One can only imagine a Hollywood screenwriter’s pitch: “OK, we’ve got this young, scrappy team from a down-on-its-luck city that’s been losing jobs and population but still has a lot of heart and tradition. One of the biggest stars is a guy from Alabama named Gunnar. Oh, and their chief rival is a swaggering New York Yankees squad. The team isn’t perfect. They may have some missing pieces. And even a new, non-traditional owner with local roots. But they sure have fun. Also, there’s a lot of water involved, either sprayed or sipped. Well, what do you think?”

Now, we’re not David Simon, our former colleague of “The Wire” fame. We imagine his script would probably have to involve some unsolved homicides. But we’re going to guess a Hollywood studio would be more than a little skeptical of this improbable scenario. “Didn’t they already do ‘Major League?’ or something like that?” But yet, with the All-Star Game (the season’s midway point) now in the rearview mirror, the Baltimore Orioles have a chance to make some history — while entertaining their fans. And it doesn’t hurt that they get to play about half their remaining schedule at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the 32-year-old groundbreaking ballpark that remains one of pro baseball’s best.

We won’t try to dissect the athletic challenges that lie ahead. We’ve got sports writers to do that sort of thing. But we would like to add a little perspective. Consider, for example, what these U.S. cities have in common: San Antonio; Jacksonville, Florida; San Jose, California; Columbus, Ohio; and Indianapolis. All are substantially larger than Baltimore, yet not one has a Major League Baseball franchise. Camden Yards has become a key economic component for a downtown that seeks to be less of an office center and more of a living space. It’s been estimated that the team’s presence has had a $10 billion economic impact on tourism and related businesses over the last three decades. And there are reasons to be hopeful that David Rubenstein, co-founder of Carlyle Group, and his fellow investors contemplate even greater things ahead.

The biggest piece missing? It might be you. The Orioles rank just 18th of the 30 MLB teams in attendance so far this season with just under 28,000 per home game. The Baltimore area may not be the biggest market (it’s around 20th) but given the fun — and possible glory — ahead, they sure deserve some love (and ticket sales).