The North American Sports Almanac: Baltimore Orioles

The legendary original Baltimore Orioles of the American Association, here in 1896

The history of sports in America is now long enough that more of it is forgotten than remembered. The Baltimore Orioles were once the St. Louis Browns. St. Louis, like Philadelphia and Boston, was once a two-team town. Even “back then” the economics of it didn’t really make sense, so the Browns were at the forefront of baseball’s great post-war realignment, moving to Maryland in 1954. Once there, they themselves paid homage to fading history, renaming the team after an old 1890s American Association powerhouse. They’ve been caught up in the sweep of history ever since, sometimes featuring, sometimes receding. As sports have exploded in America with leagues doubling in size and the playoffs becoming multi-month affairs, there’s simply not room for everyone to be mythologized at once. For every New York Yankees, there’s a Baltimore Orioles. The O’s participate more than most. But again, for every Earl Weaver or Cal Ripken Jr., there’s been a lengthy playoff interregnum. The Orioles have had three playoff gaps of at least 10 seasons since 1954. The longest was 14 years. Although that will be harder to do going forward under the league’s expanded postseason, it’s an apt symbol for the game’s middle class. The Orioles are not irrelevant. They will also never be the Dodgers.

The North American Sports Almanac: New York Giants

The New York Giants have played in New Jersey since 1976. If that seems like a rather rude way to greet you, it’s by design. Although the Maras and Tisches who have long owned this franchise have always tried to project a more cultured manner, there’s something a

The North American Sports Almanac: Charlotte Hornets

When I think of the Charlotte Hornets, I think of T-shirts. Maybe with a giant, funky wasp, or perhaps an airbrushed Alonzo Mourning. Before the internet and social media, we had fewer outlets to express ourselves, and corporate T-shirts were just one of the ways you did it in the

The North American Sports Almanac: The Athletics

Slowly circumnavigating the United States, the “Athletics” are our most vagabond franchise. Originally from the northeast in Philadelphia, there have been waystations in the midwestern plains (Kansas City) and Pacific expanse (Oakland). They plan to soon begin the long journey back eastward with a decades-long residency in Las Vegas’ sun