Baltimore Orioles: The Stories Behind the Story

Oct 10, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; The Orioles mascot entertains fans in the seventh inning stretch in game one of the 2014 ALCS playoff baseball game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The hot stove season doesn’t seem so hot for the Baltimore Orioles right now, as it feels more like winter hibernation in a dark and dank cave. And what news there is right now has the unfortunate character of being about stuff away from the field of play.

We sure could use a rumor right about now – you know what I mean … a rumor about an actual baseball player. Anything will do. Even something like Sidney Ponson coming out of retirement and getting an invite to spring training would work!

While we wait for some news of this caliber, there are a couple of circulating stories that have some unstated stories behind the scenes.

Dan Duquette Scenario – There was little Baltimore Orioles baseball news in the past 24-48 hours beyond this story of Duquette being pursued by the Blue Jays. I too wrote about it extensively yesterday.

Only DD can make this story have a happy and soft landing. And the fact that he is saying nothing cannot but add more weight to a considerable body of evidence that he actually really wants the job and the perks that go with it. But apparently he is stuck with the Orioles.

Will Duquette be able to function as effectively for Baltimore from this point forward? I don’t know. How well do disgruntled employees perform where you work? But then again, Duquette does not seem to be governed by many emotions, if he has many.

While quite far from having any smidgen of “like” for the Red Sox or Yankees, most Orioles fans possess a pretty substantial amount of actual hate for them that is beyond my feelings. While not desiring to see those teams and franchises flourish, I’ve always respected many of the players of each and their skills. For some reason, Toronto has always been the team I’ve most disliked. I’ve never been able to put a finger on a reason for that. I think it has something to do with the years the Orioles lost series to them when in fact the Blue Jays rather sucked on the baseball field. But now I have a reason and issue to put a finger upon for royally disliking them, and it could grow.

No All-Star Game in Baltimore – Roch Kubatko wrote that the word is official that OPACY is not on any radar for the summer classic. Of course there is speculation that this has much to do with the ongoing and complicated controversy between the Orioles, Nationals, Peter Angelos and MLB. Again, I hate this stuff … give me some baseball statistics to analyze … please!

Among other sorta-baseball things that I am short of hating while also far short of liking is the annual All-Star Game. I think it is a meaningless waste of time, though, for the teams who make it to the World Series, having your league win this silly game in July is a big deal. But even with this, the direct line between cause and effect is rather long and circuitous.

So, I don’t write a great deal about (nor have a lot of hand-wringing speculation about) what players are going to get selected. And I am not offended when an Orioles player is overlooked. In fact, that is good news in my book. There is no possibility he is going to get hurt, he will have time off he might not be able to enjoy if selected, and any pitcher won’t have his routine upset as much … and the same with anyone hitting in that goofy “back, back, back” Home Run Derby.

So I’m not grieved for the loss of the game to Baltimore, even as I recognize the financial benefits that would have come along with it in terms of outside revenue for merchants and the city and state.

Colby Rasmus Wait – There is nothing new really happening on the Colby Rasmus front. However, an Eddie Encina article in the Sun says that the former Blue Jays outfielder is hoping and waiting to get a payday raise over the $7 million he made in 2014. Really? He of the .225 average and .287 OBP wants a raise?

As we recall from a couple of weeks ago, Buck Showalter went to visit Rasmus at his home in Mississippi. The story was that Buck wanted to personally assess how Colby would fit in the O’s clubhouse, given his mixed-bag reputation. I’m sure this is true, but I wonder now if the bigger reason was not to sell Rasmus on the Orioles at a team-friendly price for one year – a price well less than $7 million. Perhaps the O’s are waiting now for this very thing to play itself out and resolve.

So, we wait. Anybody seen any robins in their yard?

Next: How much work together did Chris Davis do with Scott Coolbaugh in Texas?