The Loss Column — Baltimore Sports Blog and Community

It’s true, I’ve been a poor blogger, due to an insanely busy last few months, what with graduation and starting a real job. But that doesn’t mean the Sam supporters haven’t been on my mind since the Mother’s Day Massacre. You might think I was sitting back with smug satisfaction over yet another example of my perpetual correctness. But this is false.

While I do enjoy always being right, I would have equally enjoyed being wrong if it meant that the Orioles had a winning record right now with Perlozzo doing a good job at the helm. Because, really, I am like you, eternally optimistic. That’s the only way to be, if one wants to remain a fan of the Birds.

I won’t rehash all of Perlozzo’s miscues and poor decisions. And I will only say this about his recent comments: The fact that Sam Perlozzo continues to stand by every move he made shows that the Orioles made a great choice in letting him go, even if they did take a long time to do it. Perlozzo’s inclination to view his mistakes as right decisions that simply backfired demonstrates a low capacity for comprehending the game and its strategies.

In an odd way, last week reminded me of 2005. I was out of the country during most of the Orioles’ stay at the top of the AL East and came home to watch them crash and burn. They dropped to fourth in a matter of weeks and then one bad thing happened after another in rapid succession. Players got hurt, Lee Mazzilli got fired, Sammy Sosa acted like a 5-year-old, Rafael Palmeiro was outed and Miguel Tejada was dragged into the chaos.

I remember wondering how much more Baltimore and the Orioles could take. I remember thinking after each event that it couldn’t get any worse. Then I was reminded of that last week as the Orioles hired what is essentially their third general manager, fired Perlozzo, let Miggy “bunt” through an injury and then had to place him on the disabled list. Somewhere along the lines Joe Girardi rejected Baltimore’s welcoming arms and Dusty Baker said “no” before anyone even asked. And when Kevin Millar started taking out his anger on John Kruk and even the diminutive Brian Roberts seemed upset I thought it had gotten pretty bad.

But despite all the drama, I don’t feel the impending sense of doom I felt in 2005. Instead, I’m excited about Andy MacPhail – I just hope Jim Duquette continues to stick around. I was concerned when Girardi opted to wait around for the Yankees, but after seeing what Dave Trembley can do, I might just be content to not complain if the Orioles remove his interim tag.

In short, I’m looking forward to not being utterly miserable for the rest of the season. And I’ll save an “I told you so” entry on Jay Gibbons for another time.

On another note, if you liked Neal’s recent cover story, or even if you hated it, make sure you keep an eye out for PressBox. It always has a healthy dose of Orioles and Ravens and all kinds of other good stuff, much of it from the pens of Baltimore’s talk show hosts and other media members that you all know and love. And given your wonderful comments, you should check out our website as well, which has message boards to provide you with yet another outlet for venting about the O’s or dreaming about the Ravens.

Maybe someone with Don Imus’ haircut shouldn’t be calling other people nappy-headed hos.

By now everyone knows how shock jock Don Imus called the Rutgers women’s basketball team nappy-headed hos. And by now, yes, he has gotten what’s coming to him and I couldn’t be happier.

This is all magnified with the height of this debate coming at the same time as the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson’s break into baseball. Everyone is talking about how far we’ve come in obliterating racism but look how far we haven’t. Look how much work this country still has to do in not just canceling out racism, but in forgetting other differences as well.

It’s no secret that women’s sports are not nearly as popular as men’s sports, but women’s basketball has made huge strides in leveling the playing field. That’s when a jerk like Imus comes in.

The racist and sexist phrase he used came on the heels of a debate over whether Rutgers had a better-looking team than Tennessee. God forbid we celebrate the achievements of female athletes too soon – Imus reminded us of what we really should be paying attention to. Forget scores and records. How about the ass on that blonde chick? Imus’ unwillingness to recognize the talent of these women is representative of many sports fans throughout America, and his gender bias is as repulsive and outdated as his racial connotations.

I’m not saying every sports fan has to like women’s sports. But just because golf bores me doesn’t mean I can’t recognize that Tiger Woods is an incredible athlete. And just because women’s basketball may seem “unpalatable” to some people for whatever reason, doesn’t mean they should discount the athleticism of the Rutgers’ women’s team and diminish them to nothing but nappy-headed hos.

Hey, maybe I can use this reliever for more than one inning.

Corey Patterson is on third with two outs and Melvin Mora is a decent bunter. Suicide squeeze?

J.R. House can’t be worse than Alberto Castillo.

I put Baez, Bradford and Walker in last night, maybe I’ll go with some different guys tonight.

Jay Gibbons is at best a one-dimensional player who should just be happy I’m letting him DH.

Patterson’s speed doesn’t do me much good when he hits between Kevin Millar and Paul Bako.

Adam Loewen’s young, I bet he could go more than five innings.

Maybe I should encourage my leadoff guy to take a few more pitches.

Do I use the phrase “battled back” too much?

If I’m going to put Freddie Bynum in to pinch run, it might be a good idea to send him.

