The Long View

[now]

I still tune into the games on MLB-TV most days, just because. Sure, once it's 4-0 after the first inning, or 6-2 after the second, I'll switch off and do something better with my time. But still I pay attention, still I care about who's hot, who's up or down on the 40-man, and how the prospects are doing on the farm. I'm still engaged day to day - even with the season in the tank - because I take the long view. 

In the short view, of course, there is always just baseball, the love of the game itself. In a normal season, we can get myopic to the point of manic depression, agonizing over every loss, exuberant over every win (and NY and Boston loss). This year, those mood swings aren't so much in play, because the day's results don't matter if there's no postseason to play for. 

But there is always next year, and the ones after that, to consider. So it's still worth following, for that reason. Manny's doing great - what will he bring in trade? Joseph gets the axe - will Susac be a nugget? Castro or Hess gets a start - will they be a future rotation piece? Davis hits an opposite-field blast - is there a flicker of hope still there? The O's lose again - will we win the race to the bottom? Or they flash that old Orioles Magic - could this be the start of a miracle turnaround?

Maybe none of it matters for 2018. But it all matters as pieces of the bigger picture, the longer view, ever unfolding.

[sportsfan8703]

The way I see it is that we’re starting to see guys from the minors get a chance. We’ve already seen Hess, Scott, and Susac get called up. We should see Melville, Dosch, Corban Joseph, get looks here soon. Then the real prospects later in the season. This year is about finding out if any of the vets in the minors can play, and developing the prospects. Wins don’t matter, and they aren’t going to happen frequently. 

[now]

1 hour ago, birdwatcher55 said:

 I look forward to ... when they hopefully flush out some of the garbage in the front office.

And to see beyond the Angelos dynasty could take a really long view.

[weams]

 

[bobmc]

On 5/17/2018 at 7:52 PM, sportsfan8703 said:

The way I see it is that we’re starting to see guys from the minors get a chance. We’ve already seen Hess, Scott, and Susac get called up. We should see Melville, Dosch, Corban Joseph, get looks here soon. Then the real prospects later in the season. This year is about finding out if any of the vets in the minors can play, and developing the prospects. Wins don’t matter, and they aren’t going to happen frequently. 

But when they do happen, like last night, we can savor them since we only have about 50 more.  No more pies or Gatorade baths, alas, and a departing Manny....

[tntoriole]

On 5/17/2018 at 7:52 PM, sportsfan8703 said:

The way I see it is that we’re starting to see guys from the minors get a chance. We’ve already seen Hess, Scott, and Susac get called up. We should see Melville, Dosch, Corban Joseph, get looks here soon. Then the real prospects later in the season. This year is about finding out if any of the vets in the minors can play, and developing the prospects. Wins don’t matter, and they aren’t going to happen frequently. 

You wonder if they move Corban up to play with Caleb at Norfolk.    Or if it affects Corban's play that his brother got demoted. 

[spiritof66]

On 5/17/2018 at 8:21 PM, now said:

And to see beyond the Angelos dynasty could take a really long view.

"Angelos dynasty" sounds odd to me. How about "Angelos Travesty?"

I continue to have real hope that, not long after Peter Angelos is out of the picture, his sons will discover that after his estate pays its federal and state taxes, they lack the resources to keep the team going -- or that MLB will find that for them and will turn down a transfer to them or induce them to sell the team, bringing to a close the Angelos dynasty, or travesty, or whatever you want to call it.  

[Tx Oriole]

10 minutes ago, spiritof66 said:

"Angelos dynasty" sounds odd to me. How about "Angelos Travesty?"

I continue to have real hope that, not long after Peter Angelos is out of the picture, his sons will discover that after his estate pays its federal and state taxes, they lack the resources to keep the team going -- or that MLB will find that for them and will turn down a transfer to them or induce them to sell the team, bringing to a close the Angelos dynasty, or travesty, or whatever you want to call it.  

Be careful what you wish for. I'm fine with his sons taking over. They'll keep the team in Baltimore. A new owner might be another Bob Irsay and move the team. In my lifetime I've seen a lot of teams  move.  I don't want to see that happen to the O's. 

[Frobby]

The long view doesn’t look real good unless ownership changes hands.    Even then, at bottom there are two teams in our division that will always be able to outspend us, and arguably a third.    So, what we’re probably looking at is a team that is fairly competitive only some of the time.     

