Gillick

Orioles farm director Syd Thrift was going on and on yesterday about the Pat Gillick tornado that has hit the front office, the early mornings and late nights and three-hour conference calls with scouts and a dozen alternatives spinning at the same time, when someone asked: "Was any of this going on before Gillick got here?"Thrift did not hesitate. "No," he said. "It was nothing like this at all before. There's no comparison. Like night and day."We warned you, didn't we? Told you this guy was special, didn't we?

The names Roberto Alomar and Pat Gillick conjure memories of the last good days the Orioles have had, days when the playoffs were not foreign, mysterious territory. As the former Orioles second baseman and the club's ex-general manager prepare to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame on Sunday, they looked back fondly on their days in Baltimore and offered perspective on the state of the franchise. Alomar, an Oriole from 1996 to 1998, was an All-Star in all three seasons. He helped lead the team to the playoffs in 1996 and 1997, the Orioles losing in the American League Championship Series both years.

The general manager of the two-time World Series champions has labeled the Orioles "the team to beat" in the revised American League East.Toronto executive Pat Gillick made the comment this week at the first Hub City Baseball Banquet presented by the Hagerstown Suns, the Blue Jays' farm club in the South Atlantic League."

Gillick best choice Juan Carlos Rodriguez Sun Sentinel Neither Marvin Miller nor George Steinbrenner was a better choice for the Hall of Fame. Were they as deserving as Pat Gillick? Absolutely. This discussion is not about the merits of Gillick's candidacy as a longtime general manager. His record as one of the game's preeminent team architects is well founded. Why the Veterans Committee did not give Miller or Steinbrenner the necessary votes is the issue.

New Orioles general manager Pat Gillick, owner Peter Angelos and team MVP Rafael Palmeiro will be among the celebrities at the 43rd annual Tops in Sports banquet, Jan. 12 at Towson State.Other guests include Hall of Famer Johnny Bench, Cleveland Indians pitcher Dennis Martinez, Orioles minor-league standouts Rocky Coppinger and Scott McClain, Indians GM John Hart, Orioles director of player development Syd Thrift and American League umpire Durwood Merrill.Cocktail hour begins at 5:30 p.m., and tickets are $50. To purchase tickets, call (410)

Orioles general manager Pat Gillick called Mike Mussina on Wednesday, but not to discuss salary, arbitration or contract terms. Gillick wanted to talk about anything but that sort of stuff.It was an "unbelievably informal" conversation, Mussina remarked later. The discussion, he said, ranged from basketball to the Orioles' farm system.It was standard operating procedure for Gillick, who may have been looking for a little more insight into Mussina's character as he prepares to offer him a long-term deal.

Orioles general manager Pat Gillick indicated yesterday that concerns about the condition of Ben McDonald's shoulder contributed to the club's decision not to offer him a contract for 1996.Gillick said the club could not be certain whether McDonald could work 225 innings or 100 next season. McDonald, 28, twice went on the disabled list in 1995 with shoulder trouble, and worked 80 innings."I think he's healthy," Gillick said. "I'm not saying he's not healthy. But if you asked me to bet my life on it, I wouldn't do that."

They have nothing to trade, and last night they traded for a pitcher who has thrown a no-hitter, the fifth starter in the vaunted Atlanta rotation, a left-hander with immense promise.Welcome to the Pat Gillick Era.This is the kind of aggressive deal that Gillick routinely pulled to embarrass the Orioles when he was with Toronto, a deal that comes seemingly out of nowhere, but makes so much sense.The Orioles acquired Kent Mercker for two prospects -- right-hander Joe Borowski, a middle-inning reliever at best, and Single-A left-hander Rachaad Stewart, a strikeout pitcher with major-league potential.

It's the question that resurfaces seemingly every season at trade time. And it's the question that ultimately might drive general manager Pat Gillick out of Baltimore.Who's running the Orioles?Some factions within the organization say owner Peter Angelos vetoed Gillick's proposed trade for David Segui. Others say the Montreal Expos backed out of the deal, passing on a possible chance to acquire Triple-A right-hander Jimmy Haynes.The impasse led the Orioles to explore other options, and they apparently are trying to put together a bigger trade -- Haynes and minor-league pitchers Chris Fussell and Mark Seaver to Oakland for Geronimo Berroa and another player.

TORONTO -- Another day, another victory, no trades."The league president called me and said he wants to keep this thing down, to quiet down all deals right now," Orioles general manager Pat Gillick said, joking."

