The night before the biggest game of his life, Bruce Zimmermann walked on to a quiet, empty, mostly dark Camden Yards field to imagine how things might go the next day—and take in the setting.

In a scene from a baseball fairytale, a little after 9 p.m. on Sunday, with no one else around, the 27-year-old that grew up a 20-minute drive away near Ellicott City stepped on the pitcher’s mound at Oriole Park and gazed at the sights.

There was the Opening Day logo spray-painted in white in the grass behind home plate. The new deeper, and higher left field wall, reconstructed in the offseason, to help pitchers just like him. And, of course, his eyes drifted to the iconic brick warehouse in right field, gently lit in the black sky.

“It was storybook, in a way,” Zimmermann said.

So was what happened the next day.

In the 30th Opening Day in Camden Yards on Monday afternoon—and the first home opener in two years where most of the stadium’s seats were filled—Zimmermann’s performance compelled thousands of fans to chant his first name, as if he were the New Jersey-born lead singer of the E Street Band.

Bruuuce!

On a warm spring afternoon, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound leftie buttoned-up his No. 50 Orioles jersey and threw four scoreless innings. He tossed 66 pitches in all, and allowed only three hits to power the Orioles to their first win of the year, a 2-0 victory over the visiting Milwaukee Brewers. (If you’re a fan of symmetry, it was the exact same score the Orioles won their first-ever game at Camden Yards, 30 years ago.)

For a guy only beginning his second full big-league season, who grew up in the Baltimore suburbs, went to high school at Loyola-Blakefield, and then had a mostly unremarkable stint pitching at Towson University, it was as magical a day as they come.

“This one will always be up there for sure,” Zimmermann said afterward, standing near his locker. “I have to put it right there with my debut, maybe a little bit more, with everything and the environment. The first time seeing Oriole Park like that, as a player, was incredibly special.”

It was for those of us in the crowd, too. For one thing, the noise was back, along with the sense of a freewheeling, communal experience that, even with limited crowds last year, has been largely missing from Camden Yards since 2019 because of the pandemic.

On Monday, when Orioles outfielder Cedric Mullins smacked a go-ahead, two-run single in the second inning, scoring lightning-fast shortstop Jorge Mateo all the way from second base, the cathartic sound of celebration was reminiscent of a big playoff moment.

“Oh yeah,” Mullins said. “That was awesome. It was an exciting moment. And we’re going to have a lot more.”

Frankly, Opening Day 2022 felt almost normal, as if we had we not lived through the past two years.

I was one of the rare few to attend the last two home openers. In 2020, I sat with a few dozen onlookers in the press box for an eerie July game against the Yankees played in front of no fans and in near silence with hand sanitizer use strongly encouraged.

Last year, a limited capacity of roughly 10,000 fans took in the O’s more traditional early April opener against the Boston Red Sox. We wrote then that it was a step toward life as we used to know it.

This year’s Opening Day marked another, and perhaps the biggest—in a baseball context. It was a crisply played game in which health protocols and COVID-19 worries finally seemed secondary to what happened on the field.

Before Zimmermann’s first pitch, fans strolled down Eutaw Street in orange-and-black gear, without masks, some in pursuit of a fresh Boog’s Barbecue sandwich, others in search of a table at Dempsey’s Brew Pub on the first level of the warehouse.

Yet a few other architecturally-inclined minds—and some kids in search of baseballs from the Brewers warming up on the field—headed straight to something new: the remade left-field stands.

In the offseason, the O’s removed roughly 1,000 seats from the short porch in left, making the field larger and home run wall a little higher, a design intended to reduce the number of home runs that fly out of the park, some that would be routine flyouts in other pro stadiums.

If it looks like someone—or specifically, construction workers—carved a slice out of what used to be there, that’s exactly what happened. There’s also now an awkward sharp corner in deep left field that we hope no one runs into full speed.

One game into the season: So far, so good.

Eventually, everyone (the crowd was announced as a sellout of 44,461 but there were obvious empties to the contrary) found their seats, and the lower bowl filled beneath a clear blue sky and gentle sun, as the orange carpet was rolled out in center field to cap off orchestrated pregame ceremonies.

As part of the festivities, Mullins received a giant Silver Slugger trophy—marking his peers voting him the best hitter in all of baseball at his position in 2021, following a breakout season in which he became the first Oriole ever to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in a season.

Fan favorite, cancer-beater and longest-tenured O Trey Mancini, who started at designated hitter, received the loudest ovation. First baseman Ryan Mountcastle, who set a team record for home runs by a rookie last year, beating a mark previously held by Cal Ripken Jr., enjoyed a loud welcome back too.

After the game, Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who, like the rest of us, didn’t sign up for the circumstances of the past two years, said, “It was fun to hear Orioles fans cheering, and a lot of them. Our guys fed off the energy.”

Also during pregame, on the scoreboard in center field, Baltimore-based poet and author Kondwani Fidel delivered a video tribute to Camden Yards’ 30-year anniversary that gave us chills.

The Morgan State University choir, which performed the national anthem at Oriole Park on April 6, 1992, did the same this year (more symmetry!), while a giant flag from Fort McHenry was draped behind the green facade.

And, for the ceremonial first pitch, Kortez Baker, the son of slain Baltimore City police officer Keona Holley, as well as relatives of the three city firefighters who died in action in January, and the one who survived, John McMaster, took positions near the mound.

Then there was Zimmermann, who became the first Maryland-born pitcher to start a home opener for the Orioles since 1990, and first to ever do it at Camden Yards. And it happened nearly four years after he first joined the Orioles organization as a minor-leaguer via a trade that sent pitchers Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day to the Atlanta Braves.

Before the game, Hyde said he hoped Zimmermann could handle the obvious butterflies in anticipation of the moment. He started 13 games last year after being called up late in 2020, but had never started Opening Day in his hometown ballpark. (Thus the night-before walkthrough, perhaps.)

After the game, Hyde said, “Zim pitched extremely well,” and highlighted his effective mix of fastballs, changeups and curveballs.

So how was Bruuuce’s anxiety level? “Pretty manageable,” Zimmermann told us. “It was high, but I knew it was going to be high. It was another start, with a lot of added adrenaline. I was more concerned about just getting through a clean first inning and setting up the rest of my outing.”

After a 1-2-3 first inning, we heard his first name being chanted a little bit in appreciation from O’s die-hards. And, after the second inning, when he struck out a batter with an off-speed pitch and a runner on second, it felt like we were at Springsteen concert. Same at the end of the third, when he got out of a bases-loaded jam following a brief mound visit from pitching coach Chris Holt.

“Walking off and hearing the Bruuuce chant and everything,” Zimmermann said, “that really hit and fired me up a little bit more.”

So did the knowledge that a large crew of longtime supporters, including his parents, aunts and uncles, and former college coaches were in attendance behind home plate.

Admittedly, though, Zimmermann tried not to look at them. He feared even a momentary distraction in the loud, jumpy environment could veer him from the vision of success he’d had on the mound in the quiet moments at Camden Yards the night before.

“Internally, there was a lot going on,” he said. “Usually, I do try to peek up, but [with] the magnitude of the day today, it was just kind of, ‘Stay focused as long as possible.’”

That was about four innings. On the surface, a performance of that length might not seem like something worth much glory, but it was the most that was expected of him. Given an abbreviated spring training stemming from labor negotiations between Major League Baseball owners and players that delayed the start of preseason and Opening Day, Zimmermann’s pitch count on Monday was predetermined to be 70.

He finished four just shy of his maximum, and he looked sharp, striking out four and allowing two walks. Two-thirds of his pitches were strikes, a very good sign of things to come.

“It’s a long season ahead,” Zimmermann said, “but getting this win and everything about today was the perfect way to set off a hopefully long, healthy, successful season.”

There aren’t many sounds that tickle Tom Leonard’s ears more in Pickles Pub than the roar of the crowd from across the street at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

There’s a slight delay on the television feed of the ballgame, so Leonard, who co-owns the bar, knows that, in a matter of seconds, most of his customers (assuming the Yankees or Red Sox aren’t in town) will break into cheers of their own.

Hearing those hoots and hollers on April 8, when the O’s played their first home game in front of fans in 18 months, was like “a large weight coming off my shoulders,” he says. The bar was packed, which in the spring of 2021 means something different than it has for most of Pickles’ more than 30 years as the preeminent before-, during-, and after- the-game watering hole.

Despite coming off a difficult year, business has been booming since this baseball season began.

“It’s like night and day,” says Leonard, who is also the bar’s general manager. “Weather and baseball are huge factors for us. Things look a lot brighter.”

Leonard and his partner never considered closing Pickles permanently, but they made changes to the way they do business in order to mitigate dramatic drops in sales.

Fans who return this season might notice that pizza is no longer available, but staples like the house-made crab pretzel, wings, fries, and tots still are. (Curiously, fried pickles are absent from the Pickles menu.) One of the biggest changes in the kitchen is that meat for burgers is now ground on site daily. Pickles uses a mixture of 40 percent brisket and 60 percent chuck, and the result is a delicious, flavorful, and juicy patty.

At the many picnic tables outside and tables and bar spots in the expansive interior, no shortage of Budweisers, Miller Lites, and Natty Bohs flow. Buckets of 16-ounce domestics go for $17, while premiums, which include Union Duckpin, Flying Dog’s Snake Dog IPA, and Terrapin IPA, are $24.

Don’t sleep on Pickles’ fresh-squeezed crushes. Lemon, lime, and grapefruit are available, but how could an Orioles fan pass on the orange variety, made with Deep Eddy orange vodka, triple sec, and Sierra Mist. A 32-ounce cup of refreshment costs $9.99.

On a Thursday late in April, about an hour before the Orioles went on to beat the Yankees in a glorious Thursday afternoon extra-inning affair, the crowds were back at both Pickles and the ballpark, and all felt right with the world.

“With us, there was never a question of ‘Are we going to make it?’ It was more like, ‘How much of a sacrifice are we going to have to make?’” Leonard says. “My partner and I both realized that we’re where we’re supposed to be, and we’re doing what we want to do.”

Thousands of baseball fans who have flocked back to Pickles this season know exactly what he means.

The day he heard that the NBA was shutting down, Orioles pitcher Branden Kline knew that coronavirus lockdowns were catching up to professional sports, but he didn’t realize just how quickly they would come for spring training.

“That day we had a game,” he remembers. “We were on the bus going to Fort Myers to play the Twins. About 10 minutes later they turned the bus around to go back. That’s when it sunk in: Oh crap, this is real.”

Major League Baseball had also shut down. Kline hung around the Sarasota facilities for a week or so and then realized there was no point in staying. He went home to Augusta, Georgia, to be with his wife, Sarah, and almost 3-year-old daughter, Adalyn (or Addy).

Kline has relished the time with his “girls,” as he calls them—the greatest silver lining of this whole pandemic. He’s been cooking more—learning marinades, Instant Pot recipes, and mastering his best dish, a chicken thigh wrapped in bacon with sweet potato—and cleaning, too. He’s also been amazed at how much destruction a little 2-year-old girl can do.

Kline calls himself a coffee connoisseur—“or coffee snob, if you prefer”—and has been learning more about different kinds of beans, from different roasteries and regions. He’s also getting into wine, learning about how factors like sun, temperature, and time of harvest can affect the taste.

“That’s the kind of thing that fascinates me, in a nerdy way,” he says.

Despite living in Augusta, home of the Masters, he says he’s not a great golfer—yet.

“If you saw me play right now you would throw up,” he cracks. But he’s determined to get good. It’s the competitor in him (his father and brother-in-law are both pretty decent golfers).

For entertainment, he and Sarah just finished Netflix’s The English Game, about the early days of soccer, which he recommends. And they’ve taken on a massive undertaking: rewatching every Marvel film, from the beginning.

“That’s been time consuming,” he admits.

Mostly, he’s been hanging out with Addy, whom he says is always sunny and happy, and lifts his spirits “except for when she’s tired or hungry,” he chuckles. “Then she can be a little bit of a monster.”

Addy even became something of an online sensation when she was featured in the Orioles “Story Time” video series. The mop-topped cutie, dressed in dinosaur jammies, sat on her father’s lap us he started to read Lizzie the Lioness.

