Camden Yards

July 13, 2013
Camden Yards (Capacity: 45,971)
Baltimore, MD
Baltimore Orioles vs Toronto Blue Jays
Final Score: 3 – 7

.

After seeing many ballparks replicate Camden Yards, I finally got to see the real deal as we spent the weekend in Baltimore. The Charm City is the 24th largest in the country with a population of 621,000 and is located in Northeast Maryland on the Patapsco River (which leads into the Chesapeake Bay). This section of the river forms a harbor around Baltimore and it is this Inner Harbor that defines the city. As one of the first urban revitalizations in the 1970s and 80s, it turned the former abandoned industrial site to a bustling attraction. The rest of Baltimore features a mix of some real bad spots and crime-ridden areas, while other neighborhoods in the city are quite nice and worth a visit. The Orioles don’t go as far back as other East Coast Major League teams, though Baltimore had a very successful minor-league team for nearly fifty years, MLB arrived in 1954 and as the team grew into the “Oriole Way”, Baltimore had 18 consecutive winning seasons and three World Series titles (’66, ’70 and ’83). However, with one of the league’s worst owners (Peter Angelos), it has been rough in Birdland as the string of 14 losing seasons was just broken with a playoff berth last year. After spending much of its pro life in generic, yet raucous Memorial Stadium, the Orioles moved downtown to Camden Yards in 1992. Likely the most defining and influential stadium ever built, the strikingly beautiful ballpark still manages to thoroughly impress more than 20 years after it opened.
Prestige Ranking: 5 out of 5

Location

Part of the allure of Camden Yards is the location, which is strategically close to the popular Inner Harbor (about a ten-minute walk). The scenic spot just south of downtown along the waterfront is great for a stroll and there are plenty of attractions to go along with restaurants (though most are overpriced and touristy). The National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center and Maritime Museum full of old ships were just some of the things to check out. We also took in the view from Federal Hill, on the south side of the Harbor. Closer to Camden Yards, follow 60 baseballs on the sidewalk and it will lead you to the Babe Ruth House and Museum. This is Ruth’s childhood home and it now includes a small museum. Also nearby are several bars and restaurants, with Frank & Nic’s West End Grille being the place for our lunch and it was very good.
Location Ranking: 10 out of 10

Accessibility / Parking

Getting to the ballpark is quite easy and it starts with Camden Station as both regional rail (MARC) and the city’s light rail stop here. The light rail is somewhat short with just one primary line generally running north to south, but it does the job. Driving in is just as simple with many Interstates that lead into the city (95, 83 and 70). An I-395 spur off the main I-95 route dumps cars right by the ballpark and there are plenty of parking lots between M&T Bank Stadium and Camden Yards. Other garages can be found nearby as well, including those in the Inner Harbor. Traffic is certainly there, but the flow out of games is controlled well, especially if getting back onto 395.
Accessibility / Parking Ranking: 7 out of 8

Exterior

Brick work designed to match the other nearby buildings make Camden Yards a perfect fit for the area and something replicated by others many times over. Walking around the stadium, open archways and green steel trussing is noticeable throughout, while each iron entrance gate has a classy look. Though most will enter the park from the outfield, there is an opening front façade complete with landscaping and a sign at the top of the ballpark saying “Oriole Park at Camden Yards”.
Exterior Ranking: 9 out of 10

Concourse

The defining experience here is at Eutaw Street, an open-air section of the ballpark between the outfield and the B&O Warehouse (more on the warehouse later). Crowds well before the game were packed in like sardines, but later on, the area became more enjoyable for a stroll. This section is loaded with specialty food, displays and other eye-catching features. Again, this type of “plaza” has become a defining feature used often with other newer parks. Dempsey’s Brewpub also offers traditional restaurant-style seating inside the first floor of the warehouse. Meanwhile, a branch off of Eutaw is a new outfield plaza filled with picnic tables topped by orange umbrellas and trees for shade. A covered and mostly enclosed concourse then rounds out the rest of the park and there is plenty of room and signage throughout. Much of the space has classy-looking displays, even the entrance to each bathroom is covered with some sort of huge, old-school logo. Stairs bring fans to the upper-deck, while the two escalators are somewhat insufficient based on their location and one-way direction. Once up a level, the concourse surrounds the seats again, this time outdoors. All throughout, there are plenty of places to sit and eat/drink before the game, including three pubs and bars that can be found inside the interior concourse. It wasn’t enough however to reduce a lot of congestion before the game.
Concourse Ranking: 4 out of 5

