Time for a hint of optimism

I've recently been told by some readers that I'm too hard on the Orioles...that I'm pessimistic, kick them around, hit 'em while they're down...

Personally, I think I'm simply telling it like it is and pulling no punches. On that note, let's focus on some good things about the Orioles.

Nick Markakis is a stud. I predicted that he would be an All-Star this year...unfortunately, he'll probably fall a bit short, giving way to Vladimir Guerrero and Bobby Abreu...not like Abreu deserves it...he's hitting .251 and is second only to A-Rod in strikeouts on the Yankees with 45. That's Yankees nation for ya, but I digress.

Defensively, the team can't get any better. Last I checked, they were tied with the Twins for the least errors this season. Not to mention the jaw-droppers by Markakis and Brian Roberts...they've been stamped into the SportsCenter Top 10 plays almost every morning. Ramon Hernandez is one of the best defenisve catchers in the league...he's probably 3rd to Jason Varitek and Ivan Rodriguez. If the ball is hit anywhere near Brian Roberts, it's an automatic out.

Speaking of Roberts, he may be the best lead off hitter in the league. I can't believe he's losing to Robinson Cano in the All-Star race, because he deserves to start. He's batting .325 and leads the AL in stolen bases. When you mix that with his spectacular defense, he should be a shoe in to start the mid summer classic...but he won't because of Yankees nation and Placido Polanco of the Tigers who is also having an outstanding year batting .329 with 30 RBIs...Polanco certainly deseves the All-Star nod.

We have some solid prospects in the minor league system, with the exception of a replacement for Melvin Mora at 3rd base.

Miguel Tejada is coming around. It looks like he's seeing the ball better. People expect a lot from Tejada and I think that those expectations are a bit excessive and unrealistic. He's really not a power hitter, which is why, hopefully, the line up in mid July will look something like Roberts, Markakis, Tejada, Teixiera. Miggie would be a great staple in our line up hitting in the 3 spot, and with Teixiera behind him, he would probably get better pitches to hit. But we've got to make that trade in order for that to happen, and hopefully Angelos won't hold Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette hostage and get this deal done.

The young arms in our starting rotation are showing a lot of promise for the future. Guthrie and Burres have "it," and when Cabrera can locate his pitches he's one of the most overpowering pitchers in the league. I think Erik Bedard is one of the top pitchers in the league, and at age 28, he's become the star of this starting rotation.

Peter Angelos is getting old...he won't live forever. Hopefully when he croaks we'll get some ownership who is hungry to win. Unfortunately, at this time, he is the owner of this franchise. He should take a long hard look at how Steve Bisciotti runs the Ravens over at One Winning Drive. But, like I said, he's not invincible...

So with all of the bad things that are going on with this team right now, us die-hards can hang our hats on the fact that the future looks pretty good for this team. It's just so hard to deal with a decade of disappointment considering how successful the Orioles have been in the past. It's even harder to deal with having an organization like the Ravens in town at the same time. Comparing the front offices of the O's and the Ravens is like ying and yang, apples and oranges. But, the future does looks bright for this ball club, and as long as we're all patient, we can rest easy knowing that a few years down the road things are bound to turn around.