ALDS and Anniversary

So it's been a few weeks since I posted anything and you may have noticed the last time I posted it was right after Baltimore beat Texas in the Wild Card game to send my Baltimore Orioles to the ALDS for the first time in 15 years. 

As you know I was lucky enough to have gotten tickets to Game 1 at Camden Yards and while the game was great up till the top of the 9th, the experience as a whole was amazing!

I was able to pick up 4 tickets to Game 1 when I was selected in a lottery to purchase tickets before the general public which guaranteed me tickets to Game 1.  At the time I had the option to purchase tickets for either the Wild Card game or Games 1, 2, or 3 of the ALDS.

At the time Baltimore was in a dead heat for the AL East title and I decided that I wasn't going to waste money on Wild Card tickets for a game we may not even play in and if we won the East then game 2 or 3 may not happen either if the Orioles went on the road and one the first two games and had the chance to clinch the ALCS in the first game at Camden Yards. 

So Game 1 was the only logical choice at the time.  I knew I was going to take the wife, but at the time didn't talk to anyone else about going with me.  However, I assumed someone would want to buy the other 2 tickets and so I went ahead and bought 4 tickets to Game 1.  Lucky for me I didn't have to look very far as I ended up giving the other 2 tickets to my twin brother.

So as I stayed up late and watched as the Orioles took down a Texas club that was a sure favorite for the World Series I got to experience a feeling I hadn't felt since I was a 12 year old boy.

The Orioles were going to the ALDS and this new sensation that came along with that feeling of jubilation was the shock value that I was going to be able to see them play in Game 1 at Camden Yards!

Game 1 was set for Sunday and unfortunately the weather wasn't looking too good.  I knew they'd get the game in and the four of us (my brother took his son) all braved the elements and settled in for what was sure to be a good game but ultimately heart breaking.

Here is a shot of Camden Yards during our rain delay.  We waited a little over 2 hours past the original start time to see Play Off Baseball in Baltimore for the first time in 15 years.  It was worth it!

At first we tried to stay in the concourse to stay out of the rain but eventually we bought some ponchos and sat in our seats and enjoy the liquid sunshine.

 

This is me and my Queen with our Orange Ponchos trying to stay warm and dry.  We were about as successful as the Orioles... Close but not quite there.

 

Here is my Twin and his Son as well.  You can see a clear difference in our personalities.

 

Yes, my brother wears his sunglasses at night...

 

Finally the game was all set to start!

 

You can see the Oriole Bird waving an Orange Banner just in shallow Left Field.  You can see the house was packed and dominated by Oriole Fans!

 

 

Here is a great shot of the Ware House and Score Board.  It was just an amazing feeling be at that game!

 

Everyone got an Orange Towel to waive at the game and I also picked up a Score Card to keep for the rest of my life.  I'm not sure how I'll put them on display but I'll put them all together to hang in the Cave.  Check it out.

 

Orange Towel

 

I was originally looking for a program, but they only made these Score Cards instead.

 

Lastly I didn't get a traditional ticket stub, but this will do me just fine.  I may go back and print a color version on some nice stock paper for framing purposes, but this is what got me in to the game!

 

 

Even though we lost I'll never forget this game and I couldn't be happier to have spent it with the people closest to me in my life.  Pardon the sappy aspect... but it's the truth.

 

Lastly, today is my 3 year wedding anniversary.  My wife is the Queen of my Castle and is awesome for just allowing me the time to write this quick post.  Her cousin is an artist and as a wedding present gave us a piece of original work that I just got framed (finally) for her anniversary present.  It turned out great and we love it so much we hung it in our living room! 

 

A special thanks to Tina from White Rabbet Gallery in Havre De Grace, MD.  Tina has done work for The American Visionary Arts Museum and has worked on project for Baltimore Legend John Waters. She did an amazing job on the frame and took great care to protect our one of a kind piece of art work! Check her out at www.whiterabbetgallery.com

 

Lastly

 

I previously posted that I was looking for some more help on my Lineage Project and while I only got one response from that post it turned out to be a huge lead and we just pulled off a massive trade!  Stay tuned for that post!

 

Thanks for reading!