Melvin's Tipping Point

[Hank Scorpio]

Wow, talk about making an ass of yourself.

Bravo, Melvin.

[stomperspc]

I don't see an issue with Melvin feeling the way he feels. Even though we would probably disagree, if he feels that he can still play at a high level and should still be an everyday player, then that's fine. If he feels disrespected by Trembley not putting him in the lineup against certain pitchers, that's fine. If he feels his days as an Oriole are over, then he should have gone to Trembley, told him all of this in private, and asked to be traded or released.

It is tough getting older and having to accept that your playing days might be over. Melvin was absolutely correct when he talked about how the Orioles are rebuilding and bringing up a lot of young, talented players, so maybe he just doesn't fit in on the team anymore. He's right on there and it might be best for both to move on. It is just that saying all of that stuff to the media instead of going to Trembley or McPhail first was the wrong way to handle it.

I am sure most here agree that Melvin is somewhat delusional about his current abilities and his place in MLB (comparing his situation to David Ortiz's is an example of that), but to me that's not even the issue. It's all about how he handled the issue and publicly calling out the manager like he did. I won't necessarily be surprised if he makes the trip to Detroit because McPhail isn't the type to make rash decisions but I don't see how he can remain an Oriole for much longer.

[RShack]

I don't see an issue with Melvin feeling the way he feels. Even though we would probably disagree, if he feels that he can still play at a high level and should still be an everyday player, then that's fine. If he feels disrespected by Trembley not putting him in the lineup against certain pitchers, that's fine. If he feels his days as an Oriole are over, then he should have gone to Trembley, told him all of this in private, and asked to be traded or released.

It is tough getting older and having to accept that your playing days might be over. Melvin was absolutely correct when he talked about how the Orioles are rebuilding and bringing up a lot of young, talented players, so maybe he just doesn't fit in on the team anymore. He's right on there and it might be best for both to move on. It is just that saying all of that stuff to the media instead of going to Trembley or McPhail first was the wrong way to handle it.

I am sure most here agree that Melvin is somewhat delusional about his current abilities... but to me that's not even the issue. It's all about how he handled the issue and publicly calling out the manager like he did.

I agree with all of this.

Personally, I expect that AM is gonna have a little chat with Melvin in which he does his calm, polite thing... talking about how Melvin is a Oriole-HOF guy and how it would be a shame to tarnish anything about that... and being nicely-clear that the team cannot afford any distractions right now, and therefore won't... and about how Melvin has some decisions to make pronto.

IIRC, ever since Huff made that comment about a horse**** town, he's been a choirboy. I expect that Melvin will either do the same or be on his way. There might be another bump in the road, but I bet it's not gonna be a long-standing issue. At the same time, I fully expect a few posters will be reading all kinds of junk into Mora's normal everyday facial expressions.

[twoBshorty]

The FO needs to handle this immediately and in a firm, decisive manner. Either pipe down or you're gone. Players should not be allowed to talk about their managers like this in public and get away with it. Melvin, you're the employee, the O's are the employer. Take your check and be quiet.

Maybe my view is a little authoritarian, but I cannot stand spoiled players publicly disrespecting their bosses. MacPhail and Trembley need to put their feet down on this right away.

[UMDTerrapins]

Trembley is the as good as it gets at relating with and respecting his players. This is an absurd rant. Wigginton was getting passed over for playing time by Mora earlier but he didn't say a word. He's earned more playing time and Mora hasn't. I think Mora has been given a long leash this year despite his lack of production. I do respect that Mora is a competitor and he just wants to play. But it is reality, he is in the last 2 months of his Oriole career, and he will be remembered fondly in an era where there was little to be proud of. So this is legacy time for him. It's a big mistake to start ranting to reporters.

He believes he has years left in him and is probably well aware that he is playing for a contract somewhere. Being benched now is bad news for his chances of landing a decent job next year. But mouthing off isn't good for his marketability either.

[tom smith]

He goes the respect crap again. Not, "how can I help the team" or " I've enjoyed my time here", it's all about Melvin and his foolish belief he is still a starter. Release him and mail the checks to his house. The clubhouse doesn't need this bull.

I'm with you 100%. Cut him now and move on, we don't need this ----

[Hank Scorpio]

"I don't appreciate the disrespect, because I've been playing hurt for a guy who won't respect you. I don't deserve it," said an emotional Mora. "Whatever he wants to do, he can do it. But like I told you before, I need to have my respect. This is not a guy who just came to the Orioles. This is a guy who's been here for nine years busting his butt for the organization."

"I'm a competitor," Mora said. "I don't like to be here and [i'm] just thinking about in October [how] I'm going to go on vacation. ... I know here they're rebuilding and they bring a lot of young guys here, good players, and I know it's time for me to move on."

