From Charm City to the Emerald City - A Visit to Safeco Field

Take yourself out to the ballgame in Seattle. You'll be glad you did

by Matthew Taylor

My affection for the Seattle Mariners began in the 259^th minute of Game 5 of the 1995 ALDS. That’s when Edgar Martinez doubled off of Jack McDowell to score Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr. The pair of runs secured an extra innings win, 6-5, and a series victory over the hated Yankees. The enemy of my enemy is a friend.

Nearly thirteen years after that rousing playoff victory, the Mariners have moved from the Kingdome to Safeco Field. The names on the backs of the uniforms have likewise changed. Nevertheless, the city of Seattle hasn’t forgotten its history, nor has it forgotten its heroes. A visit to one of baseball’s best ballparks, located on the corner of First Avenue and Edgar Martinez Drive, supports both points.

During our recent vacation, my wife and I toured Safeco on a sunny and therefore atypical day in the Emerald City. Later that evening we attended the Mariners’ Interleague game against the visiting San Diego Padres. The nice weather allowed us to enjoy an open-air environment throughout the day and evening at the ballpark that features baseball’s only “retractable umbrella” (an opening above the left-field bleachers when the roof is closed keeps the stadium from ever truly being a dome).

Our tour began alongside the home team’s dugout, just a drag bunt away from the very Kentucky bluegrass that has been in place since the park opened on July 15, 1999. Even the grass has stories at Safeco.

Because of its shine on one side, the bluegrass can produce the alternating pattern that’s a staple at all Major League parks. However, groundskeepers in Seattle have to know more than just how to create patterns in the grass. During the Jay Buhner years the right-field blades were to remain higher than the rest of the grass in order to protect Buhner’s knees, left tender from so many years playing on the Kingdome’s Astroturf.

After taking in the amazing field-level views and sitting in the home team’s dugout, we proceeded through the stadium’s innards. Few people actually have the opportunity to view the Mariners’ enormous clubhouse, and things were no different on this spring day.

The regularity with which Seattle players appear in the clubhouse on game days and non-game days alike prevents all but a handful of visitors from seeing the luxurious accommodations. Blame Edgar Martinez, who still has a locker at the ballpark and pays regular visits to his old battleground. Or if you’d prefer, point a finger at Ichiro, whose unparalleled work ethic brings him to the park frequently enough that the M's could justifiably charge him rent.

Should you run in to Ichiro, having a conversation with him might not be as difficult as you’d imagine; Ichiro reportedly speaks great English. However, baseball’s record holder for hits in a single season decided to do interviews exclusively in Japanese after being misquoted in the U.S. press.

Other stops on the Safeco tour included: the umpires’ room, which (perhaps) ironically features Braille on the outside door marker; MLB’s second-largest press box, an expansive enclosed area, randomly dotted with damage from screaming foul balls, where approximately 30 Japanese beat reporters cover Ichiro’s every move; the owner’s box; and the team’s hangout for big spenders, the Diamond Club, with its extensive collection of rare baseball memorabilia.

Among the memorabilia in the Diamond Club are an autographed team portrait of the 1927 New York Yankees; a rare photo of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig fishing together (the pair later had a falling out, rumored to have resulted from Ruth’s comments and/or actions toward Gehrig’s wife); and Babe Ruth’s contract with the Yankees. The Yankees’ owner at the time predicted that no baseball player would ever earn more than Ruth’s $80,000. Little did he know that several decades later A-Rod would walk by that very contract as a member of the Mariners, and perhaps have a laugh.

Jim, an affable tour guide with a storyteller’s manner, brought the trip through Safeco to life with an historian’s knowledge of the game and a demonstrable passion for the home team. The experience wasn’t complete, however, until we did what the team’s majority owner, Minoru Arakawa, has yet to do – attend a Mariners home game. Arakawa, the former president of Nintendo, will make his first visit to Safeco, traveling by boat rather than plane due to his fear of flying, should Seattle ever appear in the World Series.

Regular season visitors to Safeco can find one of the most family friendly and fan-friendly environments in all of baseball. To some, such a statement would suggest a less-than-passionate fan base, a description that clearly doesn’t apply to Mariner loyalists.

Substantial lines formed outside of Safeco as many as four hours before the 7:05 p.m. start on this evening, which happened to be J.J. Putz Bobblehead Night. From inside the stadium during the game, to the streets of Seattle afterward, to the hotel’s valet stand at the end of the evening, local residents were roundly interested in the game’s outcome. These Mariner fans could perhaps best be described as invested without being impolite.

The team makes it easy for fans to remain engaged during games with a centerfield scoreboard that continually lists the team lineups, provides more detailed information about the current batter, and offers the proper scoring after each play is completed. Meanwhile, additional scoreboards throughout the park provide running summaries of plays, pitch speed and type, and batting information for the current inning (i.e. what each batter has done).

