While many of the few hearty souls left in the exuberant Orioles Nation will find great joy in Buck Showalter’s verbal tirade in Men’s Journal against the Derek Jeter and the Yankees and Theo Epstein and the Red Sox, I’m going to take an alternative approach today to a war of words with franchises that have been kicking our civic asses and taking over our city for the past 14 years.
Buck, shut up!
Please, just shut up! You’re embarrassing yourself and this fan base!
In case you missed it, here’s his gem regarding No. 2:
“The first time we went to Yankee Stadium, I screamed at Derek Jeter from the dugout,” Showalter told the magazine. “Our guys are thinking, ‘Wow, he’s screaming at Derek Jeter.’ Well, he’s always jumping back from balls just off the plate. I know how many calls that team gets – and yes, he [ticks] me off.”
And this is what he had to say about a general manager who has won two more World Championships than he has:
“I’d like to see how smart Theo Epstein is with the Tampa Bay payroll,” he said. “You got Carl Crawford ’cause you paid more than anyone else, and that’s what makes you smarter? That’s why I like whipping their butt. It’s great, knowing those guys with the $205 million payroll are saying, ‘How the hell are they beating us?’ ”
All of this Rex Ryan-esque bravado comes with NOTHING to back it up. At least he’s been 10 minutes away from going to a Super Bowl three years in a row.
I could recite the Orioles statistics and track record here but quite frankly I don’t have the time to bother with it. I’ve spent hundreds of hours watching the Red Sox and Yankees and their fans kicking our asses every year. I’ve shot tomes of video. I’ve taken a zillion emails and phone calls. I don’t need to relive any evidence.
In case YOU do, here’s New York…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byNgTW3EmpE[/youtube]
And here’s Boston…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwaYjOtkY-A[/youtube]
This just goes to show that Showalter’s bravado comes with very little knowledge of how badly the fan base here has been abused since 1997.
The Yankees, despite firing Showalter 15 years ago and going on to become the model franchise in all of sports for profit, branding and winning, will certainly be unfazed. That is, until they get to town in three weeks and Showalter’s words will be all over tabloids in Gotham.
The Red Sox are the No. 2 franchise in baseball — and perhaps in all of sports if you consider their massive, loyal fanbase — and this is no time to anger their gods or talk badly about them spending money.
Hey Buck, YOUR owner REFUSES
