Pre-opening day opening day is here.
In places like the depressing-as-hell north, the snow's finally melting, the ten day forecasted highs all start with the number 4, and SportsCenter has to resort to highlights of women's basketball for lack of real sports coverage, meaning two things: 1) frat boys- it's time to dust off the cargo shorts and Hollister sandals and pretend you're not shivering while playing cornhole in your front lawn, and 2) baseball fans- it's almost here again, the 162 nights and days of America's favorite sport (behind all things NFL, March Madness, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and apparently Olympic hockey).
As for me, it's time to get excited about the Orioles, or at least the potential of the Orioles, as we start to get a sneak preview of the things to come this season. Personally, I'm looking forward to the possibility of the ever-elusive actual opening day win against the division rival Rays (wow, five year ago who would have thought anyone would be typing that sentence). In any case, there's nothing like opening the paper the morning of April 7th and seeing that rare gem of a line atop the AL East column and hope to God six months from now, with some alignment of unknown galaxies, it's still there. Realistically speaking, I and every nearly every other Baltimore fan assume (with shame) it's going to say New York, (literally translated to "f*** you again, O's fans" in most major dictionaries), but as any Orioles, Pirates, and Royals fans know- there's always that shred of hope inside of us that we hold onto for some masochistic reason. You know what I'm talking about. It's that piece of us that we hate more than anything, that grasps the blank slate of March with both fists and shakes it like a Magic 8-Ball, hoping for an "Outlook Good." Not great, just good. Cause something as simple as good is something that needs to happen around here, cause it hasn't happened for nearly a decade and a half.
And you know what, I'm not ruling it out. Something could happen- and if it doesn't this year, I really do think it's going to happen soon. As for 2010, maybe the learning curves of our young pitchers will bend upward in incredible slopes, the offense grooves together in a harmonic unison, and staying true to Baltimore, the team and the people start to believe. Maybe all these odd and undeveloped parts will start to work in a Frankensteinian order, and one of those four golden tickets to the playoff will be in our pocket come late September. I'm not going to pretend that getting one of those tickets this year is any better than Charlie Bucket's chances of getting into the Wonka factory, and if we do get in, it'll most likely end with us floating into a ceiling fan known as whoever else is in the American League playoffs, but I'm still going to believe, because I'll hate myself if I don't.
So that's what the beginning of the baseball season is for me. It's like getting ready for a blind date with someone your Mom set you up with. Chances are, it's going to suck and the action's going to be terrible or nonexistent, but there's always that outside chance that in the end, it might actually be a lot better than you (or her) had even imagined. And if things get really terrible, you can always carry a flask of Evan Williams in your jacket pocket and slam it while your cute young date (Jason Berken) talks for an hour about the season finale of The Bachelor (gives up seven runs in the third inning).
I think this year's going to be a good year though, and even if we end up treading water or sinking again, at least there's $1 upper deck tickets come September, or...$500 upper deck tickets in October (so says the 8-ball).
Disclaimer: the 8-ball also said "you may rely on it," when I took the Nets to win the Eastern Conference...by eleven games.
