Jeter's Farewell Tour

Made in USA: Jacket: James Jeans // Jeans: Paige Denim // Tee: U.S. of Awesomeness // Necklace: c/o Kris Nations // Bag: vintage Coach (similar)

I begged, pleaded, and then begged some more with my husband that we should go to Derek Jeter's last game at Camden Yards. Over the past seven past years of living in Baltimore I can't even count how many O's games we've gone to, but I know we've only gone to a handful of Yankee games when they're in town. Although we did go to both Orioles v Yankees playoff games in 2012 (Game 1, Game 2)

Two major reasons:
1. I'm a NY Yankees fan :)
2. Oriole Park at Camden Yards gets overrun with fellow Yankee fans when the Yanks are in town. Especially during a weekend series - forget about it!

Thankfully, my persuasion won the hubs over and we were able to go to Jeter's last game in Baltimore. There was a pre-game celebration honoring the 200th anniversary of when the Star Spangled Banner was written in Baltimore. Then, the Orioles gave Jeter crabs. Yes, that happened. They also gave him other gifts that were perfect for the occasion - including an official Navy Captain's hat. A captain's hat for the Captain!

That Sunday night was a sad affair. Derek Jeter has gone off to retirement and he's officially the last of the good guys I grew up with as a kid. I sincerely hope that this generation of young baseball fans finds their Cal Ripken Jr., their Ken Griffey Jr., and their Derek Jeter. Those guys don't come around too often and I'm so happy to have seen them all play.

I think this means I'm also officially no longer a kid anymore because the guys I grew up watching as a kid are now all retired. I'm calling it, at 31 years old I am officially no longer a kid.

Womp. Womp.

Batter Up!

Tee Shirt: Venley by Youth Monument (Made in the USA!) // Jeans: Old Navy (super old) // Flats: J.Crew (similar) // Bag: Etsy (gift from the hubs) // Cap: Unknown (stole it from the hubs' stash!)

Meeting up with the hubs and a bunch of his coworkers for happy hour - definitely a great idea on a Wednesday night.

Picking a bar across the street from Camden Yards - even better.

Watching the O's take down the Royals in crisp fashion - perfect Wednesday evening.

This was the first, of many, games that the hubs and I hope to attend at Camden Yards this season.  Wednesday night was absolutely amazing, even through a tad of a drizzle, because the play was fast and we were home by 10pm.  Yes, you know you're old when you get excited a baseball game ends at 9:30 and you're home by 10pm.

I'm definitely a flats/sneakers at a game type of girl.  The last thing I want to be worried about while getting my responsible amount of beer on is tripping in a pair of heels.  I don't care what you're wearing, but tripping is never cool. 

How about you?  Do you get dressed up for sporting events?  Obviously a polo match or the Kentucky Derby are different in terms of dress code, but I'm always amazed when I see women dressed in their Sunday best at the ballpark.  Especially on a night with rain in the forecast! 

And I don't think the hubs is ever getting that camo hat back.  I'm claiming ownership on that one! 

Orioles vs Yankees: ALDS Game 2

After staying up way too late on Sunday night and somehow functioning on too little sleep on Monday the hubs and I were back at Camden Yards on Monday night for Game 2 of the ALDS. 

The high temperature for the game was a brisk 51 degrees and that was before the rain came into play.  Thankfully, it wasn't raining before the game so the teams were actually able to take batting practice on the field rather than below the stadium in the cages.  Let's just say I'm a little ticked off with Nick Swisher because that dude had plenty of opportunities to toss me a ball and he didn't.  Actually, he didn't throw a single ball into the stands to any of the few Yankee fans in attendance.  Jerk. 

This is going to sound a bit crazy, but University of Delaware alumni are very proud of the grounds crew at Camden Yards because the crew is under the direction of a fellow UD alum.  I couldn't tell you where a single other head grounds keeper went to school! 

The hubs and I are usually left field/third base people, so it was a nice change of pace to sit over behind first base and get a different perspective of the Yard. 

I have zero brand loyalty when it comes to staying warm. Zilch. None. Nadda.  Hunter Boots, Nike Dri-fit tights, jeans, Saucony running socks, Adidas soccer socks, Nike running vest, Under Armor cold gear long-sleeve shirt, Brooks mock turtle-neck pullover, Yankees shirt, Nike Livestrong running gloves, North Face ski gloves, Columbia dual layer ski jacket, scarf, and a awesome fleece hat I got at last year's Parks Half Marathon.  I might have weighed an extra 10-15 pounds with all the clothes, but I never once felt cold during the game!  Okay, the fleece blanket I had over my lap might have helped as well. 

