O's might be out of the race, but they're not easy to beat
Kevin Millar brought up an interesting point before last night's game against the White Sox.
He and I were talking about the difference between being a last place team [as the Orioles are], and being an easy team to beat; which the Orioles are not.
Millar said his team has played hard all year, and there isn't a team out there that sees the Orioles as a guaranteed win regardless of the standings.
Millar pointed to the series against the Yankees as an example. The Orioles battled back and had a chance to win two of three against the Bronx Bombers. It didn't happen. A few mistakes and an overall lack of starting pitching resulted in close losses. The Birds were swept for the fifth time this season.
The schedule isn't getting easier for the Orioles. Their next three series are against the White Sox, Rays and Red Sox. All three teams are in the playoff hunt, and Millar said the Orioles have to find a way to get in the 'W' column if for no one else but themselves.
Good finishes resonate into the offseason and can give a team momentum going into Sring Training. Plus, playing spoiler boosts team morale and gains respect around the league.
It's not a role any team wants to fill at the end of the season. Obviously, they'd rather be the ones making a push for the postseason, but now that the Orioles are out of the race, they have to find motivation somewhere.
The Orioles' desire to finish strong this year is a big change from years past when September was the time to pack it in. It shows that the organization's biggest accomplishment this year has been changing the losing culture of the club. It's clear these Orioles want to win, and will have a good foundation to build on in 2009.
Ironically, the one veteran rallying the troops for the strong finish is Kevin Millar. There's a decent chance he might not be on the Orioles roster in 2009 to enjoy the fruit of his labor.
Millar is a free agent after 2008.
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Categories (click for archive)Amber Theoharis | MASNblogs |
Amber
The Orioles are playing almost all games tight. They make for fan interest. You know and I that they need plenty of pitchers!
Well said Amber.
Hi Amber!
I personally hope we keep Millar. His leadership is exactly what we need, especially with our young guys. It doesn't even matter what his skills are; when a young player sees that he still rallies the troops no matter how blique things are, it HAS to give them a level of confidence people wouldn't expect to have being out of the playoff hunt.
As for our team, I find it hard to believe that in keeping this same team (aside from the pitching, of course) together, we will not see any improvement. I know everyone talks about winning the last bit of the season to gain momentum for the following year, but I think this is one case where we can use the ENTIRE season as momentum for next year. The reason I say that is because of how we fight in each and every game. That should give the players a lot of confidence in how they approach games.
Down here in Newport News, VA, people see the O's magnets on my Jeep (mostly NY and Sox fans) and aren't discreet about their opinions. But those are mostly the ones that look at wins and losses and that's it, having no idea what a team even looks like on the diamond.
I feel that the O's are just like the Ravens, and that's why I hate the term "rebuilding". Almost everyone says that if we had better pitching this year, we definitely would NOT be close to where we are now. A player here and there, and we're right back in it. Our team numbers are among the best in the league...so is the Ravens' D. With the Ravens, it's the QB...with the O's, it's the pitching. When our team has put up the numbers that we have, pitching is about the ONLY issue there, and that's just in my opinion.
The beauty of being in last place is that there is no where to go but up...and we are certainly headed that way.
Amber,
We love Millah, we just want him coming off the bench. He works the count well and is the best clubhouse guy around. Let the young guys play in September and let's see some waiver deals for guys like Millah.
G Mac
#1 Amber Fan
Aloha Ms Amber,
Very well written piece. Millar has been a god-send in the veteran leadership this team needs. Everyone wants to have a younger more explosive team, yet it takes the guidance of a Millar to mentor our youngsters to new heights in the future. Sadly, I believe he will not be here next year but it won't be for a lack of effort and leadership on his part.
The O's are now moving in a spoiler role for these other teams who are in the playoff hunt. No longer can teams just chalk up the "W" vs. the Birds. This team has heart and passion and work well together. It was quoted right before opening day from a former COMCAST-now-moved-to-ESPNNEWS journalist that this team "could potentially be the worst in all of baseball". Far from it! It will take some fine tuning but the players here now and the vast potential showing in the Minors prove that McPhail knows what he is doing and it will only be a short matter of time until it's the O's turn to be the "next Rays".
Mahalo.