Open Letter To The Baltimore Orioles
Dear Baltimore Orioles,
You Are In the ALCS!
How are ya holding up? I know it’s been a rough couple of days. That’s weird to say considering you’re in the American League Championship Series, but these aren’t normal circumstances. For starters, you won the AL East when practically no one outside of Baltimore gave you a fighting chance to do so. Of course once you do, people just shrug it off as a down year for the real teams in the East. You know, those Yankees and Red Sox — the guys with the money. The pundits figured you’d just fade away in the ALDS to the Cy Young Tigers — I’m sorry, the Detroit Tigers. But you swept them. You swept a playoff team and moonwalked right into the ALCS.
Your City Loves You
Had to feel good huh? Those same critics hopping on your bandwagon and basically handing you a ticket to the World Series. The city loved you, the pundits loved you, and perhaps the world loved you.
But What's Going On?
And then you actually played baseball – and you lost. Twice! At home!
Now the bandwagon is empty and the pundits are saying you’re done. Where have we seen this before? Of course it’s disappointing that you’re down 0-2 in the series. But that doesn’t mean you’re dead. That doesn’t mean you’re out of this thing. The beautiful thing about baseball is that it doesn’t end when you lose. You have to dust yourself off, put your cleats on, and get back out there for another game. You lost 66 games this season – 2 more won’t kill you.
I Know You Won't Give Up
And please don’t think I believe you’re giving up. I know you too well for that. You guys represent what Baltimore is all about. You’re tough, gritty, and full of pride. You want this just as much as the fans want this. I’ve watched the Ravens capture the hearts of the citizens of Baltimore over the past 20 years. But the Orioles have something the Ravens may never have — their souls. You saw the passion during the ALDS Series. You feel the energy when you walk around Downtown Baltimore. And now you get to take that passion to Kansas City. You have the opportunity to show the Royals and the rest of the country why you made it this far.
Chris Tillman isn’t the best pitcher in the MLB, but he may be one of the smartest. He’s never out of it, even when the bases are loaded with nobody out. Nelson Cruz swings the bat better than most men on the planet. You’ve got a bullpen that can shut down the opposition. And you’ve got stars in the outfield like Adam Jones and Nick Markakis ready to dive for any ball that comes their way. The talent is there to get the job done and you have the best manager in the business to show you the way. All you have to do is get out there and take it.
As a writer it’s frustrating reading other journalist count you out just because you lost a game or 2. But I quickly realize that their opinions mean little. If their opinions mattered that much, it’d be the Red Sox playing the Royals, not the Baltimore Orioles.
It's Time To Make Baseball Fun Again
The games you lost in Baltimore were highly competitive and entertaining. You weren’t skull dragged into submission. You weren’t embarrassed on national television. You lost to a good baseball team – it happens. But now you get to the fun part. Now you get to take the pride of Baltimore with you to Kansas City and take the fight to them. You get to win at least 2 of the next 3 games in Kansas City to gain back the momentum. And then you get to come home and finish this thing.
The pundits may think the series is over but it’s just getting started. But you already knew that.
Samuel Njoku was born and raised in Baltimore, MD and is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Samuel has covered the Ravens for Examiner.com since 2010. Prior to 2010, Samuel was an avid blogger and radio personality in Salisbury, MD. Samuel Njoku is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com. You can also follow him on Twitter @Ravens_Examiner.
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