By the TSB Staff

On this Labor weekend, The Sports Bank staff discusses the industry within which they labor. Mariotti’s leaving the newspaper industry and subsequent controversial comments made us think about where the sports media industry is and where it’s going.
 

PAUL M. BANKS:

Everyone knows that newspapers are going the way of the Wooly Mammoth, but I’m more interested in how bloggers and blogging are no longer considered inferior entities. The idea that bloggers are just losers who “live in their parents’ basement” is so 2006. Today, reporters in all sports mediums blog, and as more newspaper reporters accept contract buyouts, they’ll all be bloggers someday! Of course, we have a long way to go in terms of understanding which blogs have credibility and which ones are just useless. Look at websites authored by people posting their real names with a clear and in-depth “About” page identifying the site’s background and credentials, because as Marshall McLuhan said, “the medium is the message;” updated for Web 2.0 in the Look at Me Generation, I’d say “the user is the content.” Especially in the case of that infamous guy named Ballz Deep who comments on Deadspin.
 

DAVID K.:

I think Mariotti’s national exposure as Woody Paige’s pretend arch-nemesis on “Around the Horn” definitely played a part in Mariotti fleeing the newspaper business, and who can blame him?  I have a college friend who is a sports editor at a smaller newspaper in northwestern Wisconsin who admittedly jokes how he works in an industry that will likely be extinct in 25 years.  And it’s true.  We live in a world where news is all about immediacy.  Why wait to read what happened yesterday in the newspaper when you can visit a web-site that keeps you up-to-date every minute with stories and events that are currently breaking.  It makes sense.  How many people do you know who spend half their work day surfing the web or immediately turn to one of the many major sports sites when they hear about a breaking sports story?

Even in the television news business, sports departments are experiencing a dramatic overhaul.  Major local affiliates continue to downsize their sports staffs, partly because of the struggling economy and partly because of the other avenues people use to acquire their sports information.  Recently the NBC affiliate in Green Bay, where 90% of their news revolves around the Packers (and we all know the NFL is king of revenue among sports leagues), eliminated their entire sports team.  This seems to be a continuing trend in the business.

 
 

JEREMY ZULEGER:

Radio has seen erosion. 95% of all Americans used to listen to radio regularly. Those numbers have fallen to about 88% over the last 10 years. In that same time period newspaper subscriptions have fallen more than 50%. The stories you may hear about the demise of radio are mostly about declining revenues, but also pure media hype. Revenue has fallen along with revenue from print, TV, cable and most major media while online is growing. But unlike most other major media, radio still has roughly a 40% profit margin… for publicly traded entities that number is HUGE.

SARAH SPAIN:

The decline of the newspaper world cannot be ignored or denied. In big cities like Chicago and New York young people often note that they only read the paper on the subway or the bus. Newer generations consider the internet their first choice for sports and entertainment news and rarely pick up a newspaper if they’ve got the web right at their fingertips. Older generations still support print media, but their opinions are becoming less and less relevant as they age out of the target market. It will be interesting to see the way the media grows in new and different ways as the print sector continues to become more and more obsolete.

 

ANDY WEISE:

I, myself am evidence in the decline of newspapers and television production staff. As a journalism graduate, I was given a choice: stay in a small market or go back home (Minneapolis/St. Paul area) and leave journalism behind. I choose the latter because of friends and family basically.

In Minnesota, one of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune’s Viking beat writers Kevin Siefert recently took the helm of the ESPN North Blog. While I think Siefert is clearly missed at the Star Trib, he jumped at the opportunity to join ESPN because he will never have to worry about a job there, unless he under performs. Another guy a few years back, Dan Barreiro, made the transition from the top columnist at the Star-Trib to full time radio host, 4-7 “Bumper to Bumper” on KFAN Sports Radio station. He’s got a great gig and left before the paper was even cutting people.

