It Wasn't About Winning

Guest Post by Michael Ginsburg

May 30th, 2014 was the last time the Orioles lost four games in a row. While many criticized us for not having a premiere first baseman or an established ace heading the rotation, manager Buck Showalter again proved why he deserves manager of the year. The Orioles seemed invincible, leading the league in home runs with a bullpen that could shut down any team. But Showalter isn’t going to win manager of the year, and the Orioles didn’t make it to the World Series. 

I’ve never watched so many Orioles games in one season. I was born in 1994 and have lived through one of the worst spans of baseball in Orioles history. My parents and grandparents always told me how fun it was to go to Memorial Stadium and watch Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, all hall of famers. But as the story goes, the Orioles had losing seasons from 1998 all the way until 2012, in essence, the entirety of my fanhood. 

I’ve gone to every Ravens home game that I've been in Baltimore, playoffs included. I witnessed Michael Jordan’s last game as a basketball player in DC, and Cal Ripken's last game in Baltimore. I was at the Super Bowl when the Ravens held off the 49ers on the goal line to win. Amidst all of this, the Orioles winning the AL East has easily been the pinnacle of my fanhood. I can’t explain how exciting it was to go from the laughing stock of the league to the team that everyone talks about. It was amazing, a miracle, orioles magic, meant to be. We were the team of destiny, until Kansas City got hot. 

Getting swept didn’t feel good. I traveled home to see us lose games one and two of the ALCS in Baltimore, and it hurt. I’m upset; I still am and always will be. However, as much as I wanted to win a world series, I think what I’ll miss most is how this Orioles' run brought people together. Everyday someone wanted to talk about how the Orioles were doing. My friends at other schools, my friends studying abroad in Europe, my family back home in Baltimore--everyone. Facebook and twitter were both filled with Orioles fans saying great things about the Orioles. M&T Bank stadium lit up orange for the Orioles, the town and people were covered in orange. It was incredible. 

So with that, I thank the Orioles for hands down the best run of my life. Thank you for making it easier to keep in touch with people around the world, and for bringing Baltimore fans some of the greatest games we’ll ever watch.

This Year Is Different

            The Royals are up 2-0.  The last two games have given me horrifying flashbacks of Jim Johnson.  Of Raul Ibanez.  Of 14 losing seasons.  Of missed opportunity.  This year is different.

            I’ve been going to Orioles games since before I can remember.  I’ve seen a few wins.  I’ve seen a lot of losses.  On April 11, 2002, my eighth birthday, I watched the O’s come back from a 6-1 deficit against the then Devil Rays.  They scored 12 runs in the bottom of the 6^th and went on to win 15-6.  That season the Orioles went 67-95.  This year is different.

            In 2005, I watched the birds cling to first place in the AL East for 62 days early in the season.  Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada rounded out the middle infield for the American League All-Star team, and Tejada even hit a home run in the midsummer classic.  Things were looking up.  After a historic collapse, they finished the season 74-88 in 4^th place.  This year is different.

            After 14 consecutive losing seasons, my Freshman year of college, the Orioles went 93-69 and claimed a wild-card spot for their first playoff berth since 1997.  They knocked off the Rangers in grand fashion and eventually lost in 5 games to the New York Yankees.  I was crushed, but I really didn’t expect us to go very far.  Making the playoffs was remarkable in and of itself.  2012 was a success.  This year is different.

            The Orioles are losing this series 2-0.  That is a simple reality.  No team has ever lost the first two in the ALCS at home and gone on to win the series.  Yet, these Orioles aren’t like any team I’ve ever seen.  Buck Showalter seems to know what is going to happen 5 steps before anyone else.  Every single player on the roster seems to make a huge play just as we begin to lose hope in their ability.  The fan base in Baltimore has united in a way that didn’t seem possible just a few years ago.  History says that the Orioles will lose this series.  This year is different.

            So tonight, at 2 AM in Madrid, I’ll turn on my TV.  I’ll be wearing my Machado jersey and my orange and black, cartoon bird cap.  I’ll watch as my beloved team tries to turn around a series that at the moment looks bleak at best.  Tonight, I won’t get a lot of sleep, and that’s okay.  The Orioles will win, because this year is different.

Magic

            1997 was a long time ago.  I hadn’t learned to read.  The top grossing film was Titanic.  Bill Clinton was still the President of the United States.  South Park had its debut on Comedy Central.  Manny Machado was in kindergarten.  The Orioles were on their way to their last winning season for the next 15 years.

            The birds went wire-to-wire, finishing 98-64, while maintaining their spot atop the AL east for the entirety of the season.  They became only the seventh team in history to accomplish the feat.  It was their second season in a row making the playoffs.  Orioles Magic was in full flight.  I was 3.

            I grew up in an era when it was sad to be an Orioles fan.  Injuries, trades, and senior citizens in uniforms all contributed to our plight.  We had an owner who wouldn’t do what it takes to win, and managers who couldn’t do anything to stop the landslide.  It only took a few years for my dad to sell the season tickets.

            Besides, it was easy to go to a game.  Just show up; ask for the best seats in the house.  The tickets wouldn’t be expensive.  We still went to a game or two every year, but after a while losing gets old.  We’d go to the Yankees game, and the navy Jeter t-shirts would outnumber their orange counterparts, no fail.

