Game 7 Notes

I slept in this morning, till almost 8:30am when my sister called me to make sure everything was going well on the trip. I assured here that I was just fine and having a great time despite the minor setbacks over the past few days. She explained that I was on my own when it comes to doing the web page as she was leaving on a driving trip of her own to Disneyworld.

A little later, I got into the mini-van and headed for Baltimore. This is a drive I used to take almost every other weekend (while I was working in Washington, DC, I would come home regularly to visit my mother and family in Connecticut). It is an unpleasant drive, the majority of which was spent on the New Jersey Turnpike, and there seemed to be a lot of people on the roads trying to get to the beaches today. It was sort a shame to be inside a car for four hours on what proved to be a gorgeous day (85 degrees, little humidity), but the thought of returning to Camden Yards kept me from getting bummed out.

THE STADIUM

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the most beautiful stadium I have visited, and possibly the most incredible in all of baseball.

First of all, when you arrive at the stadium, there are dozens of parking lots within a short walk, and all are inexpensive (costing no more than $5). You walk down one of several streets that lead directly to the stadium, the most popular seems to be Eutaw Street, which also runs through the stadium (between the playing field and the adjacent warehouse (office buildings and restaurants) and you can see into the playing area and get a good view of the playing field. The park is small, designed for intimacy, and you are aware of that right from the start.

Your first stop at Camden Yards is probably the part of Eutaw Street, inside the gates, where the Orioles Store, front offices, and food stands are located. To get there you walk past a statue of Babe Ruth (a native Baltimorean) and statues of the numbers of the greatest players in Orioles history. The ballpark smells incredible. There are stands on all sides of you cooking barbecue and sausages on large open grills, and others squeezing fresh lemonade and serving beer on tap. It will take all of your will power to walk through this area and not break down and start eating before you find your seat.

Then again, it may be tough to get up once you do find our seat. When you find your seating section you are greeted by an attendant dressed in an old style uniform who shows you to your seat and wipes off any debris that has collected there. When you take your seat you understand how small the ballpark really is, and you get the feeling that you are sitting right on top of the field. To keep the small park feeling alive, the designers build the park almost entirely out of red brick, and matched the coloring to the adjacent warehouse which existed when the location was still a major train stop. The seats are all dark green and the field is beautifully maintained (said to be one of the best maintained field in the majors -- thanks in part to a hi-tech drainage system which sucks the water off the field during rain and recycles it to keep the grass growing. Finally, there is the scoreboard, sponsored by the Baltimore Sun (local newspaper) sits high above the field in right-center keeping the fans informed. When a scoring decision is not clear, the "H" (in THE) blinks to indicate a hit and the "E" (also in THE) blinks to indicated an error.

The only area where fans may have trouble seeing the field is the standing bleacher section in deep right field. It is a unique section where fans, who enter the ballpark with a standing room only seat, stand with hundreds of other fans fighting to get a good view of the playing field (which is right below them). The wall is almost six feet high making it difficult for kids (or short people like me) to see over the edge, and it often gets a little rough as the area collects a lot of home runs and the fans push, shove, and sometimes fight to get the ball. But, if you are looking for an inexpensive ticket to the game, show up early and take your spot here (but don't go for food -- nobody will hold your spot).

Overall though, Camden Yards has everything you could ever offer. The park was designed to invite families to the ballpark for a full evening of entertainment and that is what you get, a wholesome and friendly baseball environment -- inside and out -- that any baseball fan, parent, kid, or whoever can be excited about taking part in.

BATTING PRACTICE

For the third straight game, I was unable to get onto the field during batting practice. I admit, this was a little frustrating because I was really looking forward to being on the field to watch the best team in the American League take warmups and take pictures of the beautiful stadium. I put in a call to someone in public relations and convinced them to allow me into the stadium early so I could walk around. I sat alone in the bleachers, behind home plate, and every other section in the park, soaked up the warm sun, and watched the players launch pitches into the stands.

Finally, after nearly an hour and a half of watching practice, a foul ball landed in a section near where I was sitting. I walked over (not in any hurry because there was no competition for the ball as fans were not allowed in the stadium for another hour), and picked up the ball. Immediately, an usher who had also made his way over towards the ball confronted me and told me I had to throw the ball back. He didn't explain why (I figured balls in the stands weren't eligible until the stands were open) but waited until I threw it back onto the field to return to his designated area. I ended up without a ball from batting practice.

MANAGEMENT

Overall, the Orioles management was friendly to deal with and helpful with accommodating my needs. I had traded letters with General Manager Pat Gillick and all but secured a time to meet with him prior to the game. However, when I called to finalize the time for the meeting they passed me down to media affairs (once again not understanding that I was not meeting with folks from management because I wanted to interview them, but rather because I wanted to speak with them about baseball informally as a baseball fan) and they treated me as a member of the media and wouldn't grant "an interview". Oh well.

THE PRESS BOX

The Press Box at Camden Yards is very unique compared to the other parks I have visited. It's has two levels, the first on the 200 level, the second directly above, and is essentially accessible from the stands. Apparently, the members of the media requested that the press box be closer to the playing field when designs were being considered (and have even asked for the safety netting that would protect the members of the media) to be removed so they could interact better with the fans. And interact they do. Children came in droves to meet and ask for autographs of the official scorer and PA announcer (an institution in Baltimore who closes his remarks with a special "Thank You") and the reporters ask questions of the regulars who sit in front of the box, just behind home plate.

