The Loss Column — Baltimore Sports Blog and Community

Last night I saw something at Camden Yards I’ve never seen before: lines. Long, long lines. It was a terrible sea of red and blue, and I was worried.

If the notion of taking back the yard is measured only in numbers, we lost again. Last night was, as you might expect, about 60-70% Sox fans. But our little band of rough riders, including a fortuitously seated Dan the Man and a handful of others, succeeded in transforming our section. We cheered, we yelled, we heckled (staying at all times on the right side of the line). When the Orioles put up 7 runs in the third inning we went bonkers and rode the wave from there to an extraordinarily satisfying victory.

It couldn’t really have gone much better.

Which leads me to something that I have to say in the interest of fairness: there’s a lot of decent folks in Red Sox Nation. I’m not sure if they represent a majority (my instincts say no), but they do exist.

Most of the folks I talked to last night were decent, gracious, and friendly. We had a robust back-and-forth at times, at other times we just sat and talked baseball. And I learned a little something from them. I learned that they come here because they can, and that they don’t understand why more folks like me aren’t at every Saturday night divisional matchup. They sit in that beautiful stadium and think “you’re not taking advantage of this? Are you nuts?”

The answer to that would be “yes,” if you’re wondering.

There were assholes, of course, but not as many as I thought there would be. So to those of you who behaved decently and respected us and our stadium, come back anytime. I’d like to think that someday it won’t be as easy as it has been, but it is what it is.

Last night was a perfect cap to the baseball season. I’ll carry that good feeling with me into the offseason and come to spring ‘08 with renewed optimism (as always).

If you can’t find something similar, I suggest you give up on baseball entirely.

Apparently, there was supposed to be some kind of “rally” at Camden Yards tonight. Some kind of attempt to do something shocking. Something dangerous. What do you suppose it was?

Get ready: the idea was actually to convince Baltimore fans to come out and root for the Baltimore Orioles.

The whole thing started in…I don’t know, April was it? And then Pink Sox Nation got wind of it, I got interviewed by the Sun, Pat stopped by with some legendarily stupid comments, and most people generally got the wrong idea.

Everyone wanted a fight. Some kind of confrontation, preferably one tinged with sex and violence and drugs and arrests. But that was never the point. The point was to stand up and say “come on, people, show some pride in your city and your ballpark.”

What does it say about Baltimore fans that the reaction I got — and this was before the team completely went in the tank — was about 75% negative? What does it say about Baltimore fans that tonight will be no different than any other Pink Sox night, despite the fact that I gave everyone a perfect opportunity to come to the ballpark and make a point about your team and your city?

Actually, nevermind. Don’t answer that. I don’t care what it means. All I care about is heading down to the park tonight with a few friends and rooting hard for the O’s despite odds so long that the whole thing hardly seems fair.

Because that’s what it’s all about. And if your hatred of Peter Angelos or the ushers or the “Warehouse” is so strong that you can no longer appreciate that then, well, your loss. See you in spring ‘08.

Yesterday’s god-awfully amazing win against the Sox really can’t be put into words. I got a text message from a good friend of mine that said “How sweet would the rally have been today?”

My response was, as it could only be, “no shit.”

So for those of you who belive in a boycott, let me ask a very simple question: what good does it do for fans to stop going to the games? What is being accomplished?

While you pause to answer, let me break it down from my side.

My position is that O’s fans need to go to games and support their team as often as they can. I can tell you exactly what good it does, and it goes someting like this:

1. The players on the field — who are not in any way complicit in bad management decisions — get the chance to feel respected and appreciated for their efforts.

2. We have the chance to develop a sense of community not unlike that which existed in the 33rd St days. They may be losers, but they’re our losers.

3. Baseball can be fun, win or lose.

Seems pretty simple, no?

It’s like the old argument about voting. “Don’t blame me, I voted for so-and-so”. Fair enough, but you damn well better have voted if you want to voice a strong opinion one way or the other.

