More on the O's "Prime Game" Pricing...

As I posted earlier on the blog, the Baltimore Orioles now have instituted “prime games” in which teams that draw fans will be more expensive than regular priced games. This year, the selected games are against the Red Sox, Yankees and Orioles’ Opening Day.

A fellow blogger from the My Baseball Bias website posted an excellent follow-up to what I wrote. It’s worth a read and I appreciate him doing so:

Link: http://mybaseballbias.com/?p=96

On a few of the Orioles’ forums out there, some fans welcome charging Boston and New York fans for the experience in Baltimore, while some are upset because in turn, Oriole fans will be charged more and there are quite a few people with families along with college students, those on a fixed income who may or may not be able to afford the price of tickets.

Do I have a problem with this? Not so much. This is an issue of supply versus demand and the Orioles are a business, and any business has the right to charge whatever they please if they can get the revenue. In addition, if you have ever been at Camden Yards during a Boston or New York series, the fans from their respective teams take over and a good majority travel to see their teams and help the Baltimore economy.

In fact, a lot of businesses cater to those crowds. In most of the games against the Yankees and Red Sox, O’s fans are outnumbered – in some cases 3 to 1 or 4 to 1. This discourages a lot of fans from coming to the park, where in some cases they are subject to abuse from the opposing teams’ fans.

However, for a lot O’s fans out there, season ticket holders generally do not have pay the prime ticket prices if they buy the tickets from the team’s office rather via the internet.

Considering the Yankees and Red Sox were the only two teams where “prime games” pricing was used, what it does say about the state of O’s fans at Camden Yards?

We are not showing up and it reflects in the attendance.

According to Baseball Bias from the research done, the fans have stayed away from Camden Yards – in droves.

- In 1997, the Orioles season total for attendance was 3,711,132
- In 2001, the Orioles season total for attendance was 3,094,841
- In 2006, the Orioles season total for attendance was 2,153,250
- In 2006, the Orioles drew almost 20,000 less fans a game than they did in 1997.

There are quite a few reasons the fans are not coming out to Camden Yards, but the whole argument begins with the product on the field.

Our fans will come back and support a superior product, when that happens. We don't have that right now, nor has it been seen in almost a decade.

Peter Angelos can blame the Washington Nationals in the drop of attendance; however Oriole attendance has been dropping since then. While there might be a small drop, due the lack of interest, anger at Peter Angelos, and the traffic situation between the two cities, both cities have more then enough people to support them.

However, when you are the laughing stock of baseball and you’ve managed to alienate your fanbase in two cities, then you have apathy.

I don’t put the onus on Peter Angelos, but on the team and it’s performance. The team has to pay better, plain and simple. With the exception of Tejada, Mora, Roberts & the rise of Markakis, the Orioles do not have a real star and I think Ripken retiring had a small role, but not nearly as large as 9 losing seasons.

However, since Peter Angelos is captain of the ship, he’ll get the blame.

Peter may not have spent the money needed to compete for a few years, but in the end, it’s the product of the field that counts. Oriole fans no doubt care for their team, but why spend your hard earned money if the entity you give to doesn't put out a competitive product.

In my mind, Camden Yards is a great baseball experience. To be honest, the Orioles will only have the fans come back, if and when we are ready to compete with the big boys. We have spent some money to build what looks like will be a respectable team on paper, now the O’s have translate it into W’s.

Link to a previous post on the Red Sox/Yankee fan attendance issue: The Explosion and Annoyance of Yankee and Red Sox fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards

In Case You Want Early Dibs on O's Tickets...

The Baltimore Orioles are having a single game pre-sale of tickets on Thursday at 10am, for that day only. More info can be found on the orioles.com main page.

Cooperstown...

Scoring the Internet, I wanted to get some advice for those who are planning to go to Cooperstown, NY for the induction of Cal and Tony into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Since I am now interested in going, I wanted to do some research. Considering the hoopla and the anticipated record crowd, if I do go, I'll probably find a way to camp out and decide to stay with some friends in New York City or maybe make an extended road trip out of this.

Hers's some great advice from Press Box Online in an article titled, Catching Cal in Cooperstown.

And another, Press Box's Cooperstown Travel Guide.

Here's the Cooperstown, NY Site. And another one. And yet another. And one more for good measure.

Here's the National Baseball Musuem and Hall of Fame site.

