It's that time of year again . . .

If you think football games, soccer matches, and lacrosse tournaments are exciting at M&T Bank Stadium, you should be here on Prom Night.

It was a little hard for me to get my head around this concept.  (Admittedly, I am of the era when prom meant crepe paper streamers in the high school gym.)  Though things have evolved a bit, I still wasn't prepared for the popularity of our stadium for one of the biggest nights of high school life.

(Do you think they coordinated these ensembles around the decor?  Was Nike involved?)

This month there will be 16 proms held in M&T Bank Stadium.  Since there are only four weekends in May, you might wonder how that's possible.

Well, this weekend there is one on Friday night and three on Saturday.  That's right -- three high school proms staged at one time, in one place.  Next weekend, there are two on Friday and three more on Saturday. 

Drive down Russell Street either night and watch the convoy of stretch limos snaking through the lots.  Sometimes there are even spotlights criss-crossing the sky. All they need is Joan Rivers doing fashion commentary and you'd swear it was the Academy Awards.

So getting back to the appeal of a football stadium for the Big Event.  One of them has to be pictures like these.

Another has to be the appeal of the behind-the-scenes look at a City icon.  Yes, these are in the locker room.  Yes, everyone wants to stand in Ray Lewis' locker.

But a big part has to be the beauty of the setting.  The proms are held on the Club level, beautifully decorated and dramatically lit for the many functions held there.

Oriole Park also hosts proms, but not nearly as many because the two seasons conflict, and outside events can't be held during home stands.  (Would make an interesting theme, though.)  Like M&T, Oriole Park boasts a beautiful club level with spectacular views of Baltimore.

So while these proms don't feature an Eiffel Tower made of aluminum cans (no kidding, it really was) for a centerpiece, they certainly capture the flavor of a night on the town in a very unique way. 

The staff at MSA is proud to help make that night a lifetime memory.

The Dude with 'Tude

Even before the 20th season at Camden Yards began, the O's announced the return of the chirpy cartoon character who graced their caps during the 70's and 80's.

It was he who welcomed fans on Opening Day, smiling from the vertical banners outside Camden Yards and the giant video board inside.

However, the off-season enhancements to Oriole Park included a number of murals and decorative flourishes around Eutaw Street and the concourses.    It was on these walls we got our first look at his alter-ego.

Not exactly Angry Bird (although he'd probably make a good video game) but more like  . . . well,

 Ballbustin' Baltimore Bird  -- scourge of AL East.

In other words, our affable avian has made this his year to show a new, in-your-face, facet of his personality -- The Dude with 'Tude.

Wander around Oriole Park and you'll be reminded this is the Bird that takes no prisoners, gives no quarter, and keeps fighting (even if it takes17 innings and a DH on the mound) til it's done.

Today our Birds fly south from Boston to open another home stand.  They are 19-9 on the season, in first place in the AL East with the best record in MLB.

So if they seem to have a new edge to the performance, maybe it comes from all those reminders around the Park. 

This is the Year of the Bird, and a time to celebrate at Camden Yards. 

(Unless, of course, you'd rather watch
"60 Minutes.")

Rally 'Round the Yards

It's a popular misconception that Camden Yards only comes to life on game days. 

Nothing could be further from the truth, as various parts of the complex are in use every day of the year.  One of the purposes of this blog is to show the many activities which occur in our sports and entertainment facilities, and how they serve the greater community (while also contributing to our bottom line.)

Leasing our facilities is a big part of this effort, and the lots are major producers -- but not just for parking.

This weekend, Lots G and H have been converted to a road course to allow consumers to test the manuverability and safety of Yokahama tires.

Similar road courses have been devised for test driving specific auto brands as well.  Mercedes was here last year, allowing potential clients to road test their newest models.

As part of our partnership with the City of Baltimore Police Department, we make the lots available for officers to receive instruction and be tested for duty on various vehicles. 

This particular exercise was a time trial for motorcycles, which required a tighter course.

Another part of our partnership with the City of Baltimore allows the lots to be used during snow emergencies.  Usually that means the City plows the lots in exchange for allowing nearby residents to park here rather than streets in front of their homes.

However, in the winter of 2010 Lots G and H became the staging area for many outside snow emergency vehicles brought in to help dig Baltimore out. 

