Oriole Park at Camden Yards
333 West Camden Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
United States
Company Perspectives:
Oriole Park is state-of-the-art yet unique, traditional and intimate in design. It blends with the urban context of downtown Baltimore while taking its image from baseball parks built in the early 20th century.
History of Baltimore Orioles L.P.
The Baltimore Orioles L.P. is the operating company for the professional baseball team of the same name. As a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's American League, the Orioles play at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, situated in the heart of Baltimore. The opening of Oriole Park in 1992 ushered in a new era of baseball-only stadiums that paid architectural homage to the ballparks of an earlier era. While the popularity of its home field led to high attendance, success has not transferred onto the diamond in recent years. A team that was a consistent contender for decades has fallen into an extended period of mediocrity. The club is owned by a group of investors headed by attorney Peter Angelos, a gadfly among baseball's generally conservative group of owners. Minority owners of the Orioles include such celebrities as novelist Tom Clancy, political commentator and columnist George Will, filmmaker Barry Levinson, former tennis player Pam Shriver, and legendary sportscaster Jim McKay.
Early 1900s Roots
The Orioles were originally the St. Louis Browns before the franchise was transferred to Baltimore in 1954. Both St. Louis and Baltimore boasted rich traditions in major league baseball during the final decades of the 1800s. The Baltimore Orioles of the 1890s was one of the era's most notorious and celebrated teams, both for its roughhouse ways and adherence to "scientific baseball," which emphasized the use of guile in playing the game. St. Louis originally fielded a team called the Brown Stockings, initially in the National Association, which folded after a single season, then for two seasons in the National League, which was established in 1876. The St. Louis club then joined a rival major league, the American Association, where it won several championships before returning to the National League, along with the Baltimore Orioles, as part of a merger in 1891. The Browns were owned by controversial beer baron Chris Von Der Ahe, who fell out of favor with his fellow owners; St. Louis was stripped of its franchise in 1899. After three years without major league baseball, the city would land an American League franchise three years later. The American League was originally a minor league, the Western League, that changed its name and declared it was the equal to the National League, launching its first major league season in 1901. Baltimore was awarded an American League franchise and the new incarnation of the Orioles played two seasons before the franchise moved to New York City, where the club was renamed the Highlanders and eventually became known as the New York Yankees and emerged as one of the most successful sports franchises in the world. As a result of the Oriole's defection, Baltimore would be without major league baseball for the next half century. St. Louis, on the other hand, would land a National League club, via the 1999 transfer of the Cleveland Spiders, as well as one from the new American League.
Following the 1901 season, the Milwaukee Brewers franchise of the fledgling American League was bought for $35,000 by 33-year-old Robert Lee Hedges, who moved the club to St. Louis, renaming it the Browns. He cleaned up Sportsman's Park where the club played and the Browns over the next dozen years drew well and were profitable. Another rival major league, the Federal League, was formed in 1913, and after completing two seasons it agreed to disband. As part of the settlement with Major League Baseball, Hedges sold the Browns to one of the owners of the St. Louis Terriers, Philip Ball, for $525,000. Hedges made a tidy profit on his investment in the team, becoming the last owner of the Browns to make money on the club. He also held the distinction of giving Branch Rickey his start as a baseball executive, naming him the Browns' manager. Rickey would one day revolutionize baseball by refining the minor league farm system of developing big league talent while with the St. Louis Cardinals, and by breaking down baseball's racial barriers when with the Brooklyn Dodgers by signing Jackie Robinson, the first African-America to play major league baseball in the modern era.
The Brown's new owner was a hard-drinking, gruff ex-ballplayer, as well as erstwhile cowhand and construction worker, who made a fortune manufacturing ice machines. Rickey, a teetotaler, campaigned for a national prohibition of alcohol and was promptly shown the door by Ball. It was only the first of many mistakes Ball would make while running the Browns. In 1920 he allowed the National League's Cardinals to share Sportsmen Park, which permitted his local competitor to sell its own park and invest the money in Branch Rickey's farm system. As a result, the Cardinals went on to win several World Series while the Browns became a perennial loser; St. Louis went from being a "Brown's town," to a city that adored the Cardinals. Ball even paid to increase the seating capacity of Sportsman Park, a move that did little to help the Browns, whose attendance declined steadily, but proved a windfall for the immensely popular Cardinals. When Ball died in 1933 the club drew just 88,113 fans for the entire year. One game that season attracted just 34 paying customers. It was no wonder that nobody wanted to buy the team.
