BirdTown: The Inception Of The Baltimore Orioles

[SeanBerry]

If I had known peppers were going to get me in so much trouble, I would have ordered the tuna.

January 12th, 1954

I walked into the office of Arthur Ehlers, my boss and General Manager of the Baltimore Orioles. I was technically the Assistant General Manager but that simply meant I was Ehlers' errand boy. I spent much more time picking up dry cleaning and his dog's fecal matter then I ever did talking trades.

"What you got boy?" Ehlers bellowed at me all the while chomping on a cigar the size of a banana.

"My lunch." I replied as I tried opening it as quick as possible. Even though I had only been working for him since the team moved to Baltimore in late September, I think he's had more of my lunches then I have.

"Smells like steak! Share some of that tasty sandwich son!" he yelled at me. I sighed and cut half of the sandwich and brought it to him.

As he devoured half of my lunch, I thought about how much my life had changed in the short months since the St. Louis Browns moved here to Baltimore and became the Orioles. I had left a decent job in the sales world when I saw the ad in the paper looking for help in the new Baltimore Orioles front office and I leaped at the oppertunity.

But I was really questioning my decision. Was this the right move? To become a lackey for an obese ass of a man who respected me more for my lunch selections and ability to shine shoes? I took a major pay cut thinking I'd have a big future in baseball and now I was a 29 year old engaged guy who was making less then half what he was before. I didn't even own a house yet.

I left the office and asked the secretary to place an order for flowers to be delivered to my fiancee at her office. Hopefully some carnations can make up not going out to eat much anymore.

When I walked back into the office, there was Ehlers face down at his desk, his enourmous head on top of the empty plate where the sandwich I gave him once resided.

"Mr. Ehlers? Mr. Ehlers? Are you OK?" As I got closer to him, it became very obvious that not only had Ehlers finished my sandwich, he had finished breathing as well.

The morgue concluded that it was the pepper juices in the steak bomb he ate that triggered his heart to basically explode. He was dead before his head hit the desk.

This caused the board of directors of the Orioles to go into an all out panic. The regular season was months away and spring training was only weeks away. The team had players but the St. Louis Browns had lost 100 games and this Orioles team didn't look much better. Worse yet, they had very few prospects to match the weak major league talent.

Clarence Miles, the chairman of the board pulled me aside three weeks after Ehlers death and asked if I would run the team considering I was the assistant general manager after all. I told him I would do my best and left out the fact that I had zero baseball contacts or background because Ehlres was a power hungry monster who needed to do everything himself.

The board called me a week after that and let me know they would retain me for the rest of the season. I said that would be fine as long as I could make the amount of money I was making at my previous job. They hesisated but when I told them what that number was, I heard laughing at the other end of the line and they said that would be fine.

I decided not to take that as an insult and walked home with roses instead of carnations.

I wish something as simple as flowers could help this godawful roster.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/orioleslogo.gif

[SeanBerry]

Rules Of The Game:
-I am playing this on Mogul Level.
-I can only make 6 trades a season. I can only use Trade Block to make any trades.
-I can only negoiate with a player once a month. We can each make one offer.
-I can only sign as many free agents as the place I finish in the previous season. Example: If I finish in 4th place, I can sign 3 free agents.
-If I sign a free agent, I can not trade him unless he has been on the team for a full season.
-I will not be using perfect scouting. Peaks will not be hidden.
-I will be using DL rules. If I put someone on the DL or down to the minors, they must stay there for 15 days if I want to call someone up to replace them. I can leave hurt players on my roster and can use a DL retroactively.
-I will be simming all games either watching in One Pitch Mode or simply simming them.

[SeanBerry]

February 18, 1954

Whenever you hear most people in authority speak about their job, they often say the worst part is when they have to fire someone.

That would not be the case with me. Not today anyway.

When Baltimore offically got the Orioles at the end of September, they wanted to go out and hire two longtime baseball men as quick as possible to run the team. Two guys who were available right away were the now-deceased GM Ehlers and the manager Jimmie Dykes.

These two ran the Philadelphia A's last season and after meeting these two clowns, I am stunned they finished as well as they did at 59-95.