I might go this weekend actually or in the next few weeks, since I also have nothing better to do once again and take a look at it for myself. I'd like to survey the area and maybe get acclimated with the town and perhaps snap some pics, take video and point out areas of interest.

photo from wbal.com

New Oriole Ticketing News...

Hey all, it was just a matter of time before the Orioles managed to squeeze a few extra bucks out of us.

Well, for 2007 and beyond (I guess), the Orioles will now institute "Prime Games", which in essence you'll pay more for teams that draw (specifically the Opening Day, Yankees and Red Sox Games). Teams like the Mets, Cubs, and Nationals have been doing it...

Baltimore Oriole game tickets have been reasonably well priced in comparison to league average, anyway.

Prime Dates:
Pricing:

Link: http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/bal/ticketing/seating_pricing.jsp

Quick Hits... More on Cal, Following up with Old Friends and Stuffage

Being that I really had nothing better to do last night, I watched Cal’s game 2131 on MASN last night. I was 16 at the time and starting school in New York, but I was at the game before he broke his record, just by chance, as I wanted to desperately see a game around my birthday which was 2 weeks and managed to get some tickets. It was a big deal for me, as I lived more than 40 miles from Baltimore growing up and for my parents to offer to drive me was special as I only got to see the O's in person maybe 2 or 3 times a year.

I just remember the environment in almost a celebratory mood at the game I attended. As a teen, I didn’t realize I was on the cusp of history, but my friends were jealous of me at the time. I could not have cared less, not because of Cal, but because I was a teenager and didn’t know better.

It was kind of magical seeing it more than 10 years later, as well in a different stage on my life and brought back some old times, and yes, I did tear up. Amazingly, now that ten years later, I now recognize the significance of that day.

I never had a direct meeting with him, and the closest I got was to him ever was snapping some pictures of him well after his playing career. However, from what I read on other forums and blogs, he was quite the honorable man you hear about.

I kind of feel bad not being able to take in the Orioles more in my heart when I was younger...

Here are some more Cal links:

• Cal interviewed with the Sun, and gives his thoughts on the Hall of Fame and his career.
• Friend and fellow blogger Aaron Brazell of SuicideFan.com honors Cal.
• The esteemed Tom Boswell of the Washington Post opines on Cal, his career, influence on the game and Baltimore.
• CNNsi’s Tom Verducci on Cal and Tony.
• An SI flashback article.
• From WBAL Radio: If you're looking for a room in or near Cooperstown, you are screwed or expect to dish some money, in the area of many Benjamins...

News on Some Old Friends…

• Former Oriole catcher signed with Colorado Javy Lopez for one year, $750,000.

• Always good to go home again: The infamous Russ Ortiz re-signed with San Francisco for one year, $380,000. He’ll be a reserve or 5^th starter, and hopefully returning to the Giants, he can reclaim his career. How a pitcher got to be so bad, I don’t know, but he’s young enough where he could perhaps right the ship. Russ was nothing short of historically bad with the Orioles, and no emotions were spared when he was not re-signed here in Baltimore.

Stuffage:

• Right-handers Jason Frasor and John Thomson agreed to one-year contracts with the Blue Jays on Tuesday.

• Injury Wire: St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Jim Edmonds had surgery Tuesday to correct a foot ailment that led him to have a daily numbing injection during the postseason. Always one of my favorite players to watch, he should be ready for the ’07 season.

• Injury Wire: According to his agent, Ken Griffey’s left hand (currently broken) should be fully healed before the Reds start spring training next month.

Finally: I just think the photograph on the top of this post is just beautiful …

More Cal & Tony

Today is Cal’s and Tony’s Day, so I am doing the service of providing more links for the occasion. Hopefully, years from now, fans remember this day for both Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken’s accomplishment and hope it’s not overshadowed for Mark McGwire being excluded from the Hall of Fame.

• The Baltimore Sun takes a look at Ripken’s place in the pantheon of Baltimore’s sports legends.
  
• Coverage from WBAL TV in Baltimore. On the page, you can find links to Cal’s press conference and an interview he had with the station.
  
• The Baltimore Sun’s Roch Kubtako gives us his impression on Cal’s Big Day.
• The Washington Post’s Dave Shenin gives us a run-down of the results and the events.
• MLB.com has plenty of coverage of both Cal and Tony.
  
• An article about Cal in the Minors from minorleaguebaseball.com. Also one on Tony Gywnn.
  
• Coverage of Tony Gwynn from the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Perhaps a Little Cruel, but True...(from CNNsi.com)

The Only Two - Cal and Tony are now Immortals...

Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn on Tuesday will officially be inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in July. Congratulations to both men, as they got on their first year on the ballot.

According to the AP, Ripken was picked by 537 voters, appearing on 98.5 percent of ballots, falling just short of the record percentage of 98.84 set by Tom Seaver when he was selected on 425 of 430 ballots in 1992. Gwynn was just behind Cal with 532 votes, 97.6 percent.

Goose Gossage barely missed getting in with 71.2 percent of the vote, just a few percentage points of getting to the Hall. Mark McGwire only got 23% of the vote.

It's good day for all us Oriole fans, let us all walk with heads held high and be proud...

Flash Presentation from the Baltimore Sun: Link

Fanning the Flames - The Hall of Fame Vote and Paul Ladewski

Well, we know now neither Cal Ripken nor Tony Gywnn will get into the Hall of Fame unanimously. However, it is almost irrational for someone to have either left the two men off the ballot based on their stats and what they have done for baseball, unless they are delusional, have an agenda or just are too lazy.

We have a case study.

Writer Paul Ladewski of the Daily Southtown in suburban Chicago let the world know in a column this week, he’d submitted a blank ballot because the issue with performance-enhancing drugs in baseball.

According to David Steele in his blog in the Baltimore Sun, these are the words from Paul Ladewski:

"Walter Johnson, Cy Young and Honus Wagner didn't receive such Hall passes. Neither did Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth and Ted Williams. In fact, nobody has in the history of the game. Based on the standards set by the Hall of Fame voters decades ago, is there a neutral observer out there who can honestly say Gwynn and Ripken should be afforded an unprecedented honor?''

This is what he says and his logic for sending a blank ballot.

"At this point, I don't have nearly enough information to make a value judgment of this magnitude. In particular, that concerns any player in the Steroids Era, which I consider to be the 1993-2004 period, give or a take a season," Ladewski wrote.

"This isn't to suggest that Gwynn or Ripken or the majority of the other eligible candidates padded his statistics with performance-enhancers and cheated the game, their predecessors and the fans in the process. ... But tell me, except for the players themselves, who can say what they put into their bodies over the years with any degree of certainty?"

I can often see the forest from the trees. I don’t get this guy at all.

Anyhow, I know we are in the great unknown, except in a few instances of whom and did not take steroids, but I think it’s too late and very much unfair to put a moral spin on one’s vote to make a point and therefore punish those deserving.

I can understand his logic, but in the end, it’s like painting everyone with the same brush, and if he’s convinced that cheating does not exist, or not has ever existed in sports, then he should relinquish his right to vote. It's unfair to punish those in the present and in the future just because you have own agenda, especially for those not involved in the steroid proceedings or not have faced punishment for it.

What about Gaylord Perry and Whitey Ford who doctored their own balls? How about Ty Cobb who was an ardent racist and had no problem hurting his own peers on the ball field? Do we consider anyone who’s been arrested automatically guilty just because of appearances and stereotypes.

If this guy has an issue with drugs and wants to punish those in the present and future without any proof at all, then he should really reconsider what he does for a living.

Hell, he’d better not ever serve on my jury (not that I'd ever end up in court).

I mean, it’s not like politicians are beacons of truth, either and he should not vote ever again. Perhaps, he should not see a movie anymore; I mean, a quarter half of Hollywood has been in rehab, in the tabloids doing something stupid or jail.

Mr. Ladewski, you are delusional and it is very shortsighted to punish those who have not been accused or proven of any crime or violation is just wrong and un-American.

Ravens and the Colts...

Wow.

I was just reading the Baltimore Sun this morning and caught an article on the Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay and his thoughts of coming back to Baltimore for the AFC playoff game. As you may know, Irsays left Baltimore left with the Colts team in 1984 and moved into Indiana.

Basically Mr. Irsay wants the ‘past to be the past’ and all should be let go, as this happened a generation ago.

Some fans understandably are still upset by the act the Irsay family committed. I am not a Colts fan nor grew up one, and I grew up near Washington D.C., but if one of my sports teams was taken away, only to go to another city, I’d be upset too.

Later on in the morning, I read Roch Kutbako’s blog and he gave his view of the Irsay family, especially on the owner, Jim's deceased father, Robert.

Wow.

The elder Irsay did not sound like a nice man. Well, based on Roch’s opinion and what he wrote in the article, Irsay being not a caring man would be an understatement.

