Favorite memories from this season

[tennOsfan]

Going to an O's playoff game with my longtime childhood friend who grew up an Oriole fan like me here in TN, who along with our wives, made beating the Yankees one of the best nights of my life. It's taken almost five days to get my voice back, giving the Yanks everything I had. That was just so awesome.

Going the last weekend to Brooks' day and the final regular season game. I'll never forget the Orioles players and coaches watching the same screen as I was, hoping the Angels would lose and we'd be in the playoffs. When it didn't come to be, Buck shook his fist for the crowd and waived what I took to be a thank you for sticking around and caring.

Sitting on the first row of the Trop back in June and Endy Chavez making a great catch right in front of me. I was able to access the MASN highlight and have a still shot of it as my laptop background. I'm standing right there behind Endy.

From the TV viewing aspect, the marathon game early against the Red Sox was a highlight. I watched most of the game, then had to mow, so I listened to Angel/Manfra for two hours of push mowing. The game still wasn't done when I finished, so I wound up turning the Xbox back on to watch the end. Wieters holding up the ball and smiling on the home-plate collision - awesome.

Manny's deke play, and his refreshing play at third in general, was great. I am very excited to watch him blossom into an Oriole great.

Staying up until 4 a.m. watching us win in Seattle in 18 innings. I stuck it out. AND I still showed up for work.

Bragging to people that we're hitting a guy leadoff who was cut by the Pirates this year! And he's better than your leftfielder!

Losing to the Yanks at the end blows, but I've got so many more good memories from this season than all of the last 14 combined.

[DrungoHazewood]

Tons of great memories... But for me, it was Camden Yards before the start of game 1 of the ALDS. Long rain delay. Everyone stayed... They announce the game time of 8:40 or 8:45... Then, the stadium began to fill. There was a moment -pregame - where the Bird was on the field in his tux... Everyone -- I mean everyone - had broken out in the seven army song (I know that song is controversial)... The energy in Camden was awesome. 15 years of losing and the celebration of the season was breathing air back into Camden. It was Awesome. She was alive again. We were alive again. Great stuff

Being there with my four year old Sam was something I won't soon forget. I still have "Some Nights" by Fun. in my head, pounding the drum part over and over.

[atom_25]

So many great memories from the season: ALDS games 1 & 2, the statue games, all of the marathon games and miraculous comebacks, etc, but what will stick out to me the most is the way Baltimore fell in love with this team over the course of the season and of course it all culminating over the past few weeks. It is like a buddy of mine told me on the way back home after game 2 of the ALDS, this is the most fun I have ever had supporting a sports team. I feel such a huge debt of gratitude and offer a sincere heart felt thank you to each and every player, coach, staff member, and the fans.

[Goop]

Here are my favorites:

- April 26th, we beat Toronto 5-2. That was the day my son was born. I get to tell him that on the day he was born, the Orioles won and we were tied for first

- All of the statue games, but especially Cal's. I was there with my dad, my best friend and his dad, and my other best friend. That was the first time in a long time that I had seen Camden Yards so intense. The crowd was amazing, and the game was so much fun to see live.

- Wins 81 and 82. I can't put into words the joy I had seeing those wins and knowing that the dreadful streak was finally over.

- Watching the Wild Card game. Seeing them beat the Rangers when all the "experts" picked us to lose and get knocked off just proved that we belonged in the playoffs just as much as everyone else.

- Finally, ALDS Game 2. I sat in left field with my dad, the first playoff game for both of us. There's nothing like seeing a home playoff game victory with the man who taught me how to play the game of baseball and who shares a love for this team with me...just a great night.

Thank you 2012 Baltimore Orioles...what a ride it's been!

[Frobby]

I think there has only been one mention of this in the thread, but the day BRob returned to the lineup was a really cool day.

[ScottP]

Chris Davis' pitching adventure at Fenway is legendary, to me, already; craziest thing I've seen since Tippy picked off 3 consecutive baserunners with Sakata behind the plate.

[srock]

All of the above, and this is my personal memory:

Early in the year my wife had not allowed herself to accept the possibility of Orioles success, and with good reason given the last 15 years watching me keep the banner flying.

