The Loss Column — Baltimore Sports Blog and Community

The mind boggles: the DC Cab has been sent to the garage for six games, for failing to genuflect at the sight of Yankee pinstripes “throwing at” Alex Rodriguez.

Umm…what?

Truly ridiculous.

It was mighty nice of the MLB powers to have the Orioles off on deadline day. Not that I expect much to happen, but it’s always safe to assume something will surprise. Maybe not O’s-related, but something.

The big question is whether or not Manny Ramirez will be on the move, whether it’s to Florida or somewhere else. Ken Griffey Jr. appears to be headed to the White Sox. Beyond that there’s a host of other, smaller rumors that don’t necessarily affect us one way or another.

I still do think the O’s will make a move of some kind, maybe a Bradford deal or some move to bring in a starter. It looks to me like ‘Ol Flatbrim will stick around for now. There aren’t any solid rumors that I know of, but things change fast.

So, here’s the spot to discuss it.

There would certainly be something magical about the Orioles picking up the sweep on the back of an unproven and untested Dennis S’Forty. But the truth is that we should prepare for this one to get ugly, and we should be ecstatic that the O’s managed to do what they did in the Bronx.

We should also prepare for the possibility that Joba Chamberlain gets his chump on and plunks, say, Aubrey Huff. That’s the Janqui Way, after all. It wouldn’t be a series in the Bronx without a little petulant behavior.

The tears of the world are a constant quantity. For each one who begins to weep somewhere else another stops. The same is true of the laugh. Let us not then speak ill of our generation, it is not any unhappier than its predecessors. Let us not speak well of it either. Let us not speak of it at all. — from Waiting for Godot

A couple ‘O notes…

Peter Schmuck — subject of this week’s poll (please vote if you haven’t yet) — has his own blog at the Sun now, presumably in reaction to Roch’s departure. Seems strange for a man who has routinely criticized blogs over the years but, hey, it’s good to see he’s catching up.

Andy MacPhail is tamping down expectations for the trade deadline. I have a hunch — nothing more — that some minor deal gets done anyway.

Hayden Penn or Brad Bergesen?

I won’t be around for this one unfortunately…I’ll check in here tonight for the best recap in town (our comments section).

As is the case with all of his starts, the big question tonight is: which DC Cab will we get? The well-oiled, efficient Cadillac or the reckless, drunken dune buggy?

Despite the recent swoon the Orioles remain 23-12 in series opening games, including a 12-6 road mark. As I’ve mentioned before, winning that first game is huge, especially in a three-game series. You have to put yourself in position to absorb mistakes, and winning the first game of a series is a great way to do it.

Did I say mistakes? I might have meant Dennis Sarfate making his first major league start in Janqui Stadium. Yikes. I’m pulling for the guy but it would really be nice if the ‘Cab could come through tonight and turn tomorrow into a Gravy Game.

Don’t Forget! I’ll be on with the Fighting Ungers tonight from 6-8 on 1570 WNST AM, and online via the (finally working again) internet stream at wnst.net. Please tune in if you get a chance, and let me know what you think.

Thanks, all.

Here’s one guess for how you don’t want to enter a road series against a red-hot Janquis team: having lost 14 of your own last 19. Yet that’s exactly the position in which the Orioles find themselves tonight, as it’s one Stanford alum versus another in the form of Jeremy Guthrie and Mike Mussina.

Guts is 1-1 against the Yankees for his career in four starts, three of which were (surprise) Quality. His last start in the Bronx, however, didn’t go so well as he gave up six runs in 4.2 innings.

In what may be the stat of the game going in, Brian Roberts owns Mussina. He’s gone 19-40 (.475) with six doubles, a triple, and three RBI for his career.

With the DC Cab and a big question mark coming up next, things don’t get any easier. Tonight’s the night to steal one.

On another note, I’m curious as to how folks feel about the Yankees these days, especially in comparison to the Sox. While both are clearly loathsome, does one have an edge?

In a most impressive showing indeed, Roch Kubatko earned a 97% “yea” rating in last week’s poll. He garnered the most overall votes of anybody so far, and only two voters dissented — something I doubt we’re likely to see again. It’s a testament to the goodwill he’s built up, and I’m sure his post-Sun endeavors will be met with great success.

With that we move across the Sun newsroom (figuratively) to a man who, as far as I know, is not leaving anytime soon: Peter Schmuck.

Schmuck has been with the local paper since 1990, and in that time he has been named Maryland Sportswriter of the Year four times. He can also be heard periodically on WBAL, doing both sports and (now and then) current events.

According to Wikipedia, he’s been president of the Baseball Writers Association of America since 2005. I find that strange and hard to believe, but apparently it’s true.

All the awards and recognition in the world won’t get you very far, however, if the Loss Column community doesn’t have your back.

So, what do we say?

It seems to have arrived without much fanfare, like it snuck in after dark while everyone was sleeping or drunk. By morning we had already adjusted — a matter of habit — and there it was. Comfortable. A well-known quantity.

Swoon.

Now here we are, about to close a homestand against baseball’s best team on a Sunday…with Brandon Fahey in the leadoff spot and Garrett Olson on the hill. The last ten games have seen us go 3-7, dropping the record to 48-55 and leaving .500 a distant memory at best. Or, to put it another way, the Lost Season is definitely, assuredly, back.

Which is OK. Really. This team gave us three+ months of competitive play, which is more than anyone expected. The Plan is still in place, and a quick glance down to Bowie and Frederick lets us know that hope is by no means lost. It’s just going to take awhile, as expected.

In the meantime I hope they keep hustling and making things interesting. I figure they will.

(Sun photo by Lloyd Fox / July 24, 2008)

Before we get to the game, I feel compelled to point out that the current headline at espn.com is “Papi’s Back”. The subhead: “Tonight’s the night for David Ortiz. Boston went 26-19 in his absence.”

Here’s a fact: when some fat DH comes off the DL, it is not worthy of top billing on what is arguably the world’s sports website of record. Especially considering, as the subhead notes, the team did just fine in his absence. It’s embarrassing.

Anyway…the Orioles welcome baseball’s best tonight as the Angels come to town for a three-game set. Matchups are as follows:

Joe Saunders vs. Brian Burres
John Garland vs. Rad Hams Liz
Ervin Santana vs. Garrett Olson

I think we all probably expect to get swept here, no? Well, screw that. We’re taking two of three. I have no way to back that statement up and, in fact, I realize how crazy it is. But I’m going out on that limb.

Of note: Nick Markakis leads the AL in assists with 11…Alex Cintron went 1-2 in his first rehab appearance, while Jamie Walker allowed three runs and five hits in one inning…Brian Roberts currently leads the AL in both doubles and triples…Burres is 2-0, 2.84 in his career against the Angels.

I might not be back for a main post until Sunday, but I’ll be around in the comments one way or another. Let’s go get ‘em.