My interest was piqued earlier in the Spring for this game when the Orioles announced that they were going to have a celebration of the 1970 World Series Champion team on this particular day. I wasn't around to see any of that team because it was 13 years before I was born! I admit I don't know all that much about older Orioles teams so this was a great chance for me to learn.
I always enjoy going to Camden Yards to see games because it is perfectly placed within walking distance of many local attractions. My girlfriend and I arrived early and ate lunch in the inner harbor and just took in the sights of Baltimore for the balance of the afternoon. We decided to walk to enter the park around 3pm for the 4:05 start time so it would give us time to walk around and peruse the merchandise stands, play the MASN skeeball game (it was rigged, I swear, they didn't want to give away the T-shirts they were offering as a prize) and to maybe grab some of the autographs of some of the '70 teams players who were signing on the concourse of the stadium. The autograph idea was a bust because the lines were way to long(as I expected them to be) so we decided to find our seats in time for the video that was to be shown on the Jumbotron of the championship team. I purchased the tickets from Stubhub and apparently whoever sold them to me really wanted to get rid of them badly. I was able to get front row seats in left field for 25 bucks a piece. These seats were worth every penny!
Soon after we sat down, the video began to play as the living members of the Championship team were introduced. They all took their places on the field around the pitchers mound. The video was fairly educational for me as I learned a lot about the team that wowed Baltimore many Summers before I was even though of. After the team was introduced, Jim Palmer, Brooks Robinson, and Frank Robinson threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
So now onto the game. The Orioles wore throwback uniforms that I thought were really sharp looking. The Nationals actually wore throwback uniforms that were also true to the 197o team. Instead of the Potomac River Swamp Nats they got to be the Senators for the day. They game started out in typical 201o Orioles fashion, falling behind by 5 runs before Brad Bergesen was chased out of the game by the "ferocious" Nats offense. Usually getting down by even 1 run this year has been the kiss of death but not on this day. There must have been some Orioles Magic in the throwback unis or the WS champions from 4o years ago just being in the building allowed the O's to scratch out a 6 - 5 win!
I really enjoyed my day at OPACY because the O's won, there was Orioles Magic in the building, and most of all I got to spend sometime with my girlfriend. The only downside to the day is that I forgot to bring my camera! That and the ignorant Nationals fan next to me heckling Corey Patterson for no other reason than being annoying to people trying to enjoy the game. When the Orioles started their comeback, he started yelling "Bring in Strasburg to close this game out!" I guess not everybody is caught up in Stras-mania. Til' next time, Go O's
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