It's not just that Dykes is a lousy manager. He's a flat out lousy guy. I think we've spent more on cleaning the carpets then anything else this offseason thanks to him spitting his chewing tobacco all over the place and anywhere he sees fit.

I've personally seen him grab the ass of two secretaries here at the office and if that wasn't bad enough, they are both over 55 years old.

The best part about firing Dykes was that his contract was not a pay or play which meant I could fire him (as long as I did it before Spring Training started) and I wouldn't owe him a cent.

I called him in the office and as politely as possible I let him know we would not be needing his services this season.

Dykes As A Manager



G W L Pct Place
1 1934 Chicago White Sox AL 138 49 88 .358 8 Player/Manager
2 1935 Chicago White Sox AL 153 74 78 .487 5 Player/Manager
3 1936 Chicago White Sox AL 153 81 70 .536 3 Player/Manager
4 1937 Chicago White Sox AL 154 86 68 .558 3 Player/Manager
5 1938 Chicago White Sox AL 149 65 83 .439 6 Player/Manager
6 1939 Chicago White Sox AL 155 85 69 .552 4 Player/Manager
7 1940 Chicago White Sox AL 155 82 72 .532 4
8 1941 Chicago White Sox AL 156 77 77 .500 3
9 1942 Chicago White Sox AL 148 66 82 .446 6
10 1943 Chicago White Sox AL 155 82 72 .532 4
11 1944 Chicago White Sox AL 154 71 83 .461 7
12 1945 Chicago White Sox AL 150 71 78 .477 6
13 1946 Chicago White Sox AL 30 10 20 .333 5
14 1951 Philadelphia Athletics AL 154 70 84 .455 6
15 1952 Philadelphia Athletics AL 155 79 75 .513 4
16 1953 Philadelphia Athletics AL 157 59 95 .383 7

Dykes just started laughing and called Baltimore a "Bush League Town" and said he was glad he didn't have to play for such a young idiot. He then stopped right as he was about to open the door.

"So where the ***** is money punk?" he asked with a huge grin on his face and his left cheek filled with chaw.

"Actually Jimmy, your contract says clearly that we don't owe you a penny if we let you go before March 1st. A smart man as yourself surely knows what day it is, right?"

Dykes came over, read the contract, callled me a 12 letter word and deposited all of his chewing tabacco from his cheek onto my face and stormed out of the office.

I walked to the bathroom, cleaned the orange out of my face started laughing. This was already better then shining Ehler's shoes.

I then had my secretary place a call to Charlie Dressen. It was time to find a new manager and I think I have just the guy.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/dressen.jpg

[SeanBerry]

February 25, 1954

Charlie Dressen was coming down to meet me in minutes... and the timing couldn't be worse.

Don't get me wrong. I was thrilled to meet with him. He had just been fired as manage of the Brooklyn Dodgers. He was let go not for doing a poor job but for having the gall to ask for a 3 year contract after winning 105 games and winning the National League Pennant in 1952 and 1953.

Our Baltimore Orioles were so bad, I felt like offering him a 5 year deal for walking through the door to meet with me.

So what was the problem?

I was on the phone with his ex-boss Walter O'Malley as I tried to swing my first trade. O'Malley was nervous ace pitcher Don Newcombe had no plans of re-signing with Brooklyn at the end of the year and O'Malley told me he was facing money problems. He wanted to control his expenses better for both 1954 and beyond.

I told him we would love to take Newcombe (20-9, 3.28 in 1951) and had been an All-Star in each of his three seasons even if he had missed all of 1952 and 1953 due to the Korean War. I let it be known we would trade Dizzy Trout (10-13, 3.92) who was 38 but under contract for 1954 and 1955.

O'Malley told me he was interestd but could not deal Newcombe away for just Trout even if he had no plans to re-sign Newcombe for 1955. I gave him a list of prospects and said he could choose one of them.

It was then my secretary came to the door with Dressen and announced "Mr. Dressen here to see you."

"Dressen? Dressen! Is that Charlie Dressen, the man I fired who is seeing you?" O'Malley screamed into the phone.

