Here Come the O's

Ted and I share one important characteristic with Adam Smoot. Before the Marlins came around, our baseball fandom began and ended with the Baltimore Orioles. Because we had cousins in Baltimore, we inherited their fandom. We loved Cal Ripken, reminisced about the days when he shared the infield with Eddie Murray, and considered Earl Weaver to be the greatest manager in the history of Major League Baseball. While our stance on the Orioles may have softened a bit in the intervening years (they've become more of a disappointment than a source of joy), I still get an added jolt from watching the Marlins play the Orioles. In 1997, when the Marlins won to the World Series, I almost got to see my dream World Series matchup until the Indians defeated the O's in the ALCS.

I'm rambling here, but my point is I like watching these two teams play each other, even if one of the two usually is terrible (but hey, at least the Orioles got rid of Corey Patterson and Daniel Cabrera...). Plus, the series allows me to wear one of my favorite hats: the 1980s-era Orioles hat:
I will also use the occasion to repost the Earl Weaver freakout:

Give 'em hell, Earl.