Major League Baseball Announces “All-Decade” Team for Orioles
2010 begins a new decade and could there have been a worse decade for the Baltimore Orioles?
It was 0-10 for the decade, not a single winning season looking much more like the St. Louis Browns the hapless team that was hustled out of Sportsman’s Park virtually unnoticed to become the Baltimore Orioles in 1954, a miserable team that would play .500 ball in 1957 showing the potential for what would become a winning team in the 1960’s, 1970’s, and 1980’s, and at least playing to five winning seasons in the 90’s with two playoff appearances.
Within hours of losing to Cleveland in the American League Championship Series in 1997, a season where the Orioles were in first place for every single day of the season, the unraveling began, as Davey Johnson resigned under pressure and General Manager Pat Gillick also resigned. A series of boneheaded moves, a virtually nonexistent farm system, and miserable lack of leadership began to set in with a losing record though just below .500 in 1998 and never having a winning season since. Remember the Albert Belle signing? How about Syd Thrift’s rambling press conferences on organization moves sounding like Foghorn Legborne with Alzheimer’s disease?
As such the Orioles tumbled from being one of professional sports’ most respected operations to joining the ranks of the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Clippers, and start and park NASCAR teams.
How bad was the last decade? Let’s look at the recently released team of the decade published by Major League Baseball. Look over the list. Little commentary is necessary!
Player
C Ramon Hernandez
1B Jeff Conine
2B Brian Roberts
SS Miguel Tejada
3B Melvin Mora
OF Jay Gibbons
OF Adam Jones
OF Nick Markakis
DH Aubrey Huff
SP Rodrigo Lopez
SP Erik Bedard
SP Jeremy Guthrie
SP Sidney Ponson
SP Daniel Cabrera
SU B.J. Ryan
CL Jorge Julio
MGR Mike Hargrove
DANIEL CABRERA IS THE 5th STARTER FOR THE ALL DECADE TEAM??? Doesn’t that say it all?
The brightest spot is at second base. Brian Roberts could be the bridge between the Orioles legacy through Cal Ripken to a possible winning team in the near future. He’s done everything to be expected of an all star second baseman and leadoff hitter while being a great model player in the community spending much time with ailing kids in local hospitals.
Nick Markakis and Adam Jones are two thirds of what could be one of the best outfield ensembles in all of baseball.
Surely Melvin Mora deserves an unsung hero’s award. Becoming the Orioles’ starting third baseman with the retirement of Cal Ripken, he was a dependable bat in an often miserable lineup and fielded his position well becoming the player to man the hot corner second only to Brooks Robinson in games played at third.
Seeing the inclusion of Jay Gibbons and Sydney Ponson confirms what Orioles fans suspected all too often in the last ten years. Yes some of the Orioles truly were dopes.
2010 begins a new decade and the Orioles have a great outfield, one of the most promising young players at catcher, and a superb double-play combination at shortstop and second bass. Three of the Orioles starters are products of the Orioles organization or acquired via rebuilding trades engineered by Andy McPhail. There are more future Birds close to being ready who will likely spend 2010 in Norfolk.
The next decade should show a much better team than what disgraced Camden Yards for the past decade. Will they be good enough to take on the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, time will tell, but ten years from now, we feel confident there will be no embarrassments like Daniel Cabrera and Sydney Ponson.
For those looking for hope, consider the list above as representing supposedly the best for the entire past ten years. Compare that to the lineup that will take the field on opening day and decide which team you would rather watch.
The future’s so bright we gotta wear shades.
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