The executor of Ball's estate finally turned to Rickey, who recruited Bill DeWitt, Sr., the Cardinals team treasurer, and Donald Barnes, president of American Investment Company, to buy the Browns for $325,000. Barnes put up $50,000, DeWitt $25,000, and the club raised another $200,000 by selling stock at $5 a share. Under new ownership the Browns fared no better on the field or the box office, so that by 1941 Barnes sought permission from the American League to relocate the franchise to Los Angeles. The meeting was held on December 8, 1941, one day after the attack on Pearl Harbor that precipitated the United States' entry into World War II. Because of the sudden uncertainty in the world, Barnes was turned down, but the war did lead to the greatest moment in the Brown's history. In 1944, when the level of major league talent was severely diluted because so many players were serving in the military or alternative service, the Browns were able to win its only American League pennant. Even this moment of glory, however, failed to help the club improve its image in St. Louis. The Browns had the misfortune of meeting the Cardinals in the World Series, losing to their tenants in six games.
Control of the Browns changed hands once again in 1945 when board member Richard Muckerman, along with Bill and Charlie DeWitt, took over the running of the club. The team continued to draw poorly, prompting Muckerman in 1945 to sign and play Pete Gray, a one-armed outfielder, as a gate attraction. The move only succeeded in solidifying the Browns' reputation as baseball's pathetic country cousin. Because the team drew poorly during the postwar years, it had to sell off what little talent it possessed to stay afloat, resulting in teams that even fewer fans wanted to pay to watch. In 1951, Bill Veeck, the former owner of the Cleveland Indians and renowned maverick, bought the Browns with the ambitious goal of driving the Cardinals out of town. The Cardinal's owner was enduring some income tax difficulties, but Veeck's hopes were dashed when millionaire brewer August Busch bought the rival club. Veeck's best known moment while running the Browns came just one month into his tenure, when he had a midget named Eddie Gaedel brought into a game to pinch hit--after jumping out of a cake. With such a compact strike zone, less than two inches after assuming a crouch, Gaedel walked. The next day, the American League banned Gaedel and announced that all future player contracts had to be approved by the league office. Veeck tried others stunts, such as Grandstand Manager's Night, when the fans were able to vote on the starting pitcher and strategic decisions by using placards that said "Yes" on one side and "No" on the other.
Major Moves in the 1950s
With his genius for marketing Veeck was able to improve annual attendance from 293,790 in 1951 when he took over in mid-season, to 518,796 a year later. Still, the Browns remained last in the league in attendance, and Veeck lacked the money to make the team a true contender. With Busch now in charge of the Cardinals, he looked to move the club, but some of the conservative owners despised his iconoclastic ways and prevented him from returning the Browns to Milwaukee. He was forced to keep the team one more season in St. Louis, and with the fans knowing that the team was slated to leave, attendance collapsed. During a meeting held in September 1953, American League owners voted against Veeck's request to relocate the Browns to Baltimore, which was building a new ballpark and had first made known its interests in procuring the Browns in 1947. The owners knew Veeck was in desperate financial condition: the Browns brought in no money from television or radio; to stay in business during the 1953 season Veeck had been forced to sell his better players; and Veeck could not keep up the mortgage payments on Sportsman Park, so he sold the facility to Busch for $1.1 million. According to some sources, the owners who disapproved of Veeck were determined to keep the Browns in St. Louis until he went bankrupt, at which point the league could dispose of the franchise. Realizing he had no choice, Veeck sold his 70 percent interest in the Browns to a group of some 100 Baltimore investors led by Charles W. Miles for $2,475,000. Once Veeck was out, the American League unanimously approved the transfer of the Browns to Baltimore.