My eyes bulged out my skull and I looked at Charlie who surely heard O'Malley screaming. Dressen pointed to the phone and shook his head no.

"Wha- what? No, sir. It's Frank Wesson, the team clubhouse attendant." I made up the name as fast as I could and Dressen smiled at me.

"Good!" O'Malley yelled back. "If you were talking to Charlie Dressen, I'd call off the deal due to principle. I hate that man!"

Thankfully Dressen sat quietly while O'Malley and I worked out the deal (he chose 21 year old Chuck Locke who had spent the previous two seasons in rookie ball but had a bright future) and even called the league office to confirm.

Dodgers receive Dizzy Trout (SP 84) and Chuck Locke (RP 60/80)
Orioles receive Don Newcombe (SP 76)

Dressen and I had a great conversation afterwards and despite (or rather slightly because of) his huge ego, he seemed to be a perfect fit. Now, I still had to Chairman Of The Board Clarence Miles to figure out what we were going to offer Dressen but I knew it had to be at last three seasons... and probably more.

Dressen As Manager



Rk Year Tm Lg G W L W-L% Finish
1 1934 Cincinnati Reds NL 60 21 39 .350 8
2 1935 Cincinnati Reds NL 154 68 85 .444 6
3 1936 Cincinnati Reds NL 154 74 80 .481 5
4 1937 Cincinnati Reds NL 130 51 78 .395 8
5 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 158 97 60 .618 2
6 1952 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 155 96 57 .627 1 NL Pennant
7 1953 Brooklyn Dodgers NL 155 105 49 .682 1 NL Pennant

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/omalley_dressen_teg.jpg

O'Malley and Dressen before they hated each other.

[SeanBerry]

February 27, 1954

I had lunch with Clarence Miles who I knew would be in a good mood because of the Newcombe deal. This gave him a "name" player that was still only 28 even if he was losing less of a sure thing in Dizzy Trout.

Plus the deal saved him $35,000 right off the bat for this season. Of course, I planned on re-signing Newcombe for a much higher salary then he was making now but that was a discussion for another day. Today was about making sure Miles liked Charlie Dressen enough to offer him a 4 year deal.

Miles was no idiot and understood that coming to Baltimore ater appearing in the last two World Series was not exactly what Dressen had in mind when he was facing the mighty Yankees last October and I tried to stress to him that managers on the market who have just been to the last two World Series don't happen very often.

Miles understood and gave me the green light to make the deal.

Miles and I also talked about what free reign I had. We agreed that I would not have to contact him at all if I was making a trade that would save money from the payroll but I would need written consent even if we were going to add a penny.

I explained how I wanted to put a younger team on the field and was fine with losing this and even next season but I wanted the money saved to go into Scouting, Medical staff and the Farm System. I told him I wanted to be first in all of these categories all the time.

He rebutted that we already were which was true since I took over but once the Yankees and Cardinals (among others) saw how much money we were putting into our scouts and minor leagues, they would raise the ante.

Miles said that was fine as long as i never exceeded the team's coffers (which sat $100,000 currently).

Miles asked for the check and left. I went to the bathroom and when I returned I saw the waiter nervously looking at money Miles had left.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I grabbed my coat "The owner of the Baltimore Orioles give you a huge tip?"

The waiter looked down and replied "Not exactly. He only paid for his. You still owe for your lunch, sir."

I winced, paid the waiter and realized that money was going to be a major issue going forward.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/Orioles54logo.gif

[FloydtheBarber]

Nice start! Keep it up! :)

[SeanBerry]

March 2, 1954

I was on the phone sweating bullets.

Again.

And once again it was Dodger owner Walter O'Malley who was on the other line.

We were having out huge press conference tomorrow at noon introducing Charlie Dressen as our new manager and while I knew our front office (otherwise known as me) wouldn't leak anything to the press beforehand about who the new manager was, I knew other people knew. Our secretary and the lawyer who drew up the fresh 4 year contract both could talk. Who knows?

