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Baltimore Orioles

Take me out to the OLD ballgame!

It’s that time again. Time to vote and take full advantage of your rights as an American citizen; time to band with those who share similar philosophical views and unite for the greater good of our country.  Of course, we’re talking about the competition to determine who sang the best rendition of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame.”  After all, you do know it’s the 100th anniversary of the national pastime’s unofficial anthem.

Help us celebrate the 100th anniversary of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” by voting on who should lead the crowd at Oriole Park at Camden Yards during the Seventh Inning Stretch on Sunday, May 18, 2008 at 1:35 p.m. ET, when the Orioles host the Washington Nationals!

Don’t take this responsibility lightly.  There are 10 valid candidates for the honor and the power is in your hands.  Use it wisely.

Links:

[Orioles.com]: “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”

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Baltimore Orioles

Fans laugh at the Orioles for a whole new reason


Baltimore and Tampa Bay put together a pretty exciting game that tallied up 23 total hits and ended with the Orioles grabbing the victory 8-4. Considering that Baltimore had picked up just their second win in the last 14 games after getting outscored by 68 during the embarrassing span you’d figure there would be more to talk about than Melvin Mora’s wrestling match with a bat weight. Wrong.

The Baltimore Orioles still have a sense of a humor despite recent struggles on the field.

Orioles third baseman Melvin Mora had a hard time getting a weight off his bat in the first inning of Tuesday night’s game at Tampa Bay, prompting laughter from his teammates in the dugout and the nearby fans.

Mora pounded his bat several times in a futile attempt to get the weight off as he approached the plate. When the weight finally dropped from the bat after a successful attempt, the fans along the third base side near the Baltimore dugout cheered and Mora responded by tipping his helmet toward them.

Hey, if you can’t laugh at yourself then you’re just going look like an idiot while everyone else is laughing at you.

Links:

[WJZ.com]: Orioles, Fans Enjoy Mora’s Fight With Bat Weight

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Baltimore Orioles

Rick Dempsey strikes out in his first at-bat of the season

Rick Dempsey knows how to be a professional ball player and he also knows the ins and outs of being a studio host on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, but he still has a lot to learn about being a broadcaster inside the booth. Seems like Rick is having a bit of trouble with the whole improv and spur of the moment conversation that is essential to a live game.

In his first game of the season as a commentator on Saturday, Dempsey made a complete jackass out of himself when Laura Giuliani, the wife of O’s left fielder Jay Gibbons, was in the booth to promote an upcoming fundraiser intended to raise awareness about domestic violence. So, what’s one of the first things to come out of Dempsey’s mouth but, of course, a completely retarded joke about Giuliani strangling her husband. Everything is going pretty smoothly until about the 2:45 mark of the video:

Dempsey came out and apologized for his comment but there’s no rewind button in life, so, unfortunately, people are going to remember his little slip of the tongue mind. Things sure are a lot easier in the safe confines of the studio where all the words just magically appear on the screen in front of you, aren’t they Rick?

Links:

[BaltimoreSun.com]: Dempsey’s remarks no laughing matter

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Baltimore Orioles

Sep 27 in Sports History: Robbie Alomar spits on an ump


In 1996: Roberto Alomar of the Orioles proved that yes, most professional baseball players are out-of-touch douche bags when he spit in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck following an argument over balls and strikes in Toronto. If that wasn’t bad enough, Alomar remarked after the game, “I used to respect him a lot. He had problems with his family when his son died (of a rare brain disease) — I know that’s something real tough in life — but after that he just changed. He became real bitter.” When hearing Alomar’s words the next day, Hirschbeck charged into the Orioles’ clubhouse and confronted Alomar, but was restrained. More controversy was created when acting commissioner Bud Selig allowed Alomar to play in the postseason and not have to serve a paltry five-game suspension until the beginning of the 1997 season. (baseball library.com)

