You can't have a Baltimore Orioles Dream Team without Brooks Robinson.

The Baltimore Orioles as a franchise has seen outstanding teams in the past, and several players who have been inducted into baseball’s Hall of Fame. The Oriole Way was proudly displayed by several players who did the city proud over the years.

We will take a look at some of those terrific Orioles’ players, and select a starting lineup for an all-time Orioles dream team.

Catcher: Chris Hoiles
This may just be the one position where the Baltimore Orioles have never been seriously blessed with great offensive talent. There have been some stellar defensive catchers through the years (Andy Etchebarren, Elrod Hendricks), but very few with the ability to produce consistent offense.

We give the nod to Chris Hoiles. In a ten-year career spent entirely with the Orioles, Hoiles hit 151 home runs with a .262 batting average, and was the anchor behind the plate for the Orioles during their last two playoff seasons in 1996-1997.

First Base: Boog Powell
For the first 14 seasons of his 17-year career, John Wesley “Boog” Powell represented the Baltimore Orioles with class and dignity, and provided an outstanding bat in the lineup. Powell was voted the American League’s Most Valuable Player award in 1970, and was a member of four All-Star teams.

Powell won two World Series during his time with the O’s (1966, 1970), and even today is still a revered figure in the Baltimore area.

Second Base: Bobby Grich
For the first seven seasons of his career with the Baltimore Orioles, Bobby Grich won four Gold Glove awards and was selected to the American League All-Star team three times between 1970-76.

Grich was a lifetime .262 hitter for the Orioles. In 1973, Grich broke the all-time record for fielding percentage, committing just five errors in 162 games. Grich would break his own record 12 years later with the California Angels.

Shortstop: Cal Ripken Jr.

Cal Ripken, Jr. replaced Brooks Robinson as the face of the Orioles for a new generation.

A 19-time All-Star, two-time AL MVP, two-time Gold Glove award winner, and holder of the record for most consecutive games played (2,632) that will likely never be broken, Cal Ripken Jr. is the easy choice here for shortstop on the Baltimore Orioles dream team.

Ripken was elected to baseball’s Hall of Fame in 2007 with the third-highest voting percentage ever (98.53%).

Third Base: Brooks Robinson
In a career that spanned 23 seasons, all with the O’s, Brooks Robinson won 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards between 1960-1975, a feat only matched by one player—pitcher Jim Kaat.

Robinson also won the American League’s Most Valuable Player Award in 1964, and was selected to 15 consecutive All-Star teams.

Left Field: Brady Anderson
Outfielder Brady Anderson tops our list of greatest Orioles left fielders. In his 14-year career with the O’s, Anderson hit .257 with 209 home runs, made three AL All-Star teams, and had a magical season in 1996, with 50 HR and 110 RBI.

Center Field: Paul Blair
During his 13-year career with the O’s from 1964-1976, Paul Blair won eight Gold Glove awards and contributed to two World Series winning teams (1966, 1970). Blair was widely considered as one of the best center fielders of his generation, despite only hitting .250 during his career.

Right Field: Frank Robinson

The Orioles made the World Series four times in Frank Robinson's six years with the franchise.

When the Cincinnati Reds decided that right fielder was just old to contribute, they unloaded him to the Baltimore Orioles prior to the start of the 1966 season. It turned into one of the most lopsided trades in MLB history.

In Robinson’s first year in Baltimore, he won the Triple Crown and the American League MVP award, leading the Orioles to their first World Series championship in Baltimore. Robinson would help guide the O’s to another World Series victory in 1970 as well.

Starting Pitcher: Jim Palmer
In a stellar 20-year career, all with the Baltimore Orioles, starting pitcher Jim Palmer won three Cy Young awards, won 20 games in a season eight times, is the only pitcher to win a World Series game in three different decades (1966, 1970-71, 1983), and won six pennants with the O’s as well.

In an odd statistic, Palmer gave up 303 home runs during his career, but never once surrendered a grand slam.

Closer: Gregg Olson
For the first six years of his career (1988-1993) closer Gregg Olson saved 160 games for the Baltimore Orioles, posting a stellar ERA of 2.26 and an ERA+ of 176.

Olson won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 1989, after posting an ERA of 1.69 with 27 saves.

Do you agree with our line up? Who would be on your Orioles dream team?

This is a guest post submitted by Jeff Herbst. Jeff has had a passion for sports ever since he could first walk and enjoys writing in his spare time. He works with Phoenix Bats, a company that creates world-class maple wood bats and other wood bats for both amateurs and professionals.

Mike Flanagan won 141 games pitching for the Baltimore Orioles.

As a lifelong fan of the Baltimore Orioles it was such sad news hearing that one of the long-time faces of the O’s, Mike Flanagan, passed away this week at the age of 59. It was even sadder hearing that his death was result of a suicide.

Regardless of the circumstance of his death, Flanagan will be fondly remembered by Oriole fans for his performance as a player, broadcaster and member of the local community.

From the 1960s through the mid-1980s the Orioles were the most consistently successful team in Major League Baseball thanks to a focus on building through the minor league system, pitching and defense. Known as the “Oriole Way”, this focus resulted in three World Championships, six World Series appearances and 18 straight winning seasons.

A seventh round draft pick of the Orioles in 1973, Flanagan epitomized the Orioles during their era of success. As a homegrown product, he made his major league debut in 1975 and moved into the starting rotation in 1977.

After a 15-10 record in 1977, Flanagan won 19 games and was named to the All-Star squad in 1978.

