I’m quite grateful that the previous post on the state of the O’s generated so much response. Several good points were raised, and I want to revisit two of them specifically.
1. This Town Doesn’t Know How to Lose
Here’s what I mean by that: on the whole, Baltimore sports fans tend to suffer from both skewed expectations and extreme emotional swings. Is that a generalization? Of course it is, and if it doesn’t apply to you specifically then don’t take it personally. But it is an attitude that I think dominates the discussion, and one need look no further than the buildup and reaction to the Ravens‘ loss to the Colts. The fact that the Colts are a good team, and that the Ravens had a good season all things considered, was so far down on the agenda that it became ridiculous. It sucks to lose, and nobody in their right mind enjoys it, but it sucks just as much to completely lose perspective. That’s what I think happens too often, and that’s what I mean by not knowing how to lose.
As it relates to the O’s, I’m referring to the fact that so many fans have turned their back on the team. Being a fan sometimes means suffering through hard times. It doesn’t mean you say that losing is OK, or that you just excuse bad ownership and poor decision making, but it does mean that you don’t turn your back.
Which leads me to…
2. OK, Asshole, What’s Your Bright Idea?
I really like Bill’s (number 6) comment because I think he hits on the crux of my argument. The shoe analogy is a very interesting one, but it doesn’t go quite far enough. By getting more specific I think it actually works to bolster my point.
Let’s take Under Armour as an example. I like UA because their products are well-made and functional, and because they are a local company that employs a lot of local people and, generally, functions as an asset to the community. I still don’t own a lot of their products (I’m not wealthy, after all), but you could say that, in a sense, I am a fan of theirs.
Let’s say hypothetically that over the next few years their products get progressively more and more mediocre, to the point where they are barely decent and no longer stand out. Concurrently, certain members of their ownership group develop into rather unpleasant characters — the kinds of people you don’t necessarily want to support. At the same time, however, they continue to employ a lot of good people, and you know that there are members of the management team that are doing their best in a bad situation to try to restore the company to a position of prominence.
At that moment, you have a choice. You can either say “screw Under Armour, they’re just not what they used to be,” or you can say “I’m not really happy with the way they’re doing business, and I’m going to make that known, but I’m still in their corner and I hope they right the ship.” If you just don’t care one way or the other, then option A is for you. But if you do care, option B is your only choice.
Why? Because if enough people choose option A, there might someday be no more Under Armour. They might move their headquarters, or get bought out by Nike, or just fold completely. It happens all the time. The baby would then go down with the bathwater, and suddenly Baltimore loses an important community resource and moves that much closer to being the “branch office” town that a lot of outsiders already think we are.
The analogy is admittedly imperfect — both in Bill’s original form and in my expansion. The point, however, has a ring. If you care about keeping something around because you think it has value, then you can’t turn your back on it.
I’m not suggesting that everyone should rush out and buy season tickets. Hell, it’s not like I can afford to go to more than a few games a year myself. But I still watch as many games as I can, I still rock the O’s gear, and when I do go to games I root passionately for my team and let the players I respect know that I’m on their side. If I call a sports talk show to discuss the team, I’m going to talk about the games and the players. I’m going to offer thoughts and analysis instead of just saying “these guys suck, screw Angelos.”
It’s all a question of attitude. Angelos won’t be around forever, and I think it’s both foolish and short-sighted to not let yourself enjoy watching guys like Roberts and Markakis play just because he’s a shitty owner. Be a fan, stay a fan, and it will make the wins that much sweeter when they finally come.
Instead of worrying about yet another mediocre Gary Williams team let’s focus on the biggest local basketball story — The Washington Wizards and the job Ernie Grunfeld, Eddie Jordan and Abe Polin have done to turn this franchise around. Everyone, including myself, was upset when Polin dismissed Michael Jordan as president of Basketball operations. However he soon gave us hope by hiring proven GM Grunfeld who subsequently unloaded weighty contracts and brought in players that have produced and in most cases have had career years since arriving in Washington. He got rid of bums Jerry Stackhouse and Kwame Brown and brought in Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, Deshawn Stevenson and lets not forget Agent Zero, Gilbert Arenas, who has finally “arrived” and established himself as a true superstar. I’m able to say something that didn’t seem possible a short five years ago — The Wizards are the best team in the Eastern conference. This turn around should be celebrated as one that occurred not only on the court but in the front office as well. I only hope that in time the same can be said of their burgandy and gold counterparts.