The good news is that O'Malley still didn't know. And he was deadset on trading away last years National League Rookie Of The Year... possibly to me.

Consdering I was doing my best to build this team young and on the cheap and Gilliam fit both of these requests (he was only 25 and wouldn't be eligible for arbitration until after the 1955 season.), I was prepared to talk to O'Malley.

"I hate him!" O'Malley screamed. "The kid came to spring training 12 pounds heavier then last year! I think he spent all winter eating at all those banquet dinners he went to! I want him gone."

"Mr. O'Malley, I'll be honest with you. I want him. What do you want from me?"

O'Malley said without hesitation "Any deal begins and ends with Angelo Dagres. And I'll need to replace Gilliam at second base so I would need Bobby Young too."

I could care less about Young but I winced when I heard Angelo's name came up. A couple of my scouts felt the 19 year old outfielder had the best upside of anyone in my whole farm system. I didn't care for long though. Gilliam scored 125 runs last year, walked 100 times and had a .383 on base percentage. He'd be the perfect leadoff hitter for the next 10 years.

"Done deal." I said too quickly.

"I'm not done yet." O'Malley piped in. "I also want Kretlow."

Lou Kretlow was a 33 year old veteran long man, the 6th starter that could be really helpful on good teams but worthless on mine. Plus he was making almost $40,000 which is a lot when your budget is less then $800,000.

I pretended to think about it and finally told O'Malley I "guess" I could do it. Meanwhile I did a little dance thinking about my new leadoff hitter.

O'Malley said we could call the league office tomorrow because it was so late but I told him I wanted to do it now because I was so busy with the press conference.

He agreed and when we got off that call, he asked who my new manager was exactly. "Oh, we haven't told anyone." I said quickly. "You'll see."

Dodgers receive Lou Kretlow (SP 74), Angelo Dagres (RF 57/85) and Bobby Young (2B 67)
Orioles receive Jim Gilliam (2B 75/80)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/jim_gilliam_autograph.jpg

[SeanBerry]

March 9, 1954

I was asleep in maybe the worst motel in all of Yuma, Arizona when the phone rang at 2:12 AM.

It was my new manager Charlie Dressen on the other end.

"Quick kid! Get up and dressed and your skinny ass over to The Blue Pumpkin right quick."

"Huh? Who is this? Are you in jail?" I was so tired I could barely understand what Dressed was saying.

"No kid. I'm at the bar. And I'm talking to Branch Rickey. The General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Heard of 'em?"

I suddenly awoke. I had been trying to reach Rickey since I got the job. He had a number of young, cheap guys that I would love to get my hands. I should have thought of using Dressen who knew Rickey from his Dodger days.

"Be right there" I said as I was getting dressed

"Hurry." Dressen said. "He wants to trade Frank Thomas."

After Dressen mentioned the 24 year old center fielder who had 30 homers last year, I was out of the house in a bolt of lightening and was at the bar in 3 minutes.

It was a very strange scene. We were up until 4 AM just talking about baseball. Well, it was mainley me listening to Rickey and Dressen exchange stories. Finally Rickey made his pitch.

"Kid, I think we have enough hitting here in Pittsburgh but we need pitching. Veteran pitching. I want Dave Koslo. What'll cost me?"

"Frank Thomas." I blurted out. Rickey glared at Dressen for letting me in on the Thomas knowledge. Dressen left the table looking another drink.

Koslo is 34 year old pitcher who has spent his whole career with the New York Giants was decent arm to have but not even close to being worth Frank Thomas. Rickey knew this.

"Not even close. What else?"

We talked or awhile before agreeing on CF prospect Lenny Green and perhaps the best future catcher in my system Tom Gastall.

The next morning, we called the league office and aftrward I visited Dressen at the baseball field where he was doing baserunning drills.

"That was too easy Chuck. What gives?"

Dressen smiled. "He owed me one. Well, more like he owed me twins, if you catch my drift". He laughed and went back to his drills.

I quickly wiped that disturbing image out of my mind by thinking of my new power hitter.

