It’s the distinction of my generation of Baltimore baseball fans that we’ve been watching our Orioles since the very beginning of time — April of 1954.
In other words, we’ve witnessed the entire history of the “modern” Orioles, through good times and bad. So it behooves at least one of us, with our sense of history and perspective, to officially declare the following:
This is the single most disappointing start to a season in Baltimore Orioles history.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: After the Orioles dropped three games in a row to Detroit over the weekend, their record was a dreary, but not catastrophic, 10-and 17.
What about the ’88 Orioles, who opened the season by losing their first 21 games and finished it in last place, with 107 losses?
Awful, yes. Those lamentable O’s practically went oh-for-April. They opened the year with a 12-to-nothing loss, and then things got steadily worse. They fired manager Cal Ripken Sr. after only six games. When they lost their 15th straight, the legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker said, “When they finally win, they’ll get a phone call from the president. Only it’ll be the president of some other country.”
Here’s the difference: Even before that season started, we knew the ’88 team was going nowhere. We expected mediocrity, and we got it, and then some.
This year’s team was supposed to be different. They’re allegedly loaded with world beaters, top-flight draft choices who are the envy of every other big-league team. We’re so loaded, we had to trade away some of our top-flight prospects to make room on the big club for prospects who were even hotter.
Or so we were sold to us.
But their pitchers can’t seem to get anybody out. (Yes, their best guys have been hurt. But every team has injured pitchers. Good ballclubs adapt.) And their hitters have a remarkable way of failing in the clutch.
Whoever imagined so many quality players with batting averages barely topping .200? They remind some of us of the old Kleenex tissue commercials: Pops up, one at a time.
How long before David Rubenstein starts suffering buyer’s remorse?
Fortunately, baseball seasons are long, and redemption is possible.
You want a few reminders? On Aug. 29, 1974, the Orioles of Earl Weaver were buried in fourth place. These were the O’s of Palmer and Brooksie, Belanger and Blair and Baylor. In the final weeks of the season, they went an astonishing 27-and-6 and won the division pennant.
In August of 1982, the O’s were eight games behind Milwaukee. They won seven straight, lost one, won 10 straight, beat the Yankees five straight, and swept Milwaukee at home before the final game of the year.
They had to win that game to tie for the pennant. They didn’t. But what a thrilling finish to a season that once seemed to be over.
That ’82 team had the hotshot kids Ripken and Murray, Singleton and Bumbry, Dauer and Dempsey.
They also had heart. They were counted out early, but they kept coming back. Maybe this team will, too. The season’s only about one-sixth complete. But if they keep going like this, the entire season will go as the most disappointing in Orioles history.
Everybody expected so much more.
A former Baltimore Sun columnist and WJZ-TV commentator, Michael Olesker is the author of six books, including “Journeys to the Heart of Baltimore” (Johns Hopkins University Press) and “Michael Olesker’s Baltimore: If You Live Here, You’re Home” (Johns Hopkins University).
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