Bleacher Report - Articles by Dylan Waugh

Vick Deserves a Second Chance

Dylan Waugh — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:15:11 -0400

Americans love giving out second chances, especially to celebrities.

Get a DUI – no problem. Have an affair – who doesn’t, these days? Hit your wife – that’s okay. For better or for worse, fans are generally willing to forgive past transgressions as long as the athlete or celebrity apologizes and performs.

But harm dogs, and many people draw the line.

Disgraced quarterback Michael Vick finished his nearly two-year dogfighting sentence Monday. While Vick will remain on probation for three more years, his release from federal custody effectively closes the book on the debt he owed to society, according to the federal government.

Whether Vick’s debt to the NFL is absolved, however, is still unknown. Vick remains indefinitely suspended by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Vick is expected to meet with Goodell within the next two weeks to discuss a potential reentry into professional football.

Based on common sense and precedent, Goodell should reinstate Vick immediately. If the government says Vick paid the price for his actions, why should the NFL keep punishing him?

He’s already lost everything. He served 18 months in jail and two months in home confinement. He missed two NFL seasons while in the prime of his career.

The 10-year, $130 million contract, which was the richest in NFL history? Gone. Also disappearing is his image, his marketability, and some of his best friends.

Isn’t that enough?

He’s shown signs of remorse and a commitment to preventing others from repeating the mistakes he made. Universally respected former Colts Head Coach Tony Dungy visited with Vick and gave a positive report. While under home confinement, Vick worked with Boys & Girls Club. He’s signed on to do anti-dogfighting campaigns with the Humane Society geared toward youths.

Clearly, Vick committed horrendous acts, and he deserved punishment. In no way is what he did acceptable, but do his missteps really garner more punishment than those of Leonard Little or Donte Stallworth?

In 1998, Little, a defensive lineman for the St. Louis Rams, ran a red light while drunk and killed a 47-year-old mother. He pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and spent 90 days in jail and was suspended for eight games.

Furthermore, Little was arrested for a second DUI in 2004 after failing three sobriety tests, but was found not guilty after the field tests were found to be faulty.

Little still plays in the NFL.

This past March, Stallworth, a Cleveland Browns wide receiver, struck and killed a pedestrian while drunk. He spent 24 days in jail and also faces an indefinite suspension.

Both Little and Stallworth completed their debts to society, as determined by the government, despite their punishments seeming far too short. They, too, deserve another chance to redeem themselves (although Little’s third chance seems a bit much). Withholding the right to practice one’s craft is not appropriate punishment.

The issue arises when comparing their cases to Vick’s. Granted, there are some differences between those two cases and Vick’s.

Most notably, Stallworth cooperated with authorities from the beginning, while Vick lied to the NFL, Falcons Owner Arthur Blank, and authorities. Little’s legal run-ins came before Roger Goodell took over the NFL. And Vick is the biggest star of the three.

But, on some level, the comparison stands. Little only received an eight game suspension and Stallworth served a small fraction of Vick’s jail time, although each of them killed a person. Yet it’s Vick who continues to be vilified, even after facing stiffer punishment for a lesser crime.

If anything, Vick’s case proves the American public’s misplaced priorities and the power of the dog lobby. MADD protested Little’s short sentence and his return to the NFL, but it didn’t prevent the Rams from bringing him back.

Not only is Goodell worried about letting Vick back into the league, but also teams are reluctant to pursue the former Falcon, knowing full well the power of PETA.

PETA has already initiated a public campaign to petition the NFL to require Vick to undergo psychological tests to see if he is a psychopath. And PETA will surely picket outside the stadium of whatever team bold is enough to sign the quarterback.

Dogs, it seems, are more valuable than humans sometimes.

If he’s not reinstated, Vick would have an opportunity in the new United Football League. But he longs to return to the NFL, and has shown he has the talent to compete on the biggest stage. The only thing holding him back are animal rights protesters hoping to stretch his two year ban into three.

Reinstating Vick would not condone his actions. Doing so would merely recognize the debt Vick has paid and open the door for him to restart his life.

Even if Vick is reinstated, his fate is in his hands. He’s the one who has to create a new image and communicate his regret, while also trying to succeed on the field. He just needs a second chance.

Roberts, Not Rodriguez, Damaged by “A-Rod” Book

Dylan Waugh — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 14:17:43 -0400

There’s no question Alex Rodriguez appears as a selfish and needy superstar in Selena Roberts’ new book, “A-Rod: The Many Lives of Alex Rodriguez.” Based on her reporting, Roberts concludes Rodriguez used steroids not only with the Texas Rangers, as he has admitted, but also in high school and while on the Yankees.

She also writes of his many alleged cases of marital infidelity. And while he tipped pitches to opposing players, Roberts reports, he’s not as generous at the Hooters in Baltimore, where he leaves the minimum 15 percent.

But the book fails to significantly tarnish Rodriguez’s reputation – mostly because it’s already been soiled. He’d already been proven a cheater. Roberts herself dropped the big hammer when in February she revealed the slugger tested positive for steroids during the 2003 season.

Sure, new allegations surfaced in the book, like the pitch tipping or how he might have used steroids longer than we thought. Roberts writes he might have done other disgraceful things, like hit on teammates’ wives and order clubhouse attendants to load his toothbrush with toothpaste.

And the contention that he frequently used the pick-up line, “Who’s hotter, me or Derek Jeter?” leads one to believe Rodriguez’s game has shortcomings that extend beyond hitting in the late innings.