The owners of the new Baltimore Orioles set about the task of building a competitive ball club by hiring a brilliant executive named Paul Richards to serve as general manager. He wrote down in an unpublished manuscript the philosophy and tenets that would guide the club, from operating a farm system to making a relay throw. It would become known as the Oriole Way, and it would serve as a roadmap for excellence that the Orioles would enjoy for a generation. The farm system developed into the premiere breeding ground for baseball talent for some 20 years, resulting in the Orioles contending for its first pennant in 1960, its first World Series championship in 1966, and having many successful seasons throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.
In 1956 James Keelty, Jr., succeeded Miles as president, followed by Leland S. MacPhail in 1960. Ownership changed hands in 1966 when Jerold C. Hoffberger, who headed the National Brewing Company, bought the club. Despite their winning ways, the Orioles failed to draw as well as might be expected, forever placing second in the hearts of Baltimore sports fans, who had developed a passionate following for the Baltimore Colts football team. During Hoffberger's 15-year tenure as Orioles owner, the franchise was essentially a break-even investment, but the Orioles proved to be an excellent promotional vehicle for National Brewing to sell its beer in a very crowded marketplace. When the Hoffberger family sold the company to Carling Brewery in 1976, however, there was little incentive to continue ownership of the Orioles.
In 1979, the Hoffberger family sold the Orioles for $12 million to Edward Bennett Williams, a Washington, D.C., lawyer, prompting some fear that the club might be relocated to a city that would provide better fan support. A former press secretary for Baltimore Mayor William Donald Schaefer, along with two area bankers, at the behest of the mayor, organized a group of volunteers to help sell season tickets. The group became known as the Designated Hitters Club. Following the Orioles' 1983 World Championship, the Club sold 8,200 additional season tickets. The team appeared secure, but in order to take attendance to the next level, to achieve consistent sellouts, it was clear that the Orioles needed to replace antiquated Memorial Stadium with a new ballpark. Both Bennett and Mayor Schaefer were eager to build a new facility, which became especially important to the latter after the beloved Colts moved to Indianapolis in 1984 and the Bullets National Basketball Team move south to Washington D.C. before that. The loss of the Orioles would be a crushing blow to the pride of Baltimore, which would no longer be view as a "big league" city and likely suffer economically. To keep up the pressure, Williams insisted on short-term leases for the use of city-owned Memorial Stadium. Moreover, the team negotiated a no-rent contract. Rather, the Orioles' rent was a percentage of profits, after taxes and expenses were deducted.
While public funding for a new ballpark gained approval, Williams died of cancer in August 1988. In June 1989 New York investor Eli Jacobs and two partners--Orioles president Larry Lucchino and former politician R. Sargent Shriver--bought the franchise for a reported $70 million. Schaefer had become Maryland's governor and was in a much better position to deliver a new ballpark to the Orioles. After much maneuvering in the state legislature, Schaefer was finally able to push through a bill to provide funding for the facility, to begin construction in 1990. The site chosen would be an old railroad depot and warehouse district in Baltimore, an area in desperate need of revitalization.
A New Venue in the Early 1990s
In 1992 the Orioles played it first game in its new 47,000-seat facility, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It was considered an success even months before the first pitch. The architects chose to ignore the previous generation of American stadiums, multipurpose facilities that were neither well-suited to baseball or football, opting instead to draw inspiration from the baseball-only parks that were built in the early decades of the 20th century, such as Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, perennial fan favorites. They wanted a retro look but with all the modern conveniences. A massive warehouse visible beyond right field provided charm as well as space for executive offices, ticket sale booths, concession kitchens, and a souvenir shop. The critics were first to weigh in with their approval of the new ballpark, and the baseball fans of Baltimore--and the world--concurred, as Oriole Park became a tourist attraction in itself and the club now enjoyed consistent sellouts and attendance topped the 3.5 million mark.
