Over and Out


(photo credit, The Baltimore Sun)
Yesterday wrapped up the 2010 season for our Baltimore Orioles, and what a roller coaster of a season it's been. After starting 2-16, the Orioles finished up at 66-96, at the bottom of the AL East but not the worst in the American League.

Dave Trembley didn't make it through the season, Juan Samuel picked up the reigns on an interim basis, and then things actually changed when Buck Showalter was hired as the new O's skipper. Under Buck's lead, the Orioles went 34-23 for the rest of the season, a .596 winning percentage. For a team that started off so poorly, that is a remarkable turn around for the end of the season. However, the abysmal performance in the first half of the season still kept the O's 30 games out of first-place in the AL East.

Eliminated from playoff contention on August 30th, the first team this season to get their Elimination Number to zero, the rest of the season was played just for the sake of the game, and hound better AL teams as much as possible.

The one glaring figure that O's fans cannot ignore this season was attendance; down 9% from the 2009 season. This marked the lowest season attendance at Camden Yards, and the second lowest for the franchise. This is a cause for concern for both team and fans. The Orioles hurt because the home fanbase is low, and likewise the fans feel the pain because many can't justify buying tickets and food to watch the O's lose when they can just as easily do that from the comforts of their own homes (MASN viewership was way up for the Orioles this season).

The solution needs to come from both parties. We'll promise to come to the stadium and fill Camden Yards, but you need to give us something to cheer about more consistently. Under Buck Showalter's guidance, we have a good chance of this happening!

Here's to the Postseason and we'll see you in February at Sarasota.

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