But Roberts’s allegations are simply more fodder for the already-established legions of A-Rod haters. Even prior to that news, no one confused Rodriguez with Cal Ripken Jr. Rodriguez’s reported rendezvous with strippers, the divorce from his wife, and the relationship with Madonna had taken the luster off of his wholesome image.

Likewise, we already knew he doesn’t always relate well to teammates or speak to the media without sounding like he’s reading from a script. On the field, his inability to produce in the clutch or carry a team led to widespread criticism. Despite his gaudy statistics, teams seem to get worse when he arrives.

To the contrary, the book gives depth to the public perception of Rodriguez, humanizing him in a way which actually makes him appear a little relatable. For example, Roberts details how Rodriguez’s father abandoned him, giving more context for some of Rodriguez’s antics.

Roberts takes readers past the headlines to see a person full of flaws like the rest of us. At some level, we all struggle with the same insecurities as Rodriguez. The questions, “What will people think of me if I do this?” and “What should I be doing right now to impress people?” float not just in his head, but in ours as well.

While Rodriguez is mostly spared from further damage to his standing, the book does draw new-found negative attention to someone else—Roberts.

Journalistically, she falls short of meeting established standards of evidence. With lots of anonymous sources and speculative claims, the book reads more like an extended article from a gossip blogger than a piece of fine journalism. Roberts is an accomplished journalist, but this piece reeks of surface-level reporting.

She couldn’t find one person to go on-record about some of Rodriguez’s alleged steroid use as a high-schooler? Instead, Roberts anonymously quotes a former classmate, who heard from a former teammate of A-Rod that Rodriguez used steroids in high-school. She “supports” her claim by using another anonymous quote from a former teammate.

She wasn’t able to locate one person who could describe Rodriguez’s alleged steroid use with the Yankees? No, Roberts makes the allegation, based on suggestions from anonymous teammates, that he possibly used them.

Not only does Roberts quote numerous anonymous sources, she fails to dig deeper into some of the claims these nameless sources present.

She could have watched videotape of his games with the Rangers to see if he was in fact tipping pitches. Or analyzed statistics of middle infielders playing against the Rangers in late-inning blowouts. The New York Times recently did so, and found if Rodriguez did tip pitches, opponents gained no advantages.

One must wonder why she didn’t pursue these stories. Did she just craft a portrait of A-Rod that she liked, regardless of whether it was accurate. Controversy sells, ho-hum daily life doesn’t.

Futhermore, the publication date was repeatedly rushed up, making people question if Roberts’s goal was to sell books or produce a complete narrative steeped in thorough reporting. Delaying the book’s release and spending more time thoroughly investigating these matters would make them more believable. Of course, it would be much less profitable as well.

So consider Rodriguez’s already-tarnished reputation. Add Roberts’s rushed journalistic practices to baseball fans’ waning appetite for steroids talk. And throw in how the Manny Ramirez steroids story broke the same week Roberts’ book was released.

It’s no wonder the baseball-loving public doesn’t seem to hate Rodriguez any more than they already do.

The book highlights the irony behind Rodriguez’s actions. He spends inordinate amounts of time and energy trying to craft a likable image, which, predictably, leads to criticism of him not being authentic.

With this book, Roberts operated the other way. She spent an inadequate amount of time and energy crafting a marketable book. But by doing so, Roberts ended up just like Rodriguez—coming off looking insincere and incomplete.

Maryland Basketball: Tyree Evans, Gary Williams, and Bobby Maze Forever Linked

Dylan Waugh — Fri, 16 May 2008 01:45:19 -0400

The biggest hoops story out of Maryland this spring is certainly the recruiting saga of Tyree Evans, the 23-year old JuCo shooting guard with a sweet jumper and lots of baggage.

I will assume familiarity with Evans’ background, since it has been mentioned by several local and national media outlets. But for those who understandably needed to take some time off from the Terps following another season that ended in a NIT loss, here are some of the best articles I’ve seen chronicling his situation:

-Luke Winn of SI.com gives a good overview with lots of detail

-Childs Walker of The Sun discusses Evans and other recruits with checkered pasts

-Get insight into Evans’ past, in this piece by Darryl Slater of the Richmond Times-Dispatch

As expected, considering the high risk Evans represents, there is a spirited controversy over whether the Terps should take a chance on Evans. Valid points have been made by both sides. Rick Maese of The Sun argues that coach Gary Williams is overstepping his boundaries by pursuing Evans seemingly on his own. His colleague, Kevin Van Valkenburg, claims that the Terps are making the right move.

Assuming Evans is admitted to Maryland (he must first pass a review by the Maryland disciplinary office), he will clearly be judged by two factors; his on-the-court performance and his ability to stay out of trouble off the court. There will be little tolerance for failure in either area.

Evans is not the only one on the hot seat. There’s no denying that head coach Gary Williams, Evans’ champion, will be either criticized or praised depending on the guard’s ability to succeed on the hardwood and in College Park.

Williams essentially put his 600-plus wins and national championship on the line. Make no mistake about it, the responsibility is all his. AD Debbie Yow was left in the dark during Evans’ recruitment. Evans is his man.

On-the-court and off-the-court success will determine whether the move was successful for both Evans and Williams, but they are also incomplete.

Sure, Williams’ legacy will forever be linked with Evans. But, it also depends on the University of Tennessee’s new point guard.

Lost in the debate over the merits of bringing Evans to Maryland is the man whose scholarship Evans is now on the verge of taking, JuCo PG Bobby Maze.

