., I figure O's fans will either stay home or be wearing bags on their head. Maybe I can make a big "PA - SELL THE TEAM" sign.

by drj on Aug 25, 2005 9:15 AM EDT reply actions

I was at that game too...

the one in Boston where Ortiz killed us. I think that game was the beginning of the end. I was so excited that the Os were finally competing again that I bought tickets that day on eBay, and skipped out of work. It was a beautiful day for baseball. It was Penn's first game and he pitched well. The Os were leading after 8.5 innings. I felt great. B.J. Ryan hadn't given up a hit in forever. 2 outs, then Rentaria lays down that bunt to bring up the last guy on earth you want to pitch to with the game on the line. It seemed like everyone at Fenway but me knew what was going to happen next. Bam! Ortiz came up to the plate and just killed us. Suddenly I feel very alone and depressed while thousands of Red Sox fans celebrated in a way that I have never witnessed at Camden Yards. I was depressed for days.

When I visited MD I went to Raffy's first game back after hitting number 3,000. We were struggling, but there was still some hope we could turn it around. I stood there and cheered Mr. Finger-Wagging-Pornstache like a fool.

I still have tickets to a game at Fenway in September I bought when I had the crazy idea the game might mean something. There's a free RI Pops concert in Bristol that day, which sounds like a lot more fun. So this time I'm selling, not buying, on eBay.

The fact that we stink pisses me off. But we more than stink--we are an embarrassment. One of our players in being investigated by Congress for perjury. Another has been arrested 3 times in 6 months. And Ponson is only 1 of our pitchers busted for driving drunk this year. The Orioles used to be a classy organization, now I think you could rightly point to us as an example of everything that is wrong with professional sports. I suppose I should just be thankful that none of our players are under indictment for murder or serving time for drug dealing (but then the season isn't over yet).

I've lived in NYC and Red Sox country for the past 15 years. I've always worn my Os hats with pride during that time, even when we stunk--I've been harassed on the subway and threatened at Yankee Stadium for wearing an Os hat, I've had guys yell at me on the street--but this year is the first time I'm actually embarrassed to wear the bird on my head.

by rebop on Aug 25, 2005 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions

With the "genius" management...

I'd probably drink too after I realized the owner/management staff was either not serious or too incompetent to win...

by darthpemo on Aug 25, 2005 11:24 AM EDT up reply actions

Well...

none of this has driven me to drink! This season has been a bummer, but thankfully there is more to my life than being an Orioles fan!

by rebop on Aug 25, 2005 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions

True...

It hasn't driven me to drink... but then again, I'm only a fan and am not directly tying up my career with a team's fate.

by darthpemo on Aug 25, 2005 12:04 PM EDT up reply actions

Oh, you meant Sid...

No, I'm not making any excuses for his behavior. Drinking is one thing, drinking and driving is another. Punching a judge out is yet another. He has no one to blame but himself.

I guess you could say that Sidney was driven to drink by a management team that was foolish enough to give him a long-term contract. But that doesn't make much sense. Signing Ponson is the first, second and third biggest mistake Flanagan and Beattie have made during their tenure.

by rebop on Aug 25, 2005 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, embarassed to wear the bird <sigh>

Yeah, I'm embarassed too. I haven't been wearing my O's hat around New England much these days. As for this trip, I feel bad for my nephews who have become O's fans. Well, there's really no alternative, but they only get to see the yearly misery. I compare that to my childhood when I got to see an exciting team and World Series wins (and losses).

Anyhow, I found this article looking around about the prevalence of steroids in baseball in the past decades: Ex-pitcher House admits use, .... Please do not start a steroids discussion here. I present this because it had the following quote from Tippy Martinez:

"As far as the Orioles were concerned ... very few players who used amphetamines - less than five and I wouldn't name them. As a ballclub, we were on our own high; we knew we were going to win two of every three games anyway."

Man, I remember those days and it makes this current stretch of forever losing really downright miserable.

by drj on Aug 25, 2005 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions

The point

I've reached the point of watching no games, casually checking if the O's won or lost via the sports "ticker". Still a fan, still my team but will not watch baseball again until the playoffs and then only to root against teams like the yanks, socks, and root for the underdog. Go NL WEST, hope whichever team makes the post-season with an under .500 record wins the series.

by DR common on Aug 25, 2005 10:28 AM EDT reply actions

Long term blahs

No matter how lopsided the MASN-Orioles-MLB deal is, I think this bitterly disappointing season is a mortal threat to the Orioles.

With one of the best ballparks in the country, and plenty of seats filled by Boston and NY fans, I don't suppose the team would get moved. Instead, the Orioles could become like the Milwaukee Brewers. Didn't Selig move them to the National League so Cubs fans would generate some revenue by coming to root against the home team? Subtract the very affluent Washington metro area and you'll find that Baltimore is a small, rusty, impoverished city ringed by fairly-prosperous suburban counties. We have neither a huge population nor well-heeled audiences for marketing and advertising sales. So, given the financial structure of MLB, I don't see how the Orioles will ever compete with spendy franchises in the division. Genius-level general managers and owners could moneyball their way into winning seasons maybe, but, really, how well would Oakland do in the same division as the Yankees and Red Sox?

