Baltimore Orioles |
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| 333 W. Camden St. | |
| Baltimore, MD 21201 | |
| 410-685-9800 | |
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Hours:
Monday-Saturday: 9 a.m-6 p.m. Sunday: Noon-5 p.m. | |
| What's nearby: | |
In their 50th anniversary season, the Baltimore Orioles are hoping for a return to their glorious past.
The team arrived in Baltimore in 1954 and quickly became one of major league baseball's best, winning the world championship in 1966 behind Hall of Famers Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson and Jim Palmer. The legacy continued with another championship in 1983 with a team featuring Eddie Murray, a recent Hall of Fame inductee, and a 23-year-old future superstar named Cal Ripken Jr., who became the face of the organization for 20 years.
Though the team hasn't returned to the World Series since '83, it has remained in the major league baseball spotlight. In 1992, the Orioles moved from Memorial Stadium to Oriole Park at Camden Yards, a downtown stadium that combined the look and feel of old-time ballparks with all the modern amenities and has become the model for new ballparks across the country.
In 1995, the attention of the baseball world was on Ripken, who chased Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak and ultimately became the sports's Iron Man by playing in his 2,131st straight game on Sept. 6.
Ripken's retirement in 2001 came in the middle of a lowpoint for the team -- a streak of six straight fourth-place finishes, coupled with losing its most recognizable star.
This anniversary season has a different look than the past six, however. Free agent acquisitions Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmeiro and Javy Lopez make a formidable heart of the lineup; Sidney Ponson returns to lead a pitching staff full of promising prospects; and young stars like Larry Bigbie, Jay Gibbons, Jerry Hairston, Luis Matos and Brian Roberts are emerging. The Birds could fly again.
--Kevin Langbaum
Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-888-848-BIRD or on the Orioles' web site at www.theorioles.com.
