Somewhere between the spinach recall and Princeton ending its early admission policy came word that Sam Perlozzo would return as Orioles manager in 2007.
This is not exactly news.
This was just the first year of a three-year contract for Sam, and if we?ve learned anything from this ownership, it?s that it doesn?t really want to pay people not to work. Sure, the ownership fired Lee Mazzilli last year in August before the season ended, but he was in the last year of a two-year contract, and Perlozzo was already on the payroll. Regardless of the Orioles? finish this year, Sam was a lock to be back in 2007.
The late Johnny Oates was the manager when the current owner acquired the team. Oates had been hired by someone else, and despite leading the Orioles to a 63-49 record ? the fourth-best mark in the American League ? when a strike ended the 1994 season, Oates was let go along with most of his coaching staff. His contract was up, and here was an opportunity to hire your own guy.
Phil Regan. A one-and-done manager who?s mostly remembered for taking his own copy of the lineup card from Cal Ripken?s record-setting 2,131st consecutive game home with him. After Regan came Davey Johnson for two seasons, Ray Miller for two and Mike Hargrove for four.
You need no greater example of what I?m talking about than the Hargrove years. Hargrove had managed the Cleveland Indians to a string of five straight postseason appearances. He received a three-year contract with a one-year option to manage the Orioles and never made it to .500.
His Oriole teams were historically dreadful after the All-Star break. In 2001, they lost 16 of 17 in August and September, part of a 24-56 second half. In 2002, the Orioles went 4-32 over their last 36 games. If they needed an excuse to decline the option year, they had it, but they picked it up anyway. In his final year, the club went 14-32 the last six weeks, and Grover packed his bags.
I?m still convinced that Mazzilli?s tenure might have been longer had he been allowed to hire his own coaching staff, rather than be saddled with one of the owner?s choosing. Say what you will, but those things are important in the long term. If Perlozzo makes any changes on his own staff for 2007, as has been rumored, it will be crystal clear that Mazzilli was set up to fail.
Barring something unforeseen, I can?t come up with a single reason why Perlozzo?s job should be in jeopardy anytime soon. A year from now, I would expect a similar non-story to appear regarding 2008. If the 2007 Orioles make it to .500, snapping this nine-year drought, the story may well be about a contract extension.
Can we stand that kind of stability?
Phil Wood has covered baseball in the Washington/Baltimore market for more than 30 years. You can reach him at [email protected].
