Even if the Baltimore Orioles lose their remaining 19 games of the season, they will still finish with their first non-losing record since 1997.
Thursday’s dramatic 3-2 walk0ff win in the 14th inning not only helped the Birds maintain a tie with the Yankees atop of the AL East, but also gave them their 81st victory.
Despite breaking the streak of 14 consecutive losing seasons, the Baltimore fan base now has even loftier expectations. The O’s won 98 games in ’96, in order to do that this season they would have to have to finish 17-2. That might be tough considering their upcoming schedule.
Although it likely won’t take 98 wins to win the East in 2012.
Gotta tell you, the season has eclipsed the “Why Not?” season of 1989 for me. This season ends 14 years of futility and puts that demon to rest. Hopefully we can start adding up winning seasons now.
They’ll need to sure some things up this offseason, but with Jones, Markakis, Wieters, Hardy, even guys like Davis and McClouth, the have a pretty good nucleus and now can point to this season when going after free agents.
In order…Adam Jones is having 5th best OF season offensively In A/L per http://michs.baseball.cbssports.com/stats/stats-main…Markakis is having 35th best (nearly last among A/L starters)…Wieters is 3rd at Catcher…Hardy is 11th among 14 S/S’s…Chris Davis, Luke Scott reincarnated, would be 26th at OF if he really was an OF…The Great Nate McClouth, soon to turn 31, is batting .228 in 2012…After batting .228 in 2011…And .190 in 2010…Great Nate has 12 homers and 19 steals since the beginning of the two-thousand-TEN season…
That “pretty god nucleus” has a better chance of winning 71 games in 2013 than 82 as the extra-inning and one-run game numbers normalize.
That said, 76 wins in 2013 won’t really matter after the resurgent O’s, led by 20 year- old phenom Manny Macahdo’s .294 on-base percentage and the 30-something Joe Saunders, who pitched to a nifty 4.62 ERA the last time he was an American-Leaguer in 2010, continue their inspired play and bring home a World Championship to the Northern DC suburbs in 2012!
To my many BSR fans and supporters…I was wrong in my steadfast belief that the 2012 Orioles cookie would crumble throughout the season…My reasons were sound and honest…The process was correct…The end result was the O’s proved Ol’ Bruz wrong…Just wanted to get out there in the face of the unrelenting optimism of those I work with and those I follow here on the BSR.
My main point going forward that just because the team’s record is so far above expectations, that does NOT mean their player acquisition model of the Dan Duquette Era is the correct model…Or that the O’s inaction at the Trading Deadline was the right thing to do…Bringing in Nick :”The Wrist” Johnson, Dana “Freaking” Eveland, and other has-beens and never-weres while the Owner sleeps on the proverbial bed stuffed with thousands of fresh hundred dollar bills each night courtesy of MASN combined with MLB’s Revenue Sharing remains appalling to this lifelong Greater Baltimore resident.
Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the rest of the season.
When Tiger wins a tournament do you care that he used a Nike driver, coached by Hank Haney or Fluff is on the bag? Hell no. all that matters is that he won.
Don’t give a damn about how we got here, all that matters is that we are here.
Enjoy the ride. Oriole Magic…feel it happen!
Face it brother Bruz, we are going to the Series, with or without you. Looks like it’s going to be without you. Good luck to you and your supporters….
Ummm, is this supposed to be positive? Like with my sexuality, I am confused.
Why worry about 2013 now? F 2013, enjoy the here and now. 76 wins…you crack me up.
Oriole Magic…feel it happen!
Will you please go away. Please.