Jacobs began to experience financial difficulties and as early as 1991 began to talk about the possibility of selling the Orioles. In 1993 Jacobs filed for bankruptcy, and the franchise was put on the block. During the course of a spirited, 15-round auction, former Baltimore city councilman and wealthy attorney Peter Angelos, and Cincinnati oil executive William DeWitt, Jr., whose father once owned the Browns, joined forces to bid $173 million and outdistance rival buyers for the club.
Angelos became managing partner of the Orioles, but other than making the playoffs in 1997, the team found it increasingly difficult to compete in the American League's Eastern Division, where the New York Yankees appeared to have an unlimited budget on acquiring players and the Boston Red Sox were desperate in their need to keep up with their fiercest rival. The one bright spot during this period was Orioles player Cal Ripkin's pursuit of Lou Gerhig's seemingly unbreakable record for consecutive games played, which captured the interest of the entire country. The Orioles got away from building the team from within, choosing instead to make costly investments in free agent players, most of whom failed to pan out. Moreover, for several seasons the team had only inexpensive and marginal talent, offering no threat to the division leaders. Some of the charm of Oriole Park also wore off, as many retro-looking ballparks opened up around the country and eclipsed some of its glory. As a result, attendance dipped somewhat, but the franchise was still quite valuable, and in 2004 management again invested in high-priced free-agent players. Should Baltimore Orioles L.P. be able to once again assemble contending clubs, the team would likely return to the days of regular sellouts.
Principal Competitors: New York Yankees Partnership; The Boston Red Sox; Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club.
Related information about Baltimore Orioles
The Baltimore Orioles (nicknamed The O's and The
Birds) are a Major League Baseball team based in Baltimore,
Maryland. They are in the Eastern Division of
the American
League.
Milwaukee Brewers
The modern Orioles franchise can trace its roots back to the
original Milwaukee Brewers of the Western
League, beginning in 1894 when the league reorganized. When the
league declared itself a major league in 1901, the Brewers were a
charter member.
When the National
League disbanded four teams in 1899, Ban Johnson and the American
League saw an opportunity to move in on the older league.
Franchises were placed in three of the spurned cities, Baltimore,
Cleveland and Washington in 1900, initially as part of the minor
league American League.
In 1901, the American League removed itself from baseball's national
agreement and declared itself a competing Major League. During its
lone Major League season, the team played at Lloyd Street
Grounds, between 16th and 18th Streets in Milwaukee.
As the baseball "war" heated up the American League began to
challenge the senior circuit more directly. When the upstart
American League rapidly surpassed the older circuit in attendance,
the National League sought peace.
As part of baseball's 1903 peace agreement, the American League was
recognized by the National League as a Major League, the American
League was allowed to move into New York but agreed to stay out of
Pittsburgh and the two leagues launched the World Series.
St. Louis Browns
After only a single season as a bona fide major league club, the
team moved to St. Louis and renamed themselves the "Browns", in
reference to the original name of the legendary 1880s club that by
1902 was known as the Cardinals. After years of prosperity at the gate, in
1916 owner Robert
Hedges sold the team to Philip Ball, who had owned the St. Louis Terriers of
the defunct Federal
League. In 1920 Sam
Breadon, who had just purchased the Cardinals, convinced Ball
to allow his team to share the Browns' home, Sportsman's Park.
Breadon put the money from the sale of the Cardinals' Robison Field into the
minor league system, which eventually produced a host of star
players that brought the Cardinals far more drawing power than the
Browns.
The 1922 Browns excited their owner by almost beating the Yankees
to a pennant. The club was boasting the best players in franchise
history, including future Hall of Famer George Sisler, and an
outfield trio - Ken
Williams, Baby Doll Jacobson, and Jack Tobin - that batted .300 or better in 1919-23
and in 1925. They faced their local rivals, the more successful
Cardinals, in the 1944 World Series, the last World Series to date played
entirely in one stadium, and lost 4 games to 2.
In 1945, the Browns posted an 81-75 record and fell to third place,
s games out, again with less than top-ranked talent. The 1945
season may be best remembered for the Brown's signing of utility
outfielder Pete Gray,
the only one-armed major league position player in history.
Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns
In 1951,
Bill Veeck, the
former owner of the Cleveland Indians purchased the Browns. The stunt
infuriated American League President Will Harridge.
Veeck also brought the legendary, and seemingly ageless, Satchel Paige back to
major league baseball to pitch for the Browns. Instead the
Cardinals were bought by August Busch of the Anheuser-Busch brewery. The Browns had been candidates for relocation
earlier: in 1941, the Browns had come close to moving to Los Angeles, nearly two
decades before big league baseball eventually arrived in California.
Veeck attempted to move the Browns back to Milwaukee (where he had
owned the Brewers of the American Association in the 1940s), but the move was
blocked by the other American League owners, seemingly for reasons
that were more personal than business related.
Veeck then tried to move the Browns to Baltimore himself.
Baltimore Orioles
Early Orioles
In the 1890s, a powerful and innovative National League Orioles
squad included several future Hall of Famers,
such as "Wee" Willie
Keeler, Wilbert
Robinson, Hughie
Jennings and John McGraw. Despite its on-field success, it was
one of the four teams contracted out of existence by the National
League after the 1899 season. Its best players (and its manager, Ned Hanlon) regrouped with
the Brooklyn
Dodgers, turning that team into a contender.
In 1901, Baltimore and McGraw were awarded an expansion franchise
in the growing American League, but again the team was sacrificed
in favor of a New York
City franchise, as the team was transferred to the city in
1903.
As a member of the high-minor league level International
League, the Orioles competed at what is now known as the AAA
level from 1903-1953. Baltimore's own George Herman Ruth - nicknamed "Babe" - pitched
for the Orioles before being sold to the AL Boston Red Sox in
1914. The
Orioles of the IL won nine league championships, first in 1908,
followed by a lengthy run from 1919 to 1925, and then dramatically
in 1944, after they had lost their home field Oriole Park in a disastrous
mid-season fire. The huge post-season crowds at their temporary
home, Municipal Stadium, caught the attention of the big
league brass and helped open the door to the return of major league
baseball to Baltimore. By the early 1960s, stars such as Brooks Robinson,
John "Boog" Powell,
and Dave McNally
were being developed by a strong farm system.
The Orioles currently play their home games in Baltimore's Oriole Park at
Camden Yards, named after the original Oriole Park which burned
down in 1944.
Milt Pappas for Frank Robinson
In 1966, the
Orioles traded pitcher Milt Pappas (and several others) to the Cincinnati Reds in
exchange for slugging outfielder Frank Robinson. That same year, Robinson won the
American League Most Valuable Player award, thus becoming the
first (and so far only) man to win the MVP in each league (Robinson
won the NL MVP in 1961, leading the Reds to the pennant). In
addition to winning the 1966 MVP, Robinson also won the Triple Crown
(leading the American League in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in.) The Orioles won their first ever
American League championship in 1966, and in a major upset, swept
the World Series by out-dueling the Los Angeles Dodgers aces
Sandy Koufax and
Don Drysdale.
Pappas went 30-29 in a little over two years with the Reds, before
being traded. Although he would go on to have back-to-back 17-win
seasons for the Chicago
Cubs in 1971 and 1972, including a no-hitter in the latter season, this did not help
the Reds, who ended up losing the 1970 World Series to Robinson and
the Orioles. from 1966 to 1983, the Orioles won three World Series titles
(1966,
1970, and
1983), six
American League pennants (1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1979, 1983), and five of the first six American League Eastern
Division titles. Named for fiery manager Earl Weaver, Weaver
Ball is defined by the Oriole trifecta of "Pitching,
Defense, and the Three-Run Home Run."
When an Oriole GM was told by a reporter that Earl Weaver, as the
skipper of a very talented team, was a "push-button manager" he
replied "Earl built the machine and installed all the
buttons!"