“Mama’s gonna read book!” she announced.

“Mama’s going to read book later,” Kline replied.

He subsequently got to the bottom of it:

“We found out that my wife would also sing her a couple of lullabies [after story time],” he says. “So I looked up the lyrics to some of her favorite lullabies [and sang them to her]. Ever since then, she’s had no problem saying Daddy Reads Books!”

Kline, who stays in touch with his teammates through video calls, has even managed to find some creative ways to stay in shape while cooped up at home.

“I’ve used Addy herself as gym equipment,” he says. “I’ll put her on my back to do some squats and pushups, just some core stuff. She has a field day with it.”

He’s also incorporated his lab-shepherd mix, Zoey, into the routine. In one video that he posted to Instagram, Kline does squats while holding the large, heavy dog, who dangles gamely. (He even added the hashtag: #NoGymNoProblem.) Kline says he was lucky to capture that moment on film.

“Ever since then, I can’t hold her for more than 20 seconds without her going ballistic on me,” he says.

As Kline waits to hear when MLB will start back up, he has been thinking a lot about his teammate Trey Mancini, who is undergoing treatment for colon cancer.

“I love the guy,” says Kline. “I always will. The biggest thing that [his teammates are] expressing to Trey is that we’re always with him. He’s not in this fight alone. He’s such a high-spirited young man. It’s incredible. Even with this devastating news, he’s still looking at the positives. I look forward to being able to see him again. Hopefully, when this is all said and done, we can be back to talking about Trey Mancini on the baseball field.”

In the scheme of things, like oh, I don’t know, a global pandemic, tattered economy, eerily empty streets, that sense of “WTF” that’s just hanging in the air like a bad smell, should we even bother to lament the loss of Orioles baseball in Baltimore this spring?

Let’s.

In normal times, even normal hard times, you could count on baseball as a daily distraction this time of year.

But not this year. Oh no. No Opening Day. No daily box scores. No games on TV. No Orioles to fret over, complain about, or see in person at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Tom Hanks’ character in League of Their Own famously said, “There’s no crying in baseball!” But dare I ask, is there crying when there’s no baseball?

What to do? Like with most things related to the coronavirus crisis, there’s not much we can do but stay home. But since we’re stuck at home, let’s do what baseball fans do best: complain! Without further ado, here’s a list of baseball and Orioles aspects of life I’m missing most right now:

Stolen Memories from Opening Day 2020

The season was set to begin on Thursday, March 25, 2020, with a 3:05 p.m. first pitch against the Yankees. The Yankees! That day was crisp and clear. Sun in the sky and a high of about 60. Every year, I close my office on Opening Day and bring the team down to celebrate the start of the season and the start of spring. Baltimore’s downtown streets and bars would have been packed, full of life, and, dare I suggest, optimism? I know the Orioles weren’t predicted to be very good, but there would have been a sense of hope in the air—along with a whole lot of alcoholic beverages.

The Day-in, Day-out Routine of Following The Orioles

True story: A few years ago, I took a client to an Orioles game. This client, let’s call him, Jason, because that’s his name, was not a big baseball fan. But he was a sports fan, and as we settled into our seats, he asked me, “Greg, do you watch a lot of the Orioles games?” And I said “Jason, I watch all of the Orioles games.”

I’m not completely insane or a masochist. I don’t watch every pitch of every game. I definitely did not follow every game the last two seasons when the Orioles were brutally bad. But I do keep tabs on most games, whether on TV or on the MLB app or the radio. There’s a comfort in having the game on TV as background noise. You don’t have to watch every pitch, but it’s just there, waiting for you.

Going to the Games

Let’s be honest. Baltimore has become much more of a Ravens town throughout the last 20 years. The Orioles own the nostalgia and the history, the Ravens own the passion.

That said, baseball is different in that there’s a game nearly every night. During an Orioles homestand, the downtown area begins to simmer with energy in the late afternoon as the outdoor vendors set up, and the fans start to walk along Conway, Pratt, and Eutaw Streets. Fans from visiting clubs emerge from nearby hotels in their jerseys. The calls of “Five-dollar-hats!—get your five-dollar-hats here!” ring through the air. But not this year. There’s no “cheaper-on-the-outside” hot dogs and icy cold beverages. It’s just quiet.

Obviously, the bars and restaurants around the stadium are hurting—like bars and restaurants everywhere—as are the Orioles’ seasonal employees such as vendors, ushers, and security personnel. As is true for everyone who works in the hospitality industry, these are challenging times. For all of us.

Stadium Food

A subset of missing going to the game is missing the ritual of stadium food. Whether your pleasure is a juicy Boog’s BBQ, funnel cake, Boardwalk fries, a grilled sausage with the works, a crabby mac and cheese dog, tacos, nachos, crab dip-smothered waffle fries, chicken tenders, icy cold draft brews, or flagging down Clancy or Howard the vendor for a canned beer, or cooling off with soft serve in a helmet cup, or… (I could do this for a while)—if you’re anything like me, you miss stadium food.

And it’s not just the food. It’s the planning and talking about what snacks you’re going to get. In my family, if I wasn’t able to tell the 15-year-old (not a huge baseball fan) that he’s getting some tenders and fries and soft serve at the stadium, I’d have a much harder time getting him out of the house.

Bonding Time

All of these experiences—watching on TV, going to the game, talking about the Orioles, texting about them, following them online—create bonds and opportunities for connection with friends and family. Taking my wife and two boys to the game is a good reason to do something together.

Our 12-year-old is a big baseball fan, and the ebb and flow of the season gives us daily opportunities to connect. Last season, for example, we both became big Hanser Alberto fans, as the young infielder found a home with the Orioles and improbably made a run for the batting title. Whenever he came up to hit, one of us would say, “It’s your boy, Hanser Alberto!”

I’ll end with this. Baseball is about family for me. My dad is a huge fan, as was his dad, who left us way back in the mid ’90s. My grandfather took his boys, my father and his brother, to the parade downtown in 1954 to celebrate the Orioles’ arrival from St. Louis. For the last 65 years, Orioles baseball has been a staple of spring in this city. And it will be again, we just have to wait it out, kind of like a very long rain delay.

Greg Abel is the founder and CEO of Abel Communications, a Baltimore public relations firm. He can be reached at greg@abelcommunications.com

Othello Renfroe, a former Negro League all-star, once described catcher Roy Campanella as “the biggest 15-year-old boy I ever saw in my life.” According to Renfroe, when Baltimore Elite Giants shortstop Pee Wee Butts took infield practice, he’d get mad at Campanella, who began playing pro ball while in high school, for throwing the ball so hard to second base.

Just two years later, the stockily built prodigy, taking over the full-time catching duties at the end of the 1939 regular season, led the Baltimore Elite (pronounced ee-light) Giants to their first Negro National League title over the venerable Homestead Grays, including future Hall of Famers Josh Gibson and Buck Leonard. Campanella batted .353, smacked a home run, and drove in six runs in the five-game championship series. Nine long seasons later, he joined Jackie Robinson in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ infield.

At that point, Campanella began gunning down would-be base stealers with the assistance of another shortstop named Pee Wee—Reese. He would go on to win three MVP awards with Brooklyn’s iconic Boys of Summer, ’51, ’53, and ’55, the last being the same season he swatted two home runs and led Brooklyn to their first and only World Series title. This season marks the 50th anniversary of his own induction into Cooperstown.

Often forgotten, Campanella had been quickly joined by two other ex-Elite Giants on the Dodgers, pitcher Joe Black and third baseman “Junior” Gilliam, who earned back-to-back Rookie of the Year honors in 1952 and 1953. Not that all their teammates appreciated the influx of talent from Baltimore. Third baseman Billy Cox infamously asked baseball writer Roger Kahn, “How would you like a n—– to take your job?”

In fact, before signing with Brooklyn, Black and Gilliam had helped lift the Elite Giants to their second championship in 1949. It would prove to be the team’s last season in Baltimore, as white Major League owners had begun picking off the best young black ballplayers, sending Negro League baseball into a quick downward spiral. Cozy Bugle Field, where fans still in church clothes flocked for Sunday afternoon games and picnics, was sold and torn up just days after the end of the ’49 season. Today, the East Baltimore site stands vacant, without so much as a historical marker.

Also starring for the Elite Giants on the ’49 title team was legendary hurler Leon Day, who’d grown up in Mount Winans rooting for the then-Baltimore Black Sox. Day was already in his mid-30s when Campanella, Black, and Gilliam hit their stride with those memorable Brooklyn squads. He never played in white baseball but was nonetheless inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1995. “Oh my, Leon loved playing ball,” Day’s widow, Geraldine Day, recalls. “He was older when we met and didn’t tell me for two years he’d been a ballplayer. Then, he never stopped telling stories, especially about the barnstorming days. He never complained about any of it, not the bus rides or cow pastures they played in sometimes.”

Her husband, she adds, often faced Campanella when he pitched for the Newark Eagles, handling him well initially. “Leon always said he had no problem with Roy until he moved into white baseball. After that, on those barnstorming tours, couldn’t get him out.” Not that anyone else did, either, by then.

If you tabulate Campanella’s 162-game average, a full major-league season, it works out to 32 home runs and 114 RBIs over a career cut short twice—by racism at the front end, which delayed his start until he was 26, and a paralyzing car accident at back end, when he was 36. More than his heroics on the field, the accident transformed the wheelchair-bound Campanella into a universal symbol of courage.

“There was never any question about his ability,” Brooklyn scout Clyde Sukeforth said later. He’d recommended the catcher, maybe the greatest ever, to owner Branch Rickey. “Nobody discovered Campanella,” Sukeforth added. “We looked at him and there he was.”

Chris Davis is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad month. Given how stuffed baseball’s history books are, it takes something truly remarkable and special for players to supplant themselves within their annals. Unfortunately for Davis and Orioles fans, Davis has done so for all the wrong reasons.

He’s gone 53 consecutive at-bats and 61 straight plate appearances without a hit—the worst such stretch in Major League Baseball History for a position player. Davis’ atrophy is unprecedented, and considering his large salary tag, he’s left fans at Camden Yards in a state of paralysis when it comes whether to boo or cheer when he comes to the plate. On one hand, you have to feel for the guy; on the other, this is his (very well-paid) job.

But! There is some light at the end of the tunnel. And when, inevitably, Davis does get a hit, the city of Baltimore will rejoice, and, thanks to restaurants and bars across the city, celebrate with free stuff. They’ve gotten a bit cheeky, promising specials and celebrations for when a Davis at-bat does not end with him sheepishly walk back to the dugout. We compiled some of the best promotions to take advantage of for what is sure to be momentous occasion.

Hair of the Dog

There’s a scene in the Will Ferrell-starrer Semi-Pro where, if Ferrell’s Flint Tropics score 125 points, everyone in the stands gets a free corn dog. Hair of the Dog in Federal Hill is taking a similar approach for Davis’ first hit: Corn dogs! 1649 S Hanover St. 410-814-0342

Lee’s Pint & Shell

There are no two words more pure in the English language than “open bar.” Lee’s Pint & Shell knows this, and they’re planning on celebrating Davis’ first hit by opening the floodgates. The rules: you need to be there at the start of the game. When Davis does get a hit, you get a two-hour open bar including Smirnoff Crushes and Natty Boh, effectively turning those jeers into cheers. 2844 Hudson St. 410-327-2883

Bartenders Pub

The special Bartenders offers has stood long before Davis’ streak, but it’s still centered around his production or lack thereof. Every time Davis gets a hit, the bar will give away a Dr. Pepper shot, an eight-ounce Miller Lite pony with a shot of Amaretto. The bar popularized this concoction, and this practice has drawn some national attention. Unlike the other spots offering deals, Bartenders plans on continuing this tradition past when the streak is broken. 2218 Boston St. 410-534-2337

Power Plant Live

Though it might not be fitting at the moment, Davis’ nickname is “Crush,” so the promotion that Power Plant Live is running is apt. They’re gotten in on the fun, promising 1,000 free Smirnoff Orange Crushes when Davis gets a hit. They’re willing to up the ante, too—if it’s a home run, the number increases to 1,500. 34 Market Pl. 410-727-5483

The Penthouse Club Baltimore

Look no further than The Penthouse Club as evidence that support for Davis is coming from all sorts of places. On the day that Davis gets a hit, the gentlemen’s club is offering free lap dances. We’ll leave it at that. 615 Fallsway 410-528-1117

Last year was last year. This season marks the beginning of a new era of Orioles baseball, one defined by exciting young players and a front office on the analytical vanguard. Though expectations may be tempered, excitement still abounds for the Orioles’ April 4 home opener against the notorious New York Yankees. And while nothing quite compares to sitting in the outfield bleachers, nursing a drink from the newly minted Flying Dog Taphouse in Camden Yards, and thanking God for making you a country boy, these food and drink specials are the next best thing.

