You'll have this sort of thing with children

Mike Burke
Cumberland Times-News

February 27, 2008 11:20 am

— In reading comments made by Baltimore Orioles pitchers about first-year pitching coach Rick Kranitz, it would appear Leo Mazzone bashing is in-season, which is too bad. Although, to be honest, most of the bashing has been rather veiled, and practically all of it has come from some younger pitchers, still fresh from their participation-trophy days when nothing ever sticks to them.
I think Han Solo said it best when he said, "It's not my fault!"
Veteran reliever Jamie Walker, for instance, would have none of it when he had an opportunity to take a shot or two at Leo, remaining steadfast in his contention it is the pitchers who must hold themselves accountable, and that the lack of pitching depth in the Orioles organization is a problem that runs much deeper than who the big-league pitching coach was the past two seasons.
As for the shots at Leo, veiled and not-so-veiled as some of them may be, so be it. I know firsthand he worked his hardest for every single one of those pitchers to make sure they were successful.
Can Leo be gruff and to the point, as the most consistent complaint about him out of O's camp seems to go? Of course he can be gruff and to the point. He's that way when you're sitting down having a cold beverage with him, but that's all part of the picture. It's all part of his charm, if you will, and it's what's helped make him and a lot of pitchers successful.
You don't think there were ever gruff moments with Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz over the years? It's not as though Glavine and Smoltz showed up on Leo's doorstep as rookies Hall-of-Fame ready. And how about all of the pitchers who saw their careers salvaged because of the time Leo spent with them? The Orioles' Jeremy Guthrie, another one who understood and heeded Mazzone's methods, comes immediately to mind there.
If some of the young Orioles pitchers believe they're in a better place now that's Leo's gone then they must be. There's no question Erik Bedard and the split-finger out pitch Leo taught him in making him one of the best pitchers in the American League are both in a better place, namely pennant contention.
You don't hear Bedard whining about how gruff Leo was or is, do you? Bedard understands. It's the big leagues. You're paid to be accountable, and you're paid to be successful.
And as for Leo, trust me, it won't be very long at all before we'll be hearing from him again. Count on that.
Tension in Terptown
Either the Maryland Terrapins picked the wrong time to get cold again, or they've just run out of gas.
Actually both points of view fit, because Maryland became as cold as ice at the same time Virginia Tech and Miami became very hot, and, frankly, with the production the Terps have been getting from their bench (um, that would be none), Bambale Osby and particularly James Gist seem to have nothing left in the tank.
To say tomorrow night's game at Wake Forest is a crucial one for Maryland would be an understatement, because it would seem at the very least the Terps have to win two out of their three remaining games to secure the NCAA bid that seemed to be in their back pocket just one week ago.
What Maryland really needs to accomplish in the coming 10 days is either a third- or fourth-place finish in the ACC to ensure a first-round bye in the ACC tournament and a play-date the following night with a team that had to play for its life the night before.
That would be the best-case scenario at this point. It's just too bad this was the scenario the Terps seemed assured of having at this time last week.
But that's why they play the games, right? An NCAA tournament bid is still attainable for Maryland, but the Terps can't waste any more time.
I believe former Orioles pitching coach George Bamberger said it best when on a late-inning visit to the mound to talk pitcher Ross Grimsley, a reputed spitballer before he came to Baltimore, out of a bases-loaded jam, he said, "If you can cheat, I wouldn't wait one pitch longer."
Brainy thoughts
There was finally a Brian Billick sighting on Monday, and that sighting came on Baltimore radio stations WBAL and ESPN 1300 as the former Ravens coach said he was shocked, shocked, to discover on Dec. 31 he was being fired by Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti, because Billick had been led to believe right up to Dec. 30 that he would return as the coach.
But, Billick said of his firing, "... I will very much understand that that is the right of an owner, and he's doing what he thinks is in the best interest of the organization."
Billick was direct and to the point in arriving at the proper conclusion. Had he been this concise more often over the past nine years, perhaps he'd still be the head coach of the Ravens.
Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.

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