I propose we come up with a new phrase to apply to the 2008 Orioles. The phrase I suggest they do away with is: “We don’t quit.” They’ve had multiple come-from-behind victories after which manager Dave Trembley and the players crow “we never quit!” MASN color commentator Buck Martinez said during a recent O’s comeback against the Red Sox: “This team has a identity- it’s that they never quit.” Maybe I’m taking this phrase too literally, but I must ask: when did not quitting become a virtue? What is there to rally around or boast about that a team of highly paid professionals maintains effort for the duration of a contest? Some of the players have even gone so far as to say, in essence, that last year when they fell behind late in games that they folded up (that they DID quit?). Think about that: you paid full price for a ticket, but apparently they didn’t give full effort. Well, I believe it’s less a statement of fact and more of a handy catch-phrase that is overly simple, inaccurate and overused.

I’ll give pitcher Jeremy Guthrie credit for arresting the runaway use of the phrase “we don’t quit.” He’s told me directly that it’s inaccurate to suggest that last years team didn’t give full effort. He explains that it’s more that they just became overmatched toward the end of the season and it became apparent that winning games would be difficult, but no one really quit.

And of all sports, why would you “quit” because your trailing in baseball? The Orioles recently rallied from a 4-0 deficit in the 8th inning at Toronto, scoring 6 runs in that inning en route to the victory (afterwards, the phrase was repeated: “We didn’t quit!”). Remember, there’s no clock in a baseball game. The team at-bat can bat in perpetuity until the defense records 3 outs. Contrast that to basketball, for instance. If your team is trailing by 20 points with 2 minutes remaining, then you’re at the mercy of not only the deficit, but the lack of time to mount a comeback. There are no time restrictions in Major League Baseball. You may have fewer “chances” late in a game because you have fewer outs at your disposal, but the batting team stays alive in its quest to score runs as long as they avoid the 3rd out in a given inning.

I’m not suggesting “quitting” is an option in any sport. Heck, I’m sure Terps basketball fans recall Duke’s “Miracle Minute” in 2001. Trailing by 10 points at Maryland with a minute to go, the Blue Devils didn’t quit and pulled off an epic rally. And because they lost, does that then mean that Maryland quit? Again- it’s an overused and lazy way to label a sports outcome.

Posted on Tuesday, June 10th, 2008 at 8:02 pm.
Categories: Opinion.
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