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07-08-2002, 09:56 AM
A fine article by Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. This was in the paper on June 26, so I'm a little late posting it, but there are no games for a few days, so....... time for some cool articles!!! :biggrin:
Boswell makes some terrific points. And he uses one of my favorite words..... flummoxed. :biggrin: I love the last paragraph. It makes me smile. :) It is exactly why I love this team.
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Young Orioles Are Learning To Do More With Less
By Thomas Boswell
Wednesday, June 26, 2002; Page D01
BALTIMORE
On paper, the Baltimore Orioles don't belong on the same grass as the New York Yankees. Just the same, they shouldn't, in theory, be able to play on even terms with the Mariners, Athletics, Giants, Dodgers and world champion Diamondbacks.
But, apparently, nobody has informed the Orioles of their plight. They seem never to have heard of Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Tim Hudson, Barry Bonds, Shawn Green or Curt Schilling. For the last five weeks, against one of the toughest schedules you could concoct, they have shown up expecting to win every day, no matter who the foe and no matter who they have to put on the field.
Since May 21, the Orioles have faced the best teams in both leagues and played them from coast-to-coast. All in all, they are 17-16, including a 4-3 win over the Yankees on Tuesday night. Against the six top teams mentioned above, they're 13-13. A stretch that many expected might break this team instead might have molded it.
On Sunday, after watching his Giants lose two out of three to the Orioles, San Francisco owner Peter Magowan came to the office of Manager Mike Hargrove. "He wanted to tell me how much he liked the way our team played the game," Hargrove said. "Nice gesture."
And deserved, too. Baseball seasons are excruciatingly long. The Orioles were 39-42 last year, then fell apart and lost 98. But, for now, you could hardly ask for more.
"We're not even halfway," Hargrove said of his 36-38 team. "But our young players are proving things to themselves when they play like this against the best teams. We're not doing it with mirrors. This a team of grinders who also enjoy the game."
"They're an energetic club," said Yankees Manager Joe Torre, who has seen the Orioles in four series this year and had his hands full (5-5). "And we've found out about their young pitching . . . good arms. You know, I don't manage this [Yankees] team. I get out of their way. But with a team like that, you really get to be creative because nothing comes easy."
That's an understatement. Sometimes, the disparity in fame and salary that the Orioles face is downright comical. New York's third and fourth hitters, Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams, have guaranteed contracts worth $207 million.
By contrast, the Orioles' two best hitters, David Segui and Jeff Conine, are both on the disabled list. Segui, the switch-hitting cleanup man, might be gone another six weeks. So, the heart of the order by default was Gary Matthews and Tony Batista. The former has been traded, waived, sold and traded by four teams since 2000. The latter came from the waiver wire for $25,000.
"It's like [former Oriole] John Lowenstein used to say, 'I'm not a star, but sometimes I sparkle a little bit,' " Hargrove said. "We've got a lot of players like that."
What else would you expect from a team whose two best starting pitchers are a pair of rookies who arrived as six-year minor league free agents, almost the lowest form of baseball pond scum.
Don't use that term to describe Rodrigo Lopez (6-3, 2.70 ERA) and Travis Driskill (5-0, 3.51). They're dreaming of rookie of the year honors -- with good reason. But then so is rookie Orioles closer Jorge Julio (16 saves, 2.80).
The competition? Right now, the Blue Jays' weak-fielding third baseman Eric Hinske (.276, 38 RBI) is the most plausible contender. Toss in the Yankees' designated hitter Nick Johnson (.242, 39 RBI). But if that's the standard, then Orioles' strong-armed rookie catcher, Geronimo Gil (eight homers, 29 RBI), might be comparable.
The surprise of the spring was Lopez, whose hard breaking ball and poise have only gotten more impressive. But the amazement of summer has been the 30-year-old Driskill, who bears a physical resemblance to Denny McLain, the dumpiest of 30-game winners.