Our seats in the left-field bleachers kept us from viewing Safeco’s out-of-town scoreboard. However, the Mariners’ West Coast location takes the pressure out of scoreboard watching since most Major League games are either finished or near completion by the time Seattle starts playing. The team broadcasted the final innings of one such game, the A’s and Braves match-up, during batting practice.

Jim, our friendly guide, explained during the stadium tour earlier in the day that Safeco combines elements from the best of baseball’s other ballparks, mentioning Camden Yards by name as part of that conversation. Rejecting the word “steal” as a descriptor, Jim alternately explained that Safeco “borrows the best features from other stadiums and improves upon them.”

Safeco clearly features a mix of such ballpark gems as Camden Yards, Jacobs Field, and Wrigley. The stadium immediately ranks in the highest grouping of my own personal favorites list, running neck-and-neck with Pac-Bell/AT&T Park and, of course, Camden Yards. Gazing down the left-field line with my eyes set toward home plate, I absorbed the crowd's anticipatory energy and connected with the rising sense of enthusiasm that permeated these truly friendly confines. Wistfully, I recalled better days in our own home park.

Seattle is one baseball town that's easy to love. This time around it didn’t take a victory over the Yankees to make that point.

Gone from Baltimore, Rleal Now Barnstorming

After one MLB season, Sandy Rleal looks to resurrect career in Atlantic League

by Matthew Taylor

He appeared seemingly from nowhere and then disappeared just as quickly. But former O's reliever Sandy Rleal hasn't vanished; he just went to Pennsylvania.

Rleal is currently a member of the Lancaster Barnstormers team in the Atlantic League. Jason Guarente tells his tale.

Few players have Sandy Rleal's story. The hard-throwing righthander was in the big leagues two years ago and appeared to be part of the Baltimore Orioles' future.

Today, no major league organization is willing to give Rleal a chance. He came to the Lancaster Barnstormers after not even getting invited to spring training in February.

How did Rleal's fortunes change so quickly?

"I don't know, man," he said with a smile. "The game is crazy sometimes. I'm going to give it 100 percent and I'm confident I can get back to the big leagues. If I do a good job here, I'll sign somewhere."

Rleal pitched one season for the Orioles, in 2006, and put up some pedestrian numbers - 4.44 ERA, 46.1 IP, 19 Ks, 23 BBs. The team expected more from the young hurler coming out of camp, as detailed by Jorge Arangure, Jr. of The Washington Post.

But it is Rleal who has appeared practically out of nowhere. Last season he had a 2.04 ERA for Class AA Bowie and saved 16 games after Ray was called up to the majors. A wicked change-up has made him a sensation this spring. Though Rleal throws 91-93 mph, relatively tame by major league standards, he deceives hitters with the change-up, a pitch he can throw for a strike in any count. Rleal is fearless with the pitch.

Despite those expectations, Rleal's Major League disappearing act is still something of a mystery. Baltimore-area baseball fans can catch him in action again when the Lancaster Barnstormers visit Brooks Robinson's Southern Maryland Blue Crabs June 20 through 22 and again Aug. 8 through 10.

Flashback Friday: The Origin of the Baltimore Chop

Flashback Friday has to go way back for this one; specifically, 1894

by Matthew Taylor

Most discussions of O's history begin with the St. Louis Browns' move to Baltimore in 1954, which gave birth to the modern franchise. However, as Orioles Baseball observes, "Since the 1880’s in one league or another there was a team from Baltimore called the Orioles."

Some 114 years ago, on May 23, 1894, one of the earliest incarnations of the Baltimore Orioles (pictured above) lost to the Brooklyn Bridegrooms, 5-1. Check out the original box score from that game, as seen in The New York Times.

The 1894 team was a rough-and-tumble bunch, known to do anything to get an advantage, fair or otherwise. Thus was the "Baltimore Chop" born. David R. Haus, Jr., of Bowling Green University explains the origin of the phrase:

The National League was concerned about the rough play and actions of its players during the 1890s. Fights broke out between players and umpires, fans and players, and fans and umpires. Players cheated, threw games for money, swore, spit, and much more. The champions of such behavior were the Baltimore Orioles.

The Baltimore Orioles paid off their groundskeepers to hide cement slabs in front of home plate. The resulting high bouncers came to be know as the "Baltimore chops." Fans used mirrors to reflect sunlight into the eyes of opposing batters and fielders. Fans were also given dead . After a foul ball would go into the stands, the fans would throw back a deadened ball. Players would elbow, trip, punch, and hold base runners, taking advantage of the fact that there was only one umpire. They would cut second base on the way to third if the umpire was not looking. Players would hide baseballs strategically in the tall outfield grass. The Baltimore Orioles would do anything to win whether or not it was legal.

The 1894 Baltimore Orioles finished 89-39 and won the National League pennant. The team included the likes of catcher Wilber Robinson, first baseman Dan Brouthers, second baseman Heinie Reitz, third baseman John McGraw, shortstop Hughie Jennings, leftfielder Joe Kelley, centerfielder Steve Brodie, rightfielder Willie Keller, pitchers Kid Gleason, Bill Hawke, and Sadie McMahon, and "closer" Tony Mullane. McGraw, Jennings, Kelley, Brouthers, Robinson, and Keeler were Hall of Famers along with manager Ned Hanlon.

