Another Fall Without The Orioles

When I was 5 years old I was lucky enough to witness something great. I was only 5, but I still remember it. I remember jumping up and down with my brother the proudly wearing my championship t-shirt months later to school. I now had larger than life heroes in my life thanks to my beloved Baltimore Orioles winning the 1983 World Series.

Oh how I wish I would have known what would come ahead. I would have celebrated more. 

Recently my parents home was destroyed by a tornado. Thankfully, they survived. As I rummaged through the wreckage I found a large tin. We were picking and choosing what to keep, what could be kept. It was a Baltimore Orioles tin. Forget it I thought, look inside and see if there is anything worth saving, but the tin gets trashed.

Then i took a closer look. This was a 1983 World Series Champs tin. My god, I thought, I must keep this. I may never get another. I quickly picked it up, cleaned it off and loaded it up with the salvageable keepsakes. 

Since 1983 there has been very little to celebrate as an O's fan. There was the surprise of 1989, the "Why Not" year. The Ripken mvp year and the opening of Oriole Park (which sadly meant the end of Memorial Stadium). There were the bright years in the mid to late 90's and of course, Cal breaking the streak.

Yet, here we are again in September and although the Orioles have been a fun team to watch and the future looks brighter than usual, they are still going to finish below .500.

I love the Orioles, I really do. In fact, when people ask me if I like baseball I say no, but I love the Orioles. I can watch them or listen to them anytime. They're my team. 

Being a true O's fan the hatred of the Yankees and Red Sox runs deep. I despise them. I am disgusted when I attend a Yankees or Red Sox/Orioles game in Baltimore and there are more opposing fans in attendance. I still think Cito sucks and if I ever meet Jeffrey Mair, well, let's just say I don't know what I would do.

Despite where this franchise has gone I am still optimistic. They seem to have built a good core with solid young players like Adam Jones. There are no quick fixes in baseball, no matter how much money you have. If you want to make a run like the Yankees, you have to build it from the ground up like they did with players like Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. Hopefully, this is happening now in Baltimore.

Only time will tell, but until then I guess I will just have to cherish that 1983 World Series tin and my 5 year old memories.