It’s not much a secret anymore around Major League Baseball that there’s something special about the 2022 Baltimore Orioles.
Maybe it’s just how competent they appear compared to the quality of teams that played in Oriole Park the last few seasons. But it appears deeper than that.
On a recent trip to an Orioles game, I had the chance to chat with Jim Palmer in the club-level suites at Camden Yards.
OK, I sort of blocked the door from him leaving the suite, but we did chat.
Not often does one meet a childhood sports hero, and I wasn’t letting this chance slip away.
Palmer was just making the rounds, dropping in to say hello and pose for a few photos.
He probably wasn’t expecting to be quizzed on what makes this 2022 Oriole club tick.
“It’s pretty easy to spot, this team plays with a lot of confidence. No one is going to push them around,” Palmer said.
Palmer feels that the “swagger” the Orioles play with is a result of the entire organizational structure.
“What the Major League club is doing is being mirrored up and down the organization at the moment. It’s pretty amazing what Mike (Oriole GM Michael Elias) has been able to build in just four years,” added Palmer.
I’ve been a fan of the Orioles since my dad first carried me into Memorial Stadium in the early ‘60s. I remember Jim Palmer having “swagger” when it was considered being “cocky.” He appeared on national television doing commercials for Jockey – in his underwear.
Palmer is now 75, and still has “swagger.” This game I attended I lamented to the Hall of Famer my disappointment that the Orioles chose not to take batting practice before the game.
Why my disappointment? Because at 65, when I go to a game, I take my glove, I get to the park early, to sit in the bleachers during BP. My wife pleads for me not to do this: she says, “You look like a 10-year-old.”
I asked Palmer if during his playing career it was common to forego batting practice when the team arrived back home in the wee hours after a road trip.
“Are you serious?” Palmer said. “If we got back to Baltimore that late, Weaver (Oriole manager Earl Weaver) would have us go straight to batting practice.
Now, that’s “swagger.”
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