Orioles Postseason Awards (and a Look at the Playoffs)
Jim Thome just went deep for the White Sox in their one-game playoff against the Twins, breaking a 0-0 tie in the seventh. Seems like the Pale Hose ought to win this one, right? But more on the playoffs later.
With the Orioles season over and the bad memories of The Slide already starting to fade, I want to take a moment to pass out some (figurative) hardware. Feel free to suggest your own alternatives and even, if you’re so inclined, make up some awards of your own and pass ‘em out in the comments.
Orioles 2008 Team MVP
Without a doubt this one goes to Jeremy Guthrie. It’s one thing to be the unquestioned ace, and it’s still another to be the only legitimate major-league caliber starter on the staff. Yet it’s another thing entirely to rehab a late-season injury and come back in time to pitch the season’s meaningless final game. He could have easily shut it down and none of us would have faulted him for it. The fact that he didn’t is nothing short of amazing.
Comeback Player of the Year
This is kind of obvious, yes, but it’s Aubrey Huff. The guy had an absolute monster of a season and in doing so completely erased the Bubba the Love Sponge bad blood. I gotta take my hat off to him.
Best Fresh Face
I’m really tempted to give this one to Adam Jones based on the fact that (a) he’s awesome (b) he’s one of the reasons we have hope for the future. But, I have to give it to George Sherrill. I don’t know if he’ll be any good as a closer next year or, for that matter, if he’ll even be the closer next year. But for a few glorious months, ‘Ol FlatBrim gave us a lot of good times. He should be recognized for it.
The “Thanks For the Memories” Award
Awarded annually (starting now) to the player who deserves both recognition for past accomplishments and a nice parting gift. We’re looking at you, Ramon Hernandez.
His first year here was a revelation, his second year not so much. This past year he showed us all that a change of scenery would be the best thing for all involved. I’ve got no real problem with the guy, but we’ve just grown apart. I’ll be rooting for him to succeed somewhere else while Matt Wieters helps give birth the the next era of Orioles Baseball.
***
As for the playoffs, I want nothing more than to see a Rays-Brewers World Series. That would be unspeakably awesome. Unlikely, though, so here are my real picks:
First round: Angels, Rays, Brewers, Cubs
Second round: Angels, Cubs
World Series: Angels
No matter what, this should be a fun postseason. With no Yankees involved, how could it not be?
Also: there’s a thing going on at Examiner.com where they’ve asked us to pick some “Bests” in Baltimore. I tackled “Best Sports Bar” and you can check it out by clicking here.
Also also: the site redesign is coming along, and I think everyone’s going to be very happy. I’m stoked about it. No definite timeframe on it yet, but it shouldn’t be too long.
I can play this!
MVO: Nick Markakis - the Stick, the Glove, he was by far the best all around player, and he didn’t get hurt down the stretch. I’ll give the honorable mention to the Stormin’ Mormon and Huff in a tie, because they were both very good, but neither is exactly locking anything down the way Markakis is, in my opinion.
Comeback Player: Aubrey Huff - pretty hard to disagree with that at all. Honorable mention goes out to Jim Johnson who came out of nowhere after some extremely mediocre spot starts to rock my world with the bases loaded and no outs against David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. But again with the injuries
Best Fresh Face: Adam Jones - dude’s made himself into a cornerstone for at least a decade in B’more. I’d give a bone to George Sherrill, but Flatbrim is too overrated in my book, plus I’m all about every day players over pitchers (if you can’t tell). Honorable mention to Luke Scott who hit better than Miggy Tejada but without the annoying thrown out stretching a single into a double, a play which I now call “The Tejada”.
“Lovely Parting Gifts”: George Sherrill - closers are almost always overrated, and I think we can get some good stuff for him and replace him easily and probably be better for it. But I appreciate what he did do this year, when he wasn’t hurt from overuse. Honorable mention to Brian Roberts because he just might not be back and he was fucking awesome.
What do I do now until Spring Training? I will quote the master, Rogers Hornsby: “I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
Without a doubt MVO belongs to Jim Johnson… his winning percentage added was above a bunch of other Orioles.
http://www.fangraphs.com/winss.aspx?team=Orioles&season=2008 (thanks Fangraphs)
His input lead directly to more wins than any other Oriole. Jeremy Guthrie and Aubrey Huff both led this category for a while.
Actually, my outside the box pick for most valuable Oriole is Matt Albers. If he hadn’t gotten hurt, who knows how much better things would have looked? As it was, we were doing pretty well until he went down and then things fell apart.
MVO: 1. Guthrie, 2. Huff, 3. Markakis
All of them close. Could pick any of the three.
Comeback: Mora
He was worse last year than Huff was.
