And now, a word about the O's

The Orioles just completed a 4-1 week to start the season. Sunday's game ended in the bottom of the ninth, when Luis Hernandez--perhaps the worst starting player in the major leagues--blooped a single off Mariners' temporary closer Mark Lowe to complete a 3-run inning and complete the sweep against the Mariners. It's great that the O's are playing pretty well to start the season, despite minuscule crowds at Camden Yards, including it's all-time smallest crowd ever Tuesday night against Tampa Bay. The Sun and several other blogs are even signaling a return of "Orioles Magic".

But the funny thing--well, maybe not funny--is that there is NO Orioles Magic at Camden Yards. At least not over the public address system.

The O's DJ played the familiar refrain opening day as the O's took the field, as has been tradition for lo these many years. It's a song that is meant to inspire and cause reflection for the good days all at the same time. It was a way to link today's players to the heroes of the "the good ole days" of the championship years of the late sixties, early seventies and 1983.

But after the opening day loss the DJ stopped playing the song. Whether that decision was made by the warehouse, the players or the DJ is immaterial really. What does matter is that the players are happy that it's no longer played over the P.A. Instead, they are playing it in the locker after games as a "mocking, team-unifying guffaw" according to Sun columnist Dan Connolly.

Kevin Millar is credited with playing the song, which apparently was loaded on his i-Pod, and Aubrey Huff is quoted extensively on the subject in Mr. Connolly's column. You can read what they say for yourself.

Today's players have no idea what this song and this team mean to the city and community. It's a shame that something that is supposed to be inspirational and reminiscent at the same time is played as a "mocking, team-unifying guffaw". While some of the younger players seem to thing it's pretty cool, the "leaders" of this team are the ones that are playing it in a mocking manner.

I'm not bent out of shape that it's no longer played when the O's take the field, but it would be nice if the current O's knew a little bit about the history of the team they currently play for.

Maybe if they did, Huff wouldn't have spouted off on the radio over the off-season denigrating the city and talking about getting drunk and watching porn, Millar wouldn't have made himself look like a donkey's rear end on national television shilling for the Red Sox in the World Series, and this team could begin to salvage some respect and dignity with its success the first week of the season and the hard work Andy MacPhail has been doing to rebuild this sagging, moribund franchise.

But I guess to gain respect, you have to self-respect, and it seems like the veterans of this team--Millar and Huff--don't qualify in that regard.

If I Ran the Orioles

IMHO, the O's should trade Tejada for the best 2 almost ready prospects they can. a trade with LA for Kemp and Meloan would be IDEAL. then acquire a slugging first baseman (Adam Dunn, anyone), shortstop and legit back-up catcher. i'd let Huff/Millar effectively platoon at DH with the other providing depth on the bench. re-sign Patterson for center, and let Payton be the 4th OF, pinch-hitting and playing for Corey against lefties where he belongs.

contemplate this line-up:

2b Roberts
lf Kemp
rf Markakis
1b Dunn
dh Huff/Millar
3b Moore/Mora
c Hernandez
ss Juan Uribe
cf Patterson

bench: Millar, Mora, Payton, Luis Hernandez, Toby Hall

then for pitching, there's CRAP available for starters, so i'd concentrate on closer (Nathan? F. Cordero?) and back-end rotation help (Josh Fogg? Jon Leiber?)

SP Bedard
SP Guthrie
SP Loewen
SP Fogg
SP D. Cabrera
LRP Burress
LRP Walker
RHP Cherry
RRP Meloan
RRP Bradford
CL Nathan

they'd be getting younger (Kemp, Moore, Meloan) and more competitive (Dunn, Nathan) and the only real money would be on Dunn and Nathan, and you'd be off-setting part of that by dealing Tejada's $13M. Uribe, Fogg, Hall all would come at MLB average salaries.

Really? 30-3? That's not a typo?

So I'm sitting in the Irish Times last night celebrating the Bottomfeeders second consecutive softball championship, when I glanced up at the tv on the wall and the ticket said: TEX 30 BAL 3 Final. "That can't be right" I said to everyone and no one and went to my cell phone to see what the real score was. Needless to say, my phone said the same thing. Absolutely incredible.

I'll give D-Cab and Brian Burress (B-Burr?) a pass as they have shown previous bouts of adequacy, although Burress is tenuous at best and D-Cab maddening. But what more evidence do the geniuses in the warehouse need that Rob Bell and Paul Shuey don't belong in the bigs anymore? Bell was cut by Tampa, for crying out loud, and Shuey's era now stands at 9.49 in 24.2 innings.

They gave Dave Trembley the extension for next year, an obvious tryout for a good baseball soldier. Good for him and good them. But with 5 1/2 weeks to go, dump Bell and Shuey and bring up Liz and newly signed Fernando Cabrera and let them learn how to get major leaguers out.

What to Take Away from Joe Girardi's Comments Today

The Post scooped the Sun on Girardi's comments today.

Here are the telling quotes from that story:

"I think the people, number one," make it an attractive position, Girardi said. "Andy and Mike, it starts there. Number two, the city and the tradition. And the challenge. That's what competition is all about, right?"

Andy referring to the still-unnamed COO Andy McPhail, who was President with the Cubs as Girardi was finishing up his playing career, and Mike being Mike Flanagan, half of the current GM tandem for the Warehouse. I guess Jim Duquette was too busy calling up veteran relievers to replace the rookies that were obviously overmatched the other day.

"Andy was the one who approached me about this," Girardi said. "I know him pretty well. I have the utmost respect for Andy MacPhail."

Again, the same guy who still doesn't officially work for the team is contacting managerial prospects and interviewing them.

Girardi said he did not know a specific timeline for Baltimore's decision, but said, "The Orioles made it sound like it'd be sooner rather than later."

This would be the first time since Peter Angelos took over the team that they made a decision sooner rather than later, if it actually happens that way.

Anyway, the comments sound like he's interested. Nothing like kicking the tires on a 53 year old once-proud baseball franchise.