Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day One Hundred Fifty-Nine: Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles
In the fall of 1984, I learned how to perform basic programming on my Commodore 64 computer. I could craft a program in which users were asked a question, to which they would be asked to type their own response. The program would then give an (A) or (B) answer based on whether or not the user had given the correct response.
For the topic of this program, I chose the 1985 New York Yankees. The fact that I had crafted a computer program about baseball was completely unsurprising to anyone who knew me. But why was I making this program about the following year’s Yankee team? After all, we still had a few more months of ’84 yet to live. The Detroit Tigers had yet to defeat the San Diego Padres handily in the World Series. And Ronald Reagan had yet to defeat Walter Mondale even more handily in the presidential election. Why was this obsessive 13-year-old looking ahead so eagerly?
It was all about the way things were ending in the South Bronx that year; I was excited about the future. The Yankees, who had started miserably that year, finished strong under manager Yogi Berra to the tune of 87 wins. I had seen a lot of young, pinstriped players bloom in the ’84 season. Therefore, my wacky new program asked the user which player he or she thought would start at each position for the Yankees the next year. If you selected the player I agreed with, the program told you so. If I disagreed, it gave you a different answer.
So if you answered the question, “Who do you think will play shortstop for the Yankees next year?” with the answer “Bobby Meacham,” the program responded by telling you that I expected Andre Robertson to start at short instead. If you answered my question about first base with the words “Don Mattingly,” you were greeted with enthusiastic agreement.
Young players like Robertson, Mattingly, Mike Pagliarulo and Joe Cowley had helped the team post a 51-29 record in the season’s second half. Like many kids with “NY” logos on their caps, I was pretty pumped about the year ahead. Most of the other fans could contain their obsession enough to avoid creating Commodore 64 programs about the Yankees. But I guess we all have our passions – and quirks.
This evening, I thought about that autumn of 26 years ago while looking at the standings and noticing how well the Baltimore Orioles have played since Buck Showalter took over as manager. The O’s seemed destined for an utterly miserable season in late July, but the hiring of Showalter on July 29 has given the Maryland faithful a lot of reasons to hope. The former Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers manager has steered Baltimore to a 30-22 record over the past two months. Young Orioles pitchers and position players who’ve had the words “potential” stamped on their foreheads for some time have finally started playing quality major-league ball, and they’ve won ballgames as a result. Left-handed pitcher Brian Matusz, for instance, has gone 6-1 with seven quality starts since Showalter took over the reins. A first-round draft pick two years ago, Matusz is the future ace of this club, and he appears ready to fill that role as soon as next season.
So the fans are getting excited in Baltimore again, and Buck Showalter is spoken of glowingly in conversations at Inner Harbor restaurants these days. As for the kids at home, they’ve already started dreaming of a return to the playoffs for the boys in orange and black. I don’t think many of those kids own a Commodore 64, and even if they did I don’t think they’d use it for Orioles starting-lineup quizzes.
But whatever they do, the youngsters who cheer for the Baltimore Orioles have more than a few reasons to think about the spring of 2011. You can’t program a winning season, but you can recognize something good when you see it. Now, Orioles fans, let’s get started – who should Buck start at first base?
Showing posts with label Buck Showalter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buck Showalter. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Shooting Star (One Sixty-Two: Day 115)
Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day One Hundred Fifteen: Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles (via Peter Horn)
There was a meteor shower the other night, which was a perfect fit for the week of Peter Horn’s wedding. We can’t meet all of the people living among us in this world, but there are some folks who seem to come awfully close. They spend a good portion of their lives trying to connect with as many individuals as possible. Peter is one such person.
Peter goes by a lot of titles: teacher, musician, poet, actor, administrator, mentor, student, friend, son, brother, uncle. But perhaps the best way to describe this man is as a shooting star, a force of nature who lights up the room wherever he goes, and finds a way to illuminate the lives of those whom he encounters.
