Hello loyal readers, your east coast cripple, and Orioles fan here. While your main editor is recovering from surgery (don't worry he'll be back later this week) I am here about to tell you Phillies fans, the general woes of despair and pure anger us O's fans are going through. Don't worry, I'll also be reporting on the Phillies game tonight, for now it's time to get a taste of what life is like for O's fans.
Instead of starting from the beginning of this season , let's look at the introduction of our new skipper, Buck Showalter. There is no denying buck's history as a skipper. The track record he presents to the O's is just what we need. The teams he has turned around is no joke. His somewhat no bullshit "let's just get down to winning attitude" is somewhat refreshing, but after so many years of failed seasons it's hard to believe him. Him telling the loyal O's fans it's time to get down to winning is like telling some dorky record collector it's time to put away those goofy records and start getting laid. Most likely won't happen. Trust me I do want to believe him, but I think we are looking at more than just managerial problems here.
Peter Angelos is clearly the problem here. I've heard all sides of the argument, but let us take a look at some of the facts. Angelos clearly has a beef with MLB after them "screwing" him over for the Expos Jr. He has also has his hand in the club and has not let any of the people in the organization make decisions by themselves, Showalter is what, the 10th manager in 13 years? I I'm not going to state rumors here, but let's just say he was suppose to sell the team 5 years ago. Angelos is an 81 year old special needs man in control of one of the lost dynasties of baseball, and I don't see him giving them up anytime soon.
Let's look at the hitting we have this season, and honestly on paper it looks great. Luke just returned from an injury earlier this season and while his numbers (a .282 avg. and 18 Hrs on the year) aren't great from his past numbers, this redneck who looks like a broke Billy Ray Cyrus can hit when it comes down to it. Next you have Ty Wigginton, our only all-star selection this year. While interest in him is waining, 54 RBIs on a team like the O's is still pretty good and really when him, Jones, and Luke are back to back in the line up, good things do happen (Remember triple HRs anyone?). Speaking of Jones, some of the errors and just dumb plays from this season make me wonder if this guy is really even worth keeping because of his non-consistancy .
The hero of the season and really what makes the Orioles worth watching is Nick Markakis. Sure he doesn't have the HRs this season, but as a pure hitter, he's a game changer. On both sides of the ball he slays, and I know the team is trying to build around him. With 37 RBIs and a .293 avg., he is a clutch player that is few and far between, you can't deny that his 4 years experience while not much, has pushed him into becoming not only the new face of the O's, but the new leader as well.
Look pitching is beyond horrid here.It's pointless to get into details here. I'm on the side that the whole bullpen needs a revamp, Guthrie is a joke, and Mautusz needs to go (look at how many games he blows within the first 3 innings). All I can hope for is that some AAA pitchers can come up next season. In the end I think my crippled ass would be a better pitcher than some of the ass-clowns we have now.
I'm more sad than angry. The O's way has been gone for years now, and I get it. I get that we are in a division with the Yankees (fuck em) and the Red Sox (fuck em too). Really though, the O's troubles aren't because these teams are dominate, it's because we have an owner and some parts of upper management that don't know the game of baseball, bottom line. When your bullpen is not wining games for you, your hitters suffer. Both your editor and myself agree, the O's have a club that on paper should be (on paper) great, but as of now, until we see changes starting from the top up, O's will be suffering for a long time. Also at 32-71 as of writing this, what we need is small victories to get us through the season (such as winning closing pitching battles, now blowing leads etc). I'll still always root for my O's for sure, nothing will change that. Until there is a change watching the orioles right now is like trying to watch to some goofy "noise rock band" reunite, sad and embarrassing . I'll see you guys tomorrow for the Phillies game report. Remember fuck the Yankees, fuck Angelos and go O's!
for now I leave you with a choice John Cale song and a live video from The Freeze.
The sad thing is that the O's have won that division more times than the Red Sox. The Oriole Way was something special, and now shit's so mismanaged at Camden Yards that they could have devoted an entire season of The Wire to that team. Go O's, fuck Angelos.
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