Before you think anything, let me put your mind at ease.
No, I am not leaving The Baltimore Battery. No, this is not meant to be clickbait. This past week, as I sat in the stands for Opening Day, I had to work through the feeling of saying goodbye. Let me explain what I mean.
I am 30 years old (that’s important to the length of the story). I have been a diehard Orioles fan as long as my brain can allow me to remember.
I have sat through a lot of poor quality baseball. I have had hope in the mid-2010s, as the Orioles had a quality roster with the postseason appearances to prove it.
I’ve seen future stars leave. I’ve seen stars past their prime arrive. I’ve seen draft picks bust. However, through all of it, the Orioles were never the top dog.
Every year, as the Orioles have opened their season, the same set of emotions have set in: Excitement, hope, fulfillment.
In all of this, there was always the underlying feeling of enjoying what was in front of me. The team was never good enough to be preseason World Series contenders, much-less prediction picks. In a very watered-down statement, they were the lovable losers.
This extended to the upper management. From the ownership level on down, outside of that 2010s run I mentioned, there was no feeling of need to get it done.
This doesn’t mean people weren’t doing their jobs or working hard. However, you always knew when and how the season was going to end. The last week of September or the first week of October, it was going to be time to say goodbye to Orioles baseball until next year.
However, walking into Camden Yards last Thursday, there was a genuine shock to the normal comfort in my nervous system. We all have a routine, and I truly feel my body, mind and soul were trying to sit back in my yearly spring routine with comfort of a known season length, the maybe contender, the World Series long shot. For the first time ever, something fought me hard.
It took about three innings to realize what was going on, but my all-being love of the Orioles was finally shifting. It was time to say goodbye to 30 years of feelings, comfort, normalcy and acceptance of mediocrity.
The Baltimore Orioles are good now. No, they are great now. I think it just took me a little longer to process it.
Call this free therapy if you want, but I would imagine and certainly hope I am not alone in this. If you are still hanging on or not sure, take a step back. Take a 30,000-foot view of the organization as a whole. The holes that used to be viewable from space now need a microscopic lens to see.
Please understand I am not out here guaranteeing a World Series. I am not going to change how I view and enjoy the game. I simply know that after sitting in the stands Thursday, it was time to say goodbye to a literal lifetime of what was and time to say hello to the feelings that the next chapter of Orioles baseball will bring.
I’m glad it finally happened to me. I hope it has or will happen to you, too.
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