Baltimore Orioles: The long road home

The Baltimore Orioles clinched the American League East title against their division foe Toronto Blue Jays – on September 24, 1997, that is. The Birds would go onto defeat the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS, but lose to the Cleveland Indians in the ALCS. However most fans probably felt that the franchise was in a good place in terms of winning moving forward. The likes of Rafael Palmeiro, BJ Surhoff, Brady Anderson, Roberto Alomar, and of course the great Cal Ripken Jr. were all still in place moving forward. However one day after being named AL Manager of the Year, Davey Johnson resigned as the Orioles’ skipper, which began a series of events that would haunt the Orioles for years to come.

Whether it was PED accusations, free agent money not spent, free agents who turned into busts, injuries, poor coaching decisions, or anything else, the O’s flailed in the wind for a long time – too long for some. Owner Peter Angelos of course opened the purse strings for slugger Albert Belle, however he retired after two seasons due to injuries. However the Orioles kept him on the roster for three seasons so as to collect insurance on his contract, and at a certain point they became hesitant to go after free agents due to that experience. The likes of Palmeiro went away and returned, only to embarrass the franchise with a PED suspension (which to this day has never been explained from Palmeiro’s side).

Cal Ripken Jr. ended his consecutive games’ streak in 1998, and he retired after the 2001 season. That’s when it seemed the mass exodus of fans began, as there was no superstar or big name to pay to see. Subsequently you had the likes of Sidney Ponson being knighted in his native Aruba, and then arrested on several occasions (once in Baltimore). There were times that it seemed that the franchise could do nothing right, including normal personnel moves. The likes of Lee Mazzilli, Sam Perlozzo, and Dave Trembley came and went. Heck, Mazzilli had a first place team in June and July of 2005, only to be out of a job by the end of August. Tough times had fallen on the yard, and yet it seemed that the Warehouse was above the cries of pain from their most loyal of supporters.

Perhaps the most poignant aspect of those days were the consistent takeovers of Oriole Park by NY and Boston fans. It often seemed that those two franchises’ success was directly tied to nadir after nadir for the O’s. When either of those franchises would come to town, their fans would come with them. There were stories of fans waiting anxiously by the phones for the specified day and time for Oriole tickets to go on sale so that they could buy up series’ worth of tickets to see their team play on the road in Baltimore. Because ultimately a trip to Camden Yards complete with food, travel expenses, and game tickets had better value than seeing their team play at Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park. Go figure that.

The “House that Jeter Built” and “Fenway South” shirts that were sold over time became staples at Oriole Park. The Orioles’ team store on Eutaw St had to resort to selling Boston/NY caps and shirts so as to have the opportunity to make a buck during those series’. In my view the absolute worst moment was in May of 2008 when Boston’s Manny Ramirez hit his 500th career home run at Camden Yards on a Saturday night. The place went absolutely nuts, and to add insult to injury the giddy Ramirez was all too happy to take a curtain call “for his fans” in a visiting ballpark.

In 2007 however things began to change. Owner Peter Angelos hired Andy McPhail midway through the season, and as we all know he put into place a core that we see on the team today. His most celebrated move of course was the trade that sent Erik Bedard to Seattle in exchange for Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, and George Sherrill. However also keep in mind that he drafted the likes of Matt Wieters and Manny Machado, all while bringing in the likes of J.J. Hardy, Chris Davis, and others. McPhail would relieve manager Dave Trembley of his duties in June of 2010, and by August of that year there was a new sheriff in town: Buck Showalter.

Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

And we all know the story from there; the 2011 Orioles completed a somewhat disappointing season with the greatest closing act of all time, the upstart 2012 team returned to the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, and just the other night the 2014 Baltimore Orioles won the AL East title – by beating Toronto. So it’s been a long and curvy road with many toils and snares to get to this point in time, and thus a long time coming for this city, these fans, and this franchise. However while the journey of the 2014 Orioles is far from over, the “long road home” has been traversed.

And that journey came to an end in a sense with the celebration we saw on the field on Tuesday. And you really have to tip your cap to the O’s with how they included the fans in the celebration. They were acutely aware of how much suffering had gone on here over so much time. That was as much of a “Baltimore moment” as an “Orioles moment.” And it’s not

Courtesy of Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

something that will soon be forgotten by anyone who witnessed it.

The Orioles will host the closing home series of the regular season starting tonight against Boston. Miguel Gonzalez will get the starting nod for the O’s, as they attempt to figure out who goes on the playoff roster for the ALDS. Gonzalez will be opposed by Boston’s Allen Webster. Game time is just after 7 PM.