This is a weekly column that dives into eight random thoughts about the Orioles/MLB. Why eight? It’s a nod to Cal Ripken Jr. of course. That, and doing 2,632 of these would be a little overboard. – A.S.
1. I can’t tell you how great it was to finally watch a baseball game yesterday after a few days away. As someone who basically watches every inning of every game, despite living just over 2,000 miles away from Baltimore, the Orioles could’ve won by 50 or lost by 50 and it would’ve just been nice to see it happen.
It was all very strange, surreal even. To see MLB history, and all the jokes made about an empty stadium, felt uncomfortable. It’s not that there shouldn’t have been baseball. It’s not that MLB, the Orioles and the city of Baltimore didn’t do the right thing to ensure the safety of citizens. It’s just that it’s still so difficult to heal from what’s gone on this week.
Yesterday marked an eerie day, but it pales in comparison to what took place earlier in the week. I’m not going to pretend to understand or comprehend everything that took place. The city that I love more than any other seemed to implode from within, and that breaks my heart. Even as I watched from the other side of the country, I was so emotionally and mentally drained by what I saw because I’m so invested in it all. That’s not to belittle how the week’s events impacted people on a more “real” level. I can only imagine having a business, one that I worked all my life to develop, fall to its knees in mere moments. I can only imagine wearing a shield and taking an oath to protect people, only to have rocks and glass bottles thrown at me because of my presence. And I can only imagine growing up in, and surrounded by, crushing poverty.
Baseball is a small thing in comparison to it all. That said, the Orioles are an institution in Baltimore. Here’s hoping yesterday can be the start of some healing, and hoping the Birds can in some small way, help with that.
2. It’s a shame that the Orioles are essentially losing out on having fans at four home games this season. I don’t like it, you shouldn’t like it, and there’s really no way around it. But as I said, there are more important things. Baseball is small compared to the reasons it’s being done this way.
The O’s will have to play three “home” games this weekend at Tropicana Field. Big deal. The more and more I thought about this situation, it’s really not all that bad. I am not nearly smart enough to know how much “home field advantage” plays into the result of baseball games, but it’s a small bit of adversity the team will have to face.
Baseball is unique in the advantage for the home team as well. It’s not like football, basketball or hockey. The ONLY advantage home teams get in those sports is just that, being at home. In baseball, the home team gets the last at-bat. That’s something the O’s will obviously be afforded this weekend in Florida, and that’s an advantage. It’s not like the O’s are actually playing three extra road games this weekend, they are just playing their home games in a road venue.
Do I wish MLB could’ve made it work that the Rays came back to Baltimore later this season, perhaps after their trip to Philadelphia in July? Absolutely. It seems like the perfect fit. Rob Manfred doesn’t see it that way. I’m not going to get worked up over it.
Like I’ve said, there are more important things.
3. Adam Jones took the chance once again yesterday to prove why he’s become one of Baltimore’s iconic people, not just athletes. His words carry weight with Orioles fans, but also with the general population in Baltimore. Holding a press conference to talk about what’s going on in the city isn’t something Jones had to do, it’s something he wanted to do.
I truthfully think Jones realizes that playing a baseball game yesterday was secondary. He went out and did it, like a professional, but his words prior to taking the field told me everything I needed to hear.
Athletes like Michael Phelps, Ray Lewis and Carmelo Anthony (all with obvious Baltimore ties) have voiced their opinion and called for an end to violence, but none of them have the daily presence of Jones right now in Baltimore. It’s important for him to step up and be a leader not just in the community, but in the clubhouse as well. There’s a good reason the Orioles are looked at as an institution in the city, and it’s players like Jones – guys who don’t just wear Baltimore across their chest, but represent it as well. People who are professional athletes, but also part of the community that has been hurt so deeply.
4. I really want to talk about on-field, baseball things. I find it difficult, but I’ll try.
Let’s start with the offense. Holy crap the offense. I get that Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis are doing positive things for their respective ball clubs early in the season, but the guys in black and orange are making it look as if the lineup never skipped a beat. It’s amazing to think they are doing this without Matt Wieters, J.J. Hardy, Jonathan Schoop or much contribution from Steve Pearce.
Some of the stats are sublime. Adam Jones has been about as scorching as one can be. Caleb Joseph has been even more impressive than he was last season. Jimmy Parades and Delmon Young have been contributors even in more limited roles. Even Manny Machado, who started out the season so slow, has apparently woken up with the bat. It’s really nice to see.
This team will obviously not hit like it has (specifically over the last two games) for the entire season, but doing it in stretches like this can win games even if the pitching struggles. That’s a nice benefit to have.
5. Something has to be done about Brian Matusz and Jason Garcia. I’d love to see both of them pitch better out of the bullpen, but neither is giving the team much value right now. If that doesn’t change very soon, something will need to be adjusted with the roster.
