June 14, 2007:
Nationals: 29-37, last place in NL East
Orioles: 29-37, last place in AL East
2007 Payroll:
Nationals: $37,347,500 (28th of 30)
Orioles: $95,107,808 (10th of 30)
2007 Series:
Nationals win 4-2.
"Put another curly W in the win column!" - Charlie Slowes, WTWP Radio
So I just got home from Oriole Park and saw the Nats finish sweeping away the Orioles. I was there Tuesday night, as well.
It is so totally refreshing to be a Nats fan right now. There are no expectations at all. There was a hope that maybe we can avoid losing 100 games. We're currently on pace to win more than 70. We're overachieving in every possible way. We love having a team. We love seeing Manny Acta manage and get the most out of the guys on this team. We love seeing smart baseball, hustle, and guys busting their ass out on the field. We're seeing a team that has won 4 of their last 5, 7 out of 12 in the month of June, doing this with 4 out of 5 of our starting pitchers on the DL and with three current members of our starting rotation converted bullpen guys. And we know that come next year, the team is going to have about $50 million to spend on free agents including the likes of Andruw Jones and Dontrelle Willis, each of whom has expressed a desire to come to Washington if the situation presented itself. Oh, and that little gem of a ballpark that's opening next season.
I think it's gotta be just about totally the opposite to be an O's fan. Walking out of that stadium, the sparkle and glee that was in every Nats' fan's eye was countered by a look of total despair and shellshock in Oriole fans' eyes. They have a huge payroll, they have talent in their starting rotation and in the lineup, but the team is imploding. And there are no easy answers. The division sure as hell isn't going to get easier. Tejada, Bedard, Mora, and countless others on the team want out of Baltimore and appear to be simply collecting a paycheck at the ballpark. Fans are left shaking their heads at management that will throw money at Jay Payton and Aubrey Huff as the supposed answers to constant 4th place finishes in the AL East. This once great and proud franchise that sold out every home game is now left solely to rely on what is now the 17th oldest ballpark in the majors as the only reason for free agents to come (it is still a gorgeous place though). The media is left to wonder whether Perlozzo got thrown out because he was frustrated, or because he had to do something just to seem like he cares.
It's a good night to be a Washington Nationals fan. Hopefully this sweep will light a little fire under this rivalry next season.
June 14, 2007
Dedicated to Peter G. Angelos
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5 Responses:
Do I have to respond to this? "Smart baseball" is dumb baseball fan slang for "we get lucky."
And am I the only one who notices how "HAHA YOU DIDN'T SWEEP US!" turned into "HAHA LOOK HOW LITTLE MONEY WE SPEND"?
It's the NL dude. The San Diego Padres have made an organization and a World Series appearance by aiming for .500 and seeing what happens.
If you rooted for the team of Ripken (and I'll drive down and murder your family if you try to take any credit for Ripken's induction next month) you'd know that Baltimore/Oakland/Minnesota/Tampa Bay/Toronto/Detroit/Kansas City/Texas/Seattle etc. etc. can't manufacture the same team or the same talent level that the Chicago/NY/Boston/LA of Anaheim teams can. In the NL, .500 is a playoff team. Whooptidoo.
NL is AAAA. The lesser AL teams gave up in May. Who cares from here on out? Football season is starting.
No the point of this was to compare the mindset of fans of the two franchises and to actually show some sympathy for Orioles fans.
Optimism v. Hopelessness.
Managers who know what they're doing v. Managers who are clueless.
Players who play hard v. Overpaid players who don't give a shit anymore.
Basically, I can understand why you as an Orioles fan are looking forward to football season. And the NL is AAAA? Compile me some interleague stats that show that the AL has dominated the NL. I don't think that's the case. And as of last weekend, the O's were only 6.5 games out of the wild card. Maybe they shouldn't have stopped caring.
AL is leading the season series 71-55
Apparently j-red hasn't noticed that most of those other hard-luck AL teams he mentions -- Oakland/Minnesota/Detroit/Seattle, etc. -- actually HAVE competed successfully in the American League.
Baltimore has not. And as long as Peter Angelos owns the team, Baltimore won't.
They aren't sitting around waiting for the Lions or the Vikings in Michigan or Minneapolis. Thanks to the Nats delivering the coup de grace to Mr. Angelos' team this week, it's only you folks in Baltimore who are left with nothing to talk about besides NFL training camp.
Wow, the AL must REALLY suck if they keep losing World Series to AAAA teams. Thats pretty pathetic.
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