Oh, let's have another rain delay to start the game late even though the field wasn't tarped. Sure, why not!

Finally, let's play ball! 

Andy Pettitte! One of the few remaining Yankee players from my childhood. 

Angel Hernandez was behind the plate. 'Nuff said. 

Derek Jeter! Derek Jeter! Derek Jeter!

Another packed house at Camden Yards.  I believe the Yard was at 104% occupancy. The standing room only sections were packed once again.

And the O's came back and won game two.  The hubs was pretty pleased about that one. 

I don't know if this will be the last baseball game the hubs and I go to this year. Obviously if the Yankees win the series it will be, but if the O's win then there's a chance we'll go to another game.  Orioles ALCS tickets sold out within seconds of going on sale to the general public and I don't know if I can stand up for an entire baseball game to buy standing room only tickets.  Run a marathon - yes. Stand up for four hours - I'll get back to you on that one.

Orioles vs. Yankees: A House Divided

My hubs has described himself throughout the years as, "a long suffering O's fan."  The O's won the World Series back in '83 when he was just a few months old and they haven't won one since.  He jokes from time to time that, "they won it when I was born and they'll win it when I die." I shouldn't have to remind anyone, but my beloved NY Yankees have done pretty well for themselves since I was born in '83.  

However, since moving to Baltimore over five years ago I've been to well over 100 games at Camden Yards and the O's have been growing on me. Camden Yards is one of the prettiest parks in the country and it's an amazing place to be when it's packed full of people.  I really admire people who still go to the ballpark and cheer for their team even when they're in the midst of a 15-year losing streak. 

Which finally ended this year!  

Naturally, the hubs and I had to go to the first Orioles post-season game in 15 years!  I didn't go all, "HEY! LOOK AT ME! I'M A YANKEES FAN!" and I was a very respectful fan at an opposing team's ballpark. 

Man, it was PACKED!!! Even the standing room only sections were at max capacity.  The game was scheduled to start at 6pm, which would have been a relatively early night of baseball on a Sunday night.  

Mother Nature had other plans and it poured right before the scheduled first pitch.  The field stayed tarped and the game didn't get underway until 8:40pm.  THAT SUCKED.  Standing around for well over three hours since we got there before 6pm meant that we had to find a place to stay dry.  

Which meant we jammed our way through the concourse with thousands of other people in the hopes of finding a little space to call our own.

Thankfully we found a spot and met up with some friends!  Drank a few beers, ate too many hot dogs, and had fun waiting for the game to start. 

Look, after a two-plus hour rain delay seeing the grounds crew take the tarp off the field is absolutely exhilarating   The crowd was ready for Orioles Magic to happen.  I just wanted the game to start and not get beat up by any O's fans!

Let's do this thing already! 

It was actually really funny, but the hubs was so happy and excited that he looked sedated.  It was as if he couldn't contain himself. 

You know what happens when stadium organizers hand out rally towels?  They get waved around and when they do they flick off little fuzzies that create near mist conditions.  It's really weird when it's an orange mist! 

Fifty shades of orange???

Sunday night was absolutely amazing.  The game didn't end until after midnight and waking up on Monday morning was rough, but it was so much fun that the hubs and I did it again on Monday night for Game 2.

Game 2 photos coming tomorrow.  I'm still trying to wake up! 

Cal Ripken Jr. Statue Unveiled at the Yard

The hubs was the happiest guy in the world last Thursday night.  A beautiful day at Camden Yards on a Thursday night, plus a win against the Yankees always brings a smile to his face. 

This post is a few days late, but it still warrants a post (in my opinion).  Last Thursday night the hubs and I joined over 46k people at Camden Yards to watch the fifth of six Orioles Legends have their statue unveiled.  You could say the night belonged to Cal Ripken Jr., but Cal's a gracious host and he said over and over again that he was so thankful to the fans and excited about the current Orioles team.  You know, the team that is currently tied with my beloved Yankees in first place. 

