Holy Cal

Leave it to the Bad Oriole to rain on the Cal Ripken Hall of Fame send-off ceremony tonight at Camden Yards.

Don't get me wrong. Cal Ripken is my favorite baseball player of all time. I grew up watching him. On the baseball field, I wanted to wear number 8.

In short, I wanted to to be him.

But I can't help but get the same sinking feeling every time the Orioles trot out one of their former greats. Yes, tonight's ceremony is legit. It's not like tonight is Boog Powell bobblehead night. Cal is being inducted into the Hall of Fame this Sunday. I wish I was going myself, but plans fell through so I'll have to watch it on TV.

That said, it's time for the Orioles to start making new memories instead of dredging up old ones and charging an admittance fee for the nostalgia. Cal, Brooks, Palmer, Boog... all of these guys are Orioles greats... but the Orioles rely too much on them.

Tonight will be emotional, watching Cal address the very fans who watched him throughout his career right before he heads off to Cooperstown. But this fan can't help but wonder when we're actually going to have something to cheer about that didn't occur 20 years ago.