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Nothing about today in Baltimore screams baseball weather, yet nonetheless the first home Orioles game of the year awaits us. I'm a bit of a curmudgeon about it, to tell you the truth. Opening Day is nigh on a holiday on the calendar. Home opener after you've already played three games? It's worth noting. Maybe I'd be happier about it if the sun was shining and it was 70+ degrees. Maybe I'd be happier about it if I was there.
Everybody is there. The governor is there. The mayor is probably there. A couple of Orioles fan newlyweds from Australia are there on their honeymoon. My friend and predecessor Stacey is there. Maybe you're even there, reading this on your phone from the stadium. It'll be a sell out crowd. There's never a bad time to be in a packed Camden Yards, regardless of the weather. Though of course it'll be a heck of a lot more fun if they win.
Can they do it today? Well, sure, they might. They can win any day, which is part of the fun of watching the Orioles in recent years. I'll feel better if Bud Norris has a good first regular season outing, win or lose. In a perfect world we will not have to watch Edwin Encarnacion and his invisible parrot round the bases today.