The Loss Column — Baltimore Sports Blog and Community

The plot seems to have thickened regarding media access to Orioles officials. According to this Ray Frager story, CBS Radio is responsible. It’s good to know, at least, who to blame.

More troubling is something I heard on Bob Haynie’s show this morning. According to him, it’s not just a matter of club officials taking calls (as I said in the last post), it’s a near-complete cutoff. To hear Haynie tell it, WNST couldn’t even get guests. No players, no officials, nothing. If that’s the case, my “it’s a business decision” logic gets stretched a little thinner.

I’ll keep an eye on it.

Much fuss has been made of the Orioles’ decision to prohibit their employees from taking calls on stations other than the flagship. The general reaction seems to be that this is just one more slap at the fans, and another reason why the team is simply beyond hope. To which I can only say: ugh. While I suppose it might seem like a strange decision in the abstract, criticizing it with a broad brush ignores the facts.

First, the Orioles have not instituted a ban on call-in questions, they’ve simply decided to limit them to shows on 1300-AM and 105.7-FM. Duquette, Flanagan, Perlozzo, et al are still available, you just have to turn the dial. Furthermore, everyone is still allowed to appear and talk on other stations, they just can’t take calls.

Second, to allow other (read: competing) stations equal access to club officials weakens the team’s business relationship with the flagship. CBS Radio is paying a premium to air these games. Such broadcasts might feel like a public service, but they’re not.

What the team has done is make a business decision to reward investment dollars with exclusive content. This isn’t much different than, say, Apple’s decision to make the iPhone availabe exclusively to Cingular customers. It’s still a fully functional phone, and you can still call it from anywhere, but Apple has a development partnership to protect. Verizon customers are out of luck unless they switch.

Are such scenarios mildly annoying? Of course. They wouldn’t happen in a perfect world, but it’s easy to throw those stones when you don’t have millions of dollars on the line.

If the team decided to completely prohibit their staff from interacting with the fans I’d be the first person to call no joy. As it stands, all they’ve done is put a few restrictions on it. Frankly, folks, it’s no big deal. The O’s make a lot of decisons worse than this one. Weighting them all equally dilutes our collective ability to focus on what’s really wrong.

And here’s a fact: nobody (except maybe a few nerds) would care if the team had been winning for the past nine years.

In more positive news, I want to throw a shout out to Amber Theoharis and her new 7-9 pm show on the aforementioned flagship. She’s got both a knack for the medium and a solid base of knowledge. You can still hear the growing pains now and then, but on the whole it’s worth checking out.

I’m not sure this will be a regular feature, but when Sunday night comes and there’s a lot of stuff to mention this seems like a good way to nail it all. So here we go:

– Unfortunately I didn’t get to watch tonight’s incredible Terps victory, but I did have a chance to listen to the first eight minutes on the radio. At that point I was convinced they’d come up short, and figured it was to be expected given the talent UNC brings to the floor. A loss wouldn’t have hurt much, but the win is huge. They’ve all but completed the march from NIT also-rans to locks for the Big Show.

I’m convinced now, fully, that The Loss Column is directly responsible for this resurgence. Gary and co. still haven’t lost since I called them out, so I have no choice but to believe that the two things are directly related.

I intend to use this power primarily for good, particularly as it relates to the upcoming Orioles campaign.

– Speaking of the O’s, news out of spring training has been quiet for the past few days. That’s a good thing because it means nobody has freaked out and demanded a trade, fallen victim to a steroid scandal, or suffered a season-threatening injury. Jamie Walker did have a concussion scare courtesy of a Nick Markakis line drive, but it doesn’t appear serious.

In other notes, Aubrey Huff has a hell of a backstory, making him that much easier to root for…Russ Ortiz expects to make the Giants’ rotation…and Luis Matos looks like a “good bet” to make the Pirates’ opening day roster.

Regarding those last two, I can only say this: and you’re worried about our starting pitching? And our outfield?

