Baltimore Orioles: Steady wins the race

What do the Baltimore Orioles have in common with Peyton Manning?

I couldn’t help but think of the Baltimore Orioles last night as I watched Peyton Manning win the Super Bowl. First off, did it really matter who the MVP of the game was? No, not really – not in my view at least. While he probably didn’t want it that way, the story was all about Manning.

Manning’s a guy who’s respected the game his entire career, and who’s never once said a cross word about an opponent. Granted he did have one title under his belt, until last night I’m not sure he was really thought of as a “winner.” A lot of folks probably remebered him more for the lackluster Super Bowl game against Seattle a couple of years ago.

If you compare him with his counterpart on the other side of the ball last night, there couldn’t be more contrast. Cam Newton is a great talent and I suspect he’ll be back on the NFL’s grandest stage several more times before all is said and done. However as great as he is and as big an asset as he can be to any team for which he is playing…he also wants the entire world to know how great he is. Again, you can’t see a guy like Manning showboating in that manner.

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And that’s kind of where the Orioles come in. Baseball’s a stoic sport by nature, and the Orioles typify that attitude. They rarely go over any line of acceptability in terms of celebrations – basically if someone hits a home run he goes through the “high five line” in the dugout and that’s the end of it. Instead, some players see fit to not only flip their bat after a homer, but to throw it way up into the air.

My point would be hey look, everyone saw what you did; it was an awesome play! But do you really need to…”make sure” that everyone saw it? Would it kill you to just put your head down, run the bases, and go back and sit on the bench? Obviously in football, one would say you should just hand the ball to the ref and walk back to the bench…pretty much what Peyton Manning’s done his entire career. 

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I find it sad that someone told me this weekend that attitudes like Cam Newton’s are actually better because it shows how much he wants to win. In the same breath, that person said that someone like Manning is just “collecting a paycheck;” in other words, his stoicism makes one think that he’s just going through the motions.

I fail to believe that. I just see a comment as such as an excuse for showboaters. You can’t tell me that the Orioles don’t want to win as much as other teams out there who are much more liberal with their emotions and who don’t really seem to care what their peers in the game think. Granted, showboating isn’t necessarily against the rules per se. But speaking for myself I would submit that the respect of your peers is of equal importance to winning.

Next: Baltimore Orioles trade for Odrisamer Despaigne

Speaking for myself, I was glad to see a steady hand like Peyton Manning in the winner’s circle last night. He didn’t commit to anything either way, however assuming that he’s going to retire I would submit that there’s NOBODY in sports who’s more deserving of riding off into the sunset as a champion than him. NOBODY.