On the eve of what is likely to be the Orioles' 11th consecutive losing season, I think it's important to pose an appropriate question. Because, as we all understand, the excitement of Opening Day will fade soon enough. The beer will get warm, and the peanuts will go stale. In a few weeks, the harsh reality of the state of Charm City's baseball franchise will still be there, staring us in the face.
So, let us ask: What's your breaking point?
Everyone has one. Everyone can reach a point with his connection to a sports franchise when he wakes up and realizes: "You know what? This team no longer deserves me. They have taken advantage of my loyalty. They have stomped on it one too many times, and now, in the interest of my emotional well-being, I withdraw it completely." Maybe the Orioles have not reached that point for you just yet. Maybe you're the most patient fan there is, and maybe you see light where others see darkness. You believe in the rebuilding effort and will continue to fork over your hard-earned money for tickets, even in this troubling economic climate.
But, be aware, you are becoming scarce in number. And your voice carries more weight than ever before with fewer and fewer people showing up at the ballpark. So, in the interest of the franchise, it's important to know: At what point do you cry uncle?
Because for some fans, that ship sailed long ago. Maybe it was Albert Belle and his arthritic hip. Or maybe it was the boneheaded decision to take the words "Baltimore" off the Orioles' road jerseys. Maybe it was Mike Mussina's departure, Sammy Sosa's signing or Rafael Palmeiro's finger-wagging speech in front of Congress.
Either way, you stayed when so many others did not. You stuck with the team - rebuilding effort after rebuilding effort - perhaps out of stubbornness, civic pride or spite, even when so many others felt that all their goodwill had been squandered.
But I don't believe that you, the true die-hard, will put up with disappointment and scandal forever. And I'm not sure the Orioles understand that. They say that they do, but how do we know? Is this current rebuilding effort the proof? Or is it more of the same?
The Orioles are not yet the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team that pockets money from revenue sharing and continues to slash payroll. But that doesn't mean they never will be. It's easy to dismiss the complaints of the wine-and-cheese crowd, but when the true believers speak up, it's harder to ignore.
So, name your endgame. If it doesn't get better, when do you wash your hands of this franchise? Or are you with it to your bitter end?
Send me an e-mail, and we'll run some of them in a new blog we're starting next week on baltimoresun.com, called The Life of Kings. The name is, in part, an homage to one of this city's greatest scribes, H.L. Mencken, a true rabble-rouser who believed in speaking truth to power.
Mencken would have had plenty to say about the demise of the Orioles, and frankly, so should you.
kevin.vanvalkenburg@baltsun.com