The simple fact that we’ve moved on from the likes of Matos and Ortiz (and the countless others of their ilk) speaks volumes about the positioning of this team. We’ve got some question marks like everyone else, but it seems like the days of counting on retreads and 4-A players are gone. That alone is reason for hope.

– In Ravens news, Adalius Thomas is all but certain to be wearing another uniform next year. Don’t be surprised if it’s burgundy and gold.

– Finally, think some positive thoughts on behalf of the Broncos family. First they had the Darrent Williams shooting, and now they’ve lost RB Damien Nash. Tough times for sure.

Spring is my favorite time of the year. The weather gets warmer, the flowers bloom, people come out of hibernation and of course, my dreams for the Orioles have yet to be crushed.

I, like Neal, am optimistic that the Orioles can reach .500 (although I still maintain that Perlozzo’s presence represents a large, though not insurmountable impediment). The reports coming out of spring training support my optimism.

Obviously the pitching has been upgraded, both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen. I mean, it’s almost impossible not to consider the subtraction of Rodrigo Lopez an upgrade. But aside from that, the three young starting pitchers hold a lot of promise and the four new relievers are refreshing after the likes of Steve Kline, LaTroy Hawkins and company.

And most pleasing is the change of attitude. When the Orioles crashed in 2005, the clubhouse was a mess, poisoned by a diva named Sammy Sosa and a cheater named Rafael Palmeiro. Although the chemistry was better in 2006 with Kevin Millar and Jeff Conine, a losing atmosphere continued to pervade Camden Yards.

This doesn’t seem to be the case this year, and this is seemingly partly due to the changed attitudes of three of Baltimore’s “core” players. Jay Gibbons, though not typically a whiner, wasn’t happy about holding down the designated hitter slot. But now it seems he is content with a utility role.

Todd Williams, though his presence in itself is somewhat enigmatic, has made a real hange this offseason, hiring a personal trainer to try to whip his flabby body into something stronger and more athletic (last item).

And finally, and most notably, Miguel Tejada showed up to camp, vowing to be a “new Miguel.” He says he has eschewed tardiness and will be the leader we all know he can be.

Charming.

I am of course happy about all this. I love watching Miggy chat away, I’ll be pleased if Williams throws a few strikes, and I definitely would be content to not listen to Gibbons bitch about not being in the field when in fact, he is a defensive disaster. But what is going on here?

Isn’t this what they were supposed to be doing all along? Doesn’t Miggy get paid to contribute to the team both with stats and emotion? Doesn’t Williams get paid to throw strikes? And doesn’t Gibbons, as well as every other player, get paid to do exactly whatever the hell Perlozzo and the Orioles want him to do?

Why weren’t they doing this all along? The fact that professional athletes get paid more than almost everyone in this country, including doctors, police, firefighters, etc., is not a fact lost on most people. But somehow, athletes often lose sight of this. Williams should have been in shape every one of his years with the Orioles or any other team for that matter. As a professional athlete it is his duty to stay in shape. He doesn’t have to do anything else! It’s about time they are thankful for employment and have decided to do what they are supposed to do. As far as I’m concerned, the only guy who gets to fail regularly at his job but still keep it is the weather man.

So it’s great that these three have decided to shut up and do what they are supposed to do. I’m just wondering what the hell were they doing for the past few years. This is not to say that the losses are their faults, but maybe if they had shown up, there might have been a small difference. A difference that could have ultimately affected the other players, the atmosphere, and perhaps lessened the accumulation of bitterness hanging over Camden Yards today.

I officially have no idea what to make of this year’s Terps. Furthermore, I have no idea what to make of Gary Williams. If there’s another team or coach out there as enigmatic as this group, I haven’t heard about them.

Back on February 9th I called Gary out and questioned whether or not he had lost touch. At that time, the team was 17-7 overall and 3-6 in the ACC. All signs pointed to a third straight appearance in the NIT.

