In the American League

I attended my second O's game of the month on Thursday against the Twins, just one day after the O's let the Rangers score 30 runs against them. I hadn't been to Oriole Park at Camden Yards since 2004 prior to the O's-Red Sox game a couple of weeks ago, and these two games have reminded me of the first two years I spent in DC, back in the day when I was pretty happy here in our nation's capital. What a great park they have in Baltimore. Too bad Peter Devilos has gutted the heart out of the team.

The announced attendance was 19K+. Actual attendance was about half of that, which is pretty sad for a Thursday night - it's even less than the Nats get. Then again, the Nats don't exactly have a proud winning tradition like the O's do, so the disgust is not keeping Nats fans away. My soul could hear the echos of greatness in the emptiness of the stadium, and though the O's don't take up much space in my heart, I was thoroughly depressed at the fanless void before my eyes.

When we arrived at the game just in time for the first pitch - thanks to the difficulty in navigating the jungle of traffic that made a 45 minute trip much longer - I looked down at the concourse floor and what was I standing on? The spot where Ken Griffey Jr. had once hit a mammoth home run. I wonder how they knew the exact spots where these balls hit? I mean, they didn't exactly have people standing around waiting for homers to be hit way out of centerfield so they could put little baseball plaques into the ground.

Not seeing many American League games, I can't remember if I've ever seen Torii Hunter play. I'm sure there was a Twins game in 2003 or 2004 when I went to more O's games, though I only remember the Yankees, Phillies, and Kansas City. No, I don't know why I remember seeing Kansas City! It was definitely my first glimpse of Joe Mauer, Michael Cuddyer, and Justin Morneau.

Matt Wieters was introduced during the game. Some people gave him a standing ovation. I'm not sure most people even knew who he was. It's like the only real hope O's fans have is in something happening to Devilos, as a good draft pick is not going to save the franchise from his wrathful incompetence. It's too bad baseball isn't a democracy and you can't vote owners out of office. Viva la revolution!

Here are a few more photos: