Following a sports team for so long as I have with the Baltimore Orioles you realize players change teams frequently. You also realize that you have to be careful which players you root for. Players come and go, and some do things that make you embarrassed to admit you rooted for them (I'm looking at you Raffy). However, there is one Oriole, well now former Oriole that I will always hold in high regard. That man is Robert Andino.
Look at that smile. How could you not love the guy? He is just so infectious. He is a happy and inviting athlete in an era of self-centered egomaniacs. He is excited to play the game and doesn't act like a victim. He gave you everything he had night in and night out. He was a team guy and we as Orioles fans loved the guy for it. Most of all he was happy to be a Baltimore Oriole and made others happy to be Orioles too.
All of this made me love him. I am not the only one either. Robert Andino, his smile and the way he played the game made him my wife's favorite player. She thought he was just such a friendly guy and she loved the way he approached the game. Both of us thought Andino was a breath of fresh air on this team. My son even smiled when Andino and Davis came to bat in the playoffs. I mean people notice how he carried himself. Everyone noticed even the youngest amoung us. Andino was a gamer and a true Oriole.
I will continue to root for Robert Andino as he moves on to Seattle. I hope that he is incredibly successful with the Mariners for the impact that he had on my team. He is the ultimate Oriole and we will always appreciate him. We will never forget how he knocked the Red Sox out of the playoff picture in 2011. That single and the fire he brought to that game sparked the Oriole turnaround. That moment set the tone to the entire 2012 playoff run. It is absolutely about how you finish and Robert Andino helped us finish 2011 on an incredibly high note. He helped end 14 years of intimidation in the AL East. 14 years of backing down and giving up ended there. Ended because of Robert Andino. Thank you to him for that. I for one will never forget.
It is not all doom and gloom with this move. With the addition of Alexi Casilla and with Brian Roberts working his way back it means there was less room for Andino. Add to that the fact that the 2nd baseman of the future (Shoop) might be ready next year, we knew that Andino might be leaving, but it doesn't make it less sad. That being said, we needed a backup outfielder, we needed defense, and we needed speed. Trayvon Robinson can be our 4th outfielder, he has speed, and he can play solid defense. The guy we got could be good. Dan Duquette has not failed us yet with any moves and I am excited to have Trayvon aboard. I will miss that Andino guy though as excited as I am for some speed.
The stuck out tongue has got a long way to go before it measure up to the smile though. Robinson has some big shoes to fill. He is a guy that we hope can fill the void. If the only games Robinson misses are to see the birth of his son and be present for his kids like Andino, I will be incredibly happy. However, I get the feeling that Robert Andino is a rare baseball player. He is a rare athlete and a rare person.
All the best to you Mr. Andino. Thanks for the memories and thanks for changing the losing culture. We will always have that game against Boston.
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