Oriole Magic, Feel it Happen!

OK, it took me a month to post this article about the Baltimore Orioles, but it really struck a chord with me.  After all, there were years when my allegiance to the Birds was stronger than the Giants.  (Say it ain’t so!) 

I spent five formative years in Washington (6th – 10th grade, ’79—84) when the Orioles made two World Series appearances (I was there in ’83) and missed the playoffs on the last day of the season (I was there, too, in ’82).  These were the teams of Palmer, Martinez, Flanagan, McGregor on the mound… Murray, Dauer, Ripken, DeCinces … Lowenstein, Roenicke, Bumbry, Singleton… some of my favorite players of all time.

Prior to that, my first exposure to baseball on a full-season basis was in the early 70’s, when I have fleeting, but important memories of Brooks Robinson, Belanger, Hendricks and Doyle Alexander.

Anyways, the point of this article is that it’s been 25 years since the Orioles won a World Series game, the fans have deserted, businesses that rely on the Camden Yards are suffering and the only thing that everyone agrees upon is that “the Oriole Way” used to mean something – and still could some day.  

How times have changed though.  I miss the innocence of being a teenage sports fan with a great baseball team to follow.

My turning point with the O’s?  Two years managing their Class-A affiliate in High Desert, when player development director Don Buford made the most of a bad situation (from their perspective) and banished every malcontent, retread, drug-addicted trouble maker to the Mojave Desert where they could count out the final days of bygone baseball careers.  Plus, during my one visit to Camden Yards – as GM of one of their six minor league affiliates – they stashed my family and me in the last row of the upper deck in right field – in the visiting team player’s family section.  Whatever.  That whole trip was doomed from the outset – but we don’t need to go there.

Thanks to Hannah Buchdahl for sending the article – she’s quite proud of her 12-year-old nephew who’s quoted in the story – he’s no doubt the smartest guy of the bunch.

Comments

[oussan]

Nice post. It's not often that I find something written about the O's in Utah!

I've all but given up following baseball. The season's just too long, and I'm too far away from Baltimore to really feel connected to the game.

It doesn't help that every time I see the Orioles on the ESPN ticker, they've lost again (seriously, I can't believe they're above .500!).

I follow the Utes and the Redskins for football, and RSL for soccer, and don't really have time for anything else, but I do miss the innocent days where my most valuable assets were my baseball cards.

I don't even own an O's hat anymore! (Although it's on my shopping list for the next time I'm in the DC area.)