The 2014 Orioles - A Team of Destiny?

No need to calculate any of those magic numbers folks, the Baltimore Orioles are now officially the champs of the American League East. The birds clinched the division last night with an impressive 8-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

I have been watching baseball for long time and, to me, this year's run to the play-offs has been nothing short of amazing. Throughout the season, the Orioles have fought off adversity which came in the form of key injuries and timely suspensions. However, as things looked rather dismal, the players seemed to use the dilemma-du-jour as a rallying cry.

O's manager, Buck Showalter, has visibly changed the culture of this team over the past few years. When he came to Baltimore, Buck took over a team that almost seemed to accept their role as a perennial loser. The Oriole Magic was gone during those 15 years of losing seasons. And many long-time fans grew tired of watching a lackluster team that seemed to be out of contention by the All-Star break.

The team that we're watching today is a completely different. There's a camaraderie among these guys that is reminiscent of the 70's and early 80's teams. In a nutshell, they believe in themselves. And as added bonus, the players on this team seem to genuinely like each other. In a time of high-dollar egos, this is quite an accomplishment.

All season long, I have seen these guys cheer for one another. When one guy hits a home-run, the rest of the team celebrates as if they hit it themselves. When a player makes an impressive defensive play, you'll see the O's pitcher giving him an immediate nod of acknowledgment. And even when things sometimes get hot, the players yield to their skipper to handle things*. Buck has control of this team, as a manager should, and the players respect that.

*(The rare exception is the Manny Machado meltdown against the Oakland A's earlier this season. But I'm sure Buck had long talk with the young star afterward. He'll be ok...)

The by-product of all this is the rekindled relationship with the fans. I don't think I've ever seen so many people proudly wearing their Oriole apparel around town. This team now has a personality and the fans have responded with a barrage of enthusiasm. Watching Adam Jones celebrate with the people in the stands after last night's victory will go down as one of those special O's moments. There is an undeniable connection that now exists between the players and the fans.

As the team celebrated on the field last night, Buck Showalter remained perched on the top step of the dugout. You could see him beaming with pride as he watched his players soak up the moment. And when someone inevitably gives him credit for the success of this team, he almost always defers the credit to his players. Buck is a class act. And he may not be Earl Weaver, but he's definitely worthy of mentioning in the same sentence.

As the team moves forward, there's no telling how things will work out. But if you believe it yourself, anything is possible. I am more than just proud of this team, I have fallen in love with them. Oriole Magic is definitely back. And it feels pretty damned good!

Our dear friend, Chuck Thompson, is probably looking down right now and saying, "Ain't the beer cold!"

Yes, it is, Chuck. Yes, it is.........

kw

My All-Time O's Line-Up

I was talking with some friends the other night about the all-time greatest Baltimore Orioles. Although there were many great ones, putting them into any particular order is often harder than you would think. If you're basing it purely on something that is measurable, like statistics, then you can likely rank them in an agreeable order. However, the statistics don;t always tell the whole story.

So, for my all-time Oriole list, I will admit that I wasn't totally objective. I've based my list on statistics as well as the perception that I have of the player's impact on the game. I expect to get some arguments and disagreements from my fellow O's fans, but here is what I've come up with......

1st Base - Eddie Murray

Murray, in my opinion, was the best hitter in Oriole's history. No major league pitcher ever wanted to face Eddie when the game was on the line. He was a serious threat from either side of the plate and, hands-down, the best clutch hitter that I've ever seen. Belting out 343 HR's as an Oriole, he's second only to Cal Ripken on the all-time list. Murray was also very good with the glove as he won three consecutive Gold Glove Awards at 1st Base. It's amazing that Eddie never won an MVP award. He was runner-up in 1982 and 1983. 

Honorable Mention: Jim Gentile, Boog Powell, Lee May, Rafael Palmiero

2nd Base - Roberto Alomar

I'll probably take some heat for this one, mainly because Alomar only played three seasons for the Birds. But during those three years, he had a huge impact. He helped propel the O's to a long-awaited trip back to the playoffs in '96 and '97. He was an above average switch-hitter and decent threat to steal a base. His defense was legendary, making him arguably the best defensive second baseman of all-time.

Honorable Mention: Brian Roberts, Bobby Grich

Shortstop - Cal Ripken Jr.

