It was 8-buck night at Camden Yards -- and Nolan Reimold T-shirt Night -- so long lines of stimulated fans formed for upper-reserve tickets starting at about 6 o'clock. You can't beat that deal, even if the teams about to play are losers. The Orioles v. Kansas City. Temperature in the 80s, not too humid, with a little breeze. But cripes, mama: The home team starts a pitcher who is 1-8 with an ERA north of 6, and he allows a two-run homer in the first inning. The Orioles' only All-Star answers with a two-run shot of his own, but over the course of the following innings they strand 11 runners and lose the game in extra innings. It's enough to drive you to lithium. An $8 ticket is no bargain when you go home depressed.

I was optimistic for the second half. I felt something cooking with the Orioles as they went into the All-Star break. The team has talent, young players you can get excited about. This is the great frustration -- nice parts, a mediocre whole. Not enough pitching. Not enough clutch hitting. They're playing in the toughest division in baseball and some nights -- like last night -- it feels as though they're never going to make a run again, that it's not in the master plan. The Orioles are still a valuable franchise, no matter what happens, and in part because of taxpayer-funded Camden Yards. So a cynic can conclude that ownership and management is content with the tease -- making fans believe they've got something cooking, that a new wave of winning is about to break . . . but then it's another long, losing slide through the second half of summer. . . . This has gotten old. Out of the blue -- or maybe because in the moment he sensed around him fans with low and falling expectations -- the usher in my section noted: "First Ravens preseason game is August 13."