Rob Long: Tigers Down; Orioles Move On To The Next One
Just in case you've been in a cave, the Baltimore Orioles just completed a three-game sweep of a team that had been to the Postseason four straight years. That's the same team that featured three straight Cy Young Award winners in that series. The Detroit Tigers featured a former two-time MVP in Miguel Cabrera and current MVP candidate Victor Martinez.
The O's used good and sometimes great starting pitching and timely hitting to eliminate the Tigers to advance to the American League Championship Series for the first time since 1997. Wow, my son wasn't even born yet. Hey Robbie, enjoy this son.
Think about it, Larry Walker of the Colorado Rockies as the National League MVP and Ken Griffey, Jr of the Seattle Mariners was American League MVP the last time the O's made it to the ALCS. The Birds lost to the Cleveland Indians to end their season and the Florida, not Miami, Marlins went on to beat the Indians in the World Series. Baseball has changed since the Orioles were last in the ALCS. Just think, under today's rules, the Anaheim, not Los Angeles, Angels would have played the New York Yankees in the one game Wild Card format.
The O's are on quite a run right now and fans are hoping that the ride will continue. While other teams are talked about when the topics of great pitching or great hitting, the O's seem to outdo their opponents when it comes to head-to-head competition. Oriole fans seem to outdo the competition when it comes to cheering their team as well. The Yard ROCKS in the postseason.
On Friday, the Baltimore Orioles will continue their march to their first World Series appearance 31 years. Whether the city or the franchise deserve it more than anyone is debatable. Kansas City could make the same claim and so can Washington. All I know is Charm City is thirsty for that celebratory champagne that comes with winning each round now. Let's do it two more times.
