Darn O's

I am a baseball nut and I arrived in this area in 1966 and watched the Orioles take four straight from the Dodgers to win the their first World Series.  Later, I even rooted for them to defeat my beloved Phillies in another World Series.  I am from Philadelphia and grew up with the 1950 Whiz Kids.  With all that said, this summer has been brutal.  I think I could have withstood the "know nothingness" in Washington, worked through the overbearing heat of the summer without complaint, and ignored those folks who signed  the bigoted McDonough/Parrott petition--if only the Orioles had been competitive, if only they had played up to the promise they exhibited in spring training and the first five games of the April.  They didn't, and, for me, this is a lost summer.

Maybe the Birds should take a new tact. First they should unload a four million dollar second baseman who clubs himself on the head with a bat and then stop drafting pitchers until after they have had Tommy John surgery. Next, they need to give the forty-man roster a tour of Camden Yards. These players need to view the nursery for their children, learn to appreciate their neat parking lot with attendants, understand the cost of the scoreboard, realize the ball yard was constructed with public funds so they could play. They need to see where the fans buy six dollar beers and four dollar hot dogs. They need to experience overpriced concessions and ridiculous "memorabilia" made in China. Oh, and the foul poles came from Memorial Stadium and that was the Orioles were real winners.

Also, Buck Showalter needs to assign some readings. All the pitchers should read Jane Leavy's biography of Dodger Sandy Koufax so they can understand pain.  Koufax slathered his elbow with analgesic balm, iced the elbow between innings, and spent hours in the whirlpool after he pitched. He pitched through pain and retired at the peak of his career and never heard of an oblique muscle.  All the players should read George Vecsey's biography of Cardinal Hall of Famer Stan Musial so they learn how to behave. George is still looking for someone to say something bad about Musial. Stan was so good the he was named to the Dodgers Hall of Fame. Good reading would also involve a look at Dodger Pete Reiser's life and that of Senators Cecil Travis. Reiser won a batting championship as a rookie and Leo Durocher said he was better thanthe Giants' Willie Mays, but Reiser wrecked his career by running into walls that were not padded.  Travis batted over .300 for most of his career and led the AL with 218 hits and batted .359 in 1941 (the DiMaggio 56 and the Williams .406 year)  Travis was inducted into the army, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, got frost bitten feet and never got his timing back.  Note that I haven't mentioned the Robinsons and Palmer, Murray and Belanger, et. al.  The former Orioles should be in their memory.

Finally, Buck should give them a two question written test. Question One: Why should you be paid all this money to finish last? Question Two: How the hell did Cal do that?