I guess now the Ravens and Colts game will take on a new dimension for some, especially those who lived through that era.

The elder Mr. Irsay is dead and buried, but the son in a sad and twisted way will probably have to atone for the sins of the father on Sunday.

I would say that the Irsay’s did what they did for business and the bottom line; however, for a lot of people, sports are an emotional thing and an identity that ties one to a city and a community. When a sport, especially football, which is highly charged and emotional, is taken away from your life, you feel kind of empty.

Not that I could ever relate, but I now have a deeper understanding.

Quick Hits...

• Orioles.com beat writer Spencer Fordin in his latest article writes about the Aubrey Huff impact with the Jay Payton signing and the expectations for him with the team. Also the article looks at the situation with Rodrigo Lopez, Hayden Penn’s status for ’07 and where’s former O’s catcher Javy Lopez?

• Baltimore Sun writer Dan Connolly believes that Ripken’s numbers were Hall of Fame worthy even without the streak, and I think that’s the case.
  
  
• Baltimore talk radio station WBAL has an article up about Cal titled Cal Waiting for the Call from the Hall.
  

• Washington Post Dave Shenin opines about Cal Ripken’s career and his legacy.

• Here’s a video of Cal Ripken chatting about his expected induction to the Hall of Fame.

• J.D. Drew is still waiting to become a member of the Red Sox. Take a look at Murray Chass’s article. Ridiculous.
  
  
• The University of Florida whooped on Ohio State 41-14 to win the National Championship in college football. Whoa. I thought there would have been much more of a challenge from OSU and that game would have been closer.

Honorable Mention: I found this website, The Road Less Traveled, the other day and found what the creator did with the site to be wonderful. Although I am not from the Boston area, I know quite a bit of people from there who live in the Mid-Atlantic region and I can relate to a lot of what’s on the site. The insight is great, you can have a few laughs on it and he’s got some cool photographs on it as well. Check it out!

Quick Hits - Late Edition

• According to the Los Angeles times, the Orioles are of one teams interested in Darrin Erstad.
  

“Erstad, limited to 40 games last season, began running on flat ground three weeks ago and has experienced no setbacks. He will begin taking batting practice Monday and has been cleared to resume all baseball activities.

Erstad said six teams have expressed serious interest in signing him, either as a left fielder, center fielder or utility player. Though he declined to name the teams, the Oakland Athletics, Baltimore Orioles, Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners are believed to be among them.”

In all seriousness, where would he fit into the team? With the Huff and Payton signings, plus with Patterson and Markakis, where would he fit in? Anyhow, Erstad was a fine player a few years ago, but he’s been injury riddled. He’s 32, but he’s an old 32, and it would not be worth the risk to the Orioles.

Stockpiling talent is great, but Erstad is a bad fit for this team.

• Baltimore Sun writer Roch Kubatko updated his blog today, which he ponders about Cal Ripken and the Hall of Fame.
  

• The Orioles in 2007 will now air their games on WHFS, the sister station of ESPN 1300 in Baltimore, rather than WBAL. This was announced on the Anita Marks Show.

My Hall of Famers for 2007...

Well, we all will find out who gets into the Hall of Fame this Tuesday. I want to go over who I would include if was a baseball writer and a member of the Baseball Writers Association. I am obviously not a member, however, but for fun, I guess I’ll play along and choose who I would vote for.

Cal and Tony Gwynn are obvious choices, and I won’t go into it with them, since we are well versed as to what they have done.

Here’s who would be chosen on my Hall of Fame ballot…

Goose Gossage: If Bruce Sutter’s in, then he should be, no questions asked. Growing up, I remember him vaguely pitching, but seeing him and that Fu Manchu mustache made a big man look even scarier. The man was just plain dominant.

Bert Blyleven: The man has the numbers, the longevity, and the victories to more than qualify.

Jim Rice: I didn’t see him of him due to my age, but his numbers make him worthy. His numbers compare to Tony Perez of the Reds, and if he is in, Rice should be in as well. In comparison to players in his ear, the numbers were top-notch and he no doubt was a cog in the Red Sox teams of the 70’s and early 80’s.

Lee Smith: He was one of the preeminent closers in history. Along with being a consistent closer, he held the saves record with 478 for a few years before Trevor Hoffman passed him.

