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Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen


12.14.2007

 

Who's the bigger idiot?

As a lifelong Baltimore Orioles' fan let me tell you what a relief it is to know that team members were using drug enhancement drugs. Without the help of these drugs, the team would surely not have been able to nail that second-to-last place in the standings. Thanks for taking the extra step, guys.

In reality, this steroid scandal does make me ask. Who's the bigger idiot - the players who took drugs to desperately hold onto their zillion-dollar-a-year job or the fan who insists on rooting for a team despite consistent efforts to shake my faith?

To wit:

- The Orioles treated my hometown like so much dog dung that said hometown finally felt compelled to break a 40-year Triple A affiliation with the O's.

- The Orioles watched other franchises build success by creating a strong minor-league system and adding a few veteran free agents, but refused to follow such a sensible framework and instead went out and paid big money for washed-up big names who couldn't spell w-i-n.

Yet still, I clung to some notion that this was my team, that to abandon them in hard times was wrong, that the very sight of an Orioles' uniform still did something for me. Things got so bad my brother went off to root for the Yankees, but not me.

And now I learn that they not only were bad, but they had to cheat to even be that good. At least when the Yankees cheated, they won.

Is it the same in politics? Do you find yourself wondering why you stick with certain candidates or certain parties despite their every effort to shake your faith? Is that faith a good thing?

- Terri Hallenbeck

Comments:
Well Terri look at this way, when the Orioles play the Red Sox in Baltimore it is really easy for a Red Sox fan to get a ticket
 
My faith has been shaken by those chip-makers at Qimonda that are moving from Williston to Raleigh, North Carolina. Didn't they understand what Doug Hoffer and the JLO were saying when they pronounced Vermont a business paradise?
 
Bubba has an obsession.
 
Sorry to hear your a Woes fan. You can always cheer for Cal Jr. though. He was the real deal, as was Eddie Murray. Sorry state of affiars these days though. Time for baseball purists to rebel en masse.
 
The tech company's North American development operations are being consolidated in Raleigh, North Carolina. Qimonda says the consolidation is part of a global effort to increase efficiency.
 
Qimonda is lucky they aren't shutting down all their operations. Qimonda lost $388 million in the quarter ended Sept. 30. Infineon is desperately trying to get rid of it.
 
They were a class act from '66 - '86 with a deep pitching staff, superb defense, timely hitting and a deep farm system.

Brooks, Belanger, Bobby and Boog could all flash the leather and Blair was a gazelle in center.

Camden Yards was the first new park to successfully combine the old with the new in '92 and Angelos has been running it into the ground ever since.

Cal was great, but let's face it, preserving the streak became more important than the Team and the Team suffered for it.

There were plenty of times when he was banged up and slumping and could have used a few days off, but they kept running him out there and nagging injuries never properly healed while the Team suffered.

Nobody is bigger than the Team and no Team is bigger than The Game.

That said, you have my sympathies. Brooks was always one of my favorites.
 
Obama 08'
 
Terri there will be a special celebration at the State House this coming Monday afternoon that you could attend. Remember it was the Orioles that were "no hit" by Boston in early September.
 
Said brother the Yankee fan here.

I've been very dismayed over the whole 'roids issue in baseball. I'm afraid this report may only be a show of virtue by MLB to give the appearance they're doing the right thing. Both the commissioner's office and the player's union have been complacent for far too long.

Don't think that any of the teams are any better or worse than the others. The report named a lot of former and current Yankees, but that's to be expected since one of the major sources was the former strength trainer in the Yankee's clubhouse. Players in any major city could find a willing supplier if they wanted it.

Hopefully this will allow some sort of a 'clean start' for baseball. But that will only happen if there are meaningful rules and consequences. My suggestion: Random testing at any time. First positive test: Out for at least 1 year. Second positive test: banned from baseball for life.
 
Look on the bright side.

Your brother dubbed one perrenial loser for another.

You're only dealing with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune from one team.

It could be worse.
 
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