Watching Baseball in August Is Fun Again

When was the last time an Orioles fan uttered these words?  1997?  That's the last time I can remember being excited to turn on an O's game on an August night and be enthusiastic watching the game.

 

This Orioles team has no chance at making the playoffs, yet last night I was yelling at my television.  I had some kind of comment to make after every pitch.  I winced with every Orioles swing of the bat. 

 

In the eighth inning Koji Uehara was pitching with runners on the corners and no outs.  After an eleven pitch battle, he struck out the first batter and I screamed at the top of my lungs.  He got the second batter with another strikeout and I literally jumped out of my seat and threw a fist pump in the air.  A team something like 25 games under .500 and I'm going nuts.  Apparently I wasn't the only one as Buck Showalter came sprinting out of the dugout to Uehara, clearly jacked up.  When did you ever see Trembley run to the mound?  Showalter brought on Gonzalez who struckout another batter.  Runners on the corners.  No outs.  No runs scored.

 

After giving up a homerun in the top of the tenth, the O's battled their way back to get the bases loaded and forced the pitcher to walk a run in, which of course brought me from the couch to my knees in joy.  Brian Roberts nearly beat out an infield hit to win it then, but if we're all being honest, we know the ump robbed Felix Pie of a bunt basehit earlier in the inning that would have ended the game even if Roberts was out.

 

The rest is history.  Markakis leads off the eleventh with a double, advances to third, and with a 1-0 count, Mr. Adam Jones fools everyone in the stadium and lays down a bunt that gets Markakis home and yet another Orioles walk-off win under Showalter is complete. And I'm running around my apartment like a twelve year old. 

 

I'm not sure what Showalter has said to these guys, or what he's put in the water at Oriole Park.  These are the same players that couldn't do anything right under Trembley and Samuel this same season.  The Orioles are playing as a team and doing the little things right, which is going to make them a pain to team's making a playoff run in September that have to face this squad.  One thing is certain though: watching baseball in August is fun again.

 

...If you missed it earlier this morning or are getting in to work a little late, today's Breakfast Buddy is the post just below this one...