It is almost here. Finally.
The Orioles will open the season on the road in Tampa on Friday and I for one can not wait any longer. This is of course the time of year when we all start to lok ahead with stars in our eyes and hope in the cockles of our hearts. ESPN has weighed in and, as expected, has predicted the Orioles to be an also-ran once again. As usual the Yankees and Red Sox are picked to be the class of the division.
You really can’t argue with them or be that. Until the Orioles play at a level that resembles “competitive” in some way they will be an afterthought. They will not open the season on ESPN unless they are playing sacrificial lamb to the Red Sox or Yankees. Young pitching prospects will be overlooked while the national media does backflips trying to convince itself that Sergio Mitre and Ivan Nova and a late signing of Kevin Millwood is enough to fill out a legitimate rotation. Until Nick Markakis gets his gold glove, Adam Jones hits that 20th homer and Matt Wieters starts hitting like one of the lesser apostles, as opposed to switch-hitting Jesus, we will be forgotten.
Deal with it Baltimore.
Maybe that is why Buck Showalter’s comments last week made me so happy. At least someone in a leadership position on the team is talking the talk, as it were. At least we don’t have to act like the forgotten cousin of the AL East even if it works out like that again.
But, could this be “the year”?
Perhaps, I hope so anyway, but I still have some concerns.
I am bothered by the seeming uncertainty in the first trip through the rotation. Guthrie gets the OD start followed by Matusz; then Tillman and Arrieta. The off day allows the Orioles to skip a starter meaning Brad Bergesen will start the year in the bullpen until the next trip through the rotation where he will be the presumed fifth starter – unless the Orioles call up Zach Britton. The rotation is the key to the entire Orioles season and starting it off a little shaky leaves me with a bit of unease. If it wasn’t springtime inconsistency it was line drives being bounced off the various limbs of our pitchers. All of this combined to leave much of the rotation in flux until the last day of Spring Training games. We all know that Spring Training is not always the best indicator of success in the regular season but one always wants to see key players and positions finishing strong as opposed to the Orioles rotation which sort of stumbled across the finish line while dodging line drives, so to speak.
I am bothered by Wieters not showing any real power. No homers from Matt in ST. His bat did heat up late in the exhibition season and we started to see RBI and doubles; and doubles usually lead to homeruns so that is a good sign. However, Matt is so important to the team’s 2011 season and the future that until I start seeing a consistent level of play from Matt I will always feel a little weary.
But soon it won’t matter. Soon the glorious Opening Day will be upon us and for a brief time these concerns and all others will melt away in a haze of green grass, hotdogs, cold beer and warm Summer nights. And those warm Summer nights will come, even the season is starting in the cold drizzle of March.
