Orioles Magic

When I was younger there were few things I liked more than watching the Baltimore Orioles play baseball. I always wanted to be like Cal Ripken, Jr., my childhood hero. I worshipped this guy, and still do to some extent. When he retired I lost a lot of interest in the game. Especially since the Orioles haven't been able to put together a contender in years... and I mean YEARS. What's it been now? Eleven losing seasons in a row? It really makes it tough to stay interested.

Until now.

For some reason, I'm more interested in baseball this year than I have been in a while. Maybe it's because the Orioles front office is actually trying to build a team the right way instead of signing stop-gap, washed-up veteran re-treads (thanks for your contributions, Kevin Millar). The team is a lot younger now with a lot more potential. And for the first time in a long time there are a number of prospects in the O's farm system. I believe the Orioles have six prospects that are currently in the Top 100, including the No. 1 overall player, Matt Wieters.

It's definitely an exciting time to be an Orioles fan. It helps when they start the season 2-0 against the New York Yankees. A team that is becoming known for signing those same stop-gap type players only for 10x more the money. How's that $260 million for Sabathia and Teixeira now, Yanks fans? I know it's early, but this might be one of the few bright spots the Orioles might experience this season.

Oh yeah, I wanted to mention that I won a bet on Opening Day. My friend Matt, a dreaded Yankee fan, bet me that the Yanks would win on Opening Day. The loser would have to purchase some sort of shirt from the other team and wear it to work. So, since the Orioles won 10-5 on Monday, Matt will soon be wearing a Nick Markakis shirt to his place of business. Enjoy that day, Matt! Could have been worse for him I guess... could have been a Red Sox shirt.