Pirates receive Lenny Green (CF 64/82), Dave Koslo (SP 80) and Tom Gastall (C 63/83)
Orioles receive Frank Thomas (CF 84)

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/frankthomas.jpg

[OldYankFan]

Nice style,
Whirlwind of trades early.

Keep up the good work!

[CatKnight]

Hm...pretty enthusiastic trading early on. Your trading block is pretty generous :)

Good luck!

[SeanBerry]

March 15, 1954

I had a long meeting with my scouting department and got the answers I didn't want but expected nevertheless.

I let them know I had several guys I wanted to at least talk to about extensions and I was hoping to get a good scouting perspective on them.

They let me know that the St. Louis Browns management had spent such little money on both scouts and the farm system that it would likely take a full season to be able to give accurate readings on players.

I thanked them for their honesty and let them know they they would get the funding they needed this year.

This left me in a difficult spot this year. I had 11 players in walk years this year (not counting the arbitration guys I picked up in Frank Thomas and Don Newcombe). The good news is of those 11, some were willing to take pay cuts to stay with the team long term. I just didn't want to be stuck with bad contracts in a couple years when I intended to be a contender.

Of course, that assumes I'd have a job beyond this year.

I called in outfielder Dick Kokos. My plan was to use him to bat against righties and veteran outfielder Don Lenhardt against lefties. Kokos was a phenom getting 45 homers before he turned 23 but then went to fight in the Korean War in 1951 and 1952 and put up a .241 batting average/.361 on base percentage/.411 slugging percentage in part-time play last year.

I didn't want to insult the war veteran but I tried to be as honest as possible letting him know that the only way to keep him long term would be to have him take a slight paycut from his $9,500 salary.

I offered him two more years for a total of 3 years/27,000 (9K/yr) and he couldn't find his pen fast enough.

Extend Dick Kokos to a 3 year/27k contract extension.

I hope he is a great bench player on a good team by the time this contract ends.

[SeanBerry]

Thanks FloydtheBarber and OYF.

CatKnight- I somewhat agree. Maybe the computer feels bad for me considering how awful this team is. I have a couple more trades down the pike which I wanted to wait to do (I can only do 6 a year) but this roster really forced my hand.

[Mizerak]

Very nice start. Good style.

[SeanBerry]

They say you're not truly a GM unless you've been screwed.

Well, I am finally a real GM.

March 19, 1954

Seemingly everyday I get calls from other GM's trying to unload high priced veterans on me. I shrug almost all of them off because it's pointless to add a guy at the back end of the career to this team. I don't see much value in spending money we could seriously use in three years to go 75-79 as opposed to 68-86. I hope we do as well as possible this year but I am not going to sacrafice the future. Plus, I have to deal with the Chairman of the Board counting every penny.

So, I was not surprised when John Quinn, the Milwaukee Braves GM called. This guy was trying to unload anyone that could move for cheaper talent. I almost felt bad for him because he had assembeled a talented team but ownership gave him nothing to work with. It was pretty obvious the move from Boston to Milwaukee hadn't helped as much as they would like.

I usually didn't mind when John callled except that he has a whiny voice. Well, usually.

He wasn't whining today. Instead, his voice had a real thickness to it and he sounded firm.

"This doesn't leave this room and the only reason I am talking to you is because you are in the American League but I would unload Joe Adcock for the right package."

I was stunned. Adcock was exactly what I was looking for out of every trade. He was going to be 26 and showed developing power. There were two issues however.

The package that John agreed too meant he was saving almost $10,000. I had to get the OK from the Chairman of the Board to make this deal. Plus, Adcock was going to arbitration at the end of the season.

I immediatley placed a call to Adcock's agent Bone Mack. Bone was named because as a child he wrestled a bone out of the mouth of a pitbull. No surprise, he later became an agent.

"Bone. Chris Klemmer, GM for the Orioles. It looks like we may get Joe Adcock on board here but before we make any deal, I want to know what it's going to take to lock him up long term with us."

"I would say 3 years in the 35K a year range should do it."

We exchanged our farewells and I let him know it sounded like I may be able to work with that. I then phoned Clarence Miles, the chairman and did eveything but beg him for the increase. He agreed because of the money I had saved him in the other deals.

