Cold September in Baltimore

Three more games, then four more games. Three more losses and the Orioles are locked out from having a winning season. Four more loses, and it's twelve consecutive losing seasons, a dirty dozen. Who would have thought when the Orioles 79-83 mark in 1998 after running the table in 1997 only to lose to Cleveland in the American League Championship series that they were witnessing the beginning of a proud franchise descending into pure chaos scoffed as one of the worst organzations in baseball until recently when Andy McPhail took over the team in July, 2007.

The 2009 Orioles are a very different team from the losing team from 1998 to 2007. The starting rotation right now has only one veteran pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie while rookies Matt Wieters, catcher and Nolan Reimold, left fielder are every day starters.

The Orioles play two more games against the New York Yankees before the Texas Rangers looking for an easy pushover to keep their post season hopes alive come to town this weekend. Right now, the Orioles are barely a rumor in Baltimore sports' fans minds having surrendered our hometown field to a horde of New Yorkers converging like a swarm of locusts on our folksy, comfortable home field. "Yo Vinnie, doncha have a new Stadium up in da Bronx?"

Given Baltimore fans are more interested in getting ready for the Ravens' upcoming schedule, why not welcome the Yankees and Red Sox fans. They're spending money that helps the club's bottom line and local economy, right? It's better than 20,000 or less locals with lots of hunter green seats left unoccupied.

Nobody was realistically expecting the Oriole would break through into winning territory this year so what awaits us shortly will surprise no one, but losing always hurts and being a loyal hometown fan is sure a bittersweet love affair.

For those of us who were growing up during the era of Boog Powell, Brooks and Frank Robinson, Jim Palmer, Dave McNally and many more then the Eddie Murray, Cal Ripken days, this is especially hard. "The Orioles Way" was synonymous with baseball excellence.

With a rebuilt farm system all within the Chesapeake region, a proven architect rebuilding the team, and the fruits of that labor starting play at the major league level, success is coming. Perhaps at this time next year, we'll be telling a very different story.