In a day where you constantly read about budget cuts in the newsroom, it’s very alarming and sad. I think the paper will always be around, but the blog is taking over. All newspaper sportswriters here in Minnesota now have blogs. In fact, it’s only a matter of time before the St. Paul Pioneer Press closes up shop. That paper, which competes head on with the Star Trib, has been shrinking for quite some time. Some days, the sports and local sections are barely even 6 pages.
 

PETER CHRISTIAN:

In addition to what Andy said, we both come from a school (and a department) that was completely unwilling to change their views and teachings for the changing journalism world. I still remember my arguments with the department head who required me to take a course that was effectively learning how to write for a newspaper even though in my other broadcast courses were teaching that writing in that style was not only flawed, but fatal. I do know that a portion of online writing was introduced to the newspaper course (although the style of writing remained the same, which was a definite error by the department/school’s brass). 

However, I think that coupled with the fact that more and more people were getting their news from other better updated sources (i.e. the internet, 24 hour cable news) the newspaper brass had a choice to make in order to keep their industry relevant. Instead they decided to stand pat for a few years and do nothing. When they finally realized that the internet was something to embrace rather than shun, it was too late and they were behind the eight ball.

Another glaring issue that the print media has been facing for decades (long before their medium was irrelevant) was the fact that the style of writing thought to be the “newspaper way” has been flawed for years. The quality of the writing has deteriorated to a string of horrible sentences with little to no structure that the writer could cover up with an above average vocabulary. Add in the fact that the corporations owning the newspapers were beginning to push agendas (political or otherwise) on their writers and it was a recipe for disaster.

By Paul M. Banks for the 2016 Channel 

Why softball is Chicago’s very own game and what you can do to save it as an Olympic sport by 2016

http://chicago2016channel.com/2008/08/29/hard-line-stance-favoring-softball/

Check it out: Oprah will be in Grant Park this Tuesday with a multitude of American Olympic Athletes. Michael Phelps himself will be in town as well!
http://chicago2016channel.com/2008/08/29/you-oprah-and-hundreds-of-olympianslive-millennium-park-september-3/

 

The TSB staff reacts to Jay Mariotti’s comments and recent decision to leave the Sun-Times

PAUL M. BANKS:

Jay Mariotti has left the Chicago Sun-Times and claims to be shopping for jobs at various websites. In fact somebody, (a very funny person at that) posted a comment on our site on Wednesday as Jay Mariotti asking, “hey, are you guys hiring?”
 
I do love what the POLARIZING figure said about websites taking over for newspapers. If that’s what truly happening, SWEET! Here’s one of his quotes:
 
“I’m a competitor and I get the sense this marketplace doesn’t compete,” he said. “Everyone is hanging on for dear life at both papers. I think probably the days of high-stakes competition in Chicago are over. To see what has happened in this business. … I don’t want to go down with it.”
 
You mean the Red Eye might not exist one day? Good Lord! How could human civilization continue without that fountain of enlightening information? So I asked my staff what they thought about the sports media landscape; where it is and where it’s going (I’ll post that in the next installment tomorrow). I also asked the sports bankers what they thought of Mariotti and his recent career maneuver. Can this be compared to Howard Stern signing with Sirius and terrestrial radio declining and satellite ascending?
 

Q:

I do have a bit of a problem with Michael Cooke’s (editor of the Sun-Times) reaction. He’s saying stuff like:

“We wish Jay well and will miss him — not personally, of course — but in the sense of noticing he is no longer here, at least for a few days.”

 If Mariotti was such a terrible person and you didn’t want to be around him, why give him a 3-year extension like 2 months ago? Oh, because he still brought readers to your second-tier rag. I enjoy a good dig at a d-bag just as much as the next guy, but pardon me if I’m not falling over myself in admiration for the Sun-Times. They could’ve fired Mariotti at any time; yet they goaded him along, hoping the next story would be the one that caused Ozzie Guillen to go homicidal and actually physically attack their writer. God bless the MSM!
 