Best newcomer: Jim Johnson (he is essentially a newcomer) followed closely by Jones.
Thanks for the memories: Ramon Hernandez (God, I hope he’s gone) followed by Sherrill. I still don’t think they’re going to trade Roberts. They’d be foolish not to trade Sherrill though for a the right package. I’d think the Mets would be all over him given their horrific bullpen.
And Neal, I can lend you Big Lebowski. Just lemme know.
I wanted to trade Sherrill while his value was peaked (right after the all star game) but at this point I am lusting over the potential of a bullpen with JJ, Flatbrim and Chris Ray.
*Keep Sherrill, Keep Roberts*
Most Valuable O - Guts (pitcher) Stick (positional)
Comeback - Huff
A parting gift for Ramon is that I won’t call him a lazy worthless bum and donkey punch him on his way out. I’ll just let him leave.
Best Newcomer: AndyMac
Thanks for that visual, Joe, of you donkey punching Ramon. Ugh.
Good point about Mora, sci. What a renaissance year for the guy I was praying they would trade - good for him, and he gets my comeback player award as well. But I love how a lot of people are saying we need a long term option at 1B when, really we need a long term option at 3B. I’ll take Tex but I mean, Aubrey did fine. Let’s figure out who’s playing the hot corner after ‘09 because that guy ain’t in our system.
@ Greg: Interesting point about Johnson. When’s the last time we saw a guy that clutch in our bullpen? Hope he gets healthy.
@ JtG: I think you’re right about Sherrill. With our starting rotation being as thin as it is, and with possibility of Johnson getting moved to the starting rote, someone has to be a leader in the bullpen. He’s a good arm, keep him. His trade value is kind of shot, anyway.
The guy I would actually like to give a parting gift to would be Millar. Ramon doesn’t really deserve a gift. Sadly, the only guy guaranteed to not be here is Jay Payton, so says Kubatko. Both Millar and Ramon could be back, although I doubt it.
I think we need a thread talking about best plays during the 2008 season. I’ve got a couple locked away in the ole memory bank that I was just thinking WOW ARE YOU KIDDING… MY ORIOLES DID THAT
I dunno. I kind of just want to put the season to bed and forget about it. I don’t want to talk up the good points as if it were a good year, and there’s little point in talking about the bad parts. Let’s just move on.
Hmm…that’s a tough call. My instinct is to agree with Andrew, that the Hot Stove season awaits and we’d be better off closing the book on 2008. But…I kinda dig the idea of remembering some of the things that made the season fun. I’m torn on that.
So what say you? If there’s a real desire for a fresh thread remembering the “best” of the season, I’ll put one up.
I’d like to see a thread where we can openly mock Neal’s playoff predictions.
I think we can do that here, can’t we?
My personal ‘08 highlight was when Manny caught the ball in LF, high-fived the fan, then doubled up Aubrey Huff and the piano on his back.
I only wound up going to five home games after Greg Bader blackballed me from the stadium, so the highlights are few and far between, unfortunately.
It takes a real man to be banned from a baseball stadium.
No, no…I wasn’t “banned”.
I was blackballed, which is sort of an informal effort to keep someone away.
When the team’s Director of Communications says to you, “I couldn’t care less if I ever see you here in the press box again this season”, that’s a hint.
I need to appreciate this Yankeeless Times of Glory like the post said,
But they are the story of the offseason.
I heard this morning that of pitchers with 25 Playoff IP or more, Sabathia has the worst ERA of all time. Or close.
Should this affect his pricetag?
Will NY land CC AND Manny?
So… you didn’t watch any of the games on TV then, Drew? Didn’t tune into Joe Angel? Didn’t check the highlights? You let Bader ruin the season for you, but you happened to catch the Manny Catch so that’s your 2008 Orioles highlight? That’s pretty pathetic, dude.
Nah, I guess the 2008 Orioles ruined the season for you, huh? Saw that one coming a mile away.
Can we get a charity mud-wrestling match b/t you and Bader? Maybe get Gibbons involved - he was willing to donate his salary to charity, so he can sponsor the event. Winner gets to donate a portion of Gibbons’ contract to the charity of his choice.
@Joe: New York has no need for Manny Ramirez except as some knee-jerk reaction to hating the Red Sox. Where would they put him, without displacing Matsui (DH), Nady (RH), Damon (LF), and/or Abreu (RF)? I think the Yankees should definitely stick Manny in center, but that’s just me.
@Drew: I feel like I’ve heard this story about you and Bader before somewhere, and I couldn’t have cared less about it then, either…where did I hear it before like 20 or 30 times? Hmm…
Seriously, Drew, you know I have a lot of respect for you and your colleagues at the radio station, but when you staged a vocal and public protest of the team, its ownership, and its management, and then went on to criticize them every single day of your waking life (except for the days when you don’t mention them at all), you have to expect some sort of retribution. It ain’t right, but hey, that’s life, I guess. Now stop whining.