(As you can see, the lots were also a dumping area for the mountains of snow that the vehicles removed from other parts of town.)

While Lots G and H have the most open surface, they are not the only ones used for other purposes.

You may remember the "Cash for Clunkers" lawnmover exchange sponsored by the Maryland Department of the Environment.  This interesting concept invited Marylanders to relinquish their gasoline powered, air polluting devices for a generous credit on a new "green" model that uses less energy with fewer emissions.

As you can see from the discarded gas guzzlers, the program was a big success, which prompted a repeat the following year. 

Quite often the lots are leased as a holding area for major trade shows being held at the nearby Convention Center.  Transport vehicles for the Auto and Boat shows stay for the duration of the event, as do commercial exhibit suppliers.

But sometimes the exhibits drop in themselves, as did this Army helicopter bound for a military recruitment event at the Convention Center.  Since it had to be disassembled to fit, Lot C was a good place to strip it down. 

After the show, it was towed back, sans rotors, and reassembled in the same place before reporting to duty.

So while our acres of asphalt may not seem like a facility or venue, they are significant in the success of Camden Yards and many activities taking place in downtown Baltimore.

Dempsey's Now Open to Public !!!!

The day has finally arrived!  Dempsey's Brew Pub (complete with operating brewery, which we've been admiring since Opening Day) is now officially open to the public on non-game days.

That means everyone can enjoy staring at the walls and reminiscing as we have for the past few weeks.

The website will soon be featuring the menu (which includes those divine rockfish tacos,) so be sure to bookmark this:

 http://www.dempseysbaltimore.com/

Here are the hours of operation:

Non-Game Day                                                           
Sunday to Thursday:                                                     
      
Food Service
Lunch Menu:          11:00am to 3:00pm
Bar Menu:                3:00pm to 5:00p
Dinner Menu:           5:00pm to 10:00pm
                                     
Bar                        11:00am to 11:00pm
                                
Friday and Saturday:
     
Food Service                                             
Lunch Menu:          11:00am to 3:00pm
Bar Menu:                3:00pm to 5:00pm        
Dinner Menu:           5:00pm to 10:00pm

Bar                       11:00am to 1:00am

Game Day                                                                             
Sunday to Thursday:

Food Service
Lunch Menu:          11:00am to 3:00pm
Bar Menu:                3:00pm to 5:00pm
Game Day Menu:     5:00pm to 10:00pm

Bar                        11:00am to 11:00pm
 
Friday and Saturday:      
Food Service                                  
Lunch Menu:          11:00am to 3:00pm
Bar Menu:               3:00pm to 5:00pm
Dinner Menu:          5:00pm to 10:00pm

Bar                      11:00am to 1:00am

The Colorful Characters of Camden

We have a great neighborhood here at Camden Yards, with lots of interesting visitors to be seen from the Warehouse Window.  Sometimes they look back, as you can see.

Working one Saturday last October, I was taken aback with the steady stream of ghouls congregating at Camden Station.  It seems the Geppi Entertainment Museum (one of the most fascinating places you could ever visit) was having a zombie jamboree of some sort. 

Part of the celebration was an extreme makeover session where aspiring zombies had decorative designs added by a resident stylist. Then came a zombie parade down Camden Street. 

After a few hours, I adjourned to my favorite watering hole, only to find the zombies had multiplied and were occupying all the barstools.

Zany, perhaps.  But part of the multi generational fun you'll find at Geppi's.

Of course Geppi's is not the only museum with dynamic displays and activities in Camden Station. 

On another Saturday, there was an even more diverse gathering at Sports Legends, the museum associated with the Babe Ruth Birthplace a few blocks away.

Sports Legends has events all the time, from discussions with sports heroes to press conferences and opening historic exhibits.

But this whimsical -- and family oriented -- hoedown is the annual Meet the Mascots soiree.

Such local crowd pleasers as Testudo (Maryland), Doc the Tiger (Towson), Louie from Bowie (Bowie BaySox), True Grit (UMBC Retriever), and The Eagle (Coppin State) joined newcomer Wild Stang (Stevenson) and the Bad Birds of Baltimore (Poe and O) at the popular museum.

