The Baltimore Orioles finished the 2021 American League baseball season just where everyone expected them to be: dead last in their division. The good news is, they won 52 games. Bad news is, they played 162 games. You may do the arithmetic.
Oh, there were highlights. The return of slugger Trey Mancini, who missed all of last year after fighting stage 3 colon cancer. John Means pitched a no-hitter one afternoon in Seattle. Cedric Mullins joined the rarified air of the "30-30" club by hitting 30 home runs and stealing 30 bases.
Lowlights included losing streaks of 14 games in May and 19 in August. And some of those losses were pretty sad, with scores like 13-1 and so on.
But I will tell you this: they started out the season beating the Boston Red Sox in the first three games, and I didn't try to order playoff tickets in April. They just didn't have the best players, and over 162 games, talent or the lack thereof will show.
A long time ago, someone gave me advice I carry with me in my right rear pocket. The advice is "Don't attach yourself to the outcome." Meaning, I enjoy watching people play baseball. Football too, yes, but baseball for me is the more cerebral game. It takes planning and strategy.
I can say in all honesty that I never saw an Oriole dog it this summer. No laxity of effort was on the field, and really, that's all I ask of a sports team I follow, because - hear me out a minute - it really doesn't affect my life in any way. I've been an O's fan since 1959, and I have seen some great players and teams and lots of amazing wins.
In other words, when the team won the World Series in 1966, 1970, and 1983, I was there rooting them on, the same as in the years they didn't win, or didn't even come close. Just as I don't choose to build my self-image by what kind of car I drive or clothes I wear, I don't see the success or failure of a baseball club as a reflection on myself personally.
I just really love to watch people play ball, or hear about it on the radio. When the game is over, I'm still me, still gonna have my iced tea and sleep like a log.
It's true! I wake up in the fireplace.
2 comments:
In my travels in Georgia and elsewhere, I accost anyone I see who's sporting Orioles fan gear (this is, of course, a rare event). This invariably leads to a five-minute conversation touching on the team's triumphs and ignominies. The conversation, though, always ends with, "...but we're still with them!" Baltimore fans are, if nothing else, durable.
Ever notice how the song "We Are Family," by Sister Sledge, will flush out the O's fans in any crowd when played in a public place? You can spot them by their scowls and muttered curses in the direction of Pittsburgh.
Lol, being from Pittsburgh I totally get it.
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