Orioles Can Only Hope to Rebound
Team Looks to Rectify Woeful Season

By Jorge Arangure Jr.
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 1, 2006

On a recent day, Miguel Tejada sat unbothered and unwatched at Baltimore's Penn Station, which was bustling with weekday activity. Business executives toting briefcases and newspapers tucked under their arms hurried toward trains sending them to New York or Washington. Teenagers carrying large backpacks sat down for a quick lunch before a long trip.

That Tejada, dressed casually and not disguised in dark sunglasses or a large encumbering hat, was not approached for a single autograph perhaps speaks to how irrelevant the Baltimore Orioles have become even in their own city. How could their star player fail to elicit one stare or even a double take? Cal Ripken would have loved such anonymity.

But this is a different era for the Orioles. Fans are disenchanted, some to the extent of publicly protesting against the franchise and specifically owner Peter Angelos, who claims the team can't compete financially with the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees. Angelos, reached by phone, declined to comment.

"I don't want to get involved," Angelos said.

Baltimore set an attendance low in the 15-year history of Oriole Park at Camden Yards and will lose more games this season than they had the past two seasons. Has it ever been so bleak being an Orioles fan?

"If you look around at other organizations that have made turnarounds, they have seen the attendance come back," Orioles Executive Vice President Mike Flanagan said.

Are the Orioles capable of the type of turnaround that has reinvigorated Detroit, a slumbering franchise until this year's playoff run? That will be the most significant question this offseason as the organization tries to stop almost a decade of losing. Baltimore, officials say, will have plenty of money to spend, but will anyone accept it?

"We would like to see some moves made," said designated hitter Jay Gibbons, one of the longest-tenured Orioles. "They said they're going to spend money. You can say all you want and offer what you want, but you have to get the guy to come here. We want to compete with the big teams in the division. Only way we can do that is to spend money."

Often, it has fallen on players such as Gibbons to half-heartedly trump the positives of the franchise to free agents, whom Baltimore has targeted. Gibbons said he is honest when talking to players, and sometimes that means admitting that the team has often failed in many respects. But for the first time in a long time, Gibbons is optimistic that the team may be on the verge of contention.

"I have a lot of trust in [Orioles Vice President] Jim Duquette that things are going to get done," Gibbons said. "Getting him was a step in the right direction. He told me things are going to get done."

There are reasons to be optimistic. Erik Bedard has become one of the best young pitchers in the league and is considered almost untradeable by some top Baltimore officials. Outfielder Nick Markakis emerged as a potent hitter and will bat in the middle of the order next season. Pitchers Daniel Cabrera and Adam Loewen have shown flashes of brilliance, including the former's one-hitter against the New York Yankees on Thursday. Young closer Chris Ray was dominant and exceeded expectations. The acquisitions of catcher Ramon Hernandez and center fielder Corey Patterson helped fill needs.

Yet there is plenty of work to be done. For all the success with some of the pitching staff, the Orioles still had the second-worst team ERA in baseball heading into this weekend's series against the Red Sox. Those were not the expectations when Baltimore gave pitching coach Leo Mazzone a three-year contract that pays him almost $500,000 annually.

"I feel a lot better [about the pitching staff] than I did in June or July," Mazzone said.

To rectify problems with the staff, Mazzone said he will soon start discussions with the front office about implementing "Camp Leo," an offseason throwing program that Mazzone effectively used in Atlanta. Ideally, pitchers would spend a week or so in Baltimore throwing side bullpen sessions to help sharpen their mechanics and strengthen their arms.

"It worked for 15 years in Atlanta, so yeah, it helps," Mazzone said.

Flanagan said he is open to such a plan and would discuss it with Mazzone.

Mazzone also hopes the front office adds a couple of veteran pitchers to the staff. Starters Ted Lilly (Toronto) and Gil Meche (Seattle) have been mentioned as possibilities. The Orioles don't seem prepared to bid for Barry Zito (Oakland) or Jason Schmidt (San Francisco).

"I think we need to add more depth," Mazzone said. "You can never have enough and we need more."

Orioles officials are wary of creating expectations, but clearly the intent this offseason is to spend money. Promises have been made in the past without results.

"I think it's unfair to say we're not always spending money," Orioles Manager Sam Perlozzo said. "I think this year more than any, we're willing to give more money than anyone else or offer an extra year" in a contract.

Perlozzo is more optimistic than anyone. He believes the Orioles can compete next season if they add one impact hitter and retool a bullpen that is second-worst in the majors. Baltimore surely will be involved in the bidding for Washington National Alfonso Soriano and they could go after Carlos Lee of the Texas Rangers. They could make a strong bid for Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira, a Baltimore native, in trade, but would likely have to surrender Bedard.

Even just adding Soriano would help placate the fan base and the clubhouse and vastly improve the lineup. Coaches and front office members are excited at the thought of putting Soriano in the middle of the batting order, protecting Markakis and in front Tejada. And though Tejada has had one of the most complete offensive seasons of his career, adding Soriano would surely help motivate the shortstop, who despite his success often seemed uninterested this year.

Perhaps adding such a recognizable name will even make the Orioles recognizable in their own city.