MLB Regular Season 22: The Thread

[Crabcake]

I really don't feel like getting into a long, drawn-out argument over this, and frankly I'm not invested enough in the Orioles these days to hold my own in such an argument, so I'm just going to say my piece and exit stage right.  Feel free to disagree.

 

2 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

First of all, as a general point, criticism over the retiring or non-retiring of a uniform number is perfectly valid. This type of commentary takes nothing away from the current player.

Correct, and maybe I didn't communicate my point well enough.  As a confirmed jersey number nerd I'm always up for some good ol' Jersey Number Dialogue.  But Buster Olney could've complained about Mussina's number not being retired 364 other days of the year.  To bring it up today feels like he's using one of the rare times the Orioles are making national baseball news to take a pot shot at us, which is something he's shown he's more than happy to do whenever he gets the chance.  So my issue is more with timing than anything, I guess.  O's fans have had to endure the worst team in the majors for like 4 years now with very little reason to pay attention to the major league squad.  Let us have our 15 minutes.

 

2 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

Secondly, as to this specific matter, the Orioles absolutely should retire Mussina's number. Mussina's having later played for the Yankees (or any other team) is completely irrelevant.  Mussina deserves this honour from the Orioles, just as Dwight Gooden deserves it from the Mets.

If you look at it purely from a stats perspective, yes.  Mussina was dominant for the O's in the 90's and is rightfully in Cooperstown.  But there's more layers to it than that.  Debate the merits of said layers all you want, this is just what it is.

 

I know Yankees fans don't consider the Orioles as a rival at all (and rightfully so), so the idea of why O's fans have never really forgiven Mussina for wearing pinstripes might be foreign to them.  The O's don't really have a traditional, main rival (the Nats are filling that role now but this was 2000 we're talking about).  Baltimore sports fans also have a raging inferiority complex about them, and this seems to come out in force against New York teams for some reason.  The fact that the Yanks barely even pay attention to us definitely feeds that complex.  All of this to say that even though Yankees fans don't give the Orioles the time of day in terms of a "rivalry," for us O's fans, the Yankees were the closest thing we had to an archrival for a long time.  Moose leaving, specifically to the Yankees, hurt O's fans a lot more than people might realize.  Of course, in general O's fans lay most of the blame for Moose leaving at the feet of Peter Angelos.  But the fact he went to the Yankees still stings for a lot of old-school fans.  Had he signed for, I don't know, the Twins or something, there would be a lot less vitriol and a much higher chance of the jersey retirement happening.

 

The other big thing to consider in all of this is this statement I made:

 

10 hours ago, Crabcake said:

Even if Moose wanted his jersey retired there’s about 5 other Orioles legends who didn’t skip town to a division rival that would deserve it over him.

The Orioles have retired six non-Jackie Robinson numbers: Earl Weaver, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, and Eddie Murray.  That's it.  For a franchise that was one of the AL's elite in the 60's and 70's, that's not really that many, and I don't think you can really argue that the six guys I just listed are the six biggest Orioles legends ever.  But really, really good Orioles like Boog Powell, Dave McNally, Paul Blair, Brady Anderson, and others haven't gotten their uniforms retired either.  Moose isn't the only Oriole who was a star for us that hasn't had his number retired.

 

Anyway, that's my two Lincolns.  That's also the most thought and words I've given to the Orioles in the last several years.

[DEAD!]

I guess the criterion on "retiring" numbers depends on the franchise.

I actually appreciate that the Orioles do not have that many and considering the people whose numbers that the Orioles retired, I just don't see Mussina being in that mix. A type of criticism that Onley describe can be valid, just not in Mussina's case. 

 

[crashcarson15]

1 hour ago, Crabcake said:

The Orioles have retired six non-Jackie Robinson numbers: Earl Weaver, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, and Eddie Murray.  That's it.  For a franchise that was one of the AL's elite in the 60's and 70's, that's not really that many, and I don't think you can really argue that the six guys I just listed are the six biggest Orioles legends ever.  But really, really good Orioles like Boog Powell, Dave McNally, Paul Blair, Brady Anderson, and others haven't gotten their uniforms retired either.  Moose isn't the only Oriole who was a star for us that hasn't had his number retired.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe those are also the only six men enshrined in the Hall of Fame wearing an Orioles hat. Seems like pretty straightforward criteria to me.

[Sport]

Votto homering in Toronto to score the winning run yesterday was a cool moment.