Then Wilson Betemit comes to the plate in the bottom of the 9th. My wife is playing with out then 6 month old and makes some snide remark about him being an automatic out but I counter that he is having a career year at the plate! This exchange ends about the time the pitch it released...

...the flies over the RF wall for a walkoff victory!

We started to understand something new was afoot and we were correct!

About the 6 month old, he is now 10 months and will not remember his first year of life when the Orioles made the playoffs. But I will never let him forget it happened!

[NickM21]

I'm going to try to pick out games that people haven't mentioned yet. Everyone will remember the playoff games, the Chris Davis extra inning game, etc.

The first ones I'll mention are the collective road games Gonzalez pitched in the regular season. The dude was tough as nails with the pressure on. The start in Anaheim comes to mind the most. If we didn't win that game in Anaheim, that would have been a 4 game sweep and could have completely deflated us. We were on a 5-11 stretch coming into that game, and lost 6 of the next 7 games. I think that game was one of the more important games of the year, also because I think we gained confidence in Miguel starting to where he was probably our most reliable pitcher down the stretch. We also won that game without hitting a home run.

The next game I'll never forget was when McClouth hit the wall off the wall in Camden Yards to bring in the winning run in the 9th inning against the Rays. Seeing the guys dance around with McClouth on Chris Davis's back was one of my favorite moments of the year.

I'll think of more but those stand out on first thought.

[Dr. Unk]

Minus Kevin Gregg, some Strop moments, and JJ tanking 2 games against the MFY, I'd have to say ALL OF THEM!!! What an amazing year.

[hallmt18]

The whole season was amazing, but my top 3:

* Being at the Tampa game ("don't throw it away" b/w Chris carrying McLouth around like a little doll)

* Taking my family to ALDS Game 2

* Going to the Welcome Home rally in the middle of the night Friday

Still can't believe the season is over. I'm in a funk.

[Brendan25]

Call me crazy, but I was at the Cal Ripken game, and I was at the first playoff game, and I TRULY believe that the atmosphere and the crowd was more insane at the Cal Ripken game then the playoff game. That Cal Ripken game was incredible.

[hallmt18]

I think there has only been one mention of this in the thread, but the day BRob returned to the lineup was a really cool day.

yep, I was at that game, too.

[beervendor]

I was lucky enough to catch many of the best home moments in person. Only attended 10 games this year (and went 8-2!), but saw Opening Day, Cal's Statue night, and ALDS#2 (by design) as well as Manny's first game, Hammel's near no hitter, the Tampa sweep in Sept (by luck). I also rediscovered how much fun baseball can be.

I never thought I'd see a more moving game than 2131. On Sept 6 vs the Yankees I did. That game, with all of its in-game and beyond-game subplots, had an energy and intensity that surpassed Cal's historic night, IMHO.

ALDS game #2 was equally amazing to see. OPCY has never been that loud.

[VeveJones007]

The moment for me was when this pessimist actually started to believe in this team. In late August, the O's were squandering opportunity after opportunity against the White Sox with Liriano on the mound. It got to the 8th inning and Pedro gave up the go-ahead run on a couple of cheap hits and I was going back down into my pessimistic-Orioles hole. Then, Reynolds draws a walk and Nate McLouth hits an absolute no-doubter to put the O's ahead for good. That was the 13th straight one-run win and finally made me a believer in the 2012 Orioles. What a fantastic year.

This quote from O'Day really summed up this year for me:

I think we'll be remembered as the team that brought baseball back to the proud city of Baltimore. It's such a great fan base there and they're hungry for good baseball, and this is the team that raised that expectation again. We didn't end where we wanted. But I sure as hell think we're on our way.''

http://espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs/2012/story/_/id/8496220/baltimore-orioles-inspirational-comes-end

[allycat]

My favorite game was the wild card game with Atlanta. When the Orioles beat Atlanta like that, I was sure they would have little problems with the Yankees after that. I just don't understand what happened to them once they got to the Yankees. I mean they won games, but basically Nate Mclouth was the only one doing anything. Everyone else seemed startled all of the sudden after hitting great against the Yankees during the regular season. The pitching was decent but they could have hit more than they did. It was pathetic. I could'nt even watch the top portion of the last game after seeing them miss so many opportunies in the beginning of the game. I hope they bring back Mclouth.