True, attendance took its usual post-opener, non-Yankees-and-Red Sox plunge. But just as true, there is not a viable baseball alternative nearby pulling fans away. Almost without warning, the Orioles reversed course in mid-loyalty drain. They have the sharp front office and the resulting organization-wide improvement. They have the hot prospect their fans can't wait to see in Matt Wieters (as a bonus, he has proper ID). They have more reason to hope for the immediate future and have even survived one week of the season without their starting rotation imploding.
Know what they also have? Sit down and swallow your orange juice for this one. The Orioles also have the more stable, sensible, focused ownership. There's very little to pick at Peter Angelos about the past two years, and certainly not Monday night, with the road jerseys. In Washington, meanwhile, the Lerner family is fighting the city over ... paying the rent?
