Alexander Pyles, a student in former Sun editor Sandy Banisky's class at the University of Maryland's Philip Merrill College of Journalism in College Park. has written a perceptive article about how the Orioles' 13-year slide into perennial loser status has affected the Maryland Transit  Administration's light rail system.

The article, part of a 12-part project on the effects the Orioles' decline has had on Baltimore, reports that the system has fallen well short of expectations as the crowds that flooded Camden Yards in its early years have waned. It's a very readable series --  and well worth a couple of clicks.

The article does leave one key question unanswered: Is it asking too much of manager Buck Showalter to expect him to turn around the light rail system as well as the team?