ANONYMOUS PERSON ONCE ATTACKED BY JAY IN A COLUMN:

“I’m loving how the Sun-Times has piled on its former cover boy. I’m just waiting for Bin Laden to emerge from his cave to release a statement ripping Jay. He truly is scum. Bin Laden’s bad, too.”

 

SARAH SPAIN:

I say good riddance. His schtick got old years ago. Chicago is a town that loves it homers (biased reporters and long balls, alike). Mariotti was proud to be a bitter curmudgeon, claiming to be the only Chicago writer who tells it like it is. Negativity for negativity’s sake is worse than boldfaced homerism and sugar-coating. Mariotti always seemed to hate his job and the teams and people he covered; an attitude that angered sports fans who would love to have his access. In trying to keep up with young readers (and, perhaps, fans of The Sports Guy) Mariotti tried and failed to weave pop culture references into his columns.

His embarrassing attempts to sound dialed in to today’s teens and twenty-somethings only served to further display his out-of-touch, might I be so unhip as to say “squareness.” The same guy who so often tore into the subjects of his columns was unable to take criticism, a hypocritical stance that doesn’t fly in everyday life, not to mention in the national media. At times he had very valid, well though-out points, but his tired delivery and know-it-all approach turned readers away. If the front cover of Thursday’s Sun-Times is any indicator, the city of Chicago won’t miss Mariotti.

And you might be interested in this exclusive interview w/ Jerry Reinsdorf re: Mariotti.

PETER CHRISTIAN: 

My experiences of reading Jay Mariotti are limited to the last few years (after his national prominence rose due to Around the Horn) and was never a huge fan. I’ve always lumped him in with other established newspaper sports writers that seem to get away with writing whatever they want without any factual checks. Personally, I was elated when Ozzie Guillen called him out (I wasn’t all that fond of the language he used in doing it, but the purpose was valid).

Mariotti can say whatever he wants about why he left but at the end of the day his name will latch onto another form of media, his talent will not be accompanying him (or what was left of it). He doesn’t bring anything new to the sports world and in an industry where opinions based on fact and research are what get some one ahead, he doesn’t have what it takes. I would be willing to bet that he wouldn’t be able to find his own address without the help of a research assistant. He is certainly caught in a tight spot because he isn’t old enough to be considered a wise sage like say, Bob Ryan (I hate him too, he makes up more false rumors than anyone in the world) but he isn’t young enough to be considered up with the latest trends. With that in mind, Mariotti can’t be likened to Stern because at the end of the day Howard was still doing the same thing, Mariotti has to change his bread and butter in order to succeed and as many here and all over the blogosphere have indicated he doesn’t really have the chops to go with the online crowd and he is far too annoying to carry any television or radio show.

Jay Mariotti’s decision to leave because he is a “competitor” and doesn’t “want to go down” with the industry is a cop out. If that were the case he would have left 5 years ago. Instead he realized that he was never going to get another raise while at the Sun-Times and fled in search of something else that will be offered to him because he is a recognizable name and not because he has the ability to do it (whatever he attempts next).

In the end, I was hoping for something a bit more dramatic like Mariotti getting canned for threatening Ozzie Guillen with a can opener and becoming the punchline to a joke rather than be remembered as the annoying guy that sat in front of the “Chicago Sun-Times” plate glass window on Around the Horn. Unfortunately that isn’t the end result. Yet.

ANDY WEISE:

Kornheiser and Wilbon are great at what they do and made the transition from print to ESPN television at the perfect time. While I understand Mariotti’s move, I’m really curious as to what he will do now. I don’t think he’s a fan favorite like the PTI guys but I’m sure he’ll find something he can do. Sam Smith left the Chicago Tribune and now blogs at Hoopshype.com.

