Reality: Orioles prospect Josh Hart met Hall-of-Famer Frank Robinson in the hallway of the Orioles spring training club house and didn’t know who he was.
Perception: I guess I just don’t get it. I’m not the most knowledgeable about history, but I would have thought there were some players that just about everyone knew about, no matter their age. Josh Hart met Frank Robinson, and Buck Showalter asked him if he knew who Frank was. Josh said no. He knew he was famous, but didn’t know who he was or why he was famous. So Buck had him write a one-page paper to learn who Robinson was. By doing the paper, Hart learned that Robinson was a 14-time All Star and went to four World Series.
Listen, I know not everyone knows the history of every player. But Frank Robinson? I would think any one that has grown up playing baseball, college baseball, and now minor league baseball would know who Frank Robinson is.
It was even shocking for me to learn that Eddie Murray said when he was the hitting coach for the Cleveland Indians that young players didn’t know who he was. I just shake my head at that.
O's prospect Josh Hart unaware of Frank Robinson. Eddie Murray told me when he was CLE hitting coach- young players didn't know who he was.
— Mark Viviano (@MarkWJZ) February 25, 2014
I love what Buck did, and I love that Hart did not see it as punishment (which it wasn’t) but as a chance to really learn about a great player.
Reality: The Orioles Opening Day payroll is expected to be about $105 million, which would be the largest in franchise history.
Perception: Manager Buck Showalter will have his hands full with a lot of decisions to make about who will be on that Opening Day roster. Dan Duquette brought in a ton of players during the slow months of the off-season, but the players brought in over the last couple of weeks will be starters, so what does that mean for all the other players?
Some have said that the Orioles have six players in their starting lineup that could hit 20+ home runs, including Chris Davis, Adam Jones, Nelson Cruz, JJ Hardy, Matt Wieters, and Manny Machado. That only leaves Nick Markakis, David Lough, and Ryan Flaherty under that mark.
However, in just 85 games last season, Flaherty had 10 HR, so with a full season, he also could hit 20. And Markakis has hit 20+ twice in his career, though not since 2008.
As good as the lineup was last year, this year’s lineup is so much more dangerous. I’m looking forward to it.
With those nine hitters, and then Chris Tillman, Ubaldo Jimenez, Wei-Yin Chen, Miguel Gonzalez, and Bud Norris as your starting five, plus Darren O’Day, Ryan Webb, Tommy Hunter, Brian Matusz, Suk-min Yoon, and Zach Britton in the bullpen, that leaves just five positions left on the bench.
Nolan Reimold and Steve Pearce are out of options and are good OF/DH back-ups. Alexi Casilla will probably make the team as the utility player. Steve Clevenger has a shot at making the club as the back-up catcher, which leaves just one spot left… a 7th bullpen arm, or another bat. I think Buck prefers the extra arm and it will be between T.J. McFarland, Josh Stinson, and Steve Johnson as the long-relief guy.
Reality: Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith is trying to turn Major League Baseball’s Opening Day into a National Holiday.
Perception: In order for the White House to consider it, it needs 100,000 signatures by March 26th. You can see it at either www.WhiteHouse.gov or www.Budweiser.com
Listen, I get it! I absolutely love baseball’s Opening Day, but if it hasn’t become a National Holiday yet, it never will be. Years ago, when baseball was America’s most popular sport, would have been the time it could have happened. But the NFL is America’s sport right now, and if Super Bowl Sunday isn’t a National Holiday, then MLB’s Opening Day won’t be. Kids will just have to continue to miss school and parents will continue to miss work for the mid-afternoon games.
Reality: The Philadelphia Phillies AAA team, the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs will wear a hat with a picture of a strip of bacon on it.
Perception: I think everyone just found a new favorite minor league team.
I mean, who doesn’t love bacon, and a team that has bacon on their hat? Perfect! But I do have word from another minor league team in the south that will be giving away bacon during a home game this year… Free bacon? Even better than wearing fake bacon! I’m there!
One Response
Good article, Joe! In business, you always want to learn about the company culture, which normally means learning about the history of the organization and key people who preceded you. Not so much with baseball, I guess. Eddie Murray’s story is even more surprising and disappointing. As a player, maybe you don’t care as much about team history, because it is all about what he (the player) is trying to do to make a contribution and survive the cuts. But that is exactly why Murray – as a coach – is to critical. I would think that any player would want to know who each of his coaches are, in terms of why the heck they are in their positions, which in turn tells the player about why he should listen to each individual coach! Anyone that does not do that would seem to be a little short-sighted.