Thank You Orioles!

Warning: Red Sox fans probably want to avoid this post

I haven't covered the end of the Orioles season nearly as well as I should have, but I honestly was/am at a loss for words. Wednesday's win over the Red Sox made me as proud to be an Orioles fan as I have felt in a decade. In case you haven't noticed, the O's are a somewhat perennially downtrodden franchise, the almost yearly A.L. East doormat. But not this year...well not exactly at least.

In case you missed how the Orioles wrapped up their 2011 season...

While the Orioles win alone didn't eliminate the Red Sox from the playoffs, moments after the O's won, the Rays held up their end of the bargain and walked off against the Yankees to steal the Wild Card from the Sawx. If not for a long rain delay in Baltimore and extra innings in Tampa, the games would have not ended at almost exactly the same time, but they did and it was outstanding. It was probably my favorite five minutes of baseball from the past 10-12 years. MAGIC! All those Red Sox fans who always show up at Camden Yards to harass the small Orioles fan-base were going home with their collective tails between their legs. Adios fools! Baltimore won't miss ya!

Thank you to Robert Andino and the rest of the team for playing hard through the end of game 162 when it would have been so easy to lay down and be the punching bag that everyone else expected you to be. I have no idea if that passion and excitement will carry over to next season, but I love it and will count down the days to the start of the 2012 season with renewed passion for the Orioles. Let's Go O's!