HHP: Can this organization even pretend it wants to win?

[MTOsFan]

If you go by the poll in the thread "If we're finished.." then you're wrong.

75% gave the FO a C or worse.

[atomic]

If you go by the poll in the thread "If we're finished.." then you're wrong.

Do you listen to local sports radio. Everyone blasts the Orioles about their offseason. Everyone I meet who wants to talk about the Orioles is super negative about this offseason. This is the least optomistic I have ever seen from the fanbase.

[Fan4Life]

Do you listen to local sports radio. Everyone blasts the Orioles about their offseason. Everyone I meet who wants to talk about the Orioles is super negative about this offseason. This is the least optomistic I have ever seen from the fanbase.

Did you read my post. I didn't say anything about radio.

[Singleton]

People are acting like we just traded 5 years of Felix Hernandez for one year of Kevin Gregg and Denny Baez. If this deal, which is a minor loss at best, is the straw that broke the camels back, I don't know what to tell you. Up until yesterday most people thought we were having a decent offseason. I fail to believe this deal suddenly makes it the worst offseason of all time.

The reason this deal is a big deal to me is because our only chance to be a good team is if we have a very good GM who finds creative ways to acquire talent. I've been critical of nearly every player move his made (outside of the international signings) but had a glimmer of hope that they were so minor they didn't matter.

It's not this trade -- its what it suggests about his priorities.

[Fan4Life]

75% gave the FO a C or worse.

If you want to include a grade of "C" to support your perception that most fans thought the offseason was awful before today.. I'd agree. I don't however think C is typically representative of anything below average, much less horrible.

[srock]

It's a little early in the season to put the bag on the head. This isn't a Peyton-less Colts.

It isn't good and the Orioles aren't going to win enough games to be relevant, but its February. I'm ready to watch baseball. I do expect this team to at least play decent baseball and there enough good players to keep me watching.

Spring enthusiasm! Hope springs eternal and all that crap.

[atomic]

Did you read my post. I didn't say anything about radio.

You said most people. Most people do not think positively of the Orioles this offseason. Post the poll on the sun boards and get back to me.

[weams]

I'm at a loss for words. For 15 years they've done everything exactly the wrong way with nary an apology, but rather a continued stream of metaphorical middle fingers to every Orioles fan out there. Sure, there was 2004 when they made a valiant attempt at putting a winner together, but when it didn't work right away, they cleaned house and haven't come close to trying again since then.

Sure you can say a bunch of new faces in the front office should improve, but we've said that about new faces in the front office that quickly got old before. Now you're trading good players for filler, and not exactly denying that you might be interested in a twice-busted PED user already a 7pm shadow of what he once was. After all, it'd be better to get him than to try to hold on to an All-Star CF you can build around, but apparently choose not to. Another Pittsburgh Pirates-like trade is certain to come with him, because now we're focusing on a bunch of bush leaguers who may, MAY, even make the big leagues. But that's our only hope, apparently. Good luck, Adam Jones, where ever you end up this year or next. And I'm sure the Yankees are already eying up Matt Wieters. After all, he surely will be next after Jones, right?

In the meantime, other additions to the club have all been minor cosmetic enhancements that don't really do anything to address any long-term needs, save for the slight chance that one of the players has a Melvin Mora-like epiphany and surprises everyone, even the front office who acquired them.

And while all that goes on, a frustrated, disenchanted, and ever-increasingly apathetic fan base loses more and more interest. I'm 99% certain this organization, at least at the top, has zero interest in winning. They simply don't care. They have their MASN money coming in, they have a few thousand fans going to the park every night, and more when the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies are in town. They are content and simply do not care. Arrogantly, apathetic, even. Heck, I'm wondering if they intentionally don't want to win, but just play us for suckers.

The rest of the front office has demonstrated little competency and ability to actually achieve the kind of success fans have a hard time even dreaming of being able to strive for anymore. Dan Duquette, saying this team will win more games than it loses, is out of his damn mind. Either he's flat out patronizing us, or he has no clue. Both are insulting. He was put in a no-win situation, hasn't seemingly done much to make it a winning situation, and will not get even a single, tiny bit of help from the top of the organization to change that.

