31;1mBALTIMORE ORIOLES
巴爾的摩金鶯
Length of streak: 10 straight losing seasons
勝率未達五成的時間：連續十個球季
Last winning season: 98-64, 1997
最近一次勝率超過五成的球季： 98勝 64敗 於1997年
General managers:
GM
Pat Gillick 1998
Frank Wren 1999
Syd Thrift 2000-2002
Jim Beattie/Mike Flanagan 2003-05
Flanagan 2006-07
Andy MacPhail 2007-
Five bad moves
五個不對的決策
1. Firing Davey Johnson. Yes, he has an ego, and there's a long list of owners and front-office people who've struggled to get along with him. But all he's ever done is win, in New York, in Cincinnati and, yes, in Baltimore. The year before Davey Johnson took over, the Orioles finished two games under .500. The next season, they won 88 games and the wild card, followed by a 98-win season and a division title. The O's cut him loose, and they haven't sniffed .500 since. But sure, Peter Angelos, you go
right on losing games and watching your attendance dwindle. At least you showed everyone who's boss.
1. 將Davey Johnson解約
是的，他是個自負的人。 而且有許多球隊老闆和行政人員對於要如何和他相處常常努力的在奮鬥著。 但是他所作所為都是為了要贏，無論是在紐約、在辛辛那提和巴爾的摩金鶯。 在Davey Johnson接管球隊之前，金鶯隊才剛結束年度勝率未達五成的兩個球季。 接下來的球季，他們獲得88場的勝利和外卡資格。 再隔年，取得98勝的成績及分區第一。 但是自從將他解約後，他們就再也沒有達到五成勝率了。 可以確定的是，Peter Angelos，你將可以往輸球的方面前進並且看著你的球迷漸漸的離去。 至少你告訴了大家，誰才是老闆。
2. Signing Albert Belle to a five-year, $65 million contract. For all the Orioles' losing, no one could ever blame Angelos for being cheap, and this contract was Exhibit A of the owner's largesse. Belle had one of the best career peaks in baseball history, putting up gigantic numbers. But in giving him such a massive deal after the 1998 season, including a no-trade clause for the first three years, the O's were betting that Belle would stay healthy and hugely productive well into his mid-30s.
Instead, Belle played just two more years before a degenerative hip injury forced him to retire.
2. 和Albert Belle簽下五年65M的合約。
對於所有導致金鶯隊輸球原因，從來沒有人因為變得小氣去責備Angelos，這張合約在老闆慷慨排行榜中被評為A等。 Belle在棒球歷史上佔有一個最棒的高峰，同時也建立起巨大難以超越的數據。 但是在1998年球季後給Belle如此巨大的合約(包含前三年不可交易條約)，金鶯是在賭，賭看看三十多歲的Belle是否能夠保持健康和同樣效率的貢獻度。 取而代之的是，Belle在因為臗關節退化被迫退休之前，只為金鶯打了兩年多的球。
3. Hiring Syd Thrift, Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan as GMs. Thrift was years past his prime as a talent evaluator, while Beattie and Flanagan owned lackluster track records and did little to move the team forward during their tenure as co-GMs. Of course in Baltimore, a willingness to say yes to the big boss usually transcends a winning résumé.
3. 聘任Syd Thrift, Jim Beattie and Mike Flanagan當GM
Thrift在過去幾年是以評價球員的資質為主。 相較之下，在Beattie and Flanagan一起當GM的那幾年，他們所有的是只是毫無生氣的季賽紀錄並且對於使球隊前進助益不大。 當然在巴爾的摩，樂意向老闆說聲好，通常已勝過一份漂亮的履歷表。
4. Trading for Sammy Sosa. In the final, $17 million season of a ginormous contract, Sosa had a .221 batting average, a .295 on-base percentage and .376 slugging. He hit 14 homers and played just 102 games. The trade didn't cost the Orioles any impact prospects. But it was a classic example of the kind of short-sighted, money-wasting moves that have plagued this team for more than a decade.
4. 對於Sammy Sosa的交易
一紙17M的龐大合約，Sammy Sosa最終繳出的打擊三圍是 .221/.295/.376。只出賽102場中，Sammy Sosa擊出了14支的全壘打。 這個交易並沒有包含農場中影響巨大的大物們。 但是這是一個典型的近視短利和浪費錢的舉動，同時也折磨著這隻球隊超過十年
5. Nearly everything else they did in 2005. The O's jumped out to an early division lead in 2005, holding first place for 62 days. By season's end they'd lost 60 of their final 92 games, squandered $17 million on Sosa and fired yet another manager. The coup de grace came from Rafael Palmeiro, who started the year by testifying in front of Congress that he'd never used steroids, cracked his 3,000th hit on July 15, then got suspended 15 days later for testing positive for steroids.
5.在2005年什麼事都做了
在2005年球季一開始，金鶯隊曾經在分區保有龍頭的位置長達62天之久。但在接著的92場比賽中輸了60場，浪費了17M在Sammy Sosa身上，又解雇了另一位GM。 致命的一擊來自於Rafael Palmeiro，這位仁兄在7/15打出第三千支安打並球季初在法庭上作證，說自己從來沒有使用過類固醇，然後在十五天過後被禁賽因為禁藥測試陳現陽性反應。
譯者：coup de grace→法語中指決定性的一擊。
Lowest moment: Facing the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards on Aug. 22 of last year, the Orioles gave up 30 runs, setting a modern-era record for a single game. The O's actually led 3-0 early in the game before allowing 30 straight runs in the 30-3 loss.
球隊最低潮的時候
2007年8/22在Camden Yard面對德州游騎兵隊，金鶯隊失去了30分，同時也留下了單場era最高的紀錄。
Favorite whipping boys: Peter Angelos. Every player, manager, GM and hot dog vendor who failed to do the job in the past 10 years is an extension of Angelos' reign of error.
最該打的小孩
Peter Angelos。 每一位球員，球隊經理，GM和熱狗攤的小販如果在這過去的十年內，有什麼工作上失誤的話，那也只是Angelos在位時期決策錯誤的延伸。
Notable quotable: "This is something freaky. You won't see anything like this again for a long, long time."