Oh, those O's

The Orioles just fired their manager, Sam Perlazzo, but it's not like he had much to work with. This is creating a debate amongst sportswriters everywhere: is this a dead job? Can the Orioles ever win again? Most say no. I would like to pose this question to Mr. Perseghin, but it seems he has fled from humanity in a remote Rhode Island camping colony. I didn't know Rhode Island was big enough to be lost in, frankly. Whenever you come back to the world, Louis, perhaps you can weigh in on this.

I'm interested in this case for a few reasons. Number one, I used to have split allegiances with the Phillies and Orioles. The Orioles were my favorite AL team until I started seeing the abosolute pain the Red Sox fans held. It was easy to get to Baltimore from my house in Lancaster, so they were on the news as much as the Phils. During the mid 90's, when the Phils were awful and the O's were in the playoffs all the time, we needed it. Number two, it might help show people why basbeall needs some sort of salary cap. Number three, I like Baltimore; they have a good stadium and good fans, traditionally. They deserve better.

Are they really dead? Is there no hope for them in the AL East? Let us consider the pros and cons.

THE BAD NEWS

Peter Angelos is..... well, some have called him the worst owner ever. Is there anyone who doesn't hate this guy? Have you ever heard him described as less than despicable?

The AL East is loaded and it's never going to get any easier because the Yankees and Red Sox will always have the cash to spend. Sometimes, the Blue Jays too.

They now have to share the area with the Nationals.

Since the Red Sox-Yankee rivalry heated up again, no national sources have paid any attention to them and they haven't gottten close to the playoffs.

They haven't had a good pitcher in years.

Their big-name signings did nothing.

None of the managers since Davey Johnson did anything... and even he got fired.

THE GOOD

Andy MacPhail has done good work before in other front offices.

They claim to have a lot of young pitchers, and they managed to bring in former Braves svengali Leo Mazzone to help.

At least they did spend for a while. Their payroll is larger than a lot of the bad teams... they haven't gone completely cheap on everyone.

They're getting a lot of money from a new TV deal.

Despite the addition of the Nationals, it should be noted that the Beltway is one of the richest and most prosperous areas of the country. The area is full of people with cash and corporate sponsors.

Camden Yards is still nice.

THE VERDICT

Honestly? I don't know. I think anyone in that division has trouble... you might get a year when one of the powerhouses is down, but then the rest of the AL is tough. I hope we can get a deabte here, if anyone still reads this. I'd hate to see all the hope run out in Baltimore.