Say what you will about Orioles owner Peter Angelos, but you can’t accuse him of wasting money on paying managers not to manage. Sincehe took control of the franchise, only one Baltimore skipper hasn’t made it to season’s end, and that was Lee Mazzilli, relieved of duty on August 4, 2005 after it was discovered he had no pulse, and was, in fact, a zombie. That, and changing managers deflected a lot of media attention away from the steroids-related suspension of Rafael Palmeiro that occurred just three days earlier, barely two weeks after Palmeiro was celebrated for getting his 3,000th hit.
Mazzilli was easy to fire. Entirely lifeless as a manager, he had signed a two-year contract in ?04 with a club option for a third, and the ?05 season had only eight weeks to go, not exactly a golden parachute in terms of severance pay. Sam Perlozzo got the job on an interim basis ? he’d been with the club as a coach since 1996 ? and as one ex-Oriole told me recently, removing the interim tag at season’s end was “the right thing to do.” If there was a surprise involved, it was that he got a three-year contract, perhaps to coincide directly with the length of new pitching coach ? and lifelong pal ? Leo Mazzone’s deal.
Perlozzo?s first year as manager featured a few bumps in the road and only 70 wins. The 2007 season hasn’t started as well as everyone expected, based upon the offseason roster moves, and at this point, the Orioles appear to he headed for another sub-.500 finish. I’ve heard several callers to the local talk shows ? not the best barometer, to be sure ? ask for a managerial change. Personally, I don’t see it happening.
First of all, as I said earlier, this owner doesn’t like to pay people not to work. How else can you explain how Mike Hargrove was allowed to work out his entire three-year contract and get the option year picked up after finishing a season 4-32? If that won’t get you fired, what will?
It’s not like there’s an heir apparent on the coaching staff either. Tom Trebelhorn has managed in the big leagues, but with an ailing spouse, he is likely not interested in assuming the reins here or anywhere else. I doubt any of the other coaches would even make the short list.
Has Perlozzo made mistakes along the way? Sure, but no more than any other manager. He can’t be blamed for the physical breakdowns of starters Kris Benson, Jaret Wright and Adam Loewen. He has put a lot of faith in his new $40-plus-million bullpen and has been burned a few times. It’s hard to blame Perlozzo for his players? occasional brain cramps, like losing track of how many outs there are, or picking the wrong base to throw to. These guys are big leaguers; they should know how to play by this time. An in-season managerial change makes no sense for this ballclub, and certainly not for this owner.
I’ve been wrong before, however.
Contact Phil Wood at [email protected].