@Neal: Any ETA on the new site?
Drew = Sarah Palin
@Andrew: right now I’m waiting on the new header still. Once that comes in it won’t be long. Maybe like two or three weeks at the most, but hopefully much less.
Neal… I was wondering if you planned to have any HWB/AFL or Capitals coverage?
Caps are 4-1 in preseason, CaneFires are 4-1, and the Rafters start playing on Tuesday. Wasn’t sure if those teams mattered to you.
Neal = asshole…or any other politician’s name you want to throw in there who isn’t nearly as MILF-able as Sarah P.
And God Bless the Caps…in fact, we’re going to have extensive Caps coverage at the start of the season. Bruce Boudreau or a member of the team will be on the show with me once a week through the first couple of months of the regular season. We’re also taking a bus to Chinatown for the November 6 home game against Carolina.
Unlike - *ahem* - one team in town that doesn’t allow their players and personnel on any station that doesn’t pay them, the Caps are happy to provide us with people on a weekly basis to try and rally some support in Baltimore.
Since I like the Caps, I’m pumped.
As for the ‘08 O’s season, the only really good thing out of it, honestly, was Adam Jones. Huff won’t be here in two years…Roberts - if there’s a God - will be gone in this off-season and the rest of the newcomers were alternately really good or not available for duty. After the pre-season-contract-ass-pumping he took from the O’s, Markakis gave them a high hard one of his own and when he skates out of town in three years, he’ll get the last laugh. Jones, though, is a rock star and as long as they don’t mistreat him, he’ll be the marquee player here for a long time. For my money, he was the best thing about ‘08.
Greg Bader’s unprofessional treatment of me ruined the PROFESSIONAL element of the season for me, no doubt. I only attended three games in the press box because of his bush-league behavior. But the sorry team and 12,000 warm bodies in the seats on most nights that didn’t have the Yankees or Red Sox in town ruined it from a fan standpoint.
Do the attendance math when you have a few minutes. Add up opening day and all the Yankees and Red Sox crowds. Then add up “the rest of the games”. Compare. It’s laughable.
But that’s MY fault, evidently. Or the station’s fault.
It’s not the Orioles’ fault, of course.
And even if it IS the Orioles’ fault, we’re not supposed to talk about it, address it and implore them to get better.
We’re just supposed to “let it happen…it takes time.”
So, the Decade of Despair II is underway…and as Ted Knight said in Caddyshack…”welllllll, we’re wait-ing…”
This is, again, a boring conversation. Drew, nobody blames you or your place of business for how the Orioles have played this year, nor do they blame you for the decent off-field moves they have made. You are, as are we, basically a non-entity when it comes to responsibility for the Orioles.*
And yeah, of course it was going to take a while to build up the depth and the talent base we obviously lack and need to be even mediocre compared to the rest of baseball. I mean, of course. So waiting is a big part of it - what else could/can they do? I know the answer is spend money, and I think we all assume money will be spent (because again…sigh…we don’t have any reason to think otherwise…sigh..let’s move on, please).
Now, the season’s over. Let’s stop whining about the Orioles and start talking about the Ravens and playoffs and Terps and Caps (if that’s your thing). God.
*I realize that by using the phrase “non-entity…for the Orioles” I’m just asking for your obvious rebuttal, but seriously. I’m not even going to read it if you go after them again…because you never come back with anything new or interesting.
Like we needed another reason to root for the Rays…totally forgot that Chad Bradford pitches for them now! Sweet Submariners!
@Greg: definite yes on the Capitals. I usually get to about 5 games a year and I’d really like to make sure they’re represented here more this season. If I slack off, don’t hesitate to remind me.
Planning on at least a little Bullets talk, as well, and Maryland Basketball too (even though they will make us suffer).
Wizards, anyone?
I really didn’t want them to give Gilbert that huge extension. He’s had like 12 knee surgeries and he doesn’t pass the ball. I don’t think he’s been a part of this team for the better part of 2 years now. I’d rather have an assist-first PG and a top-flight center than Arenas at this point. Sadly, we don’t have a pass-first PG, a top-flight center, or Arenas at this point. But we do have Etan Thomas coming back to steal minutes from Haywood and Blatche again. Yeesh… Keep your eye on young Nick Young, though. He’s a baller.
I’ll tell you what…I’m betting the Cubs could use that speedy leadoff hitter they sorely needed in the NLDS next year. Soriano made a fool of himself trying to get on base for the middle of that lineup. I would hope that the Orioles reinvestigate how much the Cubs would want Brian Roberts. He’d certainly make them a more complete team.