The 2011 Hall of Fame ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y., will have some Orioles flavor, regardless of whether former players Roberto Alomar and Rafael Palmeiro are enshrined. Pat Gillick the Orioles' general manager from 1996 to 1998 and the architect of the 1997 team that lost to the Cleveland Indians in the American League Championship Series, was selected by the Baseball Hall of Fame's Expansion Era Committee for 2011 induction. The only one selected by the committee, he beat out the likes of late New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and former players union executive Marvin Miller . "I can't tell you what an honor this is," said Gillick, who led the Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies to world championships and also was the GM for the Seattle Mariners.

PHILADELPHIA - In the midst of the World Series fiesta on the Citizens Bank Park field late Wednesday night stood a calm man wearing a sport jacket, dress slacks and a toothy grin. The champagne-spewing, trophy-holding Philadelphia Phillies buzzed all around the septuagenarian, who patiently answered questions from the media and accepted congratulations from everyone else. Among all the big-money, high-profile athletes celebrating the Phillies' first title since 1980 - a Game 5 clincher over the upstart Tampa Bay Rays - only this failed left-handed pitcher named Pat Gillick is a slam-dunk, near-certain Hall of Famer.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Lounging cross-legged in an overstuffed chair at the Bright House Networks Field complex, Pat Gillick couldn't look much more comfortable. It's the preseason. The annual blather about hope springing eternal hangs in the thick Florida air. And Gillick again is leading one of baseball's most talented teams. "I think we've got a shot," Gillick said of his 2007 Philadelphia Phillies. "I think we have a very good starting staff and if we can beef up the bullpen a little bit, I think we can be OK."

Two years ago, Orioles bench coach Sam Perlozzo came close to being the next manager of the Seattle Mariners. They called him back for a second interview, and it's believed he was runner-up to Bob Melvin. Melvin was fired earlier this week, after the Mariners lost 99 games, but Perlozzo might not get as close to the job this time. Major league sources don't expect him to be a front-runner since Bill Bavasi replaced Pat Gillick as general manager. Gillick interviewed Perlozzo after the 2002 season, and his interest could come into play again if Gillick ends up running the Washington franchise.

WILL they chant his name in Cooperstown, the way they used to at Memorial Stadium, when the quiet kid out of Los Angeles took over first base for the Orioles, then never stopped producing hits and homers and runs, all the way back to Camden Yards? Will they chant "Ed-die, Ed-die" like they used to, before anyone suspected Eddie Murray would pose a frustrating puzzle and perplex Baltimore fans who revered baseball's greatest switch-hitter this side of Mickey Mantle but could not always, unconditionally, extend their love?

IT DOESN'T TAKE the architect of a World Series contender in Seattle to confirm what some Orioles fans think they are witnessing this season in Baltimore, but what the heck? If Mariners general manager Pat Gillick isn't a voice to be trusted, no one who builds baseball teams is trustworthy. "I like the club. [Jay] Gibbons, [Luis] Matos, [Jerry] Hairston is out, but [was playing well] before he got hurt. [Brian] Roberts. These guys look good," Gillick said this week. Once it was Gillick's job to put a contender on the field at Camden Yards.

Bobby Bonilla and Eddie Murray were two of Peter Angelos' favorites. But the Orioles made both free agents.Chris Hoiles is another of the owner's pets. But the Orioles want to add another catcher.Where is the mighty Angelos?Apparently in his law office, listening to his baseball professionals.It's a bigger upset than Holyfield over Tyson.Once again, general manager Pat Gillick is running the Orioles. No one knows how long this blissful state of affairs will last. But for now, Angelos is staying in the background while Gillick reshapes the team.

Let me get this straight: The Toronto Blue Jays get fed up with a mistake-prone outfield prospect and trade him for a 70-RBI man. The Orioles get fed up with a mistake-prone outfield prospect and, after failing to trade him, make him a candidate to start Opening Day.The divergent paths taken by Derek Bell and Luis Mercedes this week stand as Exhibit A in my choice of the Blue Jays over the Orioles to win the American League East. It doesn't matter that the teams are more evenly matched than at any point in recent memory.

IT DID SMACK OF ageism the past few months when the prescription for fixing the Orioles called for "new energy" in the front office. In other words, no more Syd Thrift. At 73, with 50 years in baseball and having forgotten more about the game than other general managers might ever know, Thrift did not lack for energy or knowledge. However, there was something flawed with Thrift and the Orioles. That became particularly apparent this past season when the pain threshold throughout the organization reached an intolerable level.

After interviewing 12 managerial candidates, the Seattle Mariners trimmed to the final four yesterday, and Orioles bench coach Sam Perlozzo made the cut. Mariners general manager Pat Gillick said Perlozzo, Jim Riggleman, Bob Melvin and Buddy Bell will all be invited back for second interviews next week. He didn't close the door on San Francisco Giants manager Dusty Baker as a possibility. "I wouldn't say [the four finalists] are etched in stone," Gillick said. "But one of these four might be our manager."