Andre Dawson: My view of him came from WGN, but he was a tough guy and played through various ailments and injuries. He had almost 3,000 hits, won 2 MVP awards, and a combination of power, defense and speed, before the injuries.

Jack Morris: He’s got 3 World Series rings and was money whenever it came to the big game. I remember his 10 inning performance in 1991 for Minnesota and that was one of the best games I have ever seen pitched. He’s short of wins and his ERA was high, but he was a warrior.

Mark McGwire: He’s in with my opinion. Sorry, like I opined in a previous post, when MLB and the Cardinals give a refund for a performance that was viewed as tainted, then I’ll consider the moral argument. Although his Capitol Hill testimony greatly reduced my opinion of him, he was still not proven to have taken anything as of yet.

Until we can prove he did indeed take drugs, he should be judged on his accomplishments on the baseball field. I will not play a moralist, and vote against him, considering that was not a system that did anything to prohibit him or anyone from drug use.

Dave Concepcion: Excellent shortstop, and a cog of the Big Red Machine teams of the 70’s. Played on numerous All-Star Teams.

Quick Hits...

* Over the weekend, Randy Johnson agreed to a $26 million, two-year contract with the Diamondbacks & a physical and final approvals remain to finish his trade from the Yankees back to Arizona.

* Mike Celzic from MSNBC believes we should judge Mark McGwire on the basis of his peers, not so much on drug allegations.

* Ted Robinson of MSNBC looks at Andurw Jones and the possiblity of he leaving the Atlanta Braves after '07.

* Interesting Article about if Jose Canseco should be considered for the Hall of Fame from FoxSports.com writer Ty Hillenbrandt.

Quick Hits - Late Edition

Orioles’ Saturday Game Times for 2007

Well, I remember my one of my friends whom I often see at Oriole game mention the Saturday new start times for 2007, but I completely forgot about it until I recently checked out the forum on the Orioles.com site.

In case you didn’t happen to know, the Orioles have moved games on Saturday from the customary 4:35pm start to 7:05pm, and there is one that starts at 7:35pm.

This was done to facilitate Fox’s Saturday Games of the Week which are the games shown nationally. The Fox network does not want a conflict between their games shown on TV and other games around the country.

Personally, I don’t care about the start time, as I’d probably be at the games anyway, but for families with kids, I’d be a little dismayed. However, the late start time would be much better for some people, I included, especially when it comes to dealing with the sometimes oppressive Mid-Atlantic summer.


You Must Be Kidding Me…

According to Boston.com, Rafael Palmeiro wants to get back into baseball in a post titled “Palmeiro Wants Back In”. This is what the website says:

“According to a friend of Palmeiro, the former Cubs, Orioles, and Rangers star wants to return to baseball even after the embarrassing events of 2005. Palmeiro, the highest-profile player ever to test positive for steroids, feels he's done the time and should be able to return. On Aug. 1, 2005, Palmeiro was suspended 10 games. He returned to the Orioles after the suspension but was out of baseball all of last year. The Cuban-born Palmeiro, 42, feels he can still hit.”

Honestly, he will not get a job with anyone at this point, whether he’s got the skills or not. He already dragged the O’s through the mud, basically perjured himself on Capitol Hill and has tried his best to refute his positive drug test by saying he received a tainted injection, no will touch him.

To be quite honest, he was in the Hall of Fame after he built up the numbers during a long career. However, since it was PROVEN he cheated and got caught, there’s no way now if ever he will ever get into Cooperstown (it will be a long time if he EVER does).

With Barry Bonds still in the game, no team will want the media circus that would accompany a Palmeiro return.

Quick Hits

More on the Hall of Fame Class of 2007:

Well, the players who will be inducted in the Hall of Fame Class of 2007 will be chosen on Tuesday.

Here are some more articles looking at the Hall of Fame 2007 process.

• Baltimore Sun writer Dan Connolly opines whether Cal Ripken may be first player who might get inducted into the Hall of Fame unanimously. Much of the article goes into why there has never been a player voted in unanimously & some voters have not voted in the past.
  
  
• Murray Chass looks at the correlation of players who are on the ballot for the first time and get inducted versus those who are on it repeatedly.
  
  
• Tony DeMarco of MSNBC.com believes that there are more players deserving to be in the Hall.

Non-Baseball Related: As a ‘Skins fan, I am elated the Cowboys lost; however, seeing the ball pass through Cowboy’s quarterback Romo’s hands, he missing a touchdown and saving the team’s season by a yard was tragic.

