Ever since the Orioles reported for spring training, I’ve been holding my breath, with that proverbial glass in front of me.
You know the one. There’s a soft drink in it and the beverage line stops right in the middle. So I have to decide if that glass is in fact half full or half empty.
Based on what we saw last year and through the first three months of this season, one might have leaned toward the half full option.
After all, the Birds find themselves in the thick of the American League East race.
Third baseman Manny Machado has erased any questions of a sophomore slump, while first baseman Chris Davis is channeling his inner Roger Maris with a remarkable display of power.
But, then, I see the half empty portion of the same glass.
Unlike last summer, when the Orioles had only the Yankees and the Tampa Bay Rays to worry about in the AL East, this year’s chase has those two teams and the Red Sox and Blue Jays, meaning this summer will involve a five-team scrum that may yield one or at most two playoff spots.
And unlike last year, when the Baltimore bullpen seemingly squelched every threat, the Orioles are in the lower fourth in both strikeouts and in earned run average among starting pitchers.
Plus, while the Birds have hit more home runs than any other club, they’ve also allowed more homers, and that just doesn’t sound like a winning formula.
So, I’m sitting in front of my television Saturday night watching the Orioles take on the Yankees, in full push-me, pull-you confusion when I hear something intriguing.
Maybe you heard it too. Both Joe Buck and Tim McCarver, Fox television’s No.1 baseball broadcast team, said they could easily see the World Series being played at Camden Yards this fall.
Now, I don’t want to fall in to the predictable Baltimore sports fan’s trap of looking for validation from out-of-town voices, but if two seasoned pros like Buck and McCarver think there’s something there, who’s to argue?
And if you dare, imagine what that would mean if they’re right.
In the same calendar year, before the Thanksgiving turkey is carved and Christmas gifts are unwrapped, Baltimore could become the king of the American professional sports world, with one trophy, the Super Bowl, in the bag and another, the World Series, to join it.
Sounds like a pretty full glass to me.
This marks the final Sports at Large broadcast – the last of 589 of these programs which began April 8, 2002.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t pause to thank WYPR program director Andy Bienstock for green-lighting Sports at Large 11 years ago and sticking with it through the years.
And to the producers who have guided this show -- Gary Davis, Lisa Morgan, Kate LaVail and particularly to Mary Rose Madden, my partner in crime for the last eight years – you’ve been more than colleagues and collaborators. You’ve become family.
But mostly, I want to thank you, the audience. You’ve been supportive and respectful, even when you disagreed. It’s been a privilege to share with you each week, and I hope to have that opportunity again.