Are you hometown O's fan or...

[Lucky Jim]

Is all of Maryland "around" Baltimore?

[GotNitro]

I am from south-central PA, but I consider the O's my home team since they are the closest. I am around 1 1/2 or a little more hours from Baltimore, but almost three hours from both Pittsburgh and Philly.

[jdouble777]

I am from Dunkirk, MD - Calvert County (MD). I am probably on the dividing line of Nats/O's fans. There are tons of Nats fans where I live but also tons of O's fans. I think a lot of people were disinterested in baseball (just like hockey) but have picked up the Nats as a team to root for and taken a liking to baseball...just like the Caps fan base has swollen and now you see red everywhere.

I dont have any ill will personally against the Nats but they are NOT MY TEAM. I have been a lifelong O's fan and it will suck to see the nats do well but I will never pull for them...thats just me and my fanfare. I cant just flip the switch on a team. I am a DIEHARD. For the O's fans that live in DC/AREA I can see those people switching over...but being a life long Marylander the O's are embedded in me.

Make perfect sense to me. I would never for anything every stop bleeding burgundy and gold, I will hail until my last breath.

[GotNitro]

Is all of Maryland "around" Baltimore?

I can't answer the poll for almost the same question. I am not in the Baltimore area, not even in MD really, but Baltimore is the closest sports city.

[theobird]

Good man, any chance he is looking for a spot on the coaching staff? How long do you think the "Oriole Way" has been lost? How, what, when do you think it will come back?

Only when they get a strong enough leader, and then he drives the same principles down through the system.

[jdouble777]

I am from south-central PA, but I consider the O's my home team since they are the closest. I am around 1 1/2 or a little more hours from Baltimore, but almost three hours from both Pittsburgh and Philly.

Yeah, 1.5 hours is not terrible to go see a game and come home, 3 hours will probably require a hotel. I am just the opposite, about 1.5 hours from Nationals stadium and 2.5 to OPACY. Sometimes I make it in two, but not sense my lead foot disappeared with age.

[blid]

SECOND THAT NOTION!

Do you think you would have jumped on the Nats if they were a team then?

I thought about getting into the Nats, they moved in only about a year after I started following the Orioles, but I dunno. The Orioles have a better stadium, plus I was always an AL fan, and I just continued gravitating toward O`s and following them more closely.

Even though I hated Cal Ripken growing up for shattering a Yankee great's record, a guy whose streak only ended because he was dying. Luckily the organization had nothing to do with him anymore when I came into town.

[jdouble777]

Is all of Maryland "around" Baltimore?

I would say most? I suppose what I attempting to get at is if there is a closer team or not.

[Pedro Cerrano]

Born in Norfolk, VA.

Moved to Ellicott City in November 1987 and the rest is history.

And, yes, I tell people that I am "from" Baltimore and that "my hometown" is Baltimore.

[jdouble777]

I thought about getting into the Nats, they moved in only about a year after I started following the Orioles, but I dunno. The Orioles have a better stadium, plus I was always an AL fan, and I just continued gravitating toward O`s and following them more closely.

Even though I hated Cal Ripken growing up for shattering a Yankee great's record, a guy whose streak only ended because he was dying. Luckily the organization had nothing to do with him anymore when I came into town.

Yeah, I think those that started following not as long ago and are closer to D.C. than Baltimore will probably be the ones that end up Nats fans. Trust me, as an 20 year O's fan there is nothing I am more proud of than that record. I have will never miss a day or work, that was my father's mentality and Cal only served to help him stamp that in the forefront of my mind. That is what I think the "Oriole Way" was at the core. Never cut a corner, never be late, and give it absolutely everything every single night or those spending WAY more money than your team are going to take you down and not think twice about it. Somewhere along the line this franchise has changed and I do not know if it will ever become what it was.

[cindyluvsbrady]

I became a fan in 1988 but I grew up in Bel Air:)

[dabirds]

I'm from NJ but both my parents were born in Baltimore. My father "brainwashed" me into being an Orioles fan, but living around Yankess fans my whole life made it easy to stick with the team since they are a very arrogant bunch.

Thanks Dad! Now it's my turn to do the same to my kids.

[GotNitro]

I became a fan in 1988 but I grew up in Bel Air:)

You shall be now be the "Fresh Princess."

[jdouble777]

Born in Norfolk, VA.

Moved to Ellicott City in November 1987 and the rest is history.

And, yes, I tell people that I am "from" Baltimore and that "my hometown" is Baltimore.

Right on, I am sure being so close to the stadium made it easier to take in as much of Camden as you can. What a great atmosphere when the Yanks and Red Sox are not in town. I love the inner harbor. ESPN Zones prices continually blow my mind, but the whole thing is really cool.

[jdouble777]

I'm from NJ but both my parents were born in Baltimore. My father "brainwashed" me into being an Orioles fan, but living around Yankess fans my whole life made it easy to stick with the team since they are a very arrogant bunch.

Thanks Dad! Now it's my turn to do the same to my kids.

Yeah, I love how they take for granted acquisitions like Tex and C.C. What would we do if we ever pulled an ACE or top 5 fantasy 1B out of free agency. :eektf: