Guest Post by Matt Sroka of Section336.com.
The Baltimore Orioles are not a powerhouse team, they do not win the way most other teams win, and this is okay. We just need to stop insisting that the Orioles be like other teams. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard fans say that the Orioles need to sign a big name/bat for the middle of their lineup.
The Orioles do not need a big bat for the middle of their lineup because they already have one. Yeah, I know it would have been nice to have gone out in Free Agency last offseason and sign Josh Hamilton with his .204 batting average and 2 homeruns or BJ Upton with his .143 batting average and 3 homeruns. Unfortunately though, we are stuck with Chris Davis’ .348 batting average and 9 homeruns hitting in the middle of our lineup.
Okay, fine so maybe the Orioles didn’t need to go out and sign a big bat but surely they should have signed a big arm, right? No. The Orioles do not need an ace. I understand that every “powerhouse” team in baseball has an ace (Angels-Weaver, Tigers- Verlander, Yankees- Sabathia, Rays- Price). However, aces don’t guarantee a spot in the World Series, aces don’t even guarantee a spot in the playoffs (just ask Weaver and the Angels!). The object of baseball is to win.
Need I remind O’s fans what happened just last year, if there was ever a time when an ace is most necessary wouldn’t it be in a one game win or go home playoff scenario? I would rather take a mediocre Joe Saunders and a win over the ace Yu Darvish and a lost.
Okay, fine so the Orioles can win without an ace, but to make up for being aceless surely you need five consistent starters, right? No (and don’t call me Shirley). The Orioles do not need five consistent starters.
In fact this year, as well as last year, having a revolving door in their rotation has been an advantage. Since the Orioles lack an ace and pitchers to go deep into games, the Orioles are constantly in need of bullpen help. This revolving door in the starting rotation allows Showalter and Duquette to bring up fresh arms when needed to help in the bullpen. The Orioles have a plethora of options at starter and as long as they keep on winning I don’t care if we get a new fifth starter every fifth day.
Again, the goal of baseball is to win games. The goal of baseball is not to have an overpriced big hitter to sell tickets and then get booed when he starts struggling. The goal of baseball is certainly not to acquire an overpriced pitcher who plays in only two games before he breaks his collarbone. The goal of baseball is to do whatever it takes to win.
Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles have figured out the formula for winning baseball and even if they don’t do it like anyone else (and even if it involves a little bit of Oriole Magic), they are finding ways to put games “in the win column”.
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Amen, brother Matt, Amen.
Ask the Angels, the Dodgers, the Blue Jays how their seasons are working out.
Chemistry is what wins.
No team wins a Super Bowl or a pennant in the offseason. I was initially disappointed when the Orioles didn’t go after a big bat, but they basically keep the core of team together that won 93 ball games last year. Having Manny for a full season, hopefully having Nick for a full season, and McLouth for a full season all seem to be additions to the team that should help them to continue their winning ways. Signing players to big contracts fails more often than it succeeds, and as Buck says “I like our guys”.
I’m back 2 shoot another dellusional fan down. Lets break down what Matt says n counter it.
Comment – Buck Showalter and the Baltimore Orioles have figured out the formula for winning baseball.
Rebuttal – Really? One winning season out 14 years for the Orioles and 1 winning season out of 3 4 Buck? This is a formula for winning?
Comment – Aces don’t even guarantee a spot in the playoffs (just ask Weaver and the Angels!)
Rebuttal – Lets just do last year and ask the Yankees and Sabathia, the Nationals and Gio Gonzalez, the Cardinals and Adam Wainwright, the Reds and Johnny Cueto, the Giants and Matt Cain. You pick out 1 team that spent money and use them 4 an example while I blow your theory out of the water.
Comment – The goal of baseball is certainly not to acquire an overpriced pitcher who plays in only two games before he breaks his collarbone.
Rebuttal – Your correct, 4 the Orioles the goal is 2 sign injured or old or stick a fork in them type players like Jurrjens, Kevin Millwod, Matt Lindstrom, Jeremy Guthrie who was their ACE 4 3 years even though he was way below .500 in wins 4 his career, Jim Hoey, n more. Do I need 2 go further with all the garbage the Orioles have had? The Orioles have a spinning like a top door 4 pitchers because they are cheap n will not spend decent dollars 4 a good pitcher. Don’t have 2 b an “A” type pitcher either.
Every Oriole fan tries 2 make excuses 4 this team. They had 1 winning season in 14 years n your talking like the Orioles know what they r doing. They lucked out last year. Glad your yippy over 1 winning season.
Come up here n see how real baseball is played, the Yankee way. We spanked your Orioles last year in the playoffs. Remember? Our ACE, Sabathia was on the mound 4 the 1st game. And your Orioles r looking up 2 us again this year. And that’s with the heart of our lineup on the DL.