Food

It is well worth coming beforehand to eat because the options are terrific. Of course, all of the food hype belongs to Boog’s BBQ, which is rightfully deserved. The best platter to try is the one with the Pit Beef, a staple in Baltimore. Boog’s is located on Eutaw Street and this is where other great choices exist including locally owned Gino’s (burgers and chicken) and a Jack Daniel’s stand featuring beer can chicken. The lower level also includes Polock Johnny’s (various sausages, including one Old Bay style) and a Korean BBQ stand. Can’t forget a must-have when in Maryland: Crabs! Several types are available to satisfy. While beer options are more than plentiful, the only real beer of choice is National Bohemian. Originated from Baltimore, the beer is so popular I saw Oriole jerseys with “Natty Boh” on the back.
Food Ranking: 8 out of 8

Interior

The green, wide seats in the bowl set off a league standard as this is a very comfortable park to take in a ballgame. The three-level design goes around the playing field, with the bowl stopping abruptly near the right field pole. On the opposite side, the seating bowl curves around the left field pole and maintains its shape until reaching left-center. The first deck features a walkway that separates it into two seating sections. The middle deck includes affordable club seating with perks that include a private concourse, wait service and their own bars. Also in the 200s is the press box behind home plate, while suites are behind the club sections. 300 level seats are mostly continuous and there is a small overhang at the top. It is up here where the best view can be seen as the city skyline is wonderfully visible in the outfield opening. Plus, the ballpark design makes it feel like the upper deck is close to the action. Dominating the right field view is the B&O Warehouse, a brick structure that is the longest on the East Coast and has become a signature for Camden Yards. In addition to standing-room areas and a new center-field roof bar, there is outfield seating below the scoreboard. Sightlines are mostly excellent, but there are a few notable exceptions. First, is in the back of the box seat sections on the first level, where an expansive overhang obstructs the view of the sky and fly balls. Second, is the lack of seat turning down the foul lines as seats face straight-ahead almost all the way to the foul pole. Lastly, many seats don’t have cup holders. Otherwise, this is a terrific ballpark that still holds up remarkably well 21 years later.
Interior Ranking: 12 out of 14

Scoreboard

Above center is a sharp board with black trusses and a two-layered base. Sandwiched between two large ads at the bottom is a screen reserved for player information during game play. The higher screen above is more horizontal and features the line score, along with an in-game lineup card. Both are fully capable to display videos, but the use of replay was lacking after plays. The top design really defines the scoreboard with an analog clock and an Oriole perched on top. Baltimore’s newspaper, the Baltimore Sun has its letterings spelled out, but it doesn’t have like the true look of an advertisement.
Scoreboard Ranking: 3.5 out of 4

Displays

Along Eutaw Street, in addition to black, orange and white pennants for various postseason achievements, the brick walls are adorned with Hall of Fame plaques for both the Orioles and the best Maryland athletes. If the area is not full with people, look down on the sidewalk, where baseball markers denote the location of each home run hit onto Eutaw. Statues have become a big part of Camden Yards, with a couple on the outside (Babe Ruth and Brooks Robinson), while relatively new ones are found in an outfield plaza and they honor each Oriole inducted into Cooperstown. In the concourse, I just love the amount of Oriole displays around, including each outside bathroom wall featuring an old-school team logo. In addition, between each open-air gap in the lower-level concourse, a huge picture from a historic team moment is displayed, along with a caption. Great stuff all around. Visible from the seating bowl are the numbers of Orioles retired by the team. The main missing piece is comprehensive history on the team and that’s getting nitpicky given the concourse banners
Displays Ranking: 5 out of 6

