Many O’s fans feel like they can’t lose
‘Baltimorons’ still find plenty of reasons to see baseball’s worst team
BALTIMORE— Since Orioles fans don’t go to the ballpark expecting to cheer for a winning team these days, season-ticket holders Aaron and Andrea Mayer sometimes rave about the groundskeepers more than the players.
“We don’t know her personally,” Andrea said of Nicole McFadyen, who tends the field at Camden Yards.
“But she’s won lots of awards,” Aaron chimed in. “Before she came here, she was at Fenway.”
Times have been tough for Orioles fans lately, leading some to try to find something — anything — away from the game to make the ballpark experience enjoyable. This is especially true as the O’s are 39-85, easily last in the American League East. Only one team is worse (the Detroit Tigers) and Baltimore’s average home attendance is projected to drop this season.
Yet some Baltimore fans keep coming back. The Mayers call themselves “Baltimorons,” part of a rare breed that opts to spend their nights watching misery. These fans show up for myriad reasons: to carry on a family tradition, to get outside on a nice night after work, to meet friends or family for a drink in the bleachers, or just out of sheer loyalty.
“I don’t even know who’s pitching tonight. I don’t think anybody knows who’s pitching tonight,” said Pat Schroder, a Baltimore local who was attending his fourth game of the season on June 25.
Schroder said he used to make it to between eight and 10 games per season. His attendance has tapered in recent years to around five games, but a promotional event brought Schroder, accompanied by his grandson, out for a game against the San Diego Padres. Although Schroder said he expected a losing season, he said he “still supports the team.”
“You just have to hang in there,” Schroder said.
As we enter the dog days of this MLB season, a half-dozen clubs are spinning downward. For the Orioles, this is routine: In the past 31seasons, they have won 90 games just three times. Last year, the O’s lost 115 games and this year they’re on pace to lose well over 100 again.
It’s frustrating to see a team perpetually slide, said Allan Dresser, an Orioles fan since they moved to his hometown in 1954. Now he arrives at Camden Yards with a singular mindset: The Orioles almost surely won’t win the game, but winning isn’t the important part. He’s there because he wouldn’t dare disavow the hometown squad.
“Winning doesn’t matter,” Dresser said. “I stick with them through the good and bad. … I want to see the hustle, run to first base, back up players, play fundamental baseball, knowing that they have (Triple-A) talent right now.”
Other fans said they wouldn’t pass up a beautiful evening after work to have a few drinks with friends, or to take in the ballpark experience.
“One thing that brings us here is that Camden Yards is the best ballpark in the United States,” Andrea Mayer said.
Mary Beth Jorgensen ranks Camden Yards among the prettiest stadiums in sports, and said that’s a key draw for her, as well.
“It’s beautiful here,” said Jorgensen, a longtime fan from Towson, Md.
Before she purchases tickets, Jorgensen runs through a mental checklist. She wants to see who the Orioles are playing; whether it’ll be a nice night, ideally with no chance of thunderstorms; and then, just as important, whether she can utilize the game to reconnect with her childhood or bond with family.
“If all of that works,” Jorgensen said, “then we figure it could be a good night to go.”
Some fans even questioned why anyone follows the team and sits for more than three hours to watch it lose. Why endure traffic, then pay for parking and overpriced beers? Why sometimes wait out rain delays? But then again … “It’s the experience,” Shynay Holland said. “That’s what we’re going for.”
Before a recent game, Holland sat with her son, Sir, munching on chicken and fries in right field. They had arrived late and weren’t yet in their seats during the second inning. They didn’t care.
Holland recalled her mother cheering when the Orioles won the1983 World Series, the club’s last title. Winning had brought hope and optimism to the city in which she grew up, and her mother’s excitement left a lasting impression.
Maybe one day, she reasoned, her son will get to experience the same. For now, though, they must make their own reasons to keep showing up for Orioles games.
“He just turned 14,” she said of Sir.
“This is better than him playing video games.”