Maze verbally committed to Maryland in December, during his first and only season at Hutchinson Community College in Kansas, where he averaged 20.7 points, 6.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. Maze started his collegiate career at Oklahoma, where he chipped in 5.6 points and 2.1 assists per game during his freshman year.

Like Evans, Maze does not have a squeaky-clean past. According to Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel, Maze and the Sooners decided to “part ways” following his freshman season. Maze’s attitude was reportedly the source of his falling out with Capel and the program. It was eerily similar to Evans’ troubles at Butler (Kan.) Community College, where he was dismissed from the team midseason, reportedly after being voted off the squad by his teammates despite being a top player.

Also like Evans, Maze seems to have rebounded from his past mistakes and was, by all accounts, a delightful teammate this past season at Hutchinson. His coach Ryan Swanson noted, “Bobby was clearly our best player, but I think the guys also respected Bobby because he was also our hardest worker.” That's quite different from the attitude Maze displayed at Oklahoma.

Differentiating Maze from Evans, though, is the fact that Maze does not have a criminal background. He is far less risky of a recruit.

Evans signed with Maryland on April 16, forcing Williams to drop his pursuit of Maze since Evans took Maryland’s last available scholarship.

By choosing Evans over Maze, Williams upped the ante. Not many questioned the recruitment of Maze. Williams got a player in Evans who has a higher upside than Maze, but he also carries the coach’s legacy in the palm of his hands.

And for a coach whose seat is already a bit warm, recruiting a super high-risk/high-reward player is the equivalent of going "all-in."

Even though he’ll be playing in Knoxville, Maze could have a significant impact in College Park this season.

Maze’s performance won’t upstage Evans’ in terms of importance. If Evans ends up being Steve Francis 2.0, no one in College Park will care how Maze is playing. But if Evans is simply a good player—think Bambale Osby—more than a few Terps fans will be looking a little more carefully at Tennessee box scores.

And if Evans turns into Parrish Brown or Sterling Ledbetter redux, while Maze shines at Tennessee? There will be big trouble in Garyland. In fact, Garyland might even need a new mailing address.

That also will hold true if Evans gets into trouble during his stint at Maryland, especially if Maze is a model citizen.

This type of pressure is hard to imagine for one of the most successful coaches in ACC history. Can you imagine Coach K ever being on the hot seat? Having your name on the court seems to be pretty good job security. But, such is the risk with players with Evans’ baggage.

Tyree Evans, Gary Williams, Bobby Maze. The three will forever be linked together in the history book of Terps basketball. Williams just hopes this isn’t the last chapter in which he appears.

Baltimore Ravens Draft Preview: Matt Ryan Is Clear Target in First Round

Dylan Waugh — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 03:24:41 -0400

All signs point towards the Ravens selecting Boston College QB Matt Ryan with the 8^th pick in the 1^st round, assuming the consensus #1 QB prospect is still on the board.

Possessing off-the-chart intangibles (intangibles inherently can’t be measured with charts anyways though, right?), a solid arm, and All-ACC pedigree, Ryan appears to be the answer to the franchise’s eternal quest to find a franchise quarterback.

Despite his fantastic senior season (59.3% passes completed, 4,507 yards, and 31 touchdowns), some draft experts doubt Ryan’s ability to develop into an elite player.

The most glaring issue is Ryan’s tendency to throw interceptions, as evidenced by the 19 he tossed last season.

The high total is somewhat deceptive, says NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock. After studying film of all 19 INTs Mayock declared he was “not even a bit” troubled by the rash of turnovers.

Instead, Mayock fingers Ryan’s suspect receiving corps.

“The reason is he is trying to make a play. He doesn’t have wideouts who can uncover from a decent corner,” Mayock contends.
Baltimore coveted Ryan long before QB Steve McNair’s surprise retirement on April 17, but with other glaring needs and Ryan previously projected to be drafted in the top five, the prospect of the BC signal-caller wearing purple and black seemed unlikely.

The Dolphins (#1), Falcons (#3), and Chiefs (#5) all were considered interested in Ryan. However, Ryan’s stock has fallen in the eyes of some teams picking before the Ravens and they seem to be looking in different directions.

Miami has been in serious contract talks with OT Jake Long. The Falcons now seem enamored with DT Glenn Dorsey and the Chiefs recent shopping of DE Jared Allen makes DE Vernon Gholston a more logical pick for them.

A bigger hurdle for the Ravens snatching Ryan is a potential move by the Carolina Panthers, who hold the #13 pick and are also desperate for a franchise quarterback.

Moving up from #13 to #7 would be quite pricy for Carolina, though. According to the Trade Value Chart posted on nfldraftcountdown.com, such a transaction would require the Panthers giving up, in addition to the #13 pick, either its 2^nd round pick or 3^rd and 4^th round selections.

In addition to decreasing interest in Ryan from other teams, the certainty of the Ravens selecting Ryan increased with GM Ozzie Newsome’s comments following the quarterback’s press conference.

"This (McNair’s retirement) will not impact our decision in the draft, not one iota," said Newsome.

If one takes Newsome at his word, the only logical conclusion from this statement is that the Ravens decided to select a QB in the first round 2008 draft before McNair’s announcement, since his departure certainly highlights the team’s need for one.

So, it certainly seems that ESPN’s John Clayton will be correct with his claim that that there is “no way” the Ravens would pass on Ryan at #8.

With the draft about as predictable as one of Kyle Boller’s passes, however, there is a good chance that the Ravens will be forced to trade up for Ryan or watch him don the hat of another team.

