Orioles in October
Title:Orioles in October
Rating:PG
Warnings:None
Prompt:Bites
Word Count:1136
Fandom:Supernatural
Summary:Liesel's excited for game 4 of the ALCS - the must win for the Baltimore Orioles. Though she's prepared to switch to rooting for the Giants, should something unthinkable happen, like her favorite team getting swept.Deaf!Dean Verse
Liesel bounded out school on a crisp Wednesday afternoon in October. She couldn't ever remember anticipating a game as much as the one she was waiting for this afternoon. It was Game Four of the American League Championship, and it was a must win for the Baltimore Orioles. She was actually amazed she'd managed to keep focused on any school work today. When your home team is over a thousand miles away, it's a little hard to contain your enthusiasm. Well, technically, Baltimore wasn't home, she had never called that city home, nor any of the area around it. She'd inherited the Orioles the same way her dad had. They had become her team because it was her dad's team, her grandpa's team - and her great-grandpa's (although she'd never met him) team. Although she did harbor some feeling for the San Francisco Giants, being that she was born in California, she couldn't care less about them once the baseball season wound down to October and the Orioles turned the Tigers into hash.
No one else in her class really seemed to care about baseball. Why should they? The Astros and the Rangers had ended in the bottom of their division, heck, they were in the bottom of the whole league. All her classmates had switched to football sometime around Labor Day, possibly before. The only one who remotely understood how she felt was Georgina, who'd gotten her turn to celebrate a World Series victory last year, when the Red Sox won. She'd seen a few things online - she, her dad and grandparents might be the only Orioles fans in Texas. Everyone else in the country seemed to be supporting the team from Kansas City, the Royals. A team that hadn't done, according to her dad, jack-squat since he was six.
Baltimore hadn't been to the World Series since eighty-three, and not been in the playoffs since ninety-seven.
Dad could remember that play-off year, losing in the ALCS to the Cleveland Indians - it'd been disappointing and heartbreaking.
Liesel had to wonder if her dad was secretly rooting for the Royals, since technically, they were his home team - the team that he used to cheer for before he came to live with her grandparents.
She hurried up to her granddad's car and opened the door, dropping her backpack before she got inside. “Hi, Grandad!”
“Hi sweetie.” He smiled at her in the rear-view mirror and then turned to look at her. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good.” She grinned. “Looking forward to the game - and worried at the same time. I didn't think the Orioles would be down three games to none at this point. I would think they would have one at least one game.”
“We're due for a win. Even if it's the only one we win, then at least the Orioles avoid the sweep.” He gave her a smile. “But remember, we may not win. Kansas City has a phenomenal team this year, they beat the Angels in three games, and they had the best record of any team.”
“Dad said the Orioles wouldn't be down three to none if their best hitter hadn't tested positive for Adderall.” She huffed.
“Maybe, honey. Maybe.” He backed the car out into the line of traffic and then they drove out of the parking lot. “It'll be a good game, regardless of how it turns out. Even if the Orioles don't win, they won't just let the Royals win.”
“I know.” She sighed. “We're going to win. The Orioles defeated the Tigers, and they're like, the Yankees of American-Central.”
“It'll be nice.” Her granddad didn't sound so sure. “I just don't want you getting too upset if we don't make it to the World Series.” He gave her a glance in the mirror. “So, Giants or Cardinals?”
“Giants.” She grinned. “If the Orioles don't make it, I want the Giants to win. If I can't have my team of choice, then I'll take the team I sort of inherited when I was born in California.”
“You know, your dad is a Royals fan by birth.” They pulled into the drive of Liesel's house.
“I think he wouldn't mind if they actually won. Didn't you say it didn't matter what team we supported, as long as it wasn't the Yankees?” She grinned as they got out of the car and she punched in the code that opened the garage door.
“Yes, yes I did.” He grinned. “I still remember what it was like when the Red Sox came from behind in '04.”
“I'm sorry, I was an infant, I don't remember that.” They went inside.
“It's okay, maybe the Orioles can pull off a Red-Sox and come from behind to win the series.” Michael Coulter said. “Run upstairs and change, I'll get the TV set up.”
“Sure!” She kicked off her shoes in the mudroom and raced upstairs.
*
Crushed.
That was the only way to describe how Liesel felt. Absolutely crushed. She wasn't certain if she was more upset about the Orioles losing game four, or that they hadn't won any of the previous three. She could probably deal with it better if the ALCS had gone on for five games Baltimore had only won one game.
Swept.
The Orioles had been swept the same way they had swept the Tigers a week ago.
It was a good job that softball was a spring-summer sport, or she'd have to put up with a lot of chatter about how amazing that team in Kansas City was. Well, okay, maybe they were pretty cool. They weren't Orioles cool, but they were definitely better than the Yankees.
“Liesel?” Her dad's voice came from the doorway of her room and she turned and gaped at him. He was wearing a blue shirt that said 'Party Like It's 1985' and it had a Royals logo on it. “You ready to run errands?”
“Almost, just need to change out of my pajamas.” She went over to her dresser as he closed the door behind him and she heard him go downstairs. “If that's how we're going to do this...” She quickly dressed in a black t-shirt with a San Francisco Giants logo on the front of it and jeans before pulled her hair into a braid and tying it with an Orioles scrunchie.
*
Dean caught sight of Liesel's shadow as she came into the kitchen and he looked up and grinned. “Well played, Lis - where did you get that shirt anyway?”
“Goodwill with Granddad.” She replied and they two of them headed out for the day.
