It's getting to be that time of year

It is fast approaching the start of the baseball season and thus this is the time of year where I make my kierkegaardian leap of faith and jump headlong into the belief that the Baltimore Orioles can, should, and will indeed, win the World Series.

Last year I took this leap and it was fun for a while but eventually I fell flat on my face as the Orioles ended the season with a losing record (yes that made 10 consecutive losing seasons). My predictions last year were well off the mark and I found the end of the season particularly despairing to watch...especially after the 30-3 drubbing at the hands of the Texas Rangers (a game I was supposed to be at with Ryals before we got rained out).

Last year I had all sorts of high hopes for Bedard, Roberts, and Markakis which made my leap of faith a lot easier while at the same time making it less of a leap. In the offseason, however, Bedard (one of the best and one of my favorite O's) was traded away in part of the rebuilding process. It also looks like Roberts, another favorite, might be on his way out. With the departure of these two and no big name superstars on the team it makes taking this leap of faith a bit harder. In fact, I would describe it not so much as a leap of faith but more like stripping naked and running through a field of thorns and briers with the belief that it won't hurt at all. Yes my friends, this is what asserting the Orioles will win the World Series is like. But I have faith that the briers of the baseball season will not thwart the Orioles!

Despite Bedard's departure and Robert's likely trade there are still a few bright spots that will keep me watching mlb gameday and glued to the box scores.

Nick Markakis is still on the team. Markakis should have another good season as he fills into his big league shoes. He's gotta be my second favorite Oriole on the team (assuming Roberts gets traded) because of his humility and his talent. Plus he's young so he should be a quality Oriole for a long time. Hopefully one of the cornerstones of rebuilding.

Jeremy Guthrie is another reason that I'll be glued to every O's box score (even though he'll only start every 5 games or so). Guthrie, a rookie last season, emerged as a solid starter and has the potential to hit huge. He may be a little old for a 2nd year guy, but last I became a huge fan as he came out of nowhere to be the O's second best pitcher (next to Bedard).

The O's have a host of young talent that will be fun to watch. A lot of them have high potential and should be fun to watch for years to come. One of their young stars is OF Adam Jones who came over in the Bedard trade. Between Jones and Markakis the O's will have two of the better outfielders in the AL for years to come. It will be fun and likely somewhat painful to watch the young pitching and field talent develop into a cohesive winning squad.

So there you have it. My yearly leap of faith and the highlights that will keep me glued to the O's this season.

Another non-Orioles reason I'm stoked about this season is that Josh Kinney, my cousin, should be returning to the Cardinals sometime in May. He was out last year with an injury, but once he got comfortable the year before that he was essential in helping the Cards win the WS.

Just think, the season is only 3 days away!

Blessings,

- Ben