28 Hours in Charm City with the Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles

Aug 8, 2014; Baltimore, MD, USA; Baltimore Orioles teammates celebrate after their game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The Orioles won 12-2. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday and Friday, August 7 and 8th 2014, are going to be a couple of days spent in Baltimore that I will never forget. The Baltimore Ravens and Baltimore Orioles and Otakon all wrapped into a large, strange bundle.

First let me explain that I did not attend Otakon. Otakon is the long-running anime convention held at the Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore and is the 2nd largest North American anime convention. But since I parked near the Inner Harbor both nights I walked past many Otakon participants, as well as shared a happy hour bar experience with a few of them. I am not a huge anime fan, but enjoy watching their sub-culture at play. I am happy when anyone embraces the things they enjoy, even if it is not something I would do. One of my favorite television shows ever is Doctor Who, so I think it is safe I should never make fun of anyone else.

But the Otakon crowd certainly made an interesting clash with the Orioles and Ravens fans in downtown. Orange, purple, Kenshin Himura, Spike Spiegel, Vegeta, Edward Elric, Haruko Haruhara and the various characters of Hidden Village of the Mist, not to mention seemingly endless variations of Harajuku Girls, made an overwhelming visual experience for all.

The Ravens game on Thursday may have only been a preseason game but the fans were treated to a newly renovated M&T Bank Stadium, as well as a newly renovated offensive output. The first-line starters only played briefly, but it was obvious that the new play calling worked well as the team moved down the field quickly and efficiently.

The West Coast offense looks to be a good one for Joe Flacco and company. The updated offensive line seemed to handle the zone blocking scheme that last year’s line could not work under, and the running backs ran well.

The defense started slowly but quickly tightened up. It was obvious that C.J. Mosley became the key, as when he adapted to the pro game, the rest of the team followed suit. A third “Harbaugh Bowl” was won, with older brother John taking down his younger brother again.

After a few hours of sleep, work and brief family time, it was back to downtown to say “hi” to my new Otakon friends and attend the 60th Anniversary Orioles game. Well, I really never said “hi” to anyone, but you get my point.

The game was a blast, as the Orioles dominated the visiting St. Louis Cardinals 12-2 while hitting six home runs, including two by shortstop J. J. Hardy. The Orioles pitching limited the Cardinals offense, and Chris Tillman got his 9th win with ease. It seemed fitting that a St. Louis team played the night we celebrated the anniversary of when the hapless St. Louis Browns moved to town.

The post-game multimedia celebration made the fans cheer throughout the show. Fireworks, lasers, the iconic B&O Warehouse being used as a giant projection screen, and numerous historical pictures and videos displayed on the stadium’s HD screen showed off the amazing 60-year run of the Baltimore Orioles.

The celebrated guests to witness the show were an amazing array of Orioles. Guests were: Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, Cal Ripken Jr., Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Brady Anderson, Mike Bordick, Don Buford, Al Bumbry, Rick Dempsey, Chris Hoiles, Scott McGregor, Boog Powell, B.J. Surhoff, Dennis Martinez, Tippy Martinez, Ken Singleton, Doug DeCinces, Gregg Olson, Milt Pappas and Eddie Watt. Murray, Ripken, Dempsey, both Robinsons, and Powell got the biggest ovations during a night of big ovations.

So will I remember the preseason victory over the 49ers? Probably not. Will I remember the 12-2 offensive show against the Cardinals? Probably not. But will I remember Otakon, Orioles and Ravens merging for an amazing 28 hours in Charm City? Why Not!?!!!