An evening at Camden Yards

 

In the past two years, I have had the pleasure of attending a couple of ballgames at the best of the best… Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Let there be no mistake, I’m not pretending that Baltimore is home to the most aesthetically pleasing ballpark in the country today. Nor do I feel that the food at other locations might not compare, because the hot dogs at Fenway are the best and I won't be convinced otherwise. But this is the field… the one that started the craze to build quality, appealing ballparks over the past decade. The one that didn’t cost $500 gazillion to build. The one that everyone names in their list of two or three ballparks they would like to use as a model for their city. The one that brought us to the announcement the Bud Selig is considering honoring new ballparks with mid-summer coin flip games instead of alternating between the leagues.

And while the initial enthusiasm has dropped a bit… while the sell outs have ended… while the organization is still working on producing a team that can be competitive… the ballpark still has it.

Here are a few items about Camden Yards…

• Opening day for the park was April 6, 1992.
• It seats over 48,000.
• The complex was built for roughly $110 million.
• Some of the places used as inspiration include: Fenway Park, Wrigley Field, Ebbets Field, Crosley Field, Forbes Field, Shibe Park, and The Polo Grounds.
• The Orioles’ logo is incorporated throughout the facility, including gates and aisle seats. Some of the logos used are not the current design, but classic and historical ones.
• One of the few facilities to use a double-deck bullpen.
• Home runs that reach a walkway on Eutaw Street are marked with metal imprints of a baseball in the cement.

Some thoughts from a beautiful May evening at the park…

• Four people in our group. $6.40 total for a light-rail trip across the city to the complex. Caught a cab after the game and spent $7 to get home, including the tip. That’s $13.40 with no traffic jam. Best wishes finding a parking place for under $15 at any stadium. In Boston, parking is well over $30 a game right now, and that’s at the very outer edge of walking distance.
• Members of the United States Navy were at the game. They got a hand or two when they were shown on the screen. One of them even did a great dance routine during “YMCA.” But when the time came for “God Bless America” and their pictures were flashed on the screen… well… huge cheer from the crowd and a very emotional moment for a ballgame, especially considering it didn’t involve the game itself.
• I love… and I mean LOVE… the way we ordered food from the Club Box seats. We looked over a menu… that’s right, a menu at our seats. Someone came over to us with a wireless, hand-held unit. We ordered and paid him. A few minutes later someone else came down with our food. There's something great about a frozen lemon ice thing that came straight from the counter to us instead of journeying around in a cooler from section to section before being served. And except for outfield grandstand and bleachers seats, these Club Box tickets at Camden Yards were really no more expensive than any other seats at Fenway Park. Speaking of which, check this out…

• That would be a picture of the lounge located right next to the food counter in the Club Box area. Tiled floors instead of concrete lining the walkway. Enclosed and air conditioned. Seriously, right next to the counter. I’m convinced, Fenway needs an overhaul.
• How about a hand for the Pleasant Middle School…

Not too bad for Sunday night baseball on ESPN.

• I can’t recall ever seeing this at a ballgame before. The catcher at one point reached down, with the back of his hand toward the ground, and dragged his fingers across the chalk outlining the catcher’s box at home plate. He did this, I’m guessing, so his fingers would be more visible when he flashed the signals to the pitcher. Makes perfect sense, and I’m sure it happens all the time. I had just never seen it.

While I was there, I picked up a copy of Orioles 1954-2004: 50th Anniversary Information & Record Book. I even was able to have it autographed by Boog Powell. Found some of the records pretty interesting. Here are a couple, bear in mind these are through the 2003 season…

• Cal Ripken has the top two marks for hits in a season... 211 in 1983 and 210 in 1991... and also the top two marks for doubles in a season... 47 in 1983 and 46 in 1991.
• Most home runs at Camden Yards by an opponent for a career: Mo Vaughn with 16.
• Most home runs at Memorial Stadium by an opponent for a career: Harmon Killebrew with 30.
• Since 1968, the Orioles have had more twenty-game winners than any other club... 24 total.
• Oh, by the way, they haven't had a pitcher win twenty games since 1984. And, they still lead all other clubs by 7 (the A's have had 17, the Yankees 14).
• In 1971 the Orioles had four pitchers win twenty games... Dave McNally (21-5), Mike Cuellar (20-9), Jim Palmer (20-9) and Pat Dobson (20-8). Alot of people know that... But did you know they all hit number twenty within 6 days? McNally hit the mark on September 21st, Cuellar on September 24th, Dobson in game two on September 24th, and Palmer on September 26th.
• In 1975 Jim Palmer pitched 25 complete games. He won the Cy young award that year.