 

Also the Reds are only 4 games back of the Pirates and Cubs...Not finishing in last place would be a minor miracle after that 3-22 run to start the season. 

[TrueYankee26]

On 5/23/2022 at 9:47 AM, Sport said:

Votto homering in Toronto to score the winning run yesterday was a cool moment.

 

Also the Reds are only 4 games back of the Pirates and Cubs...Not finishing in last place would be a minor miracle after that 3-22 run to start the season. 

Reds are waxing the Cubs 15-5 as I type this.

[DoctorWhom]

8 hours ago, TrueYankee26 said:

Reds are waxing the Cubs 15-5 as I type this.

And the Red Sox just trounced the White Sox 16-7. 

 

Nature is healing.

[DEAD!]

I didn't think the Reds had it in them to score 20 runs.... in ONE GAME.

[Dynasty]

The fact they are only a few games back behind PIT and CHC shows how bad those teams are.

[DoctorWhom]

9 hours ago, DEAD! said:

I didn't think the Reds had it in them to score 20 runs.... in ONE GAME.

Gives them an excuse for sucking the rest of the season. 

They used up all their runs in 1 game. 

[JerseyJimmy]

the mets bullpen is bad I think

[Crabcake]

The Sox were up on the O’s by 6 runs on two separate occasions tonight and still allowed 10 unanswered runs to finish 12-8 Birds. El. Oh. El. 
 

I’m not gonna pretend like I’ve actually watched the O’s this year, but they do seem to have a fire about them. Still nowhere near competing but with Adley up, Grayson soon to follow hopefully, there’s actual, real hope and progress. Unbelievable. 

[Shumway]

16 minutes ago, Crabcake said:

The Sox were up on the O’s by 6 runs on two separate occasions tonight and still allowed 10 unanswered runs to finish 12-8 Birds. El. Oh. El. 
 

I’m not gonna pretend like I’ve actually watched the O’s this year, but they do seem to have a fire about them. Still nowhere near competing but with Adley up, Grayson soon to follow hopefully, there’s actual, real hope and progress. Unbelievable. 

 

I hope this isn't the case, but the O's have such a bad track record with their top prospect pitchers. I remember when Bundy, Matusz, Tillman and Britton were going to turn the franchise around. While there was some success, none of them really panned out for Baltimore. I just worry Rodriguez and D.L. Hall are going to go the same way. It just seems like Baltimore has terrible luck when their guys reach the majors.

[DoctorWhom]

Boston's Bullpen has just been such a trash fire. It seems like that can't hold a lead for anything. 

[See Red]

 

[Sport]

Reds Report!

 

- Reds win a game at Fenway for the first time since Game 7 of the 1975 World Series.

 

- After going 3-18 in April the Reds just posted a winning record in May. Stupid sport. The Reds passed the Nationals and Royals last night and no longer own the worst record in baseball, which is remarkable because at 3-22 they looked to have a death-grip not only on the worst record in the league, but on one of the all-time worst records in the modern era. Now they're just a normal, run-of-the-mill bad team at 17-31. I kind of miss the days when they were cosmically bad because it stuck it in Phil Castellini's fat stupid face every day. 

 

- They're now 2.5 back of the Cubs. 4 back of the Pirates. Coming in third place is my only rooting interest for the rest of the season. 

 

- Also notable: last night Joey Votto hit the top of the wall in right center and it bounced back into play for a double, two at-bats later he hit the top of the Green Monster, same thing. He was 4 inches away from two homeruns, but instead scored zero runs and ended up with two doubles. He could probably take BP all day not hit the top of the wall again. What're the chances? 

 

This has been your semi-regular Reds Report.

[DEAD!]

It had just occurred to me that there is a minor league player named.... FIdel Castro

https://www.milb.com/player/fidel-castro-669858

[McCall]

9 hours ago, DEAD! said:

It had just occurred to me that there is a minor league player named.... FIdel Castro

https://www.milb.com/player/fidel-castro-669858

And he plays for the Reds. Seriously.

[DEAD!]

44 minutes ago, McCall said:

And he plays for the Reds. Seriously.

It would have been funnier if he was with the Yankees.

[McCall]

2 hours ago, DEAD! said:

It would have been funnier if he was with the Yankees.

He doesn't have a teammate named Kennedy, does he?

[Shumway]

Wonder who the next guy Phillies' fans are going to be clamoring to be fired is