38 miles separate Nationals Park and Camden Yards; this past Tuesday 21 minutes separated the final outs that would clinch the NL East and the AL East for the Nationals and Orioles respectively. Not since 2004 when the Dodgers and Angels clinched on the same night, had two teams in the same metro area locked up their divisions within a couple commercial breaks of each other. It made for great television, as MASN and MASN2 featured extended post game shows that covered both celebrations.
As this past February was drawing to a close, the Baltimore Orioles were in Sarasota preparing for Spring Training, their fan base was bickering over a disappointing off season, GM Dan Duquette was searching the leftovers of the free agent market and Nelson Cruz was sitting in the Dominican Republic, weighing his future.
A cold, empty Camden Yards eagerly awaited what the 2014 season would bring.
Things sure have changed in Birdland, as the Orioles have the biggest division lead in baseball (7 games at this moment) and Nelson Cruz, the man without a home in February, is tied with Giancarlo Stanton and Jose Abreu for the league lead in home runs.