[theocean]

On 5/17/2018 at 7:05 PM, now said:

I still tune into the games on MLB-TV most days, just because. Sure, once it's 4-0 after the first inning, or 6-2 after the second, I'll switch off and do something better with my time. But still I pay attention, still I care about who's hot, who's up or down on the 40-man, and how the prospects are doing on the farm. I'm still engaged day to day - even with the season in the tank - because I take the long view. 

In the short view, of course, there is always just baseball, the love of the game itself. In a normal season, we can get myopic to the point of manic depression, agonizing over every loss, exuberant over every win (and NY and Boston loss). This year, those mood swings aren't so much in play, because the day's results don't matter if there's no postseason to play for. 

But there is always next year, and the ones after that, to consider. So it's still worth following, for that reason. Manny's doing great - what will he bring in trade? Joseph gets the axe - will Susac be a nugget? Castro or Hess gets a start - will they be a future rotation piece? Davis hits an opposite-field blast - is there a flicker of hope still there? The O's lose again - will we win the race to the bottom? Or they flash that old Orioles Magic - could this be the start of a miracle turnaround?

 Maybe none of it matters for 2018. But it all matters as pieces of the bigger picture, the longer view, ever unfolding.

My grandfather would always tell me that winning isn't the only reason to play the game. I think the reason I love baseball is that it happens every day. It's always there. Every evening as a way to bond with others and relax from a long work day. Every game is a new day. Each at-bat is a new chance. The best player in the game can perform worse than the the least talented player in the game on any given day. It's similar to life, in that each day is a opportunity. You'll have your hot streaks and slumps. You'll hit home runs or strikeout. You do the best you can, you develop your craft the best you can. It teaches discipline, patience, focus, respect. 

I love baseball for those things. Yeah, the O's are lousy - but whatever. There's far more things more important in the world to be upset about. 

Anyway. Baseball will always be great. I'll always love it. The O's are a corporation. I can only love them so much. But the game, that's what we shouldn't forget. I just got back from a run and saw a family playing a game of wiffle ball. That's what it's all about. I encourage everybody not to lose sight of that.

[SteveA]

11 minutes ago, Frobby said:

The long view doesn’t look real good unless ownership changes hands.    Even then, at bottom there are two teams in our division that will always be able to outspend us, and arguably a third.    So, what we’re probably looking at is a team that is fairly competitive only some of the time.     

I won't conced to that until I see what happens in October.   If whoever is pulling the strings at the ownership level hires a legitimate GM and gives them a free hand, and the restrictions on international players are banished....then I see no reason we can't be a successful franchise long term.

Yes, there are a lot of rumors that Brady "has the ear" of one or two of the three primary Angeloses.  And a lot of people are making the conclusion that he will be put in charge.   But until that happens, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.   Obviously the current setup is not ideal...a lame duck Duquette who has probably been stripped of some power, and big decisions being made by people without significant front office experience and influenced by Buck and Brady.   But I still hold out some hope that in October, when Duquette's contract is up, they make the logical move and hire a qualified, experienced front office person and give him (or her) the reins.   And there have also been some reports that at least one of the Angelos sons isn't as opposed to the Latin American market as pops is.

[spiritof66]

1 hour ago, Tx Oriole said:

Be careful what you wish for. I'm fine with his sons taking over. They'll keep the team in Baltimore. A new owner might be another Bob Irsay and move the team. In my lifetime I've seen a lot of teams  move.  I don't want to see that happen to the O's. 

True, that's possible. But getting MLB's owners to approve a move will be a tough sell, and for a while any new owner who wants to move will be behind Tampa Bay, Oakland and two expansion teams in choosing a new home.

A part of the Orioles' (and Rays') problem is the difficulty of competing with New York and Boston (maybe Toronto, too, a few years down the road) in light of their much higher revenues. You don't fix that by moving to Portland or Charlotte.

[now]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

The long view doesn’t look real good unless ownership changes hands.    Even then, at bottom there are two teams in our division that will always be able to outspend us, and arguably a third.    So, what we’re probably looking at is a team that is fairly competitive only some of the time.     

Well, "some of the time" can work... even for those of us who got spoiled by the Orioles' 25-year era of dominance, despite being a smaller market. Even in the free agent era, NY and Bos have suffered from bad mgt. and fallow periods. I like to think that we have advantages such as Oriole Way (old school), Orioles Magic, blue-collar work ethic, and chemistry somehow related to the character and history of the city, its team, and the best fans in baseball. 

[weams]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

The long view doesn’t look real good unless ownership changes hands.    Even then, at bottom there are two teams in our division that will always be able to outspend us, and arguably a third.    So, what we’re probably looking at is a team that is fairly competitive only some of the time.     

It's Baltimore...