6/12/2011- Camden Yards (Orioles)

Rays vs. Orioles, 1:35pm start

Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in Chicago for so long, but I feel like there just wasn’t much to say about Wrigley: the stadium is old-school and covered in ivy, the team is an upper-level ball club, and their fans love the game almost as much as they love drinking during the game.*  But regarding our trip to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, I don’t think it is physically possible to sum things up in so few words.  So let me break it down:

The Park: This park is GORGEOUS!  The entire downtown Baltimore area has sort of a Boston, original colonies feel, but with modern, uniform red bricks.  The stadium is no exception and for sure feels like one of the newer baseball parks (I can't believe the park is nearly 20 years old!).  It’s surrounded by a pretty large “ballpark mall” on 3 sides which is technically inside the park, but they’ve set it almost lower than most of the stadium, so it really feels like a separate unit.  I loved it, because it had all the amenities of a newer stadium, with the feel of an older one (I wish the new Busch Stadium had taken Camden Yards’ lead).  Dan and I both just thought the place was breathtaking, but let’s see what you think:

(This isn't from our seats, but it was the best view of everything)

The Team: Let’s be honest, neither the Orioles nor the Rays they had the misfortune of playing are great teams.  I mean, in a game where the first hit is a home run, there are 3 errors and 1 inside-the-park home run, you aren’t talking about World Series-quality baseball here, but they really did try and their colors remind me of Halloween, which is awesome.  Also, their mascot is hysterical, which is a plus in my book!

The Fans: I’ve always thought Cards fans were some of the best fans in baseball (especially after coming to Chicago).  I’m changing my mind.  Cards fans are some of the best fans of their team.  Whether the Cards are winning or losing, the fans seem to stay loyal, filling the stadium and wearing their gear to games where the Cards aren’t even playing (seriously, we saw a handful of people in Cards gear at Camden Yards).  Orioles fans are some of the best fans of being at the ball park.  While the park was nowhere near full on a sunny Sunday afternoon, the fans that were there were wonderful, and what they lacked in numbers they made up for in orange/black gear and support!  I only saw 2 people in our entire section get a beer, they all yell out the “O” in the “Oh say does that...” part of the National Anthem, everyone got into all of the mini-games and stadium camera thingies, and the wave went successfully around the stadium twice!  The only thing we thought was a little odd is that there was no organ, and the 7^th inning stretch song was “Thank God I’m A Country Boy” instead of “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”.  But neither of those things were really the fans’ fault.  I don't really know why the fans are this loyal.  I mean, it's not like the team is any good these days (see above).  My guess is that in an area where it's acceptable to be a fan of at least 5 other teams, everyone picks their poison and sticks with it.  They might not be perfect, but they're ours!

Overall, this was a great experience.  There was something about the ball park that felt so tension-free.  Everyone was just there to have fun- if the O’s lost, drat; if they won, all the better.  There was something about that attitude that really made us as stranger feels oddly welcome.  Plus, we got to see 5 home runs and an error Dan had never really seen before (a ball was overthrown into the stands, giving the runner 3^rd base and home).  I can’t say enough about how great the experience was, and so far, it’s my favorite park.  It only pushes it higher that it was free hat day:

Dan wants to get a picture of every park's "beware of foul balls" sign, so here's the O's:

*I will not apologize for this comment.  Several of you are die-hard Cubs fans, I know.  But those of you that I know are great, nice people.  The fans I sit next to at EVERY SINGLE GAME and on buses throughout the city are terrible.  They are the first to rub it in your face if the Cubs are up by a run and the first to go completely sullen the moment the Cubs are down a run.  It's not a pleasant feeling for those around them and I don't make these comments on Cubs fans without much experience with said Cubs fans.