I've been to a lot of games at Camden Yards and I've never seen so many people there.  Clarification, I've been to multiple opening days and I've never seen so many O's fans at Camden Yards.  The hubs and I weren't sure what to expect from the crowd because it was a game against the Yankees and Yankees fans travel extremely well.  Heck, Camden Yards even has the nickname, "the Yankee Stadium of the South" because when the Yanks are in town so are their fans.  However, on last Thursday night the O's fans were in the clear majority.

I'm pretty sure the hubs wore the #31 in college because of 2131, which is the number of games Cal Ripken Jr. started consecutively 17 years ago and broke Lou Gehrig's streak to become "The Ironman." I'm also certain that the hubs thought that I wore #8 in college for Cal and it was a pretty sad day when I had to explain to him that I didn't wear it for Cal.  No offense Cal.

I don't know if there's a prettier sight in Baltimore than a packed Camden Yards and the Warehouse at sunset.  The stadium is just magical when it's full of people.  It's loud, energetic, and such a fun place to be. Yes, even a Yankees fan has fun at the Yard.

Seriously, I've never seen so much Orange in my life! 

Random sidebar: but is it just me or are the beer cans getting bigger at stadiums these days?  I asked the hubs to get me a beer and he came back with that behemoth. 

Later in the game the hubs and I ducked out for half an inning to visit the statutes.  I need to go back because my pictures of Eddie Murray didn't come out as sharp as I would have liked them to.  The great O's manager Earl Weaver is above. 

It wouldn't be a statue of Jim Palmer if it didn't incorporate his leg kick!  The detail in these bronze sculptures was absolutely amazing.  I know I don't have a picture to share, but Eddie Murray played when the players shared batting helmets and therefore they wore their caps underneath their helmets.  That level of detail was included in the statue.  Eddie even had to approve the amount of facial hair that was included on his statue.  

Of course, snagging a few pictures of the newest statue was a bit difficult.  Everyone wanted a picture with Cal's statue.  I was able to snag pictures as the statue was temporarily empty in between groups assembling in their positions with the statue. 

It was only fitting that Cal's statue showed him going back in the hole to field a ball.  The man was an exceptional shortstop and third basemen over his career.  Both Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez have credited Cal with revolutionizing the shortstop position and ushering in a new era of shortstops.  Neither Jeter nor Rodriguez would have been considered shortstops based on their body types if it wasn't for Cal.  

The current O's team made sure to attract their own share of attention in the game.  After jumping out to a 6-1 lead and then letting the game get all tied up in the 8th inning the O's came crashing back on a home run charge led by Adam Jones.  Matt Reynolds hit two home runs during the game and there is his above rounding the bases on his second home run.  The O's won the game 10-6. 

But, let's not forget the real reason everyone was there.  It was actually perfect that the Yankees were in town for this game.  Cal's consecutive streak ended at 2,632 games when he voluntarily sat for a game against the Yankees.  I know that because I'm a Yankees fan and I was watching the game on tv.  It all made sense for the statue to be unveiled 17 years to the day of 2131 and having the Yankees in town was just poetic justice.

Well done Baltimore, well done.

October Baseball

I'm a self-described baseball fanatic. It's either charming or highly annoying, depending on your own personal likes and dislikes.

Unfortunately, baseball season ended last week in the Baltimore are. The O's didn't make the playoffs and finished the season well under .500. There's always talk of being a better team next year and hopefully next year is finally that year.

Of course, my beloved New York Yankees are in fine shape in the post-season. They're having a grand ol' time beating up on the Minnesota Twins in the first round, but it isn't over until the last out is made.

Back here in Baltimore the hubs and I had a great baseball season. We went to FanFest and Opening Day. We were there when A-Rod hit his first home run in his first game back from hip surgery. We were there for both Matt Wieter's first game and when he hit his first career home run. We were there for floppy hat night, crab mallet night, beer stein night and a whole host of other promotions. We celebrated our second wedding anniversary with a bunch of screaming O's fans. We were there for the last series of the year when the O's actually swept the opposition.

At the end of the season we went to 22 O's games. Not too shabby. Not nearly as many as we went to last season, but we were a bit busier this year and had to cut back on a few O's games. We'll be okay, no worries. Although, I think by time next year rolls around the hubs will most likely need a new dresser because of all the free O's t-shirts he's accumulated over the past two years. For the record, the O's give out XL orange t-shirts and they don't quite fit my 5'7" frame. Plus, orange isn't one of my better colors, so I gladly give my free stuff to the hubs. It's a fair trade, he gave me his purple O's hat (a cross promotion on NFL draft day to bring in a few Ravens fans).

