The streak continues.

Not the number of consecutive games in which Brian Roberts has hit safely.

Not Barry Bonds and home runs.

Not Barry Bonds and intentional walks.

Not the number of days the Yankees have spent in a place other than first.

No, the streak I'm referring to has to do with the relationship between my behavior and the outcome of Orioles' games.

After last night's 11-3 pasting of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Orioles' record stands at 10-5.  And it just so happens that I have watched or listened to essentially all of nine of the team's ten wins.  I listened to part--the critical part--of that tenth win.  I have not listened to a single pitch of any of the team's five losses.

It started on opening night, Sunday, April 4.  The game, of course, was televised on ESPN and I saw it.  The Orioles whipped the Red Sox, 7-2.  After a Monday off-day, the Orioles hosted the Red Sox again on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 6.  I was tied up that entire day and unavailable to listen to the game via MLB.com's Internet feed.  The Orioles lost, 4-1.  The next night I was again unavailable and the Orioles were pounded, 10-3.  But on Thursday, April 8, I was present and listened to every pitch of the Birds' 3-2, 13-inning, four hour and 37 minute win over Boston.

The pattern continued in the series with the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg.  I wasn't around on Friday, April 9 and the Orioles dropped a 4-3, 10-inning decision to Tampa Bay.  On Saturday, I heard the Orioles hammer the Rays 11-3, but I couldn't listen in on Sunday and the Orioles were clobbered, 10-1.

The one semi-exception to the streak came on Thursday, April 15, when the Orioles finally played the Red Sox at Fenway Park after a pair of rain outs.  I was away that evening and when I returned home I checked the score, expecting a final...but in fact, the game was tied 7-7 in the 10th inning.  I quickly tuned in the game, just in time to hear Miguel Tejada break the tie with his first home run of the year.  I was listening as the Orioles tallied four more runs that inning and went on to the 12-7 11th inning victory.  I didn't hear the whole game, but I did hear the winning run, and the game's final outs.

By now you can guess the rest of the story.  

I heard all three of the Orioles wins at Skydome in Toronto--Matt Riley's seven innings of one-hit ball in the opener; Kurt Ainsworth effective seven innings and Larry Bigbie's game-winning home run in the second game; Brian DuBose's seven shutout innings in an Orioles' rout in the finale.

I listened as the Orioles slashed the Devil Rays 9-1 behind Sidney Ponson's 88-pitch complete game at Camden Yards on Tuesday.  On Wednesday, I had some things to take care of early in the evening and by the time I got home and checked the score, Tino Martinez had just hit a three-run homer off Riley to put Tampa Bay ahead 6-0 in the fifth inning.  I didn't bother tuning in and, of course, the Orioles lost, 7-3.  On Thursday, I was listening, wondering if the streak might finally be compromised.  The Orioles fell behind 3-0 in the second but rallied for four runs of erstwhile Oriole Damien Moss in the fourth only to fall behind again, 6-4, in the sixth on Robert Fick's home run.  But I hung in there and, sure enough, the Birds came back again, pulling to within one run on Rafael Palmeiro's homer in the sixth and taking the lead in the seventh on Melvin Mora's double and Tejada's single.  I was still listening when B.J. Ryan pitched around Luis Matos' error in the eighth to preserve the lead and when Jorge Julio closed out the game with a perfect ninth.

On Friday, despite the rain delay, I hung in there and listened to every pitch of the Orioles' 11-3 win over the Blue Jays as Brian DuBose shook off some early inconsistency and threw seven strong innings while Toronto threw the ball all over the lot.  I was still listening when Buddy Groom got himself into and out of trouble in the ninth, and mopped up the win.

15 games and the record remains consistent and unblemished.

Coincidence?  Hmmmmm........

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