I being a Marylander, I am glad to see the Ravens take on the Colts at home in Baltimore. It should be a crazy game next week with Peyton taking on the Raven’s defense. Considering the history between the Colts and their departure from the city in 1984, it adds for whole another layer of the game for those of that generation.

Babe Ruth Museum Visit Reflections - Baltimore, Md.

Being a long time resident of the great state of Maryland, as well working there and visiting Baltimore only a few thousand times, you often walk by places you need to see, even if it is obvious to you. Case in point, I had never been in the Babe Ruth Museum, or Sports Legends at Camden Yards, although I went to about 40 Orioles games last season in total.

So, to break the streak, this Saturday, I decided to take a tour of both since I’d gone to Ellicott City to take care of a few things that day.

I’m going to write two entries, one for the Babe Ruth Museum, one for the Sports Legends Museum.

My first visit was to the Babe Ruth Museum, up the street from Camden Yards. It’s located a few blocks away from Camden Yards on Emory St. in Baltimore, Md. On the day I visited, there were only but maybe 5 or 6 people in the museum, but for any baseball fan, it is quite a place to see. Although Babe Ruth was a Yankee, Red Sox and played for the old Orioles at the turn of the century, Baltimore claims him as their own, and the museum is a testament to that. Opened in 1974, the museum is made up of 4 town homes, and the first one where you enter is actually the house he lived in during his youth.

The house where Babe Ruth was born is now a shrine to the Babe and chronicles his life, records and well as displays of artifacts from other players, like Cal Ripken and Eddie Murray, but 90% of the museum focuses on him. Visitors can see rare family photographs, mementos, complete record of his home runs, videos, uniforms and a few rooms of that replicate his actual home in 1900 with artifacts and furniture.

Let’s just say at 6’4”, I didn’t have a lot of room to move around the museum, but for me as a baseball fan and a student of history, it was a pleasure.

Well, that brought a question into my mind – why nearly half of a century since he passed away, plus another 60 or 70 years since he last played a game, does he still matter in the lexicon of sports? Why is he seen in such a romantic way?

He hit 714 home runs, and hit 60 home runs in 1927. Both records have been passed, so why do we still honor him today?

Honestly, from seeing the artifacts in the museum you can sense why. In this age of violence, selfishness, corrupt politicians, drug use is sports and everything else wrong in society, you’re taken back to a time that was simple, and Babe Ruth sort of looked like an ‘everyman’ with undeniable appeal. From my eyes, it looked like Babe Ruth had fun, enjoyed his life, and liked having his stature in life, especially when it came to children. People, in a sense lived vicariously through him and felt their accomplishments and dreams come alive, if even all he did was hit a ball with a bat.

He was undoubtedly the first superstar, and one that looked to be extremely accessible to the public. Babe Ruth was a man who rose from a humble upbringing to being an idol for everyone. Unlike the superstar athlete of today, with their toned physiques and muscularity, Babe Ruth looked like an ordinary man – sturdy and strong, but with a hefty waist and ample body fat on him, sort of like a beer league softball player or any average sized guy you could meet.

Even though he was imperfect as a human being, his exploits on the field and goal to extend his joy of playing to the fans make him an athlete of all ages that very few can compare to – even now. He did everything over the top, with flair, enjoyment and perhaps a tinge of arrogance, but unlike now where he’d hit by a pitcher the next at bat, in a different time, it was a show could that rival anything, except on Broadway and his peers respected him.

Perhaps that’s what left me impressed with museum and a deeper perspective of the man. I felt that I already knew a lot about him, but seeing artifacts from his life and the museum, I know his impact in the game of baseball that much more. I could have walked through the museum in 15 minutes, but I was in there an hour plus, asked questions and took a multitude of pictures and soaked in the experience.

He was the first to set baseball records, and put them out of reach, until recently. With the steroid issue in the sport, and the surly, sullen personalities of Bonds and McGwire, fans like me perhaps appreciate Ruth even more for what he did. Yes, he did not play with African-Americans or perhaps his peers were far inferior to players on the field today, you can no doubt sense the enthusiasm, the way he played the game and the super-human feats he was able to accomplish.

He does not look like me at all, nor can I even fathom his accomplishments. What struck me about him?

In essence, Babe Ruth was the American Dream, one tht was accessible, and in your wildest fantasies could come true. He rose from a hard life, worked hard at his craft and talent, had a way to entertain and inspire us and he prospered in the process.