101 Baltimore
The battle between Baltimore and New York will not solely be contained to the baseball field. This Fed Hill hangout is staging a hot dog faceoff between iconic New York hot doggery Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs, which you might recognize as the fourth best food option at any given Six Flags or highway rest stop, and our very own Polock Johnny’s. Wash down all of the eats with $5 Union drafts and $15 buckets of Boh. Before you know it, it’ll be time for another dog. 1118 S Charles St. #101, 443-682-9480

Banditos
Mere blocks from the iconic B&O Warehouse, this lively Mexican cantina is the perfect place to root, root, root for the home team. The beer will be cheap and plenty ($5 32oz big beers, $15 buckets of Natty Boh), and nothing pairs better with a triumphant victory—or is more palliative to a post-loss broken heart—than a plate of tacos. 1118 S Charles St., 443-835-1517

BMore Around Town
Dying to drink in a parking lot? If so, you’re in luck. Tailgating pros BMore Around Town are hosting a traditional tailgate in the Camden Yards lot, with an open bar, boozy snowballs, an open buffet, and freshly shucked oysters. Tickets range from $50 to $125. 152 W Ostend St., 443-865-5935

Don’t Know Tavern
This neighborhood sports bar is known to get pretty lively for O’s games. Sip on their drink specials ($5 22 oz. Miller Lite Drafts, $ 15 Miller Lite or Coors Light Buckets, $3 Blue Moons), grab a barstool next to one of the regulars, and admire the majesty of a well-framed pitch, a quickly-turned double play, and the other minor beauties of America’s past-time. 1453 Light St., 410-539-0231

Flying Dog Pregame at the Hilton Baltimore
An annual staple, this pre-game celebration will prove that the best part of waking up is a full beer in your cup. Organized by Flying Dog Brewery, the festivities begin at 10 a.m., when you can get an early start by sampling an array of the area’s finest craft beers with hundreds of new friends. 401 W Pratt St., 443-573-8700

Gameday Firehouse
While the bar’s proprietors may be firefighters by day, this Pigtown bar-cum-firehouse is aflame with O’s pride. Baltimore’s bravest will be serving up $5 Absolut Vodka crushes, $3 16-oz. domestic cans, and $2 Budweiser and Bud Light drafts. To wit, a power hour will be held from 10 a.m.-11 a.m.—let’s hope Chris Davis can learn a thing or two. 1202 Ridgely St., 410-234-0734

Jimmy’s Seafood
Although this Dundalk institution is more known for their Ravens events, their opening day bash is equally impressive, boasting an open bar, a full buffet, and three hours of live music. Tickets start at $25 for kids and go up to $180 for a full VIP experience. 6526 Holabird Ave., 410-633-4040

Max’s Taphouse
This Fells Point drinking hole’s party is the most fun you can with orange and black clothes on. More than 15 specialty beers will be on tap, complemented by a menu of ballpark favorites. Be warned, the pregame will quickly transition to the post-game, as the revelry is an all-day affair. If you can withstand the full day, even Cal Ripken, Jr. would be impressed. 737 S Broadway, 410-675-6297

Nando’s
Don’t chicken out on Baltimore’s unofficial holiday. Instead, head to this downtown temple of poultry, order a $3 foamer, and go to town on 24 wings, a towering plate of fries, or hummus, covered in their world-renowned Peri-Peri sauce. 421 West Baltimore St., 443-681 3675

Pep Rally in the Plaza
From noon to 2 p.m., Downtown Partnership will turn Center Plaza into the capital of Birdland, replete with lawn games, food trucks, and free beer courtesy of iHeartRadio while supplies last (don’t fret, this will be supplemented by another bar with wine and beer, since the free beer will invariably be drank dry). 120 W Fayette St., 410-244-1030

Pickles Pub
Surprisingly this is one of two places that you can drink during a 6 a.m. breakfast buffet on Thursday. Spitting distance from the Brooks Robinson statue, Pickles will feature free food until 8 a.m., and $3 Deep Eddy cocktails and Orange Crushes until 9 a.m. 520 Washington Blvd., 410-752-1784

Red Star
Located in the shadow of the Homewood Campus in Charles Village, this recently opened bistro presents a more mellow option, away from the hoi polloi. You’re an adult, after all, and drinking before the sun comes up would require months of preparation to steel your body for battle. Instead, swill $3 pints of Guinness Blonde and $5 orange and grapefruit crushes in relative tranquility. 3224 St Paul St., 443-948-5539

Sliders
For the 27th consecutive year, Baltimoreans will rouse themselves from the warm embrace of sleep and make the pre-dawn pilgrimage to 771 feet away from Camden Yards to start the day off right. Drink specials (be sure to try the new Fancy Clancy Pilsner!) will be served at all 10 of the bars on location. Food is free from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. and ante-meridiem drink specials abound. 504 Washington Blvd., 410-547-8891

Wayward Smokehouse
Barbecue, baseball, and beer are the holy trinity of spring. Luckily, this Federal Hill hotspot has all three in spades. Come join the Orioles faithful for $5 Miller Light and Coors Lights pounders, $5 Union Craft Brewing drafts, and $6 specialty Oriole bombs. 1117 S Charles St., 410-223-2269

After an interminable wait, Manny Machado has agreed to a 10-year, $300-million contract with the San Diego Padres, the largest free agent signing in American sports history. And while the rest of the baseball world is alternately confused (the Padres?) and very, very confused (the Padres???), we’re honestly just thankful that he isn’t a Yankee.

Only 26 years old, Machado is undoubtedly worth his monster contract, which will carry him through the prime of his career; if anything, it’s a relative bargain compared to other mega-deals, considering his age and the fact that MLB’s revenues have increased at a rate far outpacing that of payrolls. Although he has developed a reputation as a player who’s had some growing pains play out on the field, Machado is still a special talent, a terrifying cocktail of quick-twitch dynamism and savant-level spatial awareness. Young stars of Machado’s caliber aren’t available often and just about every team in baseball should’ve moved heaven and earth to sign him. Just watch him snare a hard-hit ball down the foul line, or wallop one into left field for proof.

Nevertheless, the deal is surprising; couched in the most scientific terms, the Padres flat-out stink. To be sure, their farm system is widely rated as one of baseball’s best—there is a strong possibility that the prospects coalesce around a still-in-his-prime Machado over the next few seasons to form a strong, cross-generational nucleus. But these potential reinforcements are still largely hypothetical and don’t immediately address the yawning chasm that is their pitching staff—you could probably be their third starter, with me as the fourth, and Mr. Trash Wheel as a high-leverage bullpen arm.

In contrast to the sudden penny-pinching that has swept Major League Baseball, the Padres have committed nearly $450 million over the last two winters to Machado and Eric Hosmer, a first baseman, who, even at the absolute peak of his abilities, is fairly uninspiring. Yet even with this flawed roster, the Padres should be commended for making an honest-to-god attempt at winning, especially in an off-season when the hot stove has run suspiciously tepid as teams peddle future hope instead of present-day competency.

For O’s fans, this signing invariably elicits a raft of emotions. Admittedly, it is easy to imagine an idyllic alternate timeline where Machado stays in black and orange. But trading Machado to the Dodgers last summer has proven to be a boon for both parties: Machado got the chance to play in the World Series and then the opportunity to secure a bag big, while the Orioles received a bounty of promising young players. Outfielder Yusniel Diaz, the best of the bunch, is a consensus top-75 prospect in baseball.

Led by a brainiac front office with a keen understanding of how to unearth and maximize talent, the Orioles could return to glory and the decision to part with Machado and reset their payroll may very well represent a seminal point in franchise history. If the Orioles flounder while Machado excels with the Padres, the failure to build a supporting cast around Machado will haunt the organization for years to come.

Either way, congratulations Padres fans, you got a good one.

Buck Showalter, though he wouldn’t admit it, even as late as Sunday afternoon, could guess like the rest of us that he was on his way out. So in what might ultimately prove a parting gift, about a week ago he showed a new generation of Orioles’ players a reminder of what’s possible when things go right at Camden Yards.

In the team’s film room, he played the video of Delmon’s Young’s three-run, down-the-left-field-line double from, it’s hard to believe, four years ago in the playoffs against the Detroit Tigers. The sea of orange-clad fans went bonkers, decibels rose, TV cameras shook, and all was right with the franchise and the city for a few moments in time.

“He wanted to show us how this place could be,” first baseman Trey Mancini told Baltimore on Sunday. “It took a while for Baltimore to get back from the dark ages, if you want to call it that. He wanted to show us what we could work towards.”

“I wanted them to know that’s why you’re doing certain things,” Showalter said. “And I played it for me, too, not just them.”

I don’t know who the next Orioles manager will be, but save for Cal Ripken Jr. or Jim Palmer, it’s hard to imagine that it will be somebody who can bring an air of respectability or leadership to the manager’s office of the wayward franchise like Showalter did upon arrival in the summer of 2010.

For whatever reasons, the team had burned through six managers in the previous 12 years, and hadn’t made the playoffs since 1997. Showalter, he confirmed to the Associated Press today, is out after eight full seasons, in which the O’s made the postseason three times.

Clearly, management—brothers John and Louis Angelos met with Showalter on Wednesday to make the decision official—wants to move forward, after imploding the core of players of successful seasons past, into whatever this new era is with a different voice in charge. There was some speculation that Showalter may end up with a front-office position, but that won’t be the case.

Maybe the next manager is somebody younger or more polished. Showalter is 62, and his slight Southern drawl is legendary. Or, maybe, as Showalter subtly alluded to during a media session Sunday, it’s somebody who fits more with the statistical analytics trend that teams across baseball have adopted over the last decade.

Whoever it is, we wish them well, but it’s hard to imagine another Buck in our lives. This is somebody who single-handedly increased MASN’s ratings 45 percent in the first two months of his tenure here. “It would be extremely awkward not to see him in the clubhouse,” catcher Caleb Joseph said Sunday. “He wants to win every single day.”

This was, by wins (47) and losses (115), the worst season in Orioles history and worst of any team in Major League Baseball this year, but it’s hard to pin the results all on Buck. Hope for a fruitful season was essentially dashed before it started. The parts, even, of a possible starting pitching rotation weren’t established until weeks before opening day. At the same time the team’s homegrown elite star and pending free agent, Manny Machado, was already assumed to be a goner at some point this year.

That proved correct. General manager Dan Duquette—who was also let go from the team today—sent Machado and all other usable humans on the roster, including closer Zach Britton, to other teams in exchange for prospects between the All-Star break and trading deadline—except for captain Adam Jones, who only didn’t leave because he had the rights to decline a trade. (But he’s likely gone, too. On Sunday, Jones said he was excited to test free agency come November.) It was as complete of a teardown as one could imagine.

Showalter’s departure was a while in the making, perhaps dating to the night of October 4, 2016 when he elected not to use Britton in the closing innings of the American League wild card game in Toronto. The pain of Ubaldo entering from the bullpen still haunts many. It sure felt like something we’d seen at Showalter’s other managerial stops: getting teams (the Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Texas Rangers) close to postseason glory, but not all the way.

Still, this change is hard to accept. Showalter embraced the character of our city. “I love getting things that other people don’t get, and if you don’t get Baltimore . . . it’s just people that are very passionate about the Orioles doing well,” he said.

