Baltimore faces no shortage of challenges. There is too much concentrated poverty, and the fallout associated with it — from overdoses and addiction to lack of affordable housing, property crime and gun violence — remains an enormous handicap to progress. Throw in a long history of racism, job losses, the daunting burden placed on single-parent families, schools straining to try to bridge the economic and social disparities, and one might be forgiven for waking up each morning with at least some lingering feelings of despair. And yet, that’s not what this city is about. There remains a sense of pride here, of purpose and place. Baltimore is much more than the sum of its problems. We have a shared history and a vision for the future.

Do you know what the vision will be focused on around 4:08 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1? That would be at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where the hometown Baltimore Orioles will be taking on the Kansas City Royals in the first of a best-of-three American League wild-card series playoff game. For those keeping score at home (and we trust that’s an awful lot of you), this is the second straight year of postseason play for the Birds, who clearly relish this opportunity. The team’s slogan for the postseason, “Be The Noise,” seems a tip from the new owner to fans in the stands and his young, talented, and clearly fun-loving players. Let’s go out there and show the world what we’re made of.

We try not to make baseball about more than a game. You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. And while we promise not to quote “Field of Dreams” (because let’s face it, that would be a bit cliched even though we did lose legendary cast member James Earl Jones just three weeks ago), we seem to recall something about how our history is intertwined with baseball. These are memories shared for generations. Where were you when Brooks Robinson took apart Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine in the 1970 World Series? Or Cal Ripken Jr. catching the final out as the O’s defeated the Phillies in Game 5 in 1983? Old-timers have these moments engraved in their hearts. Kids today may soon feel the same about Gunnar Henderson, Anthony Santander or Adley Rutschman, or maybe they just like to “moo” when Colton Cowser’s name is announced.

Is it only a game? Why yes, we suppose so. There are far more serious things going on in the world. A presidential election. War in the Middle East. Work stoppages, inflation, climate change. But you know what is often the first step toward finding solutions to big problems? It’s finding shared interests with our neighbors. When we discover there is more that we have in common than what divides us, we can often make needed progress. We need trust. And faith. And fellowship. And sometimes that’s where sports come in.

For 99% of us, baseball and football or whatever game you name will never be about what we can do on the field. Or what our sons or daughters might accomplish (despite the hours of catch in the backyard). But a lifelong love of athletic competition can be contagious. One of the absolute joys of watching the Orioles play this season (and last) was seeing the youngster in so many of them. Like Peter Pan, they refused to grow up. What about large men who like to drink from a water hose (pardon, a “Homer Hydration Station”) after hitting a home run?

Baltimore is lucky to have such a team. Last year, it stung to watch them exit early in the AL Division Series, swept in three games by the Texas Rangers, the eventual world champs. And a tip of the cap to the Royals, a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in nearly a decade, in the opposing dugout. Win or lose, we will hold our heads up high this week, knowing that the Orioles are getting some well-deserved national attention. And we’ll even be a bit jealous of those who will be able to watch in person, whom we trust will demonstrate how they can “be the noise” as the 2024 edition of the Baltimore Orioles fly as high as they are able.