I've had just about enough of stupid Orioles fans. I can't read one more rant from some idiot commenter on an Orioles Blog (School of Roch, the Schmuck Stops Here) about how this team will never compete and how they are, as one commenter put it, "falling deeper and deeper into the abyss." WHAT? Have you been paying attention to anything that has gone on in the past two years?
I'd like to think this is just fans overreacting to another bad loss to the Yankees. But really, this sentiment has been building throughout the season, and this series has just brought it to a head. Yes, the Yankees swept the Orioles. But what did you think would happen? Any sane person, with his expectations in line, would not be able to get this upset. Instead, its fire Trembley, fire McPhail, Matt Weiters is a bust, Brian Roberts has mailed it in, the young pitchers will never develop, trade Adam Jones.... Hold on people! This year was never about winning. As much as you want it to be, it's not.
Now I know this upsets many of you. You expect the Orioles to win the World Series every year. You blame Andy McPhail for not doing enough in the off season. Short of signing every available free agent, this team was not going to the playoffs. "But hold on!," you say. "Why can't we sign every free agent out there!?" Because, dumbass! It's not economically feasible. Nor is it even possible. Not every free agent wants to play here. If even if Peter Angelos drops the astronomical sums of money on old, washed up, and injury prone players (Ben Sheets anyone?) that you want him to, the Yankees and Red Sox will just out spend him. The only way to compete in the AL East is through the process that Andy McPhail has begun.
That means passing on crap free agents and reinvesting that money in scouting, player development, and draft picks. It means dropping $1M on a 27th round high school pitcher to keep him from going to college. It means expanding international scouting (signing Japanese pitchers, new academy in the Dominican Republic). It means locking up young players to long term, affordable contracts. It means dumping dead weight that won't help the team in the future and turning it around for young players. So goodbye Erik Bedard, Miguel Tejeda, Ramon Hernandez, and Aubrey Huff. And no, idiots, not every player obtained in these trades is going to turn out to be a star. And to think so is ludicrous. But yet, some of you think that! I know you do.
So while you're out there screaming your head off about another loss to the Yankees, I'll be enjoying a strong outing by Jason Berken, another HR from Nolan Reimold, and more hot hitting from Felix Pie. And when the Orioles finally turn it around, and they will, I'll enjoy it even more because I didn't make myself miserable getting angry about things that were never going to happen.
Now all that being said, God, I hate the f@#%ing Yankees.