            This was my reality.  We couldn’t win.  We didn’t know how.  Even the years that we started out hot, everyone knew that by August we’d have fallen off the map.  Forget about the playoffs.  Beating the Yankees once or twice in a season was the most we could hope for.

            Then, something finally gave.  After firing yet another manager, the O’s were due for some new leadership.  We brought Buck Showalter on board and he vowed to bring us back to relevance in the league.  We put “Baltimore” back on the away jerseys.  We reincarnated the cartoon bird—instantly raising the value of our flat-brims.  A new season was coming, and we were ready to go.

            I went to the game on my birthday, April 11.  The Orioles were playing the Yankees.  After losing in extra-innings the night before, I liked our chances.  A week into the season and we were still in the running.  I was a happy camper.  The game was a good one, but for the second night in a row, the Yankees got the win in extras—10 innings, 6-4.  It wasn’t exactly what I’d hoped for on my birthday, but I’d take it.  After all, I never got much more than a nice night at the ballpark with my friends when I went to see the Orioles.

            That was the last time the Orioles lost an extra innings game this year.  Since then, they’ve won 16 in a row, one away from the all-time record 1949 Cleveland Indians’ streak of 17.  This goes along with their remarkable 27-9 record in one run games.

            So now, with 2 days left in the regular season, the Orioles have clinched a spot in the playoffs.  They’re one game back from the Yankees for the lead in the division.  Orioles Magic is back.

            There are a myriad of possibilities that could await them in the coming week, perhaps even traveling to Oakland for a one game playoff.  That doesn’t matter.

We might not win the World Series.  We might not even last 2 games.  But I don’t even care.  The sensation of winning is so foreign to me that I hardly know how to react.  The Orioles are back in the playoffs, and that’s more than I could have ever dreamed of.

Summer To-Do List

            As scary as it is, my classes end for good this Thursday.  Next Monday I start my Senior Project, and in 6 weeks I’ll be done with high school forever.  Before I go off to Atlanta in the fall, there are few things that I definitely want to do this summer.  For the first time in years, I’m going to be home for the duration of vacation.  Besides the obligatory summer job, there are five things that I want to accomplish between June and September, all of them in or around Baltimore (everything’s within a 90 minute drive):

1.  Go to an Orioles Game

            A week and a half into the season, and the Orioles are still tied for first place. I actually went to the game last week on my birthday when the O’s lost in ten innings despite having the bases loaded for Adam Jones in the bottom of the ninth. My hopes are still high for the O’s, but even if they fall into their usual cycle of loss after loss, going to the game is still a must for anyone who lives in Baltimore.  We’re lucky to have one of the nicest stadiums in baseball today, and even when they lose, it’s always nice to spend an evening eating a hot dog, sipping a coke, and watching the birds play.  If we’re lucky, they might even string some wins together.

2.  Bengie’s Drive-In

            There’s nothing quite like a drive-in movie.  As far as I know, the only one in the Baltimore area, Bengie’s offers a great deal on weekend evenings.  Where else can you pay $8 and see 3 movies?  The Friday and Saturday night triple-feature is by far the best bang for your buck in the movie business, especially these days when it costs 10 or 11 dollars to see a film in the local AMC.  Take a night and drive down to Bengie’s; buy your popcorn and a large Dr. Pepper, pump up the radio volume, and enjoy the latest summer blockbuster.  A relic of years past, Bengie’s is a unique experience that everyone should take part in.

3.  Hershey Park

            I can’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer day than at Hershey Park, or any amusement park for that matter.  Just an hour and a half up 83 North, Hershey Park offers a wide array of roller coasters and water park attractions.  Along with Great Bear, Storm Runner, and Fahrenheit, a new attraction is opening this summer: Skyrush, which will feature a 200 ft drop.  But even for non-roller coaster fans, Hershey Park has ample entertainment for everyone.  From the classic carnival games to Hershey’s Chocolate World, it is sure to be a sweet day.

4.  Camping

            Since my sleepaway camp days, I haven’t taken the initiative to go camping.  Yet, something about roasting marshmallows and sleeping in a tent is still incredibly appealing to me.  This summer, I’d definitely like to take a weekend and go camping with a few of my friends.  It’s easy; all you need is a tent, a few sleeping bags, and somewhere to sleep.  A backyard would be adequate; but for more adventurous types, there are plenty of places to go camping in Maryland.  Here’s a website with a guide to camping locally http://mdcamping.com/.  Go buy some marshmallows, graham crackers and Hershey’s bars; you’ll be on your way.

5.  Golf

            In what other sport can you drive around in a little cart, stopping occasionally to hit a little white ball across a field to a hole?  Golf is the ultimate brosey sport.  Grab your dad’s old set, sign up for some tee time, and go have a ball.  For casual players, it’s a nice escape, and a great way to work on your tan.  If you’re looking to get good, go to the range, work on your game.  Anyone who practices enough can get good at golf.  Regardless, a quiet day on the golf course is a great way to relax, be social, and maybe even get some exercise, especially if you bypass the cart and walk instead.

            Summer’s a great time to try new things.  So instead of sitting around and playing video games all summer (of course a healthy dose of videogames is perfectly acceptable), get out there; try something new.  I’ve lived in Baltimore for 18 years, but there are so many things that I still haven’t done.  Take advantage of the time you have here, because it won’t last forever.