BJ Surhoff Is Angry

[ThomasTomasz]

6 hours ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

Surhoff comes off like the grumpy Old Guard of scouts as portrayed in the Moneyball film. I've always liked Surhoff, but I found it humorous.

As a younger fan who's never rooted for a championship caliber O's team, I've grown to lament the endless pumping up and promotion of the great teams and players of Baltimore's distant past, with post-prime Cal being the only one I have any personal memories of. I'm mostly jealous that there are no moments that are seen worthy of celebration that feel like I can call my own. Only exception would be the streak, which barely feels like a baseball accomplishment to me as time goes by.

What I'm trying to get at is.. the Oriole way died a long time ago, and it feels way past due to me for the franchise to start anew and stop clutching so tightly to a past that almost feels like a taunt to those of us who can hardly imagine such a successful baseball club. I get that these promotions are the only thing that gets the aging Orioles fanbase to come out these days given the on field product... And I do think that the club's history is important and worth celebrating ... But it feels so refreshing to see this regime come in and show a commitment to doing things a completely new way. I'm ready for my own Oriole Way. 

Great post.  The long ties to the Orioles of the past needs to end.  They're part of the rot in player development thats been there for nearly two decades.  Times need to change and I personally thought a full housecleaning- or close to it- was long overdue.

[CallMeBrooksie]

1 hour ago, atomic said:

You dont feel like the 2014 division championship is worth celebrating? 

I'll always remember it... But I'm betting it will never make their rotation of in park promotions when they need an attendance boost. It's not that I don't think it's worth celebrating, but it won't be. Maybe because it ended in disappointment. I thought they were better than that Royals team and it just didn't show for whatever reason.

[tntoriole]

1 minute ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

I'll always remember it... But I'm betting it will never make their rotation of in park promotions when they need an attendance boost. It's not that I don't think it's worth celebrating, but it won't be. Maybe because it ended in disappointment. I thought they were better than that Royals team and it just didn't show for whatever reason.

Those fans who were kids at that 2014 win over the Tigers will remember it vividly still when they are my age.  Each generation forms their own memories and that is way more important than a PR campaign poster on the wall about the past greats. 

[ThomasTomasz]

3 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

I'll always remember it... But I'm betting it will never make their rotation of in park promotions when they need an attendance boost. It's not that I don't think it's worth celebrating, but it won't be. Maybe because it ended in disappointment. I thought they were better than that Royals team and it just didn't show for whatever reason.

We ran into the hotter team, plain and simple.  Not only that, but we had Wieters, Davis and Machado all off the roster.  

[CallMeBrooksie]

17 minutes ago, tntoriole said:

Those fans who were kids at that 2014 win over the Tigers will remember it vividly still when they are my age.  Each generation forms their own memories and that is way more important than a PR campaign poster on the wall about the past greats. 

I'm hoping that there are far greater moments in store for them to come. That would be a pretty sad reality if an ALDS win was their biggest O's memory.

But I think we're straying very far away from what my Central point was. Regardless, the 2014 will not be considered as one of the great Oriole clubs to anyone with internet access.

[Enjoy Terror]

7 hours ago, OsEatAlEast said:

I totally get what Surhoff is saying. He wanted to help with whatever they wanted to implement but they didn't let him stick around to find out. As a guy who faces losing his job because a bunch of hedge fund guys took over his company. I feel his pain.

It would suck if the Surhoff Orioles were successful and they implemented these changes, but right now I’m 35 years deep into this franchise and have experienced 5 playoff teams (1/7) and 12 winning seasons (1/3). 

We’ve all discussed at length the nepotism and flat out incompetence in the warehouse that manifests itself in the on-field talent year after year.  It’s time to clean house. It has been time for as long as I can remember.

Even at 35 I sometimes feel like the youngest person on the OH. A lot of you fans older than me talk about an era I wasn’t alive for and sometimes it frustrates the heck out of me. The days of Brooks, Eddie, Earl, Palmer, Frank... I have zero concept of their contributions to this franchise other than stat sheets. For most of my life the Orioles have been a punchline.

Im sorry that Surhoff feels slighted, but everything anyone has done in this organization for the last three decades comes off as feeling around in the dark for a light switch.

