With the win this evening the Tampa Bay Rays clenched a playoff spot – something that was little more than a foregone conclusion. Congrats to the Rays and their fans, they are a great young team and they are truly one of the best this year. Moreover, the Rays really need this because I think everyone in baseball can see the writing on the wall and the Rays’ window may be rapidly closing. Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Eric Aybar among others are most likely gone. Longoria, Price, Davis et al will still be around but with the Rays’ ownership announcing that payroll will be cut next year I think everyone can feel that the 2011 Rays will seem like a much different creature.
I think Rays fans feel the same thing. A lot has been made of the atrocious attendance in St. Petersburg this series. With a chance to clench a playoff spot and the best young team in baseball the Rays drew only 12,466 fans out to Tropicana Field, tonight was did not differ that much only drawing a little more than 17,000. Evan Longoria and David Price did not mince words calling the showing “embarrassing”. Adam Jones tweeted: “I wonder what Baltimore would look like [in that situation]?”.
Why am I writing about this in an Orioles blog? Because as an Orioles fan seeing an empty stadium entertaining a team with as much talent as the Tampa Bay Rays angers me. Jones, I will tell you what Baltimore would look like – it would be packed to the gills. If in 2011 the Orioles are in a situation to clench a playoff berth I guarantee that not only will the stands be packed to capacity but every local establishment not only in the city-proper but the greater Baltimore metro-area will be packed waiting for the final out and a ticket to the post season.
But this post isn’t meant to denegrate the people of the Tampa bay area, they have their reasons I’m sure, but rather to comment on the state of the Orioles, Rays and AL East going forward.
2010 will soon be in the books, and the Baltimore Orioles season can not be summed up in one post. So let this be part one: The Baltimore Orioles; what could have been.
It was April 9th. Baltimore, Friday afternoon.
Myself, my girlfriend our friends Josh Matt, his brother and an assorted cabal of other ne’erdowells assembled at Frazier’s on the Avenue, one of Baltimore’s more – “reputable” – establishments on 36th street. There was cheering, drinking and assorted revelry. We made our way to the train that would deliver us to our cathedral to begin what we thought would be a Summer of worship. A worship of a resurrected Oriole team.
Our train got stuck.
The train was packed to capacity and the doors could not close correctly. After the Mt. Royal stop the train stopped and was unable to continue until it was reversed, reset and started again.
Only now do I understand what a prescient omen that was.
Of course the Orioles lost a heartbreaker. An injured and ineffective Michael Gonzalez gave up the go-head runs in the top of the ninth inning resulting in the Orioles opening day loss. The Orioles went on to lose the next eight games and would start the season a simply unholy 2-17. One can simply not describe the impact that had on this city. That home opener was easily the biggest downtown party I have ever experienced. The traffic jams were miles long trying to enter the city, the trains were filled to capacity (as I stated above), busses as well were sluggish as they galumphed towards Pratt street. To lose that game. To lose that game the way they did – you could just feel the air leaving the city. On a visceral level, you knew something was wrong.
The rest is history. Injuries, ineffectiveness, bad luck. Horrible pitching, hitting and defense. Dave Trembley a good baseball man and a good man period is fired; fans calling for the immediate resignation of Andy MacPhail and the race for the worst record in modern history.
It was May 12 before the Orioles won their tenth game. After 50 games the Orioles were 15-35. The Orioles would finish the first half of the season with their second manager of the year and 30 (THIRTY!) games under .500.
Even the most deluded Orioles fans knew that the playoffs were out of the question – but this, THIS?! Are you serious? This was the team, this was the “cavalry” of young pitchers. Matusz was struggling, Tillman was in the minors, Bergesen was hurt and inconsistent, Millwood was a hard-luck guy but waining. Arrieta seemed green. The offense wasn’t doing any better. Roberts and Pie were hurt and there were serious questions about them. Jones was having an awful year in the field and at the plate leading to nothing but frustration-fueled derision from the Oriole faithful. Scott was streaky; only Ty Wigginton was producing at anything resembling an acceptable level.
Everything that we had grown was choking in the weeds. Everything was crumbling before our eyes.
2010 was supposed to be different. It wasn’t even the same, somehow it had become horrendously worse. The first half of the 2010 Baltimore Orioles season seemed more farce than reality.
But it was only the first half.