And he always had reverence for the franchise’s history, often citing Hall of Fame manager Earl Weaver. And he consistently shared sage perspective and reflections that we could personally listen to for hours. “It’s almost a trait I wish I didn’t have sometimes,” Showalter said. “I’ve always been able to take in a moment while everyone else is caught up in the celebration. I know these things are fleeting. I’ve been doing that since I’ve been 35 years old, or 28 in Albany, or wherever I was managing.”

And the O’s won, more than they had before.

A few hours before what’s now known as his final game leading the team, in a room beneath the Camden Yards stands behind home plate, Showalter held court with reporters, as managers regularly do before games. It was hard not to sit there and feel sad, as he fielded questions about his future, almost nine years after his arrival. He revived Orioles Magic.

Showalter spoke fondly of Sunday’s opponent, the defending champion Houston Astros, who were preparing for another October (“I’d trade with them”) and of starting Jones in centerfield one last time (“Treat people how you want to be treated, for the most part”). Then MLB reporter Rich Dubroff asked Buck if he thought he’d be back next year.

“I don’t know,” Showalter said. “To say I haven’t given it some thought would be crazy, and would really insult your intelligence . . . But that’s the industry, that’s the way it is. Do you know for sure you’re going to be doing the exact same thing next year? What’s the old expression? ‘You want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans.’

“ . . . Mr. Angelos and his family have been great to me and mine. So whatever direction they decide to go, I’m at peace with it.”

Does he want to manage again? “Who knows where life is going to take you?” he said, and mentioned he’d evaluate that possibility the next few weeks.

Then he joked about getting fined by MLB for questioning a call from the previous night’s game, and asked to turn the MASN cameras off before saying, “You know what? Leave it on. I don’t care.”

After the game, Showalter’s wife, Angela, and kids were present in the same room as their husband and father addressed the media for a final time. His eyes welled up when asked if he heard the many fans in the crowd who stood watching after last pitch of the 4-0 win, who wanted him to acknowledge them for a post-game ovation—like they had given Jones on an orchestrated and emotional farewell day.

“What do you think?” Showalter said. “I’m not going to go there, thanks. You know how much it means to me.”

After most everyone left, Buck chatted with his family, sharing in part a piece of trivial baseball history from his past (just like he’s done so many times in public), then he started to walk back toward his office. “I got things to do,” he said.

But before he got there, another family of five, with one child in a wheelchair wearing a Yankees shirt, came down the hallway. “Who brought the Yankee fan?” Showalter joked, before offering: “You want to take a picture?”

“Sure,” the boy’s father said, stunned with a smile coming across his face. “Thank you.”

Yes, indeed. Thank you, Buck, for everything.

Well, we knew it was inevitable. For months, we’ve been reading ESPN and scanning our Twitter feeds wondering where our beloved Manny Machado would be traded. There were talks of Chicago, Philly, Milwaukee, and Arizona.

But last night, it was announced that the Orioles traded Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers for five prospects: exciting outfielder Yusniel Diaz, right-hander Dean Kremer, third baseman Rylan Bannon, pitcher Zach Pop, and third baseman Breyvic Valera.

“Obviously, it’s a bittersweet day for our organization,” Dan Duquette told reporters on Wednesday night. “We watched Manny grow up in our franchise for the past eight years.”

With that in mind, we wanted to chronicle some of the best moments—both on and off the field—from our All-Star shortstop (though he’ll always be a third baseman in our hearts).

Manny Hits Walk-Off Grand Slam

In August 2017, Machado had the game of a lifetime. In a home-run-derby-type game against the Los Angeles Angels, each team put up five home runs. But no one was more productive than number 13. He hit homers in the third, fifth, and ninth innings and drove in seven runs. To top it all off, he won the game with a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, becoming only the third player in baseball history to hit three home runs and a walk-off in a single game.

Our Favorite Baseball Bromance
As the world of Major League Baseball becomes more celebrity than athlete, it’s hard to tell what is authentic. But one thing is for sure: the friendship between Machado and second baseman Jonathan Schoop is the real deal. The two met in Single-A Delmarva Shorebirds in 2011 and quickly bonded when they were both expected to play shortstop. “When Jonathan does something amazing it gets Manny hyped,” Machado’s wife, Yainee, told us last year. “They both motivate each other constantly. They’re just best friends.” Schoop, who will be a free agent after next season, will likely miss his best bud but can’t be too surprised. “He ain’t got no weak part of his game,” Schoop said of Machado. “He’s a superstar.”

Amazing Plays at Third
Longtime Orioles fans have experienced a little deja vu these past few years when Machado made some amazing grab and throws at third, reminding us of a certain Human Vacuum Cleaner. There are too many of these moments to count: short hops, tricky throws, in-the-air leaps, foul territory. You name it, Machado was able to handle it. While he’s moved over to short most recently, we’ll always miss seeing Machado’s moves in the corner.

When He Made a Fan’s Life
We’ve always appreciated that Machado feels like a player of the people. He’s made statements about how much he enjoys FanFest, signed a plethora of autographs, and, just last month, gave the surprise of a lifetime to 14-year-old fan JJ Roddenberry. When his parents got him tickets to an Orioles-Braves game for his birthday, his reaction went viral—and Machado took notice. “Just watching that, it gave me goosebumps,” Machado told MLB.com. “I mean, the kid cried just for a ticket to the baseball game.” After that, JJ was sent a surprise video from Machado, who invited the fan to hang out with him during batting practice. The two got to chat in the dugout, JJ received a signed bat, and the young fan totally geeked out.

He Was a Gnome for His Birthday
Around Machado’s 24th birthday, the Orioles revealed that he’d be getting his very own garden gnome giveaway. This was a year after O’s manager Buck Showalter made it fairly well-known he didn’t love his own gnome doppelganger. But Machado was a bit more receptive. When fans received his garden gnome before the July 9, 2016 game against the Angels, he shared with reporters that he was excited about it. “I thought it was going to be worse, and it came out pretty good,” he told NBC Sports. “I love it. It brought me some luck today, so hopefully it’s going to stay [in my locker].” Let’s hope he keeps it with him on his trip out to L.A.

Watching Machado Grow Up
Like Duquette mentioned, the Orioles organization and fanbase got to watch Machado grow from a young, impressionable 19-year-old to a grownup, married man with clearly a bright future ahead of him. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention Machado’s growing pains because we watched him live out some teachable moments over the years. But we’re confident that he’s leaving the Baltimore organization a more mature and humble baseball player. And though Machado and his wife don’t have any kids yet, we’ve loved seeing him play a paternal role to the adorable Kobe.

Black & White Party
Jan. 27. The Assembly Room, 316-318 Guilford Ave. 8 p.m. $150. 410-396-5430. The Pratt Contemporaries’ annual Black and White Party always falls in the dead of winter, but this year, enjoy a brief reprieve from the cold weather with a night in Old Havana. With a fresh Cuban theme and a nod to the 1950s paradise heralded by Ernest Hemingway, this library benefit will feature live music, local eats, and a hefty dose of handmade cocktails (daiquiri, anyone?). Tickets go fast, as this do-good party has become a can’t-miss event of the year.

Cyrus Chestnut Meets Warren Wolf
Jan. 12-13. An Die Musik, 409 N. Charles St., 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m. $10-27. 410-385-2638. Baltimore sons Cyrus Chestnut and Warren Wolf have not let the light fade on the city’s rich jazz scene. The pianist and vibraphonist, respectively, have brought their homegrown talents into the national spotlight, with the former being dubbed “the best jazz pianist of his generation” by Time magazine, and the latter touring and recording with the likes of New York City’s Wynton Marsalis. The two musicians will team up and return home, bringing their swinging sound to the intimate, 90-seat venue of An die Musik. At one or all four shows in Mt. Vernon, fall under the spell of Chestnut’s blues-tinged keys and Wolf’s swift, skilled vibes. 

Lexington Market Catacombs
Jan. 13. Lexington Market, 400 W. Lexington St. 10:30 a.m. Free. 410-332-9992. They say Baltimore is a city built on tunnels, both heavily used and long-abandoned. The latter gets a little less mysterious this January with Baltimore Heritage’s guided tour of Lexington Market. Swing through the centuries-old marketplace and stop by its famous vendors, such as crab cake king Faidley’s Seafood and sweet-treat titan Berger Cookies, before journeying beneath the bustle for one of the city’s best-kept secrets. With the help of local historians, prepare to be awed by the city’s age-old catacombs, rumored to even have housed Prohibition-era distilleries.

Martin Luther King Day Celebration
Jan. 15. Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. 12 p.m. $5. 443-263-1800. Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s 89th birthday with live performances, community talks, and arts and crafts at the African-American history and culture museum, including a step salute and freedom-square quilting party.

LaxCon 
Jan. 19-21. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Fri. 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-12 p.m. $10-200. It’s no secret that Maryland’s favorite sport is lacrosse, with grown-ups still rocking their high-school pinnies and local universities coming out on top in the NCAAs. For the fourth consecutive year, whether you’re an active athlete or retired benchsitter, join your fellow laxers for this all-lax-everything event, where you can grab some gear, network with players, or hone your skills at one of the weekend’s many workshops.

Baltimore Restaurant Week
Jan. 12-21. Locations & times vary. $20-35. 410-244-1030. As Baltimore’s food scene continues to boom, it’s hard to keep up with the ever-growing array of dining options around town. This month, make it your resolution to sample your way through the city, with more than 100 old favorites (Gertrude’s) and trendy newbies (Gunther & Co., pictured) offering discounted brunch, lunch, and dinner for 10 days.

Polar Bear Plunge
Jan. 25-27. Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E. College Pkwy., Annapolis. Thu. 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. $75. 410-242-1515. At the end of each January, thousands of shivering souls brave the Chesapeake Bay’s frigid waters to benefit the Special Olympics of Maryland. Muster the courage to dip your toes in the icy waves, and warm your heart thinking about the 7,549 local athletes that your chilly dunk will benefit. 

Shen Yun
Jan. 26-28. Hippodrome Theatre at the France-Merrick Performing Arts Center, 12 N. Eutaw St. Fri. 7:30 p.m., Sat. 2 & 7:30 p.m., Sun. 1 p.m. $91-194. 410-837-7400. For one weekend, the hallowed Hippodrome stage will transform into Ancient China, also known as the Land of the Divine, as Shen Yun brings some 5,000 years of Chinese culture to life in modern-day Baltimore. Be sure to see this world-famous performance troupe, whose ancient dances, bright costumes, and mesmerizing movements have grown into a global phenomenon.

Orioles FanFest
Jan. 27. Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St. Times & prices vary. 410-649-7008. mlb.com. Baseball has always been America’s great uniter—even in crazy and turbulent times—and this year proves no different. Thousands of fans will crowd the convention center for the annual Orioles FanFest. Bring the kids to chat with players, snag coveted signatures, and play games for prizes. It might be a few months until we’re back in Camden Yards, but this beloved event should hold you over until the spring. 

BeLeaf 

In our city’s ever-evolving effort to become a “cleaner, greener” version of itself, the Flowering Tree Trails of Baltimore initiative is the beautiful, fragrant next step. The effort—organized by a coalition of city governmental departments, environmental groups, and volunteers—aims to plant 6,000 flowering ornamental trees along 39 miles of Baltimore trails. In the spring, when they flower, the trails will be visually connected and become a source of splendor for residents and tourists alike. 

“In time, our city could be as famous for its Flowering Tree Trails as Washington, D.C., is for its cherry blossoms and New York is for the High Line,” says the initiative’s website. The plantings, which can range from—crabapples and cherry trees to dogwoods and silverbells—will contribute to the city’s goal of increasing its tree canopy from 28 percent to 40 percent by 2037. That is the level of coverage the U.S. Forest Service recommends if Baltimore wants to improve its air quality. The first trees went into the ground on November 11, during a ceremony in Druid Hill Park. Organizers estimate that, when all is said and planted, the initiative will cost somewhere in the low seven figures. Fundraising efforts are underway.

Bay Watch

Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen has introduced legislation to increase funding for a program that helps farmers prevent agricultural runoff from entering the bay. According to the Chesapeake Bay Program “agriculture is the single largest source of nutrient and sediment pollution entering the Chesapeake Bay.” The bill, officially titled the Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act of 2017, would triple funding—from $100 million to $300 million—available to farmers for mitigating practices such as constructing secure manure storage, installing cover crops, practicing no-till farming, and maintaining forested stream buffers. 

