Chasing the Elusive Winning Season

Even though it is like the third coldest morning of the winter--Orioles fans have a warm spot in their hearts for the team that has entered Spring Training in Sarasota, Florida.

We believe that this is the year!

The year of what? You might ask.

Well for one, a winning season--the first in 13 seasons.  To post more wins than losses would be a truly great accomplishment for a club that has dramatically underperformed and resides in a division the the Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Rays.

We get excited when we read in Peter Schmuck's article:

SARASOTA, Fla. — How’s this for one of the biggest problems facing manager Buck Showalter this spring?
The Baltimore Orioles are hitting the ball too far.

Showalter had to move batting practice from the northeast practice field to the southwest field that mirrors the dimensions of Orioles Park after several unhappy spring training spectators came to the O’s administrative office hoping to be reimbursed for damage to cars parked beyond the left field fence.

We believe there is hope for our team.

But wait, there is more. Being the the American League East Divison, we want more!

We want our downtrodden Orioles to not just have a winning season--but to finish ahead of the over-rated Yankees and their millions of dollars, and ahead of the Red Sox, and the Rays, and the Blue Jays.

We want a playoff team again!

I remember going to playoff games so many years ago here in Baltimore. I find it hard to believe that I have actually lived my adult life in one place long enough to actually have attended playoff games in a city where the home team has 13 straight losing seasons. But I have and this crazy place called Baltimore has become my home.

In a few short weeks, I will be in Sarasota for my first ever trip to Spring Training. I have my tickets and I am more than ready.

I hope I like what I see.

But Springtime is in the air and it is filled with baseballs and visions of winning seasons and playoff games.

Oriole Magic lives.