I found this in the archives. Just change a couple of names, and it
all sounds so familiar. (don't know who wrote it)

Lot like last year. Let me summarize: Season starts OK and team builds
anticipation of a fan base that already expects little toward the
all-star break ... maybe finish close to .500 by then. Then they'll
discover that the "kids" really aren't (again), and the "older" kids
start to poop out and give way to real "kids" who really should max
out at AAA. The pitching "hopefuls" will show that they really are a
mix of soon-to-be career middle relievers, and the closers ... well,
they don't. Along the way the clean-up hitters will be compared to the
worst-ever by the bored TV crews, who will also wonder what happened
to the Oriole Way among middle infielders who are setting new team
lows in fielding percentage. The trade deadline will approach and the
Birds will spin Peter Gammons' head by making a last-minute deal for a
"little-known" outfielder who has great speed, and a "pretty good
bat" but for some reason hasn't impressed any of the other 95 scouts
out there. As July drags into August and the pennant race has become
an already faded hope, Mike Hargrove will begin fielding questions
about whether the team can avert a 100-loss season. He'll sigh, and
talk about how good this is for the younger players who might not see
playing time behind the veterans. The September call-ups will bring up
the next round of "hopefuls," and any chance of keeping the team ERA
lower than 6.00 will vanish. As the season draws to a close, Sid
Thrift will begin to talk about the teams needs and think out loud
about the players he thinks will help fill the Orioles obvious holes,
and who Peter Angelos will ultimately overrule. Attendance will set
new Camden Yards lows.

Does that about cover it?

In article <mevo34pvc2afod8trq8j450n5cc52dqodh@4ax.com>,
GLS <orioles@CANTHEusaSPAM.com> wrote:
>I found this in the archives. Just change a couple of names, and it
>all sounds so familiar. (don't know who wrote it)
>
>Lot like last year. Let me summarize: Season starts OK and team builds
>anticipation of a fan base that already expects little toward the
>all-star break ... maybe finish close to .500 by then. Then they'll
>discover that the "kids" really aren't (again), and the "older" kids
>start to poop out and give way to real "kids" who really should max
>out at AAA. The pitching "hopefuls" will show that they really are a
>mix of soon-to-be career middle relievers, and the closers ... well,
>they don't. Along the way the clean-up hitters will be compared to the
>worst-ever by the bored TV crews, who will also wonder what happened
>to the Oriole Way among middle infielders who are setting new team
>lows in fielding percentage. The trade deadline will approach and the
>Birds will spin Peter Gammons' head by making a last-minute deal for a
>"little-known" outfielder who has great speed, and a "pretty good
>bat" but for some reason hasn't impressed any of the other 95 scouts
>out there. As July drags into August and the pennant race has become
>an already faded hope, Mike Hargrove will begin fielding questions
>about whether the team can avert a 100-loss season. He'll sigh, and
>talk about how good this is for the younger players who might not see
>playing time behind the veterans. The September call-ups will bring up
>the next round of "hopefuls," and any chance of keeping the team ERA
>lower than 6.00 will vanish. As the season draws to a close, Sid
>Thrift will begin to talk about the teams needs and think out loud
>about the players he thinks will help fill the Orioles obvious holes,
>and who Peter Angelos will ultimately overrule. Attendance will set
>new Camden Yards lows.
>
>Does that about cover it?


pretty closem but for 2 wrinkles: the O's will be looking for prospects and
not for hole-pluggers (see my earlier posts regarding Sherrill's and
Roberts' futures with the O's); second, since expectations have been set
so very low by the organization ("it's a rebuilding process", "we're
still a couple of years from contending", etc. etc. ad infinitum, ad
nauseam, ad astra per aspira, ad council ... ), 70 wins will look like
a GREAT STEP forward. IOW, the team's measure for success won't be
wins and losses, but "competitiveness" ...
Reminds me of a cartoon I saw a while back. Two vultures are sitting
out there, on a withered branch in the middle of the desert. The blazing
sun is baking everything ... one vulture turns to the other and says,
"patience. my ASS! I'm gonna kill something!!"

Cheers,

Mitch Edelman