The Ravens are unlikely to trade up for the Chiefs #5 pick or the Jets #6 pick because the team has multiple needs (QB, CB, OT, LB), and the move would be quite costly (the #8 pick, a 2^nd rounder, and a 5^th round pick). Instead, Newsome and the Ravens will sit and wait that Ryan falls.

But what if Ryan is giving interviews for ESPN in his new team’s jersey by the time the Ravens are on the clock?

Four players – Troy CB Leodis McKelvin, Kansas CB Aqib Talib, Boise State OT Ryan Clady, and USC DL Sedrick Ellis are the favorites to be Baltimore’s consolation prize.

McKelvin and Talib fill the obvious need for a young CB who can play nickleback this season and step in for Samari Rolle in the near future. Both CBs have visited the Ravens’ headquarters and are considered virtually equal by many draft experts. Rumor has it that the team prefers McKelvin despite traditionally avoiding small-school players.

Clady, widely considered the second-best OT in the draft behind Michigan’s Jake Long, would also make sense considering the almost-certain retirement of Jonathan Ogden.

The team’s confidence in young tackles Marshal Yanda and Jared Gaither will dictate its decision on Clady. If Newsome and head coach John Harbaugh believe the duo can fill Ogden’s shoes, the Ravens will pass on him.

Ellis is the real wild card in predicting the Ravens draft.

There is no doubting Ellis’ talent. The Ravens director of college scouting, Eric DeCosta, recently called him a “top-three pick” in other draft years. Previous projections had him being drafted ahead of LSU DT Glenn Dorsey, who is now closely linked to the Falcons at #3.

The question is whether the Ravens should draft Ellis despite already possessing one of the NFL’s stoutest defensive lines, anchored by Haloti Ngata, Kelly Gregg, and Trevor Pryce.

Improving the D-line would be a clear luxury; a tough course of action for a 5-11 team with gaping holes at QB and CB to take.

However, the team has historically made its first-round picks based on value, not need.

For example, the Ravens passed on star RB Lawrence Phillips and selected Ogden with the fourth pick in the 1996 draft despite needing a running back. No one regrets that decision.

The brilliance of value-picking was most recently demonstrated in the Minnesota Vikings selection of RB Adrain Peterson. The Vikings picked Peterson #7 overall last year despite already having a capable RB in Chester Taylor. Peterson went on to rush for 1,341 yards, score 12 TDs, and set the NFL single-game rushing record.

With the Peterson example so fresh in their minds, passing on Ellis would be hard for the Ravens brass to do unless Ryan was still around.

Of course, disregard the preceding paragraphs about backup plans for Ryan if Gholston, RB Darren McFadden, Jake Long, Dorsey, or DE Chris Long were to somehow available at #8.

All are expected to be drafted by the time the Ravens pick, but just ask Brady Quinn or Aaron Rodgers about the certainty of mock draft projections.

The direction of the Ravens’ second round pick is contingent on its first selection.

The team is likely to fill its needs at QB and CB in the first three rounds, and many pundits predict within the first two.

If Ryan falls to them in the first, the team will look at CBs such as Patrick Lee out of Auburn, Tracy Porter from Indiana, Penn State’s Justin King, and Terrell Thomas from USC.

If the Ravens pick McKelvin, Talib, Clady, or Ellis, however, they will almost certainly target a QB in the second round.

After Ryan, though, the talent level of QB prospects dramatically drops while the questions rise.

Delaware’s Joe Flacco, with his 6’6” frame and rocket right arm, has tantalizing potential. Despite his upside, concerns about him making the leap from former I-AA Delaware to the NFL abound.

Brian Brohm from Louisville, Chad Henne from Michigan, and John David Booty of USC round out the second tier of QBs. Each struggled with consistency during his collegiate career and none are considered sure-fire prospects.

The severe drop off from Ryan and the other QBs provides even more incentive for Baltimore to pursue the BC signal-caller in the first round. Newsome knows he can ill-afford to whiff on another potential franchise QB after watching 2003 first-rounder Kyle Boller fail to develop. Quite simply, Ravens fans would revolt.

Predicting specific picks after the first two rounds is a futile endeavor, but it’s certain the Ravens will spend the rest of the draft filling needs on its aging roster.

They will likely spend a mid-round pick on an OT, hedging their bet that Yanda and/or Gaither will pan out.

The team will probably pick an inside linebacker as late-round insurance for MLB Ray Lewis, and might consider a project along the lines of last year’s selection of QB Troy Smith.

With the NFL draft, the only certainty is uncertainty, especially in drafts such as this one which lack a clear top pick. Tune into ESPN at 3pm on Saturday to watch the drama unfold.

Baltimore Orioles: Veterans Are Key Parts of Rebuilding

Dylan Waugh — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:31:12 -0400

Too expensive to trade and too old to factor into the team’s rebuilding plans. Ignored by the team’s publicity department, which is pushing the youth movement. Considered expendable by many fans. Constantly subject to trade rumors. Expected to mentor their eventual replacements.

Part of a team expected to lose close to 100 games.

Welcome to life as a veteran member of the 2008 Baltimore Orioles.

This season is supposed to be about seeing glimpses of the future. Success is not measured by wins, but by every Nick Markakis RBI, Adam Jones homer or Chris Tillman strikeout in AA Bowie.

After trading SS Miguel Tejada and SP Erik Bedard--the team’s two most accomplished players--the rebuilding process is officially underway in Baltimore.

Not exactly a place most veteran ballplayers want to be.