"Don't give me the excuse that I cannot beat John Smoltz, that I cannot beat Josh Beckett or I cannot beat [Jon] Lester or I cannot beat Pedro Martinez or I cannot beat nobody here because I've been here for nine years," Mora said. "All those guys in the [American League] East, they know me. They know me and you don't make the All-Star team for nothing. You deserve respect. That's the only thing I can say.

"When you do that, especially with a guy who's been here for nine years, tried to save your butt and played hard, I think that's not respect. I always speak up. I never hide nothing and I'm an honest man, and that's the way I do it. I cannot control whatever lineup is put up there. The only thing I can control is just respect me. ... That's it."

Then there's this gem:

Mora said that a conversation during Saturday's game with Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz further fueled his ire.

"He told me something like, 'Why are you hitting seventh? I've never seen you hitting there,'" Mora said. He said something like, 'You know what, I think I have the best manager in the world because he trusts his veterans.' I said, 'yeah, but Terry Francona has been in the league a long time.' My opinion about this [situation] is it's 'what have you done for me lately.'"

First of all, Ortiz should probably be more concerned about his .224 batting average than where Melvin Mora is hitting... but that's another argument.

This whole thing is just laughable.

Any "veteran" player that uses the word "respect" that many times when speaking about his lack of playing time is bush league.

Mora was a pretty good player for a few years on some really bad baseball teams. Congratulations to him for all his successes and thank you to him for all the good things he's done... but comments like these are bush league garbage. His sense of entitlement has gotten extremely old and guess what? No player is in a position to "demand respect" when they're posting a sub .700 OPS.

Good lord, break out the friggin' whambulance.

[Gurgi]

I'm sure MacPhail has been behind this move to cut Mora's playing time. They want to see what they have in house for next season. Mora feels insulted. MacPhail needs to have a private talk to see if they can make up and be friends. If they cant then Mora has to go.

[MikeAD]

I'm going to give Melvin the benifit of the doubt here. His emotions busted out and I'm sure he'll be quiet the rest of the way.

I think he's just asking for honesty here from DT and AM. I just hope all of this doesn't tarnish all he's done for the organization.

[waroriole]

Not to put you on the spot Cindy. But why? Because he's being kinda disrespectful to Trembley or because he's not getting playing time?

I don't want to speak for Cindy, but probably b/c he's at the end of his career and it's gotta be tough to accept that.

[aggro5288]

This even got a mention on deadspin

http://deadspin.com/

[Why Not?]

Mora said that a conversation during Saturday's game with Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz further fueled his ire.

"He told me something like, 'Why are you hitting seventh? I've never seen you hitting there,'" Mora said. He said something like, 'You know what, I think I have the best manager in the world because he trusts his veterans.' I said, 'yeah, but Terry Francona has been in the league a long time.' My opinion about this [situation] is it's 'what have you done for me lately.'"

Umm, great. Except that Ortiz chaffed just a couple of months ago when he was dropped in the lineup.

"[Francona] is the boss. I'm an employee. I follow orders. That's the way it's always been," he said.

But after the game, Ortiz maintained that Francona has told him nothing about where he'll bat Tuesday.

"No idea. He hasn't left yet, right? Go find out," he said.

Trembley is doing the same thing Francona did. Maybe the language barrier is coming into play here, but Melmo isn't really making any sense.

[panick]

In another thread, I made a comment about Mora's bad attitude and some people wondered what I was talking about. Do you guys know now?

Perlozzo started his policy of telling guys if they would be playing the next game because Mora made such a stink about showing up for a game and finding out he wasn't in the lineup. Trembley has done the same thing. What difference does it make if you know you're not playing the next day? If you're not playing, do you show up drunk, or late? Apparently Mora's idea of respect is to do everything he wants you to do.

The sooner Mora is off the team, the sooner the team can get better.

[Morgan423]

I don't think Melvin realizes that with his current level of play, he'd be a bench-riding utility infielder (if he was even given that job) on any other team in baseball.

He has come to a point where he needs to come to grips with this fact, and he needs to decide to do his best to produce in a backup role whenever he's called upon.

He's just showing here that he's not yet willing to be a bench player, even though he is playing like one at this point. If Melvin spews enough poison to hurt the team, well... there are several players at Bowie and Norfolk that would love to take his place. :eektf:

[Three Run Homer]

It was clear a couple of weeks ago when he talked about wanting to play for four more years that Mora has a grossly overinflated view of his own value. So it's not a surprise that he'd take a benching as an insult--he thinks he's still good enough to play for four more years.

I think the hardest pill to swallow here is his comment to Ortiz about how Francona has been in the league longer than Trembley. Playing poorly and whining to the media is bad enough, but by insulting Trembley and belittling his lack of major league and managerial experience, Mora has probably punched his ticket off the team. It's a real shame--he has been a good player for long enough that he deserved a more honorable send-off than this, but he's brought this on himself.