Baltimore fans always show support for the Orioles on Opening Day. Then the optimism fades as the losses mount.
But at Camden Yards stadium Monday, fans, players and team management said they had every reason to feel good about the direction of the Orioles - and not just because of a 10-5 victory over the New York Yankees, their biggest rival.
In many respects, the Orioles' future appears brighter than it has in years.
The club has signed its two best players, Nick Markakis and Brian Roberts, to long-term contracts.
Gifted young outfielders Adam Jones and Felix Pie are in the big leagues and expected to improve this season.
Catcher Matt Wieters and starting pitchers Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman are consensus top-50 prospects in baseball and could arrive soon.
"Really, the best is yet to come," said Orioles manager Dave Trembley.
"We have better players on the way than what we've had in our system in a long time."
Yet even after 11 straight losing seasons, a record crowd of 48,607 showed up Monday, helped by a contingent of Yankees fans.
They saw Roberts and Jones lead the Orioles to a 6-1 lead, knocking out Yankees ace C.C. Sabathia, and then add four runs in the eighth inning to put the game away.
Orioles fans belted out the "O" during the "Star-Spangled Banner," cheered wildly when Roberts and Markakis were introduced and roared with thunderous boos any time hometown boy-turned-New York Yankee Mark Teixeira came to the plate.
"Starting last year and definitely now, it feels good to be an O's fan," said Stephen Decker of Bel Air. "I haven't felt that for a while.
"With the Ravens, you're always proud to go out and say you're a fan, but for a long time you couldn't do that with the Orioles."
"Yeah, the stigma is slowly going away," said his friend, Paul Dircks of Baltimore.
Veterans such as Roberts and Markakis saw the emerging talent during spring training, and the anticipation has lifted spirits in the Orioles clubhouse, Trembley said.
"They can see the light," he said of his established stars.
Fans see it as well.
Decker sounded almost pleased at the idea of enduring another losing season while the youngsters develop.
"It takes time to win the right way and by that, I mean to draft good players and develop them," he said. "I don't want to win the way the Yankees have by just buying a bunch of guys."