In light of their situations, many older Orioles could understandably mail in the 2008 season. Who could criticize them for merely playing out the string, much like lame-duck politicians? After all, they have no external motivation to commit themselves to the team’s long-term success.

Interestingly enough, though, many of the O’s veterans are playing critical roles in the team’s rebuilding project that far exceed their contractual obligations.

3B Melvin Mora’s spring training rejuvenation set the tone for the selfless mindset adapted by many of his veteran teammates in 2008.

Mora has long been known to sulk and suffer from lapses of moodiness. Yet it was Mora who not only offered to play in a spring training game in Ft. Myers that he was not required to attend, but also to drive young SS Luis Hernandez so the two could talk during the 130-mile ride.

Nice move by the 36-year-old veteran who doesn’t figure to be around when the Orioles hope to be competitive in 2010 and beyond.

Other veterans such as 37-year-old SP Steve Trachsel and 31-year-old C Ramon Hernandez have also embraced their roles as mentors and take pride in molding the foundations of future Baltimore batteries.

Their professionalism and dedication to detail are traits worth emulating. For example, Trachsel is meticulous in his preparation for starts and Hernandez showed up to camp this spring in top-notch physical shape.

Are you paying attention, Chris Tillman and Matt Weiters?

1B/DH Aubrey Huff and 2B Brian Roberts are offering textbook examples of how to atone for mistakes and win back favor with fans. Huff called Baltimore a “horse----” town on a satellite radio show this offseason while Roberts admitted to dabbling in steroids.

Huff apologized first with his words and is now making amends with his bat, having smacked a team-leading 11 RBI thus far. Likewise, Roberts fessed up and is now batting .286 with 5 stolen bases.

By admitting their faults, apologizing, and quietly winning back fans with their play, Huff and Roberts have shown younger players how to deal with mistakes.

In addition, Roberts hasn’t been distracted by the long-rumored deal sending him to the Cubs. While many players would gripe to the media or allow the trade talk to affect their play, Roberts has kept his mouth shut and played good baseball.

Veterans 1B/DH Kevin Millar and RP Jamie Walker, perhaps the team’s most outspoken duo, have assumed leadership responsibilities as well.

Millar is the team joker and has maintained his happy-go-lucky attitude despite leaving powerhouse Boston for the downtrodden Orioles. Millar’s pre-season World Series prediction for the Orioles brought laughs and lightened spirits in the clubhouse. His ability to ease the tension is especially important on this young team, where nerves of inexperience and pressure no doubt abound.

To see Walker’s impact on the maturity of the team’s young bullpen, one should revisit the Orioles clubhouse following the team’s April 11 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.

With the O’s up 5-2 in the 7^th Walker gave up a 3-run HR to Carlos Pena. Young RP Dennis Sarfate, acquired in the Tejada trade, then walked four batters while also surrendering three runs, earning the loss along the way.

After the game Walker took responsibility for his poor performance.

"We all blew up," Walker told The Sun. "I started the fire and it got a little ignited, but I blame myself for that one. I take full blame. If I make a good pitch location, I'm 1-2-3 and we're out. We're winning. We're partying."

Sarfate then followed suit, standing in front of his locker and taking questions from reporters about his meltdown.

"I wouldn't say they beat me. I beat myself," he commented.

Walker’s classy actions following the game clearly served as a template for Sarfate. The importance of modeling professionalism for the baby O’s should not be overlooked.

Walker has also served as a surrogate father figure, berating Sun reporter Dan Connelly a few weeks ago for some negative comments on the O’s in his pieces.

Whether the outburst was warranted or not is debatable, but with it Walker demonstrated his willingness to stand up for his younger teammates and deflect some of the criticism for the team’s inconsistencies towards himself.

While the veterans deserve a tremendous amount of credit for taking on the additional burden of selflessly mentoring the younger Orioles, manager Dave Trembley’s old-school style also merits praise.

Trembley, no doubt in response to the tension created by Tejada’s special treatment in the past, established a rigid sense of discipline in spring training. In a clubhouse void of primo donnas, this leveling of the playing field was well received.

Trembley earned further respect of many of the veterans by letting them know far in advance which spring training games they were expected to play in. Like any employee, the players appreciated their boss laying out clear expectations for them.

The most notable difference between veteran attitudes on the 2007 and 2008 O’s is the absence of Tejada and Bedard. Bedard’s surly attitude was not a good example for the young players, nor was Tejada’s constant need for the spotlight. While the team is clearly weaker on the field, losing the two stars allowed the other veterans to assume larger leadership roles.

Under the watch of Mora, Millar and the rest of the aging Orioles, one thing is for certain--conventional wisdom will be proven wrong this summer in Baltimore.

No, the O’s won’t defy expectations and win the division. Instead, the idea that many of the team’s veterans are expendable as part of the rebuilding project will be proven false.

Patience, O’s fans. Picture the ALCS in 2012, when Chris Tillman pitches seven shutout innings and Jones and Markakis combine for five RBI in a defeat of the Red Sox.

Just don’t forget to thank Millar, Mora, Walker, and the rest of the ’08 O’s when that happens.

Is Winning in 2008 Bad for the Baltimore Orioles?

Dylan Waugh — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:01:02 -0400

At 5-1 the Baltimore Orioles are the class of the American League one week into the 2008 season. Maybe some of that ‘March Madness’ spilled over into April.

The O’s have used the classic combination of defense (only two errors), a solid bullpen (0.84 bullpen ERA), and clutch hitting (three late-inning comebacks) to win five straight after falling on Opening Day.

