So You Think Things Are Really Different? Bob's Backstop for February 16 , 2006

It was really nice to hear all that professionalism from Sam Perlazzo in his Q&A session with the fantasy campers. Gives one a little hope. That is, until one realizes that it's just fluff, and nothing more than fluff. Don't be fooled - this organization still can't get out of its own way.

Aw, what do you know? Some web page jerk putting down baseball professionals again, that's all. Take your ball and go home, sonny.

Hey, I want to believe. I truly do. But how can I?

Last time I looked, Spring Training is just around the corner...and it's in Fort Lauderdale. Again.

Guess where it's going to be in 2007?

Fort Lauderdale.

2008?

I'd put my money on...Fort Lauderdale.

So what's wrong with Fort Lauderdale? After all, you've been down there twice. Nice old ballpark, gorgeous women everywhere, great nightlife, good food...and a too-small antiquated facility too far from everyone else, resulting in players and coaches from the system being scattered all over the state, and offering the bonus of endless sojourns across Alligator Alley in busses that remind the players of The Show of those 'Good Old Days' in the minors.

The Orioles pine for respect. They crave recognition as a professional organization by their peers, employees, and followers.

Yet they still insist on holding Spring Training in one of the worst situations in baseball.

This IS a step up from the old days in Miami when the players needed to pack a gun just to make it from the clubhouse to the hotel -but it's the only step the organization has taken in ten years.

And, from all appearances, they really don't seem to care. It really doesn't seem to be a big deal to them.

How can it be thought of in any other way? They don't do anything about it. As of late, they aren't even paying lip service to the concept of moving any more.

So here you are, ladies and gentlemen, your 'The Orioles'...spending yet another Spring among the worst conditions in baseball, and playing AAA baseball in the worst geographic location in the minors.

Again, it sure was nice to hear all the professional remarks by Perlazzo. But the proof, they say, is in the pudding - Fort Lauderdale and Ottawa speak louder about the capability and competence of this organization than any managerial pep talk or session at FanFest.

What other conclusion is there to make?