All of these wins and hours of scoreboard watching for fans of the Baltimore Orioles – and finally – tonight the city will fill Camden Yards with the “magic” that only a Cal Ripken event can exert for the Charm City.

Alas, no scriptwriter in Hollywood or even a “Major League” movie redux could’ve dreamed up the juiciness that this unexpected Baltimore Orioles pennant run has facilitated this weekend.

Last week, the stands were empty as the AL Central-leading Chicago White Sox came to town.

This weekend, with the New York Yankees on the ropes and the Orioles surging and trailing the Evil Empire by just one game in the AL East, Camden Yards will be buzzing with orange energy for the first time in eight years despite the “premium pricing” methods of Peter Angelos’ staff.

In the land of pleasant living, we call it “Orioles Magic.” Berthed in 1979 under Wild Bill Hagy with Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Rick Dempsey and Earl Weaver, brought to life by a World Series win in 1983 and resurrected duing the “Why Not?” campaign of 1989, the city’s enthusiasm and genuine love for the Baltimore Orioles has been dormant for the better part of 15 years at Camden Yards under the weight of last place and its own evil ownership regime.

But tonight none of that will matter because the Orioles can beat the Yankees and go back into first place in September.

Hard to believe it was 17 years ago tonight that Cal Ripken ran his victory lap amidst the confetti and “One Moment In Time.”

And make no mistake about it, a statue ceremony and a fancy giveaway item would’ve brought plenty of people to Camden Yards tonight no matter the record of the 2012 Orioles.

But what we’re going to witness – or in my case, be a part of – tonight should truly be “magical” for any longtime fan of the Baltimore Orioles.

Despite falling out of first place with last night’s loss in Toronto combined with a Yankees win in Tampa, tonight’s game once again has first place on the line and the 46,000 who are holders of these lucky tickets should be expected to bring full O-R-I-O-L-E-S voices tonight as Camden Yards should erupt with sound where previously it’s been a bunch of excuses and reasons for why the seats are empty.

I’m going to the game tonight. And, yes, I bought a ticket.

Other than “Free The Birds” events, it’s the first ticket I’ve purchased since 2004.

It’s worth going tonight to feel the civic energy and I’ll be bellied up to the centerfield bar soaking in the energy and enthusiasm that I wrote about in 2006 when WNST led the “Free The Birds” movement.

And in as much as some have twisted my words, I’ve never wanted anything more than what we currently have in Baltimore – a relevant baseball team that brings together the community for a common cause.

I’m not sure some fans are really prepared emotionally for what tonight will look and feel like inside Camden Yards.

Internally, many of the longtime employees certainly couldn’t have had any fire drills for this. And the players on the field – Nick Markakis, Adam Jones, the core guys who have only seen the stands full of Yankees or Red Sox fans over the years – should especially soak in the noise tonight because they’ve earned the right to Baltimore’s cheers with their solid play and the excitement they’ve filled our living rooms with this summer.

I think even Derek Jeter will be taken aback because he hasn’t seen anything like this since 1997. Usually, it’s 40,000 Yankees fans beating on the home team.

It won’t be that way tonight.

This is the Baltimore Orioles chance  – players, coaches, employees and ownership alike – to drastically move the needle on the fan

I wrote this a while back. I think more people should read it:

This past Saturday I was one of the 20,000 (if that) that stayed through the three hour rain delay to watch Eddie Murray’s ceremony and to watch the Orioles lose.  I was soaking wet, my voice was hoarse and all for nothing.  Sounds like a sucky night doesn’t it?

Oh, did I forget to mention I went with my seven year old cousin?  Well that’s what made that night worth sitting through all the rain and terrible baseball.  To see a kid who didn’t even know who Eddie Murray was, chant his name at the top of his lungs like he had watched him for years.  To see him usher in the new chants of “MANNY, MANNY!” as the future Orioles star stepped to the plate and scream “CHARGE!” as loud as he could when the horn sounded.

My cousin is a diehard Orioles fan.  We didn’t give him a choice.  So going to the game at the spur of the moment was a heck of a treat for him, but when he found out our seats were in the left field bleachers (where he thought we might catch a home run) his eyes lit up.  To see him run up and down the aisle yelling at the Royals’ Alex Gordon (him even getting yelled at himself by an usher) that’s what going to the games are all about.

He got a foam finger, a picture with the Bird, and most importantly, in his eyes, he got some food.  That boy can eat! I showed him where Eddie and all the other Orioles legends’ numbers were retired above our heads in left field and explained to him why Jackie Robinson’s was up there too.

