The time has come. It’s the most exciting event in all of sports. After starting with a field of 64, we have narrowed it down to our Final Four.
OK, so maybe this isn’t quite as exciting as the NCAA Final Four, but fortunately, you will not find any Blue Devils here. Instead, four players from the Orioles dark years will duke it out (no pun intended) in the hopes of being crowned Baltimore’s favorite Oriole from 1998-2011, when the team failed to finish above .500 even once.
Our regional champions have been crowned, and they are as follows…
From the Sam Perlozzo region: #1 Melvin Mora
From the Dave Trembley region: #1 Miguel Tejada
From the Lee Mazzilli region: #3 Koji Uehara
From the Mike Hargrove region: #1 Brian Roberts
So far, over the duration of the tournament, we have held the voting for the Perlozzo and Trembley regions right here with the Mazzilli and Hargrove regions held at Orioles Uncensored. Now that we have narrowed the field to four players, we will post both polls on each site and combine the results.
Vote here, vote there, vote anywhere. If you feel strongly about a specific player and would like to vote for him twice, knock yourself out. More votes means more excitement.
Thank you all so much for following along and helping to make this tournament one of the most popular things we have done on this site.
Presenting the Baltimore Drought Bracketology Final Four!
Sam Perlozzo regional champion: #1 Melvin Mora
We have said all along that Mora is the guy to beat, and that certainly remains true. Over the duration of the tournament thus far, Mora has defeated his four opponents (Jose Bautista, Corey Patterson, Ramon Hernandez and Jay Gibbons) by a combined score of 801-44. That is kind of ridiculous. Obviously, and rightfully so, O’s fans love Melvin Mora. His Final Four matchup will pit him against another fan favorite in Miguel Tejada, who will likely be Mora’s biggest threat so far.
vs. Dave Trembley regional champion: #1 Miguel Tejada
Tejada ended 6-seed B.J. Ryan’s Cinderella dream in the Elite Eight with a fairly easy 24-point victory. His road to the Final Four has been a journey past Josh Bell, Sidney Ponson, Kevin Millar and B.J. Ryan. To this point, he has received a lot of support, but I don’t know if he will get enough votes this round to defeat Mora.
¡Buena suerte, Miguel!
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Lee Mazzilli regional champion: #3 Koji Uehara
The Orioles signed Koji in 2009 and his love and appreciation for Baltimore made him quickly a fan favorite. Though he did not pitch up to expectations with the Birds, he truly loved being here and even shed a tear during his press conference after he was traded to the Rangers for Tommy Hunter and Chris Davis at the 2011 trade deadline. His sideburns were legendary and his attitude was contagious. The only thing about Koji that puts a bad taste in my mouth is watching him celebrate a World Series with the Red Sox, but he will always hold a special place in our hearts. Now, he finds himself in our Final Four against another former Oriole who ended up playing for a hated rival.
vs. Mike Hargrove regional champion: #1 Brian Roberts
For pretty much my entire childhood, Brian Roberts was Mr. Oriole. He played his heart out and had some really good seasons when the team’s results were poor. He signed autographs more than anyone else and was the heartthrob of the team until Markakis came along. O’s fans were largely disappointed when B-Rob signed a one year deal with the rival New York Yankees prior to the 2014 season, but we knew it was time to let him go. Despite hitting a home run against us in his first at-bat at Camden Yards in pinstripes, B-Rob will always be an Oriole in my heart and I truly appreciate everything he did for Baltimore during his time here.
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Voting once wasn’t enough? Head over to O’s Uncensored and vote again on these same matchups!
