You Gotta Laugh – Orioles & Ravens Quotes
Jan 6, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis (52) does his dance prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts before the AFC Wild Card playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
This is the fourth edition of a new feature here on The Baltimore Wire. We’ll pick out some of the best quotes from recent days and compile them in one place. The Orioles & Ravens will be the main focus, just as they are on the blog. But we will also pull in the Terps and other Maryland sports quotes and links to stories.
1. Buck Showalter is yet to challenge an umpire’s call under the new system. He talks about it quite a bit, and sounds often to be something of a skeptic about it. I had to laugh at this quote from Roch’s MASN column, “I miss arguing. I do. I was talking to Rick Dempsey last night after the game. I’m thinking, ‘Could you imagine Earl (Weaver) not being able to vent that frustration, never being able to argue all year?’”
That really is a funny take on the situation. Earl Weaver would feel like a part of the game was taken away from him if he had to manage in this context.
2. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was asked by the Golf Channel if, when he is having a good day on the course, does he break out and do Ray Lewis’ signature squirrel dance. He said, “Ray asked me, ‘Please stop trying it.’ I tried it a couple of times. It’s not a good look for an old white guy.”
3. It is no secret that the Orioles’ Zach Britton would like to be a starter, but for now he is having a great effect as a reliever. This is a new sort of job that, of course, requires a new mindset and preparation – dealing with the uncertainty of it most every day. Apparently he has been driving the others in the bullpen crazy with his questions. Britton said, “I’m picking everyone’s ears on that one. I’m probably getting annoying. ‘Should I get warmed up now?’ I’m looking at pitch counts. They are looking at who’s coming up in the lineup, where we are in the game … It’s going to be a six-month process for me. It’s a new gig…”
4. The NY Yankees opened the season without a home run until Brett Gardner hit one in game six. The LoHud Yankees blog noted: “This is only the fifth time since 1923 that the Yankees have started a season by going five games without a home run.”
The blog also quoted Yankee skipper Joe Girardi as quipping: “I believe we’re going to hit one, I do.”
5. After Chris Tillman outdueled Justin Verlander in Detroit, Orioles MLB writer Brittany Ghiroli quoted the Detroit pitcher referencing how he and teammate Max Scherzer spent time together with Tillman at the 2013 All-Star Game talking about pitching. Verlander said, “Maybe now I regret telling him anything!”
6. When starting this new feature column, I knew that Adam Jones was going to be a likely contributor. Sure enough – he got a lot of quotes last week about fans running onto the field after getting a bit drunk. Jones got some criticism for this, but that won’t be coming from me. He said, “I get it, you’re drunk and you want to be on SportsCenter. Your (butt) is going to jail with a fine and you might not be allowed to come back to the ballpark. I remember a couple of years ago, one dude broke his ankle in Baltimore. I was laughing at him. I wish he shattered his femur because it’s stupid. It’s just plain old stupid. Anybody who does it, I wish the cops tase the living (crap) out of them. I wish that.”
7. I really like this next Adam Jones remark. When asked about the Yankees’ new pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, he said, “Why don’t you ask Tanaka about me? I’m the one who’s been over here in the major leagues for a while. Congratulations, he did it over there. Don’t make it like he’s the dirtiest guy in the world. He was 24-0 — in Japan.”
8. Another regular in this column will be Tommy Hunter. After winning the travel day game in New York, Hunter demonstrated his difficulties with keeping track of the days of the week. He said, “It’s going to be a happy flight. Any time you win on a get-away day, you enjoy the flight back home. We’ve got a day off tomorrow, recoup and get back out there on whatever day that is when we get home… What is today? Wednesday? … On Friday. That’s the thing. They all run together.”