Pilgrims in an Unholy Land

Tonight the NTP crew takes a long trip up a short parkway for our annual visit to enemy territory. And naturally, tonight the Blowrioles decide to trot out one of their two decent starting pitchers, Moneyball draftee and recent reclaimation project Jeremy Guthrie. So we're probably in for three hours of rampant disease, malfunctioning Jumbotrons, and Jeremy Guthrie's first no-hitter. But c'est la vie say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell. At worst we'll leave with a season split, and nine more months of not even having to think about Bal'mer, hon.

Perusing the Orioles blogs in preparation for this series, I believe I have identified a key stumbling block in the development of a natural Washington-Baltimore rivalry. The Nats and Os are seriously hamstrung by sharing a common enemy: Peter Angelos. Down here in Natopia it's common to assume that we hate Darth Pete. And that's true, but it's a calculated, dispassionate sort of hate. Up Dundalk way they hate Havana Pete with the fiery passion of a thousand burning suns. Orioles fans hate Angelos infinitely more than we ever will, or ever could. And rightly so.

So we'll go to Camden Yards, and boo the Birds, and the Baltimorons will descend on GEICO/XM-Sirius/Raytheon/BET/Stupid Flanders Park and heckle the Nats. But until that glorious day when both fanbases unite in rapturous harmony as Angelos is ridden out of OPACY on a rail, we'll have far to much in common to ever be proper rivals. Damn you Peter Angelos, the nascent Os-Nats rivalry is just one more thing you've ruined.