But first – swag anyone?
Ladies and gentlemen, my name is James Baker.
Five years ago I started a venture that brought me to the world of blogging and the Orioles internet community. Five years ago I started The Flock. It got me a little press and I sold roughly 250 shirts. Life was good, but the Orioles were not. The buzz faded, I bounced around the internet. I became a teacher, moved to Baltimore and life went on.
From time to time I would see one of my shirts around town, it would make me smile. From time to time I would wear one and usually people would immediately ask me: “Hey where did you get that?” And I would have to tell the whole story again. The next question would inevitably be: “Will you make them again?”
And that is something I pondered for awhile. I have almost done it a couple times since but it never felt like it was the right time. So, internet – I ask you this question: Is it time?
Tell me Orioles fans: Could you see yourself in something that looks a little like this?
Please, please leave comments. I really need your feedback guys.
In other news, Orioles Spring Training is rolling along and it looks like the Orioles minor injuries were just that – minor. Bergesen looks good and is coming along nicely, Matusz looks great. Jones, Markakis, Wieters and Miggy are abusing the grass beyond the outfield walls. I mean , there is nothing to say other than wow. I can’t remember a Spring Training that started off this well. Now, before I jinx the whole thing I will say this. I honestly believe that the new Spring Training facility is playing a large role in the team’s morale and performance so far.
I don’t know how many of you took a trip to Fort Lauderdale to see the Orioles’ old digs but they were woeful to say the least. It wasn’t that the Orioles didn’t want to improve the stadium its proximity to an airport made it so any construction project had to be cleared by the FAA. So, the stadium just continued to deteriorate. I mean, honestly, the weight “room” was a tent in the parking lot. It was just inexcusable.
But now, the Orioles were greeted with an actual facility, with multiple shared fields, professional locker room and training facilities and one that will only get better through upcoming renovations. But even without those changes the stadium is light years beyond what the Orioles were working with before and I think that the stadium itself is having an impact on the Orioles as a team.
Just think about it. Imagine you are Brian Roberts, highly paid professional baseball player and every year you go to a state of the art facility in Arizona where you receive state of the art training. Then you go to your MLB club and you train in the most obsolete and run-down park in Florida with leaking ceilings, sub-standard equipment and dilapidated infrastructure. This is supposed to be a MAJOR LEAGUE operation and this is what you get? That just had nothing short of demoralizing.
But no more, the Orioles have fantastic new digs to match what seems to be a fantastic new attitude.
