yesterday on Tuesday when WNST wasnโt allowed a question of Dan Duquette.
And while there were a few decent questions that were asked of Duquette โ he danced around most of the legitimate inquiries anyway, laughed a few off and essentially settled in for several more years of tap-dancing around the real issue: will the team ever make a REAL commitment to get better players so they can compete in the AL East and become relevant?
Duquette, after thanking a bevy of lawyers, did his best nervous-Nelly dance and avoided every legitimate question with โscouting and developmentโ answers, which means the team wonโt be spending any real money on the best players in the sport.
So here are my Top Five questions from todayโs sham down at The Warehouse:
1. Where is the owner?
And once heโs found six blocks away โ I guess itโs too much to ask that the guy who owns the team can make it in his limo for six blocks through the Inner Harbor โ letโs ask him why no one legitimately inside Major League Baseball wanted this job?
2. Who is really taking ultimate responsibility for winning and losing in Baltimore? Is that Buck Showater? Is that Peter Angelos? Is that Dan Duquette?โจWho gets final say on deals and signings?
3. Whatโs with this VP title? What, exactly, are your job responsibilities, Builder Dan?
4. Where does Andy MacPhail fit in all of this? Will Duquette be breaking bread with him? Has he broken bread with him to find out the reality of this situation?
5. Hey Buck, why didnโt anyone INSIDE of Major League Baseball want this job?
Once again, weโre now 14 years into the abyss.
Like Ray Lewis always says, โIt never changesโฆโ
And I suspect it wonโt until Peter Angelos is gone. Holding him accountable or having him come out of his cave clearly isnโt going to happen.
But thatโs not going to stop me from pointing out the dirty truths about the Orioles: theyโre really not TRYING to win.
Theyโre trying to make as much money as possible and theyโre succeeding.
And the questions will only be asked by those whose questions are โpre-approved.โ
Thatโs democracy in America in 2011.
Thatโs your Baltimore Oriolesโฆ