DAVID K.: 

I think Mariotti is a pretty talented writer, though his persona on Around the Horn makes me want to stab my ear drums with an ice pick.  But look at former newspaper writers like Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser; who first transitioned to talk-show TV hosts and now Wilbon is a regular analyst for the NBA while Kornheiser is in the booth during Monday Night Football.  I’m sure Mariotti is lobbying to land a similar gig to expand his exposure and more than likely, earn a bigger payday.  With his increasing ego and pompous attitude, I would imagine he will not settle for anything less.

JEREMY ZULEGER:

I don’t think you can draw a parallel between Mariotti and Stern. On terrestrial radio Stern had 20 million listeners. On satellite he’s got 2 million and there was not a significant rise when he switched. Stern became even richer by his satellite deal, but it hurt the industry more than helped it because they don’t cover the cost of his salary with subscribers. It is the insanely high programming cost that is forcing XM and Sirius to merge.
 
  Q:

Mariotti could NEVER actually cover or broadcast a game itself for he might then have to actually talk to a player or (GASP) visit a locker room. The guy’s a douche and I like to try and convince myself that not only did he quit b/c newspapers are dying (and as usual, they’re the last the know it) but b/c his schtick is tired and only the execs at the 4-letter remain convinced that faux screaming debates with idiotic viewpoints remain a viable definition of “sports coverage”.

Another Sun-Times story on the matter

 
By the Soxman

It may have taken a while sports fans, but thanks to the Belichickian Banks secretly videotaping my game appearances, we saw your signal in the sky. 

As a result, the Sportsbank.net’s weekly fantasy football column returns this season!
 

Even with the Sox and Cubs likely headed for the post-season, this two-sport savant will share his scores, breakdowns, and player moves with you each week.
 

In my fourth year playing fantasy football, I’m hoping to build upon my 2 championship and 2 runner-up titles by taking the Gridiron Grinders all the way to the top.  More so, I hope to offer you valuable advice to give you the edge in your fantasy league.
 
So strap on your helmets and hunker down for the ride.  Are you “Ready for Some Football?”
 
As many drafts are likely occurring this week, I’ll start by offering some basic advice for beginners playing fantasy football:
 
1.  Know Your Scoring System.
 
This is perhaps the biggest rookie mistake.  There are at least half a dozen scoring systems out there.  In general, most scoring systems favor running backs, which is why you see so many backs selected with the top picks. However, many leagues (especially the free ones) are now heavily weighted towards QB performance.  While many then race to take a Tom Brady or Peyton Manning with the first pick, I believe it increases the value of high point accumulators at other positions.  For example, on one QB Weighted scoring system, Brian Westbrook is forecasted to score 281 points (as the number three best back in the league).  There are eight QBs predicted to put up the same numbers and no WRs anywhere close!

 
In my opinion, this places the value of high producers in thinner positions through the roof and lessens the value of a Tom Brady.  Supply and demand if you please. Likewise, most point per reception leagues heavily favor strong running backs that also catch a number of passes. So remember, your first step is to know the rules of engagement and to plan your draft strategy around it.
 

2.  Know Your Line-Up Rules
 
With the exception of complicated leagues that also draft individual defensive players, most fantasy line-ups are the same with the exception of one slot. Some leagues mandate use of a tight end, while others allow a WR/RB for the third slot.
Leagues that mandate a tight end ensure that players like Antonio Gates and Jason Witten will be drafted early.  In leagues where there is a WR/RB slot most tight ends are no better than a fourth receiver and are not even drafted.
 
 

3.  Know the Transaction Rules
 
Rookie fantasy football owners often show their indecision or lack of confidence by frequently adding and dropping players early only to learn there is an add/drop limit and their team is out of moves by week 8!  As injuries mount, these owners are often left starting injured players and thus lose their league early. Likewise, knowing a league allows unlimited transactions could be a great way to practice the AJ Pierzynski Rules of Fantasy Football Conduct.  What does Soxman mean?