As the Robinson boys grew older, newer stars emerged including
multiple Cy Young
Award winner Jim
Palmer and switch-hitting first baseman Eddie Murray. With the
decline and eventual departure of two local teams - the NFL's Baltimore Colts and
baseball's Washington Senators, the Orioles' excellence paid off at
the gate, as the team cultivated a large and rabid fan base at old
Memorial Stadium. The Orioles started the 1988 season
unceremoniously by losing the first 21 contests, and ended the year
at 54-108, the worst record for the franchise since 1939. The
1989 squad, led
by surprise ace Jeff
Ballard, rebounded to finish in 2nd place behind the Toronto Blue Jays with
an 87-75 record, staying in contention until the last week of the
season and earning the nickname "Why Not?" Two years later,
Cal Ripken,
Jr. won MVP honors in the final season at Memorial
Stadium.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
In 1992,
with grand ceremony, the Orioles began their season in a brand new
ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and thus retiring Memorial
Stadium in the major league baseball world. Many felt that
since the Orioles' new home was so close to Babe Ruth's birthplace that
the new park should have been named after Ruth instead of being
indirectly named after the Earl of Camden, Charles Pratt, who was a Britisher who never set foot on
American soil.
In 1993,
Peter Angelos
bought the Baltimore Orioles, which returned the team to local
ownership. Ripken would finish with 2,632 straight games, finally
sitting on September
20, 1998.
1996/1997: Playoffs
Angelos hired Pat
Gillick as GM for the Orioles in 1996. Surhoff, Randy Myers, and Roberto Alomar. Under
Gillick and manager Davey Johnson, the Orioles finally returned to
postseason play by winning the American League's wild card spot in
the 1996
season. The team set a major league record for home runs in a
single season, with 257, and upset the Cleveland Indians in
the Division Series before falling to the New York Yankees in a
controversial American League Championship Series (famous for the fan,
Jeffrey Maier,
interfering with a ball and allowing the Yankees win game 1). The
Orioles followed up by winning the AL East Division
title in 1997,
going "wire-to-wire" (being in first place from the first day of
the season to the last). After the Orioles failed to advance to the
World Series in either playoff, Johnson resigned as manager
following a dispute with Angelos, with pitching coach Ray Miller
taking his place. The Orioles added volatile slugger Albert Belle, but the
team's woes continued in the 1999 season, with stars like Rafael Palmeiro,
Roberto Alomar,
and Eric Davis
leaving in free agency. He named Syd Thrift the new GM and brought in former
Cleveland manager Mike
Hargrove.
2000-2004
Going into the 2006 season, the Orioles have had eight consecutive
sub-.500 seasons due to the combination of lackluster play on the
team?s part, a string of ineffective management, and the ascent of
the Yankees and Red Sox to the top of the game - each rival having
a clear advantage in financial flexibility due to their larger
media market size. Further complicating the situation for the
Orioles is the relocation of the Montreal Expos franchise to nearby
Beginning with the 2003 season, big changes began to sweep through the
organization to try to snap the losing ways. General manager Syd
Thrift was fired and to replace him, the Orioles hired Jim Beattie as the
Executive Vice President and Mike
Flanagan as the Vice President of Baseball Operations'.
After another losing season, manager Mike Hargrove was not
resigned and Yankees coach Lee Mazzilli was brought in as the new manager. The team
signed powerful hitters in SS Miguel Tejada, C Javy Lopez, and former Oriole 1B Rafael Palmeiro.
Injuries to Luis
Matos, Javy
Lopez, Brian
Roberts, Sammy
Sosa, and Larry
Bigbie came within weeks of each other. Various minor league
players such as Single-A Frederick outfielder Jeff Fiorentino were
brought up in place of more experienced players such as David Newhan, who batted
.311 the previous season.