Since I had friends to meet in the stands so I decided not to spend a lot of time in the press box today. I did speak with a few reporters about the trip, including one who has a regular column in the Baltimore Sun who has visited upwards of 35 major league ballparks (that includes several that have closed). But, about forty minutes before game time, I grabbed the daily statistical press releases and went to my seats.

THE FOOD

Hands down, Baltimore has the best ballpark food in the nation. I say this of course not having visited every stadium in baseball, but I can't imagine any park where everyone can have all their food wishes fulfilled in one location.

The regular food offered by the Aramark corporation is above average -- plump hot dogs, decent pretzels, large sodas, and a good selection of candy. The wonderful thing about Camden Yards, is that Aramark also sponsors several other food stands, mostly located on Eutaw Street, that offer fans specialty foods. There are barbecue stands, rib places, grille works, kielbasa and specialty sausage stands, and more. All around the stadium, fresh lemonade is squeezed and served, fresh Iced Tea is offered, and frozen yogurt (fat free for the health conscious) and ice cream are plentiful.

There are two places that stand above the rest. First, on Eutaw Street is Boog's Barbecue. Boog's is owned and operated by Boog Powell, one of the great First basemen in Orioles history. They offer beef, chicken and pork sandwiches along with delicious beans and cole slaw to fans who line up all down the street to get it (but the line moves very quickly). If you are lucky (as I was this evening), Boog Powell himself will be standing at the head of the line and will autograph your ticket or another piece of memorabilia and have a nice quick conversation with you. After you leave the stand, onions, horseradish, barbecue sauce and tabasco greet you to garnish your treat. It's an added bonus that you don't get anywhere else.

The other place is the pretzel stand. Located to the right of home plate, Uncle Teddy's pretzels offers four different types of pretzels: regular (butter and salt), no salt, no-fat (no butter or salt) and cinnamon. The pretzels are only $2.50 and the lines move very quickly. The pretzels are hand rolled right in front to of you and served hot with your choice of regular mustard, dipping cheese or a delicious honey mustard (go with that one). I can't pass up having the Uncle Teddy's Pretzels when I visit Camden Yards. Today, I had three.

All in all, when you come to Camden Yards, be prepared to eat. It is worth it.

THE GAME and THE FANS

The problem with Camden Yards, as with any new stadium that offers a wonderful (excuse the denomination) "yuppie" experience is that you will attract a fair number of non-baseball fans who are at the park more for the food and the experience than for the game. Overall, the majority of the fans are interested in the game and knowledgeable of the sport. There are a lot of young fans, many children are able to come to the ballpark without their parents, others are subsidized and pampered by fathers and mothers who are trying to get their children interested in the game they love. And, there are die hard fans (like the ones I was with) who understand the game, the stats, the strategy, and try to interject their opinion throughout the game. At the same time however there are a considerable number of fans who come to the ballpark to drink white wine, eat gourmet pizza, and cheer for Cal Ripken because he is the only player they recognize.

I was joined at the game by Jason Goldberg, a friend of mine from the White House, Matt Catapano, a friend of mine and someone Jason and I worked with at the White House, and a friend of Jason's from college. Jason had secured excellent seats behind first base (about ten rows up) and the four of us sat, ate, and interacted with the players and coaches on the field. I would say that all four of us are "students of the game" with Matt and Jason sharing management of a rotisserie league team to keep their competitive fires going. Throughout the game we debated the greatest players at each position, criticized players who lacked talent or made poor plays (even the great one himself Cal Ripken) and debated what players Matt and Jason should acquire for their team.

The highlight of the evening was our conversations with Toronto first base coach. Throughout the game, Matt,Jason and I yelled to the coach -- commenting on his wide stance (we considered that to be a bit graphic for the young children joining us in the stands), cautioning him about his placement outside of the coaches box (a violation of the rules) and urging him to send baserunners on a hit and run or steal attempt in the late innings of the game. Griffin reacted to each of our comments, changing his stance, acknowledging our yelling and then moving into the coaches box (if only for a moment) and eventually sending Otis Nixon in the top of the ninth (only to be picked off on a nice throw from Orioles catcher Lenny Webster).

As for the game, the Blue Jays won their third straight against the Orioles (the first Orioles three game losing streak of the season) in front of a sellout crowd of over 46,000 (the 18th Orioles sellout of the season). The game was highlighted by five solo homers (one by the Orioles and four by the Blue Jays) and some nice defensive plays. To the dismay of all fans, starting pitcher Jimmy Key left the game in the third inning with a pulled left hamstring, again falling short of capturing his 12th win of the season. The Orioles didn't show on this night that they were the best team in the American League.

In closing, Camden Yards offers a full baseball experience. But, fans have to be careful that they don't get caught up in the experience of Camden Yards -- the beauty, the food, the fans and everything else, instead of watching the game. You will enjoy your surroundings so much, you will never want to sit still. You will probably have trouble following the action on the field. And, if you really aren't careful, you will never stop eating the wonderful treats offered throughout the stadium. It is easy to do. Trust me.

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