Van Hollen’s bill has already garnered multiple sponsors, including one Republican, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. According to The Washington Post, Congressman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott of Virginia’s 3rd District will introduce an identical bill in the House, but is still gathering support. Separately, Congress continues to debate 2018 funding levels for the Chesapeake Bay cleanup program—a six-state, $73 million agreement to curb pollution that President Trump has proposed eliminating.   

Sewer Followup

When last we checked in with Baltimore City’s $1.6 billion plan to upgrade its failing sewer system, the city was locked in a dispute with water quality advocacy group Blue Water Baltimore over the scope of the federally mandated consent decree. Blue Water Baltimore wanted the work to continue until water quality met a certain benchmark, even if that meant performing repairs and upgrades outside the purview of the initial agreement. The city—and the federal government—argued that this was not feasible or necessary. In October, a federal judge sided with the city and federal government. The first phase of the project, which will address 83% of sewer overflows, is supposed to be completed by January 1, 2021. All remaining work is to be completed by 2030. The consent decree can be viewed in full here.  

Park Places

• The ribbon cutting of a redeveloped baseball field in West Baltimore provided the setting for a classic Orioles reunion last week as Cal Ripken Jr., Eddie Murray, and Brooks Robinson gathered at the newly dedicated Eddie Murray Field at BGE Park. The park, a project of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, now features a synthetic turf baseball diamond, dugouts, a backstop, and a digital scoreboard. The field is located behind James Mosher Elementary School and will host after- school programming in addition to James Mosher Baseball—the oldest continuously operating African-American youth baseball league in the country.
• Users of the Stony Run trail that snakes through many of North Baltimore’s most coveted neighborhoods had cause for celebration in early October. After nearly 10 years and $1 million in investment, two footbridges opened creating the final linkages in the trail that runs between Roland Avenue and North Charles Street from just below Northern Parkway to Remington.  
• In October, the state announced it will allocate $23 million to protect parcels of farmland, forest, and open space in 17 conservation districts around the state. The funds are part of the Rural Legacy Program, a program of the state Department of Natural Resources, that works “to preserve large, contiguous tracts of land and to enhance natural resource, agricultural, forestry and environmental protection while supporting a sustainable land base for natural resource based industries.” This year’s recipients include the Manor and Piney Run areas in Baltimore County, and the Deer Creek area of Harford County. 

Babies in a Half Shell: Turtle Power!

In late September, the National Park Service announced that a nest of loggerhead sea turtles successfully hatched on Assateague Island National Seashore. The approximately 100 hatchlings emerged from one nest site in the Maryland Over Sand Vehicle zone and successfully made their way out to sea. This is the first successful hatch of loggerhead sea turtles on Assateague, though other attempts have been noted in recent years. The species generally does not nest north of North Carolina. Bill Hulslander, chief of resource management for the National Seashore says, the hatch “underscores the increasing importance of undeveloped beaches along Assateague Island to sea turtles and other federally threatened and endangered species.”

The 2017 Orioles season is one of those that fans are eager to move past. The attitude is less reflective and more looking forward to spring, counting down the days (95) until pitchers and catchers report in Sarasota, Florida.

But this week we were given a great reason to look in the rear-view mirror, as outfielder—and clutch DH—Trey Mancini was named a finalist for American League Rookie of the Year. He’ll definitely need his “it’s an honor just to be nominated” speech ready, as any baseball fan knows that this has been the year of Aaron Judge. Pinstriped or not, when a first-year player hits 52 home runs and ends up with a slugging percentage of .622, there really is no contest.

Still, it’s great company to be in and Mancini was picked over infielder Yuli Gurriel of the world champion Astros, who had a pretty comparable year to our ROY finalist—albeit a better ending. Mancini, an eighth-round draft pick and University of Notre Dame alum, gave the Orioles plenty of great moments to celebrate this season, including 25 homers, and a resulting slash line of .293/.338/.488. No matter where he falls in the battle for silver or bronze, we are sure glad Mancini had plenty of sunflower-shower moments this year.

But that’s kind of where the good news ends. For the second year in a row, no Orioles were nominated for a Gold Glove. Manny Machado was our best bet. Not to get all stat-crazy, but if you look at his range factor—which divides putouts and assists by the number of games played—Machado’s was low (2.57), especially versus last year (4.13). That number, which is essentially the amount of outs he was involved in, hasn’t been that low since 2014, fittingly another year he didn’t make the All Star Game or MVP list.

Maybe the biggest tell as to what this means for the Orioles franchise is how little outcry there has been. Sports fans are generally all too willing to claim a player was robbed by Rawlings, MLB, or BBWAA. But the O’s faithful seems pretty resigned to the fact that this season we only had one All-Star (a reserve at that), no nod for Manager of the Year, zilch on Gold Gloves, and no one on the short list for American League MVP. As one Camden Chat commenter said about Machado, “At the least, I don’t feel he was unjustly shafted by The Man.”

There is another thing that Orioles fans can all agree on: it’s time for a change in 2018.

Jacoby Jones retires a Raven.
One of the heroes of the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII run will announce his retirement today at the team’s facility in Owings Mills. Time to cue up the video of that 109-yard kickoff return . . . (or him catching the Miracle at Mile High, or dodging Mike Tomlin on Thanksgiving and saying afterward—while eating a turkey leg in the locker room—that he should have ran into the Steelers’ coach.) I think we can all agree on that.

A controversy wrapped in the flag.
One day, most likely a long time from now, if at all, maybe everyone will step back, take a deep breath, and think. About what this last week—which began Sunday morning with images from London of a dozen Ravens players (and Ray Lewis) kneeling during the national anthem in protest of our president, and continued the last few days with heated debate about it – has really meant.

But, for now, we’re still in it. 

What exactly will happen this Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium? We know that at least a few new voices, a trio from the U.S. Air Force, will bellow, “O, say…” before kickoff. Reservoir Hill native Joey Odoms, the team’s anthem singer since 2014 and a former national guardsman, resigned from his post amid the ongoing controversy, saying he doesn’t feel welcome anymore, citing the negative reactions of some fans to the nationwide signs of unity among NFL players.

Emotions have been stirred in all corners, including from 65,000-plus who’ve signed a petition to take down Lewis’ statue at the stadium, though he said this week he wasn’t necessarily protesting, but praying. In any case, intent has been blurred, jerseys burned, listening seemingly stopped, and we’ve been forced to consider our opinions on the whole issue, even if we’d normally prefer to watch a pro football game to escape our problems and, of course, primarily to see the Ravens beat the Steelers again.

There’s always next year?
Well, after flirting with a playoff run until the last few weeks, the Orioles’ 64th season will end unceremoniously in Tampa Bay on Sunday, when they play their last game of the regular season. It’s not the type of year the O’s, or we, hoped for; they’ll finish with a losing record for the first time since 2011, Buck Showalter’s first full year as manager.

But the season did have its moments, like on a hot afternoon Sunday, in the Camden Yards finale, when too-often-injured fan favorite J…J…Hardy smacked a two-run homer in the fourth inning, after receiving a standing ovation in the first in what might be his last game wearing an O’s uniform here. That’s a nice way to go out!

Friday night lghts.

St. Frances Academy, the private school located on East Chase Street just off the Jones Falls Expressway, has a long history, as in more than 185 years’ worth as the first and oldest predominantly African-American Catholic school in the country. Its 2017 football team is now part of its story, too.

With a 28-7 win over Calvert Hall last Friday night, the Panthers, who finished 0-6 in the MIAA two years ago, improved to 4-0 overall and rose to No. 22 in the USA Today National Top 25, while remaining tied with DeMatha for the top spot in the state poll. We’ll have to see how the team fares against Loyola Blakefield this afternoon at 4 p.m.

If Ravens shutout Browns, they’ll break a 72-year-old NFL record.
Not to get greedy, but after watching the way the Ravens defense performed in week one in Cincinnati, we are more confident than ever going against the Cleveland Browns at home. And it turns out, if this Sunday’s game is another shutout, the Ravens will break a 72-year-old NFL record. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the last team to shutout its opponents during the first two games of the season was, ironically, the Cleveland Rams in 1945. If this all seems a little pie-in-the-sky, consider a few facts:

1. The game is at M&T Bank Stadium and the Ravens defense has allowed the NFL’s fewest points at home since John Harbaugh became coach in 2008.
2. DeShone Kizer, the Browns rookie quarterback, is making his first career debut. Godspeed, DeShone.
3. The Ravens held the Bengals scoreless on 12 drives last week, forcing a turnover every time Cincinnati got inside Baltimore’s 10-yard line
4. During the offseason, Browns’ head coach Hue Jackson himself called the Ravens defense “legendary.”

But the cornerstone of the defense, Terrell Suggs, who deflected a key pass last Sunday, says his strategy is to go into this week fresh. “As far as we are concerned, last week didn’t happen,” he told ESPN. “We are taking it as our first game, and of course, it is our first home game. It is our home opener. You kind of have to have a short memory. Because this is the NFL; your fate can change in a week. We are acting like last week was just a dream.”

Bizarre giveaway at M&T Bank Stadium this Sunday.
Speaking of the Ravens, this has to be one of the weirdest giveaways we’ve ever seen at a local sports game. Biotech firm Orig3n will be giving all fans that enter M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday free DNA test kits. Fans who opt to participate can learn about their genetic makeup in four different genes, but they first have to swab the inside of their cheek, drop the sample into a stadium bin, and register with the company online. Among the findings, fans will be able to discover if they are “generally predisposed” to have difficulty metabolizing Vitamin D.

While we personally think this is odd and invasive on many levels (though clever marketing for Boston-based Orig3n), the Ravens are calling it “one of the most innovative events a partner has ever spearheaded.” If you say so.

Maryland football off to impressive start.
When rumors swirled that Maryland was joining the Big 10, a lot of fans feared that our state football team wouldn’t be able to hold its own. A lot of those worries have been dissuaded so far this season, starting with a 51-41 Maryland win against the longhorns in Austin. In true Terp style, the victory didn’t come withouts  hiccups, including quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome (not even the planned starter) tearing his ACL.Thankfully, true freshman and big recruit Kasim Hill saved the day—earning 57 yards and punching in a three-yard run to put the Terrapins up by 10 with just over seven minutes left in the game.

Though Towson University football isn’t quite on the same level as UT, last week’s 63-17 victory over the Tigers was pretty amazing. (Sorry to our buddies on Osler Drive.) One of the key takeaways is just how impressive the Terps running game is. Against Towson, Maryland rushed for 367 yards and six touchdowns—and running backs averaged 10.2 yards-per-carry. Look for backs Ty Johnson, Lorenzo Harrison III, and Jake Funk to continue to excel—as well as wide receiver D.J. Moore to capitalize on Hill’s success as QB.

Cal Ripken Jr. will not be commentator during baseball playoffs. 
After some, ahem, lackluster reception, Turner Sports confirmed that Cal Ripken Jr. will not be returning to TBS’ Major League Baseball playoff broadcasts. Ripken started working with TBS in 2007 as a studio analyst, transition to game broadcasts in 2012, where he’s worked every post-season since. 

Despite his tenure, Ripken never seemed quite comfortable in the role. The Sun‘s TV critic David Zurawick wrote, “Ripken was sometimes silent for stretches of time, even after Ernie Johnson, TBS’ smooth play-by-play announcer, tried to tee it up for his analysis. Compared to MASN’s Jim Palmer, who is 15 years older, Ripken seemed somewhere between somnolent and comatose in this playoff series during the first two games.” For his part, Ripken acknowledged the learning curve, saying to Awful Announcing in 2016: “I get five or six, I think, of the Sunday games on TBS. So you kind of get back into the position. And over time there is an accumulation of your comfort level, but I could benefit by doing more reps where you could feel like it becomes second nature to you.”

Though it’s not his strongest suit, we will miss the familiar voice of Carl, I mean, Cal during the MLB playoffs.

We love Ravens Ronnie Stanley. And we love Lola.
Ravens linebacker Ronnie Stanley has made it no secret that he’s an animal lover. But there’s something about this recent Petco commercial that is particularly adorable. 