Think today's rivalries are fierce? Consider the 1894 rivalry between the teams from Baltimore and Boston (information originally drawn from "The People's Almanac").

In May, 1894, the legendary John McGraw, then with the Baltimore Orioles, got into a fight with Boston's third baseman. Soon both teams were battling, and the warfare spread to the stands, which were promptly set on fire. The entire ballpark burned to the ground, along with 170 other Boston buildings. The memories of that incident were so bitter that when the New York Giants--with McGraw managing--won the National League title in 1904, McGraw refused to play in the world Series against the American League champion Boston Braves.

The National League eliminated this early version of the Baltimore Orioles in 1899. Two years later the Baltimore Orioles were given new - albeit short - life. The latter team was purchased by New York for $18,000 on Jan. 9, 1903 and became the Yankees.

Hawkins' High Heat Another Case of Subjective Baseball Etiquette

The game's unwritten rules are misunderstood and unevenly applied

by Matthew Taylor

"I tried to throw the fastball a little bit in and the ball moved too much. So that's why I maybe hit him. But they know I didn't do it on purpose."

-Daniel Cabrera

The problem with baseball's unwritten rules is that no one has bothered to write them down. If someone had, Jim Palmer certainly would’ve offered a more accurate prediction when Gary Thorne inquired during Tuesday night’s game as to whether the Yankees would retaliate for Daniel Cabrera hitting Derek Jeter with a pitch during a 10-0 ballgame.

Shortly after Palmer explained that it would be ridiculous for the Yankees to bean an O’s player in response to Cabrera’s errant pitch, LaTroy Hawkins started tossing balls at Luke Scott’s head. If anyone should know the proper conduct on the mound it would be Palmer, which underscores the subjective nature of that ridiculous concept known as baseball etiquette.

There are many examples that demonstrate this subjectivity.

-A-Rod yelling “I got it” on the base paths last season to distract Howie Kendrick violated baseball etiquette. That is, unless you asked Tommy Lasorda, who defended Rodriguez’s distraction in the press as an effort to gain a competitive edge.

-Ben Davis breaking up Curt Schilling’s perfect game in 2001 with an 8^th inning bunt was a clear violation of baseball tradition, so much so that Diamondbacks Manager Bob Brenly referred to the move after the game by using a compound word synonymous with poultry excrement. But, as this Ron Cook column shows, some viewed Davis’s late-inning bunt as a shrewd effort to manufacture runs in a tight, 2-0 ballgame.

And the list goes on. For a good read on the topic, and additional examples, check out this 2001 SI article by Stephen Cannella, who writes, “there has been enough contention … over how the sport’s unwritten code of etiquette has evolved that perhaps the fine points do need clarifying.”

Ultimately, what bothers me most about baseball etiquette is that the judgments rendered about potential violations are often made relative to the player involved. Baseball justice is not blind.

Consider bean-ball-throwing, bat-tossing Roger Clemens. Celebrated during his playing career for his toughness, defined in part by his willingness to drill batters for even the most minor of perceived infractions, Clemens appeared in a Sports Illustrated cover story titled “Chin Music” that ran during the spring of 1999.

Several months earlier, in the fall of 1988, the magazine took a decidedly different tact in its treatment of Armando Benitez. SI joined in the vilification of Armando Benitez for hitting Tino Martinez between the numbers and touching off an ugly brawl at Yankee Stadium. Granted, Benitez shouldn't have thrown so high, but Clemens was equally as dangerous with his actions over the course of his career.

Or try out the example of Manny Ramirez. Ramirez is regularly excused by fans and journalists alike for actions including posing at the plate and generally acting like an idiot because, well, it’s just “Manny Being Manny.” Such was the case again last week when Ramirez slapped hands with a fan in the front row at Camden Yards following a running catch. Said Jon Lester: “That was a great play. It definitely saved that inning. That’s Manny being Manny. He’s talking about the Gold Glove and playing better defense and he’s showing he can.”

Compare that to the reaction when Lastings Milledge shared his enthusiasm with the fans after going deep for the first time: “When Milledge hit his first major league home run in June 2006, tying a game against the Giants in the bottom of the 10th inning, he high-fived Mets fans at Shea Stadium as he jogged to right field. That didn’t ingratiate Milledge with his angry manager, Willie Randolph, or some of his teammates, one of whom placed an infamous ‘Know Your Place, Rook!’ sign on Milledge’s locker.”

I suppose “Lastings Being Lastings” doesn’t have the same ring to it.

Flashback Friday: Classic O's Baseball Cards

From Aase to Weaver, this week's "Flashback Friday" brings you a collection of past Orioles' baseball cards, including the infamous Billy Ripken card. Okay, so Eddie's isn't a card, but the photo's too good to pass up.

Have a favorite? Let us know why in the comments section, and don't forget to vote in the Flashback Friday poll.