In the 2008 season, the Baltimore Orioles were off to a somewhat slow start with a record of 29-30. This is to be expected with a number of pre-season transactions including the hiring of new coaches Kranitz and Shelby in addition to two big trades involving thirteen players. Once this team develops a sense of chemistry, they'll be a competitive team although a World Series title seems doubtful, at least this season. Their roster includes rookie pitchers Radhames Liz and Troy Patton, two of the top 10 prospects in MLB baseball according to Baseball America.
The Baltimore Orioles stared out in Milwakee as the "Brewers" in 1901, but moved in 1902 and became the St Louis Browns. The St. Louis Browns struggled to post a winning season until 1922 when they shocked baseball fans everywhere in almost beating the New York Yankees in a pennant race. The St. Louis Browns had been competing for fans in St Louis with the Cardinals for years until finally the Cardinals proved to be a dependable post-season team, and the town's attention waned in support for the Browns. Because of this and the resulting drop in ticket sales, they moved to Baltimore in 1954 and changed their name to the Orioles, the state bird of Maryland. Their first year in Maryland, the team had little to no success on the field, although they sold more than a million tickets in the season which at that time was an amazing feat. The Baltimore Orioles knew that they were there to stay, and their franchise has flourished since then, winning three World Series titles, six American League pennants, and eight division titles.
