Matthew Taylor: Here's my connection to the Orioles, what's yours?

I returned to Nashville, Tenn., on Wednesday evening after a visit to my beloved hometown in Baltimore. It's never easy to leave. It was soothing to listen to the Orioles radio broadcast that night as I prepared dinner in my house away from home. I haven't lived in the Baltimore area for nearly a decade now, but no matter how far I go, the Orioles always bring me closer to home.

There are seemingly endless love songs expressing the sentiment that the object of one's affection feels like home. Wherever that person goes, you're at home as long as you're with them. It's a beautiful sentiment. Thanks to the Orioles, I can feel like I'm home for a few hours each night throughout the season.

I've been blogging about the Orioles on Roar from 34 for 10 years. I've participated in MASNsports.com's guest bloggers program from the time it started in 2011. I'd like to use my first post of the 2016 season to introduce myself (or reintroduce myself, as the case may be) to readers in this space and to start what I hope will be a season-long conversation.

If you visit Roar from 34, you'll find plenty of content that you'd expect to see on a baseball blog. There's discussion of games and performances, there are reviews and analysis. What makes my blog different, as I see it, is the focus on Orioles history along with my personal connection with the team. Those topics are connected at several points, as my own history with the O's runs deep.

I've written before that I consider Orioles baseball to be a conversation between generations in my family. I have memories of both of my grandfathers that connect to the local nine; I enjoyed special days and nights at both Memorial Stadium and Camden Yards with my father, my family and my friends. And I now find myself passing on my love for the Orioles to my own son and daughter.

I penned a message for my son after he was born that provided life lessons for an Orioles fan. I've shared my thoughts on nearly losing my dad following his cardiac event last year. And I've celebrated the joy of my father and my son being together to experience the simple joy of a baseball game after dad got a second chance at life.

It's not just about my history. I respect the greatness of this franchise and the players who took the diamond before my time. That's why I cover Orioles history each Friday in Flashback Friday posts. This year's Flashback Friday posts will focus exclusively on the 1966 team in honor of the Orioles' first World Series title.

If I've learned anything during a decade of blogging, it's that there is a fun community of Orioles fans out there. Just this past Monday I enjoyed opening day with the guys from Bird's Eye View, a connection I may not have made had it not been for my blog and their podcast.

You'll find a sampling of voices of dedicated Orioles fans through this guest bloggers program. Your voices are equally as important as ours, and I hope you'll share them with me throughout the season in the comments section of my weekly posts.

So let's get the conversation started. What's your story? What made you an Orioles fan? Why does the team continue to capture your interest?

Thanks for reading. Here's to a great 2016.

Matthew Taylor blogs about the Orioles at Roar from 34. Follow him on Twitter: @RoarFrom34. His ruminations about the Birds appear as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our site. 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.