Where do we go from here with these O's?
Well I know what you all must be saying after this last homestand. Here they go again!
But dont dispair, things aren't as bad as they seem. The win/loss record isn't going to change that much from last year, but as for the team, a lot of good things have happened.
Take the newest addition to the line-up for instance, Lou Montanez.
At the beginning of the year, I didn't even know who he was or what he was capable of doing. I was thinking, 'the Orioles are never going to develop a right-handed hitter with any power in my lifetime,' and then there he was.
He gets his first Major League at bat in L.A., and on the 2nd pitch he sees, he blasts one over the centerfield fence.
Hey great, okay, lucky swing; lets see what he does next? Wow, another line drive base hit to left. He hasn't stopped hitting yet, and I love his swing and his Major League approach.
And on top of it all, he hustles like every play is the last play of the World Series, and thats refreshing - Go to the head of the class.
I think he may need some work on his defense, but with what I have seen so far, the ability to adjust will not be a problem.
He's not the only gem we have here now and there is more coming quickly. You'd be surprised to see how fast things can change when players bring the right mentality to the table.
Hey
☆ DONT PITCH TO PENA!☆
Rick,
As I stated in some of Amber's blogs, I find it hard to believe that another year putting up the team numbers that we have can't produce better results concerning wins and losses. I think that some of the games haven't gone our way, but I think this team should be kept together. I know that wouldn't be a popular opinion, but if we start trying to change everything, I think that's a step backwards in building a TEAM, no matter who we manage to get. We have great young talent in Jones and Markakis, great veteran leadership in Millar, and great pitching in...oh...um, well, we're getting there. But I think a lot of us love the team that's been put together and the numbers we've put up. Aside from the pitching, I hope things stay as they are, and maybe we can look at our numbers and take at least some momentum into next year.
You're right; it's the MENTALITY more than it is anything else. You can have great players all day, but the wrong mindset, and you don't get nearly what you expect. Let's take the Yankees...they have underachieved every year since they've won the World Series, despite who they have (then again, anything short of a World Series would be "underachieving"). And how much have they TRULY done since A-Rod has come there? Even Randy Johnson didn't add a whole lot more than was already there.
Teamwork beats out talent any day of the week, as you probably are well aware of. I guess maybe it's wishful thinking that the team concept will start to work for us, but as you said, the mentality that we have as a team is definitely a great place to start. I'm sure any pitchers we get can and will see what our mentality is.