Matusz’s biggest issue seems to be walks. He’s issued a free pass to seven batters in eight innings. As a LOOGY, that’s just not going to cut it. It’s still early enough in the season to use terms like “small sample size” with relievers, but Matusz simply hasn’t been very good and doesn’t show signs of trending upwards.
The same can be said for Garcia, who isn’t even throwing the ball in the upper 90s as previously advertised. The Rule 5 pick looks like a guy who hasn’t pitched above Single-A before this season, and while that’s actually the case, it shouldn’t be if he’s going to stay on a major league roster all year.
I’ve discussed at length with fans how I still think they somehow find a way to carry him on the roster all season, but that belief becomes smaller and smaller as each day passes. It’d be “easy” to simply call up T.J. McFarland and Steve Johnson from Norfolk and dump Matusz and Garcia, but bringing those two players on board doesn’t even give you any more flexibility in terms of options than you already have.
It seems easy, but these roster decisions are complex. Pretty soon, it won’t be “too early” to make such a move.
6. I noticed Ubaldo Jimenez taking batting practice the other day. A picture of him popped up on Twitter as the O’s worked out at the stadium. I scratched my head at first, then realized the Birds will be in New York next week not just to face the Yankees, but also the Mets. Buck Showalter is reluctantly getting his pitchers ready to hit in a National League stadium. Much has been made over the last week about the use of the designated hitter in the American League, especially after St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright was injured while batting.
It’s not like the Cards don’t have enough pitching depth, but it has to be tough losing your ace for the season just because he was hitting. I’ve never been one to like change, and I always tend to embrace “tradition,” but something has to be done about the NL’s lack of a DH. The biggest issue to me is that you have two different leagues, that play one another throughout the year, that have different sets of rules. It’s something you don’t see in any other sport.
LeBron James plays in the NBA’s Eastern Conference and Tim Duncan plays in the Western Conference, but the hoop they play with is the same height no matter where they are.
The width of an NHL goal doesn’t change whether the Rangers are playing at Madison Square Garden or the Kings are taking the ice at STAPLES Center.
Can you imagine if AFC quarterback Tom Brady got to play with a different sized football (or perhaps one that wasn’t inflated properly) as NFC QB Tony Romo? Well, sure, there are scenarios perhaps for that last one, but I think you get my point.
I feel like my stance on this issue would be different if there was no interleague play, but that’s just not the case. There’s interleague play nearly every day in today’s game. Not to mention, offense is setting record lows in the game. It’d be nice to spruce it up a bit by getting pitchers out of the batter’s box. I’m sure Buck Showalter would agree, considering he’ll have to start putting them in there next week. He’ll also be sure to comment if the O’s are in a pennant race in late September and the rules change on him for the three-game series against the Nationals.
7. Gary Thorne is the best baseball play by play man east of the Mississippi. There’s no way around it. I spent some time in this space praising Jim Palmer a few weeks ago. Palmer complements Thorne about as well as anyone can, but this is about how well Thorne handles things.
Yesterday’s game was difficult for everyone, but I can’t imagine how different it was for a broadcaster. As someone with a broadcasting background, I have a real appreciation for what Thorne does. He gets a ton of flack for certain things, including from me. Hearing him attempt to pronounce some players names is frustrating, but it’s a minor thing compared to what he brings to a broadcast. There’s humor, knowledge, understanding and great pace to his work.
[Related: Gary Thorne Does his Best Golf Announcer Impression]
Even aside from being a gem for the O’s in the booth, Thorne is a great hockey broadcaster as well. I love listening to Doc Emrick, who currently calls NHL games for NBC, but there’s nothing like listening to Thorne do a hockey game. Outside of the sweet tones of Vin Scully calling a Dodgers game, or maybe Jon Miller putting his voice to a Giants game, there isn’t anyone better than Gary Thorne.
8. While the Orioles are lucky to have Gary Thorne in the booth, yesterday’s game really proved how lucky the team is to play in a place like Camden Yards. Again, yesterday was awkward. It was strange to see a baseball game being played in an empty stadium.
Insert your jokes about Tropicana Field all you want, but yesterday really proved what a gem Oriole Park is. Seeing Chris Davis’ home run ball soar over the right field scoreboard and on to Eutaw Street was majestic. Hearing no roar from the crowd as it left his bat gave the game a certain spring training feel, but there was a beauty to it as well.
The O’s won’t return to Camden Yards until May 11th against the Blue Jays, for a Monday night game. I have a feeling that’s going to be one of the more packed crowds for a Monday night we’ve ever seen. Some local folks are even calling it “Reopening Day.”
As I said, it’s all very trivial compared to what’s actually going on in Baltimore, but the Orioles are an institution in the city. Perhaps they can provide people with a little something to lean on, or something to rely on. That’s what baseball does for many people. It provides them comfort and is always there, even in the worst of times.
