Jon Heyman on the O’s, TLC on Jon Heyman
In his comments on the last post, Andrew pointed us to this Jon Heyman story on SI.com about Peter Angelos‘ supposed involvement in the rumored Brian Roberts to the Cubs deal. Andrew used the term “lazy journalism” and, man, that couldn’t possibly be more accurate.
This piece is riddled with the kinds of statements that would never hold up — at least not this many of them — in a “serious” news story. Now, let us not confuse a column (read: opinion piece) on sports as being a serious news story. The standards aren’t nearly as high, and I’ll be the first to admit that at the end of the day this doesn’t really matter. But I can’t just let it pass. This is really the worst kind of writing, and he deserves to be raked over the coals a little bit.
So, let’s go quote-by-quote.
There is now a feeling in Orioles land that Angelos may be balking at the negotiated haul for Roberts, which according to sources, is a very fair three-player package of young pitcher Sean Gallagher, outfielder Matt Murton and infielder Ronny Cedeno.
There’s a “feeling” in “Orioles land”? That phrase, quite literally, means nothing. To follow it up with “Angelos may be balking” and “very fair three-player package” simply compounds the idiocy. Right here in paragraph three Heyman has essentially said “I’m not really going on anything here.”
Angelos has killed trades involving Roberts before. And apparently even Roberts’ inclusion in the Mitchell Report and admission as a steroid user hasn’t dulled Angelos’ affection for him.
As far as we know, Angelos has killed one trade involving Roberts, not “trades”. And the part about the Mitchell Report just smacks of yellow journalism. It’s factually accurate, but misleading. The accusations against Roberts were both poorly substantiated and not terribly serious. And if you’re going to mention them, you kind of have a duty to also give more mention Roberts’ subsequent admission and apology.
Originally, Angelos acted antsy about the Bedard trade, telling insiders he was worried the Mariners were trying to trap him when outfielder Adam Jones revealed he was on his way to Baltimore for the physical. Angelos seemed to be worried that if Jones came for his physical and anything was amiss, he’d become the first baseball owner disallowed from canceling a deal. He apparently read the fine print of some arcane baseball rule. But more than likely, he was afflicted with cold feet.
I’d love to have some sense of who these “insiders” are, since this nugget hasn’t been mentioned by any of the regular O’s reporters — all of whom I trust more than Heyman. The phrases “he seemed to be worried” and “more than likely, he was afflicted with cold feet” just don’t match up to the story as reported. Thus, Heyman is asking us to believe that he and only he has access to this information and these top-level sources.
Right. I believe that.
“That’s a great trade for the Orioles,” one competing GM said. Jones is seen as a potential star, as is Tillman, though he’s further from the big leagues.
This, of course, is the story. Heyman threw it away in the ninth paragraph.
Pieces like this are inevitable. There’s a very strong Angelos narrative out there, and it’s convenient to use it as a “go-to” angle whenever it’s time to talk Orioles. It’s also borderline irresponsible and very, very tired.
Thanks for the tip, Andrew.
I liked the pseudo-FJM thing going on there, Neal.
I, of course, meant no offense to anyone in that rant except Jon Heyman, who should quit writing because he is stupid. He does this shit all the time and it makes my blood boil, because I know (from having the YES network up here and being a “Yankee lover lover” as Joe put it) that he appears on Yankee Hot Stove regularly and drools on that team all he can. So, I don’t care for obvious biases.
The more I thought about it tonight, the more I liked the idea of Roberts staying put. For one, I could only think of 1 team that would benefit greatly from acquiring him: The Atlanta Braves, and they already sold the farm to get 1.5 years of Teixeira….those suckers.
Further, he’s a class act who would show the new kids (Jones, Nick, Loewen, Scott, Patton, etc.) how to act as a professional, especially compared to some other players on this team (cough cough). Plus, if the rebuilding timeline I’ve heard is accurate, Roberts might be game to stick around in ’09+. It’d certainly be nice to have that one team player again.
Pseudo-FJM? I have to cop to not getting the reference.
I thought your rant was right on, which was why I wanted to go after the piece. I kind of take it personally when national writers attack the O’s in this way. I’m not a connected member of the Orioles media, but I do know more about the team than a window shopper like Heyman. I can’t hold his feet to the fire if he’s talking about, say, the Marlins, but I can do it here. Or, more accurately, we can do it here.
Good thoughts on Roberts, too. You have to have a handful of veterans in place no matter how intense your rebuilding process is going to be. If he’s willing to stick it out, there’s no better candidate for that role.
That said, he’d have my blessing if he asked to leave. He deserves to win at some point.
Related to the issue of handling anonymous sources:
“She has to win both Ohio and Texas comfortably, or she’s out,” said one superdelegate who has endorsed Mrs. Clinton, and who spoke on condition of anonymity to share a candid assessment. “The campaign is starting to come to terms with that.” Campaign advisers, also speaking privately in order to speak plainly, confirmed this view.
