Baltimore Orioles Tickets

2009 Baltimore Orioles Baseball Season Preview

The 2009 season will prove to be a tough road for the Orioles, as they play in what is universally viewed as the toughest division in Major League Baseball, the American League East. The Red Sox, Yankees and Rays are considered perhaps the top three franchises in the league, and it will be on the O's shoulders to prove they belong in the same breath as these elite teams.

This was a long off-season for the Orioles franchise, revamping a majority of their roster with new players, from prospects to veteran free agents. This season may not be the year they compete for the AL East title, but with the savvy acquisitions of the 2009 off-season may have set them up to compete in the seasons to come.

One of the biggest reasons for fans in Baltimore to look forward to the 2009 season is the potential arrival of stud prospect Matt Wieters. Ranked as the top prospect in the Major League Baseball, the top-flight catcher combines solid defensive skills with tremendous power hitting potential. As with Evan Longoria and the Rays last season, Wieters will provide a spark of youth and will undoubtedly launch plenty of home runs out of Camden Yards much to the delight of the Orioles faithful.

Even with the infusion of youth on the Orioles baseball roster, the front office made sure to keep some of the veteran leadership from years past. They agreed to a long term contract with MLB All-Star second baseman Brian Roberts, who has consistently been one of the best lead-off hitters in the league. His consistent defense at second combined with his speed and contact hitting ability provide a great example for the top prospects that will get a chance during the upcoming baseball season.

While expectations may be low for the 2009 MLB season for the Baltimore Orioles, they will be trying to repeat the history that was made by the Tampa Bay Rays last season. If the team can get solid pitching, limit mistakes on the baseball diamond, and get timely hits, the Orioles may surprise everyone and squeak into the MLB Playoffs.

About Baltimore Orioles Baseball

Back in 1953, Major League Baseball owners unanimously decided bring a baseball franchise to Baltimore moving the Browns franchise, then located in St. Louis, to Maryland city. Named after the official bird of the state, the "Orioles" have seen plenty of success in the more than half a century in Baltimore. They also play in what is regarded as one of the premier ball parks in baseball, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. With the iconic warehouse beyond the right field wall, as well as great food like crab cakes and hot dogs available from the many vendors, attending an Orioles game is where memories are made.

After moving to Baltimore, the O's did not see immediate success finishing 54-100 in their inaugural season. Even though they had a losing season, fan support in the city did not waiver as over one million fans bought tickets for the baseball season. The Orioles became contenders in the American League by 1960, behind players like Brooks Robinson and Milt Pappas. But it wasn't until the team traded Milt Pappas, along with two other role players, to acquire Frank Robinson that the team became championship contenders. In 1966, behind some timely hitting and pitching, the they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers to win the World Series. The team followed that success with multiple trips to the fall classic including their second World Series title in 1970.

It was 1982 when the history of the franchise, and Major League Baseball, changed when shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. made his MLB debut. Ripken quickly made his mark on the birds, when in 1983 he helped lead them to their third World Series Championship. But it was just the beginning of what Cal Ripken would accomplish during his illustrious baseball career. Ten years after making his debut, he hadn't missed a game in an Orioles uniform. He was at 1,735 consecutive games, and reaching the iron man record of consecutive games played was in sight. Then in 1995, with all of America watching, he reached the milestone of 2,131 consecutive games played surpassing the original "Iron Man", Lou Gehrig. He announced in 2001 that it would be his last season playing baseball in Baltimore and in the majors. But Cal went out in style, winning the MLB All-Star MVP in his final appearance in the midsummer classic.

Since Ripken's retirement, the O's have been trying to recapture the glory of his best years. But bad breaks and lackluster rosters, they have yet to reach that goal. It has not been any help to them playing in the American League Eastern Division, the toughest division in Major League Baseball. Having to play nearly 80 baseball games every season versus the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays would be tough for anyone in baseball.

Baltimore Orioles - Resources

• Official Baltimore Orioles Web site

Baltimore Orioles - Trivia

• Cal Ripken ended his consecutive games played streak on September 20, 1998 with a record 2,632 games played, which is more then 500 more games then the previous record held by Lou Gehrig.
• On their way to their second World Series title, the Baltimore Orioles boasted three twenty game winners with Dave McNally (24-9) Mike Cuellar (24-8) and Jim Palmer (20-10) all accomplishing the feat.
• It has been a tradition to play John Denver's 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy' during the seventh inning stretch. A tradition that began when in 1975, the owner of the team wanted to play more pop music to reach out to the younger fans.

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