Miggles’ brief second go-round with the Orioles ended today as he’s off to a pennant race in San Diego, with 24-year old pitching prospect Wynn Pelzer (great name) coming to Baltimore in return. Thus ends the second chapter of an era.

I think that for the most part Tejada 2.0 was a success. He didn’t play like the guy we knew from his first stint here but he didn’t play all that badly, either. I’m happy to say that my criticism when he was reacquired — I was worried about his attitude — was dead wrong. If anything, attitude was his greatest asset.

For proof you need only to read his quotes about leaving. He speaks of how in his heart he’s “one of the Orioles” and how he would “love to never leave here.” He speaks of a willingness to return and how he wants to coach here when he retires. Maybe I’m a little sentimental but I love that kind of stuff.

The most interesting thing about the trade, though, doesn’t involve Tejada. Nor Pelzer. The story is Josh Bell, who will be re-activated Saturday to assume the 3B mantle. In the words of Andy MacPhail, “the primary motive is to see a little more of Josh Bell and try to make a determination of how close he is and whether he can help us next year.”

I see that as a good sign. If Bell is to be counted on as a part of this team’s future we need to know what he’s got and where he is. No better time to find out at the big-league level than during the waning months of a Lost Season.

Pelzer seems, from early reports, to be a decent but raw prospect who could help in the bullpen. Not exactly a blockbuster deal but the guy was ranked #7 in the Padres’ system so, well, there you go.

It seems that with this move and the hiring of Buck Showalter today is the day that 2011 officially began for the Orioles. Good thing, too. There’s a lot of work to do between now and February.

Maybe not but this makes too much sense not to believe. Depending on the terms I might have to take back a little of what I said in the last post. We’ll see. It’s a step in the right direction for sure.

Along those same lines, we can’t hold them accountable for not being something they simply aren’t. In that sense, we have a problem. His name is Peter Angelos. But don’t jump to conclusions — we might not be on the same page.

Angelos is a convenient villain. He’s been the guy at the top for going on 14 straight losing seasons, and during that time has authored some boneheaded moves. I get that. I also, however, genuinely believe it’s wrong (or at least misguided) to say any of the following:

– He’s evil.
– He doesn’t want to win.
– He isn’t willing to spend money to win.
– He cares only about the bottom line and nothing else.

All of these claims have been made ad nauseam and all are born not of facts but of frustration. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem.

That problem is that Angelos is a lawyer, and he’s 81 years old.

I’d be willing to bet you’ve met a lawyer or two in your life, and I’d be willing to bet you’ve known someone from Angelos’ age bracket. I don’t want to paint either group with broad strokes but it’s safe to say that, in general, these are people not known for innovation. Not known for alacrity and not known for graceful, seamless adaptation to new realities. They tend to stick with what they know. Even, alas, when it no longer works.

Organizations are defined by their culture and it’s fair to say that whatever culture they have is a product of the direction and pace set by the person who ultimately calls the shots. Apple is Apple because Steve Jobs sets it in motion. The Dallas Mavericks are a different team now than they were before Mark Cuban took over. Someone always sets the tone, even if he or she is not always directly involved in executing it.

Right now the culture of the Orioles is deliberate (you could say slow), careful, and extremely conservative. It’s not just because that’s how MacPhail operates, it’s that Angelos hired MacPhail becuase MacPhail is like Angelos. I believe they both genuinely want to win and are working towards that goal in the way they believe to be correct. But there’s the rub — the way they believe to be correct. It might not be correct.

Indeed, I don’t think it is. I believe that fortune favors the bold and that they could and should be doing things quite differently. I believe they should embrace both risk and the mistakes that inevitably come with it. They should consider “caution” a dirty word. They should go all-in on a new approach in recognition of the fact that the old approach isn’t working.

That’s me. Maybe it’s also you. But so what? That’s not the Orioles. As frustrating as it is we can’t expect an 81-year old lawyer to wake up one day and suddenly embrace a way of doing business that is anathema to everything he knows. It’s just not realistic.

There will come a day, eventually, when Peter Angelos no longer owns the Orioles. Someone will replace him and he or she will have a new approach. Until then, any analysis that breaches the borders of reality is tinged with wishful thinking. Which is OK, of course, and good and fun. Let’s just make sure we know what we’re doing.

The good news is that there remains a path to victory somewhere within this mess. Failure is not inevitable even when the challenges are deeply entrenched and seem unworkable. There’s always a way, and it’s not wholly unrealistic to believe that Andy and Peter and (hopefully) Buck will find it.

At times like this many fans resort to questioning the team’s desire (or “heart”) and effort. I don’t. These guys aren’t content. But I do question the results, and to some extent the approach. Both of which have been broken all season and are in dire, desperate need of repair.

Ever since Andy MacPhail took over we’ve bought into what has come to be known as The Plan. The key components of which are as follows:

– Build up the farm system through drafting and shrewd trades.
– “Grow the arms, buy the bats.”
– Improve overall organizational strength through things like scouting and facilities.

We’re now just into the fourth year of MacPhail’s tenure. And, as of today, things on the field look worse than they did when he arrived. The managerial situation is in flux. Not a single young player is currently performing up to expectations. All of last year’s key offseason acquisitions have either underperformed or busted entirely.

I’ve written before that the upcoming offseason is crucial. Long-term, overall health of the franchise, “we might be at a tipping point” crucial. Usually when I’ve said that the thought in my mind has been “Andy really needs to get Phase Two going in a big way.” More and more, though, I’m wondering if “Phase Two” even matters. More specifically: is The Plan broken?

Note that I didn’t use the word “flawed.” The Plan is not flawed. It’s highly sensible and, by design, ought to work. But at the moment it’s not working.

Certainly MacPhail shoulders the blame for two problems: last year’s bad offseason and the managerial situation. What’s less clear is how culpable he is for the underperformance of prospects.

I don’t think he has overvalued them per se. Pretty much every baseball writer I’ve read has rated these guys highly — this isn’t a Matt Riley or Sean Douglass scenario. But if the problem is development then, yeah, Andy gets some blame. So what now?

My gut tells me that we have to see this through. We have to give him one more offseason to make the right moves and we have to give the young players an allowance for the fact that it takes time to adjust to the major leagues. We shouldn’t be impatient, as hard as that may be.

Then again, maybe MacPhail was the right guy to start this process but not the right guy to finish it. Maybe we need someone more forward-thinking, more innovative, to take the partially-rebuilt groundwork and turn it into something great.

I really don’t know. Disruptive change hardly seems palatable but I shudder at the thought of another “stay the course” offseason and a best-case scenario of 78 wins in 2011.

Someone needs to find a hat, and that hat needs to hold a rabbit.

The Ravens and the NFL are, as you know, not my first priority. Not just here at The Loss Column but in general. If it weren’t for the chance to gather with my friends and have some drinks and food every Sunday I doubt I’d really get all that amped for football. I might, but I doubt it.

But no matter. I’m resolved to provide better Ravens/NFL coverage this year. Just as I did with baseball season, I’m largely going to abandon the nuts-and-bolts stuff in favor of the column-style/opinion pieces. If there’s any interest at all I’ll also do the Sunday open threads. Up to you.

Before all that, though, training camp. I’ve got at least two posts already planned: one about Ed Reed and one about the high expectations the Ravens will be carrying into the upcoming season.

Weird as it seems right now, fall is just ahead. Wow.