Yesterday, Peter added another title to his life list: Husband. He and his wife, Robyn, held hands in a charming church ceremony and declared their love for each other via personalized vows and an “All You Need is Love” recessional. After the ceremony, Peter and Robyn led their guests to a field nestled warmly in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. As guests dined and socialized beneath a giant white tent, members of the bride and groom’s families performed music and delivered eloquent toasts. Dozens of guests had taken up Peter and Robyn on their offer to camp on the grounds of the wedding reception, and their tents could be seen down a trail, pitched beside a clear stream.
As the carrot-cake cupcakes disappeared from the dessert tray, the reception ended and this wedding began its third act: that of a rock concert. Friends and relatives of the bride and groom took turns on a stage, complete with speakers and video screen, to end this joyous day by rocking out. As they had done all day long, the bride and groom floated around the tent, connecting with as many people as they could. At around nine at night, Peter tapped me on the shoulder and introduced me to an uncle of his who loves baseball. Peter told his uncle that I was the author of “The Pitch,” a baseball blog, then moved on to chat with another guest.
The uncle told me he was a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, and that he’s heard good things about the team’s new manager, Buck Showalter. I told him his club had a lot of good, young players. The Orioles also have a second baseman in Brian Roberts who manages to make everyone else on the field better. A Peter Horn of sorts. But as for Peter’s uncle, he wasn’t really in a place where he could break down Brian Roberts’s intangibles. He’d been making rather merry on this day. “My problem,” he told me, “is that I don’t blog. I’ve got to start blogging.”
I smiled, and let Peter’s uncle enjoy the rest of his festive evening. When I turned toward the stage, I saw the bride. Still glowing in her white gown, Robyn stood before a microphone. Robyn is a stage performer, but she’s been known to front the occasional rock band. Peter, meanwhile, was hooking up his electric violin. His bandmates were ready, and off they went, bride and groom, sharing the vocals to Cream’s “White Room.”
A little while later, as my wife and I were carrying our sleepy daughters to the car, we looked up above the trees on this dark, dreamy evening. Thousands of stars sparkled in that black sky like nothing I’ve ever seen outside of a planetarium. As we neared our car, we could hear the voices of husband and wife, newlyweds, leading their guests in a sing-a-long:
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me / Shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I’m not privy to the music of angels quite yet. But I have a feeling it sounded and felt a lot like August 14th, on a heavenly hill, where a shooting star and his radiant wife led their friends beneath a white tent to celebrate life.
Day One Hundred Fifteen: Brian Roberts, Baltimore Orioles (via Peter Horn)
There was a meteor shower the other night, which was a perfect fit for the week of Peter Horn’s wedding. We can’t meet all of the people living among us in this world, but there are some folks who seem to come awfully close. They spend a good portion of their lives trying to connect with as many individuals as possible. Peter is one such person.
Peter goes by a lot of titles: teacher, musician, poet, actor, administrator, mentor, student, friend, son, brother, uncle. But perhaps the best way to describe this man is as a shooting star, a force of nature who lights up the room wherever he goes, and finds a way to illuminate the lives of those whom he encounters.
Yesterday, Peter added another title to his life list: Husband. He and his wife, Robyn, held hands in a charming church ceremony and declared their love for each other via personalized vows and an “All You Need is Love” recessional. After the ceremony, Peter and Robyn led their guests to a field nestled warmly in the heart of the Catskill Mountains. As guests dined and socialized beneath a giant white tent, members of the bride and groom’s families performed music and delivered eloquent toasts. Dozens of guests had taken up Peter and Robyn on their offer to camp on the grounds of the wedding reception, and their tents could be seen down a trail, pitched beside a clear stream.
As the carrot-cake cupcakes disappeared from the dessert tray, the reception ended and this wedding began its third act: that of a rock concert. Friends and relatives of the bride and groom took turns on a stage, complete with speakers and video screen, to end this joyous day by rocking out. As they had done all day long, the bride and groom floated around the tent, connecting with as many people as they could. At around nine at night, Peter tapped me on the shoulder and introduced me to an uncle of his who loves baseball. Peter told his uncle that I was the author of “The Pitch,” a baseball blog, then moved on to chat with another guest.
