Baltimore Sun Writer Says O's Announcers Too Easy on Team

By Cam Martin 

David Zuwarik of The Baltimore Sun can deal with the Orioles’ losing. After all, he’s used to it. But as the media critic for the newspaper, he says he’d fed up with the media members who cover the team and sugarcoat its failures.

I find myself yelling at the TV when Rick Dempsey or one of the other post-game folks starts pulling punches about how awful this team is.

It was pathetic to hear analysts telling me Friday night that we should be proud of Kevin Gregg, the Orioles’ so-called closer, for throwing in and in and in on David Ortiz. According to MASN, this was a sign of life and determination on the part of the Orioles — showing just the kind of toughness they needed to play in the AL East. Heck, maybe, it would even be the spark to get them going.

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Zuwarik feels the reason players like Vladimir Guerrero come to Baltimore is because the media gives under-performing players a free pass. He says the Orioles beat writer for The Sun, Jeff Zrebiec, is excluded from this group because he does call out the team.

If Baltimore talk shows hosts and analysts went after ball players here when they are lazy or stupid or fail in the clutch the way our media counterparts in New York or Boston do, I bet we’d get a much better effort out of them.

Mainly, what it appears that guys like Guerrero do when they come to Baltimore is put on weight. Maybe less buffet and more pressure to perform is what we need. And a media that at least tried to demand accountability from these high-priced, under-performing athletes could help with that.

The Orioles don’t need more media critics. They need more pitching. The Orioles are 10th in the majors in team batting average, but dead last in team ERA. That said, Guerrero has seemingly hit the wall at age 36, slugging a paltry .385 with just seven home runs in the first half.

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