masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgA couple of thoughts before we head into the first weekend since March without Orioles baseball.

* Peter Gammons said of Terry Francona on MLB Network: “Sometimes you measure Boston managers in dog years and Tito managed 56 years.”

By the way, the Red Sox averaged a robust 5.4 runs per game during their 7-20 September. But here are the ERAs for some of their pitchers during the month: Erik Bedard 5.25, Jon Lester 5.40, Josh Beckett 5.48, John Lackey 9.13 and Daniel Bard 10.54.

Ken…A couple of thoughts before we head into the first weekend since March without Orioles baseball.

* Peter Gammons said of Terry Francona on MLB Network: “Sometimes you measure Boston managers in dog years and Tito managed 56 years.”

By the way, the Red Sox averaged a robust 5.4 runs per game during their 7-20 September. But here are the ERAs for some of their pitchers during the month: Erik Bedard 5.25, Jon Lester 5.40, Josh Beckett 5.48, John Lackey 9.13 and Daniel Bard 10.54.

Ken Rosenthal said you had to expect something to happen after Boston’s historic collapse. I guess so, but the guy did bring Boston two World Series titles.

Maybe Francona wants out. But all that has happened in the last several years, the championships, the whole Red Sox Nation thing, that happened on Francona’s watch.

As I wrote on Twitter today (@masnsteve) by the way: In sending Francona packing the Red Sox prove one thing: they are still having a miserable September.

* When I look at Tampa Bay’s home-grown pitching, I look with envy and hope one day the Orioles can just get close to matching that. They have guys like Jeremy Hellickson, David Price and Matt Moore that they have drafted and developed. What a trio of good, young pitchers. I don’t think fans realize how hard it is to hit a trifecta like that.

Tampa Bay lost players like Carl Crawford, Rafael Soriano and Carlos Pena and traded Matt Garza and still made the postseason with a payroll of $41 million to Boston’s $162 million. Just amazing.

Tampa Bay is the model for producing young talent. If anyone does it better, show me. The Orioles are nowhere near that level right now.

* Some fans and media members were whining about the Orioles celebration after they beat the Red Sox. Perhaps they’ve never seen a team celebrate after a walk-off win before? Guess they’ve never seen how happy players can look when they are playing in a high-profile game like that, are down to their last strike with no one on base and get three straight clutch hits to end a rivals’ season. A rival that they were involved with in a beanball war earlier in the year. A rival that used to beat them like a rented mule, but doesn’t anymore.

Give me a break.