Time to Fill the Seats

The 2011 season is going to be a very important season. The Orioles had a busy offseason, which has provided the team and its fans with a lot of excitement going into opening day. Obviously wins and losses will be the ultimate impact on how the Orioles are judged, but I think there is another very important factor going into the 2011 season…filling seats at Camden Yards.

Being that I am only in my mid 20’s I have only been an Orioles fan for a little over two decades. For me, the glory days were the mid 90’s when Mike Mussina led the pitching staff and veterans like Cal Ripken Jr., Brady Anderson, and Roberto Alomar led the Orioles to the playoffs.

The Orioles may not have won a World Series, but they were contenders. They were buyers at the trade deadline. The Orioles put up winning records and the rivalry in the AL East wasn’t between the Red Sox and Yankees, but the Orioles and Yankees. Camden Yards was filled with Orioles fans. These can all happen again. I believe, and every Orioles fan out there should continue to believe. Otherwise, what is the point in being a fan?

Over the past 13 losing seasons Camden Yards has lost its excitement. It has lost thousands of Orioles fans. I am not going to bother putting blame on anyone, even though fingers could be pointed. Instead, the Orioles need to start winning and getting fans to come back to Camden Yards.

As a die-hard Orioles fan, the only thing worse than watching the Orioles lose a game is watching them lose while there are thousands of empty seats. It’s embarrassing and disheartening. On top of that, I don’t know how much longer I can take watching Orioles home games being dominated by Yankees and Red Sox fans. Again, forget the blame. Let’s just get Orioles fans back in Camden Yards.

The obvious solution is for the Orioles to start winning. If the Orioles win, the fans will come. As much as I miss the Orioles winning and being relevant, I also miss the excitement that comes with winning. I miss the chants of Orioles fans. I can’t take too much more of watching Yankees fans outnumbering Orioles fans in Camden Yards.

If the Orioles win, the fans will come. It’s time to fill the seats at Camden Yards.