Archive for April 2008

Os In First

30. April 2008 by Crys.

Just because it’s so fun and delights me so much…

2008-04-30-os.jpg

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Orioles Clairvoyant

30. April 2008 by Crys.

Because I’ve been flooded with emails from my fans inquiring as to how I became so utterly brilliant and know so much about the Orioles, I’ve decided to put together a little summary of some of the questions and answers to help the rest of you who aren’t as gifted, but are too shy to ask for guidance.

Hope it helps.

ES Fan: Enchanting Sunshine, how did you know that the Orioles would do so well this year?
ES: I keep telling you, the Orioles are in my DNA and I bleed orange. We have a spiritual connection that normal people can’t understand. Plus, it was a simple question of statistics.

ES Fan: But, how do you know that this isn’t just a fluke and that they won’t fall apart later in the season?
ES: Three reasons. One, we got rid of that cry-baby Tejada. Two, we have a manager who demands respect and is passionate about the game. Trembley doesn’t tolerate this “what can you do for me” arrogance. It’s about team
and “what can you do for the team.” Third, we finally have some pitchers that allow us to be competitive.

ES Fan: To what do you attribute the Orioles success? Do you think it was one of the players we acquired during the off-season?
ES: Pay attention this time. It’s not one player, it’s the amazing teamwork this team is showing. Though I admit a couple of times I have wanted to propose to Jones and Trembley. And Millar. And Hernandez. And Mora.

ES Fan: But the Ys paid A-Rod $275 million dollars. The Orioles don’t have that kind of payroll?
ES: Money can’t buy love. It also doesn’t buy teamwork. Most importantly, money is no longer buying HGH for the cheater Ys since the Mitchell Report. The playing field has been leveled.

ES Fan: That’s not really fair, is it? There were plenty of Orioles accused of doping too.
ES: Do you want to have this interview or don’t you?

ES Fan: How about our relievers. They really need some work. What about Aquino for example?
ES: I concede that point, but they’ll get better with each game. It’s true though that we might have to have Aquino put down if he has another outing like the other night. I may volunteer for the job myself.

ES Fan: Do you think Wild Bill lifted his curse this season?
ES: You don’t get it do you? Wild Bill, though he may have been mad at the Orioles offices, loved this team as much as I do. He wouldn’t have been capable of cursing them. If anything, it was his positive energy that brought this team good luck. Judging by my own experience for example with how many years it takes for prayers to be answered and the untimeliness with which simple wishes are granted when I’ve long ago made new requests, I’ve ascertained it takes a long time for anyone on the other side to hear you. Similarly, it’s clear that it’s taken a few months for Wild Bill to get situated and get things back in order up there.

ES Fan: I know you’re not really superstitious, but do you think your attendance at Opening Day had anything to do with the team’s success?
ES: Duh!

ES Fan: Do you secretly blame Mindpinball for the Orioles not sweeping the Ys?
ES: A little bit. Yes. No, really I’m kidding. He like Wild Bill, Dempsey’s Army, Wayward Oriole, Weaver’s Tantrum and the rest of us in the diaspora are nothing but goodness for the team. Again, me especially.

ES Fan: So what are your predictions for the rest of the season? When will the winning streak end?
ES: In October, after we win the World Series.

ES Fan: Thanks for your time.
ES: My pleasure.

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The Shutout

19. April 2008 by Crys.

Again tonight the box score speaks for itself. I can’t help adding how impressed I am with Mora at third. He made so many outstanding plays that it looks like the position he was always meant to play. Of course, it wasn’t just Mora, it was the collective work of a team playing great together, a lot of hustle, good pitching, and smart Trembley knowing what he’s doing. It reminds me that I need to finish my post in dedication to Trembley and I foresee one coming for Mora too. What a pleasure the Orioles have been to watch!

For our collective enjoyment, here is tonight’s box score.

oswin04-19.jpg

ossecond04-19.jpg

I was hoping in the eighth for one more run to continue Wayward O’s theme of seven signs, but you know, no complaints about tonight’s game! A giddy, happy Saturday to all of you.

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Our Os

18. April 2008 by Crys.

It speaks for itself.

oswin04-18.jpg

:-) :-) Oh, the happiness. :-) :-)

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The Joy!

17. April 2008 by Crys.

The mirth here is overflowing. It is a veritable waterfall of joy.

There are so many stars that I don’t have the time to recount them, but briefly, Jones who drove in the final run in the 10th, Guillermo Quiroz, who made it onto base in the ninth, Roberts who drove him in, and Mora who drove in Roberts. I didn’t watch the whole game (stupid gym), but Mora also made some outstanding plays at third. This, my friend, is reminding me of the Come From Behind ‘79 Orioles.

oswin04-17.jpg

And here is such delectable sweetness, it needs no further comment:

osfirst04-17.jpg

I will never tire of this. Ah, the lovely giddiness. Now, get your brooms ready…

Edit: I couldn’t understand why we were all tied for first in the standings, but thought that maybe in my giddiness, I had made a math error. The standings are now updated on the MLB website and we’re in second. But I’m keeping the graphic as is anyway.

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Os Hold Lead

12. April 2008 by Crys.

Ask me if I felt sorry for Tampa tonight. Did you guess that the answer is NO? I’m cheering for them to do well this year, but certainly not better than us. I’ve included some images that capture the most important part of today’s game. Thank you Ramon Hernandez!

os08-04-12.jpg

And this…
os08-04-12-first.jpg

Isn’t that delightful!