Back, back, back. Joe Flacco returns for Ravens opener.
The quarterback is back from his back issues. Catch the theme? After missing most of the preseason because of a lower back injury (which raised the possibility of the team signing the controversial Colin Kaepernick), Flacco returned to practice last weekend to start preparing for the Ravens’ season-opener on Sunday afternoon at Cincinnati. Still, his health status isn’t exactly clear.

“It’s good,” Flacco told reporters of the back in general, as well as “I honestly don’t know how I did it,” about how the injury happened. And, “I really don’t know the actual answer to that,” about if he feels vulnerable to re-injuring the back, for which he said a spine doctor told him rest was the best medicine.

This isn’t exactly an inspiring start to the season for the most important player on the Ravens’ roster, but, hey, there’s plenty else to be excited about as the new football year begins.

Can we have nine Manny Machados, please?
To quote Buck Showalter, “I like our guys,” but how can you not love Manny Machado at this point? He did it again this week, hitting his third walk-off home run in just 19 days (the shortest span since Sammy “Corked-Bat” Sosa did it in 1996). For extra dramatic effect, he hit it at 1 a.m. Wednesday to end a rain-delayed game against the Yankees, among the teams the Orioles are chasing for, yes, a still-possible playoff spot. (As of this writing, the O’s are two games behind Minnesota for the American League’s second and final wild card position.) 

Visiting fans from the north at Camden Yards serenaded our beloved Manny, the recently named A.L. Player of the Month for August, with chants of “Fu-ture Yank-ee,” and we sure as heck hope not. That’s a story for another day, though a few hours after Machado’s latest heroics The Big Leagues Daily’s Dan Clark started a tongue-in-cheek GoFundMe page (goal: $400 million), after getting more than 1,000 retweets in support of the idea, to show the world we want to keep the modern-day Brooks Robinson here. For now, let’s enjoy the Manny Magic, at the plate and in the field, as he and the rest of the once left-for-dead O’s (as in 4 percent chance to making the playoffs) keep their, and our, postseason baseball hopes alive.

Every (win) is bigger in Texas.
Especially when the University of Maryland football team is doing the winning. To start their season, the Terps, a three-touchdown underdog, pulled off a wild 51-41 win at preseason nationally-ranked Texas last Saturday afternoon. Despite losing starting quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome to a season-ending knee injury mid-game, Maryland notched one of the best victories in the program’s history, and certainly the biggest win of coach D.J. Durkin’s tenure, coming in the first game of his second season. 

#mood:

Up next, the Terps host Towson on Saturday, and, if you’re still on the fence about going, three words: Baltimore Cheese Steak. It’s the newest concession at Maryland Stadium, a “thinly sliced griddled rib eye steak, topped with a white cheese sauce blended with Old Bay and a touch of Sherry,” information important enough to include in a school press release. 

John Urschel fibbed — making him even smarter than we thought?
The recently retired former Ravens center and still math genius revealed on Freakonomics Radio that he was enrolled as a full-time Ph.D. student at MIT during the 2016 football season, and that the Ravens didn’t know. “I guess since I’m retired, I’m allowed to say, I was full-time, full-time,” he said.

Urschel took classes remotely and, for example, studied and worked on assignments on Sundays after games, during off day Mondays and before practice on Tuesdays. “I did not tell anyone this,” Urschel said. “Well, except MIT. But I don’t think an NFL team would be extremely happy to hear that I’m working towards my Ph.D. also in the fall.” Such was his (former) life in pro football. 

Serena Williams and fiancé Alexis Ohanian have baby girl.
We’re still waiting for pictures. C’mon People. But, seriously, congratulations to Ohanian, the Howard High alum and Reddit co-founder, and Williams, the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, on their firstborn, a six-pound, 13-ounce girl.

Kevin Plank seals MLB uniform deal at winter meetings.
Though it was confirmed in October that Under Armour will take over for Majestic Athletic as the official on-field uniform provider for Major League Baseball in 2020, the 10-year deal was inked on Monday at winter meetings. In the agreement, Under Armour will supply all 30 MLB clubs with uniforms for 10 years and its partner, Fanatics, will have licensing rights to manufacture and distribute gear.

According to The Baltimore Sun, Plank called the deal “a massive statement for our company. This deal for us is one where we really get to lock arms, dig our heels in and say we’re going to fight for this sport.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is hoping that the UA deal will strike a chord with younger sports fans, getting them engaged in the game of baseball.

“When we started talking about this deal with the owners, one of the single biggest themes that came back from them was they wanted the game associated with a young brand,” Manfred said. “To grow the game with young people, you have to have athletes and products young people want to wear, and we think Under Armour is uniquely situated to provide those products.”

One major difference that the Baltimore-based athletic apparel company has already announced is that its logo will appear on the front of the uniforms, as opposed to the sleeves where Majestic was positioned. Some fans aren’t so happy about this move and one website, Uni Watch, did some quick PhotoShop work to envision what the future uniforms might look like.

Army vs. Navy game this weekend will host a special guest.
In a tradition dating back to 1901, President-elect Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the 117th Army-Navy football game at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday. “In keeping with a time-honored tradition, he will spend half of the game on the Army side and then half on the Navy side, who will win their 15th straight game, I’m sure,” Sean Spicer, communications director for the Republican National Committee (and a member of the Navy Reserves since 1999), told The Washington Post.

Though presidents from Theodore Roosevelt and Harry Truman to John F. Kennedy up through Barack Obama have watched the two military rivals face off, this is the first time in which a President-elect has attended the game.

We’re wondering if President-elect Trump has heard the news that the Baltimore City Council voted unanimously to condemn statements made by him in the council’s first official act. The resolution formally opposed Trump’s “divisive and scapegoating rhetoric, rooted in hate and prejudice.”

Can we say awkward?

Beastly Art

September 3, 2015
North Charles Street

Surrounded by Egyptian mummies, a “unicorn” horn, Buddhist statuettes, a leopard skin—head attached—and a stuffed alligator, The Walters Art Museum’s Joaneath Spicer explains to the packed Chamber of Wonders crowd that Renaissance noblemen often collected curiosities from around the globe.

“Partly, it was trophy collecting, like today, but they were also trying to understand God’s plan. Astronomy has shown that the Earth isn’t the center of the universe as the New World and other cultures are being discovered by Europeans,” Spicer says. “A squirrel might not be proof of God’s handiwork, of a miracle, but a flying squirrel—that’s a different story. That you’d have stuffed.”

The curator of Renaissance and Baroque Art, Spicer is hosting this evening’s event, Memento Mori: A Night of Rogue Taxidermy, along with taxidermy artist and author Robert Marbury and the Hampden shop, Bazaar Baltimore.

Meanwhile, in the Sculpture Court, artists have created pop-up exhibits for an “alternative” taxidermy competition. Efforts include a pistol-toting rat standing on its hind legs, a mixed-media painting with actual pigeon wings, raccoon heads on dinner plates, and a loin-clothed “sacrificial” lamb nailed to a cross.

There’s also a “jackalope,” the mythical American creature described as a jackrabbit with antlers, and a similar taxidermied “porculope” by artist Karen Nemes, who trekked from Indiana for the show. “A friend found it [the deceased porcupine] alongside the road. I can’t tell you how many times I got pricked sticking its needles back in,” the bubbly Nemes explains. “I mean, I play with dead things. I’m just happy people here seem to like my work.”

London Calling

Dundalk Avenue
August 29, 2015

“Are you ready, Mod? Are you ready, Rocker? Get set . . . slow down!” the starter yells, whipping down his arm.

With that, “mod” Janet Gripshover, in big, round sunglasses and knee-high stockings, oh-so-gently throttles her sleek Stella scooter as her “rocker” husband—in black T-shirt atop a 1970 Honda 350 motorcycle—does the same.

The 6th annual Charm City Mods vs. Rockers highlight “race” is literally a contest of who can ride the slowest until one rival loses his or her balance. In their heat, Gripshover’s burly, bearded husband puts his foot on the ground first—to the cheers of rowdy fans behind Dundalk’s American Legion Post. “I get a lot of practice maneuvering in and out of our alley in Mt. Vernon,” she smiles.

Festivities also include vendor, club, and custom-builder displays, and music from the bouffant-sporting Fabulettes. Bikes and scooters vie for awards in various categories, including best “Retro,” “Modern,” “British,” and “Café Racer.”

It’s all a celebration of early-’60s British subcultures, which occasionally clashed on the front pages of London’s tabloids. “Café racers”—lightweight motorcycles with dropped handlebars—got their name from disaffected youth racing from one cafe to another and back, organizer Tim Carter says. “They’d put a song on the jukebox and the idea was to get back before it was over.”

For most, experiencing a similar thrill is still what riding is about. “That’s a ’74 Vespa Rally 200—sexy Italian body—with a 225, two-stroke engine that I put in,” says Nicholas Mulkey, a restoration specialist, pointing to his scooter. “Even with my fat, 210-pound ass, I can go 95 miles per hour on that thing.”

Pastime

September 4, 2015
York Road

At the State Fair’s Exhibition Hall, fans of baseball history stare in awe as they come across the nearly life-sized photos of Hall of Fame catcher Josh Gibson and pitcher Satchel Paige—and pictures of the Baltimore Elite Giants and old Bugle Field, which hosted the Negro World Series in 1943. Their eyes grow even wider as they meet Luther “Luke” Atkinson, 78, here in uniform, and learn he played second base for the Satchel Paige All-Stars.

The display is associated with the Hubert V. Simmons Museum of Negro Leagues Baseball in Owings Mills. “I started playing for $10 a week for the Wilson [NC] All-Stars. I signed on with Satchel Paige’s barnstorming team after he offered me $125 a month,” recalls Atkinson, who later got an invite to spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Saw Willie McCovey there, biggest 19-year-old kid I’d ever seen, hitting home runs into the Florida palm trees.”

Eventually told the Pirate’s organization did not have room for more black players, Atkinson kept playing for the colorful Paige, whose famous line about “Cool Papa” Bell being so fast he could turn out the lights and jump into bed before it got dark was actually based on a true story, Atkinson says. “Satchel and Bell were roommates and the room had a faulty, delayed switch. Satchel took bets.”

Paige was like Muhammad Ali, Atkinson adds. “He had eight pitches, but he’d always say he had three when someone asked: ‘The first one is good morning,’ he’d say. ‘The second is good afternoon and the third one is good night.’”

Editor’s Note: This story is from the collection, If You Love Baltimore, It Will Love You Back: 171 Short But True Stories from Senior Editor Ron Cassie, due out Oct. 1 from Apprentice House Press at Loyola University Maryland To support local stores, it can be also pre-ordered through bookshop.org.

Chris Davis is sweating. Outside it’s another frigid January day fit only for penguins and polar bears, but inside Camden Yards last season’s Most Valuable Oriole has just finished his morning workout, a term that means something different to him than it does to you and me.

During the offseason, he puts in four to six hours in the gym four days a week. Two days from now, 15,000 fans will bundle up for a trip to FanFest, where they’ll fawn over the slugger and daydream of opening day, which in this current snowy and shivery reality seems like an unattainable mirage. Davis knows it’s not.

“Today was lower body,” says the chiseled 28-year-old. “It was miserable. I really enjoy the gym, but there are always things that you don’t enjoy doing. Those are the things that put you at the top. There are days I don’t want to focus on shoulders, or hip mobility, or flexibility, but I know it’s going to pay off in the long run. We usually start out with cardio and conditioning. Some days we’ll focus more on lifting. I’m not going to give away all my secrets, but there’s no doubt I’ll be in shape when we get to spring training.”

A month later, in a ballpark that seems a world away, Davis steps to the plate in the third inning of the Orioles spring training home opener in Sarasota, FL. The temperature is a blissful 71 degrees, and most fans wear hats to shield themselves from the bright sun. Davis digs in, waves his 35-inch, 33-ounce bat like it’s a toothpick, then calmly blasts a double, scoring two runners to give the O’s the lead. No doubt he’s in shape.

Baseball, as everyone who’s ever played it knows, is a hard game. A game of failure. No one understands this more than Chris Davis, who, at times before becoming the Orioles single-season home run king and morphing into a superstar called Crush, often could barely make contact with the ball.

