34 replies to this topic

[DBean]

I'm trying to stay excited, but I'm trying not to get too excited. Still a long way left in the season. I'm confident that the team can keep it up though.

[LanceRinker]

I've been genuinely excited all season long - although, I wasn't that big of a fan of the Guthrie trade at first, but it's worked out very well for us.

My brother makes fun of me every season because for my entire adult life (as well as when I was a teenager after thatn 97' season) I've been saying "they'll be better next season" or "they look good this spring" and he just cackles uncontrollably at me.

This season he did the same and just two weeks ago we were talking and he actually admitted the O's are looking good.

That being said - I was really excited in 2005 with how strong the team was performing until it completely went to hell.

But this season my excitement is almost as high as it was during the 1997 campaign. It may shoot up through the roof as it did back then once we lock up a playoff spot.

[JeffLong]

Here's a piece I wrote on a similar topic.

http://warehousewort... ... dland.html

Would love to hear other anecdotes you guys have about seeing other people (obviously we're invested since we're die-hard fans for the most part) investing themselves - time, emotion, effort, w/e - into the O's this season.

[Adam Wolff]

I was only 9 in 97, and while I watched most of the games and loved the O's, I didn't get it then. So this is actually the most excited I've been ever. There have been some points during offseasons (prior to last year, in particular) that I've been uncontrollably excited, but nothing tops how I feel about this team right now.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Here's a piece I wrote on a similar topic.

http://warehousewort... ... dland.html

Would love to hear other anecdotes you guys have about seeing other people (obviously we're invested since we're die-hard fans for the most part) investing themselves - time, emotion, effort, w/e - into the O's this season.

Nice write-up, Jeff. Being a Bank Branch Manager, it's been fun to have customers engage me daily about the O's. "Did you see the game last night?" - "When do you think Wieters will break out of it?" - "Markakis got jipped a couple times on awful strike calls." - etc. Not only are people wanting to talk Orioles with me, they're actually proving that they're glued to the O's games, rather than just slightly interested.

I also have a few friends who are "O's Fans", but not O's fans like we are. They care about them, go to a few games a year, but don't watch all the games. This year is different. I get texts throughout the night now when an important play happens. We'll also go to the bar once a week or so to watch a game together. The temperature is getting warm with the fans right now, and it's great to see.

[JeffLong]

Here's a piece I wrote on a similar topic.

http://warehousewort... ... dland.html

Would love to hear other anecdotes you guys have about seeing other people (obviously we're invested since we're die-hard fans for the most part) investing themselves - time, emotion, effort, w/e - into the O's this season.

Nice write-up, Jeff. Being a Bank Branch Manager, it's been fun to have customers engage me daily about the O's. "Did you see the game last night?" - "When do you think Wieters will break out of it?" - "Markakis got jipped a couple times on awful strike calls." - etc. Not only are people wanting to talk Orioles with me, they're actually proving that they're glued to the O's games, rather than just slightly interested.

I also have a few friends who are "O's Fans", but not O's fans like we are. They care about them, go to a few games a year, but don't watch all the games. This year is different. I get texts throughout the night now when an important play happens. We'll also go to the bar once a week or so to watch a game together. The temperature is getting warm with the fans right now, and it's great to see.

That's great to hear. It's funny because when we were losing I used to despise the people that were "fair weather fans" because I felt like all they cared about was winning and not baseball, OPACY, the orioles, etc.

Recently, I've realized that there's more than enough Orioles love to go around which is good. I just hope I can still get the season tickets I want next season!

[PD24]

2005 was pretty great for a while, but this may have a better base for long term success. And (knock on every piece of wood I can find) even if things go downhill record-wise this year, I don't expect things to be as catastrophic as that late summer was. My god that was brutal.

May have a better base for long term success?

Javy Lopez was in his 30s catching. Raffy was very old. Tejada was on the juice and 2 years older than we thought. Mora was in his 30s at 3rd. GIbbons was on the juice and injury prone at DH. Sosa was Sosa.

That leaves Roberts (good young piece), Matos, and Bigbie.

Also, Ponson was our ace, Bedard was a good young piece, and Ainsworth, Riley, and Cabrera were 3 screw ups in the rotation.

Things are much more promising long-term right now than they ever dreamed of being in 2005.

[Moose Milligan]

Happy to see them winning but I don't think this lasts. It's nice to see how it could be, though.

[JeremyStrain]

Happy to see them winning but I don't think this lasts. It's nice to see how it could be, though.

Oh Moose how I've missed you

Yeah I pretty much agree though, I'll stay skeptical until the playoffs.

[Oriole85]

To me, this is about as excited as an Orioles fan can/has been since the 96-97 years.

We have a new GM in place who has put the proper emphasis on off the field issues that haven't been addressed in decades.

We have arguably the 2 best prospects in baseball.

You have just shown your team and your fans that you will lock up your team's best player(s).

You are in first place and the have the most wins of any team in the AL.

Its a pretty damn good time to be an O's fan.

I've said this before Saturday was the most excited day I could remember in the Orioles organization in some time. At the same time, you had Bundy/Britton pitching at Frederick/Bowie respectively as well as the O's in a one-run game while in first place on top of the AJ nes.

I'm a bit of realist despite being a fan so I doubt this will continue, but it's been so long since we were this relevant on Memorial Day.

[mweb08]

SG jinx?

[SportsGuy]

SG jinx?

I also said it looked like Nick was going to go on a hot streak and he has been bad his last 9-12 at bats. Lol

[JeffLong]

SG jinx?

I also said it looked like Nick was going to go on a hot streak and he has been bad his lat 9-12 a bts. Lol

Quick! Start trashing players!!!!

Seriously though - I'm encouraged by this slump actually because it's (mostly) the offense letting us down. We know the offense should be able to pick it up so it's encouraging to me that we're losing because of the offense, not in spite of it.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Quick! Start trashing players!!!!

Seriously though - I'm encouraged by this slump actually because it's (mostly) the offense letting us down. We know the offense should be able to pick it up so it's encouraging to me that we're losing because of the offense, not in spite of it.

Meh - I hate slumps. But good point, the pitching has been okay (except for Hunter last night). The bats will pull out of it.

I guess that's one of the many things I love about baseball, that you get to go back out there the next day and try again.

[Nuclear Dish]

To answer the original question, the most excited I've been for the O's since 1997 was on August 23, 2002, when we were 63-63 with only 36 games to play. It had been 5 years of poor play, and while we weren't really a factor in the Wild Card race, we were playing good ball late in the season in a year in which I was living in Baltimore and could appreciate the team better.

And what did I get for my excitement? 4-32 the rest of the way.

Since then, I've safeguarded myself from getting overly excited. In 2005, I was optimistic, but never lost the feeling that it would sour eventually.

This year is much the same, and right now it's still SOOOOOO early! It's not even June 1, guys.

This has been a lot of fun so far, but there's 2/3 of the season to go. And we're in a ridiculously tough division. I think it's great to be optimistic, and it's true that we are finally building a decent base from which to improve, but I also think that we need to hold off on the excitement until later in the season.

Sorry to be Debbie Downer.