Rating:PG
Warnings:None
Prompt:Bites
Word Count:1136
Fandom:Supernatural
Summary:Liesel's excited for game 4 of the ALCS - the must win for the Baltimore Orioles. Though she's prepared to switch to rooting for the Giants, should something unthinkable happen, like her favorite team getting swept.Deaf!Dean Verse
Liesel bounded out school on a crisp Wednesday afternoon in October. She couldn't ever remember anticipating a game as much as the one she was waiting for this afternoon. It was Game Four of the American League Championship, and it was a must win for the Baltimore Orioles. She was actually amazed she'd managed to keep focused on any school work today. When your home team is over a thousand miles away, it's a little hard to contain your enthusiasm. Well, technically, Baltimore wasn't home, she had never called that city home, nor any of the area around it. She'd inherited the Orioles the same way her dad had. They had become her team because it was her dad's team, her grandpa's team - and her great-grandpa's (although she'd never met him) team. Although she did harbor some feeling for the San Francisco Giants, being that she was born in California, she couldn't care less about them once the baseball season wound down to October and the Orioles turned the Tigers into hash.
No one else in her class really seemed to care about baseball. Why should they? The Astros and the Rangers had ended in the bottom of their division, heck, they were in the bottom of the whole league. All her classmates had switched to football sometime around Labor Day, possibly before. The only one who remotely understood how she felt was Georgina, who'd gotten her turn to celebrate a World Series victory last year, when the Red Sox won. She'd seen a few things online - she, her dad and grandparents might be the only Orioles fans in Texas. Everyone else in the country seemed to be supporting the team from Kansas City, the Royals. A team that hadn't done, according to her dad, jack-squat since he was six.
Baltimore hadn't been to the World Series since eighty-three, and not been in the playoffs since ninety-seven.
Dad could remember that play-off year, losing in the ALCS to the Cleveland Indians - it'd been disappointing and heartbreaking.
Liesel had to wonder if her dad was secretly rooting for the Royals, since technically, they were his home team - the team that he used to cheer for before he came to live with her grandparents.
She hurried up to her granddad's car and opened the door, dropping her backpack before she got inside. “Hi, Grandad!”
“Hi sweetie.” He smiled at her in the rear-view mirror and then turned to look at her. “How was your day?”
“Pretty good.” She grinned. “Looking forward to the game - and worried at the same time. I didn't think the Orioles would be down three games to none at this point. I would think they would have one at least one game.”
“We're due for a win. Even if it's the only one we win, then at least the Orioles avoid the sweep.” He gave her a smile. “But remember, we may not win. Kansas City has a phenomenal team this year, they beat the Angels in three games, and they had the best record of any team.”
“Dad said the Orioles wouldn't be down three to none if their best hitter hadn't tested positive for Adderall.” She huffed.
“Maybe, honey. Maybe.” He backed the car out into the line of traffic and then they drove out of the parking lot. “It'll be a good game, regardless of how it turns out. Even if the Orioles don't win, they won't just let the Royals win.”
“I know.” She sighed. “We're going to win. The Orioles defeated the Tigers, and they're like, the Yankees of American-Central.”
“It'll be nice.” Her granddad didn't sound so sure. “I just don't want you getting too upset if we don't make it to the World Series.” He gave her a glance in the mirror. “So, Giants or Cardinals?”
“Giants.” She grinned. “If the Orioles don't make it, I want the Giants to win. If I can't have my team of choice, then I'll take the team I sort of inherited when I was born in California.”
“You know, your dad is a Royals fan by birth.” They pulled into the drive of Liesel's house.
“I think he wouldn't mind if they actually won. Didn't you say it didn't matter what team we supported, as long as it wasn't the Yankees?” She grinned as they got out of the car and she punched in the code that opened the garage door.
“Yes, yes I did.” He grinned. “I still remember what it was like when the Red Sox came from behind in '04.”
“I'm sorry, I was an infant, I don't remember that.” They went inside.
“It's okay, maybe the Orioles can pull off a Red-Sox and come from behind to win the series.” Michael Coulter said. “Run upstairs and change, I'll get the TV set up.”
“Sure!” She kicked off her shoes in the mudroom and raced upstairs.
*
Crushed.
That was the only way to describe how Liesel felt. Absolutely crushed. She wasn't certain if she was more upset about the Orioles losing game four, or that they hadn't won any of the previous three. She could probably deal with it better if the ALCS had gone on for five games Baltimore had only won one game.
Swept.
The Orioles had been swept the same way they had swept the Tigers a week ago.
It was a good job that softball was a spring-summer sport, or she'd have to put up with a lot of chatter about how amazing that team in Kansas City was. Well, okay, maybe they were pretty cool. They weren't Orioles cool, but they were definitely better than the Yankees.
“Liesel?” Her dad's voice came from the doorway of her room and she turned and gaped at him. He was wearing a blue shirt that said 'Party Like It's 1985' and it had a Royals logo on it. “You ready to run errands?”
“Almost, just need to change out of my pajamas.” She went over to her dresser as he closed the door behind him and she heard him go downstairs. “If that's how we're going to do this...” She quickly dressed in a black t-shirt with a San Francisco Giants logo on the front of it and jeans before pulled her hair into a braid and tying it with an Orioles scrunchie.
*
Dean caught sight of Liesel's shadow as she came into the kitchen and he looked up and grinned. “Well played, Lis - where did you get that shirt anyway?”
“Goodwill with Granddad.” She replied and they two of them headed out for the day.