I guess we'll just have to resign ourselves to occasional winning streaks and some truly awesome play by individual players (i.e., Miggy).

by fellspointer on Aug 25, 2005 10:44 AM EDT reply actions

The long dark night of Orioledom

What's doubly frustrating about this season (and I agree, Elkton, that this is the most disappointing season in a long time.) is that I didn't feel like the team was playing ridiculously over its head in April and part of may. Only Roberts was really, really exceeding everything we had any right to expect from him. Miggy's Miggy, Mora started slow and heated up. Hot streaks and bursts of timely hitting from everyone except Bigbie and Sosa, really.

I just don't think injuries explain why this team fell so far so fast. They were battling with Lopez and Roberts out, but I guess Bedard was too much.

Now, they have as many if not more question marks than they had at the beginning of the season. First base and probably two outfield spots are a necessity. Is Roberts a long-term option at 2nd, or will we never see the likes of the first half of 2005 from him again?

Should Cabrera be in the rotation to begin 2006? (IMO, no)
Should any valuable parts (Mora, either Lopez, possibly even Roberts) be traded for younger guys?

Will/should B&F come back? (I'm not thrilled with them, but I think the O's had their best draft in many years, to their partial credit)

I'm just afraid that this team's going to, and maybe has to, get a lot worse before it gets better.

One one hand (insane rant alert!), trade Tejada, because he doesn't deserve to go through this.

by BrianS on Aug 25, 2005 10:48 AM EDT reply actions

110 games I've watched to completion...

Rules for improvement with this team...

These are some observations for immediate relieve and a possible over 500 season.

Put a pinch hitter in for Sosa with 1 out and a man on first if you want to have a shot at a score that inning.
If you aren't willing to pinch hit for Sosa, attempt a steal. At least we have a shot at advancing the runner.
Do not play Julio or Kline.
If you have to play Julio or Kline, Do not play them after he 7th inning; they seem to fare better when the game is not in imminent danger of a loss.
Stop playing the matchup game with this staff, they are too inconsistent for numbers to mean anything.
When a pitcher is getting outs, pitch him up to his ideal pitch count ( Ie Byrdak is getting outs, don't play Julio NOTE: Usually breaks the Julio/Kline rule)
Never play Pontoon again.
If Byrnes breaks his slump, have him challenge Roberts for lead-off. A little healthy competition might get Brian going again.

I wanted to break my television set last Friday night when the Orioles handed a win to the Indians. That game broke the season's back. And in a typical Oriole's way. We try to give Bedard a win and play him too long. Why can't we let him pitch to one guy and then pull him or if we aren't planning on pulling him, let him get out of his own jam? We put Williams in, whom I do not hate as much as Julio or Kline, and he gets whacked for a three run homer. And of course, Kline seals the deal in the 10th. And just like that we begin losing again.

I can blame Angelos for a lack of talent and the coaching staff for not playing to the team they have. Maz kept trying to handle pitchers like he was on the Yankees; something Perlozza is starting to do. Forget the @!#!@# numbers and play to who is having a good day. Statistics are only meaningful in cases where the quantified relationships are consistent.

A really ticked off season ticket holder.

by darthpemo on Aug 25, 2005 11:18 AM EDT reply actions

re:

I've recently considered that maybe they should hit Matos leadoff while he's hot and drop Roberts down to second. There's really no reason to not try things out. I mean what, we'll lose? We've got that covered.

Avoid the rhubarb, hurl it whitewash and have 'em wearing the old golden sombrero! Crackerjack, boys, crackerjack!

by Scott Christ on Aug 25, 2005 11:38 AM EDT up reply actions

I think this is the end of our time in 4th place.

If not, next season for sure. But I think this is the year the Devil Rays pass the Orioles.

As a fan, I'm just sick of this. I know it's very hard to win the World Series, or even make the playoffs in a division with the two biggest spenders in baseball, by far. But not even an over .500 season since 1997? Ridiculous. Regoddamndiculous.

The sort sports fan psychology/philosophical question I've been pondering the past couple weeks is -- why do we stick around for this? Why do we continue to pour our hearts, dollars, and time into following this team, and at what point will they have do they have to earn our loyalty back?

I was down at the game on Wednesday night, and there were a lot of people wearing Nats hats. I'm expecting to see a lot more Nationals hats, and a lot fewer people at Camden yards next year and beyond.

Baltimore Orioles organization, Peter Angelos, Mike Flanagan, Jim Beattie, Sam Perlozzo, players, and coaches, your fans deserve better than this.

by BrianS on Aug 29, 2005 8:10 AM EDT reply actions