Thursday, June 21, 2007

Thanks But No Thanks

It would be difficult to identify the low points in recent Baltimore Orioles history but surely one would have to be today's news that Joe Girardi has turned down an offer to manage the team. Not too many eligible skippers out there would pass up an opportunity to get back in the game, but, then, these are not ordinary times in the baseball life of the Queen City of the Patapsco drainage area. Once among the most admired franchises in all of sport, the Orioles have slowly but inexorably fallen from grace throughout the reign of Peter Angelos, arguably one of the worst owners in the recent history of the game. Season after grinding season of losing has been accompanied by a revolving door in the manager's office. The same revolving door has turned more slowly, but it has turned, in the GM's office where currently not one but two men split that post. Angelos cannot do anything straightforward.

As long as Angelos and his family run this team the situation in Baltimore will only continue to deteriorate. A trial lawyer who earned his millions litigating asbestos cases, Angelos knows little about baseball but that hasn't keep him nor his children, who have been given senior management positions in the organization despite a lack of qualifications, from meddling in operations. After a decade of losing Angelos admits he does not enjoy owning the team but his dissatisfaction pales when compared to the legions of fans who no longer come to Camden Yards not to mention the players who are stuck playing there. During their glory years the Orioles were so admired players jumped at a chance to play with Brooks and Frank Robinson, Boog Powell, Jim Palmer and the like. These days, most players go out of their way to avoid landing in Baltimore.

As today's news makes clear, the avoidance syndrome now reaches into the manager's office as well. For his part, Girardi has already had personal run-ins with interfering ownership, having been fired after one year in Miami despite what was generally viewed as a tremendous job handling a team made up mostly of youngsters. Apart from Angelos' presence in Baltimore, there also would have been the not so small matter of taking over a club with few if any prospects of improving anytime in the near future.

Girardi won't have to wait long to be interviewed for another post. He is at or near the top of the wish list for every team seeking a manager and will have plenty of other opportunities. (It wouldn't surprise me if he landed in Philadelphia next season.) As for the Orioles, there are plenty of men who will still jump at the chance to take the position despite the current owner. (My bet is on former Oriole Rick Dempsey.)

No fans. No prospects. No clue at the top. Joe Girardi strikes me as having a pretty good grasp of reality.

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