The uncle told me he was a fan of the Baltimore Orioles, and that he’s heard good things about the team’s new manager, Buck Showalter. I told him his club had a lot of good, young players. The Orioles also have a second baseman in Brian Roberts who manages to make everyone else on the field better. A Peter Horn of sorts. But as for Peter’s uncle, he wasn’t really in a place where he could break down Brian Roberts’s intangibles. He’d been making rather merry on this day. “My problem,” he told me, “is that I don’t blog. I’ve got to start blogging.”
I smiled, and let Peter’s uncle enjoy the rest of his festive evening. When I turned toward the stage, I saw the bride. Still glowing in her white gown, Robyn stood before a microphone. Robyn is a stage performer, but she’s been known to front the occasional rock band. Peter, meanwhile, was hooking up his electric violin. His bandmates were ready, and off they went, bride and groom, sharing the vocals to Cream’s “White Room.”
A little while later, as my wife and I were carrying our sleepy daughters to the car, we looked up above the trees on this dark, dreamy evening. Thousands of stars sparkled in that black sky like nothing I’ve ever seen outside of a planetarium. As we neared our car, we could hear the voices of husband and wife, newlyweds, leading their guests in a sing-a-long:
And when the night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me / Shine until tomorrow, let it be.
I’m not privy to the music of angels quite yet. But I have a feeling it sounded and felt a lot like August 14th, on a heavenly hill, where a shooting star and his radiant wife led their friends beneath a white tent to celebrate life.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Flying the Flag (One Sixty-Two: Day 75)
Writer’s note: One Sixty-Two is a season-long series of blog posts connecting baseball’s major-league players to life’s universal themes. Just as there are 162 games in a season, so there will be 162 posts in this series. Let’s play some ball.
Day Seventy-Five: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
When you walk around a Jersey Shore town, every once in awhile you’ll pass a house with the Maryland state flag hanging outside. It’s not a long drive from Maryland to Southern Jersey, especially if you take the ferry from Lewes, Del., to Cape May. Whenever I pass such a house, I am reminded of just how gorgeous that flag is.
There’s no state flag like it, both visually and historically. The flag is broken up into quadrants, yet only two images are drawn on the flag – each of them on diagonally opposing quadrants. One image depicts a red and white cross, while the other depicts a yellow and black diamond pattern. When viewed altogether, the dueling images make for a striking flag display. Historically, the images mean a lot to Maryland, as this is the only state flag whose design is based on heraldic emblems. The two images depict the coats of arms of the Calvert and Crossland families, founders of the Maryland colony back in the 17th century.
They take their images seriously in Maryland, from the state flag to the muscle-bound turtle on University of Maryland Terrapins T-shirts, to the slick, elongated bird on Baltimore Ravens helmets. In terms of sports, though, no Maryland image is as impressive and iconic as the simple, yet elegant bird on Baltimore Orioles hats and T-shirts. It’s a detailed Oriole of black and orange, and he calls to mind both the natural environment of the region as well as the proud history of a baseball franchise.
It’s one thing to look good, of course, and yet another thing to execute. While every Baltimore Oriole looks sharp in white, orange and black, not many Orioles have appeared all that capable on the field in the past decade and a half. This year’s Orioles, owners of the worst record in baseball, are on their way to a franchise-record 13th straight season with a losing record. This from a franchise that once ran off a string of 18 consecutive winning seasons, from 1968-1985. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, no American League team was as consistent as Baltimore. Manager Earl Weaver fielded a team of great pitchers and solid hitters, and Orioles fans respected and admired their clubs. World Series were won here, and Hall of Fame players were honored to suit up for the Birds.
After the 1992 opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, one of the great ballparks in Major League Baseball history, the Orioles went on another winning streak, fielding competitive teams for a half-dozen years in the ‘90s and making the playoffs twice. But after a surprising playoff loss to the Cleveland Indians in 1997, the Orioles have come up empty year after year ever since.
This year’s team has a lot of exciting young players, none more highly touted than catcher Matt Wieters. And yet, the Orioles are 25-57, a whopping 26 games out of first place. Wieters is hitting just .239, and the team as a whole is hitting just slightly better than that. The Baltimore manager has already been changed, giving the O’s their sixth manager since this lengthy losing streak began. By comparison, the Atlanta Braves – the Southeast’s other big-league team – have had just one manager over the past 20 years. With Bobby Cox’s consistent leadership, the Braves have produced a losing record just twice in the past two decades.
