We bleed Orange... and we're bleeding out.

   Flash back 14 years... The Orioles are set to make a run to their second consecutive American League Championship Series. Last year was a huge disappointment. We had a team that could have won it all but a young Y%$#ee fan (who will remain unnamed) ripped our hearts out. Now we are poised to make another run and, this time, we're going all the way... Now back to reality. Most of us know how that story ended; Armando Benitez blew a save and the Indians came back and won that series on their way to a defeat at the hands of the fledgling Florida Marlins. 14 losing seasons later the Oriole Faithful are wondering what the hell happened. What caused a once storied franchise (3 World Championships... 4 20 game winners in a season... Cal's Iron Man streak) to suddenly fall into oblivion? Since 2001 the Orioles home attendance numbers have fallen 44%, they haven't even flirted with a winning season since '97 and there hasn't been true staff ace since Mike Mussina turned Benedict Arnold and headed north up I95. As depressing as all this seems, I think the story of the Orioles' decline can be summed up with 5 simple points... So here it goes.

1. The resurgence of the Red Sox and Ya#$%ees... In the 80's and early 90's, these 2 teams were slumping. Boston was still cursed and the Ya$#%ees were hit or miss. Toronto was the powerhouse in the early 90's winning 2 World Championships. Today, Boston has broken the curse and the Ya#$%ees are sadly back to buying all-star teams and winning games. Add to that Tampa Bay's success of the past few years and what used to be a fair fight for the division is now not even a contest. Most Orioles fans (And I think the Orioles front office) see the daunting American League East as unwinable.

2. The ownership... While Peter Angelos may have succeeded in putting a winning product on the field and in building arguably the best ball park in the majors, he has since failed as an owner and failed miserably. Angelos' story is one of failed attempts at buying a winning team (Albert Belle, Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmero round 2, and countless has-been starting pitchers) and total disregard for a fan base that was once one of the best and most loyal in the sport (there was no NFL team and no team in DC). Under Angelos, the Orioles have slowly sank to the bottom of the pay role list and, at the same time, the bottom of the league standings. If Angelos was as fixated on winning as he was with keeping a team out of DC (that worked out well) then maybe the Orange Faithful would not be dwindling faster than ANY OTHER PRO FRANCHISE besides the Indians (and even the Indians managed to excite some fans this year) . Peter needs to go (welcome home Cal Ripken) and until he does, the Orioles will continue to put a half-ass product on the field and the fans will continue to stay home and wait for football season.

3. Bad Drafting... 14 years of losing means 14 years of high draft picks. Look around. What have has the Orioles system produced? Sure, there's Nick and Brian, but beyond them there has been a complete lack of production from the farm system. Pitcher after pitcher has been drafted only to be hurried into the league to boost ticket sales and fail shortly after. To add to the pain, how many picks have we blown on past-their-prime "veterans" who show up 2 or 3 years too late? Don't get me wrong, I think there are several good prospects (Jake Arrieta anybody?) but after 14 long seasons of drafting high, where are the perennial all-stars? Where is the 20 game winner? Where is the end to the sub-par prospect performance? There needs to be serious changes in who and how we draft and until then, there will be little improvement to the farm system.

4. Culture of losing... After 14 years of living in the basement of the American League, the Orioles have succeeded at one thing... Building a culture of losing. The fans expect it, the ownership expects it, hell, the players expect it. There was a spark last year when Buck showed up. The team heated up and finished the last few months of the season with a winning record. The excitement began to build and the start of this seasoned dawned more promising than any in recent memory. It's now September and the team is in last. What's the answer? They don't believe they CAN win. I'm sure I can find a way to blame Peter for this (Although hiring Buck was actually a good move) but I feel like the culture of losing has taken on its own life and the Orioles are the mercy of anybody that can overcome it.

5. Cal is MIA... Cal Ripken Jr. is arguably the most famous and beloved athlete in Baltimore's history (with all due respect to Mr. Unitas). When Cal retired, he took what was left of the Orioles pride with him. I'm not blaming Cal for the O's woes, I'm simply saying when we had Cal, we had a leader, a winner. Nobody has been able to fill those shoes. The fans and players need that leadership figure back on the team, whether he is sitting in the dugout with a lineup card, the front office with Peter's money, or the owner's box with a beer and a pile of crabs. WE NEED CAL BACK. Until he is back on the team is some form, the entire organization will be living off of the ever fading memories of Cal's lap around the warning track in 1995.

   So there you go, 5 reasons the Orioles are stuck in decline. I'm sure I missed parts, but the basic picture is there. The fans are pissed and if something isn't done quickly, Baltimore will once again be a one team town... and that team won't be playing baseball.