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Tejada's first visit to Baltimore since trade brings mixed reactions
Miguel Tejada returned to Camden Yards as an Astro last night and went 0-for. The Baltimore crowd didn't receive the former Oriole All-Star very well. From his first at-bat until his last, Tejada was booed by the crowd.
It's understandable. Tejada made it clear he didn't want to be an Oriole and demanded to be traded in both the 2005 and 2006 off-seasons. Baltimore fans have no tolerance for athletes who don't want to play here. Tejada shouldn't have been surprised at the reception.
Interestingly, Tejada holds Orioles club records for most RBI (150), hits (214) and doubles (50, tied with Brian Roberts) in a season. Still, it's doubtful he'll ever be mentioned as an "Oriole Great" by fans and media. There's a sense in this town that with Tejada's trade demands and questionable moral standards (i.e. steroids investigations), he isn't worthy of that title. The same is true for Rafael Palmeiro. It's as if their off-the-field actions have erased their on-field achievements while wearing the orange and black. Still, they are both in the record books.
When Tejada was traded, the biggest concern was that the O's lineup would be lacking power. Well, it seems they haven't missed a beat. Luke Scott came over in that trade and has hit 11HR this year. Tejada has just 9HR. Plus, you have to consider the major contributions Matt Albers and Dennis Sarfate have made to the O's bullpen. They also came to Baltimore in the Tejada trade.
Somebody should have warned Tejada to be careful what he wishes for. He said he wanted to be traded because he wanted to win. Well, his wish came true---he was traded, but to a team that is currently 5-games under .500. Meanwhile the O's are 1-game over .500 without him.
Steve,
You don't have to agree. I just know that I don't like to hear a player complaining about being here when the going gets tough. I got all that about the changing of managers, but bottom line, he didn't want to be here.
How can I accuse him of now wanting to be here when he played every game? Hmm...let's see...he's getting paid millions of dollars to play so he has no choice. And let's talk about building up his market value so when he finally does get traded he gets the bigger contract. Not that hard to understand. There may be more, but sports is not some underground where fans understand nothing that happens. When you want to be traded and you don't get it, you have to play, bottom line. Just because he did doesn't mean he wanted to stay here.
What I dont' get about your comments is about how you're still happy with the trade despite supporting Tejada. And the fact that he didn't get a standing ovation, guess what? He didn't deserve one. Players are supposed to play. In the Army, it's not professional for us to complain when we have to change bosses or units. We just have to continue on without letting the world know our grief.
Of course he's put with a lot, but so have everyone else. That comes with making the millions, my friend. If there's so much about him that we don't know about, then inform us. But as fans, especially the loyal ones that follow them even when they are struggling, we hear a player say he wants to be traded because we're not "doing enough to win in the offseason" (something to that effect), then don't expect a standing ovation. If he played and kept his mouth shut, that's another story entirely.
Most of you seem to have forgotten, the lack of hustle, in Miggy, he was a loafer, and seldom ever run out a grounder, and often made a double into a single, etc, So good luck in Houston, no bad luck intended, just something about rich over paid contracts, that seem to show a lack of hustle when they get those big contracts. And his fielding at shortstop, leaves a lot to be desired.................
Amber-
How do you feel about his time here? You seem objective in your blog. You mentioned his trade demands (I don't even think you can classify what he said as a 'demand'... more like a suggested possibility) turned Baltimore fans off from him but you also mention the three offensive records he set/tied in his brief four years here. Do you see him as a guy who lied to the city of Baltimore when promising the losing would end? Or do you see him as an extraordinary ballplayer who was lied to by a defunct front office with their own empty promises?
Robert-
I agree with nothing you say. Miggie came here not knowing that the team was going to change GMs three times or have two midseason managerial changes. He didn't know he was gonna get thrown under the bus by a teammate trying to cover his own behind. He didn't know Javy Lopez was gonna break his hand in the middle of the 2005 season and he definitely didn't know that they were gonna acquire Mr. Samuel Sosa.
I'd say he put up with a lot over four years, can you agree to that? But still, even after his first trade 'demand' he came back and said he didn't want a trade, he wanted to win. Hell, the guy was trying to help the front office recruit Soriano and Carlos Lee after that, but the two headed monster of FlanQuette wouldn't do ANYTHING but throw out lowball offers until they were outbid (sometimes they weren't outbid - Jason Schmidt signed a $47 million contract and the O's reportedly offered him $48 million...).
I mean... how can you sit there and accuse him of not wanting to be there when he was there playing every single game until he broke his wrist (and still trying to play with a broken wrist)? Don't think the Orioles have just hit tough luck over the past ten years. They were a poorly run organization until MacPhail took over and MASN really started rolling.
And for the record, I'm happy with the trade. We destroyed two teams with trades this past off season and we improved dramatically by doing it. I just think most O's fans are being ignorant and displacing their anger at ten years of losing on a quality player who was literally wasting his time here trying to beat the Yankees and Red Sox by himself. He deserved a standing ovation on Tuesday night and didn't get one. That upset me. End.
P.S. Amber you're great:)
I would have booed him too. When a player talks about being traded just ONE time, I say get rid of him. You're right about the winning. I hope we sweep them, and then he can see exactly what he left. I want no part of him on our team. It's a slap in the face to the whole organization when you accuse them of not wanting to win, or not trying hard enough to make the moves YOU (Tejada) want them to make. But I'm glad we're doing much better...many times, you get rid of one star player, and you get a couple mediocre players in return. That is, players who aren't necessarily known for power. What we have are a collection of players that can ALL produce, rather than just one, and if he can't then we're just out of luck. None of that this year. I'm glad we got rid of him. The way I see it, if you don't want to say, don't let the doorknob hit you where...you know the rest.