This past baseball season was especially great for me because I was able to go to a few games with my family members.

May 29th with my nephew and sister. Aka Matt Wieter's first game in Baltimore.


June 13th with my brother.

Maybe next year I can finally go to a game with my mom and dad. Yeah, that was a public shout-out that you two should visit your daughter. No pressure or anything.

In this post-season the hubs and I are putting on a united front (he's grudgingly cheering for the Yanks), but we can't wait to be back to a divided house back at Camden Yards next year.

See you in 2010.

This is either creepy or cute

The hubs has been plagued with this horrible nagging sensation for the past few years. No, it hasn't been me, but instead he's been tossing around the idea of whether or not he should try to play baseball. He plays in two different softball leagues and it seems neither one of them is providing the hubs with the competitive nature that he craves.

Last month I made the gravest of comments and told the hubs he wasn't getting any younger and if he wanted to play he better do it sooner rather than later. What can I say, I provide just the right type of encouragement (90% logical + 10% brutal honesty). In the weeks since the hubs has worked to build up a bit of arm strength and find a team. I thought it would take him a bit longer to find a team, but he met with one coach and instantly found a team.

The timetable was much quicker than either of us expected, but last night the hubs went to his first game. He didn't pitch, but he threw a bullpen session after the game and was told he'll be pitching this weekend. Nice transition period, right?

Fortunately, the game last night was held at a field only a half of a mile from our house. I walked Jax down to the game and we hung out to watch a game of baseball. Honestly, I was worried because Jax tends to go crazy at sporting events because he wants to eat the ball. At least that's what he used to do at my brother's rugby games. Surprisingly enough, Jax was pretty well behaved. He jumped on a friend of mine, but overall he was pretty good.

All bets were off when he saw the hubs pick up a baseball and start long tossing with one of his new teammates. Seriously, Jax stared staring at the hubs. It was kind of creepy.


After the game, Jax practically tackled the hubs. That part wasn't creepy or cute, but I think the hubs was expecting it.

Being friendly is still cool

Last night the hubs and I found ourselves at yet another O's game, but don't worry this post isn't really about the game (well, it is to a point). Anyway, we met up with a few (okay, more like twenty) of the hubs's co-workers for a fun Thursday night at Camden Yards. As we were wandering around the right field pavilion a woman came up to one of the hubs' coworkers and asked him if he would mind partaking in quick survey. He shot her down, which was very cold.

The woman then approached me and asked me if I would be willing to answer a few questions. She was decked out in O's gear and it was pretty obvious she was an O's employee. Sure, why not. A few minutes later I finish her survey and she hands me two tickets to a game later in the month.

The hubs of course oversaw this entire exchange and says to his co-worker, "SUCKER!!!!" My brother-in-law returned from his beverage run just in time to see me get handed two tickets and he started whining, "I want free stuff. How come she gets free stuff????"

Okay, the hubs is not helping me prove my point, but my point is that you should be nice to people. The hubs likes to make fun of me for talking to just about anyone, but my friendly personality just scored us two free baseball tickets. Granted, the O's give away as many tickets as they can, but that's not the point. I was nice to a stranger and received something good in return.

So with that being said, I hope you all have a very nice weekend. Remember to call your mom on Sunday and wish her a happy Mother's day.

The one time I skip a baseball game...

the hubs ends up on Sports Center!!!

I skipped Friday night's O's game because I wasn't feeling too hot and the weather forecast was calling for rain. Not a single drop of rain fell during the game!

More importantly, the hubs came home and was all excited because a home run was hit in his direction. Sure enough, during the highlight reel on Sports Center there was the hubs with his brother.



I swear, their faces are much cleaner in person and on the video. The hubs is the guy just above the O's symbol on the score line and his brother is the guy in the red jacket to the left of him.

I had a crazy idea that this year we (okay, more like me) would take a picture of the field from our seats at every game we attend. I thought it might be kind of cool to have a photobook of a bunch of different field shots (yes, I know I'm crazy). The hubs actually remember to take two pictures during Friday's game. Of course when he came home he says, "I probably should have taken more pictures. Adam Jones was right in front of us the entire night." Oh that hubs of mine, he's so funny with the camera.