“Everybody in their life is going to struggle at some point,” he says in the nearly empty Oriole Park clubhouse. “It’s how you bounce back. There were times when I was extremely frustrated. I was almost lost. But I always kept my head up, I always stayed positive. There’s a reason why I’m still here.”

Close your eyes and imagine a typical Texas town. What you’re probably picturing—a small city of farms, ranches, and three high schools where football is religion—is Longview. Davis grew up in the community of roughly 80,000, about 120 miles east of Dallas, and still thinks of it as home. When Chris was 3 years old, his father, Lyn, noticed that his son could toss a ball in the air and hit it with a Whiffle bat. He started him in tee ball the next year and served as his primary baseball coach until he got to high school.

Davis was a big kid, 6-foot-3, 215 pounds when he graduated from Longview High. A former quarterback on the football team and current shortstop on the diamond, he was drafted by the New York Yankees with the third-to-last pick of the 2004 draft. But like just about every boy in the Lone Star State, Davis dreamed of becoming a Longhorn, so he passed on the pinstripes and enrolled in the University of Texas on a baseball scholarship.

It was in Austin that Davis first tasted failure. While he added 10 to 15 pounds of muscle and was “stronger than I’ve ever been,” that power didn’t translate to the field. After fall of his freshman year, he transferred to Navarro Junior College, coached by Skip Johnson.

“He was happy-go-lucky, really a guy that worked at it. But he tried too hard,” Johnson says in a Texas twang. “Chris had power to all parts of the field that wasn’t polished yet. He’d swing too hard. But he always loved to play, loved to have fun and compete.”

Davis credits Johnson for helping him mature both on and off the field, and to learn to respect the game. The men are still close friends and go hunting together in the offseason.

After a stellar season at Navarro, Davis was drafted in the 35th round of the 2005 draft by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, but again didn’t sign, betting that he would be a higher pick the following year. The gamble paid off. In 2006, his beloved Texas Rangers took him in the fifth round and offered him a $172,500 bonus. This time he autographed the contract.

“I didn’t come from a lot of money, so I thought that was a good chunk of change,” says Davis, whose father works at a family-owned furniture store and whose mother, Karen, is an adjustor for Farmers Insurance. “I was excited, but it wasn’t so much about the money as it was getting an opportunity to play and feeling like I was ready.”

Davis tore through the minors, treating pitchers like he did that tee ball in the backyard of his childhood home. The Rangers called him up in June 2008. He hit a home run in his first start, but his inaugural at-bat the night before wasn’t quite as glamorous.

“I came up as a kid with a lot of power,” says Davis, who made his MLB debut at 22. “I remember my hitting coach in Single A told me, ‘You only get one chance to hit the first pitch you see in the big leagues for a home run.’ Of course I go up there thinking, ‘I’m gonna go deep my first at-bat because there’s no other way to go.'”

The pitcher had other ideas. He threw Davis a slow sinker, low and inside, the kind of nasty pitch that gives rookies night sweats.

“I was so jacked up that I hit a little nubber off the end of my bat to third base,” Davis says, laughing. “I beat it out. So my claim to fame was I hit 1.000 in the big leagues for a day, which I thought was hilarious.”

The can’t-miss kid, playing for his hometown team in the majors, it seemed so tidy—like a script from a movie. Perhaps the baseball gods thought it was a little too perfect.

“Do you know what the difference between hitting .250 and .300 is? It’s 25 hits. Twenty-five hits in 500 at bats is 50 points, okay? There’s six months in a season; that’s about 25 weeks. That means if you get just one extra flare a week . . . you get a ground ball with eyes, you get a dying quail—just one more dying quail a week and you’re in Yankee Stadium.” —Crash Davis – Bull Durham

Suddenly, after a lifetime of ground balls with eyes, Chris Davis couldn’t get that dying quail. In 113 games with the Rangers in 2009, he hit just .238, and, in 2010, just .192 with one lonely home run. In both seasons, he shuttled between the majors and minors. When Texas finalized its postseason roster in 2010, Davis wasn’t on it.

“I always thought, ‘I have the talent, that’s going to take me as far as I want to go,'” he says. “But when they take your confidence, you really find out what you’re made of. I wasn’t taking care of the things that I needed to take care of off the field that I needed to be successful on the field. Not that I wasn’t working hard, but my heart just wasn’t in the right place.”

If Davis wasn’t a drunk, he certainly was a drinker. Beer, liquor, he’d down whatever you gave him. His routine was ballpark, bar, bed; ballpark, bar, bed. His life had become a Groundhog Day.

“I thought that, as long as I worked hard and was a good person, things were just going to work out,” he says. “I was going hard at both ends. I would drink, I would go out. I’m a guy that you’re not going to have to kick in the butt to motivate, but you’re going to have to pull the reins back to make sure that I slow down. That was how I drank. I’m going to work out, I’m going to play a game, and then I’m going to go home and drink hard. I didn’t understand how to do it the right way.”

Watching Texas in the 2010 World Series as a spectator was a wakeup call. Davis’s teammate, Josh Hamilton, won the AL MVP that season after some much publicized battles with drug and alcohol addiction. Now sober and devoutly Christian, Hamilton became a mentor of sorts to Davis.

“He was just a young kid trying to figure some things out,” says Hamilton, now on the Angels. “I talked with him about where I was in my life and the things that were important to me. I let him know about my faith and the path it takes me on. We discussed some things in my past and the consequences my actions had. Mostly, I reinforced how much preparation it takes to play this game. You can’t cheat yourself or be unprepared. It will show. He always kept an open mind and allowed faith to come into his life.”

Davis, who was raised Baptist, says, over time, sports grew to become his god. He credits his renewed faith with his renewed happiness in baseball, and in life. These days, Davis says he rarely drinks.

“I started dedicating my time not just to me, but to my family,” he says. “I made sure that the way I treated people was the way I wanted to be treated. You realize what’s important when something that has been so important to you your whole life is taken away from you. You realize that someday this game is going to be taken away from you.”

Around this time, Davis met his now-wife, Jill, at a Tex-Mex restaurant in Dallas. “I went down to the Dominican in the offseason of 2010, and she ended up coming down there and staying with me for a month,” he says. “I didn’t have any family down there, and we really grew as a couple. I thought, ‘If this girl is willing to come to a foreign country and hang out with me, she’s worth it.'”

A year later, he proposed over a candlelit dinner on the beach in Maui, and the couple married in 2012. They’re expecting their first child, a baby girl, any day now.

“We all have the choice to live our lives in a certain way,” says Davis, who reads the Bible daily and has several passages tattooed on his body. “We’re not called to judge, we’re called to love.”

Still, his clearer focus off the field didn’t lead to better results on it. In 81 games with the Rangers in 2011, he hit just three homers. At the trade deadline in July, he was regarded by most as an afterthought in a deal that sent Tommy Hunter to Baltimore for Koji Uehara. Davis was elated.

“I already bought [an Orioles] hat and a T-shirt,” he told MLB.com at the time. “It really does feel like a fresh start.”

“Man that ball got outta here in a hurry. I mean, anything travels that far oughta have a damn stewardess on it, don’t you think?”
—Crash Davis – Bull Durham

Ed Ebner is wearing a Chris Davis jersey, and he’s not alone. Davis’s No. 19 is the most prevalent jersey at FanFest, and quite a few young women are wearing “I have a crush on Crush” T-shirts.

“He seems to be a player that I can have faith in,” says Ebner, an O’s season ticket holder from Prospect Park, PA.

No one could have imagined this adulation when Davis became an Oriole. Andy MacPhail, then the O’s president of baseball operations, was enamored with Davis’s potential, and refused to trade Uehara for Hunter straight up. When he offered to throw in about $2 million, Texas agreed to part with Davis.

“Sometimes you’re better off when you’re not in a pennant situation,” MacPhail says. “This was a good ballpark for him to hit in, plenty of opportunity for him to play. We knew he was going to get at-bats. He could rest assured that if he goes 0-4, he’s not going to be out of the lineup tomorrow.”

“There were times in Texas when I had a terrible game, and I would sit the next day,” Davis says. “There were other days when I had a good game, and then I sat the next day. It got into my head. I kept thinking, ‘Am I ever going to get an opportunity to just go?'”

It came here. He emerged in 2012, when he hit 33 HRs, and exploded in 2013, when his 53 dingers and 138 RBIs led the majors.

“I’ve known Chris for a long time and seen him mature and grow as a player,” says teammate and friend Darren O’Day. “His talent has always been obvious. What I think has changed in Chris is he’s gotten much better in terms of his mentality. He’s figured out how to come back from a bad at-bat, or a bad swing, and be ready for the next pitch. He’s figured out that failure is part of the job and he’s bringing a more consistent approach in his head to the batter’s box.”

Davis’s seemingly sudden success and mesmerizing power brought whispers of steroid use. He’s repeatedly denied ever using anything illegal, but the chatter hasn’t dissipated. “There was a time last year when it was frustrating,” he says. “It comes with the territory. People are always going to question you when you’re successful, whether it’s in baseball or anything else.

“For so long, baseball had such a black eye with steroids. A lot of people were hurt that guys were using them. I get it, I understand. I was a fan. I was there when McGwire and Sosa were hitting balls out every other night. Hopefully, it will die down over the next few years. I think baseball has done an outstanding job of implementing a drug-testing policy and a list of banned substances. We have all the information that we need.”

Davis does swear by one PED—performance enhancing drinks.

“I don’t eat a lot of garbage food,” he says. “Trust me, there are nights when I’ll go crush hamburgers, but, for the most part, I try to take good care of my body. I don’t take a lot of vitamins, I don’t take a lot of supplements. After I work out, I want to feed my body what I just deprived it of, so I’ll make protein shakes using almond milk, protein powder, and strawberries, bananas, apples, pineapple, stuff like that. It gives you a lot of vitamins in a quick little shot.”

His strength inspires awe amongst his workout partners. Former Oriole Brady Anderson is one of them.

“He can toy with weight, but the numbers really wouldn’t do justice to how strong he is,” Anderson says. “What puts it in perspective is watching him break the bat and hit a home run. He hit a ball in Yankee Stadium where the centerfielder jerked backward, which made me laugh. It was a dead center home run on a ball that he didn’t hit very well. That’s what separates him.”

A free agent after next season, Davis appears poised to be a fixture in the middle of a major-league lineup for years to come. Whether it’s in Baltimore is the key question. “I’ve said it before, I’ll say it every day: I love being in Baltimore,” he says. “This has really felt like a second home to me. It’s hard not to fall in love with this city and this fan base.”

Judging by his reception at FanFest, the feeling is mutual. Davis plays the game with confidence and humility, not fear or arrogance. Perhaps that’s why he was an All-Star last year, while Bull Durham‘s Crash only sniffed “The Show.”

He’s hungry. After devouring a turkey sub for lunch, he heads back to the weight room for yet another mid-winter afternoon training session. There’s always more work to do.

Essay by Jon Miller, 40-year veteran broadcaster, and the Orioles play-by-play man from 1983 to 1996.

“As a teenager in the 1960s, I was an Orioles fan primarily because of Brooks Robinson. It wasn’t Brooks’s statistics per se, it was the whole persona. I used to love to go to the Oakland Coliseum in the late 1960s really because I wanted to see Brooks. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. He looked like somebody who didn’t want to be anywhere else—the way he ran onto the field, fielding grounders over to first. He was having the time of his life; there was a joyous aspect. He would inevitably make some spectacular play for which he was famous. He never disappointed. He would dive, charge a bunt, pull off a barehanded pick-up; he would do it all fluidly and beautifully. He turned playing third base into a ballet. The Orioles were also the best team going at the time. They had great players in Brooks, Frank, Boog, Davey Johnson and all those great pitchers, Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, Jim Palmer—it was really a great team to watch. That’s what drew me to them.