LMMFAO!
If you spent as much time trying to bring down the O’s as you do at NAMBLA, you would see what we have here. You have misconstrued what is written dingleberry. we ae talking since Buck has arrived and what the O’s have done. Go back to sleepp and continue to tune into Rush Limbaugh, jackass. Stop down at Uncle Lees and say hi the Chow.
Really are you estatic about beating up the Astros and Blue Jays? What did a good team like the As do to your Stankees? The Yanks get the softest schedule and you are bragging about being ahead of the Os? Watch as the season unfolds then brag about your overpaid under performing team.
So “O’s Suck” the big Yankee fan comes on a Baltimore web site to comment. He’s not worried about the Orioles, yet his supposed biggest rival is the Red Sox, but he’s not known as “Red Sox Suck”. Why is he so concerned that he comes on a Baltimore website, knows so much about the Orioles, and calls himself “O’s Suck”?
Troll.
Wow, lots of bad information dolled out in some of these comments. Here are the facts…and you can look them up:
Facts:
Gonzalez – acquired via trade. Earns 3.25 million, so he is neither high paid, nor a free agent.
Johnny Cueto drafted by the Reds in the 2004 amateur draft. Also NOT a free agent.
Adam Wainright. Acquired in a multi player trade with the Braves. NOT a free agent.
Matt Cain, drafted by the Giants in the 2005 draft. Also NOT a free agent.
Yankees payroll in 2012: $197 million, record 95-67 or $2.073 million per win.
Orioles 2012 payroll: $81 million, record 93-69 or $870 k per win.
Yankees 2012 playoff record: 3-6 (3-2 versus O’s; 0-4 versus Tigers)
Orioles 2012 playoff record: 3-3 (1-0 versus Texas; 2-3 versus NY)
Buck Showalter is currently in his second full season in Baltimore.
He did take over in August of 2011 and was 34-23.
In 2012 he was 93-69
Thus far in 2013 he is 17-12
Total: 144 – 104
I think that’s a winning record in each of Buck’s years.
Well it looks like Bert and MGW beat me to pointing out all the flaws of “O’s Sucks” comment… And I couldn’t have said it better myself. Haters will continually bring up our consecutive losing seasons, but true fans know that since Showalter this has been a completely different organization. And from where I’m sitting it looks like the O’s and Yanks are headed in opposite directions and when all the dust settles I’d rather be on the Oriole side of things.
Other facts: Johnny Cueto and the Reds lost in the same round of the playoffs the Orioles did. Divisional Round.
CC Sabathia and the Yankees went one round further than the Os, but did not win a single game.
Adam Wainright and the Cards won 88 games last year, 8 less than the Ace-less Orioles. The two teams might have shared a beer together while watching the world series.
Gio Gonzalez and the Nats had to be one of history’s biggest playoff disappointments getting bumped at home in their first round of the playoffs.
Matt Cain, the homegrown product, was a stellar 2-2 in the postseason.
NAMBLA? U lost me there 1Inchman. All u Baltimorons who wrote have no clue what I was talking about in my previous post. 2 answer 1 of u Baltimorons, I am on here just like I am on the Boston BeanBlowers blogs but its better on here because u Baltimorons r dumber than a box of bricks. The BeanBlowers give my Yankees some competition at least n their fans have some winning seasons n World Series victories in the last 15 years 2 talk back without sounding stupid like u Baltimorons. I c that a bunch of BM’s (Baltimorons, I like those initials for u all as it stands for Baltimorons n Bowel Movement) had 2 gang up on me so a bunch of my Yankee breathren will b on here so that we can all make u BM’s look like dummies.
We may not have the highest paid players in baseball and we may not be the noted Yankees but we have a decent ballclub that is getting better and is more fun to watch than your overpaid , over the hill gang,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,I criticize the O’s more than most but they are our team and it is exciting to watch the young players develope , oh that’s right , you wouldn’t know anything about that by looking at your roster,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Go get your pin striped pajamas on and go to bed and dream about how good your team used to be , you may never see it again………………
Glad the Orioles are relevant enough for you to waste time making irrational rants about them. Also, before you call someone a dummy, make sure your rants are actually readable and have proper grammar and spelling.
spy – It’s like your family (not literally, figuratively) You can dog them all you want, but somebody else dogs them and we ready to fight.
Glad to be in the trenches with spy.
Correct , but I do place negative comments on this site from time to time , you must be getting used to them………………thanks…………..
Yea, I’m used to that.
As long as when the $hit hits the fan and I know you got our back we’ll deal with the contriarian view points. I know it’s your MO and I’m OK with that.