Orioles Magic

Ever since I moved to Baltimore County in 1999, I've gotten to experience most of the things that a kid growing up in America gets to go through. However, one thing that hasn't happened since I moved here is experience the hometown baseball team going to the postseason. The Orioles have not had a winning season since 1997, making being an Orioles fan a sort of painful experience. Finally this year, we've managed to put the pieces together to form a team that will go to the playoffs for the first time in 15 years, and the first time since I've lived in Maryland. We have a lot of powerful hitters, and a great consistent pitching staff, the latter something we have really struggled with in years past. I have seen many playoff games for a team in Baltimore, but it's always been the Ravens. I'm used to seeing the Ravens make the playoffs at this point, and it's not going to be that big of a deal until they make it to the Super Bowl. However, seeing a team that has been a total failure as long as I have followed them have such completely unexpected success this year is very exciting. Plus, it takes so much more effort to make the postseason in baseball, as there are more than 10 times as many games in a season. This also means there is more suspense, which makes this playoff appearance more exciting. Even though the whole experience could end after one measly game, it would still be the biggest thing in sports to happen in Baltimore for awhile.