In 1999: The Detroit Tigers played their final game at Tiger Stadium (also referred to as Griffin Stadium in the early days) with each player wearing the number of a retired great from Detroit. Gabe Kaplar represented Ty Cobb in centerfield and wore no number. The Tigers defeated the Royals 8-2. The stadium opened in 1912 in downtown Detroit and some great moments included the feats of Ty Cobb, Hank Greenberg, Denny McClain’s 31 pitching wins in 1968 and World Series titles in 1935, 1945, 1968 and 1984. (baseballlibrary.com)

In 1984: Jon Facenda, the legendary voice of NFL Films, died at the age of 72. Facenda, who also worked as a Philadelphia anchor, was there at the beginning, narrating the first NFL Films feature “They Call It Pro Football.” His deep, rich voice — revered as “the Voice of God” by football fans — was often mimicked by the likes of Chris Berman (who actually made up “the frozen tundra” — Facenda never said it). He was replaced by Harry Kalas. (wnbc.com)

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Baltimore Orioles

Orioles fans walk out in protest



Is that Oddjob?

A sports talk radio station in Baltimore, WNST organized a protest against current owner Peter Angelos for making the Orioles a terrible team.


WE, the lifelong fans of the Baltimore Orioles, demand new ownership. We want someone other than Peter G. Angelos and his group owning, making decisions and fortifying the baseball team and civic treasure that is the Orioles.

After 13 years of bad management, fan apathy (and in some cases fan abuse) and horrible baseball, we feel it is time for a fan revolt and we will use this website and “rally” day as our only means of unifying, coordinating and, hopefully at some point, taking back a tremendous source of civic pride, joy and community formerly known as the Baltimore Orioles.

Well, apparently the protest got about a thousand orioles fans to buy the cheapest tickets in the house and walk out at 5:08 PM. Baltimore averages only about 27 thousand fans a game so a thousand folks is somewhat significant but hardly as much of a dent as this photo would indicate.

Sure it’s a PR embarassment for the ownership group of the Orioles but is the rally going to do anything but be a black eye for a couple of days and some free press for the radio station that organized it? Probably not. Still, kudos to the thousand or so Orioles fans who felt passionate enough about their team to get out there. A thousand folks isn’t that much but it beats the usual attendance at Braves playoff games…

Links:
[Oriole Magic]: THE RALLY

[Yahoo]: Orioles protesters walk out on team

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Baltimore Orioles

Sep 6 in Sports History: Cal Ripken breaks Lou Gehrig’s record


In 1995: Cal Ripken Jr. of the Baltimore Orioles broke Lou Gerhig’s record by playing in his 2,131 consecutive game. Ripken’s streak began on May 30, 1982 and didn’t end until 1998, after 2,632 games. The game against the California Angels was stopped in the fifth inning for 22 minutes as soon as the game was official. The crowd celebrated as the huge banner counting the games dropped from the warehouse across from Camden Yards. Ripken then took a lap around the field, shaking hands with the crowd. He even homered off Shawn Boskie in the 4th inning. The Orioles won the game 4-2.

In 2002 The Minnesota Twins defeated the Oakland A’s 6-0 at the Metrodome, ending the A’s record-setting 20-game winning streak. The A’s defeated the Royals 12-11 the night before in Oakland to win their 20th straight on a dramatic game-winning homer by Scott Hatteberg. The two teams would meet in the postseason, with the Twins winning a five game series.

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Baltimore Orioles

Anna Benson changes her mind. It’s ok for Kris to cheat on her

It took exactly five days for Anna Benson to figure out that she could be in the spotlight more by being married to Kris Benson. Even though she caught him cheating on her with one of her friends, she’s decided to withdraw her divorce petition. Understandably, the Mets are saddened by this news.

Maybe it is true love after all. Anna revealed in the infamous Howard Stern interview that there was no pre-nup so she stood to get half of Kris’ money. Or maybe she was just worried about all those private porn tapes she and Kris made together.

Links:
[Baltimore Sun]: Anna Benson reverses course on divorce
[Gorilla Mask]: Anna’s photo spread in FHM’s 2006 Baseball Preview