Don?t boo tonight.
Not Aubrey Huff. And absolutely not Sam Perlozzo.
The underlying story line tonight at 7:05 when the Orioles open a four-game series against Seattle is the game itself, with the return of Erik Bedard and Perlozzo to Baltimore coupled with former Mariners Adam Jones and George Sherrill facing their old teammates.
Bedard is scheduled to start in Sunday?s game, but the true moment tonight will be in the top of the first ? before even the first pitch ? when Perlozzo is introduced as Seattle?s third base coach.
Perlozzo went 122-164 as Orioles manager, and was fired June 18 of last season, replaced in the interim by Dave Trembley, who had the label removed last year.
Trembley, who is 41-54 since taking over, credits Perlozzo for giving him an opportunity to coach in the majors after 20 years as a minor league manager.
“I?ve gone on record as saying I?ll be forever indebted to Sam Perlozzo for what he did for me,” Trembley said. “What he did for me was what a lot of guys said they were going to do and never came through and did. Sam Perlozzo did. He told me that he would get me to the big leagues and he did.”
Perlozzo stuck to his guns as Orioles? manager. And the guns he was given by the front office fired bullets of cork, with a range the length of a string.
He was never able to play with a full deck.
Trembley?s deck isn?t exactly full of aces, but he at least has Jones and Sherrill, the early returns from the February trade with the Mariners for Bedard.
But don?t expect anybody to take it easy on former teammates.
“They?re still my friends, but once we?re playing, we?re in the game,” Jones said. “There?s no friendship there. They know that. Same thing. You think Bedard?s going to have feelings once the game starts? Think he?s going to give in? No.”
Perlozzo, who grew up in Western Maryland and called Columbia home during his time in Baltimore, likely will have more time to reflect on his days in black and orange while standing behind third base.
So when he makes a short jog from the Mariners dugout to the third base coaching box, respect the man who spent 12 seasons in the organization.
“They don?t come much better,” Trembley said. “I don?t care what anybody says about Sam managing and this and that. As a person, I think all you guys know that too, as a person, this guy is first class, first class.”
Sean Welsh is the Orioles beat writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at [email protected]