Since then, Greivis Vasquez and company have gone an an absolute tear, winning four in a row and fundamentally shifting our expectations. I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t see it coming, but what the hell? Tonight’s win over Florida State, coupled with Michigan State’s win over Wisconsin last night, puts them in a position where just one more win virtually guarantees a spot in the field of 65.

Back on the 9th I called this scenario “laughable.” It’s still unbelievable. Is this a Sweet Sixteen team, or just a bunch of kids overachieving at the right time?

On a separate note, I’ll use this post as an opportunity to plant the seeds for some March Madness plans. First, I’m hoping to organize a Loss Column party at a local establishment in connection with the Elite Eight round. That may or may not come together. What definitely will come together is a tournament pool. Stay tuned for details on both.

With spring training underway in earnest, so begins Spring Notes, a regular feature that’ll go something like this: we’ll start with thoughts about where the O’s seem to stand, then follow that with a rundown of some noteworthy items from around the league. I figure this feature will show up at least weekly, with larger news items getting their own posts.

To begin, I’m going on the record early: I’m extremely optimistic. I see no reason why this group can’t finish .500 or slightly better, and I’ll be disappointed if they don’t. Is part of that just the natural optimism everybody feels when spring training begins? Maybe…but not entirely.

This team’s been through a lot over the past few years. They’ve had steroid scandals, off-field problems (Ponson, anyone?), disgruntled players, coaching changes, front office changes, and the ever-present spectre of Peter Angelos’ suspect ownership. But for the first time in a lot of years, the feel is different this spring.

Miguel Tejada is talking like a leader, Brian Roberts is fully recovered from the nasty injury he suffered at the end of ‘05, both Mazzone and Perlozzo have a full year under their belts, overall depth has been substantially improved, and Erik Bedard seems poised for a breakout. Couple all that with solid, if unspectacular, offseason moves, then tell me: does it not seem like it should add up to at least 11 more wins?

Of course none of it means anything until they make it through spring without any major injuries and start converting what looks good on paper into results on the field. But right now, taking everything into account, this is a better team than we had in ‘06.

Your thoughts?

Notes:

– Regardless of what happens with the O’s this year, it looks like we’ll be able to have some fun at the Yankees’ expense. In addition to the Carl Pavano thing, they’re also facing some Rodriguez-Jeter drama and a botched Bernie Williams situation.

– Speaking of Sir Sidney, he’s up to his old tricks in Minnesota. It seems like a lifetime ago that this guy was our “ace.”

– Josh Towers (remember him?) is bringing a new outlook to Blue Jays camp. I always liked that guy, and it’d be nice to see him do well.

– Rodrigo Lopez also hopes for a fresh start, and he “can’t wait to start winning games for the Rockies“. He really didn’t get along with Mazzone.

– Speaking of former O’s named Lopez, here’s still another tale of potential redemption.

If you watched the end of the Daytona 500 you found the answer to why so many people — myself included — enjoy watching auto racing. It may very well have been the greatest conclusion to a sporting event I’ve ever witnessed, and if not quite that good then certainly top ten.

Seriously: how can anyone not enjoy a race where one of the participants finishes the race upside down and on fire? Couple that with the drama inherent in 48-year old Mark Martin coming .02 seconds from winning his first 500 and you’ve got more than enough to merit casual attention. That’s without mentioning the many less obvious storylines. It’s no longer a bunch of rednecks turning left, folks.

Meanwhile, Gary Williams’ Terps keep proving me wrong. Sunday’s win at Clemson represented just the kind of intense, gutsy effort I’ve been looking for all season. They haven’t lost since I questioned their heart, so I’m going to keep doing it. They need at least two (and ideally three) more wins out of the following group: Florida State at home, at UNC, at Duke, and NC State at home. Nothing matters until they get ‘em.

The flip side, though, is that going three-for-four in those games and making a good showing in the ACC Tournament could put them in line for a four or five seed. That’d be one hell of a turnaround. We shall see.