Think about it. If you’re in a conversation with someone who says “I just hate the way George Bush is leading this country” then you’ll probably want to know what that person believes, right? You’ll probably ask a question like “Who do you support?”

If that person says “Oh, I don’t vote,” then why would you listen to another word? You’d correctly perceive that person as a dabbler and a charlatan, someone not to be taken seriously.

In other words, if you choose not to participate then you forfeit the legitimacy of your complaints.

Now, for someone like Drew who has a radio show and who devotes a good chunk of his time to talking about the team, that’s ground to stand on. But what about the hordes of people who agree with him — as evidenced by empty seats — but who aren’t actually doing anything (outside of complaining)?

That’s the problem. That’s the reason Red Sox fans invade this city. That’s the reason the players don’t feel like they have the respect they deserve.

Those people. Not Peter Angelos. Not bad management. Not bad marketing.

Those folks. And, yes, shame on them.

Before I get into the meat of this post, let me extend my congratulations to WNST’s Drew Forrester on the arrival of his baby boy, Ethan. Here’s to good health and good times for the young family.

Moving on…

NST’s plucky leader, “Nasty” Nestor Aparicio, has a blog post up describing his efforts to organize FTB2 as “on life support.” His basic point is that not enough people care enough about the team, and that he can’t overcome that kind of apathy.

He also talks about the team’s “core audience of worshippers” — which I take to mean folks who are still fans, which means me and many of you — and accuses us of “buying the lies and the propaganda.” He also called folks like us “idiots” (or, to be fair, it might have been “fools”) on the radio this morning.

Classic Nestor — gotta love it.

I’m not the least bit surprised that FTB2 looks like it won’t happen. It shoudn’t happen. Last year’s event was a way for like-minded individuals to come together and be a part of something. I was happy to be there. I would never do it again.

That event was a purging. We went on the record to say we were unhappy with Angelos‘ stewardship of the team. After that day I closed the book on pointless anger and started developing a new outlook, one that focused on the fun and positive aspects of being an Orioles fan. Not in support of bad decisions, but in spite of them.

There are some things you can’t change, and some you can. You can’t force Angelos to sell the team and you can’t force the front office to make the decisions you wish they’d make. But you can choose not to beat the same old dead horse. You can choose to align yourself with progress and good times.

Being positive and having fun won’t put “Baltimore” back on the road jerseys, it won’t sign Mark Teixeira, and it won’t win a pennant. But neither will bitching and moaning.

I like Nestor and I like his station, but he and I have a fundamental difference of opinion. In the long run, my perspective means I can evaluate the team honestly, criticize them when necessary, and have fun no matter what. His perspective skips steps one and three, places all the emphasis on step two, and ultimately leads nowhere.

I’ll be fair and break some news here: there aren’t going to be a lot of people participating in our little gathering on September 8th. There is a lot of apathy out there. The main thing we’ve accomplished in terms of attendance is to fire up the Red Sox fan base. We’ll probably be outnumbered even more than we would be on a normal Sox night. C’est la vie.

But the idea has already been a success. It has put a notion into the collective consciousness that we should all consider what it means to be a fan. In that sense alone I think we’ve already done our job, and in doing so have accomplished more than a second Free the Birds rally ever could.

If you’re not in the habit of following/participating in the conversations that happen in the comments, you’re missing out. Many times that’s where we find the gold that makes The Loss Column what it is. Take, for example, the discussion that took place (interestingly enough) in my last odds-and-ends post.

Click here to read it.

Drew Forrester from WNST chimed in with some strong thoughts and it made for a great discussion. I decided it was so good that I should highlight it on the front page and open up the floor.

If you consider yourself a sports fan, you have to at some point answer a very basic question: what does that mean? What are the limits? How much passion is enough, and how much is too much? What does a team have to do to deserve that passion?