Spring training hasn't even started yet, and many of you are already looking ahead to July when NFL training camps begin. A little closer to me is a team that was traveling at a racer's pace down the same path, but has since turned it around. They've invested in players at all levels and are putting forth an honest effort to win. And you know what? There's buzz. And many of my friends ask when I'm jumping on the bandwagon. I won't go that far, and I'll always love the O's, but I'm damn certain I'll be going to more games in Southeast DC than I do at the Inner Harbor. It'll be fascinating to watch an organization that cares.

In a Valentines Day like parlance, the Orioles are the girl who you want to fall in love with and think can be really great for you. But she won't bother putting in any effort and in fact ignores you. The Nationals are the new girl trying to catch your attention, and you hold her at arms length because you're still focused on the girl you love. After a while, a decision will have to be made though. Do you continue to pine for the girl you love, and who seemingly will never love you back? Or do you wake up one day and see that you've got a really great thing in front of you, and that it's time to move on?

Many fans have already decided to move on in that relationship. How many more will do the same? And how many times will it have to happen before someone at 333 West Camden Street actually cares enough to do something about it?

Orioles fans are Orioles fans. Even if the team and owner stink. They can not become Nationals fans because they are Orioles fans. People who switch? Well, I wish them well with their team of the half decade. Because they will change several more times in their lives. Especially after the Nationasl leave. Like the Washington teams always do.

[MTOsFan]

At this point I pretty much have resigned myself to hoping Duquette's self proclaimed player evaluation prowess is as good as he says it is. If Wada and Chen don't amount to anything, we're looking at losing 95+ games IMO.

[Mr Snuffleupagus]

Do you listen to local sports radio. Everyone blasts the Orioles about their offseason. Everyone I meet who wants to talk about the Orioles is super negative about this offseason. This is the least optomistic I have ever seen from the fanbase.

When you lose for 15 straight years, that's gonna happen, I just don't see the need to 6 paragraphs rants about how horrible the team is, how they don't want to win etc... after we trade Jeremy Guthrie?!?! really?! Jeremy? Guthrie?

Again, it's a deal that's a moderate loss at worst and a moderate gain at best. Maybe it's not the deal you wanted, but lets not act like the package we should have gotten for Guthrie was going to turn around the fortunes of this awful franchise.

[vab]

These trades don't matter much. I don't know what everybody thought Guthrie was worth. I mean, yeah, he was the Orioles' best starter but that's not saying much. The bottom line remains the same. They will get better when they start drafting and developing players better, period. Nobody trades their way to contention and difference-making free agents generally aren't looking to go to an organization that hasn't been above .500 since the Clinton administation. Any outrage drained out of me long ago. I just hope for the best and expect the worst. What else can you do?

[TXOriole]

Times like this are the benefit of living in Dallas. At least I can watch the Rangers and be reminded of what it's like for an organization to try and get better and actually win a few games.

[Mr Snuffleupagus]

You said most people. Most people do not think positively of the Orioles this offseason. Post the poll on the sun boards and get back to me.

Typically when you want to support an argument you don't start by saying we should ask the "sun board". Most of us aren't concerned with popular opinion.

[The Goob]

I think the unrequited love analogy is spot on. I feel like I've been investing tons of time and money in this team, for what exactly I'm not sure. I could live with them being terrible if I really felt like the will to win was there. Depressing.

That analogy makes sense but I think the better one is an abusive relationship. Despite knowing that the relationship is bad and not good for your health you just can not get away from it and can not be objective about it. You can only gain perspective when you remove yourself from it and then you will look back and say why did I ever put up with that. I, like many of you, wish I could walk away and forget about the Orioles. They bring me nothing but pain and offer no hope of getting any better but they hold some power over me I just can not shake.

[MTOsFan]

When you lose for 15 straight years, that's gonna happen, I just don't see the need to 6 paragraphs rants about how horrible the team is, how they don't want to win etc... after we trade Jeremy Guthrie?!?! really?! Jeremy? Guthrie?

Again, it's a deal that's a moderate loss at worst and a moderate gain at best. Maybe it's not the deal you wanted, but lets not act like the package we should have gotten for Guthrie was going to turn around the fortunes of this awful franchise.

The flaw in your logic is that you think the Guthrie trade evoked this sentiment. John could have posted this on any given day in the last 10 years. I agree that Guthrie's trade is not going to make the team that much worse, and it certainly won't make it any better. The point is, is that really what we've come to expect? You called this franchise awful. You'd be hard pressed to find anyone who would disagree. That's where the sentiment comes from.