Charm city?

Baltimore Orioles shortstop Miguel Tejada is my new favorite professional baseball player. I’ll admit that I haven’t truly cared enough about Major League Baseball to have a favorite player since former O’s pitcher Mike Mussina back in 1992. But Miggy is my guy.

Let me clarify something right off the bat – Tejada is not my new favorite player because he’s the best shortstop in baseball. It really doesn’t have to do with the fact that he’s been the American League MVP, a homerun derby winner or an all-star game MVP. That’s all nice, but I’m happier with Miguel for what he’s done off the field more than any of his noteworthy on the field accomplishments.

You see, last Thursday Tejada snapped. After two years of playing his heart and soul out for the Orioles and the city of Baltimore, Miguel couldn’t take it anymore. Frustrated with the powers that be in Baltimore, Tejada said he was unhappy with the team's direction and suggested that maybe he’d be better off playing for another team.

Anyone who thinks this is another case of a crybaby professional athlete who needs to sit down and shut up is dead wrong. Tejada is no Terrell Owens or Ron Artest. This isn’t about money – he’s more than happy with the six-year, $72 million deal he signed in 2003. This is the story of a baseball player who cares about his team so much and wants to win so bad, that it’s killing him to sit at home in the Dominican Republic watching the rest of the teams improve this offseason while Orioles management does nothing.

When you play in the American League East, you automatically start the season in the shadows of the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. They’re two of the biggest spenders in baseball and also two of the league’s premiere franchises. Tejada, and everyone else, knows that. But when the Toronto Blue Jays start making moves to bring in some of the biggest names available in this year’s crop of free agents and the Tampa Bay Devil Rays begin to actually try and have a competitive roster, then the Orioles have a legitimate chance to be the worst team in the division.

If that sounds far-fetched to you then you obviously don’t follow this team. The Orioles haven’t finished a season with a winning record in eight years. Angelos and whichever bumbling idiot he has playing general manager move so painstakingly slow during free agent discussions or trade talks that people get tired of waiting on them. For the last several years they’ve said they were looking to upgrade their starting pitching and wanted a solid bat to complement the rest of the offense.

When an A.J. Burnett or Tim Hudson becomes available, rumors float that the Orioles are interested. They want their fans to know they’re in the mix. But then as soon as money becomes the subject, Orioles management sits on their collective hands. While other teams are making trade offers and simultaneously discussing contract extensions with the player’s agents, the Orioles do nothing. And then, at the 25th hour, the Orioles make a last-ditch contract offer that will never be accepted, just so they can say that their offer was more than generous and that they didn’t want to break the bank on (insert name of quality pitcher or hitter here).

Angelos is more concerned with the cross-town rival Washington Nationals than having a competitive team. With a new Major League franchise in his backyard, fans now have additional options. If he doesn’t put money into his Orioles, fans can give their money to the Nats. So instead of putting out a legit team with talented players, Angelos has continued to focus on the Nationals infringing on “his territory.”

This is what passes for the “Oriole Way” these days. When the Orioles do actually make a move, it’s to bring back fat-ass Sidney Ponson or over-the-hill/steroid using Rafael Palmeiro. Players of Tejada’s caliber don’t come to Baltimore these days – that’s why he’s so frustrated. He shouldn’t be here. So don’t turn on Miggy.

If anything, you should be amazed that it only took Miguel Tejada two years to become disgusted with the Orioles. The fanbase has felt this way ever since Cal Ripken Jr. retired. Since the story of his trade request initially broke, Tejada has talked with a local sports network and clarified that he doesn’t want to be traded, he just wants to see a better team in place in Baltimore.

"I think they've got to make some moves," Tejada told a Comcast SportsNet reporter. "That's why I'm upset. I hope the fans won't be mad at me, but I think me speaking up might actually help the team get better. I'm speaking for every player on this team. I don't want to play just for money, but to be competitive. I love baseball more than the money."

And when he says it, he means it. Tejada has missed a total of five games in the last seven years, and hasn’t missed a game at all in nearly six years (the longest active streak in baseball). He comes to play every day. He is the O’s best player, and unquestionably, the leader in the clubhouse. If he was a pain in the ass prima donna, you wouldn’t have half the league lining up to call Baltimore – just in the off chance they do decide to move him.

When team owner Satan … er … Peter Angelos was reached for comment, he was quite predictable.

"I was saddened and disappointed," owner Peter Angelos told reporters on Friday. "I always believed he was quite happy in Baltimore."

Maybe if Tejada had voiced his displeasure from Washington, D.C. instead of the Dominican Republic, Angelos would have seen this coming.

Brian Murphy wishes the Orioles would trade Miguel Tejada to the Angels or Cubs or Red Sox – just so his new favorite player would have a chance to actually play for a winner. Contact him at murf@the5holes.com.