Unless you have a satellite dish, some type of baseball package, or read 30 different sports pages daily, you?re probably pigeonholed in what you?re current knowledge of baseball?s big picture really is. As mentioned here before, most of America knows the daily goings on of the Yankees and Red Sox, and it?s easy to see what?s happening in Chicago or St. Louis. But even so, enthusiasts of the game need to put the time in to know what?s really going on. This isn?t about which players have drinking problems, or what pitchers hate their pitching coaches. This is about what a club and it?s city are all about, and what they bring to the table, and how they play the game. Case in point: This week, the Baltimore Orioles traveled to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates. The Bucs took two out of three, and thus was lost my ?Crab cakes versus Primanti Brothers? bet to some guy they call ?LZ.? But I took from this series a wealth of knowledge about the young Pirates squad, even though my friends in the Burgh usually keep me up-to-date with the team. Furthermore, I realized that if the fans in Pittsburgh were learning basic facts about the current Orioles team located no more than a four-hour drive to the southeast, what does the rest of America know? And it made me, a daily follower of the game, feel somewhat uninformed to the rest of the league. What do you know about the Pirates? Think about it. What do you know about the Pirates? You have probably seen one of manager Lloyd McClendon?s on-field base throwing tirades. And you might be able to name some of their great young pitchers. Why don?t you know more? The reply might be, ?Why would I want to know more about the Pirates?? Noted Pittsburgh die hard Keith Almady constantly reminds me that the Bucs are in the midst of 13 consecutive losing seasons. That means that nationally Pirates highlights will be found on the back end of Sportscenter (crammed between a Viagra commercial and soccer highlights) and a mere blurb about their latest game will show up in the back of the local sports section. Thus, they fly under the radar. With that said, do you know who led the National League in hitting for the month of May? That would be the Pirates own Rob Mackowiak. He received little press, if any. Did you know the Pirates have one less win (28) than the Florida Marlins (29)? I bet not. In the series with the Orioles, here?s more of what I learned: Mackowiak is hitting .336, and for the series was 6 for 11 with 3 runs and 4 RBI?s; there were flashes of brilliance from guys I?ve barely heard of- Daryle Ward, Tike Redman, Matt Lawton; pitcher Kip Wells was brilliant in the rubber game. Almady followed up the series by stating, ?They are never going to out-slug an opponent. They have to keep it close with pitching and hope for a couple of key hits.? Well put. And essentially, that is what happened. Next, what do you know about the Orioles? This should be much easier, since the team has been receiving national attention since climbing into the drivers seat in the AL East, ahead of the Evil Empire and Evil Empire II. Miguel Tejada is one of the best all-around players, Sammy Sosa signed in the off-season, Brian Roberts is making a name for himself, and the young pitching staff has been unconscious. What you didn?t know is that just over a week ago, the O?s became the last team in the majors to lose three games in a row. And after Johnny Damon and Tejada (tied for first) and Roberts, O?s third baseman Melvin Mora (the most underrated players in the majors if you ask me) is fourth in the AL in hits. Finally, pitcher Erik Bedard is second in the AL in ERA (2.08). Now, what did Pirates fans learn this past week about the O?s? I think they realized that the hype surrounding Tejada is fact after he went 5-10 with 3 doubles and 2 home runs resulting in 3 runs and 3 RBI?s. They also probably asked ?who in the world is Sal Fasano, Hayden Penn, and Ramon Nivar,? and realized the O?s only started four Opening Day position players due to injury (none by sliding down the steps with either groceries or a slab of deer meat in hand). Few outside of Maryland realized the O?s were so deep. Finally, they noticed what O?s fans have known all year- Steve Kline stinks. This was the first time these two teams have met in the regular season, and the first time overall since the 1979 World Series. Regardless, this was what I thought to be a big series. The proximity of the two cities, the O?s ongoing battle to stay atop the division, and the masses of Pennsylvanian?s in Baltimore (me being one) made this a gripping three game series in both cities. Again, this is something the baseball world knows little about. You don?t need to care, but it?s all part of the current baseball storyline. And that?s why I feel uninformed. Is it like this when Minnesota plays Milwaukee? Or when Detroit plays the Cubs or the Reds? I have no idea, but my guess is it means more to those fans than I?ll ever know. In the classic movie Smokey and the Bandit, the Bandit (Burt Reynolds in his prime) told Frog (Sally Field) that it depends what part of the country you live in as to how dumb you are. I couldn?t agree more. Going forward, I plan on watching these series even closer in hopes of soaking up new baseball knowledge. After this past week, I look to watch the Pirates this summer when given the chance (boy, I can?t say those words ever left my mouth before). They are a spunky young group that has a decent chance to go .500 on a combination of decent talent and a lot of grit and energy, especially if their pitching staff stays healthy and consistent. But history says the likes of the Braves and Marlins will take off as the season progresses. Henceforth, baseball fans: turn your focus to the rest of the league. You?ll appreciate what?s going on, and be able to speak knowledgably about it. As the season goes on, one can become a wealth of current baseball knowledge. And if your team is losing to the Orioles and Steve Kline comes out of the pen in the seventh, you know your team will have a better chance of coming back.