O's Weekend: Take Note
Orioles fans (and players, manager and coaches, and front office) can breathe out for a minute after a 3-game sweep of Boston. Ty Wiggnton told me in the post-game clubhouse that the good feeling lasts about 10 minutes, then it's on to the next challenge: 3 games at Yankee Stadium. No, the weekend sweep doesn't save what's been a disastrous start to the season but maybe it saves me a day of having to hear what a horrible manager Dave Trembley is. Is Trembley a good manager who knows? Was he a better manager this weekend? Not really. So what happened that they were able to beat Boston 3 straight? Well, Baltimore's players were better than Boston's players for 3 games. Yep, there it is again: players win baseball games and the Orioles have played better lately. Managerial moves can make a difference in games, no doubt, but the success and failure of those moves come down to how well the players execute when put into the positions they're called on to pitch, hit, run or field. Terry Crowley must've coached the heck out of those Oriole hitters this weekend: they scored 12 runs on Saturday and hit 5 home runs! Trembley is a genius for moving Jones to the lead-off spot in the absence of Brian Roberts and pitching coach Rick Kranitz is a miracle worker for the much-maligned Matt Albers earning a win in relief. How silly does all of that sound? I hope it sounds real silly because that's the stuff I hear some fans saying to the opposite when the team is failing: Trembley can't manage, Crowley can't coach hitting, and Kranitz is a failed pitching coach. Did you hear what Trembley said in his post-game comments after the 3rd straight win over Boston on Sunday? He said, "It's the players." Thanks, skip I appreciate the validation of my personal belief that primarily it's the guys between the lines who win and lose games. And, clearly the Orioles don't have as many good players as the other teams in the A.L. East. It doesn't mean that can't win some games here and there and when they win 3 in a row, 4 out of 6 on a home stand, and 5 of 7 overall it's noteworthy. But make the note of who played well and how well they played. Nick Markakis 7 hits in 12 at-bats, 5 RBI on Saturday...Adam Jones 7 for 14, 3 runs scored in Saturday...Ty Wigginton 3 for 8, 2 HR Saturday and game-winning RBI on Sunday....Miguel Tejada 6 for 11 with a couple of clutch hits in the win on Friday including the game-winner in the 10th inning. In summary: I'm taking time during a winning streak to point out that when the players perform well, the team is more apt to win games, as opposed to the tiresome practice of suggesting (when the team does poorly) it's a managerial issue.
Just my opinion. Call me on the show and tell me otherwise if you believe so. I always enjoy the conversation.
