I was there to see the Phillies beat the Orioles yesterday afternoon, 4-1, at a rain-soaked Oriole Park at Camden Yards. It was my first time there, and here are my impressions on the game and the trip:
- Attendance was announced at 29,000 fans. No way there were that many people in that beautiful stadium. Over half were Phillies fans. They made the trek down I-95 in the drizzly morning. It sprinkled all day, and at one time we had to seek cover as the rain became heavier. It eventually subsided to a drizzle again, but picked up again on the way home.
- Even though everything worked out in the end, Kapler taking Ramos out in the 9th inning, i favor of a struggling Neris, was a stupid move. He deserved all the boos he got from the fans in Baltimore. He can't be doing crazy stuff again and not expect the fans to react. I still don't trust him but the team is eight games over .500 for the first time since 2011, only a game behind Atlanta for the lead in National league East.
His reasoning was to give "Neris confidence." What about Ramos' confidence, after striking out the only two batters he faced on six pitches? What about the fan's confidence that he isn't going to screw-up again as he did the first week of the season. Sadly, he will never get away from basic analytics, rather than using common sense. It will burn him someday.
- I met Gregg Murphy, one of the Phillies' announcers and roving reporter, at Baltimore during the game. Great guy! I envy his job. Must be a blast!
- It was weird watching the Phillies bat first and seeing them wear the road gray uniforms. My first time ever seeing the club play on the road.
- Interesting differences between Oriole Park and Citizens Bank park: The Orioles have their statues of former greats in one place together in a little park outside the outfield wall. Nice. The Phillies have their statues sprinkled all over the ballpark, which makes sense that the statue of Richie Ashburn should be located in Ashburn Alley. Another difference is the scoreboards. Philadelphia's is much larger as it the video screen. Both stadiums have their own little charms and quirks.
- Oriole Park is nice because it's downtown. Lots of trees. Intimate place. Close to the action. Has character with the gigantic old B.O. Railroad warehouse hovering beyond the right field wall. I still like the overall atmosphere of Citizens Bank Park ( maybe I'm a little biased).
Still, it was very cool to see the first stadium which started it all in the 90s. Without Oriole Park at Camden Yards, other parks that followed- Coors Field, Citizens Bank Park, PNC Park- may not look as they do now.
Oriole personnel, form ushers to parking people, were extremely nice and friendly. Hardly any traffic down I-95 in the morning, with a direct route to the park. Unlike what I expected the parking was great plenty of -accessible spots near the stadium. $10 to park in Lot A was affordable.
The rain was a bummer but it didn't dampen the spirit of Phillies' fans, who were everywhere. Now I won't feel so bad when I see another teams' fans invade our place.Oriole fans are kinda down these days, plus Baltimore fans aren't as "angry" as, let's say, New York or Dallas' fans.
Getting out of the stadium area after the game was a major hassle, but probably not much different than at home. The ride home always seems longer, made even more tedious by the steady rain showers.
- As for the game, Hernandez, Franco and Williams were key offensively. Pivetta pitched brilliantly and is making his case to stay in the rotation. Jared Eichoff is due back soon off the disabled list. It's a good problem to have, too many good starters. If no steady closer is found in-house, why not explore closer options in July before the trade deadline? Britton from Baltimore ( if healthy) or Cincinnati's Inglesias are possibilities.
- It was an eye-opener, but a fan in an enemy ballpark. I'm sure it would be much different up at Citi Field in New York or a stadium where the fans can be more aggressive. But I will say this- Phillies' fans ( to the best of my knowledge) were not obnoxious. I've heard Met and Cub fans come into the Bank and taunt and swear at players and Phillies' fans. I'm not saying our fans are angels, but yesterday was a taste of fandom on the road and it was OK. Granted it was Baltimore, where there isn't much of a rivalry and the Baltimore fans don't seem to care.
- I hit the men's room before leaving Oriole Park. It was packed. No surprise there. What caught my attention was the "Fly Eagles Fly" chants along with E-A-G-L-E-S! A group of Philly fans were in there, decked out in Phillies gear but talking Birds to a few Baltimore fans. Ravens fans' answers were "Well, we have two championships", whereas the Eagle fans responded "But we are the reigning Super Bowl champs!" That shut-up the Baltimore guys. It was good-natured kidding, but I'm afraid that's the feeling around the NFL- the Eagles were a fluke, got lucky and won't contend this season. So the Birds need to win it again and put that kind of talk to bed.
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