For that one night I was able to forget about the fact that the Orioles lost.  I was able to even forget about the fact that they are hunting for a playoff spot.  Because all that mattered that night was enjoying ourselves, taking in the experience and being around other drenched fans as we rooted for our team down to the bitter end.

Those are the moments that make going to the games worth it.  We don’t always have to be bitter about how Peter Angelos steals our money and how he has given us nothing but losing baseball for 14 straight years.  We are in the midst of something special right now.  Our beloved O’s are in the playoff race!  There is finally meaningful baseball in Baltimore again.  Besides, every once in a while you can just enjoy going to the game because it’s fun to watch baseball, regardless of the outcome or how well the team is doing.

It doesn’t always have to be a bad experience.  Saturday night should’ve been a bad experience.  They handled the delay terribly, people left before Eddie’s on field ceremony, the team lost.  But I still had a great time.  And I know my cousin had one of the most memorable nights he has ever had.

He got to stay up till two in the morning.  He got to yell at opposing players and call them names (Billy “Butthead” Butler was his favorite insult).  And best of all he got a ball.  Growing up that’s all you ever want at a baseball game.  “A real major league baseball”, as he said holding it in his hands.

We found ourselves in the very last inning and we still hadn’t caught a home run (even though the Orioles pitching gave up a fair amount).  He was on a mission and I wasn’t ready to let him fail so I took him down next to the dugout and told him to ask the players and managers for one.  I sat back a few rows and he would come back every so often and ask why they were being so shy.  I told him to keep asking.

Eventually the game ended and just when it looked as though he wouldn’t get one, a guy came out and tossed him a ball.

That’s a memory he will have forever.  On a crappy night in Baltimore, he didn’t care that the Orioles lost.  He isn’t bitter.  Call it ignorance, call it youth.  He had a great experience.  I say we take a little lesson from him and have fun watching this team for however long they give us.  Who knows what could happen?  Maybe we’ll get a ball too…

After about a three hour rain delay on Saturday, Eddie Murray was recognized as one of six players to be enshrined at Camden Yards with his own statue in center field.  He joined the likes of Earl Weaver, Frank Robinson, Brooks Robinson, Jim Palmer and soon to be, Cal Ripken Jr. as the fixtures in the outfield for as long as the beautiful ballpark stands.  Each are Hall of Famers and rightfully so, as they include some of the best players (and manager) the sport has ever seen.  These men had a major role in not only shaping what was the heyday of the Orioles franchise, but in developing Orioles Park as the stadium you see today.

But since Cal’s retirement, we have all witnessed this team’s demise, which in turn has demolished the spirit of what was once one of the best fan bases in any sport.  In the past twenty years, no one has earned the right to even be considered for such a glorious recognition like Eddie Murray witnessed this weekend.  There have been individuals who had led to the disappointment in the Inner Harbor, which is a now a major part of this franchises’ history.   Obviously, they do not deserve to be next to the likes of the greats in center, but what if we honored those people by making another monument park; maybe next to the dumpster in the parking lot under 95.

Who would make that cut?  This is the list of members of Orioles history, who would be worthy of such a distinction; who should be enshrined with trash and bird droppings underneath the bypass for contributions to the team.

5. Rafael Palmeiro- Though he did enjoy a great deal of success in Baltimore (and may have considered to bear an Orioles lid in his Hall of Fame bust), he disgraced himself and the organization with his antics in front of Congress.  His statue would signify his punch line finger wave, while holding a needle of “B12″ in the other hand.

4. Roberto Alomar- He actually has been elected to the Hall of Fame, but only spent a couple years in Baltimore, not worthy of actual glory.  And with all his greatness, he is remembered as an Oriole for one incident involving some spit and a disgruntled umpire; his statue would reenact that moment.

3. Jeffrey Maier- Maybe no other human being coincides with the O’s demise than Maier and his glove.  Without him, maybe the team gains momentum in a series versus the Yankees onto another championship banner.  Maier doesn’t even deserve his likeness into a statue, so instead it would be a replica of Tony Tarrasco’s reaction from that night.

2. Albert Belle- No player has actually shaped what the franchise has become more than Albert Belle.  His massive contract handcuffed the organizations thought process, and bank account, for the last decade.  His likeness would be a cast of himself, fat and on his couch, with a bag of potato chips in one hand and a money bag in the other.

1. Peter Angelos- Since his taking over the franchise, this fan base has suffered enough heartache to cripple the entire city.  His awful organizational standards and misguided views on running a team have led to the worst stint of Oriole baseball ever.  His statue would not actually be himself, but an actual turd to symbolize how he is viewed by anyone supporting the Black and Orange.