A few years ago, Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer outlined during a game on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network what the heck the “Oriole Way” meant to him. It’s an oft-thrown-around phrase, and the meaning can go in several directions, but Palmer learned it as an 18-year-old and he’s not likely to forget it.
There were a few principles. In no particular order, they were: Improve each day, outwork the competition, support your teammates and, gosh darn it, have fun, because it’s a game.
The last point would’ve been delivered with the whip-snapping tone of Earl Weaver or Cal Ripken Sr., two gentlemen who seemed to endorse almost anything but fun. But the Oriole Way was built on that, and during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, the success in Baltimore was possible through that mantra.
On Friday, during a Birdland Caravan event, first baseman Pete Alonso ushered in a new era. He fumbled for a way to describe just how the Orioles might play under manager Craig Albernaz, and then he caught it:
“I’m starting to feel like there’s a certain brand of baseball, a type of game we want to play,” said Alonso, whose signing indicated the shift in front office approach under new ownership. “I guess you could call it the ‘New Oriole Way.’”
I guess?
This is Baltimore. The “Oriole Way” is practically an add-on to the Ten Commandments.
“I think that’s going to be a really huge part of why we’re going to win games,” Alonso said.
When asked to divulge how this mythical “New Oriole Way” might reveal itself to area faithful, Alonso didn’t budge. He smirked.
“You’ll find out,” he said.
Soon enough, surely. Orioles pitchers and catchers report to Sarasota, Florida, on Feb. 10, and from then on Albernaz and Co. will work to instill whatever this “New Oriole Way” is before opening day.
But, when parsing the tea leaves, this new philosophy sounds a lot like the original one. That might be because sound, fundamental baseball is still the core of wins and losses, no matter how fast a pitcher throws or how far batters blast balls these days.
Orioles pitcher Tyler Wells hands a donation bag to catcher Samuel Basallo during a Birdland Caravan event in the warehouse at Oriole Park on Friday. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Banner)
At its heart, baseball is about strike one. It’s about making the routine play. It’s about moving over a runner and scoring him from third base with fewer than two outs, and as Albernaz speaks, all of those facets seem to be vital cogs in his eventual machine.
“I can’t speak for him, but I would say, for us, he expects us to show up and work every day,” right-hander Tyler Wells said. “He wants us to go in there and be intentful with our time, he wants us to be intentful with the relationships that we have with our teammates, and he wants us to go out there on the baseball field and do the fundamentals right. I think he’s doing everything, or making it very clear, to win ballgames, that’s exactly what we need to do.”
Is that not just the Oriole Way?
Whatever it’s called, Albernaz is laying the roots for his club now, before players arrive in Florida. Alonso said he and Albernaz have “ball talks,” and while he once again didn’t unveil the full scope of what makes this era different from previous iterations, he called it an “all-encompassing plan on how we’re going to attack the opponent, and it’s going to be exciting to be a part of.”
If that’s the case, it should be exciting to watch, too.
Then again, excitement isn’t part of the Oriole Way. Fundamentals are. When Albernaz appeared on The Banner’s podcast this week, he said every drill his players perform during spring training will have a purpose. And, building upon drills that are specifically tuned to the player, the wheels will start moving in the right direction.
“It sounds boring, but the greats and great teams don’t get bored with the boring,” Albernaz said. “That’s something Kobe Bryant has always talked about. As a player, you can’t get bored with the fundamentals, and that’s going to be our message to our guys, amongst other things.”
Of course, there will be a certain understanding that great players are often best when they’re off the leash. When asked how Albernaz has described the Orioles’ approach to him, shortstop Gunnar Henderson indicated there will be a bit of freedom involved.
Orioles manager Craig Albernaz speaks to Ian Gayfield during Friday’s caravan stop. (Ulysses Muñoz/The Banner)
“I think it’s just letting us go out there and play freely,” Henderson said. “Obviously, we’ll make mistakes, but keeping that sense of freedom out there and playing with our instincts, which is what got us to where we are today.”
There are some players — and Henderson may prove to be one — who are best left alone to perform with the arm-flailing, hair-flowing madness on the bases that can’t be taught. From another sense, there is no player above the routine. For, as free as Henderson and others may be to perform the exceptional, the ordinary is a must.
How the “New Oriole Way” takes form will be discovered over long months, from spring to summer and fall. Perhaps it’s an entirely new modus operandi, departing from the traditional.
Or maybe it’ll be just like the original Oriole Way — especially if winning follows.
“I know it’s about wins and losses and, not just this organization, but people in this city, they want it so bad,” Alonso said. “For me, I want to win a championship. I want to do whatever it takes.”