When you have credible sources who wish to remain anonymous, this is what you do. You say enough to establish credibility without saying so much that it might compromise the source.
When you don’t do it this way you’re basically saying “trust me because I know.”
Which also means you damn well better have a solid answer to the question of “Why should I do that?”
Fire Joe Morgan. They attack writer’s on a paragraph by paragraph or sentence by sentence basis for lousy sports journalism, inanity, and obvious idiocracy. If any of you guys don’t read them, the only thing I can hold against them are they are Boston fans.
So, let’s break down where the team most probably stands, since I don’t see any more trades happening before Pitchers and Catchers…
Rotation:
We know it’ll have Guthrie, Loewen, Cabrera, and Trachsel in it, for better or worse. That fifth spot is up for grabs between Hayden Penn, Matt Albers, Brian Burres, Jim Johnson, Jon Leicester, Troy Patton, and Garret Olson. You ask me, Olson has to have it. His numbers at AAA are outstanding, and we’re rebuilding, so let him get his shit together up in Baltimore. Of course, Patton and Olson instead of Trachsel would be ideal…but that’s just me.
Bullpen:
We know Sherrill, Walker, Chadford, and Sarfate (no options) are all in. With the three open spots, Randor Bierd has to pitch his way off the roster (rule 5), and you would assume Greg Aquino and at least one of the failed starters (see above) would make it. If not Bierd, look for Lance Cormier or Bob McCrory…though he’s likely to be in AAA this year, along with Jim Hoey and Radhames Liz.
Starting 9:
We know about our new, very talented outfield of Scott, Jones, Markakis. We know we’re stuck with Mora, Millar, Huff, and Hernandez. I’m pretty sure we’re going to see Roberts and Hernandez up the middle, since DT took such a liking to him, and the only other players are the already proven bad Fahey and Bynum.
The Bench (4 players):
A backup catcher from a huge list of unknowns is a definite. Jay Payton is stuck with us as the reserve outfielder. We’ll probably take on Fahey as the super utility guy, since he can play every position. So that last roster spot needs to be decided between Tike Redman, Jay Gibbons (though you would assume he’d make it and if someone had to be released it’d be Payton or Millar, who make much less), Freddie Bynum, and Scott Moore. I’m guessing Scott Moore opens with us as a bat off the bench and corner infielder backup, and then gets sent down when Gibbons comes back, which is too bad.
I think that’s a pretty solid assessment of where we stand, roster-wise. One name you neglected to add to the bullpen mix is Rocky Cherry. The one great thing about him is that he doesn’t walk guys and I remember it being a breath of fresh air when he came in at the end of last season and really stabilized the pen.
I think Fahey might get the cut in favor of Bynum, who can play IF/OF and hit a little bit more. DT said he wanted Tike, so if Payton isn’t traded, that doesn’t leave much room for Gibbons. I think Gibbons gets cut, honestly. I really do. I think they will eat his contract in favor of a guy like Scott Moore.
And I think unless Quiorz really proves that he can’t catch and throw in ST, that he’s your backup catcher because they signed him to a ML deal, and he’s young.
Dan, if Gibbons gets cut I will throw a parade because of the sense it makes. Redman can play any outfield spot, Gibbons can “play” right or left or maybe first, but he will hurt himself if given enough time. Oh, and he can’t hit worth shit.
I forgot about Rocky Cherry…but he’s no sure thing. I seem to remember he having a couple of rotten appearances before he settled down, but his line doesn’t look good: 16.3 IP 17H 13BB 14 ER.
Still, I highly doubt Bierd, or Esteban Yan, or Cormier, or Novoa, or any of the other non-roster guys are there at Opening Day. But a good spring, and you never know…
If Gibbons gets cut. then you know that there really is a smart “baseball guy” running the show rather than the money-conscience lawyer.
A good little thing to keep up on when pitchers and catchers report will be Costanzo – if he proves he’s a guy that can play emergency catcher (like Millar could have last year – God I wish that situation would have come up..), that should gain him some ground. Then he just needs to kill the ball to make things interesting.
Oddly enough, while Peter’s meddling (documented) has been an eyebrow-raiser with people in baseball, it would be unfair to say Peter and Peter alone has wrecked the franchise.
What has hurt the Mid Atlantics just as much, if not more, are the people they’ve employed who haven’t been able to straighten out the little things. GM’s that couldn’t GM, Scouts who couldn’t Scout, Players that couldn’t Play and Marketers who couldn’t Market. All of those things have led to the dominant themes of the franchise over the last 10 years…1) losing — 2) diminshing crowds at the park.
Some might say – and do say – that Peter oversees EVERYTHING that goes on there and, thus, is responsible for every bad player signing, every bad trade and every bad PR move the club makes.
I don’t buy that. Peter didn’t sign Omar Daal, Marty Cordova and Ubrey Huff. He didn’t draft Chris Smith or Beau Hale. He didn’t remove the word BALTIMORE from the team’s logo in 1995…oops, yes, he did (bad example, sorry). You get what I’m saying, though, right?
