Oriole Park at Camden Yards

History was made in Baltimore, Maryland on April 6, 1992 when the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball opened their new ballpark, Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The ballpark that would be known as "The Ballpark That Forever Changed Baseball" would spark a trend in construction of traditional, outdoor ballparks built in downtown locations through-out the U.S. Prior to its completion, big league ballparks were designed as multi-purpose "cookie cutter" stadiums that could host baseball and football games in one central location. These stadiums were featured in Seattle (Kingdome), Minneapolis (Metrodome) and Philadelphia (Veterans Stadium) that were cost efficient for the stadium but not friendly to the fans.

Camden Yards was built on the land that once served as the rail yard for B&O Railroad Camden Station. Paying homage to its predecessor, the former B&O Warehouse dominates much of the ballpark view located in right field. The warehouse has since been converted into Orioles team offices, the team store and several restaurants located along the Eutaw Street entryway.

The Eutaw Street entrance, located between the stadium and warehouse is closed to vehicle traffic. Prior to the scheduled start of the ballgame, fans can explore this part of the stadium without needing a ticket to the game. Many shops and restaurants line one side of Eutaw Street to the other including Dempsey's Brew Pub and the Orioles Team Store. Most notably located along Eutaw Street are small baseball-shaped bronze plaques marking the spot where home run baseballs landed. This began following Mickey Tettleton's home run on April 20, 1992 that has still continued through the 2013 season. Former Seattle Mariner and Cincinnati Reds great, Ken Griffey Jr., holds the distinction of the only MLB player to ever hit a home run off the B&O Warehouse during the 1993 MLB All-Star Game Home Run Derby. If you're planning on visiting Eutaw Street for a 7:00 pm game, make sure you arrive before 4:00 pm as the street temporarily closes in preparation for that evenings game.

During the 2012 season, Camden Yards celebrated its 20th anniversary. To celebrate the anniversary, the Orioles organization unveiled six bronze statues of the six Orioles greats who have had their numbers retired by the organization. Each statue was unveiled in separate ceremonies through-out the 2012 season. Prior to the unveiling of his statue on September 29, 2012 in the stadium, Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson was honored with a statue depicting him preparing to throw the baseball to first base. The statue that most notably is gray in color with the exception of a gold colored baseball glove is located on Washington Boulevard 300 feet from the Camden Yards statue of Baltimore native Babe Ruth.

Food options are a plenty when visiting Camden Yards. The ballpark provides a wide variety of offerings including Boog's BBQ, Beers of the World, Dempsey's Brew Pub and Restaurant and Eutaw Market. During my trip I took in a quick bite to eat at Dempsey's after exploring Eutaw Street. Dempsey's is a sports-themed restaurant open year round that is located inside of the former B&O Warehouse building. The restaurant named after the Orioles great Rick Dempsey features Orioles memorabilia and displays of the on-field accomplishments of the 1983 World Series MVP and Orioles Hall of Famer. If you decide to take in a meal at Dempsey's, you are treated to a spectacular view of Camden Yards while being surrounded by TVs showing other games happening around the league.

I was fortunate enough to visit Camden Yards on September 12, 2013 after taking an overnight bus after seeing the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim vs. Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Center the night before. The game that I would be seeing later that evening would have historical value as it would be the final game at Camden Yards for future Hall of Famer and New York Yankees great, Mariano Rivera, who would be retiring at the end of the season. After several rain and lightning delays, the game got underway just after 8:30 that night. Given the significance with Mariano Rivera being at Camden Yards for the final time, a short ceremony honoring the MLB legend took place prior to the game. The Orioles presented Rivera with a sculpture depicting a baseball shattering a bat.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards historical facts:
Major League 2 (1994) a movie about the Cleveland Indians was filmed here while Progressive Field was under construction
Named the number 3 ballpark in the U.S. by Trip Advisor in March 2013
First major league ballpark to have an outfield wall made up entirely of straight wall segments since Ebbets Field
September 6, 1995: Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak of 2,130 games.
September 6, 1996: Eddie Murray hit his 500th career home run exactly one year after Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's consecutive games played streak
August 22, 2007: The Texas Rangers Ramirez hit is 500th career home run
May 8, 2012: Josh Hamilton tied the MLB record for home runs in a game with 4
August 19, 2008: Fastest ballpark to reach 50 million fans in history. Took only seventeen seasons to reach the mark.
1993 MLB All-Star Game