This is good news for Orioles fans, right?

Well, kind of. This high—albeit likely short-lived—level of success is exciting. Watching the O’s win on the field has naturally brought joy to O’s fans.

It’s the impact of wins on the franchise and its owner, Peter Angelos, which is causing some in Baltimore to worry.

Here’s the rub.

Every Orioles win distracts fans and the media from focusing on the way Angelos has wrecked a once-proud franchise.

And without the scrutiny from fans and the media he now faces, every win increases the temptation for Angelos to abandon his newfound restraint—and the rebuilding project.

Only during the Angelos era are wins not cause for pure, unblemished joy. The fact that winning doesn’t elicit unadulterated joy is a powerful testament to the backwards manner in which Angelos and his camarilla run the organization.

The problem is that winning in 2008, when no one expects them to, deflects attention from the disgraceful way Angelos has operated the O’s.

Angelos’ recent concession to give President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail full autonomy was a critical step in the owner’s maturation.

The rebuilding process puts the franchise—and therefore Angelos—out in the open, subject to ridicule for presumably being one of baseball’s worst teams in 2008.

His acknowledgement of the need to truly rebuild—and leave the decisions to a baseball man—show that the owner is indeed willing to take the criticism for his team’s on-field failures, at least with the goal of drastically improving in 2009 and beyond.

To fully appreciate the importance of Angelos’ readiness to indirectly admit the need for a change in the way he runs the organization, one must first understand the way he has chronically escaped criticism in the past.

For years, Angelos’ mostly inept handling of the franchise has been hidden to the majority of people who follow the Orioles.

Angelos purchased the Orioles in 1993 and basked in the glow of Camden Yards, the team’s revolutionary stadium built the previous year. At the time the Orioles were the competitive, wildly popular in both the Baltimore and D.C. areas, and had one of the game’s most beloved players in Cal Ripken Jr.

With solid play, Ripken, and Camden Yards to focus on, O’s fans gave Angelos a pass for his early missteps. Moves such as instructing manager Johnny Oates to play third baseman Leo Gomez over Chris Sabo and hiring Phil Reagan as the manager over Davey Johnson were overlooked.

The 1994 strike and its fallout then understandably captured the attention of the media and fans.

When baseball resumed in 1995, O’s fans were still focused on the novelty of Camden Yards, the fallout from the strike, and Ripken’s streak. In addition, the Orioles were coming off of three straight winning seasons.

With these issues on the minds of fans, Angelos’ mid-90’s mistakes went largely unnoticed, too.

Looking back, one can note his dreadfully long speech during Ripken’s record-breaking 2,131st game and overruling of GM Pat Gillick’s efforts to trade OF/3B Bobby Bonilla and SP David Wells as major problems that did not receive their fair share of criticism.

Other mid-90s transgressions included forcing popular broadcaster Jon Miller, AL Manager of the Year Davey Johnson, and respected GM Pat Gillick to leave town in light of personal issues with all three men.

Once again, Angelos allowed self-centered interests to supersede those of the team.

And while the Miller, Johnson, and Gillick episodes did receive criticism from the fans and media, the Orioles on-field success proved a distraction and limited the damage.

Likewise, the residual impact of the successful ’96 and ’97 seasons, which kept fans’ hopes inflated throughout the late ‘90s and early 2000s, took attention off of Angelos for his blunders during that era.

In 1999, Angelos fired GM Frank Wren, and subsequently issued a press release noting Wren’s refusal to hold a charter plane for a stuck-in-traffic Ripken as a key reason for his dismissal.

He continued his trend of not only forcing out but disparaging respected professionals when he low-balled ace SP Mike Mussina following the 2000 season, leading the team’s best pitcher to sign with the Yankees.

While these issues garnered attention in the Baltimore area, most fans were again distracted by other baseball events. Barry Bonds’ HR chase, Cal Ripken’s retirement, and the breaking of the steroids saga limited the attention given to Angelos’ gaffes.

Steroids clouded the ability of Orioles fans to clearly see Angelos’ work for the last few years.

First baseman Rafael Palmeiro, RP Jason Grimsley, SS Miguel Tejada, OF Larry Bigbie, 2B Brian Roberts, and others all did their part to take the attention of baseball fans away from Angelos. In addition, the Nationals 2005 rebirth in D.C. provided another distraction.

In 2008, though, Angelos has nowhere to run and no distractions behind which to hide.

Baseball fans are sick of hearing about steroids. The Nationals are old news. Even Brian Roberts’ steroid admission is no longer of interest to the public.

Finally, the peripheral airwaves surrounding the Orioles are silent. Media coverage of the team is now focused on its seemingly legitimate rebuilding efforts.

In fact, this current stretch of futility, starting in 2006, is the first time during his ownership that Angelos cannot divert media and fan attention from himself.

And that is why it’s somewhat troubling when the Orioles surprise the baseball world and win.

Angelos is finally receiving some of the heat he has deserved. Winning masks faults, and thus if the team exceeds expectations he would receive another reprieve from taking responsibility.

What if the Orioles are around .500 by the All-Star break?

Rather than mentioning ways the O’s owner has alienated past Orioles legends, ESPN will feature scenarios in which the team could make the playoffs.

The Baltimore Sun will cease publishing articles about low attendance figures and fans’ disgust with the team’s performance. The recent flap about Angelos’ refusal to erect a statue to Brooks Robinson will become a non-story.

Instead of receiving attention for his dedication to rebuilding, fans and the media will be discussing what trades Angelos should make to fortify his roster for the stretch run.

