Human Nature: The O’s, MASN, & Orioles Hangout

In the midst of the All-Star break, there are a number of things to still be paying attention to with the Orioles.

MASN’s Steve Melewski has been on fire this week posting interviews with the O’s President of Baseball Operations Andy MacPhail, and the Director of Player Development John Stockstill. In addition to those interviews of leadership within the Warehouse, Melewski has also provided an interview with Will Lingo of Baseball America, giving some third-party prospective on the organization.

You can find Melewski’s works at: http://masnsports.com/steve_melewski/

In my mind, Melewski deserves credit for getting these interviews on the record, and for the relevant questions he asked to all parties. I think those O’s fans who have stated Melewski was not hard enough with his follow-up questions to MacPhail are missing the point. The questions were asked, and the answers are what they are. Further follow-up and belaboring the points was not going to provide additional information in response.

There has been plenty of hand-wringing by some that MASN employees are de facto employees of the Orioles. People use this fact to arrive at the supposition that MASN employees are simply mouth-pieces for the organization, and incapable of impartial journalism. To me, that is just unfair and unwarranted criticism leveled at Melewski, and Kubatko. Their work shows they have the ability to criticize when warranted, and ask whatever questions they deem appropriate.

I think the questions provided to MacPhail, and Stockstill, were explicitly clear – and the answers provided limited ambiguity. I do not believe Melewski’s employer prevented him from asking the questions he wanted to ask.

Perhaps it is human nature to expect the worst?

I ask that as a question, but I will state it is a fact that in sports losing brings out the worst in everyone.

Tony Pente is the Publisher / Founder / Executive Managing Editor of Orioles Hangout. With 8,300 registered members (including myself) OH is the common meeting place for the most dedicated Oriole fans on the web. Every word written about the O’s from around the web, winds-up on the OH message-board. When I was with the O’s during 2001-03 working Ballpark Tours, and the Box Office – I got to spend a week helping out in the Baseball Operations Department. Every computer there had OH listed in their favorites, and that was 7 to 8 years ago. My point being everyone associated with the O’s is perfectly aware of OH, and the reach it has to a very large contingent of Oriole fans.

Knowing that level of reach, I do not find it surprising that Pente has been approached by an Oriole employee with negative information about the organization. Pente has let it be known that he has corroborated the information with at-least two other sources, and is giving MacPhail and the O’s a chance to provide reaction to the news. Pente’s interview with MacPhail is scheduled for this Friday, and one would expect that the resulting article will come out shortly thereafter. Surely this is going to receive a lot of attention everywhere in Birdland.

Whomever came to Pente first, came to Pente to gain as much as exposure for the information as possible. Depending on the information revealed, you might also suggest the initial information was provided to make someone internally look as bad as possible.

As I write this, I have the movie The Departed on in the background, depicting the underworld, and undercover moles. It just makes me think of Pente’s initial source, and what the motivation would be for providing this information to begin with? Pente has done nothing wrong, and in-fact he has done everything right. He did not run right away with the information he received. He went to work to confirm the information with additional sources, and he deserves credit for that. Pente also deserves credit for giving the O’s a chance to respond. Pente’s information is going to be accurate, but I do believe he is being used.

That is not to say I am not anxious/curious to hear the information just like everyone else. I will say that I will be surprised if I am surprised by what I hear.

I think we all know that there remains some blind spots in the organization. I would think we all realize that with as bad as the 1st half was, it was normal for the Front Office to become fractured. I think we realize there have been some gains in the International Department, but further investment is required. I think we all know what 3rd party talent evaluators have said about the young talent on the ML team, and currently in the Minors.

Some will say the issues that Pente’s source reveals, illustrates what is preventing winning. The year got away from the team so quickly, that it had to have caused some panic and infighting within the Warehouse. I expect what will really be illustrated is a perfect example of human nature where people are / were trying to protect their turf and their jobs in a year where expectations were not met.

When the information comes out, I hope people keep that in-mind and also remember the public comments that have been made by leadership within the Oriole organization.

I have several examples in-mind from my own interviews with Joe Jordan, Dave Stockstill, and Lee MacPhail IV:

http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/02/few-questions-with-mr-lee-macphail-iv.html

http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2010/01/few-more-questions-with-mr-joe-jordan.html

http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2009/08/few-more-questions-with-mr-dave.html

We all might like to see the Scouting Department have additional money to spend, but Jordan has said publicly several times he has the budget he needs.

Baltimore Sports and Life: “I believe you announced the O’s spent $8.8M on the 2009 draft-picks. Will there be a similar budget available for the draft-picks in 2010?”

Joe Jordan: “I asked for even more than that. I haven’t given the budget much thought – we have a lot of work to do from now til June. I have always been given the financial resources to sign the players we like. This year will be no different.”

If for example Pente reports that someone in the Scouting Department states they do not have enough resources, how do you reconcile the comments?

I asked Lee MacPhail to compare the Professional Scouting Departments of the O’s vs. their high-revenue Division rivals.

Baltimore Sports and Life: “The financial disparities in Major League Baseball receive a lot of attention for the differences in cumulative player salaries. What receives lesser attention is how the different levels of revenue effect the production of different departments within Baseball Operations. Can you speak to the size of the Professional Scouting Department for the O’s, and how that compares to the Yankees and Boston; and to the rest of MLB as a whole?”

Lee MacPhail: “Comparable in nature. We are very competitive relative to our competition. Size does not always win out in scouting. Quality, credibility and stability are important hallmarks for a scouting staff. We have been together as a unit for a number of years now allowing us to develop group cohesiveness, which in turn produces more efficient evaluations. Our staff has a better grasp on players we prefer and we have a greater understanding of their evaluation styles.”

Lee MacPhail’s answer to me in February, is very similar to Andy MacPhail’s comments to Melewski about the Scouting Department as a whole.

Before Dave Stockstill changed roles with his brother, he spoke with me a couple of times last year on the system. He went out of his way to name numerous players in the system, probably the majority added by Jordan and his staff.
Now opinions might have changed, but Stockstill’s comments in the article linked above sure reads as a Player Development staff excited about some of the talent they have to work with. If Pente relays information that the Player Development Department questions the players they have received from the Amateur Scouting Department, don’t you have to question the motivation of those providing that opinion now?

Here is my point. When you get to the All-Star break and you are 30 games under .500, there are clearly a number of holes all over the place. However, unless the information Pente reports just blindsides us all and actually provides a surprise; there is no reason to really get worked-up over what we are going to hear.

I believe MacPhail leads a competent organization, but I believe there are issues that have to be addressed and improved. I believe the O’s need to become the best organization in the sport. In this division you can not afford to do things just competently. You have to be the best.

I think that leads to a conversation for another day, but really does not change much today for the Birds. The large majority of the players you want to move forward with as a core are here. It is important that group of players performs during the remaining 74 games of this season. If we see performance and consistency from Markakis, Jones, Wieters, Matusz, Tillman, Arrieta, Hernandez, Pie, (Bell), Reimold, Bergesen, Berken, and Britton – than everything about the organization will seem better. If that group of players does not perform, than nothing else matters.