Sunday, April 12, 2009

Report from Camden Yards


I had the pleasure of attending my first Orioles game this year with my daughter on my birthday. It was a good game from an O's fan standpoint as they jumped off to a 5-0 lead on a Melvin Mora grand slam home run in the first inning and never let up. I've got great seats thanks to my friend Peter's season ticket plan. 5 rows up from the first base coach.
Observations:
1. Uncle Teddy's Pretzels has been replaced by Noah's Pretzels. We first found Noah's in the Verizon Center on the first floor near the escalator. The reason this is interesting to me is that Noah's is dedicated to promoting autism awareness. So I'm happy for the change.
2. First basemen, first base coaches, and first base umpires tend to be quite talkative. Former O's first base coach Rick Dempsey used to bring bubblegum out for the kids in the stands. Last night, Tampa Bay coach George Hendrick gave a young girl in the front row a baseball. He was rewarded the next inning when she gave him a handful of cotton candy which he ate enthusiastically.
3. Former Congressman and NAACP leader Kweisi Mfume sat 2 rows in front of me. I know that because he was wearing an Orioles jacket with his name stitched nicely in front.
4. You're still allowed to bring food and drink into the stadium with you.
5. I love it that they play "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" for the seventh inning stretch (and they have for as long as I've be going to O's games). It makes no sense in the context of the city and the game, but its neat.
6. The crab shuffle has gotten harder.
7. Mustard was the winner in the hot dog race (against catsup and relish). I root for mustard, so I was happy.

No comments: