A lot can be said about the so-called fans of Baltimore’s sports teams. Lots of it is positive, but I’ve seen far too much negative lately too. Call it passion, call it excitement, call it what you want. I will mainly call it stupidity. I’ve been able to get a good national perspective on this having lived out of town for the past two years. It’s unreal to see the back-and-forth and the bickering between fans of the SAME EXACT TEAM.
This is a baseball post, so I won’t dive too deep into the fan reaction of Joe Flacco’s enormous contract earlier this year. That is where this starts though, because the way some Ravens fans reacted when that happened, you would’ve thought Baltimore had just signed Kyle Boller to that massive deal, not the Super Bowl MVP. It goes back to the middle of the football season to when fans had given up all hope in a team that made a great run to a title. It made for good sports talk radio and discussion, but was mainly annoying and idiotic.
But on to the baseball team now. The Orioles have done lots of things over the years worth of criticism. Let’s be honest, 14 straight years of losing will bring out the worst in fans. It should bring out the worst in fans too.
The thing is, that’s over now. The losing is over after last season’s run to the playoffs.
The reaction I saw, mainly on Twitter, to an injury to Brian Roberts on Thursday was in one word, despicable. The “hashtag” that I saw used was #Shocker.
Really?
Is that what we are going with Orioles fans? We are going to belittle a player who has given everything he has to this organization and when he gets hurt on the field, we just say “Shocker?”
I won’t say I thought we were better, because I truthfully don’t believe it.
There are some out there who took offense to this like me, so obviously they are not included in this rant. For the rest of the “fans” out there: shame on you. You don’t have any respect for the Orioles, Brian Roberts, or the game of baseball itself.
It’s most definitely fair to criticize Brian Roberts for his lack of ability when it comes to staying healthy and on the field for any length of time. He played in just 17 games last season and has been limited to 115 games over the past three years due to multiple injuries (mainly concussion issues).
There’s no doubting that B-Rob is injury-prone. But to blast the guy in that moment, after suffering another setback like he did at The Trop, is just ignorant and inconsiderate.
Last year fans turned out in numbers for the playoff series against the Yankees at Oriole Park. It was the first time since 1997 that I’ve seen that much orange filling those green seats. It warmed my heart to see so much passion for the team and the city. With Roberts’ injury, I can already feel fans pulling the plug and starting the doom-and-gloom on the season.
To be honest, anything the Orioles got (or get in the future) from Brian Roberts is a positive. No one expected him to come into this season and bat .325 and produce like the old Brian Roberts we came to know and love. The worst of this injury is not the injury itself – it’s the reaction and the negativity that comes with it. If you had super high expectations, you are frankly delusional. At this point you take what you can get from him and you move on.
I also heard lots of criticism on Buck Showalter for even having Roberts attempt to steal with a 6-2 lead in the ninth. If Showalter didn’t feel confident in sending B-Rob, he wouldn’t be in the lineup in the first place. The guy has speed and moreover, knows how to steal a base. If you think attempting to tack on runs in the ninth with a four-run lead is wrong, then you once again are not aware of how the game of baseball is really played. Any critic of Showalter is also completely delusional.
Showalter will need to find a replacement, at least in the short term, for Roberts at second base. It’s a blow to the team for sure. It’s also going to put a damper on Opening Day at OPACY and on the entire opening series against Ron Gardenhire’s Twins. It’s not the end of the world though. Has everyone forgotten how many injuries this team battled through last year? Roberts was not the MVP of this team last year. He played 17 of the 162 regular season games, remember? The O’s were in the playoffs.
The real shame of this injury is not what the O’s lost on the field. Rather, it’s knowing the effort that B-Rob put in towards trying to come back from all his woes. The guy fought so hard last season, through the offseason and during spring training to get healthy.
Could it be bad luck?
Could he just be snake bitten when it comes to staying on the field?
Who knows what exactly it is. As I write this, we don’t even know exactly how long Roberts will miss. All I know is it’s a shame to see such a quality human being go down again with an injury. It’s even more of a shame to see people blast him for it.
If you want to quantify Roberts’ injury with a #Shocker, go right ahead and be my guest.
Just realize that you aren’t doing him, the team, the fans of the Orioles or yourself any justice.
You’re really just making yourself look like a fool.
23 Responses
Cry some more dude. Get a sense of humor.
Exactly……..Someone else can be more productive……I could’ve sat on the bench that long……Dude does need to get a sense of humor.How many games did he miss in the past 3 years and how many could he have played……..not giving his all is what I call it…..DONT get me wrong I love B.Rob, Just think we could’ve went to the ALCS if we would’ve filled the spot atleast the ALCS……. We shouldn’t pay a cheerleader for 3 years now……Damn
Not giving his all? Your facts are wrong. Brian couldn’t even do normal everyday things like walk his dog or get groceries because of the “fog” caused by his concussions.
Please read this: http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/baltimore-orioles-brian-roberts-concussion-recovery-long-process-nearly-over-032513
As far as someone else being more productive – maybe. But Brian was 5-for-12 in Tampa. Let’s see if Casilla or Flaherty can come close…I doubt it.
Let’s see, what else…paying a cheerleader for three years. You know baseball contracts are guaranteed right? They’d be paying him whether he was on the roster or not – might as well see what they can get out of him.
He had no issues impregnating his wife who is expecting later summer. It’s sad that he has been so accident prone and we do miss his bat but his bat has been missing for 3 years now. I think its time for him to retire and Oriole and help his team in other was like Brady Anderson is now. Does Brian still have some baseball in him yes, is it worth the toll that is taking on his body no. He isn’t nor will he be the same guy we remeber 3 years ago and to think he will be able to get back to that calibar day in and day out baseball player is becoming more and more of a pipe dream that where still hoping for. I have been a big brian fan sence 98 and its great what he has done for the Orioles and for the City of Baltimore I wish him a fast recovery. But I think we need to start faceing the fact he may only have one year left in him, time to start looking for a more perminite replacement.
Derek,
Everyone thinks they are a pro athlete, owner, GM, coach or manager…they truly have no idea how much work B-Rob has put into coming back and being very productive to start the year. This is a new injury…how do they thin he feels ?
You could not be more correct Derek.
I feel horrible for him having to deal with injuries. But isnt he the genius that re-injured his concussion by smacking himself in the head with his own bat after a poor at bat?
Lets keep a little perspective here.
A sense of humor? Really. How about you getting some compassion? Nothing funny about the things that were said.
Ah, well now, welcome to the world of sports! Hello to Phili, NY, Pitt, etc,etc. When Tampa lost the first game to the Os, you would have thought there season was over! C’mon mannnn, u should not be surprised, the shocker is that you are. This is sports as we know it today & as its always been.
And when the Bmore colts left Bmore this plus bag heads at the stadium is one of the reasons why.
Thank you for this post. I went to spring training this year and got to see Brian play which was awesome! You could tell he was excited to be back. When I first saw the steal today I thought ‘yes great!’ until I saw him grab behind his knee then thought ‘bleep, cue the tears’ (seriously I cried!). I knew there were going to be ‘fans’ and critics who would say ‘told you so’ which makes me so mad! Yes, he’s injury-prone but he’s worked his ass off to get back from not only the concussion symptoms but also the hip and groin injuries. I’ve met Brian a couple of times from his Baseball Bash and he is one of the nicest guys I’ve met and my heart breaks for him. I can only imagine the excitement he had at the possibility of running down the orange carpet tomorrow and playing in front of the home fans. I could go on for as long as your post is on this subject because I’m crazy passionate about this team and some of the so called fans. But I’ll stop and pray he is back on the field soon!
100% agree
roids will do that
yup. B-rob is just butthurt cause he can’t take roids anymore
Speaking from experience are we ?
yes..i’m a yankees fan
Thank you for hurling lightning bolts from atop Mt. Pious.
It’s very brave of you to take the stand that people shouldn’t make fun of others about their injuries. What a gutsy opinion!
Thanks, Pope Francis. Anything else grind your gears today?
When I saw B-Rob grab his leg, I cried, too! He has worked so hard to be back and then that happens! Sometimes the fans in this city don’t get it! He was our best player for years and now, he has the chance to play on his team, now a winning team. How do you think he feels? Right now, he needs our support and I will continue to pray that he can recover and return to the team.
Derek,
They benched Robert Andino last year when he was doing a pretty good job throughout the season. I love Buck but i feel like his hands were tied trying to bring Roberts back because we are paying him so much to ride the pine! Then they got rid of Robert Andino in hopes of Roberts being healthy. I would much rather have a healthy Robert Andino rather than an injury proned Brian Roberts ANY DAY of the week! Roberts is a waste of money! The sad thing is a buddy of mine and I were talking about how Roberts can’t even make 20 games before the game even started and what happens to him late in the game?! He gets hurt and can’t make it past game 3… couldn’t even give the fans 20 games! Dude is stealing money from Baltimore!
Andino is garbage. Dude thinks he’s a HR hitter. Strikes out as much as Davis or Reynolds (once every 4 AB) and hits 7 HR.
We’ll see how Casilla and Flaherty do – they’re both an upgrade over Swagdino. And again, if he’s “stealing money,” it’s the FO’s fault for extending him for 4 years. That money is guaranteed; once again, might as well see what you can get from him.
So we can’t say “Shocker” when B-Rob gets hurt, but you can call a player (one who loved playing here) “garbage”. That seems fair…
the fact of the matter is baseball players (and athletes in general) cant be trusted because of roids, and their big contracts , plus being coddled have put a damper on the game … The labor disputes have as well. I know i speak for myself when i say i watch baseball but dont love it as much as i did as a kid… I wish the orioles the best always and root for the ravens with a passion..
Shocker
Its not shocking and its not blaming him either. There are plenty of professional athletes who once bitten by the injury bug, continue to suffer from injuries year after year. The #shocker hash tag symbolizes people’s opinions on that for Roberts. Its not surprising at all and many were sadly expecting that this was a very real possibility. But even when you do that, it doesnt mean you are blaming him.
He had no problem impregnating his wife? Really? That doesn’t take nearly as much effort as playing baseball. Ridiculous.