At 25 years old, Camden Yards is still a jewel. The home of the Baltimore Orioles since 1992, Camden Yards is still celebrated as one of the nation’s best ballparks. In Orioles manager Buck Showalter’s words, “It’s a special place that was so far ahead of its time.” Take a look through major moments in Camden Yards and Orioles history, and read more about the anniversary here.
As the Orioles’ 2015 season comes to a close and a play-off appearance seemingly remote, I started to look for something different during the games. I was looking for interesting pictures that show the traditions of the game, like players chewing bubble gum, fans seeking autographs or a batter get thrown at after a home run. I also photographed tight close-ups of mitts used by last season’s Rawlings Gold Glove award winners that have gold labels, and how the home team grounds crews always smooth the infield on the top of the inning when the Orioles are on the field. There are images that show that fraction of a second that is invisible in real time, like a bat breaking on impact with a pitch, a runner avoiding a tag or beating a throw to reach base.
On a rainy and drizzling day the Baltimore Orioles launched their home campaign by taking on the Toronto Blue Jays. Though the weather was inhospitable the fans still came out to cheer on their team as expectations ran high following the great 2014 season where the O’s won the American League East pennant. Alas the weather wasn’t the only thing that didn’t cooperate as the home team lost, but hope springs eternal as there is a lot of baseball yet to be played.
Let’s just get the obvious out of the way: Ted Patterson, a former WBAL broadcaster, may have more Orioles memorabilia than you do. Ahead of Opening Day, BSMG photographer Brian Krista spent some time with Patterson last week, and came back with some photos and a video on his extensive collection.
The latest installment of Hidden Maryland takes you behind the scenes of the Orioles’ clubhouse kitchen, where this season the team is working with a new chef to offer more nutritious and delicious food options to its players.
Saturday’s national anthem singer at Camden Yards, Michael Fries, surprised his girlfriend, Shelby Trautman, by proposing to her after belting out the Star-Spangled Banner for the Orioles-Rockies game. See photos of the proposal taken by Baltimore Sun photographer Karl Merton Ferron. O!!! And she said, “yes!”
Consider this a Camden Yards checklist.
After looking through 21 years of Baltimore Sun photos, we found 24 different views of Oriole Park at Camden Yards that reinforces what every Orioles fan already knows: Baltimore’s ballpark is the best in the country.
Whether up in Hampden or downtown at Camden Yards, Baltimore residents were greeted on Friday by a particularly distinct rainbow. Might it have been a sign from Mother Nature about the return of same-sex marriage to California, or just an omen signaling an exciting Orioles win?
Okay, okay, it was probably just a climate-caused optical phenomenon. Still pretty cool. We’ve collected photographs from Baltimore Sun staff and Darkroom readers. Share yours using @baltimoresun on Twitter or Instagram, and it could be featured here!
This time lapse of Opening Day at Oriole Park was shot over the course of five hours – starting at 10 a.m. outside the stadium and ending right before the game began.
As James Earl Jones stated in the movie “Field of Dreams;” “The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt, and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.”
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