Everything will be fine

[papasmurfbell]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/tom_verducci/04/30/orioles.allstars/index.html?eref=sihp

 

O's woes know no end

In 12 previous seasons, all of them losing ones, the Baltimore Orioles have lost 1.7 million paying customers from their attendance, or 47 percent of the house. It may get worse. A 4-18 start, Baltimore's worst other than the 0-21 debacle of 1988, threatens to cut interest even further. The Orioles face a business model nightmare: irrelevant by the time school lets out and the peak drawing season begins.

 

Baltimore appeared to moving forward with young players such as Adam Jones, Nick Markakis, Matt Wieters and Brian Matusz. But, according to one rival executive, their model was flawed. "They took good young players and surrounded them with non-tenders, veteran guys who can't play," the executive said. "It's a brutal combination."

 

The Orioles' investments, meager though they may be, in players such as Garett Atkins, Mike Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada, Julio Lugo and Cesar Izturis have not advanced the club. Look at their roster: they have few valuable commodities any other team would want. And Wieters, Jones and Markakis (five home runs combined) have exhibited little power.

 

The Orioles are last in the AL in offense, have scored three runs or less in 15 of their 22 games, and squeaked out three of their four wins by one run -- leaving them thisclose to another 1-21 start.

 

The Orioles need to gain some momentum rather quickly, but the schedule is working against them. They still have 13 games left in a 22-game stretch against the Mariners, Yankees, Red Sox and Twins -- and they are 2-7 nine games into it. They have lost all seven series to start the season.

 

History also is working against them. The 2010 Orioles are only the 12th team since 1900 to start 4-18 or worse. Here are the only five clubs to do so in the past 40 years -- and how badly they ended up.

 

Teams With 4-18 Starts Since 1970

Team First 22 Games Final Record

1988 Orioles 1-21 54-107

1992 Royals 3-19 72-90

1997 Cubs 4-18 68-94

2003 Tigers 3-19 43-119

2010 Orioles 4-18 ?-?

[dc.]

While pick-ups like Atkins, Wigginton, Millar, etc have consistently bugged me... that doesn't mean that every vet we've grabbed is a bad move. Tejada and Izturis are worth their salt.

 

Additionally, I don't think you can contribute the power problems of Markakis, Jones and Wieters to the guys around them... Markakis especially is notorious for awful Aprils and Wieters is still approaching 162 games (full season mark).

 

This team is bad. They will remain bad. And thanks to this start they will probably struggle to win more than 70 games.

 

But I'm not sinking the investment in our young players because of the older players around them.

[millz58]

This team is bad. They will remain bad. And thanks to this start they will probably struggle to win more than 70 games.

 

But I'm not sinking the investment in our young players because of the older players around them.

Right on; maybe bringing in veterans (not to win, but to influence) is a strategy; I hadn't thought about that, but hey, Millwood, Tejada, could only do well with some youngsters I guess. And yes Markakis and Jones have done well enough in their short careers to "earn" a drop-off without criticism; stats "will out". If we've dealt with this team's disgrace for 12 years, we'll go a bit further; at least they're building and showing some growth in players if not in wins. they don't need momentum, they need consistency.