Baltimore Orioles: Destiny doesn’t wait

The symbolism of this week shouldn’t be lost on fans of the Baltimore Orioles. The two AL East teams that were seemingly thorns in the Orioles’ side in perpetuity for so long loomed on the schedule. The O’s of course took care of Boston at Fenway earlier this week. New York now comes to town with the Orioles’ magic number to clinch a playoff spot standing at eight.

One of the marks of New York and Boston baseball for the better part of 10-15 years was the consistent ability to seize the moment when it was presented to them. How often did Oriole teams make unforced errors against these teams, only to end up having to pay big time for them? The likes of Derek Jeter, Kevin Youkilis, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, et al, were all comfortable being in the spotlight. They relished the attention, and they had no problem leaving the likes of Melvin Mora, Brian Roberts, Daniel Cabrera, et al as dust in the wind.

The Orioles are now taxed with taking that same view of things. They seemed to have no trouble doing it against a Boston team, although one that seemingly put forth less of an effort than the Orioles ever did in the down years. The point here is that in order to be the best, you often have to beat the best. The O’s are the class of the AL East, and possibly the American League in 2014 – there’s no question about that. They’ve already in effect disposed of one team that was a pain in the neck to them for so long – they certainly hope to now do the same to the other.

The Orioles of course will open up a four-game set with New York with a doubleheader this afternoon. Game one will begin at just after 1 PM, and it’s a game that was rescheduled due to a rain out earlier in the season. Kevin Gausman will get the ball for the Orioles, and he’ll be opposed by Brandon McCarthy. Incidentally, New York has now slid into third place, with Toronto a half game ahead of them. Toronto takes on Tampa this weekend, in a series that Orioles fans will most certainly be watching. Also keep in mind that tomorrow afternoon’s game at 1 PM is on FOX, and of course Sunday’s game is at 8 PM and will be featured on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

Courtesy of Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Destiny has a way of putting you in the exact spot in which you’re supposed to be at the right time. This is true in all walks of life; sports can often be no different. By coldly disposing of New York this weekend, the Baltimore Orioles would formally, if not repetitively, announce to the world that they’re here. The Orioles themselves need to be the ones to step up and decide that they’re ready to claim that destiny. Because if accolades are bestowed upon one who seemingly doesn’t want them or isn’t ready, destiny has a way of moving onto the next guy in line.

The city of Baltimore fell in love with it’s Orioles again two seasons ago when they snapped a string of 14 consecutive losing seasons and muscled into the playoffs. Now the hour has come for that process to complete itself, and for this team to step up and claim what increasingly looks to be it’s rightful destiny in this world.