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| There's plenty more where this came from. |
It is now October 4th, and for the first time in 15 years, there's more to come from the Orioles. I'm beyond thrilled at this point. When Buck Showalter showed up, it sure felt like the Orioles were going to get better. I figured it would be baby steps. Maybe get a few good starting pitchers together. Then the bullpen, then some hitting, then maybe they'll finally pull together a winning season, 83-81, that sounds like a success. Then suddenly, expectations changed. Suddenly the post season was possible, and now after 162 games, the Orioles have 93 wins and a wildcard spot. Its not a home game, and its against Texas, but hey, if you gotta play Texas, I'm glad its not a five game series. In a one game playoff, anything can happen...madness! I really hope the O's can pull it together in Texas, and not just because I have tickets to game one of the ALDS, but because the dedicated Orioles fans in Maryland and everywhere really need this. For those of us who are born with just one team, long losing streaks can really hurt.
My brother and I were raised to be Orioles fans. I honestly don't remember when my first Orioles game was. As far as I know, there was never a time I wasn't going to Orioles games. I'm sure it happened sometime in the mid 80's, but hell if I'll ever figure it out. I remember my Dad getting my brother and I ready for the games. Of course we had to take our gloves for the off chance we had a foul ball to catch. I still remember the drive to Memorial Stadium on 33rd street. I remember pulling into the same school parking lot for every game, my Dad knew it was quickest way in and out of the stadium neighborhood. I remember the same peanut vendor always setup in the same spot. I remember the massive pile of speakers in center field that served to project the public address announcing, nothing like modern stadiums. I remember the sound of Rex Barney demanding that fans be given contracts for making great foul ball catches. I also remember the flag that said "HERE" to indicate where Frank Robinson's homerun cleared everything and became the only fair ball to leave the stadium. My Dad loved pointing it out to us, and even though I'd heard the story so many times, I still loved hearing it. He was at that game when Frank hit the homerun, and still has the scorecard with the homer circled. When Memorial Stadium was replaced with Camden Yards, my Dad took us to the first night game. I knew that stadium was special, but it would be years before I truly appreciated what it was. In 1993, we went to All Star Fan Fest and got to see quite a spectacle of baseball madness. As the years went on, I would continue to go to Camden for games, even through these difficult 'Angelos' years when it seemed like avoiding 100 loses was the only thing to cheer for. When Beth and I started dating I was delighted to find out her family was full of Orioles fans, and I started getting to a lot more games. Since our birthdays are both in early May, a b-day ballgame has become a standard party for us.
A few years ago things started changing at the Yard. I think I really noticed when I was at the first game of Matt Weiters, the new starting catcher. I was there the next day as well when he got his first hit, missing a homerun by about three feet. For the first time in a long time, there was something to get excited for. Next came Buck Showalter as manager. Then the Orioles started stocking the minor leagues with top prospects like Dylan Bundy and Manny Machado. Then this year came along and surprised us all. Should we have seen it coming? I gotta be honest, I sure didn't. I'm happy to say that this year has included some great moments. The best of the year (so far) was my brother and I going to the game on June 9th against the Phillies. The game went into extra innings and was won in the 12th with an Adam Jones walkoff homerun. Hopefully there will be more to cheer about in mid October.
So what does this have to do with records? Well duh, ORIOLES MAGIC...Feel It Happen. I have no idea when we got this record. A giveaway maybe? Its copyright is 1980, so its been in the family as long as I have. The song itself is pretty solid...after a French Horn start, the song rips into the main theme which uses piano, drums and eventually electric guitar. Of course its got the horn playing out the "CHARGE" theme. Its got everything you want to hear in the lyrics, the roar from 34, O-R-I-O-L-E-S, every game its a different star, and of course, Earl Weaver. This song brings back tons of memories, even with the losing seasons, its hard not to smile remembering it all. I'm glad this old 45 survived to somehow end up in my current record collection. LET'S GO O'S!
Strongest Song: Well there's only one song, so I'll let you fill in the blank
Weakest Song: That's an unfair question
Song You Know: See above.
Why You Might Hate It: stupid yankee fan
Buy It? For $6.50 on eBay, you can own a copy for your Orioles shrine!