 
Most leagues with unlimited transactions put at least a 24-48 hour hold on a waived player before another team can pick them up.  Some leagues even have a weeklong holding period.  If your competitor needs a TE for the upcoming week, you can go simply add/drop all good tight tends thus blocking his ability to field a starter in that position. It’s not the way Soxman plays the game, but if the championship was on the line, what do you think AJ would do?  Warning: this trick usually ignites the rest of the league. Practice your response early: “Don’t hate the playa.  Hate the game.”
  
 
4.  Know the NFL Match-ups, Stadiums and Weather on Game Day.
 
This is without a doubt the “X” factor in most leagues.  It can make the difference whether or not you make the play-offs.  Simply, you might want to start a RB3 going against the worst run defense in the NFL over of RB2 going against the best. Even if you have the best kicker in the league, you might want to sit him when he plays at Soldiers Field in January on a snowy day with shifting 50 MPH wind gusts. That’s it for now football fans.  Tune in next time, when I reveal Soxman’s 2008 Gridiron Grinders Roster and draft breakdown.
 
Hut, hut, hike!
 

Questions by Paul M. Banks and Answers by Andy Weise

Yes, this website has a heavy White Sox presence and it’s clearly the team in charge here at TSB. However, we should give increasing time to our mortal enemy, the Minnesota Twins if we are to properly discuss are chances in this pennant race.

 After all what would our government do without Al Qaeda or the Taliban? How many seasons of “Lost” would we have if it was just the Flight 815 survivors and no “Others?” We live for rivalries…let’s get it started!

Are you worried about the massive road trip the Twins are on?

Definitely. Considering how good the Twins have been at home and how close the race is right now, it’s tough to see them gone for four series in a row. The nice thing is three of the teams are definitely beatable (Seattle, Oakland and Toronto) — but the Twins can’t take a game off. They need every game right now.
 
 
Do you think Liriano is the X factor to now put the Twins over the top?

Not necessarily. Is he a big piece? Of course. You need all five starters pitching as well as they can and none of them are very experienced when it comes to competing for a playoff spot down the stretch. I think Liriano needs to be compared to what Livan Hernandez was doing in that spot in the rotation. Don’t compare Liriano with the 2006 version, they aren’t the same pitcher. Liriano’s velocity will likely go up next year, but right now they have to be patient and take what they get. That slider, while down some MPH’s, is still extremely hard to hit.
 
 
Blackburn, Slowey, etc. who are these guys? The young pitchers really seem to be carrying you guys down the stretch. And missing Livan Hernandez seems to be addition by subtraction.
 
Nick Blackburn has been a surprise even to the Twins organization. I don’t think they expected him to be a mainstay, at least not yet. Personally, I think he’s a dime-a-dozen. Kevin Slowey has been one of the top pitching prospects for awhile though. He’s been often compared to Brad Radke, a guy many Twins fans fell in love with. While not overpowering, both are consistent. Slowey recently fanned 12 batters in a game against Oakland. I don’t remember Radke ever having that many Ks in one game and Slowey just turned 24 in May, not a bad sign for the Twins.

 
Who is Denard Span and where did he come from? He wasn’t a really high rated prospect…or was he?
 

Span was actually a first round pick (20th overall) in 2002. So yes, how well he’s playing shouldn’t come as a surprise. In a way, it’s a surprise because for a long time he was considered a bust. Torii Hunter actually took Span under his wing, the two are very good friends and when Hunter left in the offseason, it looked like it was Span’s job to lose. Then came the Johan Santana trade that brought in Carlos Gomez, a guy two years younger than Span. When Gomez became the starter after spring training, I think something in Span’s head finally clicked and his batting around .360 in the minors got him a promotion and he hasn’t let up yet. Gomez was even moved to 9th in the order in favor of Span leading off.
 
 
Other than Morneau of course, who’s starting in your infield these days and how do they keep winning with these supposed “no-names?”