Of course, every once in a while you see someone strolling out of Camden Station that doesn't seem to fit either category, like this early morning visitor who was on his way to Washington last March.

We knew in advance he'd be coming, but can only imagine how the regular MARC commuters reacted.

(He'll be back again in 2013, on the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.) 

The historic railroad station witnessed a lot of activity when the Civil War broke out, but probably none more poignant than when the fallen President passed through one last time as his funeral cortage took him home to Springfield.

So while we never know for sure who might be dropping into Camden Station at any given time, we've learned not to be surprised.  And sometimes, you'll even find us there getting into the fun . . . and history.

Gus and the Glove

Wow!!  Nice to hear from someone out there with the same memories about Hoyt Wilhelm and his fierce knuckleball.  (That's Hoyt on the wall at Dempsey's.) 

Not only did his specialty baffle opposing hitters (he even no-hit the Yankees on 99 pitches) but it equally vexed catcher Gus Triandos -- my first Oriole hero.

Gus was a powerful hitter, and one of the early O's stars.  But catching Hoyt Wilhelm was not his idea of a good time behind the plate.

Neither was leading the league in passed balls. There were some games when he would have to chase more than one an inning. 

Taming the knuckleball wasn't an option, because it was a formidable weapon.   I'm not sure what the aerodynamic principle is (something about lack of spin causing wind resistance that made it dip,) but no one -- including Gus -- knew exactly where it would go once it left the mound.

Evidently back then you could customize the Tools of Ignorance.  I'm not sure whose idea it was -- maybe manager Paul Richards? -- but someone came up with the bright idea to build Gus a bigger glove.  A much bigger glove.

So in those early 60's games, when Hoyt Wilhelm got the nod in the bullpen, Gus would trot over to the dugout and retrieve "The Thing."  (I think there were other names for it, but I only remember "The Thing.") 

It looked like an early version of a beanbag chair and seemed to cover most of home plate.  I'm surprised the umpires could see over it.

I don't know if "The Thing" was bequeathed to whoever had to catch Wilhelm when Gus left or not.  I can't imagine MLB would let anyone use such a contraption these days.  (It doesn't even have a logo on it, for heavens sake.)  But I hope it found a home somewhere. 

For you old timers like me who remember Gus and his efforts to corral the knuckleball, here's a picture of what it looked like in comparison to a regular catcher's mitt.

(I think this was taken at Griffith Stadium in DC.  Could be Briggs in Detroit, but look at the tree growing beyond left field.)

So thanks again to Dempsey's for the stirring the memories.  I could honestly spend days in there just staring at the walls and reliving those days of yore.

And please, somebody --  find out what happened to "The Thing."

Growing a Garden of Greats

Every garden starts with a plan, and before that -- a vision.

Here is the O's resident visionary, Janet Marie Smith, explaining to MSA Chairman John Morton III how the Bullpen Picnic Area was to be transformed into a statuary garden honoring Orioles Hall of Famers.

While the model in the foreground offered a glimpse of the concept, it was a little difficult to see past the bulldozers, gravel, and dust at this point from the Warehouse window.

At this point in construction, all you seem to think is "They'll NEVER get this done by Opening Day."

But we always do -- on time, on budget --even if it means round the clock shifts until the last minute.

In this 20th year of Oriole Park, one of the many opportunities to celebrate the O's of yore will be the dedication of statues to the six heroes who entered the Hall of Fame wearing the orange and black.

The statues will be unveiled, one a month, in the order the players were enshrined.

Last Saturday was Frank Robinson's turn. He's seen here with a pre-game crowd of about 500 after the unveiling. His statue depicts him following a long fly ball as it soars into far left field. 

One of the many nice things about the Garden of Greats is that, like Eutaw Street, the mini park is accessible to the public.  The regraded plaza offers a splendid view of the field, which is worth seeing even when there is no game in progress.

We have five more dedications this season, honoring Brooks, Earl, Jim, Eddie and Cal, Jr.  Miniatures of the statues will be distributed to all fans attending the games.

So come see how our garden grows this summer.  It is a wonderful opportunity to relive past heriocs, reminisce about good times on 33rd Street, and build cherished memories of Oriole Park at Camden Yards.