Eschew the Pretender

I love me some Jim Johnson. I was a big fan of the guy. He was (for a time) an incredibly effective reliever for my favorite team, and he clearly loved being a part of the organization. When the Orioles’ long playoff drought finally came to an end, he was the one who struck out Alex Rodriguez, sending Camden Yards into a  an eruption that still stands as one of my favorite sports moments.

It’s safe to say I’m a little biased. I was known to play The Pretender in my living room while watching him enter for the 9th. Maybe “biased” is a polite way of saying it.

All this puts me in excellent position to react to the news that Jim Johnson has been designated for assignment by the Oakland Athletics. This is our chance, Birdland.

This is our chance to Eschew the Pretender. All together now: no thanks. It doesn’t matter how cheap or low risk a move to acquire Johnson might be. He simply isn’t the same pitcher he was during the Orioles’ magical run in 2012, and there is no reason to try to recapture the magic out of a sense of nostalgia, or loyalty, or… whatever.

Johnson was a big part of one of my favorite summers, but he has no place on this year’s team, as the Orioles should be focused on making moves that can take them from being AL East favorites by default, to a team that has a chance in the post season.

Though it pains me to say it, old friends who have flamed themselves out of a job don’t fit that mold.