BALTIMORE STOUTS MOVE INTO NEW STADIUM

As the 2000 season has come to a close, so too does a chapter in the Baltimore Stouts history.  The 2001 season will see the team move from their beloved Memorial Stadium into their new home of Camden Yards.  The move has been well received by everyone involved.  Here is a look at the dimensions and a few facts about the new stadium.

Nestled in the streets of downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor, sits a ballpark that has influenced the architecture and construction of every baseball stadium built since 1992, much like when Shibe Park and Forbes Field ushered in the modern steel and concrete ballparks in the first half of the 20th Century. The Orioles arrived in Baltimore in 1954 from St. Louis and played at Memorial Stadium. Located in Northeast Baltimore, Memorial Stadium was rebuilt when the Orioles moved to the city and was also the home to the Baltimore Colts (NFL) until 1984. It was not a typical multipurpose stadium, but the seating was not close to the field and by the 1980s it was beginning to show its age. The Orioles and city officials developed a plan to build a new ballpark in downtown Baltimore on land that once was occupied by Babe Ruth’s father’s saloon. Owner of the Orioles, Eli Jacobs, hired architect Joseph Spear of HOK Sport (now Populus) to design a new ballpark for the team. Spears designed a ballpark that revolutionized the design of nearly every ballpark built since 1992. Named Camden Yards, it was built similar to ballparks of the early 1900s with steel columns, beams and trusses used to support the facility instead of concrete.

On April 6, 1992 the Baltimore Orioles played the Cleveland Indians in their first game at Camden Yards. Nestled on the edge of downtown Baltimore near the Inner Harbor, the facade consists of brick with arches allowing Camden Yards to look as it has beeOutfield at Camden Yardsn part of the landscape for decades and the low-raked upper deck keeps the ballpark from looming over surrounding buildings. The majority of fans enter through the Eutaw Street in centerfield, a street that once led into downtown Baltimore. This is a bustling area between the seating area and the B&O Warehouse. Fans can mingle, their favorite food or beverage, see plaques of legendary Oriole Hall of Famers and enjoy the sights and sounds of the ballpark. From Eutaw Street fans see a plethora of green seats in the main grandstand. Located below street level is the playing field that allows fans to walk down to seats in the lower deck. Large open air concourses allow fans to easily move around Camden Yards.

From the upper deck fans can see the Baltimore skyline and one of Camden Yard's iconic features, the B&O Warehouse. Behind the right field wall stands the eight story high B&O Warehouse, constructed in 1899. Originally built as a warehouse for the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, it now used for a variety of purposes by the Orioles. Camden Yards consists of a three tier grandstand that stretches from behind home plate, down the third base line around the left field foul pole, and down the first base line. All 45,971 seats are green, replicating ones in bygone ballparks (The original seating capacity was 48,000 but all seats were replaced with larger ones by the 2011 season). Additional seating is located under the main 24' x 74' LED video/scoreboard in right-center field. Two orange seats mark the landing spot of homeruns by two Hall of Fame Orioles, Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray. One in right- centerfield, marks the location of Murray's 500th homerun, and the other in left-field marks the spot of Ripken's 278th homerun, breaking Ernie Banks record for homeruns by a shortstop. Part of Memorial Stadium is still at the Orioles ballpark today, as both foul poles at Camden Yards are the same ones used at the O's old ballpark for over three decades. Fans can stand and watch the game from behind the out of town scoreboard in right field or in an area over looking the bullpens in left centerfield. A beautiful grassy picnic and park area filled with colorful flower gardens and shady trees is located beyond centerfield. Statues of six Orioles members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, added in 2012 are also here.

Since its opening in 1992, 21 other ballparks have opened in Major League Baseball, all using concepts that were first used at Camden Yards. Although now it is over 20 years old, Camden Yards remains one of the best ballparks in baseball with its setting in downtown Baltimore and its view of the Baltimore skyline.

- See more at: http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/CamdenYards.htm#sthash.zibq1Yrs.dpuf

Oriole Park at Camden Yards Trivia:

• Site of the 1993 All-Star game.
• Camden Yards complex includes the Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse, the longest building on the East Coast (1,016 feet long by 51 feet wide).
• Warehouse contains Orioles offices as well as a cafeteria, sports bar, gift shop, and the exclusive Camden Club.
• Banks of lights are mounted on the roof of warehouse.
• Each aisle seat in the park features an 1890s Orioles logo.
• Unique double-decked bullpens in left-center field.
• Playing field is 16 feet below street level.
• Located only two blocks from Babe Ruths birthplace.
• Ruths father operated Ruths Cafe at 406 Conway Street, the site of which is now located in center field.
• Faced with brick to present a traditional appearance.
• Bronze baseballs imprinted in the cement of the Eutaw Street walkway commemorate home runs hit in the ballpark.
• The "H" in "The Sun" sign on top of the scoreboard will flash to show a scoring decision of a hit and the "E" will flash to show an error.
• Fans yell "O" (for Orioles) in unison when "The Star-Spangled Banner" reaches "O Say does that star-spangled banner yet wave..."
• Hideo Nomo threw the only no-hitter ever pitched here on April 4, 2001.
• Home plate was moved back seven feet for the 2001 season, but returned to its original spot the next season because, as team officials said, the new layout "adversely affected the viewing angle of the batter's eye." A significant drop in home runs had been observed in 2001.
• A red seat in left field (Section 86, Row FF, Seat 10) marks the spot where Cal Ripken hit home run number 278 in 1993, breaking Ernie Banks' record for most home runs hit by a shortstop. Ripken hit the seat again in 1995 while playing in consecutive game number 2130, which tied Lou Gherig's record.
• An orange seat in the bleachers (Section 96, Row D, Seat 23) marks the spot where Eddie Murray hit home run number 500 on September 6, 1996.

Need more?  Here are a couple links with more information about the ballpark:

http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/bal/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=groundrules
http://www.ballparksofbaseball.com/al/CamdenYards.htm