Andrew Stetka: A generation of O's fans finally get their taste

A week ago when I wrote in this space, I questioned whether or not Buck Showalter had prepared his team properly for a postseason run. I didn't doubt, so much as wonder if the team was ready after a long layoff between clinching the American League East and starting the playoffs. Never could I have imagined that a week later, I'd be looking forward to the AL Championship Series starting in Baltimore after watching the Orioles slay what Adam Jones referred to as the "three-headed monster" of the Tigers starting rotation. The O's answered the question emphatically over the last week, and it has given Baltimore baseball fans another reason to smile and believe that even more great moments are ahead. I was 8 years old the last time the Orioles played in an ALCS. I remember it vividly, only because I was so close to it all. With a family member that worked in the organization, I got the chance to attend all the games and be part of celebrations after the O's won the Division Series in both 1996 and 1997. The champagne and beer (even at such a young age) flying around an office, the loud bumping music and the pure joy expressed by members of the team's staff carry lasting images. It's one of those things I will never forget, despite being so young. Your quick math will tell you that I wasn't alive the last time the Orioles played for and won a World Series. That's the case for a lot of fans these days. There is an entire generation of fans that are even younger than me and couldn't grasp what the postseason felt like until two years ago. This sudden revival of Baltimore baseball has rejuvenated a fan base that suffered through 14 years of misery. The dark ages of this franchise are finally behind, and one of the most encouraging things to think about is how well the Orioles are set up for the future, as well as the present. As for that present, it's here. The moment is now. The Orioles are all of a sudden thrust into a series with the Kansas City Royals, another franchise that has gone through much of what Baltimore has. K.C. hasn't won the World Series since 1985, just two seasons after the O's last did it. This is their first postseason appearance since that year. To see one of these franchises in the World Series will be wonderful for baseball, but virtually everyone reading this will be hoping it's the guys in orange. The Birds are four wins away from getting that chance, which is remarkable to think about. It goes along with the underdog mentality that has encompassed the organization, and frankly the city of Baltimore, for a long time. The blue-collar mindset that goes with a side of lack of respect from the national media is something the Orioles and Baltimoreans thrive on. It's also part of what has made this newer generation, this younger group of O's fans love it so much. The Orioles are made up of a group of players who have never really gotten their due. Showalter is in that boat as well. He was always looked at as the guy who could only take a team so far. After leading the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers to the edge, it was another skipper that would come in and push them over. Now Showalter finally has his stamp on something that he has built himself. The duo of Showalter and Dan Duquette will now get that moment, and it's going to come over this next series. If they can get by a team that is eerily similar, the national spotlight will be at its brightest in the Fall Classic. Andrew Stetka blogs about the Orioles for Eutaw Street Report. Follow him on Twitter: @AStetka. His thoughts on the O's appear here as part of MASNsports.com's continuing commitment to welcome guest bloggers to our little corner of cyberspace. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our roster of writers.