Watching The Window Close On Your Team Being Competitive Is The Most Heartbreaking Feeling In Sports

With the news of Zach Britton being traded last night to the Yankees, I was forced to sit on my couch and think about how the window for the Orioles competing has closed and the team is moving on. It’s a weird feeling and absolutely sucks when it happens. As for the trade if you’re an Orioles fan you can read RDT’s take here and if you’re a Yankees fan, here’s Hubbs take on the trade.

Now, I get it. The Orioles sucked all year and weren’t competing this year. That’s not really the point here. It’s the fact that they are moving on because of how much they mismanaged the window. For five years the Orioles won the most regular season games in the AL. That’s a decent enough timeframe to where they should have contended more. They made the playoffs three times, losing in the ALDS, ALCS and Wild Card game.

As a sports fan there may be nothing more disheartening than knowing the time is over. As an Orioles fan I have a soft spot for the core group of that 2012-17 run. Guys like Manny Machado, Adam Jones, Chris Davis, Zach Britton, Darren O’Day, Nick Markakis and Jonathan Schoop. You see, I don’t have the privilege of cheering for a team like the Red Sox or Yankees that compete pretty much every year, so these five year windows are a special time in the world of my fandom.

It’s always a weird feeling to see it happen in person. I was at a game back in June and the fans were just there to sendoff Manny. Seeing that in person almost makes your heart drop for a second. When you can physically see an organization punting on winning and trying to start fresh, you know it’s going to be some time until you can see a winner again. I’m 31 years old and have only seen two windows where the Orioles have competed. Those mid/late 90s teams and the 2012-17 era. So by that estimation I can watch a team competing again in the 2030s.

I know most of the people here are Yankees/Red Sox fans so you can’t really relate. As for everyone else that has seen a team’s window close and have to watch guys get traded that you hold a soft spot for, just know I’m here with you. It’s the worst thing to see in sports as a fan and I’d do anything to see a competitive team soon.