"Driskill isn't doing it with mirrors," pitching coach Mark Wiley claims. "He knows how to pitch. He's been everywhere, including Japan. Nothing bothers him. He's picked up a splitter that makes major league hitters look bad. When you strike out Derek Jeter three times in one game, you have good stuff. All his off-speed pitches make his 90 mph fastball good enough."
Along with all their rookies (10 at one time or another this season), the Orioles have four key veterans who add leadership -- Conine, Batista (17 homers), shortstop Mike Bordick and reliever Buddy Groom (2.08 ERA in 33 games). They're all old-school types, worthy of the Ripken-family Oriole-Way tradition.
More than anything, the Orioles have established their resiliency this season. If the Orioles' front office wanted to be boring and bad this season, they've failed. If, as they claim, they were merely building in a peculiar fashion -- creating a decent hard-working team, then adding high-priced stars to the mix later -- then they're succeeding.
On Sidney Ponson's second pitch last night in Camden Yards, the Yankees' young star second baseman, Alphonso Soriano, hit a home run more than 30 rows into the left field stands. That gave the Yankees' leadoff man more home runs (18) than any Orioles player.
The next five Yankees hitters were all more famous and more likely to make next month's All-Star Game than any Oriole. Yet the Orioles came right back and scored two runs off Andy Pettitte before the New York southpaw could even get two outs.
Then in the seventh inning with the score tied at 3, Jerry Hairston drove home the winning run with a perfect suicide squeeze bunt. The Yankees were so flummoxed, nobody even covered first base. Sure, New York got a home run from Jeter, the future Hall of Famer, while all the Orioles' runs came home on singles or bunts and were set up by walks or hit-and-runs.
But the night's final scene encapsulated everything the Orioles rookies have been documenting to themselves for the last five weeks. Julio, the 22-year-old Baltimore closer, faced Soriano, Jeter and the $120-million Giambi, with a man on base. The result: three harmless worm-killing groundouts on three fastballs clocked at 97, 97 and 98 m.p.h.
The Yankees? Who are they? These starless Orioles are either too young or too stubborn to respect their betters. Instead, they just keep on twinkling.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company
Boswell makes some terrific points. And he uses one of my favorite words..... flummoxed. :biggrin: I love the last paragraph. It makes me smile. :) It is exactly why I love this team.
--------------------------------------------------------
Young Orioles Are Learning To Do More With Less
By Thomas Boswell
Wednesday, June 26, 2002; Page D01
BALTIMORE
On paper, the Baltimore Orioles don't belong on the same grass as the New York Yankees. Just the same, they shouldn't, in theory, be able to play on even terms with the Mariners, Athletics, Giants, Dodgers and world champion Diamondbacks.
But, apparently, nobody has informed the Orioles of their plight. They seem never to have heard of Derek Jeter, Ichiro Suzuki, Tim Hudson, Barry Bonds, Shawn Green or Curt Schilling. For the last five weeks, against one of the toughest schedules you could concoct, they have shown up expecting to win every day, no matter who the foe and no matter who they have to put on the field.
Since May 21, the Orioles have faced the best teams in both leagues and played them from coast-to-coast. All in all, they are 17-16, including a 4-3 win over the Yankees on Tuesday night. Against the six top teams mentioned above, they're 13-13. A stretch that many expected might break this team instead might have molded it.
On Sunday, after watching his Giants lose two out of three to the Orioles, San Francisco owner Peter Magowan came to the office of Manager Mike Hargrove. "He wanted to tell me how much he liked the way our team played the game," Hargrove said. "Nice gesture."
And deserved, too. Baseball seasons are excruciatingly long. The Orioles were 39-42 last year, then fell apart and lost 98. But, for now, you could hardly ask for more.
"We're not even halfway," Hargrove said of his 36-38 team. "But our young players are proving things to themselves when they play like this against the best teams. We're not doing it with mirrors. This a team of grinders who also enjoy the game."
"They're an energetic club," said Yankees Manager Joe Torre, who has seen the Orioles in four series this year and had his hands full (5-5). "And we've found out about their young pitching . . . good arms. You know, I don't manage this [Yankees] team. I get out of their way. But with a team like that, you really get to be creative because nothing comes easy."
