Why I'm kicking myself this morning...

Yesterday at my grandmother's house during a Father's Day celebration, I predicted that if the O's lost this game and got swept by the D'backs, Perlozzo would be fired today. I'm kicking myself for not blogging last night, because now instead of looking like a genius, I look like a self-promoting schmuck. Bullpen coach Dave Trembley takes over for Perlozzo on an interim basis, probably for the remainder of the west coast trip, but (hopefully) not for the remainder of the year. Andy MacPhail replaces Joe Foss as the COO of the team, which I think is an outstanding move. MacPhail is a good baseball guy and hopefully he'll make the move for Teixiera. As long he doesn't become Peter Angelos' sock puppet, he should be able to really help this organization. I don't think MacPhail will allow that to happen...if it does, I see him making it a very public ordeal and/or resigning.

All the signs were there for Perlozzo getting his pink slip...long losing streak, up-coming west coast trip, slumping bats...Sam Perlozzo got the Leo Mazzilli treatment (the last O's manager to get fired mid-season).

It's sad because, although Perlozzo has made some mistakes that have been well documented, he's not the one out there pitching in relief or not hitting in the clutch...I think he did the best he could with what he had, but, as is usually the case, the manager gets whacked because the players lack accountability. With Perlozzo's firing, I also expect pitching coach and best friend Leo "Rainman" Mazzone to walk, whether it be in the near future or after the season. From what I understand, if he walks he doesn't get paid, but Mazzone is at the point in his life where money is no longer an issue and his friendship with Perlozzo will probably supersede any financial incentives. Then again, Mazzone has put a lot of time and effort into this pitching staff and he may stay with the team for the remainder of this season for professional reasons.

I'm also happy that they didn't leave Perlozzo twisting in the wind until the All-Star break or after the season ended...he knew that he wasn't going to manage this ballclub. So who replaces him?

Reports suggest that Davey Johnson and Joe Girardi are at the top of the list to replace Perlozzo. I have a soft spot for Davey Johnson, but Girardi would be the better man for the job. To quote Bill Ordine from the Baltimore Sun, Girardi is the "anti-Perlozzo." He's a fiery, no-nonsense manager that can maybe knock some sense into guys like Tejada who don't even run out groundballs. It would also be great to steal Girardi from the Yankees, who most are looking at to replace Joe Torre.

In my mind, with the hiring of MacPhail and the firing of Perlozzo, this also marks the end of the Jim Duquette era in Baltimore. I can't imagine MacPhail allowing three different people to have their hands in baseball operations. Having an Angelos hand puppet "yes man" like Duquette isn't good for the team. We only need ONE General Manager.

This change could not have come at a better time considering Kevin Millar has made a public announcement that he will call a player's-only meeting before the start of the San Diego series. This has reportedly split the clubhouse, so the new management has some work to do in upholding whatever is left of this team's morale. Some players respect Millar because of his championship pedigree. Others have rolled their eyes and some have even (allegedly) criticized Millar for bringing this to the media, which I agree with. Keep it in-house, don't go shooting your mouth off to the media. At the same time, I think Millar is the right player to call this meeting despite his .243 batting average. Who else would do it? Someone needs to step up and be accountable, and I'm glad to see that Millar cares enough to try and salvage a disastrous 2007 campaign.

I'm sure more will come out of this story...check back frequently for updates. As long as I'm not lazy about updating again, you should hear it here first.