Winning Always Matters

The Orioles have now won 6 out of 7 under Buck Showalter. The team has amassed a season’s worth of come-from-behind and late inning victories in the past 8 days. There is finally a faint hint of excitement around this team for the first time since the ill-fated 2005 season.

The recent run of success has led some fans on Orioles related message boards to lament that the team is now running the risk of not getting the #1 pick in the 2011 Amateur draft. Who friggin’ cares about the #1 pick in the draft? There are no sure things in the baseball draft. Even Strasburg is no Lebron-like lock for stardom. Remember Mark Prior? This year the Orioles had the #3 pick in the draft and selected Manny Machado. Manny sounds like a fine prospect, but he’s 18 years old, years from the Big Leagues and currently unsigned. Manny Machado will have no impact on my enjoyment of the O’s for at least 3 seasons, and that may be generous. He may not sign at all and simply opt go to college.

What I’m getting at is this. Baseball is a game. A game that is supposed to be entertaining. The Orioles haven’t been entertaining in 13 years. The past week has given us a glimmer of hope, but more importantly it has made Orioles baseball once again entertaining. I’ll take 8 entertaining nights in August and spontaneous cheering at Camden Yards over dropping two spots in next Summer’s draft order.

The goal is always to win, every night, every season. Regardless of record, draft prospects, payroll limitations; winning is always the most important thing. It looks like Buck is well on his way to instilling that mindset in his players, the next challenge will be converting some fans.