Silence is Not Always Golden Bob's Backstop for September 22, 2005

Listen.

Can you hear it?

Anything at all?

Perhaps in the distance, far away...a note of thunder sounding on a blank page.

The page upon which will be written the future of the Orioles.

But that's in the distance. Closer in, even with your ear to the ground, you hear - nothing.

Not looking good for the status quo, is it?

This column is not advocating nor renouncing the idea of a change...just stating that it's pretty darn obvious at this point that there are going to be changes.

It's looking from here that everyone's gone.

Again.

Why do I say that? The results on the field? Couldn't Mike Flanagan and Sam Perlozzo get another chance?

They could, but it says here they won't.

Why do I know this?

The first thing that gave it away is the casual mention in a column in the Sun a couple of weeks ago that Mike Flanagan sightings have been rare around the Warehouse and clubhouse as of late. If true, this certainly doesn't sound like the Mike Flanagan any of us has come to know.

The second, more ominous sign was the lack of post-season 'state of the club' meetings. Every ballclub meets right after the season while all of the staff is still together, spending usually 2-3 days talking about the season, what the club needs going forward, etc.

The Orioles aren't having this meeting this year. That's usually because the people currently with the club aren't going to be around for any future efforts to direct the team. Hard to believe that this club doesn't feel they need to meet...they seem to be lacking in just a few areas.

The latest is the Piniella Factor.

As we all know, Peter Angelos is obsessed with All Things Yankee. On the one hand, he hates the idea of trading with the Yankees, and he was not a fan of the hiring of a Yankee coach as the O's manager. But on the other hand, he can be quick to leap at something he perceives the Yankees want (Albert Belle), or someone who has already been successful with the Yanks (Jimmy Key).

Now Sweet Lou is out there...and the rumors are strong that Brian Cashman will be, too. Lou says he may take a year off, but I wouldn't count on that. He may prefer to manage the Yanks again over the Orioles (not sure if he's that crazy about working for George), but I think it's likely he'll be somewhere. (There is also the Perlozzo Factor, too. Sam and Lou are friends, so he will not consider the Orioles job unless the Orioles have actually fired Perlozzo.)

What do I think is going on?

I think that everyone's gone if Cashman doesn't come back to the Yankees. All three of them. I think Lou will be the manager if Torre doesn't get fired (i.e., the Yankees don't win the World Series), possibly even if Torre does get fired. I think Cashman will be the "President" if he doesn't return to the Yankees.

Where will that leave our current trio?

Flanagan will be offered a job in the organization. He's got some of Angelos' trust, though the Mazzilli debacle may have eroded that...how much, no one knows.

Beattie is out. To Washington, maybe? Who knows?

As for Sam, he seems like a really decent guy. He's an Angelos favorite. But I don't think he's going to get to stay if Angelos thinks he can get Lou...and I'm not sure he gets to stay even if he doesn't want or thinks he can get Lou.

The lack of organizational meetings, to me, says it all.

In baseball, sometimes silence speaks even louder than words.