Stadium Preview: Part X
What originally fueled the B4B idea was to visit each major league baseball stadium across the country. Now that our dreams will become reality beginning in 2012, we will want to share our greatest experiences with followers of our journey. We’ll report on fan devotion, best concessions, most memorable park moment in history and video blogging each 7th inning stretch the B4B crew will sing along to all season. We really want our readers to experience each stadium along with us.
Over the next few months, the B4B blog will be providing previews of each major league stadium. We will give some historical background, along with plenty of pictures. We would love to get fans perspective on each park as well, so please provide feedback on your favorite stadium on facebook and twitter. Our posts will take us from the oldest stadium all the way to the brand new Marlins Stadium. We hope you enjoy.
Oriole Park at Camden Yards
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is one of the most highly touted stadiums because it is the first in the trend of “retro” major league ballparks. Parks like Camden Yards were built with all the luxuries of the newer parks, but the aesthetics of the parks were more like older, classic stadiums with quirkier and more pleasing designs. A major focus of these types of stadiums is the enhanced fan experience and much better sightlines from the seating area. Many of the ballparks built after Oriole Park fit this description, so this one is the trendsetter.
The House that Cal Built opened April 6, 1992. It sits in downtown Baltimore a few blocks west of the inner harbor on land was previously rail yard. The right field view from the seating area is dominated by the rail yard’s former warehouse. It’s a very 
unique and endearing part of the stadium. Props to the stadium planners for incorporating the warehouse into the design of the stadium. It has only been hit on the fly once, by Ken Griffey, Jr. during the Home Run Derby in 1993.
Eutaw Street is the area between the stadium and the warehouse. On game days, pedestrians must have a ticket to walk on the part of the street adjacent to the stadium, which is full of shops and restaurants. Many fans just get cheap seats and hang out on Eutaw Street during the games. Home runs hit to the street are marked on the ground with small plaques. Mickey Tettleton hit the first home run to Eutaw Street on April 20, 1992, but the crazy thing about that home run was that it followed back-to-back home runs from Alan Trammell and Cecil Fielder. How’s that for some trivia that you didn’t really care to hear?
One of the iconic baseball images of the last 20 years took place at Camden Yards on September 6, 1995 when Cal Ripken, Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s record of 2,130 consecutive games played. Ripken circling the stadium after the fifth inning and being congratulated by all of the fans was a great scene. Ripken’s homer in the 4th inning was poetic, kind 
of similar to Jeter’s 3,000 hit this season. The Orioles haven’t had much success since the mid and late 90’s (ALCS 1997), but the support the fans showed for Ripken makes me think Baltimore is a great baseball town with a team in an unfortunate division.
B4B is very excited to catch a game at this great stadium.