Right now, there's probably a horde of Orioles fans standing outside the warehouse at Oriole Park at Camden Yards with the proverbial pitchforks and torches. They’re so angry the veins are popping out of their foreheads, so frustrated they’re ready to quit cheering for the Orioles after watching Mark Teixeira head to Atlanta instead of Charm City after being traded by Texas Tuesday.

This is it! I've had it! He's from Severna Park! He went to Mount St. Joseph for high school! He said it was his dream to play for the Orioles! How could you let this happen?

This was supposed to be the moment for Orioles fans. Finally, the Rangers were willing to part with their home run hitting, All-Star first baseman. Teixeira could come home to the area that loves him and be the next Cal Ripken Jr.

“Hometown boy leads team to World Series,” is the kind of headline of which Orioles fans dream.

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Except the Orioles weren't willing to buy into that fantasy. You really think the Orioles are one player away from going from a fourth-place team to a World Series contender?

Andy MacPhail doesn’t think so, especially after Texas apparently demanded Erik Bedard — the Orioles’ best starting pitcher who is entering the prime of his career — for Teixeira. He entered yesterday’s game hitting .297 with 13 home runs and 49 RBIs.

Here’s some advice to Orioles’ fans acting like drama queens: back off the ledge. Fans are idealizing Teixeira’s time in the Baltimore area as if they have known and followed him personally their entire lives. Sure, many people in Severna Park helped groom him as a person and baseball player during his formative years, but 99 percent of Orioles fans had no clue who he was until he was drafted with the fifth overall pick in 2001.

Where were these people when he actually played in high school? They certainly were not at his high school games.

This past weekend's National Baseball Hall of Fame induction of Ripken showed that Baltimore is still pining for the hometown boy. The Orioles have been devoid of a franchise icon since Ripken walked off the field for good following the 2001 season.

For Orioles fans, it would be wise to think less of Ripken and more of Ken Griffey Jr., when it comes to homecomings. Since being traded by the Seattle Mariners to his hometown team, the Cincinnati Reds, Griffey’s career has gone into a decline, souring his relationship with the Queen City.

While Teixeira is indeed a marquee talent, a high-priced Griffey-like disappointment could crush this town's fans worse than another losing season.

Matt Palmer is a staff writer for The Examiner who regularly writes columns on Major League Baseball and the NFL. He can reached at mpalmer@baltimoreexaminer.com.