Nick Punto might be one of the best utility infielders in the game because his defense is great when you consider he can play any position in the field. Alexi Casilla has been hurt but finally returned. Aside from Span, Casilla has been one of the pleasant surprises for the Twins both offensively and defensively. Outside of those two, Brian Buscher has a steady bat at third, Adam Everett a defensive replacement at shortstop and Brendan Harris has been solid as another utility  guy who can play second, short or third. Oh, how could I forget the first baseman? Justin Morneau, 2006 MVP having another very good season and the anchor of the lineup.
 
 
 
Finally, everyone predicted the AL Central to be a two-team race: Cleveland and Detroit. And here we are bearing down on September with a two team race…our two teams! We may be bitter rivals, but we can agree on a wonderfully exciting pennant race between the best two teams and like Lou Brown said in Major League “every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. And I’m one for wasting sportswriters’ time, so I’m hoping we can all give them one big shitburger to eat” 

I picked Detroit to win it! I thought this was their year with Bonderman and Verlander heading the rotation. Getting Miguel Cabrera, unbelievable. I figured Cleveland would not do as well, but with Hafner and Martinez hurt, Sabathia gone, the only good things left in Cleveland are Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee.

I think this will be a close race to the finish for the White Sox and Twins. Both have shaky bullpens but can produce good runs (White Sox lead league in homeruns, Twins lead league in batting average with runners in scoring position). It will come down to pitching: whose starters can make the biggest impact. I wouldn’t mind seeing a match-up in the ALCS with these two, but I know that is a bit off. Personally, I’m hoping the Twins win the division instead of the Wild Card so their chances of playing the Angels decreases. The Wild Card will go to whatever second place team in the East or Central has a better record and that team will face the Angels.
 

One of my favorite sites this past Olympics was Paraguayan Javeliner Leryn Franco. During the 2008 Summer Games she finished next-to-last at 51st.

But she got a lot of media attention anyway because of her off-the-charts good looks, especially during the opening ceremonies.

According to her Wikipedia, her favorite warm-up music is Dem Dam Keyids. Which is another turn on for me, because I love Dem Dam Keyids too. Of course, whenever I’ve seen Dem Dam Keyids live they’re never as good as in the studio. And their new album isnt as good as the Dem Dam Keyids classics we all know and love.

For calendar shots of this model/javelin thrower check out….

http://www.pbase.com/crespoide/personal_2007_calendar

By Paul M. Banks

Whoever believes America is truly a classless society has never bought tickets to a baseball game. The press box and suites are located next to each other for literal and metaphorical reasons. The best views of the game are on the stadium’s middle level, so it’s also where the people deemed “most important” reside. Also, most journalists are born with upper middle/lower upper class backgrounds and usually spend their adult lives within that tier. Press row isn’t inside the sky suites, but right next door. Knowing these truths to be self-evident, I felt pretty good when I saw the Orioles take on the Boston Red Sox in a section right next to the Governor of Maryland private’s box.

A bad day at the ballpark truly beats a good day anywhere else. Given that Oriole Park at Camden Yards is my favorite park that I’ve visited. (I’m currently halfway through all major league franchises.) It is safe to say that a bad day at Camden Yards beats a good day at any other ballpark. Only in person can one understand why this was “the standard” when it opened in 1992. It’s the first modernized retro park; an architectural revolution of charm in “Charm city,” a new beginning of baseball building after the horrific era of banal, cookie-cutter, overly symmetrical eyesore stadium dominance. The competing Washington Nationals have major attendance issues, despite having a great new ballpark. One internet author described Oriole Park at Camden Yards being a “transcendent experience.”  This is one of my favorites, but I think Henry David Thoreau would agree that calling it “transcendent” is a bit much…

Birds on “The Wire”

Across the way from Baltimore’s Oriole Park is the home of the Baltimore Ravens–a stadium that hasn’t been around very long, but has changed its name about as many times as Nick Saban changed jobs this decade. You’ll notice I didn’t refer to it by its current name…because I figure that by the time I post this, the naming rights to “Ravens Stadium” will probably have changed again. The football venue recently hosted a pep rally and watch party for Olympian Michael Phelps. He’s one of B more’s very own.