Cost

Would you believe that every single seat in Camden Yards is $60 or less if bought in advance? (ignoring the buffet options). Even the club seats and the trendy spots behind home plate! It is a great deal and ticket prices for many games can become even lower from secondary markets. Just avoid Red Sox and Yankees games, where they jack up all tickets by $15 to $30.  Besides that, prices are a steal and there are even many seats for less than $15. Parking can be had cheaply as well if you are willing to park in the official team lots near the football stadium where it costs just $8, as opposed to the Inner Harbor, where lots run $20 – $30. Concession pricing is a little high with hot dogs going for $4.75 and a bottled water $4.50. Beer was in the $7 – $8 range, while the specialty items were in the double digits, but worth the cost. My program was $5.
Cost Ranking: 7 out of 8

Fan Support

Since the early 1900s, the Baltimore Orioles have had a large and loyal fan base, even in their minor-league days. Throughout their history, the team also drew a significant regional following in their home state, along with nearby South-Central Pennsylvania and Delaware. The ardent fan base is still visible today, as evidenced by all the Orange and Black I saw through the weekend. But the years of losing and inept management have worn down the fans. Attendance for this once proud franchise has been sadly low the last several years and many nights, green seats outnumber orange shirts. Hopefully a turnaround is on the way as the O’s become relevant again and that was evident at our Saturday afternoon game, which was about 80% full and announced as a sellout. I’m also curious to see if fans don’t completely return as maybe the Washington Nationals had a bigger impact than initially thought. (Editor’s Note: As the Orioles contended for a playoff spot in August and September after this visit, attendance was disappointing with very few nights over 30,000. I docked a half point after seeing this).
Fan Support Ranking: 6.5 out of 8

Atmosphere

For our visit, the atmosphere was very good with a certain buzz in the crowd. Often they tried to pick up the O’s from a deficit and when the home side did make something happen, it was met with resounding cheers. “Let’s Go O’s” chants were generated more than a few times. It seems atmosphere can be hit or miss (as opposed to ten years of miss), just be aware that Yankees and Red Sox fans still take over in the regular season when their team is in town. Traditions at Camden Yards include the yelling of “Oooo” when the “Oh say does…” part of the Star-Spangled Banner comes on. Meanwhile late in the game, John Denver’s, “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” plays after the seventh inning stretch. Not sure why, as Baltimore isn’t exactly the country, but this tradition has taken place since the 1970s.
Atmosphere Ranking: 9.5 out of 14

Other Stuff

On the approach to the ballpark from the south, there is a tribute to the city’s veterans and a salute to Memorial Stadium on the side of the walkway. Designed in the same font as the front inscription at the old stadium is a display in a half circle that says “Time will not dim the glory of their deeds”…..Last season, the team went back to the cartoon-like Oriole as their main logo, as opposed to the O’s that used to grace their cap……Cal Ripken is undoubtedly the face of the franchise. His family (which includes Dad and Brother that also have roots with the team) is from nearby Aberdeen and one of MLB’s greatest moments occurred on September 6, 1995, when he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played streak. The Iron Man should not just be remembered for that as he was also one of the team’s greatest players……I often wondered why the ballpark is not just called “Camden Yards”. Oriole Park is attached to the beginning because many of the past fields the team has played in used that name. Their was an argument between two high-ranking people about the name and they compromised by going with both……So why are they known as the Orioles? It is the official state bird of Maryland…..Wild Bill Hagy is part of Orioles lore as he was a superfan and fixture at Memorial Stadium for the better part of three decades…..Speaking of great fans, I have to give it up to Sheila, the usher for our Section 352. She would come down to clap and dance between each inning, was extremely nice and genuinely just had a good time while doing her job…..There are two orange seats amongst the green ones in the outfield. They represent the locations of Eddie Murray’s 500th Home Run and Cal Ripken’s 278th, which broke the record for a shortstop.

Game

Toronto came in and opened the game with a two-run first inning, but the Orioles’ power was on full display to come back and take a lead. Chris Davis continued his ridiculous first half of the year with his 36th home run of the season, while Adam Jones also connected on a two-run shot. However, it was the Jays that would take control in the sixth and seventh innings as they scored five times to take a 7-3 lead. J.P. Arencibia had the big hit as his two-out, bases loaded single got the lead back. The rest of the way, Toronto’s bullpen shut out Orioles hitters and the visitors took the middle game of the three game weekend set.

Stadium Experience Ranking: 86.5 out of 100