That's an understatement. Sometimes, the disparity in fame and salary that the Orioles face is downright comical. New York's third and fourth hitters, Jason Giambi and Bernie Williams, have guaranteed contracts worth $207 million.
By contrast, the Orioles' two best hitters, David Segui and Jeff Conine, are both on the disabled list. Segui, the switch-hitting cleanup man, might be gone another six weeks. So, the heart of the order by default was Gary Matthews and Tony Batista. The former has been traded, waived, sold and traded by four teams since 2000. The latter came from the waiver wire for $25,000.
"It's like [former Oriole] John Lowenstein used to say, 'I'm not a star, but sometimes I sparkle a little bit,' " Hargrove said. "We've got a lot of players like that."
What else would you expect from a team whose two best starting pitchers are a pair of rookies who arrived as six-year minor league free agents, almost the lowest form of baseball pond scum.
Don't use that term to describe Rodrigo Lopez (6-3, 2.70 ERA) and Travis Driskill (5-0, 3.51). They're dreaming of rookie of the year honors -- with good reason. But then so is rookie Orioles closer Jorge Julio (16 saves, 2.80).
The competition? Right now, the Blue Jays' weak-fielding third baseman Eric Hinske (.276, 38 RBI) is the most plausible contender. Toss in the Yankees' designated hitter Nick Johnson (.242, 39 RBI). But if that's the standard, then Orioles' strong-armed rookie catcher, Geronimo Gil (eight homers, 29 RBI), might be comparable.
The surprise of the spring was Lopez, whose hard breaking ball and poise have only gotten more impressive. But the amazement of summer has been the 30-year-old Driskill, who bears a physical resemblance to Denny McLain, the dumpiest of 30-game winners.
"Driskill isn't doing it with mirrors," pitching coach Mark Wiley claims. "He knows how to pitch. He's been everywhere, including Japan. Nothing bothers him. He's picked up a splitter that makes major league hitters look bad. When you strike out Derek Jeter three times in one game, you have good stuff. All his off-speed pitches make his 90 mph fastball good enough."
Along with all their rookies (10 at one time or another this season), the Orioles have four key veterans who add leadership -- Conine, Batista (17 homers), shortstop Mike Bordick and reliever Buddy Groom (2.08 ERA in 33 games). They're all old-school types, worthy of the Ripken-family Oriole-Way tradition.
More than anything, the Orioles have established their resiliency this season. If the Orioles' front office wanted to be boring and bad this season, they've failed. If, as they claim, they were merely building in a peculiar fashion -- creating a decent hard-working team, then adding high-priced stars to the mix later -- then they're succeeding.
On Sidney Ponson's second pitch last night in Camden Yards, the Yankees' young star second baseman, Alphonso Soriano, hit a home run more than 30 rows into the left field stands. That gave the Yankees' leadoff man more home runs (18) than any Orioles player.
The next five Yankees hitters were all more famous and more likely to make next month's All-Star Game than any Oriole. Yet the Orioles came right back and scored two runs off Andy Pettitte before the New York southpaw could even get two outs.
Then in the seventh inning with the score tied at 3, Jerry Hairston drove home the winning run with a perfect suicide squeeze bunt. The Yankees were so flummoxed, nobody even covered first base. Sure, New York got a home run from Jeter, the future Hall of Famer, while all the Orioles' runs came home on singles or bunts and were set up by walks or hit-and-runs.
But the night's final scene encapsulated everything the Orioles rookies have been documenting to themselves for the last five weeks. Julio, the 22-year-old Baltimore closer, faced Soriano, Jeter and the $120-million Giambi, with a man on base. The result: three harmless worm-killing groundouts on three fastballs clocked at 97, 97 and 98 m.p.h.
The Yankees? Who are they? These starless Orioles are either too young or too stubborn to respect their betters. Instead, they just keep on twinkling.
© 2002 The Washington Post Company