Baltimore Orioles least bothered about predictions of a poor show in 2013 - MLB News
The Baltimore Orioles and their fans had to wait fifteen seasons just to see a post-season appearance for their team. When it finally came, the birds fought tooth and nail before going down in game five of a hard fought American League Division Series to the New York Yankees.
No one expected them to perform well last year and that scenario has not changed much. With some recent deals that have been labeled as “blockbuster”, many experts have already ruled out any possibility of the O’s making it to the top teams, let alone the post-season.
These kinds of predictions are nothing new for the Baltimore ballclub and may actually serve as inspiration to perform better in 2013. The players are upbeat and find these predictions nothing more than noise outside the ballpark.
Centre fielder Adam Jones thinks that there is no use in making predictions and it is best that the opinions are expressed once the season is over.
"You can't predict stuff," Adam said. "You have to play 162 games, and then you can have your opinions."
Shortstop J.J. Hardy seems least bothered with the expert opinions and knows that similar voices came last year before the season. There were predictions of another down and out season for the team with supposedly the worst pitching unit in the Major League.
"Last year we were going to be lucky to win 60-70 games," J.J. said. "We supposedly had the worst pitching staff in baseball. We heard it all."
It was the pitching that played an extremely crucial role in the success of the Orioles and got them through in many tight finishes.
Matt Wieters, their catcher, believes that the lessons learned last year will help this year. He believes that it is something that will work in the team’s favour and they know how to counter issues when things do not go according to plan.
“We thought we were good last year before anyone noticed that we were good," Wieters said. "The only difference is that the experience from last year is something we can use to our advantage. We know what worked last year, and we can tweak some of the things that didn't work.”
Buck Showalter, the manager for the birds, says that he is thankful to those who are making these predictions. He finds it good for the team.
"It kind of fits us, so thank you whoever is doing it," Showalter said.
From the last season’s performance and the resolve shown by the players, one can feel that the performance in 2012 was no fluke and a repeat is very much on cards.
Even though the Orioles did not make too many changes in the off-season, they still are confident that they have enough resources to take on any opposition and perform well. This self belief may be their greatest weapon in 2013.
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