Much-loved and all-too-infrequent Loss Column contributor Staci has a piece in this week’s edition of PressBox. Not only a piece, but the piece — the cover story.

It’s a 2007 baseball season preview, and it’s good stuff — click here to read it!

She can, I suppose, be forgiven for her lack of contributions here in light of clearly having been busy on something more important. But the rising tide lifts all boats, no?

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.

With all the talk of the Super Bowl and hot stove stuff and whether or not Peter Angelos should just crawl into a corner and die, I thought it might be time to point out that pitchers and catchers report to spring training in just a couple weeks. Also that despite all the front office action this offseason, the Orioles enter 2007 with a severe handicap that everyone seems to overlook.

This handicap goes by the name of Sam Perlozzo. Even in the offseason, we see his stunning incompetence and overwhelming inadequacy present in the Orioles’ operations. I’m referring mostly to the Aubrey Huff/Jay Payton/Jay Gibbons/Kevin Millar dilemma. Most of the positions each have a set starter, but not left field, designated hitter, or first base.

First base has been almost as big a hole for the Orioles as the bullpen, and it seemed like they found a solution in Aubrey Huff. At least it seemed that way to Captain Obvious and everyone else. But apparently not to Perlozzo. Perhaps this isn’t entirely his decision right now, but ultimately it will be and if Huff starts most games in left field, why did they sign Jay Payton?

With Huff out in left, who starts at first base? Despite the prevailing opinion that first base is where you hide your worst defensive player, the Orioles were unable to find a solid first baseman last year. So that leaves Millar, who did a decent job last season but whose offense leaves much to be desired. Most teams probably wouldn’t make him an everyday starter.

And so we’re left with Gibbons at DH. This is exactly as it should be, but IT’S NOT. The Orioles inked him to a deal he didn’t deserve and so he will probably see time in the outfield and maybe (shudder) at first base. He is potentially the worst defensive player in the game. Seriously…who cuts off a throw to himself?

The Orioles keep him for his “bat,” but in his best year for home runs (28 in 2002), he managed to hit only .247. He’s a career .263 hitter, and while maybe it’s because he’s hurt all the time, that’s still not an excuse. What good is an injury-riddled DH? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop? The world may never know. How many at-bats will it take for Gibbons to get a hit? The world may also never know.

So I propose Perlozzo does the obvious thing and keeps Huff at first, Payton in left, and a platoon of Gibbons and Millar at DH. Of course, he won’t, but even if he does, the Orioles will probably be able to contribute a hefty number of their losses to the bumblings of Sam Perlozzo. Maybe he will mismanage the bullpen, maybe he will run his catcher into the dirt, who knows?

One thing is certain though; if the Orioles expect to have a winning season in 2007, they will have to give 150 percent in order to overcome the disadvantage they have at skipper.

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Joyous Kwanzaa, and all of that. Thanks for making us part of your rotation.

Back on Tuesday (probably) with more…

From the Examiner…Lack of Interest Doomed Bayhawks

Last year was a bad year for Baltimore sports. Maryland was beaten by Manhattan in the NIT, the Ravens looked mildly Oriole-like, and the Orioles made it possible to invent the term “Oriole-like.”

However, in 2005, Baltimore’s professional lacrosse team, the Bayhawks, won the Major League Lacrosse title, their second in their five-year existence. Despite that, the Bayhawks became a Washington team last week, leaving Maryland with no professional lacrosse team.

What’s up with that? Lacrosse has been so prominent in Baltimore that growing up I thought the rest of the country loved lacrosse as much as Maryland did. All the popular kids played it and I scoffed at them when they took their shiny athletic scholarships to various colleges throughout the country.

It’s so deeply embedded in Maryland’s culture that it was recently named our state sport. Instead of jousting. Huh.

Lacrosse is one sport that Maryland consistently has going for it. Youth programs are rampant, high school lacrosse is extremely competitive, and Johns Hopkins sets the standard for the college game. Under Armour, the sports gear company that avidly supports lacrosse, is rooted in Maryland. Inside Lacrosse, the only major lacrosse publication, has its home in Maryland. And almost every player in the MLL or the National Lacrosse League has ties to Maryland, whether he grew up, played college lacrosse, or played professional lacrosse in the state.

The Bayhawks were one of the original six MLL teams, and the Baltimore Thunder was one of the original teams to make up the NLL in 1987. That team was shipped to Pittsburgh, then D.C., and now they are the Colorado Mammoth.

Is there a reason they are having more success in Colorado than they did in Baltimore? Despite Maryland’s dominance of the sport, average attendance reportedly dropped and that’s why the Bayhawks made the move. Perhaps it also had something to do with the fact that their home field is Johnny Unitas Stadium, which isn’t bad, but do people take a team that plays on a college campus seriously? Especially a campus with mediocre sports?

Lacrosse is continually expanding past its northeastern roots, and more and more kids are growing up playing it. But if it can’t survive at the professional level in its home state, what does that mean for its future?