I came to Baltimore in 1983 and stayed through 1996. Before that, I had done Red Sox games, and what I remembered was that, in Boston, there was a real feeling of negativity surrounding the Red Sox. No matter what good things they did, people were pessimistic. Here I come to Baltimore, and, the year before, the O’s lost in a pennant race, which was sort of a bitter disappointment. But what really stood out to me was, the day before opening day, the team had a workout, we all got into these buses and caravanned down to Harborplace, which was a fairly new thing at the time. We get down there, and I believe there were 40,000 to 50,000 people jammed into that area, as if the team had won it all the year before. It was a rally for opening day. There was a whole different feel from Orioles fans than I had encountered from Red Sox fans. Wild Bill led the fans in a couple of rousing cheers. It really gave me goosebumps. I couldn’t wait for opening day.

That team did not disappoint, obviously, and those Oriole cheers continued in the ballpark; Rick Dempsey would often do it from right outside the dugout. It was a scene that was unique to all of baseball. What I didn’t realize, even though they won the whole thing in ’83, was that we were all too close to the end of the run of that great group of players—near the end of Jim Palmer, and Ken Singleton, who had been a great run producer, really his last good year was 1983. A lot of those guys were getting older, and it was, ironically, when Cal Ripken was blossoming. But it was almost the end of that era. The next year, only Eddie and Cal had good years. Some players were older and near the end of their careers. In ’85, they signed free agents, which was a new thing for them. The pitching, which had been the foundation, started looking old for the first time. The team hit well, but the pitching turned very poor. They weren’t even a contender. In 1986, they fell completely into disrepair and had a losing record for the first time in 18 years. The plunge had begun in earnest [capped off by] the 1988 season when we lost 21 straight games to lead off the year, obliterating all records of futility.

But one of my most memorable times occurred in that year, when they came back from a road trip and their record was 1-23, which sounded worse than if they hadn’t won at all somehow. But the fans, through a grassroots level, had formed their own special night at the ballpark. It all started a week-and-a-half prior on a radio station [98 Rock]—a woman called in saying she felt so bad for the guys, every time she turned on the TV, The Tonight Show was making jokes about the Orioles. She said, “I just wish I could tell them all that we’re still behind them. It hasn’t affected our affection for them. They’re still our Orioles, and we love them.” The DJ, Bob Rivers, said, “Maybe you should all go to the game when they get home Monday.” He became sort of the point man for the whole thing. There was this huge run on tickets for that game—they ended up calling it “Fantastic Fan Night”—and it was an extraordinary outpouring of affection. The sold-out ballpark had the same feeling as the World Series that night, and they destroyed the Rangers 9-4. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a game where the fans were the ultimate difference.

I miss Camden Yards. It’s such a great place. I remember the first time we saw it in 1992 when we took the buses over to the ballpark and, instead of just waiting for our bags, everybody to a man on the ball club walked through the tunnels to get a look. It didn’t even seem real. There were just a few lights on; it was nighttime. There was the big warehouse, which just hovered over the scene. The place looked beautiful and surreal at the same time. I also miss watching Cal Ripken and knowing his name would be in the lineup every single day. Cal was a lot of fun to watch—he was always tinkering with his batting stance and never felt like he was a big star. He was always looking for a better way and was out there for every batting and infield practice. He was a stickler for preparation. I don’t think any of us will see anything like that ever again.

After that, there was such a long period of futility, and Orioles fans were not used to that. I think there was just a lot of, not just despair, but ultimately anger that things could have turned out so poorly. Then, all of a sudden, this team showed it’s for real in 2012. As we got into the summer and they kept on doing it and you saw Buck Showalter’s magic, the crowds came back. Not with a Wild Bill Hagy cheer, per se, but with entirely new things. This thing was dormant, but these fans’ affections had never left, they were just waiting for any reason to be unveiled again.”

This is your 30th year as the Orioles athletic
trainer? What career events stand out for you?

Yeah, when people say
it, it doesn’t really ring as 30 years, if you know what I mean. It seems like
it has gone by so quickly and so many things have taken place. So when I hear
the number I kind of step back and think, ‘Gosh, it really doesn’t feel like
that.’

I mean, first, I think I’ve just
been blessed to be doing something I love. I think there’s nothing better than
that. I’ve been blessed to be two things: in a professional that I love as an
athletic trainer and around the game I love, baseball, because I played it
growing up as a kid and later.

As far as
events go, I mean, gosh, it’s really hard. I mean, obviously, whenever we’re in
the post-season those are really things that stick out in your mind because you
had a successful season, and a lot of times that translates into you had a
successful season in terms of not too many injuries to get there, so that’s
kind of good.

Um, other
events . . . actually, this is not really an on-the-field event, but when I was
able to go to Cooperstown for Cal Ripken Jr.’s induction ceremony and to hear
him mention me in his acceptance speech was kind of really pretty special. It
was kind of emotionally overwhelming for me. So, I mean, there’s a lot of
events, and it’s hard to pick one, but certainly those would rank near the top.

I understand that you
and Cal are very close. 

Yeah, in many ways, and it’s probably because in
1978 in Bluefield, West Virginia, which was our rookie ball team at the time,
his first day was my first day.

Aw, really? Do you
remember how you met? 

Not really. He was just another one of the guys on
the team. I’m sure we just met when they reported, you know, in the clubhouse.
I’d love to say I remember 1978 clearly, but I’d be lying if I did. We became
friends both professionally and personally, really. I mean, our families sort
of grew up together and when you’re families are growing up, you talk about
things other than baseball. We used to spend a lot of time talking about
parenting and the kids and all those kinds of things. So, yeah, we did become
very close friends that way, and our friendship has remained. Sometimes we just
spend a lot of time on the phone talking to each other.

In some ways, there
must have been a lot of pressure on you to help him maintain the streak. Obviously,
if he ever got injured, he was going to miss a game. Did he have any close
calls? 

I mean there were. I mean, you know one in
particular was a sprained ankle way early on but the streak wasn’t really an
issue then. One was a knee injury later—gosh, I’m bad on years—when we had a
little incident on the field with the Seattle Mariners that didn’t go well, but
he played through it. But, you know what? Well, first let me answer the
question in this way: No, there wasn’t really any pressure that way. The streak
wasn’t really any pressure, at least for me it wasn’t, because, when you’re
inside this arena and an injury happens, I don’t think about how much a player
makes, I don’t think about streaks, none of those things, I’m just
concentrating on what I can do to best get that player back on the field and
healthy.

Now, as far as Cal was concerned,
he was probably one of the easiest to work with just because he was one of the
first players—and this goes back to minor league days—to ever quiz me and ask
me about the body and how it functioned and how he could keep it in condition.
And he did a great job of that. We used to talk about that stuff all the time.
So, that, along with what I would say is his high skill level, kind of kept him
away injuries that a lot of guys get, you know, so . . . that was kind of
long-winded, I’m sorry.

No! It’s okay! 

Am
I explaining this right? When you’re inside, you don’t feel the external
pressure that people think you do because you’re so focused and concentrating
on doing the job at hand. And during that time, I would never think about it
unless someone else brought it up.

And part of my philosophy has
always been, there are 25 players on the team. So, however you want to rank
them, I treat number 25 the same way as I treat whoever someone would consider
are the number-one and number-two players, you know? Because, in our world, I
see them all as someone with an injury or an illness and you need to take care
of it. Everyone deserves the same kind of health care—oh, I shouldn’t say that
word in this day and age! So that’s kind of how I’ve approached it. So maybe
that’s why I don’t feel that external stuff.

What was the most
serious injury you’ve ever come across?

Well, I know you’re probably not
going to like this answer, but I usually answer that question this way: The
most serious injury for me is the one that’s right in front of me at that time.Because that’s where my focus is at
the time. Obviously, I’ve had things like pitchers get hit in the head. You
know, Mike Mussina way back, he took a line drive in the head. It ended up
looking worse than what it really ended up being. Those kinds of things when
you have collisions and guys are down and they’re not getting up. Those are not
good. And obviously, the one that everyone’s thinking about is Manny Machado.
So, in my mind, it’s hard to sift back through the files and say, ‘What was the
worst or least’ because I really, truly mean this in the heart: The most
serious for me is the one I’m dealing with at that point.

Speaking of Manny
Machado, how’s he doing? 

Well, you know, right after surgery, he underwent
rehab, and it was a program the doctor and we had all put together and he
followed it very well. He’s been a very, very diligent hard worker, very
Cal-like in many ways, you could say.And his rehab really went well, and he got here [to spring training] and
he’s really on what we call a functional level now. He’s doing a lot of
baseball activities. And we’re doing some things running-drill wise to help
correct his gait a little bit and prevent anything like that from happening
again. But he’s progressing very well. He works very hard, but he’s an absolute
joy to work with. So, it’s coming along very, very well.

Can we expect to see
him in the starting lineup on Opening Day? 

Ha, you know what, I don’t
commit that way. I’ve never thought it’s fair to the player, fair to the
organization, actually maybe even fair to the fans and to me, to say, ‘This is
when you’re going to be ready,’ because people in rehab progress at different
levels and different speeds. And with a guy like Manny, or any rehab, every day
is a new day for me to evaluate how we’re doing and what we’re going to do that
day and how we’re going to progress. Some people progress quickly and others
are slower. I can just tell you that Manny is doing very well, and I don’t
think there’s going to be any extreme delay in his getting back, but the most
important thing is to get him back on the field safely.

I read that you got
injured playing baseball as a kid and that’s when you decided you wanted to be
a trainer. True? 

Wow, you really did some digging! Actually, it was in high
school. It was later than that a little bit. I was a pitcher. When I think
about it back then, the other thing is that I always had a fascination for
anatomy. I probably drove my mom nuts because I was always bringing animals and
fish home and cutting them up and looking at them.

She was probably
wondering if you were a serial killer.

Yeah, right?! So when I did get hurt
. . . I started playing in college but the elbow kind of preventing me from
getting any further, and I sort of had an interest in what was going on—I
really didn’t think about it at the time—but I had this other interest in
anatomy and the two things kind of combined themselves in a way. And, at the
same time, the profession of athletic training was kind of exploding. So I had
some mentors who kind of blew me in that direction and said, ‘Hey, this might
be something you’re really interested in.’ So, yeah, at a very early, young age
I just kind of kept pursuing it, and kept pursuing it, and finding a place to
go to school to pursue it, and just on from there. I’m not going to lie to you,
it was absolutely sheer luck that I ended up working in the game that I really
love. It worked out great.

I read that you treat
the training room as a sanctuary for the players. 

I’ve always said,
‘There’s something magical when you put a Band-Aid on a person.’ And that’s
obviously a metaphor of sorts. There becomes a bond between you. These players
have a lot of pressures on them all the time. They’re under a lot of scrutiny
all the time. And I’ve always enjoyed the fact that they can feel like the
training room is a place where they can come not only to get treated for an
injury, but a place to come and relax, if they need to and talk. Sometimes you
find out a lot about them and they gain a lot of trust in you. So yeah, there
can be a lot of times when that training room is full of players and no one
really needs anything in terms of treatment, but we’re just there kind of
talking and shooting the breeze, and you can see them relax a little bit. And I
know there are other places where that is not allowed. I know there are other
places where, the only time you can be in the training room is if you’re being
treated for an injury. I’m not like that. I like to feel like I’m treating the
whole person, in a way, not just physically but spiritually, mentally, and
emotionally. It’s a place where they can come and relax, and it feels relaxed
that way.

So you’re a little
bit of a father figure to some of the players? 

[Laughs] Uh, you know, I’m
probably of that age. A lot of these players are closer to my younger kids’ age
than to me, so. . . and we don’t
exactly listen to or agree on to the same music that’s played in the training
room all the time. It’s funny you say that because a player not long ago—I mean
just days ago or something, and I don’t even know how this conversation came
up—he said to me, ‘Well you’re like a dad to us,’ and I thought, ‘Whoa.’ And
then I also heard, ‘And you’re like a grandfather to us,’ and I said, ‘Okay,
that’s enough.’ But I guess, in many ways, that’s true. I’m proud of the fact
that they feel they can come to me with even off-the-field issues that I can
help them with in any way possible. I kind of take pride in the fact that
they’ve always had that trust in me that they can basically talk about
anything, and if I can help them, I’m going to help them.

I’m sure they’re
happy to have somebody there to talk to who has some experience. 

I hope so.
It’s not a whole lot different than parenting, really, in many ways.