Palmeiro downfall
On July 15, 2005, Rafael Palmeiro
collected his 3,000th hit in Seattle; but 15 days later he was
suspended for a violation of MLB's drug
policy, after testing positive for the anabolic steroid
stanozolol. This
downfall cost Lee
Mazzilli his managerial job in early August, allowing bench
coach and 2003 managerial candidate Sam Perlozzo to take over as interim manager and
lead the team to a 23-32 finish. The Orioles called up Dave Cash from the Ottawa Lynx to serve as the
team's first base coach. The Orioles did not attempt to resign him,
considering his exorbitant salary, his miserable performance, and
his stormy relationship with batting coach Terry Crowley and
teammates including Miguel Tejada. On August 25, pitcher Sidney Ponson was arrested for DUI and on September 1 the Orioles
moved to void his contract and release him. In the front office,
Executive VP Jim
Beattie was not re-signed, allowing Mike
Flanagan to become the sole GM of the Orioles. The Orioles also
fired assistant General Manager Ed Kenney and asked for the resignation of Dave Ritterpusch,
Director of Baseball Information Systems. Perlozzo led off strong by
convincing Atlanta pitching coach Leo Mazzone, who had revolutionized the careers of
many pitchers in Atlanta, to become the pitching coach for the
Orioles. He retained hitting coach Terry Crowley and first base coach Dave Cash.
Former base coach and 1983 World Series MVP Rick Dempsey replaced the
late Elrod
Hendricks as the bullpen coach, with Tom Trebelhorn resuming
third base coach. I know you have heard that tune before, but this
time it will literally come true." The Orioles allowed Rafael Palmeiro,
Sammy Sosa, and
B.J. They were also
locked out in bids to sign first baseman Paul Konerko, outfielder
Johnny Damon, and
starter Paul Byrd. The
Orioles were rumoured to have a deal with outfielder Jeromy Burnitz, but his
agent balked, supposedly at language regarding the physical, which
was deemed by legal experts to be rather standard, and Burnitz
signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates. This led to bringing in players like
Jeff Conine and
Kevin Millar, both
of whom are known for their positive presence in the clubhouse.
They first traded disgruntled reliever Steve Kline for LaTroy Hawkins, then
traded for outfielder Corey Patterson, who brings speed and defense to the
outfield, and traded former closer Jorge Julio and John Maine for experienced starter Kris Benson. The Orioles
also addressed future free agents by extending the contract of
outfielder Jay
Gibbons and discussing contract extensions with second baseman
Brian Roberts and
third baseman Melvin
Mora. It was rumored that the Boston Red Sox offered All-Star outfielder
Manny Ramirez for
Tejada, though no Orioles officials confirmed this. After several
weeks, teammate Melvin
Mora facillitated a conference call between the Orioles and
Tejada where Tejada backed down and said his comments were intended
to motivate the Orioles to make more moves in free agency. However,
since Francis
Scott Key wrote the National Anthem in Baltimore harbor during
the War of 1812,
some Baltimoreans feel they have the right to sing the song however
they please.
The tradition is so strong and beloved, that it is carried out at
many other sporting events, both professional and not, throughout
the Baltimore/Washington area, notably at Baltimore Ravens and
Maryland
Terrapins games. cry at Washington Nationals games at RFK Stadium.
Music
It has been an Orioles tradition since 1980 to play John Denver's "Thank God I'm
a Country Boy" after "Take Me Out to
the Ballgame" during the seventh inning
stretch. yell.
This tradition is so strong, such that, in instances where other
songs are performed during this time, such as "God Bless America,"
that "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" will usually be played and
"Take Me
Out to the Ballgame" skipped.
Other musical traditions include taking the field to the song
"Oriole Magic," playing a sample from The Wizard
of Oz of soldiers chanting "Oh-wee-oh! We-oh-oh," playing
Yello's "O Yeah" after a
good play by the Orioles, playing "Get Back" from The Beatles when an opposing batter has to return
to the batter's box after he headed to first base on a ball that
went foul, and playing "Hit the Road Jack" after when an opposing pitcher
leaves.
Some songs from special events include "One Moment in Time"
for Cal Ripken's record-breaking game. The theme from Field of Dreams was
played at the Last Game at Memorial Stadium in 1991.
In the 2006 season, the song "Elevation," by U2, is played following a home run.
