Baltimore Orioles: The longest two weeks

Jul 8, 2013; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles second baseman Alexi Casilla (12) bats in the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Rangers defeated the Orioles 8-5. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

It already seems like a month ago that the Baltimore Orioles clinched the American League East pennant and that Adam Jones was running around the field high-fiving the fans and even pieing a couple of them.

As long-suffering Orioles fans, we always thought it would be great fun to totally destroy the opposition and run away with a title. Watch out what you wish for, I guess. Hey, this is better than being eliminated before the kids go back to school, don’t get me wrong.

In 1997, the Baltimore Orioles finished 98-64, two games ahead of the Yankees.

In 1983, they had the same final record and finished six games ahead of the Tigers and seven in front of the Yanks.

In 1979, the final record was 102-57, which was good for an eight-game advantage over the Brewers.

In 1973-74 – two years where the Orioles failed to make the World Series – they won the AL East by two games and eight games respectively.

To get into double-figure margins, you have to go back to the incredible years of the 1969-71, when the Orioles won by as many as 19 games over the Tigers in ’69, by 15 over the Yankees is ’70, and by 12 over the Tigers in ‘71.

I was a teenager then, and an Orioles fan, but I don’t remember the wait for the playoffs to have seemed so interminably long as it does this year. Some of that is probably because the Baltimore Orioles at that time were simply massively better than any other team in the league. Each of those years, the Birds won the League playoffs 3-0 – twice over the Twins and once over the A’s.

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It seems that this interval of time gives us as fans something to just worry about – relative to the drop in intensity and the ability of the key players to be at their best when the games really count again.

The defense has particularly gone awry in recent games, although that would stand to reason when there is a different lineup every evening.

And the Orioles have our old friend Alexi Casilla batting leadoff and playing third base – a position he has only played a handful of times in the major leagues more than I have. That is a true statement. Did anyone see this one coming? Does anyone understand what it means? I have no idea.