I still regret not seeing the museum earlier in my time, but I was fascinated by it, as small as it seemed to be.

You often hear the cliché, “No one else will be like the Babe”, and after my visit to the Babe Ruth Museum, that certainly rings true, now more than ever.

Quick Hits - Late Edition

* Baltimore talk radio station, WBAL has an article on their website called “Can Cal Ripken Make History” which ponders will Cal Ripken, Jr. be the first player voted into the Hall of Fame unanimously. Baltimore Sun writer Peter Schmuck, and former Orioles Brooks Robinson and Jim Palmer give their point of view.

* Give Spender Fordin’s interview on MLB.com a listen. Click on the link: http://www.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/scripts/mediaplayer/mp_tpl.jsp?w_id=529977&w=2006/open/teams06/bal/mlbr/010507_fordin_spencer.wma&pid=gen_audio&vid=7764&mid=200701051774006&cid=mlb&fid=gen_audio12&v=2&mType=w&urlstr=&murl= . He talks about the cancellation of Fanfest, the Aubrey Huff deal and the outlook for the Orioles next year. He sounds fairly positive about the team in ’07.

* If you are going to Spring Training, the Orioles have tickets on sale now.

* A reminder that the Orioles have regular season single game tickets on sale on Jan.14th at 10am.

Stuffage:

* Felipe Alou will be working in the San Francisco Giants front office. He’ll be a special assistant to general manager Brian Sabean.

* Washington Post writer Tom Boswell weighs in on the Mark McGwire saga. He cannot vote to induct players into the Hall of Fame, since the Washington Post does not allow it’s writers to vote on awards, but he would abstain from voting considering all the issues involved.

Quick Hits...

• The Baltimore Sun has an update about the cancelled FanFest and other news about the team, primarily minor league signings.
  
  
• The Toronto Blue Jays will replace the New York Mets as Baltimore's opponent in this year's Hall of Fame game on May 21. The Mets were the original team to face the O’s, but the change was done after ESPN moved the Mets' game against the Yankees the previous day to an 8:05 p.m. start for it’s national Sunday Night coverage.
  
  
• Former Oriole David Newhan is a Met. He’s signed for one year.
  
  
• Roger Cedeno agreed to a one year deal with the Orioles. According to ESPN, if added to the 40-man roster, the 32-year-old outfielder would get a one-year contract that would pay him $500,000 in the major leagues and $100,000 in the minors. He could earn an additional $400,000 in performance bonuses and would get the entire amount if he plays in 120 games and has 550 plate appearances.

A fellow Orioles blog, Oriole Central understates the importance of signing our young stars to long term deals now, specifically mentioning Erik Bedard and Brian Roberts. Hey, Oriole Central linked back to one of my posts, so I’ll do the same in return often as well.

It’s going to be great day out there here in Maryland, so I am taking advantage of it. I’ll have another post up later on.

For those in the South who got hit hard by the storms yesterday, hope everyone is all right, safe and nothing major happened.

For the Idiot File: Donald Trump

Donald, I have always found you a little gaudy, egotistical and perhaps self-absorbed, but I have always respected and actually liked you. After your behavior the last few weeks with Rosie (and I am no fan of her's), you have made me lose a lot of respect for you.

Can I ask why a man in your position and wealth actually cares about some woman who said something about you on some talk show? Forget the whole Ms. USA deal; you are coming off as a total fool and someone who has the maturity of some scorned 12 year old. Dude, you're rich, you have a nice wife, kid, many business entities and a ratings winner with the ‘Apprentice’. Don't you think you're above this?

When I heard you on Anderson Cooper's 360 last night, your routine was repeated from the same interviews on Larry King and Headline News' Showbiz Tonight! C'mon, let it go!

Now you have gone on ‘Today’ and made yourself look like a complete jackass! Man, you managed to make the saccharine ‘Today’ look like an episode of the O’Reilly Factor.

Get Real, Donald. This is some sort of act?

Rosie, stop looking for attention. You need to let it go, and enjoy your money and fame too. There are more important things you can use your celebrity on than railing against immature 20 year olds who get caught in the big city and in their own mind.

America, and especially cable TV stop wasting your time on such prattle, we have other things to worry about.

We’ve got kids dying a world away who deserve much more love than these blowhards.

See the video above of Today Show with Meredith Viera and especially below with CNN's Anderson Cooper on his show, Anderson Cooper 360.