You already know where I stand. Nobody is obligated to be a fan, but if you claim to be a fan — your own choice — then that means that you have to commit to it. No “I’m a fan, but…” No “I’ll come back when the team does X, Y, and Z.” To me, you turn in your card when you start delineating the conditions by which you’ll consent to hold it.

But that’s just me. There are plenty of other, equally valid perspectives out there. Drew says that the team has turned its back on the city and he won’t support them until they reconnect. Other folks won’t come back until they win. Other folks have their own little quirks.

So, what about it? It’s admittedly kind of silly to post this up in the graveyard that is Friday night, but so be it. I’m sure it’ll come up more than once again.

Oh, and Drew: you gotta throw the dog a bone. If you mention The Loss Column in your WNST blog you need link it up, man! Even if you think we’re so pro-Orioles that we may as well be owned by them.

And for the record, I highly doubt I would ever take MASN money for advertising. They show up in my Google ads, but that’s not a direct relationship. The moment I take their money directly is the moment that you all start questioning my takes on the team. If they came to me, and offered money for space without conditions, then maybe. Maybe.

I meant to post this last night (along with an open thread) but real life intervened. In any case, here it is: Bill Ordine at the Baltimore Sun interviewed me about the rally, and you can read the results by clicking here. I think I come off pretty well, but the real star of the post is the accompanying photograph. That is what I want on the 8th. Pure and simple.

Also, I thought you all should know that Pat has “contacted Camden Yards” on our behalf to let them know that a bunch of Orioles fans hope to show up on the 8th and actually cheer for the home team. I’m sure she took great pains to obscure the truth, but whatever. She remains a good luck charm, and I think you’ll all agree that her support is invaluable. On the third base side.

Meanwhile, what do you suppose Jay Gibbons had for breakfast yesterday morning? Is it possible that the Gibbons of Yore still lives and had merely been hibernating for the first four months of the season?

Best case scenario: this reignites the monster within, and we unload Jay to a contender in exchange for a AA relief pitcher with a 4.67 ERA.

It’s Bedard vs. Jarrod Washburn tonight. Vive L’Os!

This comment, recently posted by “Beantown,” should be required reading for everyone who’s taking this Rally way, way too seriously:

I like this idea. Grew up in Boston, live in DC for six years, been to a few sox/o’s games. I’d love to see some more O’s fans at the game, though I quickly see how this night will devolve into beer throwing and swearing, on both sides. Sox fans can be obnoxious now with our new found pride (and unlimited budget) but we mostly appreciate when there are lots of hometown fans and support for good baseball. So lets do this thing, I’m rounding up 6 buddies from MA for the night, here’s hoping we see six more O’s fans as a counterweight.

You see? It’s not that hard to figure out. Every sporting event has the potential for one or two bad apples. That’s why the stadium has ushers and security. For the rest of us, it’s about rooting for the home team and having some fun. How many different ways do I need to find to say that?

Lighten. Up.

…or try to.

I think I’ve been pretty clear in everything I’ve said regarding this rally that the point is to support the Orioles and have fun. Of course the original post has some playfully strong words (sewer rat fans, their cities suck, etc). And of course I expect some Red Sox fans to respond in kind. That’s part of the fun. But I’ve seen too many comments, and gotten too many emails, that don’t seem to understand that this is all about cheering, rooting, having a good time, etc. People seem to think that this merry little band, however many it ends up being, is going to somehow ruin everyone’s day.

I changed the rally page to add a phrase that I think will help sum it up. Essentially what I want to do is reclaim some small portion of the mood that showed up every night back in the Memorial Stadium days. Even if you’ve never been to a game there you probably know what I mean.

So everybody, please, lighten up. Anyone who’s offended by a group of people who want to gather together and actually cheer for the home team (god forbid!) probably shouldn’t be attending a sporting event of any kind, anywhere.

edited to add: I’m going to make some fliers, and there’s going to be a t-shirt design. And that’s about all I’m going to say about the rally for now — back to our patented brand of cut-above sports analysis.