masn-baseballs-orioles.jpgI don’t even remember a winning season.

Ever since I became a fan of the Orioles and of baseball in general, I have watched the team play to a sub-.500 record. The last time they had a winning season, it was 1997, and I was much too young to process or remember it.

However, the game is so much more than wins and losses. While obviously I will be completely enthralled when the team makes it into a pennant race, I still am just as loyal today as I will be when that day comes.

And to be an…I don’t even remember a winning season.

Ever since I became a fan of the Orioles and of baseball in general, I have watched the team play to a sub-.500 record. The last time they had a winning season, it was 1997, and I was much too young to process or remember it.

However, the game is so much more than wins and losses. While obviously I will be completely enthralled when the team makes it into a pennant race, I still am just as loyal today as I will be when that day comes.

And to be an Orioles fan in my generation, there is no better feeling than April. Yes, I’ve read the predictions made by different baseball experts for the American League East this season. Yes, I can tell you off the top of my head what Jake Arrieta’s ERA was last season. Yes, I know about Brian Roberts’ continued injuries.

But now, during this first full week of the MLB season, it doesn’t matter. Regardless of how teams are expected to fare, there is one guarantee. Every team starts at an even 0-0. And for that reason, every year I crave the day when the season starts the first of 162 games.

Because of the beauty of the game, I will always be drawn to baseball. Because of the breathtaking atmosphere at Oriole Park, I will always and forever be drawn to Camden Yards. Because of my pride in the team, I will never stray from following the Orioles.

Catch me on any other day besides ones in the first few weeks of the season, and I likely will not be so optimistic. Normally, I tend to focus my writing much more on sabremetrics and numbers. But this is April 2012, the beginning of the season, and only one statistic matters: 3-0.

Olivia Witherite blogs about the Orioles at Birds Watcher, and her opinions appear here as part of MASN’s season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.