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Ahh! Ahh!! AHH!!!

11. April 2008 by Crys.

Deep breath… Find inner composure…MY, this is reminiscent of last season, isn’t it.

I’m so depressed.

If you didn’t watch tonight’s game, here’s the brief summary. The Orioles threw away a three run lead at 5-2, to lose 5-10, giving away three runs, you guessed it, in the seventh, and to ensure our loss, another safety five runs in the eigth. That whole not losing in a humiliating way wasn’t working for us. We prefer the soul-crushing kind of losses. We helped Tampa achieve eight runs through stellar improvised pitching moves, such as the highly specialized “walk the batter,” “hit the batter,” and the “give the batter a three-run homer, or at least a solid hit deep into the outfield.” Sarfate pitched so many balls that the MLB reached a consensus to rename the pitch after him. Meanwhile in Seattle, the strike has been renamed “the Bedard.”

Do you know what I was thinking when the Os had the bases loaded in the seventh, was it, I’ve lost track the last two innings were so long? I was thinking, “Oh, poor Tampa Bay.” You see, having been there, the underdog, with bases loaded, so many times, I felt sorry for the Rays. Somehow, silly me, I thought we had a reasonable chance of winning against them tonight. Then there was Sarfate. Bless his heart.

And mine.

Dempsey’s Army is going to have his hands full looking at the pitching patterns tonight. Bad Sarfate. Bad Aquino. Bad…oh, I’ve blocked it out now.

It appears I have to return to some cheerful hobbies to get me through games like this, like picking up the serial killer investigation again. Or jabbing sharp needles repeatedly into my eyeballs. That should be less painful.

I haven’t given up the faith though. Developing my denial muscles, I am. Hopefully, Trembley will taser Sarfate (and Aquino) tonight and he’ll develop and grow. We learn from each loss.

(I can only keep this up for a few more days.)

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Rangers Defeat: Yawn

10. April 2008 by Crys.

So what have we learned? To avoid double-headers in Texas.

Is my enthusiasm dampened? Not at all. Okay, yes, a little bit. I didn’t want us to lose again ever, but somewhere deep down, I knew it had to happen. No matter. One day, two losses, but losses that were reasonable losses. We showed up. We played well. Each day makes us stronger and more experienced.

The stinking Red Sox and Ys are creeping up on us, but we’re still in first and we ain’t moving.

I said, we ain’t movin!

Edit: This post was written without the aid of Xanax, which happily, was never needed.

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Double-Header Strikes Fear

10. April 2008 by Crys.

I don’t know about you, but when I heard the words “double-header” with the Rangers, I poured a beer, turned the bottle of Xanax on its side and sprinkled out one precious little pill into my palm, and set them both on the end table in easy reach in preparation for a potential record-breaking emergency.

I arrived home too late to see anything but the last three innings. Even though we lost, I’m proud of our Orioles. The Xanax remains on the end table wondering if it will be called into action during the second game.

Yes, I’m sad that our winning streak has ended and I’ll be really sad if we lose first-place, but it’s been a wonderful, enjoyable start to the season, so we have to appreciate the goodness we’ve had so far.

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Have I Died?

7. April 2008 by Crys.

I hope my other Orioles friends out there got to see some or all of the game today despite it’s airing during our normal working hours. Not only was it an exciting game with the Orioles coming back from behind three times, but we also, and now I never expected to utter these words so early in the season, yes, here it goes, SWEPT the Mariners.

I learned (well, sort of anyway) from last season to be cautious about getting my hopes up until the very last out, but when Sherrill had two outs and two strikes in the top of the ninth, I was on my feet clapping and hooting my head off like a fool. It’s almost like it’s the Playoffs. I’m so excited with every Orioles win. When Jose Lopez sent Jay Payton into the warning track for the last out, my heart skipped a beat and I thought for a second, “Oh no! When will I learn!” You see, as much as I tell myself not to get my hopes up, I can’t help it. I love this team!

Huff and Luis Hernandez made more significant strides toward ingratiating themselves with the fans today. Huff hit a homer to put us back on top. I doubt there will be anymore booing.

Now, it’s time I had the courage to make a prediction. All the rest of you Orioles bloggers out there are so wonderful about providing detailed research and predictions for the season. I admit I can’t keep up, especially with following the minor league and players on other teams, but that doesn’t stop me having an opinion. I’ve had my own prediction since before the season, but have been too shy to admit it. I know I’ll probably look like an utter fool, but if everyone else has the courage to make predictions, I should own up to mine too.

Here it goes. I know this is going to sound like I’m just over-enthusiastic about our great start…but, I think the Os are going to be even better than last season. I predict we finish third. That’s right. Work with me here. If you think about last season, our problem wasn’t with scoring runs, it was with holding onto a lead. How many games did we lose in the 7th and 8th inning? I lost count, but I remember it was like a recordly depressing number. We can blame some of our fielding, but most of the responsibility, or fault, as it were, was with the pitching.

So there you go. There’s my, admittedly unqualified, and I know, extremely bold prediction, but I’m going with it. If you doubt that my prediction dates to before the start of the season, remember that I’m making this prediction before we meet the Rangers. (I hope we exact a little revenge.) Think how risky that is!

I feel silly and foolish already. Anyway, looks like my little 240 has worked her magic.

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