(Rolen and La Genius in happier, if not damper days)
Though I’m sure Derek Jeter would’ve described the falling out as “no big deal.” From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Joe Strauss.
Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and third baseman Scott Rolen shared a firm handshake and a brief but congenial exchange outside La Russa’s office Thursday. After talking past each other during the team’s World Series run and literally walking past each other during last month’s Winter Warm-up, the four-time manager of the year and his seven-time Gold Glove infielder agreed to “turn the page” on a disagreement that had turned ugly and public.
“It’s not an issue. We’ve got other things to concern ourselves with now, like how to get ready to win ballgames,” La Russa said Friday afternoon.
Asked if he believes he and La Russa should discuss the matter further, Rolen said, “I don’t know if there’s value in that. It’s better to turn the page and move on. It’s certainly a happier existence than digging it up and continuing to disagree.”
La Russa, who makes a practice of phoning his players during the winter, did not contact Rolen, and the two failed to speak during a fundraiser in January.
Rolen said the lack of communication weighed on him as spring training approached. The matter became a source of concern to ownership and Jocketty.
“They knew it had to be resolved,” Jocketty said. “It needed to be done.”
“I wouldn’t be telling the truth if I said it didn’t cross my mind,” Rolen said following Friday’s workout. “The closer you get, the more you think about it. You’re going to see each other and you haven’t spoken about anything. You’re going to be in the same place at the same time in a suit at the White House. Regardless of everything ” who, what, when, where and why ” it’s unhealthy and there’s no benefit.”
The Baltimore Sun’s Ray Frager reports the Orioles have a new policy prohibiting team officials (GM Jim Duquette, manager Sam Perlozzo, etc.) from taking calls from listeners when they appear on WBAL.
The Orioles say the policy is designed to enhance the programming for its radio rights-holder, CBS Radio. On flagship station WHFS (105.7 FM) and CBS’ all-sports ESPN Radio 1300 (WJFK, 1300 AM), no such prohibition would apply, the Orioles say.
”The club has always had its policy,” said Greg Bader, Orioles director of communications.
Not so, said Jeff Beauchamp, vice president and station manager of WBAL, which was the Orioles flagship for the previous 19 years.
”It’s never been the case for the past 20 years,” Beauchamp said.
Stan Charles, a regular sports talk host in Baltimore on five radio stations from 1981 to 2001 — with only four of those years on the Orioles flagship — said he never experienced such a restriction during his time on the air.
In fact, when Steve Davis spoke about the issue on his program tonight — after interviewing pitching coach Leo Mazzone but taking no calls — the host said the policy wasn’t in place as recently as three weeks ago.
Honestly, fuck the O’s. For a team fresh off a 9 year losing streak to pull this crap is horrendous. The only people in the Baltimore who wouldn’t spit on Peter Angelos are the Democratic candidates he makes large donations to–and while that should raise his esteem in my eyes beyond that of Cal Ripken, it doesn’t. What the O’s brass might not realize is that over the past decade they’ve fallen behind the Ravens, Maryland basketball, college lacrosse, and high school basketball in importance in the city. We are so far removed from O-R-I-O-L-E-S magic, magic, orioles magic. They can take MASN and the Nat’s TV contract and shove it up their ass. Maybe populating your clubhouse with Palmeirian dickheads, drug users and 8th rate starting pitchers while completely disrespecting Elrod Hendrix wasn’t enough of shit to take on the fans–so over pricing tickets and restricting fan access makes a lot of sense. Wake me when Charm City doesn’t have the Detroit Lions equivalent of a baseball team. In the meantime I’m busy eating crabs and having a boh.
That should be Elrod Hendricks naturally….see what blind rage and two natty boh’s can do to a man? Even when he’s trying so hard to be in the land of pleasant living.