The deal was made and I set a meeting for the next day at our spring training park in Yuma.

Braves receive Dick Kryhoski (1B 68), Fred Valentine (RF 59/83), Don Ferrarese (SP 66/83) and Chuck Diering (LF 63)
Orioles receive Joe Adcock (1B)

Adcock and Bone met me in my office and I already had the contract drawn up. I told Joe how much he meant to us and how we wanted to build the whole team around him. They both smilied and then I presented them the contract.

Bone took it from Joe and shook his head no.

"Actually, the price has gone up. Give us $55,000 for each of the next 3 years and we'll sign today."

My mouth just about hit the floor. I glared over at Joe who just shrugged his shoulder. Bone had a huge smile on his face and I secretly wished that dog had eaten him when he was a child.

"Th-That's not what we agreed on. That's not fair."

Bone and Joe stood up and Bone said "Nope. That's baseball."

When they left, I punched a wall. It seriously looked like I just traded away four players for a guy that was going to be here a year. I poured myself a Screwdriver. And then I poured myself another one.

Then I made a phone call.

I called Miles back and told him only that I wanted to offer Adcock a 7 year deal for $45,000 a year. I had no idea if they would accept that but I figured this was my only chance before this was all over the media and putting us in a tough spot. I pleaded to Miles that this was someone we could build around and show the people of Baltimore we had stability.

"But he only hit 18 homers last year!" Mile shot back

"He'll hit more this year. Clarence, be fair! Even with this deal, I have saved you how much money so far this year? $50,000? I think we can afford the $25,000 bump in salary Joe is getting. Christ, we're some $250,000 under budget as it is!"

Miles finally agreed and Joe signed the contract the next day.

I am pleased to have first base in place for the next 7 years but I will never put myself in that position again.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/adcock3052402.jpg

[SeanBerry]

March 26, 1954

The Baltimore Orioles had a major problem.

We didn't have a shortstop.

We still had Billy Hunter, the rookie shortstop for the Browns last year. But he couldn't hit at all and can't really field either.

We have Jim Brideweser who has some very limited major league playing time and can sort of hit. But he might be the worst fielder on the team... at any position.

Charlie Dressen came into my office after another Spring Training where both guys threw it all over the field... just not at the right places.

"Hey boss. I got an idea I want to try."

I heard him out and my expression went from disbelief to thinking it could work.

He wanted to put Vern Stephens, our third baseman back at shortstop where hadn't played regularly in four seasons. He is 33 and by far our most famous player having been to 8 All-Star games and 21st All-Time in home runs.

The next morning we had Stephens take grounders and he actually looked really good. I knew in about three minutes after seeing him play that he would be our new shortstop.

Now I needed a third baseman.

I called the Washington Senators who have been trying to get rid of Eddie "The Walking Man" Yost all winter. They were annoyed with his low batting average. Here at the Orioles, we place a high value on On Base Percentage, working walks and driving up the number of pitches a starting pitcher may throw in any given inning or game.

They ended up wanting far more then I had anticipated and they wound up with Sam Mele (who was expendable despite being a everyday major leaguer for the past decade) and two prospects.

Senators receive Sam Mele (RF 72), Leo Burke (RF 60/81) and Tom Patton (C 61/81)
Orioles receive Eddie Yost (3B 76)

Yost was expensive as well (at 42,000) and signed for the next three seasons but because the deal was budget neutral, I made the deal. I still haven't heard from Miles so it seems like he doesn't care much.


And with that my team was now set.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/Os454.jpg


I actually really like the line up... Gilliam ad Yost are fantastic table setters and Adcock and Thomas provide decent power for any team, much less a lousy one... If Vic Wertz and Vern Stephens have nice seasons, this tem could really hit... Catcher and left field are still question marks...

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/osp454.jpg

Ah, the mess...Newk's coming back from the war, Turley has 60 MLB IP, Larsen only has last year and O'Dell has never pitched in the big leagues before and my scouts tell me he may not even be able to go 6-7 innings yet... my relief ace Ryne Duren's next MLB game will be his first...I do have some starting options in the bullpen but they are all retreads at best...

