(Baltimore Sun Photo/Lloyd Fox)
Wow.
I’m not sure how else to describe a comeback by the Baltimore Orioles that saw them down 10-1 in the late innings against the Boston Red Sox. Not only are the Sox in first place, and not only do their fans invade Camden Yards whenever the two teams meet, but these are the BOSTON RED SOX. The Orioles NEVER beat the Red Sox. And this is a team with one of the best, if not the best, bullpen in the league. So how in the world did the Orioles find themselves up 11-10 in the top of the 9th with closer George Sherrill on the mound?
To be honest, I don’t know how it happened. I can watch the highlights and read the box scores and check out the blogs, but that doesn’t suffice. Something happened during that game that I doubt the players even realized at the time. For Orioles fans, the hope is that this is the beginning of a team a season or two away from competing in the star-studded AL East.
In sports, it’s easy to make snap judgments (I just did in the above paragraph). But that’s also what makes sports great. As an Orioles fan, I’ve spent the last decade+ in despair, watching management drown in its own incompetence. So I’ve seen things like this happen (though not to this extreme) before. And I try not to get myself excited, because moments like these are normally followed by the lowest of the low (remember the 2004 season? The Orioles were in first place near the all-star break. And finished below .500. Again. Also, look at that steroids-riddled lineup) . But it seems this squad is getting ready to approach the corner so that they can flick their turn signals on, signaling they are ready to turn it, then they’ll look both ways and then finally turn the corner.
Up until now, the corner might as well have been on Mars.
Don’t get me wrong…I’m not expecting the Orioles to win their next 15 games and move into the Wild Card discussion. In fact, I wouldn’t be shocked if they lost their next 15. But it’s a young team, with a lot of valuable pieces that are finally starting to fall into place. If some young pitchers develop…well, I might have a baseball team to root for in August and September.
Until then, I’m going to enjoy this win and rub it in to my Red Sox groupie friends. Because it doesn’t happen often.
Enjoy it while it lasts? Thank you, I will.
