The last Orioles game thread of 2017

My dear Camden Chatters. My dear (here there is a long, rambling list of every Camden Chatter - yes, even you). Also my good lurkers that I welcome back at last to Camden Chat. Today is the one hundred sixty-second game of the season. It is one hundred sixty-two today! I hope you are all enjoying yourselves as much as I am.

I shall not keep you long. I have called you all together for a purpose. Indeed, for three purposes! First of all, to tell you that I am immensely fond of you all, and that one hundred sixty-two games is too short a time to blog among such excellent and admirable Orioles fans. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve.

Secondly, to celebrate my final regular season game thread of the year. I should say, OUR final regular season game thread of the year, for it is, of course, also the last regular season Orioles game for you as well, unless a potential tiebreaker counts as regular season? I don't know.

It is also, if I should be allowed to refer to ancient history, almost seven years and two months anniversary since the arrival of Buck Showalter as manager - though the fact that would be so significant slipped my mind at the time. We were 32-73 then, and individual game threads did not seem so important.

The game thread was very splendid, however, though I had a bad cold at the time, I remember, and could only say 'thag you very buch'. I now repeat it more correctly: Thank you very much for coming to our little game threads, night in and night out.

Thirdly and finally, I wish to make an announcement. I regret to announce that - though, as I said, one hundred sixty-two games is far too short a time to spend among you - this is the END. I am going. I am leaving NOW. Good-bye!

**

Don’t worry, I’m not actually going anywhere. It’s just my game 162 ritual to indulge my nerdy side and go on a long Lord of the Rings reference.

For the last several years, the end of the Orioles season has mostly been a sad occasion. It means no more baseball for about six months, after all. And as I’ve said several times over the last couple of weeks, I’m sure that when December rolls around, I’ll be missing any baseball at all. But for right now I’ve seen about enough of these guys and I’m glad when all of this will be over.

Here’s the guys who will be looking to put the O’s in the win column one last time before the season ends: