Orioles Could Give the Greatest Gift this Sports Fan has Ever Received

On August 7, 1983, Marsha and Maurice Romanell welcomed their first child, Marco, into the world and at that point they certainly knew their lives were about to change. A few months later in October, they sat in the stands and watched the Baltimore Orioles play in the World Series. While the Orioles lost that particular game, they eventually went on to win it all, bringing joy to everyone in Baltimore. Obviously, being only two months old I do not remember, nor could I appreciate the magnitude of what had just happened, but I can only imagine the feeling that every Baltimorean felt.

Since I was a child, sports have been a major part of my life. My dad coached me in soccer from the time I was six until I was in high school, I played baseball and basketball as well, and my mom was there cheering me on at every game. I was obsessed with playing and watching sports. For the first 13 years of my life, I only had one team in my hometown to root for, the Baltimore Orioles. They had Cal Ripken, they brought back Eddie Murray, they had the legendary Chuck Thompson and Jon Miller, and they were one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. It was safe to say I was a diehard Orioles fan.

In 1996 the Baltimore Ravens made their debut and suddenly Baltimore was a two-sport town. Obviously, being the huge sports fan I was and still am, I embraced the Ravens immediately. That same season I got to see the Orioles in the playoffs for the first time since I was two months old. We all remember what happened and it is too painful to bring back up, so I won’t. A year later the Orioles went wire-to-wire in the American League East only to suffer yet another gut wrenching playoff defeat. A few years after that, the Orioles were in the midst of their third straight losing season, but the Baltimore Ravens captured the city’s first title since 1983 when they won Super Bowl XXXV, the first championship I can say I actually remember seeing a Baltimore team win. It was an amazing feeling.

Anyone who was born and raised here knows what the sports culture was like in Baltimore from 1998-2012. It was a town with passionate fans and two sports teams, however only one of those teams was successful. I stuck with the Orioles no matter what and yearned for the day they would be back in the win column. The Ravens have brought euphoria to this city twice by winning two Super Bowls and I will always cherish those memories and hope for many more (…one day I would like to flash seven fingers to a Steelers fan to trump the six they flash to us all the time). Despite the Ravens success, the moment that might be my all-time favorite is similar to the moment my parents had in October 1983 when I was sitting in the stands for a Baltimore Orioles playoff loss. I went to Game 1 of the ALDS in 2012, and it is a moment I will never, ever forget despite the outcome of the game.

As my birthday approaches every year I reflect on where my life went that year and also reflect on my past years. So as my 31^st birthday get nears I realize how lucky I am to have a great family and tremendous friends who I would not give up for anything. However, there is something major missing in my life. There is only one gift I want for my birthday this year and I don’t want to be given to me in August, but rather October.

This October I want the Baltimore Orioles to give me the greatest gift I will ever receive in my entire life: a World Series championship for the city of Baltimore.