It has been a most unlikely weekend, this strong orange wind of Orioles Magic blowing into downtown Baltimore on Monday with a gaudy 3-0 start after a trio of master pitching performances from Jeremy Guthrie, Chris Tillman and the Major League debut of Zach Britton in Tampa on Sunday.
But, you can pinch yourselves, Orioles fans. When you come downtown or turn your attention to your television sets on this 75-degree, balmy spring afternoon for Opening Day in Baltimore, it might finally be a chance to take all of that purple passion and turn it into some long-awaited, lost-long and very much deserved orange pride. It might be time to dust off your cartoon bird gear and climb about the orange chariot for a spring rite of passage that we all hope won’t be another faux orange smokescreen.
Yes, the Orioles have announced their arrival with a weekend of strong pitching, good defense and timely hitting. Like the song says, “Every day it’s a different star, that’s the magic of Orioles baseball…”
Jake Arrieta will take the hill at 3:05 on Monday at Camden Yards to face the Detroit Tigers with heightened expectations from an all-too-rare full house of Orioles fans.
Our WNST Opening Day party is slated to begin at noon but I’m coming an hour early just to start having a few morning Budweisers so I can keep up with my new centaur friend, Kegasus. We’ll be at Luna del Sea on Pratt Street, just a long fly ball from Camden Yards. We’ll have giveaways, great baseball conversation and baseball cheer for all the lost souls who have suffered since 1997.
The Orioles with a chance to win are finally back – at least for one Opening Day and we’re all excited to see how the 2011 Birds fare up north.
I’ll be the one wearing sandals with heightened expectations…
