Confessions of a Born-Again O's Fan

As a young kid, I can still remember walking up those ramps at Baltimore's Memorial Stadium. Peeking through the rails as I climbed my way to the upper deck, I marveled at the manicured field. The grass was so green that it didn't seem real. The anticipation of watching Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell and Paul Blair was much like the feeling that I got on Christmas Eve.

By the time I was ten years old, I had almost become obsessed with the Orioles. I could give you the stats of almost any player. I would sometimes encounter an old-timer who was sitting on his front porch listening to the O's game on a transistor radio. I would frequently stop and ask, "Any score yet?" This would often lead to a lengthy baseball conservation as we simultaneously listened to game on the small radio.

Through my rebellious teenage years, I continued to follow the O's. I can still remember the excitement and, ultimately, the extreme disappointment of the '79 World Series. The O's had a 3-1 lead in the series against the Pirates. But somehow, Pittsburgh came back and won the final three games to win it all. But it didn't long for the O's to get back in the driver's seat and in 1983, they beat the Phillies to claim their third World Series crown. I felt like I was walking on cloud nine. My beloved Oriole's were the World Champs!

The O's would have their ups and downs during the rest of the 80's. Who can forget the infamous 21-game losing streak to start the 1988 season? This is something that was completely foreign to most O's fans. Eventually, some moves were made and in the mid-90's, we had another contending team. With guys like Rafael Palmeiro, Robby Alomar and Mike Mussina being led by manager Davey Johnson, it appeared that Baltimore would be back in the Series before long. But they fell a little short, losing the 1996 AL Championship Series to the Yankees.

And then the wheels really came off........

The Orioles amazingly went on to endure 15 consecutive losing seasons. By mid-point during this dismal period, as much as I hate to admit it, I lost interest in the Baltimore Oriole's (and baseball in general). The "Oriole Magic" that filled the Baltimore air for so long had seemed to have run it's course. I no longer felt the "connection" to the team and the players seemed to be going through the motions of a season that couldn't end quickly enough. And when the Orioles signed Albert Belle, this was the nail in the coffin for me. This guy was an A-1 asshole and I really couldn't see myself cheering for him. Of course, all of this was around the same time when the Ravens were coming into their own. So, it was an opportune time for them to steal some of the Oriole's thunder. Nonetheless, I figured that my beloved "baseball days" were forever gone.

But then something happened...

A few years ago, out of curiosity, I tuned into an O's game. I was impressed with the way the players were hustling. Adam Jones was a guy to whom I developed an instant liking. His Gold Glove spoke for itself in center-field but I particularly loved his attitude and his overall approach to the game. He's the type of guy who is capable of jump-starting a team. His attitude is contagious.

As the team played through the season, I could tell that something had changed. The players seemed to genuinely like one another. The chemistry that had abandoned the clubhouse for the past decade appeared to be back. I found myself watching more and more games as the season progressed. I had rediscovered the team that had brought me so much joy as a youngster.

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The Orioles recently finishing a disappointing series in which they were swept by the first place Yankees. This was a very crucial series and it certainly left the O's in a pretty deep hole. It will be an uphill battle to get to the post-season. But it's still July and there's plenty of baseball left to play.

When the Birds blew a lead in the game Friday night against Tampa Bay, you could see the display of frustration from Manny Machado as he came off the field in the 9th inning. And when the usually reserved Wei-Yin Chen was pulled from this afternoon's game, he showed a rare display of emotion as he walked off the field. He even then threw his hat when he got into the dug-out. It may appear to some as nothing more than an emotional outburst. But I see it as passion. And that's precisely what led me to rediscover this team. 

O's skipper, Buck Showalter made an interesting comment after today's game. When an interviewer asked him about the recent criticism of the team by the fans, Buck replied, "I'm glad they're criticizing us. It means they care."

I think that pretty much sums it up!


kw