And Angelos will be listening.

One can almost picture Angelos overriding MacPhail and bringing in veterans, abandoning the patient, long-term outlook he seems to have developed this offseason. With fans and the media enamored with the team's surprise success, Angelos could pull the plug on the rebuilding project without much notice.

And the owner’s selfish leadership practices of the past? Old news, if the O’s keep winning. Clearly, this phenomenon of hiding his ownership maneuverings behind distractions is nothing new for Angelos, making it very possible to happen again.

So, O’s fans, feel free to celebrate with some Natty Bohs after every additional win. Just don’t let the victories—or the Boh—limit the accountability to which you hold Angelos.

Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds: Peter Angelos Must Regain Trust of Orioles Fans

Dylan Waugh — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 06:18:28 -0400

If lovers claim that time heals all wounds, then sports fans can argue that winning does, too.

At least that’s what Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos is hoping, since he seems to have no intention of reconnecting with his team’s fans.

Currently, many legitimate and lifelong Orioles fans do not care about the team. Baltimore has a proud baseball tradition and fiercely loyal, passionate fans.

Yet Baltimoreans seem more interested in what the Ravens will do in the upcoming NFL Draft than the start of the MLB season.

It’s hard to quantitatively capture public sentiment, but attendance figures are a good barometer.

In 1997 the Orioles went wire-to-wire in the AL East and set a franchise attendance record of 3,711,132, or an average of 45,816 per game. Last year only 2,164,822 tickets were purchased, equating to 27,060 fans per game, the team’s lowest figure since 1988.

2008’s early attendance totals show more of the same apathy. WNST’s (AM 1570) Drew Forrester, in his April 1 radio show and blog, noted the abundance of tickets available prior to the game, and a quick look around the stadium betrayed the announced attendance figure of 46,807.

Forrester claimed that a Baltimore Sun photo of the seats during Opening Day found 54 seats occupied and 178 empty.

A lackluster showing on Opening Day is likely a bellwether for the rest of the year. Wednesday’s game—the team’s second game of the season, mind you—drew only 10,505, the smallest crowd in Camden Yards history. Clearly Baltimoreans are in no hurry to rush out to the Yard this season.

Why the attendance drop? Why doesn’t Baltimore care about the Orioles?

Many factors influenced the trend in decreasing attendance. The 2005 addition of the Washington Nationals to the mid-atlantic baseball scene is notable, but does not fully explain the phenomenon. Year-by-year analysis of the attendance records proves the downward trend started long before Nationals arrived.

No reason is more obvious than the Orioles coinciding 10-year streak of losing seasons, starting in 1998.

To this end, Angelos seems committed to rebuilding the team in order to achieve success in 2009 and beyond.

He gave President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail complete autonomy over baseball moves, as evidenced by not only the trades of SS Miguel Tejada and SP Erik Bedard, but also the decision to release OF Jay Gibbons and accept the sunk cost of his contract.

Simply citing wins and losses as justification for the attendance (and general public opinion) drop over the last decade is an incomplete explanation, however.

This generation of O’s fans has been subject to the reign of Peter the Terrible and his money first, baseball second ways.

By raising ticket prices, refusing to put “Baltimore” on the team’s away jerseys, meddling in baseball affairs, and distancing himself from the team’s storied past, Angelos himself is the reason many fans are jaded about their once-beloved team.

For too long, Angelos and the front office have relied on the faithful devotion of Baltimore baseball fans. Those fans are proud of their team’s history, and Angelos could afford to bank on that pride and allegiance for a few years following the team’s ’96 and ’97 playoff teams to carry fan interest and ticket sales.

Ten years of losing—without a plan for improving or concessions from Angelos—is too much for even some of the most die-hard O’s fans.

Angelos has bled Baltimore’s loyalty dry, and still doesn’t recognize a need to change the way the organization reaches out to the Baltimore community.

The question is whether Angelos’s maturity in handling the on-the-field rebuilding process will carry over to his off-the-field stance. If so, the next query is how he might accomplish this long-neglected issue.

Like Alcoholics Anonymous, the first step in rebuilding Oriole fans’ faith in the organization would be for Angelos to admit there is a problem.

Taking responsibility for the team’s demise would be a good move for Angelos, although highly unlikely due to his personality. He sets the tone for the organization with his complete lack of public presence.

Andy MacPhail has done an admirable job of assuming the role of front man for the organization but, as the owner, Angelos should act less like “The Judge” from The Natural and more like Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, at least in terms of expressing his love for his team by availing himself to local media and fans.

The entire organization’s response to the unmistakably negative light through which most of Baltimore views its team has been, in true Angelos fashion, to feign ignorance.

The ticket office does its part in avoiding the elephant in the room. Drew Forrester reports that the ticket office bundled Opening Day tickets into the team’s six-game ticket package, thus prohibiting fans from purchasing them.

Shouldn’t the organization try to sell out Opening Day as opposed to withholding tickets?

Since the O’s are not going to consistently win anytime soon, their ticket office needs to create other attractions to draw fans back to Camden Yards.

The simplest solution would be to simply lower ticket prices, but with Angelos’s short-sighted focus on the bottom line, this appears unlikely.

The organization could learn from the Kansas City Royals, who are also one of baseball’s worst teams. Kansas City’s 2008 motto is “New. Blue. Tradition.” – A clear acknowledgment of its rebuilding project. (Note: The O’s 2008 motto – “This is Birdland.” Huh?)

