Fourteen Years in Review

So you’re tired of fourteen losing seasons. I don’t blame you, not one bit. I’ve been an O’s fan for about as long as I can remember, so I can tell you there have been more good days than bad. The difference is the bad days weren’t fourteen consecutive years long.

During the losing streak, I’ve seen a philosophical change in the way the organization goes about its business. The biggest change is more excuses and less accountability. Meaning we, the fans, hear about all the things the organization can’t or won’t due to change the direction of the franchise and we don’t hear what they can do. I’ll give you an example; we hear from the front office, "We are a small market team and can’t compete financially with the Sox and Yanks." This is true, however, the reason the Yanks are a big market is because of twenty-seven championships. The market size for the O’s gets smaller every time a fan says; "The hell with this!" and doesn’t watch any more televised games and doesn’t buy any more tickets; the stadium attendance drops meaning  less revenue. The O’s market share has decreased by one.  The bottom line is, winning breeds increased revenue which in turn breeds continued success.

Another philosophical error by the club is their assumption that their young draft picks will succeed and contribute to the immediate success of the club. This wrong thinking is the reason why the front office is cautious about giving long term deals because a player like Manny Machado is on the fast track to the parent club. THIS IS A MISTAKE! Improve the club. Plain and simple. A minor league player should force his way onto the club. We shouldn't sign players to keep the seat warm for some up and coming prospect. I hope Machado succeeds, however, I don't feel like waiting.  McPhail said publicly that the O's success will be dependent on how far our young pitching staff takes us. Talk about pressure!  I don't think you'd hear that from Mr. Steinbrenner. I believe we win as a team, we lose as a team.

My last thought is this. I believe we have some really good players, however, we as fans need to keep things in perspective. Balance the tangibles and the intangibles. For example, after fourteen loosing seasons, I like to keep my feet on the ground with regards to our team's success. Would I like a right fielder that hits 50 hr in a season? Sure, but having a right fielder who never is on the disabled list and gives 100% is something I think a lot of teams would give an arm and a leg for. Jim Johnson could be a pretty good starter, but I bet he'll be an all-star closer.

It is past time that this organization starts thinking success, stops making excuses and start thinking smarter.