This one doesn't seem to need an explanation. But believe it or not, I have heard people argue that Ripken was over-rated and, if not for the consecutive games streak, he would be just another "decent" shortstop. Although he had more at-bats than the average player, Ripkens numbers speak for themselves. He's the Oriole's all-time leader in base-hits, doubles, homeruns and RBI's. He was also a brilliant defensive shortstop. Although he eventually won two Gold Gloves, he was often overlooked for some of the more flashy shortstops. For instance, in 1990, Ripken made only three errors all season, finishing with a mind-numbing .996 fielding percentage. But for some reason, the voters decided that Chicago's Ozzie Guillen was more deserving that particular year.

Honorable Mention: Luis Aparicio, Mike Bordick, Mark Belanger, JJ Hardy

3rd Base - Brooks Robinson

My personal all-time favorite baseball player, Brooks paved the road for the "Oriole way". Always had pop in his bat and he's considered by many to be the best defensive 3rd Baseman ever. Aside from what he did on the field, Brooks was a true gentleman and genuine role model that we all looked up to. 

Honorable Mention: Doug DeCinces, Melvin Mora, Cal Ripken Jr., Miguel Tejada

Left Field - BJ Surhoff

Left field is perhaps the hardest position to pick a "best Oriole". There have have many players who have moved in and out of LF through the years. But the one who played the most consistently and I believe is worthy if the title is Surhoff. The guy was a hard-nosed player reminiscent of Pete Rose. He played baseball that way it was supposed to be played.

Honorable Mention: Gary Roenicke, John Lowenstein, Mike Devereaux

Center Field - Paul Blair

Blair, an eight-time Gold Glover, was like a gazelle in center field. His offensive numbers may not have been great, but Blair's presence in the line up was felt. He had occasional power and decent speed. He was instrumental in Baltimore's '66 and '70 Championship seasons.

Honorable Mention: Adam Jones, Al Bumbry, Brady Anderson

Right Field - Frank Robinson

Frank Robinson was probably the player who was most responsible for initiating the Oriole's run of successful seasons. Joining the team in 1966, he won the Triple Crown and led the Orioles to their very first Championship season. An incredible player all the way around.

Honorable Mention: Ken Singleton, Nick Markakis

Catcher - Chris Hoiles

Hoiles was a good defensive catcher with plenty of pop in his bat. He played his whole career for the O's (1989-1998) finishing up with 151 homeruns. Hoiles was also one of the few players who hit very well off of fire-baller Randy Johnson. 

Honorable Mention: Matt Wieters, Rick Dempsey

Designated Hitter - Ken Singleton

The DH is tricky because at some point, almost any American League player can find themselves serving this role. But I'm going to pick Ken Singleton here. The guy was a solid hitter with respectable power. He is still in the Oriole's top 10 list for hits.

Honorable Mention: Harold Baines

Starting Pitcher - Jim Palmer

No surprise here. Palmer is the all-time wins leader (268) for the O's. There will never be another pitcher like him in Baltimore. He had eight 20-win seasons and won the Cy Young Award three times. He was also an excellent fielder at his position, earning four Gold Gloves. Among his impressive feats, he's the youngest player (age 20) to pitch a shutout in a World Series game and he's the only pitcher ever to win a World series game in three different decades. Palmer also had 211 (no, that's not a typo) complete games during his career. And perhaps even most astonishing, in 19 years, Palmer never gave up a Grand Slam! 

Honorable Mention: Dave McNally, Mike Cuellar, Mike Mussina, Milt Pappas, Robin Roberts, Mike Flanagan, Scott McGregor

Closing Pitcher - Gregg Olson

The all-time saves leader for the O's, Olson knew how to get it done. He had decent heat but his curveball, at times, looked like an optical illusion. Opposing batters would practically jump out of the way as Olson's breaking ball eventually made it's way over the meaty part of the plate. I used to love watching this guy pitch!

Honorable Mention: Tippy Martinez, Randy Myers, Stu Miller, Jim Johnson

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Again, these choices are my personal opinions which I based on statistics along with my personal recollections of these players. When you factor in your personal feelings, there are legitimate arguments for many different scenarios. In the past, I have debated these things for hours in length at bars, ballgames, parties, etc. I have no doubt that I'll be talking about it again before long......

kw