Biggest Surprise for the First Half

Well, it's the All Star break.  If you would have told me that the Orioles would be in second place in the AL East, hold one of the two Wild Card slots and have a record that was 5 games above .500, I would have probably told you to put down the pipe...

However, here we sit, halfway through the 2012 season and the Orioles are in second place.  Yeah, ok, they crawled to the halfway point after being bludgeoned by the Angels, three of their original starting 5 rotation members have taken the shuttle to Norfolk, yet, they are still above .500 and hold a wild card spot.  Wow.  They are even poised to be buyers at the trade deadline.  In years past, the Orioles have been perpetual doormats for the AL East.  Now they are linked to Zack Greinke and Wandy Rodriguez.  They obtained one of my favorite all-time non-Orioles (Jim Thome) for a could minor leaguers.  Furthermore, oft maligned owner Peter Angelos has let Dan Duquette know that he is committed to winning this season 'no matter the cost.'  That in itself is a refreshing change.

I'm not going out on a limb and saying that the Orioles will continue to hold one of the playoff spots.  I'm just savoring the moment, like every Orioles fan should.  We aren't used to this.  The Orioles haven't put together a winning season since 1997 (their last trip to the post season).  I'm savoring every moment of this and enjoying it while it lasts.  There have been ups and downs this season, but there is much more promise for the future than in years past.  Let's hope we can ride this wave as long as we can.

So, what is your biggest surprise to this season?  Leave me some comments, I'm interested in seeing what everyone else thinks.  This, for sure, has been an interesting season so far.