In Orioles news, many of the position players have already reported early, and the first full-squad workout is scheduled for Tuesday. I’m not actually at spring training, so it’d be wrong to do straight rehashes of what’s being written by those who are. For the most part, you’d do well enough to get your daily minutiae from Roch Kubatko’s blog. What I will be doing is providing the kind of running commentary and analysis you can only find at The Loss Column. We’ll be on top of the O’s every step of the way, starting this week.

The Daytona 500 is once again upon us and once again I’m having trouble caring. I’ve tried to like NASCAR. I lived in central Pennsylvania for three years where I was immersed in the culture. The sad little local mall had more than one NASCAR store and water cooler talk at work often involved ‘ol Dick Trickle or Awesome Bill from Dawsonville. Having moved to central PA from Philadelphia, I had no idea that if you were not rubbin’, you were, in fact, not racin’. I learned fast…I had to. I didn’t want to e that guy who had nothing to add when banter at the bar after work turned to racing.

I had to adopt a favorite driver to fit in. I chose Ricky Rudd because he was a veteran underdog and had a black guy on his pit crew, which I though was pretty progressive considering the glaring racial homogeny of the circuit. At the time, Rudd was sponsored by Tide, a detergent I had sworn firm allegiance to since I began doing my own laundry. I thought my choice of Ricky Rudd said a lot about me as a freethinking, fresh-smelling, loser.

In the NASCAR culture, your choice of favorite driver says a lot about you as a person. Much like out-of-town fans of NFL teams who have no connection with the city of their favorite team, their choices send up glaring red flags about their personality. Here are a few examples:

Dallas Cowboys fan = Jeff Gordon fan A front-running sheep who somehow thinks the winning ways of their chosen driver/team makes them less of a failure.

Cleveland Browns fan = Tony Stewart fan The orange shows you don’t care how you look. Plus, the Home Depot sponsorship conveys a take-charge, blue-collar, do-it-to-it, industriousness.

Oakland Raiders fan = Dale Earnhardt Sr. fan A wannabe badass who thinks wearing black will hide the fact that they have trouble peeing in public restrooms.

Green Bay Packers fan = Dale Jarrett fan Steady, dependable, stalwart, and can still pull off a moustache.

So I bought my #10 Tide hat and I watched races at work and in bars. I paid attention, too, trying to soak in the nuances and appreciate the skill and grace of a quick, effective pit stop. The enthusiasm of the fans made it easy to get swept up in the fever. I even attended the Pennsylvania 500 in 1999. The infield was the most affordable choice so we staked out our plot and set up shop with cooler, grill, and horseshoe pit. Our vantage point was limited to one corner of the track, so periodically you could see a blur of colors coupled with the deafening roar of a heard of engines.

This was entertaining the first few times, but after time it only served to drown out the David Allen Coe and/or radio race commentary blaring from every vehicle. As time wore on, our horseshoe pit became quite the hot spot, as drunken duos would step forth to test their mettle. Despite our less than rural roots, our horseshoe team held our own and managed to win some money from a few of the more cocksure contestants. Throughout the long, sun baked summer day, we managed to make some money, drink a lot of beer and Canadian whiskey, eat some slow cooked bbq ribs, and make some interesting new friends despite the annoyance of circling cars. I have no idea who won the race, but I continued to follow NASCAR for the remainder of my time in PA.

I soon relocated to San Francisco, and all impetus for keeping up with NASCAR was lost. Stock car racing for me was an interest of geographic convenience. I was not brought up in the culture, I never changed my own oil, I can’t skin a buck or run a trotline. If other people in my vicinity could get excited about it, then I could too. If no one cared, stock car racing just wasn’t compelling enough to follow alone. Now that I’m here in Baltimore, surrounded by people who could care less about anything except the Ravens, and to a much lesser extent the Orioles, I can continue my indifference to NASCAR.

Although, if I come across the Daytona 500 while flipping channels I may watch a few laps and hearken back to my fair-weather flirtation with stock car racing. Ricky Rudd qualified and is apparently starting in the second position. That’s pretty good. I think he’s sponsored by Snickers now. I like Snickers.