The World Baseball Classic
In the 2006 World Baseball Classic, the Orioles contributed more
players than any other major league team, with eleven players
suiting up for their home nations. Erik Bedard and Adam Loewen pitched for Canada; Rodrigo L坦pez and Geronimo Gil (released before the season began by
the club) played for Mexico; Daniel Cabrera and Miguel Tejada for the Dominican Republic;
Javy Lopez and
Luis Matos for
Puerto Rico;
Bruce Chen for
Panama; Ramon Hernandez for
Venezuela; and
John Stephens for Australia.
Quick facts
-
Founded: 1893, as the Milwaukee, Wisconsin franchise in the minor
Western League. In 1900, that league became the American League, which
achieved major league status in 1901. The original Baltimore
Orioles of the National League moved to become the New York
Yankees.
-
Formerly known as: Milwaukee Brewers, 1894-1901.
St. Louis
Browns, 1902-1953.
-
Home ballpark: Oriole Park at
Camden Yards 1992-present
-
Prior home parks: Memorial
Stadium (Baltimore) 1954-1991, Sportsman's Park (St. Louis)
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Uniform colors: Black and Orange
-
Logo design: An oriole bird; the Baltimore Oriole is the
official Maryland state bird
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Playoff appearances (11): 1944, 1966, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1974, 1979, 1983, 1996, 1997
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Local Televison: Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, WJZ-TV (channel 13), WNUV-TV (channel 54), WDCW-TV (channel 50)
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Local Radio: WBAL (1090 AM)
Postseason appearances
Year
|
ALDS |
ALCS |
World Series |
1944(St. Louis)
|
|
|
|
|
St.
Louis Cardinals |
L
|
1966(Baltimore)
|
|
|
|
|
Los
Angeles Dodgers |
W
|
| 1969 |
|
|
Minnesota
Twins |
W
|
New York
Mets |
L
|
| 1970 |
|
|
Minnesota Twins
|
W
|
Cincinnati
Reds |
W
|
| 1971 |
|
|
Oakland
Athletics |
W
|
Pittsburgh Pirates |
L
|
| 1973 |
|
|
Oakland Athletics
|
L
|
|
|
| 1974 |
|
|
Oakland Athletics
|
L
|
|
|
| 1979 |
|
|
California Angels |
W
|
Pittsburgh Pirates
|
L
|
| 1983 |
|
|
Chicago
White Sox |
W
|
Philadelphia Phillies |
W
|
| 1996 |
Cleveland
Indians |
W
|
New York
Yankees |
L
|
|
|
| 1997 |
Seattle
Mariners |
W
|
Cleveland Indians
|
L
|
|
|
Baseball
Hall of Famers
St. Louis Browns
- Willard
Brown
- Jesse
Burkett
- Rick
Ferrell
- Goose
Goslin
- Rogers
Hornsby
- Heinie
Manush
- Satchel
Paige
- Branch
Rickey
- George
Sisler
- Rube
Waddell
- Bobby Wallace
- Jim
Bottomley
- Bill
Veeck
Baltimore Orioles
- Luis
Aparicio
- Reggie
Jackson
- George
Kell
- Eddie
Murray
- Jim
Palmer
- Robin Roberts
- Brooks
Robinson
- Frank
Robinson
- Earl
Weaver
- Hoyt
Wilhelm
Retired numbers
-
4 Earl
Weaver, Coach, 1968; MGR, 1988-91
-
22 Jim
Palmer, P, 1966-84
-
33 Eddie
Murray, 1B, 1977-88, 1996; Coach 1998-2001
-
42 Jackie Robinson Retired throughout Major League
Baseball
Current roster
Minor league affiliations
-
AAA: Norfolk Tides, International League
-
AA: Bowie
Baysox, Eastern
League
-
Advanced A: Frederick Keys, Carolina League
-
A: Delmarva Shorebirds, South Atlantic
League
-
Short A: Aberdeen IronBirds, New York-Penn
League
-
Rookie: Bluefield Orioles, Appalachian
League
-
Rookie: VSL
Orioles, Venezuelan Summer League
See also
- Orioles statistical records and milestone
achievements
- Orioles broadcasters and media
- Orioles managers and ownership
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