Plenty of rest for the weary
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Oh dear. The O’s hit a new low on Sunday, reaching a level of crappiness not seen since Rafael Palmeiro blamed his positive steroid test on teammate Miguel Tejada. At least a level of embarrassment for their fans.
Melvin Mora, who I have loved as an Oriole and for years has represented the team with tremendous class, just flat out failed as a leader for his team.
Mora asked out of the lineup for a mental health day. Said he’s just not right at the plate. And while that may be true, his batting average having dipped to a miserable .242, with the Orioles mired in a horrendous offensive slump, you can’t just quit. Keep in mind too, the O’s have an off day today. They also had one last Thursday. And there’s the stretch of time from October through the first half of January to get mentally right.
Most of the team is struggling right now and would probably like a day off. But as an alleged leader, one who currently enjoys a contract extension worth 25 million dollars, you can’t just ride the pine to decompress.
Mora’s day of rest proves emblematic of the Orioles culture of losing. Instead of fighting through a problem, setting an example as the 2nd longest tenured Oriole, instead of wanting to work harder and right the ship, he quit. Only for a day, but he quit.
Embracing this team as your own becomes more and more difficult. There’s just no fight. And when you struggle to respect the players and organization for which you want to cheer, the cheers disappear.
Oh dear. The O’s hit a new low on Sunday, reaching a level of crappiness not seen since Rafael Palmeiro blamed his positive steroid test on teammate Miguel Tejada. At least a level of embarrassment for their fans.
Melvin Mora, who I have loved as an Oriole and for years has represented the team with tremendous class, just flat out failed as a leader for his team.
Mora asked out of the lineup for a mental health day. Said he’s just not right at the plate. And while that may be true, his batting average having dipped to a miserable .242, with the Orioles mired in a horrendous offensive slump, you can’t just quit. Keep in mind too, the O’s have an off day today. They also had one last Thursday. And there’s the stretch of time from October through the first half of January to get mentally right.
Most of the team is struggling right now and would probably like a day off. But as an alleged leader, one who currently enjoys a contract extension worth 25 million dollars, you can’t just ride the pine to decompress.
Mora’s day of rest proves emblematic of the Orioles culture of losing. Instead of fighting through a problem, setting an example as the 2nd longest tenured Oriole, instead of wanting to work harder and right the ship, he quit. Only for a day, but he quit.
Embracing this team as your own becomes more and more difficult. There’s just no fight. And when you struggle to respect the players and organization for which you want to cheer, the cheers disappear.
posted by Pete Gilbert at 1:16 PM
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