The Royals also offer innovative promotions such as “Dodge Buck Night,” during which all hot dogs, drinks, and peanuts are only $1.

Angelos and the Orioles have many more opportunities to reconnect with fans other than simply appealing to their wallets. For example, fans have griped for years about Angelos’s refusal to allow “Baltimore” on the team’s road jerseys or stadium signs.

So worried about achieving a broad appeal in the Mid-Atlantic, the MASN mogul has forgotten that the team does in fact play in Baltimore.

Angelos could also take steps to reconnect with past Oriole legends, thus linking the current team with its glorious history. The team’s almost non-existent relationship with icon Brooks Robinson is well documented. Even Cal Ripken Jr., likely the most popular Oriole of all time, is not much of a factor these days.

None of these suggestions are new. Fans have voiced these concerns to the organization It’s not fair to blame the Orioles’ marketing team, public relations department, or ticket office for their missteps, though.

Organizations, like businesses, are run from the top-down, and under Angelos’s “leadership” it’s no wonder that the Orioles are considered by many industry experts to be the sport’s (and possibly all of sports’) worst organization.

Winning seasons and playoff appearances brought fans to the Yard and masked the selfish intentions of Peter Angelos. Still living in 1997, Angelos needs to realize that demand for O’s tickets, and loyalty in general, is not inelastic.

Angelos’s mediocre effort to field a competitive team combined with his complete lack of effort to engage fans has led to the apathy surrounding 2008 Orioles baseball.

Can Angelos reform? Will the Orioles regain respectability?

As Angelos goes, so goes the organization. If he remains stuck with his head in the sand, convinced that Baltimore feels the same way about his team in 2008 as it did in 1997, his commitment to on-the-field rebuilding will be for naught.

Hey Baltimore, want an even scarier, yet very realistic, thought? Maybe Angelos is not ignorant to how the city feels. What if he knows how your city really feels about the O’s and doesn’t care?

Jay Gibbons' Release Signals A New Era for the Baltimore Orioles

Dylan Waugh — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:47:12 -0400

The news crawled across the ticker at the bottom of an ESPNNEWS telecast before disappearing. Little more than an afterthought in most national baseball coverage, the Baltimore Orioles release of OF Jay Gibbons garnered a minor article in the hometown Baltimore Sun.

Compare that to the coverage other moves made by the O’s this offseason, most notably the trades of SS Miguel Tejada and SP Erik Bedard.

Tejada’s trade saga first started receiving national attention in 2005, and the actual Dec. 12, 2007 deal was a major story in the sports world. Granted, a former-MVP and legitimate star player such as Tejada deserved such attention.

Bedard, the enigmatic lefthander who set an Orioles record with 221 strikeouts in a mere 28 games last season, is considered by many as the second-best player traded this winter, behind Mets SP Johan Santana. Rumors about a Bedard-to-Seattle trade dominated many baseball news websites for two months before coming to fruition on Feb. 8. With Santana in the NL, Bedard might be the frontrunner for the 2008 AL Cy Young Award.

The deals brought in a combined ten prospects for the Orioles, including the much-hyped CF Adam Jones, and signified the start of a rebuilding project in Baltimore.

All that being said, Gibbons’s release is the most critical move the Orioles have made this offseason.

Yes, the release of an oft-injured, steroid-tainted veteran without a position and who batted .230 and hit 6 HRs last year is more important than the trades of the franchise’s two most accomplished players. Losing Tejada and Bedard will have a much bigger impact on the O’s record, but cutting Gibbons validates the start of a new era in Baltimore.

Baltimore seemed content with keeping Gibbons for at least the start of the season, since his 15-day steroid suspension allowed the team to keep utility man Scott Moore on the roster. On March 28, MLB decided to put the suspension on hold, thus placing Gibbons back on the roster a few days prior to Opening Day. Gone was the 15-day window to evaluate Moore and decide what to do with the 31-year old Gibbons, who is owed $11.9 over the next two years.

Forced to show his hand, Orioles President of baseball operations Andy MacPhail went all in, deciding that paying Gibbons not to play would help the team.

The most crucial aspect of the move must be what can be inferred about owner Peter Angelos’s apparent maturity and new-found hands-off approach.

The Tejada and Bedard trades demonstrated that MacPhail might actually have autonomous control of the team, but Gibbons’s release removed all doubt.

With the trades, Angelos, forever concerned with making money, seemed to have conceded the need to sacrifice two of the team’s stars and therefore some extra dollars in ticket and merchandise sales for the long-term health of the franchise.

Angelos didn’t have much of a choice though, knowing that another season of mediocre baseball by a team without a defined direction would not bode well with the already jaded fan base. Everyone from industry experts to the batboy expected Tejada and Bedard to be shipped out.

Even after the trades the team was still loaded with overpriced and underperforming veterans such as Gibbons, Aubrey Huff, Ramon Hernandez, and Kevin Millar. None of these players are in the Orioles’ plans for 2009 and beyond, and are therefore expendable as part of the rebuilding effort.

The new test of Angelos’s commitment to rebuilding revolved around their futures. Would he agree to eat some money and release some of the team’s dead weight?

Gibbons’s release confirmed the legitimacy of MacPhail’s power and, therefore, Angelos’s sharply limited involvement in baseball transactions.

In order to cut ties with the second-longest tenured Oriole, MacPhail needed authorization from Angelos. According to The Baltimore Sun, Angelos told MacPhail, “You gotta do what you gotta do.”

With those words, O’s fans can rest assured that the team is now in an owner-free full rebuilding mode.