If you knew that the team you were about to watch was going to lose would you still attend or turn on the game? Well this is a question that fans in Baltimore have long since answered and never even looked back.
For 13 years residents of Maryland and a small following outside of the state, have been waiting for the Baltimore Orioles to return to the postseason or at least turn out a winning season. It has been since 2001, when Cal Ripken retired, that the Orioles have not been ranked higher than third in the American League East division.
So then why is it, with all these troubles, that at 7:05 the O’s game is on thousands of Marylander’s TVs and there are thousands filtering in to Camden Yards?
Well that’s simple, love and passion.
Some people don’t understand how a person can “love” a sports franchise but it is a love that millions are swept into. It comes from that desire and rush of being a part of being something bigger than just any individual. It is all of those moments of happiness and despair.
It is this love that brings a person to watch a team that consistently loses 80 to 90 games a year. It is this love that I witnessed my entire lifetime.
From the moment that I knew baseball, I was an Orioles fan. This wasn’t because I knew anything about the history of the team, or even what the team was like at the time, but solely because I was an eyewitness to the love that my family members gave to that very team.
It was a given that at 7:05 every evening the television was set and my house was filled with the sounds of the ballpark. It is a sound that to this day brings me joy and happiness.
The shear fact that my O’s will probably lose, has no influence on my decision to watch or cheer for them.
What matters is the pride of staying loyal to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 1997. It is the act of holding your head high and wearing your O’s cap in the support for your club that has given you so many thrills and times of elation.
Let it be said though, that the 2011 Orioles who are under their new skipper Buck Showalter, are on an upswing. With big off season acquisitions such as designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero, first baseman Derrek Lee and resigning right-handed pitcher Jeremy Guthrie this season has a new feeling and a new air sweeping through Baltimore.
So to my Orioles, who always give Baltimore their very best and continue to electrify the sweet bay air surrounding the city, I say thank you! Thank you for always being that source of bliss during the summer heat and providing Maryland with a shinning example of America’s greatest pastime.
Read Jamie Santoro’s view on the great American past time
Pingback: The great American past time: more than just a sport | Loquitur