Game 18 - Baltimore Orioles

After a great time in Cleveland, My Mom, Dad, Jeanette and I made the six hour drive to Baltimore to visit Camden Yards. My good buddy, and former roommate, Jason Stroud would be meeting us in Baltimore for the next several games. My former boss is from Baltimore, and he was able to get us some great seats, as well as a parking pass, so we parked the rig right next to the stadium. There was a 45 minute rain delay to start the game, so we toured the park and ordered the largest pork sandwich I had ever seen (see below).

Immediately, we knew this stadium was special. The outfield area surrounding the park was awesome, with an open, airy feel to it. The mix of old the old warehouse embedded in a new ballpark created a unique feel to the park, and I have to say it was my favorite park so far. The food choices, surrounding attractions, and ballpark views created one of the best ballpark experiences we have had. The rain tried to dampen our mood, but we wouldn't let it. I'm a bit tougher than Jason and Jeanette, so I opted to ride out the rain without a poncho. They both made a sprint for the gift shop as soon as it started spitting, and it only took them three innings to realize the ponchos had arm holes...

Big Jim had nothing but love for Camden Yards, and it had five Big Jim's written all over it:

Pros: Everything. Food, ballpark feel, warehouse attraction, surrounding attractions.

Cons: The only knock on the ballpark was that you couldn't watch the game as you walked around the 100 level concourse. This is a big pet peeve of Jim's, but it wasn't enough to move him to four Big Jim territory.

-JJS