Baltimore – Camden Yards, Saturday, April 23, 2011
I had the pleasure of attending an Orioles game last Saturday night. Camden Yards is a great place to catch a ballgame – the stadium is laid out well, the staff is friendly and there is a neat Sports Legends Museum right across the street. For east coast baseball fans, such as Yankees, Red Sox and Phillies, Camden Yards offers ample opportunity to see your team from great seats for a fair price. We were able to buy tickets right behind home plate in the 27th row for $95. The equivalent seats in Yankee Stadium would be $325.
Getting to Camden Yards early allows you to see the opposing team’s batting practice, which in this case, was the Yankees. We settled into our seats, and noticed we were joined by quite a number of Yankee fans. In fact, about 60% of the stadium was filled with Yankee paraphernalia. Except for one guy two rows behind us. He was in a Red Sox shirt.
Why this guy was at the game was clear. He was not there to root for the Orioles; he came to heckle the Yankees. Normally, most fans would find this quite agitating. But every time this guy opened his mouth, the Yankees scored, as if on command. It became comical.
“Teixeira is ugly!” That may be, but he went 2 for 3 that day.
Some of my favorite comments included, “Jorge Posada has big ears. Look at this guy. Big ears.” Posada must have heard him. He hit one out.
“Brett Gardner is arguably the worst player in baseball.” Not after that comment. Another one left the stadium.
“Russell Martin is so injury prone. He was a horrific choice for the Yankees.” Martin must have really taken that to heart because he hit two out that night.
I really loved his comment about A-Rod. “Hamburger helper hands,” the Red Sox fan taunted. Not the best idea. Grand slam.
The Yankees went on to win the game 15-3, and I give a lot of the credit to our favorite Red Sox fan that day. Before the game ended, I asked him, “Could you talk some smack about the Mets? I think they could really use your help.” Here’s hoping he does!
I'm amazed that tickets are so affordable at Camden. Those same seats at Chase Field (Diamondbacks) would probably run you just shy of $200. I don't even want to think about how much they would cost at Dodger Stadium :(
ReplyDeleteBeen to quite a few baseball games and have yet to see someone with no ties to either team show up for the sole purpose of heckling. Pretty funny if you ask me.
Great story, thanks!
ReplyDeleteThe reason why I went to the game is that I'm a baseball fan. My girlfriend is a life long Yankees fan and has never been to Camden Yards, so I suggested the trip - not to mention it's actually cheaper to drive to Baltimore, pay for the tickets, the hotel and all that beer I drank than it is for us to go sit in the same seats in Yankees Stadium. Now you should have been there Sunday, we were sitting down 4 rows from the Yankees dugout. I think I made Gardner cry, he gave me a mean mug! All in good fun and quite a bit of beer. I do heckle, but I try not to ruin the fun with foul language and personal attacks to other fans. And as you pointed out, the Yankees crushed the hapless Orioles anyway. Glad you didn't take it heart. I know we'll see you guys in October!
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking out the post and creating the opportunity for the Yankees to win. Glad that I now know your name so I can stop referring to you as "Drunk Red Sox Fan" LOL
ReplyDeleteDo you live in NY?
You can feel free to still refer to me as Drunk Red Sox fan...If the shoe fits...Yes, I live in Edgewater, NJ. I work in Manhattan.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous posts are for sissies!
This is a great story! I've yet to make it to a Major League game - only minors thus far but I love the hecklers! Sadly in the minors all too often it seems that a significant number of the hecklers enjoy their beverages a wee bit much and venture into the territory of belligerence. It's really neat to see your "Drunk Red Sox fan" join in the commentary and both end up sharing in your mutual love of the game! Keep writing!
ReplyDeleteMinor League games are great! I love to go to the Renegades (Tampa Bay's Single A affiliate in NY). Fans are just as passionate there as in a MLB stadium. And yeah, there is always beer involved with some fans and some of them can get a bit out of control.
ReplyDeleteBut, I liked this Red Sox guy. He never cursed and what he was saying was actually pretty funny. Plus, he joined into this conversation (I told him to check out this blog and he did!). He has passion and a sense of humor. I can appreciate that!
When I first saw Matt's comment, I thought it was just someone trying to be funny, but deep down inside I secretly hoped that it was the real Drunk Red Sox Fan (DRSF) coming to tell his side of the story.
ReplyDeleteTurns out I got exactly what I hoped for. Does DRSF have a blog I can follow? If not, I think www.will-heckle-for-beer.com is available and should probably be filled with this man's tales.
Aaron: Nope, Matt is our DRSF - he was very good hearted in that he kept his language clean, didn't pick on the Yankee fans and took the ribbing we gave him after every hit.
ReplyDeleteHe also kept his word - I asked him to check out my blog and he did, and commented using his name and all. So other than being a DRSF and heckler, he is a good guy in my book, and a baseball fan. Would love to see a blog from him - I would link to it in a heartbeat.
So Matt....you seem to be developing a fan base here. Are you in?
Pete,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog and great story. By the way, I know may and he is not a Drunk Red Sox Fan.... He is just a Drunk Sports Fan that happens to love the Red Sox....and any activity with beer!