The outfield concourse is Eutaw Street: an actual street not just a concourse or an alley. Just another example of what makes this park so alluring and compelling. The area surrounding the park is comprised of narrow cobblestone streets. Its close proximity to the bay and Colonial era nuance makes it a neighborhood where this old city shines its very brightest. The park embraces these concepts, eventually manifesting itself as a structure with unique features and subtle quirkiness, but also the sheer size and excessive amenities of the major leagues. At the Club Level lounge, I started writing some notes about my experience on my notepad. This caught the attention of a group of women at another table and they approached me. They asked me if I was a journalist, and I had a good conversation with them, noting how back home, the HBO series “The Wire” is the only thing people know about Baltimore.   
 

Charm City Survey

Here are the quotes they wrote in my notebook. Because all these women are anonymous, it might explain the candid nature. This experience was a good time for me to invoke the advice of Chicagoan Kanye West in a song off his latest album, “Don’t go through too much bullshit just to mess with these drunk and hot girls.” They started talking about the Red Sox and asked me why I was wearing a White Sox jersey to the game; my response, “Listen, I keep my Sox clean and pure, that’s why they’re white.”

Her response “Do you bleach them…how can I dirty them up sometime?”
 

Taking us to the rest of the “Charm City” quotations

-“The O’s have the best asses.”

-“When it comes down to “the wire,” the Orioles always come through.

(Hhmmm, what about this last decade with no winning seasons and playoff appearances? Again, their place in the AL East is “way down in the hole!”)
 
-“The Baltimore fans were in the muthafuckin hizzouse.”

(I know what you’re thinking; yes the girl who wrote this was white!)

-“Damn it’s a ball to be back at the ballpark.”

(Agreed.)

Later I saw two hotties, one wearing a Nick Markakis jersey shirt, the other wearing Kevin Youkilis. Despite the rival teams, they were reppin’ the AL East coast Greek-American connection. When I heard Markakis’s walk-up music was Shania Twain’s “Any man of mine,” I laughed out lout at how pansy and fruity that sounded. I truly hope his teammates haze his him harshly for his horribly unbelievable song choice. I was surrounded by people wearing “Pedroia the Destroya,” tees in my all Boston section. This is just like my family trip to Disney World. There I took in the Orlando Magic versus the Boston Celtics, and once again found myself surrounded by unruly Boston sports fans who got drunk, started fights and got arrested. Although I’m not into any of those three activities, I still felt quite at home.

 

 
 

The Oriole Way

The slogan “The Oriole Way” is kind of a joke now while the team is finishing its 11th straight losing season as Peter Angelos (widely regarded to be one of the worst owners in all of sports)  continues to run this franchise into the ground. However, the team did have some glory days. From 1966 to 1983, the Orioles won three World Series (1966, 1970, and 1983), six American League pennants (1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983), and five of the first six American League Eastern Division titles. They played baseball the Oriole Way, an organizational ethic best described by longtime farm hand and coach Cal Ripken, Sr.’s phrase “perfect practice makes perfect!” The Oriole Way was a belief that hard work, professionalism, and a strong understanding of fundamentals were the keys to success at the major league level. It was based on the belief that if every coach, at every level, taught the game the same way, the organization could produce “replacement parts” that could be substituted seamlessly into the big league club with little or no adjustment. This is why the Orioles became the envy of the league and winningest team during this period. This philosophy sounds a lot like what the White Sox sell to the public while marketing the team (Ozzie Ball seems to produce mostly solo and two-run homers instead) and what the Minnesota Twins actually put into practice.

