Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose," a smart fellow once wrote. After 10 years without a winning season, the Orioles indeed have nothing left to lose, which has freed team officials to do the unthinkable: Trade top players Miguel Tejada and Erik Bedard, and consider another trade for the popular and talented Brian Roberts.

The team is "rebuilding," exchanging a handful of established stars for a larger pool of promising younger players who are expected to help put the Orioles on the road to success - eventually. And in the meantime, fans will have to remind themselves that patience is a virtue.

It's perhaps inevitable, however, that as the Orioles open their season this afternoon against the Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards, a sense of weary discouragement prevails. This will almost certainly be an 11th straight losing season. Some direly warn of - dare we say it? - a last-place finish for the first time since the team left Memorial Stadium in 1992.

But frankly, all this doom and gloom is wearying too. Sure, it's human nature to prefer a winner. But obsess about the O's losing streak and you risk missing what makes the game special.

Baseball may be about wins and losses, but it's also about the beauty of watching Nick Markakis swing the bat. It's about the thrill of Tike Redman catching the opposing team napping by stealing third base. It's about the drama of whether this season Daniel Cabrera will finally become the winning pitcher that sheer talent suggests he should be.

Expecting so little from the O's this year means that when they pitch that three-hit shutout or tie the game with a ninth-inning homer, it will be that much more of a treat. And maybe - just maybe - they'll finish the season with a better record than anyone has reason to hope for at the moment. After all, as Orioles radio announcer Joe Angel likes to say, "You never know."

Nothing left to lose. Almost refreshing in a way, isn't it?