The experts have us finishing around 69-85 and finishing in 6th place. The Yankees, Indians, Cardinals and Dodgers are seen by most to be the cream of baseball.

The good news? We open in Baltimore for a three game series against the Phildelphia A's, the team the experts say are the worst in baseball.

I don't know what to expect. I'd like to avoid 90 losses and last place. Finishing .500 would be fantastic. I also hope for a profitable year but I won't sacrifice building up this organization to do it.

Hopefully I don't get embarassed and I can keep my job.

Next Stop... BirdTown

[SeanBerry]

April 1, 1954

It was the best day of my life.

I couldn't sleep the night before and I knew right when I woke up that this would be a day I'd never forget.

There were already a couple hundred fans waiting to get into the ball park when I got to the office at 7 AM for a 1 o'clock start. The morning flew by as I worked with the staff to make sure everything would be ready.

We were very lucky to be able to move right into Memorial Stadium when the Orioles came to town. It had opened only 4 years ago and had many new accomadations.

I had wanted to make sure I saw the pre-game festivites and when I walked to my seat and sat down, I became overwhelmed with emotion.

As a lifelong resident of Baltimore, you couldn't help but feel like the ugly stepchild of Washington, DC and we measured everything we had to them in some way. But, now with over 47,000 fans (just 400 short of a sellout!) all cheering for OUR Orioles, tears came to my eyes.

Maybe it was because I had spent the last month in Spring Training in Arizona but even though I had worked for the team, I had not realized how much the city loved this team already. Between just getting an NFL team in the Baltimore Colts and now a major league baseball team, Baltimore finally felt like a real city.

The game did not disappoint. Eddie Yost got our first hit (a double off the wall) and Don Lenhardt scored our first run a sacrifice bunt by Don Newcombe.

Newk went the distance and we won 5-1 and the fans stayed for a good half hour after the game just cheering the team, the city and themselves.

This team may be lousy the rest of the way but no matter what happens, I'll always have today and will treasure it forever.


Philadelphia Athletics at Baltimore Orioles
April 1, 1954

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
Athletics (PHA) 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 2
Orioles (BAL) 0 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 x 5 11 1

PHILADELPHIA ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
E. Joost (SS) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
S. Jacobs (2B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
E. Valo (RF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250
G. Zernial (LF) 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 .000
D. Bollweg (1B) 4 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .500
J. Astroth (C) 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .500
P. Suder (3B) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
E. McGhee (CF) 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
A. Kellner (P) 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .000
V. Power (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
J. Wyatt (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 30 4 1 1 0 1 5 0

2B: D. Bollweg (1)

PHILADELPHIA ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
A. Kellner 7.0 11 2 0 5 5 5 136 6.43
J. Wyatt 1.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 14 0.00
TOTALS 8.0 11 3 0 5 5 5 150

BALTIMORE ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
J. Gilliam (2B) 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 .000
E. Yost (3B) 4 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 .250
J. Adcock (1B) 5 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 .600
F. Thomas (CF) 4 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 .500
V. Wertz (RF) 4 1 0 1 0 1 3 0 .250
D. Lenhardt (LF) 4 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 .500
V. Stephens (SS) 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .250
L. Moss (C) 4 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 .250
D. Newcombe (P) 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .000
TOTALS 36 11 3 5 0 5 5 0

2B: V. Stephens (1), J. Adcock (1), V. Wertz (1), E. Yost (1)

BALTIMORE ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
D. Newcombe 9.0 4 1 0 1 1 5 111 1.00
TOTALS 9.0 4 1 0 1 1 5 111

WP: D. Newcombe (1-0)
LP: A. Kellner (0-1)

Temperature: 60F
Wind: 2 MPH (out to left)
Attendance: 47,436
Time: 2:27



Don Newcombe: Instant Baltimore Legend

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a110/SeanBerry/Newk.jpg

[Mizerak]

May want to put the box scores in between [CODE] tags, not [QUOTE] tags, to make them more readable. Other than that, good start to the season!