During their peak period, three different Orioles were named Most Valuable Player (Frank Robinson in 1966; Boog Powell in 1970; and Cal Ripken, Jr. in 1983). The pitching staff was phenomenal, with four pitchers winning six Cy Young Awards (Mike Cuellar in 1969; Jim Palmer in 1973, 1975, and 1976; Mike Flanagan in 1979; and Steve Stone in 1980). In 1971, the team’s four starting pitchers, McNally, Cuellar, Palmer, and Pat Dobson, all won 20 games, a feat that has not been replicated since. In that year, the Birds went on to post a 101-61 record for their third straight AL East title.Also during this stretch three players were named rookies of the year (Al Bumbry-1973, Eddie Murray-1977, Cal Ripken Jr.-1982).

The Earl of the 3-run Homer

When you enter the Bacardi O lounge (perfect marketing tie-in) you see a portrait of Earl Weaver, the fiery manager who’s inspired a whole new breed of hot-headed hard line baseball leaders. Both of the Chicago skippers Lou Piniella and Ozzie Guillen embody this. During this rise to prominence, Weaver Ball came into vogue. It was defined by the Oriole trifecta of “Pitching, Defense, and the Three-Run Home Run.”

Next to Earl Weaver is where you can get THE BEST BALLPARK FOOD ON THE PLANET! Specifically, Boog Powell’s BBQ. I avoid red meat and pork pretty much all the time, but the smoked BBQ turkey here was off the charts.  Same with the crab cake sandwich and the crab and brie bisque. These meals were so good that I think any woman who could prepare these meals for me all the time should instantly be my wife. If she can do that, all other points are moot.  If she could make crab stick sushi, that would be nice too. Wash all this fantastic food down with a Clipper City or Backfin Brewery micro brew. The tap has the Maryland state flag on it, one of the most recognizable state flags out there partially thanks to the Terrapins basketball jerseys. And I love it because it looks like the emblem of an old Spanish monarchy and dynasty.

 
 

Baltimore: the East Coast St. Louis.

B More isn’t what it used to be. In the 1890s it was 6th largest city in the U.S. and was called the “gateway to the south,” for some odd reason. (I guess if you consider Virginia the South, the nickname works.) However, only West Baltimore (where “The Wire” is set), North Baltimore and South Baltimore are bad neighborhoods. The downtown and Harbor front are beautiful. It is to D.C. what Oakland is to San Francisco or what St. Louis is to the rest of the Midwest. Funny how this franchise resided in both places. When you visit Baltimore’s and Washington D.C.’s main rail depots, you can see the vast difference instantaneously. 

I am very jealous of the Eastern Seaboard for having ultra-fast bullet trains that the rest of the country lacks. We badly need to invest in high speed rail (and better public transportation within our cities) to catch up with the rest of the world. Taking this initiative would do wonders to solve three of our biggest health problems (the national obesity epidemic…getting out and walking helps!, the addictive dependence on foreign oil…because its not usually good foreign policy to base your energy needs on people who want to KILL you, and global climate change…because reversing the course of C02 emissions would do wonders in stopping all the new viruses and diseases popping up as the globe warms. Of course, this probably won’t happen anytime soon, (even though it makes a world of sense) because our Federal government is still owned by the petroleum industry; and the car companies truly did a bang-up up dismantling public train and bus systems in the 1950s. Still, if the Acela Express can run between D.C. and Baltimore, then we can have it everywhere else too.

On my way out of Baltimore’s Penn Station, I thought about one of Chris Rock’s best jokes ever. He brings up the foreign policy disaster that is the Iraq war and says, “They said they were such a huge threat. If they were such a huge threat how come they took over the country in two weeks? You couldn’t take over Cabrini Green in two weeks!” I saw him tell the same joke in Detroit, switching the punch-line to “You couldn’t take over 8 Mile in two weeks.” I saw his HBO special in D.C. and it was not a street, not a neighborhood, but a whole city this time: “You couldn’t take over Baltimore in two weeks.”