I've been sorta busy lately and unable to post as much as I want to and unable to get down to the real heart of the matter about this Baltimore Orioles team that we all so love and cherish, but now that I have a few late night minutes again I want to make a few things very clear.

I love Gary Thorne and Jim Palmer. I LOVE them. They're like My Two Dads this season. Thorne occasionally seems like he could not care less about the O's, and Jim can still be an arrogant dude occasionally, but they have gelled into one of the best commentary teams in baseball. Yeah, occasionally they get very commentator-y and dopey about things like walks and Melvin Mora's batting average with runners in scoring position and how this relates to his All-Star chances, but these guys have found a rhythm together and they are just a whole lot of fun.

For one thing, Gary Thorne seems absolutely like he's gone old school and has started tippin' a few back Harry Caray style during the ballgames. This is not an insult from me or the rest of you that have noticed this. We love it, Gary. Never change. Keep bringing that goofy, loose demeanor. If you have to throw back a few belts of scotch to feel ready to do your best, then by God you do it. You are killing us.

Case in point, the game tonight (well, last night). There was a point where Thorne LOST IT and was hanging off of Palmer trying not to fall down laughing. That is good television. THAT is good broadcasting. That is what I want to see. And Thorne finding his dry sense of humor again has led to Jim being as good as he's ever been. Jim has always been occasionally funny and very well-spoken, but now he really feels like part of the team, you know what I'm saying? He seems like he's enjoying his job for the first time in years. It's a hoot.

The days that Hunter and Buck step in just spoil all the fun. Get Gary and Jim on the road. This is the A-team.

I also want to make note of how much Anita Marks commercials are alternately frightening me (the one for the Maryland lottery where her neck appears to be a living entity with its own hopes and dreams) and just annoying the crap out of me (the one for her radio show where I get to see her clumsily throw balls while a gentleman in an empty stadium has a second discovering of his special area). Does anyone really listen to Anita Marks because they like her? I know I'm not in market, but I've heard her show plenty of times via the wonders of the modern world. It's awful. I'm not in the minority there, right? "That girl is sassy!" is pretty bland. Maybe if the tagline was "That girl knows things and has interesting things to say about said things she knows!" it'd work for me.

I hate most sports media figures anyway. After all, I am in my underpants. Mountain Dew is the BEST.

I wish I could tell Amber Theoharis to stop wearing shirts with short, puffy sleeves. They make her look weird.

Those MASN commercials with the commentators are terrible. There should be one starring Gary where he walks down the street and re-enacts that scene from Anchorman. "Hey! Lady in the red hat!"

Or one where Jim socks Squinty right in the nose.

Rick Dempsey should not be allowed to speak. And he should absolutely not be allowed to eat tortilla chips on film and sloppily lick them away from his moustache area in mid-sentence.

There's so much more, but I'm too focused on that win. What a game.