THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 16, 1995 TAG: 9508160641
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BOB MOLINARO
DATELINE: BALTIMORE LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
The overhead sign on the stretch of Interstate 95 leading into the Inner Harbor provided a warning.
``Poor air quality,'' it read. ``Take precautions.''
A city this thoughtful might soon be expected to erect a sign outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
``Poor baseball quality,'' it could read. ``Be prepared for disappointment.''
Instead, the Baltimore Orioles have hung big, bold numbers on the side of the warehouse, keeping very theatrical count of Cal Ripken's consecutive game streak.
If nothing else, this distracts the faithful, if only a little, from the dreariness of the Orioles' wilting, woeful play.
While Cal streaks, the Orioles fade, their dearth of pitching exceeded only by their lack of enthusiasm.
Hold a mirror to the Birds' nose and it wouldn't fog the glass. Baseball isn't a game of emotion like football. Still, it helps for a team to have a pulse.
The Orioles may not like losing, but they don't exactly rage against it, either. It's not their style. Sometimes, manager Phil Regan does appear to have a fire in his belly. But maybe that's just heartburn.
Newcomer Bobby Bonilla, exhilarated by his parole from the Mets, tried to inject a little rah-rah, a little chatter into the O's system, but was met with indifference.
The Orioles, it seems, are as tame as the milk Ripken promotes.
Though Bonilla has done his part with the bat since the trade, going into Tuesday night's game, the Bonilla Birds were 4-12.
Counting Bonilla, 12 Orioles are making $1 million or more this season, the most in the American League after the Yankees. The payroll, combined with the sub-.500 record, stamps this team as a major underachiever.
While the Orioles began the night behind six teams in the wildcard race, the visiting Cleveland Indians remain one of baseball's brightest stories.
``It's got to be the best team I've ever played with,'' said ex-Dodgers pitcher Orel Hershiser, who is 9-5 with the Central Division bullies. ``I'm not knocking the Dodgers, but we never had this kind of hitting.''
Four Indians, including Manny Ramirez, a baby bull, are among the top 10 American League hitters. This doesn't even include Albert Belle.
Monday, in a 9-6 victory over the Orioles, Ramirez hit a 450-foot shot that landed in the Indians' bullpen, took one bounce and connected harmlessly with Jose Mesa's chin. It was one of the few times anyone has hit Mesa all season. Now the former Orioles washout is closing in on Dennis Eckersley's record for most consecutive saves in a season. Nobody will be surprised if he carts off the Cy Young Award.
``Everybody on this team do the job so far,'' said Mesa, who has done his almost to perfection.
With Cleveland's hitting attracting most of the attention, it's easy to overlook a pitching staff that leads the American League in victories, ERA, shutouts and saves.
While the Orioles fall apart, almost every aspect of the Indians comes together. If these are two ships passing in the night, the Birds are the Exxon Valdez.
``What says something about our club,'' Hershiser pointed out, ``is the number of wins by our middle relievers. We come from behind a lot.''
After 4 1/2 innings Tuesday, the Indians needed another comeback. Meanwhile, in rightfield, to celebrate Ripken officially gaining one more game on Gehrig's ghost, the numbers hanging from the warehouse were changed from 2,109 to 2,110.
Unintentionally or not, it's a sign that what the Orioles do on the field the rest of the season doesn't count for much. by CNB