As McCartney might say, let’s get Baltimore ‘back to where it once belonged’ | READER COMMENTARY

What a night inside and outside Oriole Park at Camden Yards (“Seeing Paul McCartney again for the first time: Fans enjoy rock concert from former Beatle at Camden Yards,” June 13). Watching Paul McCartney bring joy to the full ballpark for nearly three hours was truly magical, but seeing downtown Baltimore and the Inner Harbor packed with people having a good time again was just as special.

I talked with lots of out-of-towners who said they would definitely come back to the city. One couple from Central Pennsylvania spent the weekend here and had already made plans for another visit this summer.

Take that Baltimore haters!

Now let’s bring more concerts and major sports events to Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium — as well as the renovated arena, which should be eligible to host NCAA basketball tournament (March Madness) weekends again. Yes, Baltimore hosted tournament games during the opening weekend in 1995.

And let’s bid and bring the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship, along with 35,000 fans filling hotels and restaurants over Memorial Day weekend, back to M&T Bank Stadium. (The recent women’s championship at Johns Hopkins was great, but it didn’t put many people downtown). The lacrosse championship belongs in the mecca of lacrosse — which is neither East Hartford, Connecticut, nor Foxboro, Massachusetts!

As Sir Paul McCartney might say, the championship needs to “get back to where it once belonged.”

— Paul Sturm, Baltimore

The writer is chair of the Downtown Residents Advocacy Network.

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