For Orioles fans, there are times when hating the Yankees evolves from the usual small-minded parochial envy into good, clean fun.
Boy, is this September one of those times.
If you were at Camden Yards the past three nights to watch the Yankees beat up on the Orioles, you saw a classic case of baseball's haves against the have-nots.
Let's look first at the Yankees, who have so much going for them right now it should be illegal.
They have baseball's best record (85-48). They're 34-11 since the All-Star break, best in the majors. They hit home runs as though the opposing pitcher were throwing batting practice.
Their starting pitching is solid, and they simply don't lose when they hand the ball to All-World closer Mariano Rivera (38 saves), which is why you hear all this talk about New York winning its first World Series since 2000.
Things, you might have heard, are slightly different with the Orioles.
The Orioles have fallen apart since the All-Star break. They're scuffling through their 12th straight losing season.
They talk about the future, always the future.
They talk about their promising young pitchers. They talk about an outfield of Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold that could be terrific and a catcher named Matt Wieters who has been hyped as the next Johnny Bench.
But in the clubhouse, especially after yet another beat-down, you get the feeling everyone's just playing out the string and going home to dig a set of golf clubs out of the closet for the offseason.
Then there were the crowds at Camden Yards the past three nights.
If you were there, it seemed as if at least two-thirds of the fans were in blue jerseys and blue caps and chanting "Let's go, Yankees!" and greeting Rivera with standing ovations as though this were 161st Street in the Bronx.
But it wasn't. It was just the usual wave of Yankees fans blowing into town like the Hell's Angels and taking over the joint, which we've seen for years around here.
If you remember the proud days of this franchise, which seems like 200 years ago now, it's still enough to make your heart break.
Here's a moment from this series I won't soon forget:
After the Yankees beat the Orioles, 9-6, Tuesday night, clubbing five homers, Orioles manager Dave Trembley was asked whether this Yankees lineup was the best he has faced this year.
For a moment, Trembley stared off into space.
