Baseball Trip - Day 8

We saved the best for last. From start to finish this was a special day. Our morning bus ride flick was “For Love of the Game” an underrated movie featuring Kevin Costner as a pitcher at the end of his career trying to pitch a perfect game. Drama, romance, some good baseball scenes - very entertaining - and the title perfectly describes our busload of fans. Costner has to love the game. He has starred in “Bull Durham” and “Field of Dreams in addition to this one. As “Terrance Mann/James Earl Jones” said, “Baseball has marked the time.”

Our first stop was Fort McHenry, the birthplace of our national anthem. The defense of the fort during the Battle of Baltimore inspired Frances Scott Key to write the lyrics as he stood on deck in the harbor. (Pun intended) As we looked on from the shore and saw Old Glory streaming in the sunlight it was inspirational.

We had some spare time, and chose to eat at a restaurant located in the Chesapeake Bay harbor. After the obligatory soft shell crab lunch we enjoyed watching the ships in the bay. It was a beautiful sight, and the ice cream cone hit the spot as we relaxed.

Next stop: Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. The red brick three story home has been well maintained, and it features furniture and other items that provide insight into Ruth’s early life. It is full of exhibits and artifacts from his career. It was outstanding, and further reinforced my opinion that Babe Ruth is still the best and most significant baseball player ever.

The museum is a short walk from the Camden Yards area. There were baseball fans everywhere, and there was excitement in the air. As we got close to the Ballpark, the first thing I saw was a plaza featuring a statue of my all time favorite player, Brooks Robinson. It is a bronze statue with a gold glove on his hand. Perfectly appropriate!

Since Oriole Park at Camden Yards opened in 1992 I have wanted to see it. The retro-classic design was very influential in new ballpark construction. The brick facades and historical look were incorporated in several ballparks, including THE Ballpark in Arlington. It incorporates the adjacent B&O Warehouse and Eutaw Street running through the stadium, providing spacious walkways, restaurants and gift shops. There are good views of the downtown Baltimore skyline and a spacious family picnic area.

Outside the gate is a statue called Babe’s Dream, which depicts a young Babe Ruth. You can picture a beginning baseball player only starting to imagine his career. Inside the gates there are numerous pennants , murals, and other depictions of Oriole history and an Oriole Hall of Fame with plaques modeled after the Cooperstown plaques. Legends Park, beyond the bullpens, features larger than life bronze sculptures of Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray, and Cal Ripken Jr.

They are awesome.

We ate some pretty good food from Boog Powell’s Barbecue and settled down to watch the game. Unfortunately for Baltimore, the Tigers’ starting pitcher was Tarik Skuball, last year’s Cy Young winner who will probably repeat this year. He was dominant as expected, and Detroit coasted to a 4-1 win.

So that was the last game on the last day of this tear’s trip. I had anticipated that Oriole Park at Camden Yards would be my favorite ballpark and it did not disappoint.

That’s one man’s opinion - what’s yours?