Weekend in Baltimore

By: Frank Carpano

If you’re a Red Sox fan I’d like to recommend that you make the pilgrimage to Baltimore’s Orioles Park at Camden Yard to see the Red Sox play.

I took my family there this past weekend and it was an incredible experience.
It began with a Southwest flight from Providence to Baltimore.  It felt like a Red Sox charter. It seemed like everybody onboard was headed to Baltimore to see the games. And everybody was wearing Red Sox gear.

Camden Yard sits on the edge of Baltimore’s inner harbor. It was a short walk from our hotel. I bought our tickets on-line and paid face value, $40 for a seat on the first baseline about 30 rows up. Try to find that at Fenway Park!

If you’re worried about venturing into enemy territory, worry not. By my unofficial estimate, Red Sox fans outnumbered Oriole fans at Camden Yard by 5 to 1.

By far the most exciting moment at Friday’s game was each time Manny Ramirez came to the plate. He was one homerun shy of 500 for his career, and the crowd was hungry to see history. Each time Manny came to the plate, there was a light show around the Park as everyone, it seemed, snapped a picture hoping to capture a frame from a historic homerun.

It was also interesting to see former Red Sox Kevin Millar. He plays first base now for the Orioles. It’s a perfect position for him. First base is the most social position on a baseball field. And Millar, a very social guy, is ideally suited for that spot. I enjoyed watching him every time a Red Sox player landed on first. Millar had something to say to each one.

I was also amazed at Jacoby Ellsbury. I’ve always known that he was fast. But this weekend I came away with an entirely new appreciation of his base running skills.