Best Weekend for the Orioles Since…?
On Sunday, I set aside time to hang out with some friends and watch the Orioles play the Yankees up in New York. In fact, I skipped the Baltimore Grand Prix so I could watch the game. I’m a Grand Prix supporter and had a blast at the race last year but it wasn’t a tough decision. The Orioles were playing a meaningful, playoff-race game against the Yankees in September. How could I miss that?
This is so strange. So surreal and surprising and satisfying. Having stuck with this team through 14 years of losing — six of which have included the existence of The Loss Column (right about now is our anniversary) — I find myself almost unable to process what’s going on. This team can’t possibly be one game out of first place on September 4…can it?
I’ve stopped waiting for the epic collapse. It could still happen but I see no evidence that it will. So now I’m in full-on “What next?” mode — no roadmap, no guidance, no precedent. This is all completely new.
Monday I was out at a restaurant while the O’s took on the Blue Jays and there was actual excitement in the room as the game played on TV. People weren’t just paying attention, the were reacting. Cheering the good, bemoaning the bad (though there wasn’t much of that), and talking amongst themselves about process and possibility.
I’ve been catching games here and there at restaurants and bars for years and it hasn’t been like that for as long as I can remember.
I don’t even really have a point to make here. I’m just stoked, and somewhat in awe of this team. Playoffs or not — hell, winning record or not — this has been an extraordinary year. Equal parts exciting and satisfying and truly something to remember.
Savor it, folks. Savor the hell out of it.
No point to make, Neal. We’re all too busy savoring! This is crazy!!
Incredible stuff we’re witnessing this year.
Bobby V! LOL, what a jackass. Even ESPN ripped him this morning on the “lucky” comment. When ESPN is getting behind the O’s and blasting the Red Sox, you know it’s a magical season.
Everyone outside of Birdland talks about the bullpen, but no one seems to be noticing the starting pitching. Especially the fine work Gonzalez has done. Britton has pitched 3 good ones in a row. Steve Johnson hasn’t done a thing wrong since being in the bigs. The Tillman resurgence (hope his arm’s ok, but that’s why you trade for Saunders).
Somehow this team stayed afloat the entire time Hammel was out, and even managed to improve after their All-Star Break downturn.
No expectations, just baseball. Ha! Wow..
Also, we’ve officially moved from 2005 comparisons to 1997 comparisons.
dan the man wrote:
Yeah, this.
For your amusement, here are our predictions and select quotes from the Prediction Time thread that Neal posted just prior to opening day:
Neal – 74 wins “At least one young pitcher will surprise us by maturing.” (my note: Tillman’s maturation indeed was quite surprising)
Mike R – “My prediction – PAIN!”
Jeffrey Duncan – “I’m ready to eat shit. Warm it up for me”
Miles – .500 “The bad – Jason Hammel in the rotation, period.”
Sci – 71-91 “I sense disaster from the… rotation”
df1570 – 52-110 “Come on baseball gods… hear us”
dan the man – “They will break .500 – barely …September is going to be the most fun we’ve had in a long time.”
Os Fan – “…given the seemingly total lack of interest in trying to put together a dynamic team after last year’s debacle, I’m not very hopeful for the future of the Orioles franchise.”
The Baltimore Chop – 59-103 “…they will be boring. quite boring, in fact.”
Sat next to a couple bedecked O’s fans on a flight from Phx to BWI last night, and they weren’t the only folks on the plane rocking O’s gear. The previously ubiquitous Ravens gear prevalence was absent. This was very, very refreshing for September.
The two cats next to me were excited, but clearly not bandwagon jumpers. Felt pretty awesome to experience that kind of positive, civic connection 3,000 miles away from home.
@ Miles:
That’s awesome. I remember thinking the only thing I was sure about was that they were not going to lose as many games as last year. I was at least right about that. Haha.
Drew’s prediction is my favorite. Dan, good call on the fun September.
@ Miles:
Hehe, this is great.
I believe I also said that if Dan Duquette managed to break .500, I’d make him honorary “Dan the Man” and drop it from my handle for awhile.
1st place. And the fun has only just begun…
dan the man wrote:
The exuberant screaming you hear from Charlotte, NC is mine.
Watching that game last night, I felt truly sorry for Toronto. The thing is, we’ve been there. Every year since 97 we’ve been exactly where they were last night. Out of the race, losing a 12-0 game in September. We know the pain all too well.
This is sports heaven for me, guys. Truly. And the thing is — we DESERVE it. For all the times we were 20 or 30 something games behind at this point, watching the Victor Zambranos and Russ Ortizes of the world pitch 3 innings and get shelled. And then we’d still watch the next night, and the next night. This feeling is priceless, and it kind of makes all of that worth it. We don’t take it for granted.
@ sci:
Well said.
I don’t know that I feel too sorry for Toronto, though. They’ve been hovering around .500 for years and have consistently beaten us up in their house of horrors. Couple that with accusations of sign-stealing and questionable team-wide surges in home run power and it all adds up to being pretty pleased to beat up on them for a change.
This is our time, guys! Goonies and shit.
@ dan the man:
I hear you, but try as I might, I’ve never been able to bring myself to dislike Toronto. Or the Rays for that matter. I expend too much hatred on the Yankees and Sox, so there is really nothing left over. I just saw that hopeless look in their eyes and remembered the feeling all too well.
No matter what happens from here on out, this season has been a smashing success. This team does not play with a losing mentality anymore. Those days are over. Unbelievable. 2012.
@ sci:
Well, they managed to snag one last night. But the O’s just need to keep winning series and they’ll be fine.
It’s going to be madness tonight… I really hope the O’s pull out a win in front of a legitimately sold out Camden Yards. Sold out in September! Man o man…
@ sci:
I’ve never hated on Tampa – Maddon is hard to hate.
Toronto, on the other hand, were my Yankees as a child. 1989, coupled with Cito Gaston and the Mike Mussina controversy, well, need I say more?
Oh, okay.
Cito still sucks.
listen to that crowd!