Sometimes I regret being an Oriole fan

[Ohfan67]

One of those days. I’m sorry for all of us. 

[allquixotic]

Yep. I've got gray hairs in my beard and I've never seen the Orioles make an appearance in a World Series. Not a lot here to root for.

[Tbone83]

Orioles fan, Bills fan, Sabres fan. Pretty sure sports fandom has made my life LESS fun. Watched the 83 World Series as a 7 year old. Been all crushing failures at the end since.  Blah. Too late to not go down with the ship now. Go O's foreva.

[LookitsPuck]

Sports will do this. It's not a matter of if, it's just a matter of when. 

[NashLumber]

The Orioles turned Earl Weaver's hair white. Mine, too.

Only he was part of some World Series teams and I wasn't. 

[kaj21206]

I became a fan during the 71 World Series.  71-83 was a great time to be an Orioles fan.   Not as much since then.  I still think this core of young players have a lot of talent.  I hope some changes are made during the off season.  I'm excited for Sarasota this March already.  The Orioles winning another World Series in my lifetime is in my top five of this things I want to happen before I die.  I'll get myself upset all next season as well.

[tntoriole]

Baseball is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall all alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
A. Bartlett Giamatti, Take Time for Paradise: Americans and Their Games

[Oriole4Life]

The playoffs losses in the late 90s killed me. That is when I was a kid and the Orioles were my favorite thing in the world. 

The recent flops hurt, but not as badly. I have basically been conditioned to expect the worst. I suggest all of you do the same.

[Emory Eagle]

Yea it’s no wonder there are less and less

[Emory Eagle]

Just now, Emory Eagle said:

Yea it’s no wonder there are less and less

Fewer and fewer?

[MDK02]

I fully expected this and it still sucks. I guess the worst part is that the seasons over and I’ll miss having them to watch basically every night. It’s something missing from my routine again.. until March. 

[JR Oriole]

I am sorry that so much of my life has passed with so little return on investment.  3 wins in the ALCS since 1983, and none since 1997.  10 straight playoff losses.  Wow.  Think about how much time has passed.  I was 8 when they won the World Series and I will be 50 next year.  And the one constant over all of those years.....my favorite team never coming through.  Short of a total rebuild all the way through the organization (including everyone in a management and coaching position), a complete change to the hitting approach, and serious in-season mental help for every player, there is nothing they can do to be any better next year or in the postseason.  Whether Pollyanna or Negative Nelly, you all are the best for always being here no matter what.  

[dtk9119]

Born in 1970, been an O's fan all my life even though I haven't lived in Balto area since I was 18. Never in a million years did I think 1983 was the last WS win I'd see in my lifetime. I hope I have a few more years to get one.

All my teams Orioles, Cowboys, Rockets, haven't won championships in a long time. Praying it happens for one or more of them again while I am still around.

[theobird]

I’m old. I’ve been an O’s fan for the last 50 years. Always will be. But it takes leadership with the right vision to assemble and guide these teams to greatness. I don’t think that vision prevails today.

I know it’s not a popular opinion, but having a bunch of sub 250 hitters is not a great philosophy unless they bring something else outstanding to your team. A superior defender and a premium defensive position is one example. Mark Belanger is a prime example. SS, hit 210. Was absolutely without peer defensively. OK. He was a vital cog on some great teams.

Speed. Put pressure on a defense. generate runs. Make the opposition make mistakes. Bunt for base hits. Steal bases and put people in scoring position. Hit behind the runner. Nothing good happens when you can’t put the ball in play. defense. Earl Weaver would say, if you can’t play defense then you can’t play.

Earls famous saying, “pitching, defense and the 3 run HR”. Yes, he had Boog, Brooks and Frank. But all three of those guys were excellent defensively and they hit the ball. Consistently. He had Paul Blair, Belanger…. guys who could also play excellent defense and put pressure on an opposing defense. 
 

I just don’t like the way we play the game today

[mrbig1]

I was 11 when the O's won their first WS in 1966. The O's went to the WS four times over the next 6 years.  In the last 30 years they have done nothing but break my heart. I'm 69 now and doubt I will live long enough to see it happen. With new ownership there is some hope.