Wake me up when September ends

That should be the theme song for the Baltimore Orioles.

Remember when it used to be "Oriole Magic"? Back in... June? The players even made a cute video to go with it.

LOL

After their "high water mark" of 60-63, the Orioles have gone on a 7-24 run. Maybe they decided that they wanted to move up in the 2009 draft. Maybe they remembered that the reporters had predicted them to lose 100 games. Maybe they wanted to make sure that the last series in Yankee stadium went out with a bang -- for the Yankees.

The Orioles were swept, by the way, in a typical doormat fashion. Maybe the Orioles should give the Washington Generals some competition and start hiring themselves out as punching bags for colleges and high schools during their homecoming games.

Hey, the Orioles finally found something they're good at!

After the All Star Break, the Orioles become irrelevant as usual. They might as well be one of Baltimore's many indoor minor-league teams. The Bandits. The Bayrunners. The Blast.

When was the last time you cared about the Orioles after August 1st?

Really... it's depressing.

The Orioles looked to be much-improved after the Bedard and Tejada trades netted them a good group of young(er) players that injected the organization with youth and talent. But here we are, again, watching the Orioles play out the rest of the season like an employee at a job he hates -- watching the minute hand on the clock approach 5 p.m.

The things that Andy MacPhail need to do this offseason are numerous. Acquire some solid starting pitching. Get a MLB-quality shortstop. Fill the hole that has existed at 1B since Rafael Palmeiro left after 1998. Extend Markakis, Jones and maybe Roberts. And do all of this while continuing to deepen the talent pool in the minor leagues.

It's a tall order. And when you see the Orioles collapse the way they always do, it only seems to get taller.