 

[tntoriole]

5 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

I'm hoping that there are far greater moments in store for them to come. That would be a pretty sad reality if an ALDS win was their biggest O's memory.

But I think we're straying very far away from what my Central point was. Regardless, the 2014 will not be considered as one of the great Oriole clubs to anyone with internet access.

Nobody ever said the squad  was  “great”..just that they were  “ championship caliber”. 

 I don’t believe all those generations of Cubs fans over the 107 years between titles were just part of a “pretty sad reality” nor were Red Sox fans for 85 years or White Sox fans for 87 years.   My biggest Os memories have really had little to do with the World Series games I was lucky enough to have attended.  

But it is always good to win a title and we will all hope for that day to come.  Sooner rather than later.   And if ME needs to do whatever, then absolutely he should keep on, keeping on. 

[Enjoy Terror]

31 minutes ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

That would be a pretty sad reality if an ALDS win was their biggest O's memory.

Im pushing 40 and Delmon’s double is mine. I feel like people older than me have no concept of what it’s like to not know about having a team worth cheering for.

[tntoriole]

5 minutes ago, Enjoy Terror said:

It would suck if the Surhoff Orioles were successful and they implemented these changes, but right now I’m 35 years deep into this franchise and have experienced 5 playoff teams (1/7) and 12 winning seasons (1/3). 

We’ve all discussed at length the nepotism and flat out incompetence in the warehouse that manifests itself in the on-field talent year after year.  It’s time to clean house. It has been time for as long as I can remember.

Even at 35 I sometimes feel like the youngest person on the OH. A lot of you fans older than me talk about an era I wasn’t alive for and sometimes it frustrates the heck out of me. The days of Brooks, Eddie, Earl, Palmer, Frank... I have zero concept of their contributions to this franchise other than stat sheets. For most of my life the Orioles have been a punchline.

Im sorry that Surhoff feels slighted, but everything anyone has done in this organization for the last three decades comes off as feeling around in the dark for a light switch.

 

I hear you.  I certainly didn’t think about it when I was 12 and watching the 1969-70-71 Orioles, but I have realized since then that there may never be an Oriole team like that again in my lifetime or yours.   I just thought it would sort of always be like that.  But hey, that is OK...the beer was just as cold for Kenny Singleton, Al Bumbry and Brother Lo and for Cal and Eddie and Moose and for Adam and Matt and JJ....and even for Daniel Cabrera and Mike Wright and Felix Pie.   All Os...all part of me. 

But the good news about being 35 is that maybe there will be Oriole teams that good again in your lifetime!  lol.   Or it could be 107 years like the Cubs....God forbid.   Both my kids were born several years after the last title in 1983.  Now they have children.  And all these years I have told them...when the Os hit the Series, we are going!  Well, I hope to get there with them. 

[Enjoy Terror]

I guess all I’m saying is, BJ, sorry you lost your job, but what have we gained from your tenure here?

 

Maybe that’s not fair, but I don’t feel like I’ve been treated fairly as a fan either.

[Aristotelian]

Shockingly, guy who is fired is unhappy at getting fired.

[milbest77]

I subscribe to the Athletic and Connolly, while a very good writer, seems to have had some kind of axe to grind since all these personnel changes were announced. This is like the 2nd or 3rd article he’s had in the past month where he laments the personnel changes being made. What did he expect? A new broom sweeps clean...

[atomic]

2 hours ago, CallMeBrooksie said:

I'll always remember it... But I'm betting it will never make their rotation of in park promotions when they need an attendance boost. It's not that I don't think it's worth celebrating, but it won't be. Maybe because it ended in disappointment. I thought they were better than that Royals team and it just didn't show for whatever reason.

Those Royals had an incredible range from their outfield and a bunch of shutdown relievers.  

[Aristotelian]

2 hours ago, ThomasTomasz said:

We ran into the hotter team, plain and simple.  Not only that, but we had Wieters, Davis and Machado all off the roster.  

I agree we were the better team that year, but we were not a complete team. We never had an Ace and our pitching got exposed.

[atomic]

1 hour ago, Aristotelian said:

Shockingly, guy who is fired is unhappy at getting fired.

I dont think that is fair. None of us know what Surhoff brought to the table so none of us can judge whether this is justified or not.  Seems like some people will blindly support GM no matter what he does.