Schilling

I happened to be in San Francisco on business when Schilling mastered the A's for eight and two/thirds innings. I'd been following the game from the sports ticker on ESPN. Then I went to my room and listened on the radio. Two outs came quickly and the warhorse and former Oriole went to work on Shannon Stewart. The Oakland crowd was boisterous, filled with Bosox fans. He left one up and Stewart drove it into right field for a hit. Then Francona was faced with a dilemma. Mark Ellis was at the plate, the winning run in a one-run ballgame. He doesn't dare take out Schilling, a veteran. Doesn't even think about it. It is still Curt's game to win and he gets the out. Schilling is the John Wayne of baseball: true grit. Perlozzo micromanages the Oriole pitchers as if they are precious gems. It's a push-button staff, driven by a mechanical approach, and more often than not, the process malfunctions. Balls start flying out of the park. Nobody is allowed to thrive off emotion or gut instinct. The Orioles have invested $42M in last year's technology. I can't believe I'm still following the Orioles as passionately as I ever have, living off fumes from 1983.