So when will the losing stop in Baltimore? When will the fans be given reason to return to Camden Yards? Word is that Baltimore is talking with Buck Showalter, the ESPN analyst and former manager who has helped turn around the fortunes of all three teams he’s led. Perhaps Showalter will have the winning touch here as well.
Until then, the Maryland flag will keep on waving outside those Jersey Shore vacation homes. They do sell Orioles flags, and they can be flown outside your house, too. It’s just that winning makes every flag a bit prettier, and a bit more desirable. Until the losing stops, Marylanders will stick with their coats of arms.
Day Seventy-Five: Matt Wieters, Baltimore Orioles
When you walk around a Jersey Shore town, every once in awhile you’ll pass a house with the Maryland state flag hanging outside. It’s not a long drive from Maryland to Southern Jersey, especially if you take the ferry from Lewes, Del., to Cape May. Whenever I pass such a house, I am reminded of just how gorgeous that flag is.
There’s no state flag like it, both visually and historically. The flag is broken up into quadrants, yet only two images are drawn on the flag – each of them on diagonally opposing quadrants. One image depicts a red and white cross, while the other depicts a yellow and black diamond pattern. When viewed altogether, the dueling images make for a striking flag display. Historically, the images mean a lot to Maryland, as this is the only state flag whose design is based on heraldic emblems. The two images depict the coats of arms of the Calvert and Crossland families, founders of the Maryland colony back in the 17th century.
They take their images seriously in Maryland, from the state flag to the muscle-bound turtle on University of Maryland Terrapins T-shirts, to the slick, elongated bird on Baltimore Ravens helmets. In terms of sports, though, no Maryland image is as impressive and iconic as the simple, yet elegant bird on Baltimore Orioles hats and T-shirts. It’s a detailed Oriole of black and orange, and he calls to mind both the natural environment of the region as well as the proud history of a baseball franchise.
It’s one thing to look good, of course, and yet another thing to execute. While every Baltimore Oriole looks sharp in white, orange and black, not many Orioles have appeared all that capable on the field in the past decade and a half. This year’s Orioles, owners of the worst record in baseball, are on their way to a franchise-record 13th straight season with a losing record. This from a franchise that once ran off a string of 18 consecutive winning seasons, from 1968-1985. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, no American League team was as consistent as Baltimore. Manager Earl Weaver fielded a team of great pitchers and solid hitters, and Orioles fans respected and admired their clubs. World Series were won here, and Hall of Fame players were honored to suit up for the Birds.
After the 1992 opening of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, one of the great ballparks in Major League Baseball history, the Orioles went on another winning streak, fielding competitive teams for a half-dozen years in the ‘90s and making the playoffs twice. But after a surprising playoff loss to the Cleveland Indians in 1997, the Orioles have come up empty year after year ever since.
This year’s team has a lot of exciting young players, none more highly touted than catcher Matt Wieters. And yet, the Orioles are 25-57, a whopping 26 games out of first place. Wieters is hitting just .239, and the team as a whole is hitting just slightly better than that. The Baltimore manager has already been changed, giving the O’s their sixth manager since this lengthy losing streak began. By comparison, the Atlanta Braves – the Southeast’s other big-league team – have had just one manager over the past 20 years. With Bobby Cox’s consistent leadership, the Braves have produced a losing record just twice in the past two decades.
So when will the losing stop in Baltimore? When will the fans be given reason to return to Camden Yards? Word is that Baltimore is talking with Buck Showalter, the ESPN analyst and former manager who has helped turn around the fortunes of all three teams he’s led. Perhaps Showalter will have the winning touch here as well.
Until then, the Maryland flag will keep on waving outside those Jersey Shore vacation homes. They do sell Orioles flags, and they can be flown outside your house, too. It’s just that winning makes every flag a bit prettier, and a bit more desirable. Until the losing stops, Marylanders will stick with their coats of arms.
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