The franchise has been run into the ground by a lot of people, not just Peter. Some of the people working there right now have made whopping contributions to this fiasco, trust me.
Peter isn’t blameless, but he can’r get all of the blame.
“Peter isn’t blameless, but he can’t get all of the blame.”
Drew, you’re exactly right and you’d think that would be a pretty reasonable conclusion to come to for all these lazy sports “journalists”. You don’t even have to do research, it’s just common sense.
I’m not trying to defend Heyman, but I’m sure he dealt with the same issues that we deal with in Baltimore. The club refuses to face any tough, legitimate questions from the media. Then, when the story comes out, if it’s not to their liking, they send you nasty e-mails and treat you unprofessionally. Fortunately, for Heyman anyway, he doesn’t have to deal with them on an everyday basis.
Not all of these journalists are “lazy” like you guys think. They just get tired of having the Mid Atlantics dodge and avoid them…I’ve been there, done that and I have the t-shirt, in fact.
For me it’s not an issue of Heyman being critical of the team, it’s an issue of the way he’s being critical. If you want to do a piece on Angelos’ meddling and you have credible information, have at it. I think everyone in Baltimore would be interested to read it. That’s not what Heyman did here. Instead, he cobbled together some well-worn tales, probably had a few offhand conversations with his baseball people, and wrote ten paragraphs of ill-informed, poorly-sourced bullshit.
You’re absolutely right, Drew, that not all of the journalists who write pieces like this are lazy. Heyman, however, is.
Also, great points about the team as a whole. You definitely deserve credit for taking a pretty even-handed approach to all of this.
I’m not really “even-handed”, actually. You’re just catching me on a good day.
They’re scammers over there…outright scammers. They refuse to answer questions…unless you’re on their payroll or a “rights holder”, which is code word for “on their payroll”.
All they had to do with Heyman was sit down with the man for 30 minutes and let him ask questions. Instead, they “allowed” him the flexible to chase down those well-worn tales because they don’t want to man-up and face the music.
I do believe Peter has received far too blame for EVERYTHING that goes on – if you want to consider me even-handed for that, I’ll take the credit. But, as a whole, the organization is filled with charlatans.
Good day or not I’m simply calling it as I see it. It’s fully expected that you’ll get your digs in (a phrase I’m destined to repeat), but at the same time your points about MacPhail’s successes and the myopic nature of Angelos hate are salient.
And besides, “even-handed” doesn’t mean “right all the time.”
(couldn’t help it)
I would dispute that the whole organization is full of charlatans. The marketing department is stooooooooopid for sure, but I’ve been impressed with Joe Jordan, who is relatively new to the organization and responsible for this past year’s draft – which might produce up to 3 very good players in Bascom, Arrieta, and Wieters – as well as Bill Rowell, Brandon Synder, Chorye Spoone, among others. And of course, there’s MacPhail and Trembley – who I think everyone here is pretty pleased with so far.
But yeah, owner, MASN guys, and PR department, I’m right there with you.
Off-topic, but I just noticed that Tike’s actual full name is Julian Jawann Redman.
JJ Redman?
yeah, I would have gone w/ Tike too if that were the case.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/baseball/bal-os0213,0,5401465.story
A good read – DT is going to run a tight ship. At least, we have reason to be optimistic that he will. Like MacPhail, I’ll remain in DT’s corner so long as there’s reason to.
I’d advise all of you to read Drew’s blog today. What a fucking travesty. If I’m going to dump on Jon Heyman for being a fucking dumbass, I’m by God going to dump on the O’s PR department for being full of fucking dumbasses. Jesus Christ.
I’m very impressed with the on-field business in the warehouse. I’m very impressed with the direction the team’s going, and I’m very impressed -yes- with Peter Angelos for doing it (albeit like 9 years too late). But the off-field stuff is far-and-away just ridiculous. Just ridiculous. When are they going to catch up with the rest of the warehouse?
Anyone watching the car crash that is our Government playing baseball?
The He Said-She Said Steroid Witchhunting Circular Jive of Doom?
(i’m working on catchier titles)
Anyone else horrified?
Why am I the only one bothered by this?
This is Your money too.
The Government. Professional Sports. The lines in the sand have been wiped away.
I’m going to vote for the 08 candidate with the best Spygate and Steroid platforms.
Joe, I’m with you. I was at least holding out hope something might get resolved…and it didn’t! Great success!!!
Way to go, America.
It’s just that this should be in a court of law, with a jury, and the ability to cross-examine. This has moved way beyond what should be taking place in a Congressional hearing.
right, a civil court hearing, what we have now is ridiculous.
Did you all hear Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) is now trying to start a Congressional investigation into the NE Patriots “Spygate”? And conveniently he thinks it started with the Super Bowl when they beat the Philadelphia Eggles…his favorite team.
Oh brother.