Baltimore Orioles Annals: A History of Class and Inadequacy

Article by Jax Finnister

From the top of the standings, to the Bottom of the cellar, the Baltimore Orioels have been both bottom-dwellers and champs in their storied history.

The Orioles commenced theclub’s stay in Baltimore in 1954. Before this, they were the St. Louis Browns (and fleetingly before that they were the original Milwaukee Brewers).

Even though the club lost a hundred games that year, they made a deal that would in the long run help the team to develop into one of the leading clubs in the game — they signed up Paul Richards as manager/general manager. Richards helped to instill sound baseball basics in the organization from top to bottom. These basics would soon take root and produce championship caliber teams for decades into the future.

But these championships would not come right away. It took an additional three years for the team to arrive at the .500 mark. By and by, however, the organization was brimming with high-caliber young players. It would only demand a little experience for the team to come together.

A crucial component of the club coming together was the hiring of Lee MacPhail. MacPhail helped to shore up the club’s scouting staff — an additional prompt that would assist the Orioles well in years to come.

Despite the fact Richards was an important facet in getting the team off the ground, he left the Orioles in 1961 before they achieved great success. He accepted a position as general manager for the Colt 45s in Houston.

In 1964, future Orioles great, third baseman Brooks Robinson, had a marvelous season. Always a defensive ace, Robinson showed up strong on the offensive side and won the MVP, and the Orioles competed for the coveted American League pennant in a three-way race with the White Sox and the Yankees.

Although they didn’t win the pennant that summer, the club could be said to have finally arrived. They were serious contenders and an organization to be reckoned with.

In the wintertime of 1965 the Orioles traded for superstar Frank Robinson. That move was the final chunk of the puzzle for the Orioles. Robinson won the MVP trophy in 1966, and the Orioles won the World Series — sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in four straight games.

Three years later, in 1969, the Orioles would be back in the World Series (this time against the New York Mets). Even though they lost this series, it would the beginning of the three consecutive years that the team went to the World Series. They would take the series once more in 1970, but then give up the title the Oakland A’s in 1971.

In the ’71 year, four Orioles pitchers were able to to win twenty game each (Jim Palmer, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, and Pat Dobson). This accomplisment had never been done before and has never been repeated since.

Although the Orioles would miss the playoffs the following year, they wouldonce again see the postseason the next two years (1973 and 1974).

Although the team would be replete with well-known names to baseball fans all over, the O’s didn’t manage to return to the playoffs another time until 1979, a year that garnered the Cy Young Award for pitcher Mike Flanagan. The team also returned to the World Series that season; yet, they lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

All through the most distinguished years up this point, the Orioles field boss was the great Earl Weaver. Weaver, recognized for his strange personality and dedication to statistics, was an trailblazer. Following the 1982 summer, however, Weaver left and was replaced by Joe Altobelli. Altobelli and a young player named Cal Ripken, Jr. helped lead the Orioles to an additional World Series championship the next year. Ripken also won the MVP in that season.

The next five summers or so would be toilsome ones for the the organization. They would be wtiness to losing records and record-setting losing streaks (0-21 to start the 1988 season).

In 1992, there was an aura of revival as the organization moved from it’s old territory in Memorial Stadium on 33rd Street to the brand new Oriole’s Park at Camden Yards. For all that it would require another few seasons before the Orioles would see the playoffs again in 1996 and 1997.

In 1998, the team’s misfortune returned, and they went from a playoff club to a losing summer. While replete with faith at various times since, the Orioles have not seen a winning year since the 1997 season.

Today, the Orioles have a refreshed sense of optimism and a young club of promising players. As they scrap to get back .500 baseball, and eventually another World Series, Orioles fans far and wide hope the future will be as outstanding as the past.