In 1979, Flanagan replaced Jim Palmer as the ace of the Orioles’ pitching staff and won the American League Cy Young Award with a 23-9 record and 3.08 ERA. Baltimore reached the World Series that season and Flanagan went 1-1 as the O’s lost in seven games.

Over the next five seasons, Flanagan went 65-47 as the Orioles remained competitive in the American League East.

During the 1983 season, Flanagan was limited to 20 starts, but posted a 12-4 record with a 3.30 ERA as Baltimore won the division and claimed the World Series title for the first time since 1970.

Traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1987, Flanagan spent three and a half years in Toronto before returning to the Orioles in 1991. He was the last Baltimore pitcher to record an out at Memorial Stadium.

He completed his career with a 167-143 record and 3.90 career ERA.

After retiring in 1992, Flanagan served as a pitching coach for the Orioles as well as broadcaster and member of the front office.

Overall, he spent more than 30 years with the Orioles and will always be remembered fondly by Baltimore fans.

His passing is certainly a sad occasion, but hopefully over time what will be remembered about Flanagan is his positive contributions to the Baltimore community and his legacy as one of the true Birds of Baltimore.

Oriole Park at Camden Yards is still the best baseball stadium in the majors.

Yes, the last dozen years have been particularly painful for Baltimore Orioles fans, but as we observe the Thanksgiving Holiday we still have much to be thankful for.

As an Orioles fan for 40 years, I’ve compiled a list of the 10 things I think Orioles fans can be thankful for. If you are a fan of the Orioles, I’d welcome hearing other things you think we should appreciate during this time of thankful reflection.

10. Buck Martinez - I don’t know what other Orioles fans think of Buck Martinez as a broadcaster of Baltimore games, but I hope they like and appreciate him. Personally, I think the world of him after he took 10 minutes out of his hectic schedule before a game between the Orioles and Rays in St. Petersburg this past summer to give me a personal interview. He did an amazing job giving me the rundown on the young players and key needs of the Orioles and didn’t care that I was writing for sports blogs instead of a major newspaper. For that I am most appreciative and thankful.
 
9. Boog Powell - My all-time favorite Oriole. I am thankful not just for the 303 home runs Boog hit for the Orioles, but also for his great personality as an advertising legend on the Lite Beer Commercials. I also am thankful for the great Boog’s Barbecue that has become a staple of Camden Yards.

More than three decades after his retirement, Boog Powell is still a Baltimore favorite.

8. Chuck Thompson - Most cities have a sports broadcaster from history who is most associated with that city. In Baltimore, Chuck Thompson was the voice of the Orioles and Colts long before those franchises became successful. His recognizable voice brought the action to fans for decades and he will always be considered the “Voice of the Orioles and Colts.”

Jim Palmer was the best pitcher in Orioles history and is still a great broadcaster.

7. Jim Palmer -

I sometimes think that the greatness of Jim Palmer has been forgotten by much of the sports world. While Orioles fans know him as the best pitcher in franchise history, because he didn’t win 300 games he often gets overlooked in the conversation of best of all-time. After his career ended, he also has been a standout broadcaster for 25 years, but again has been lost by the rest of the country. I really don’t understand why he no longer does national broadcasts considering that he is 10 times better than Tim McCarver.

6. Andy MacPhail - I know there are some Orioles fans who will be looking to run him out on a rail if the Orioles don’t start winning in the next two seasons. However, I truly believe that he has built a solid foundation for the future and it will just be a matter of time before the team starts winning. If he can sign Roy Halladay or some other pitching ace this off-season I will be even more thankful for his presence.

5. Nick Markakis, Adam Jones and Nolan Reimold - Sure the Orioles may not have ended 2009 with a winning record, but the play of these three young and talented outfielders has certainly provided hope for the future. If all three are able to harness their potential and live up to their early performances, the Orioles could end up with one of the best outfield units in baseball for years to come.

The Ripkens are the first family of Baltimore baseball.

4. The Ripken Family - As a fan of a sports team, you have to be most appreciative of those who spent their entire careers striving to make your team better. Cal Ripken Jr. and Cal Ripken Sr. both did wexactly that. And while Billy Ripken wasn’t quite as vital to the Orioles as his famous father and brother, he still was a solid team player for a number of years.

3. Matt Wieters and the young pitching staff - I may be looking at things with orange colored glasses, but after his performance over the final months of the 2009 season, I truly believe that Matt Wieters wuill be the next Joe Mauer and maybe even better than the current league MVP. Wieters has the potential to be more of a power hitter than Mauer and while he may never win a batting title, I think Wieters can be a regular .300 hitter. When combined with the many young guns the Orioles have in their pitching staff, I think the Birds could have a great pitch and catch combo for years to come.

Matt Wieters has the ability to be the next superstar for the Orioles.

2. Frank & Brooks Robinson - It is relatively rare in sports that two people with the same last name play for the same team at the same time, but even rarer that they were not related. However, during the glory years of the 1960s and early 1970s, the Baltimore Orioles rode the talent of future Hall of Famers Frank and Brooks Robinson to two World Series titles and four World Series appearances. The Orioles have truly been blessed to have these two super people and super athletes as representatives of their franchise.

1. Oriole Park at Camden Yards - There have been a lot of nice ballparks built since the Orioles opened the doors of Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992, but there still is not a better baseball stadium in the league. Camden Yards was the standard barer for the modern baseball stadium and is an amazing place to watch a ball game. The Orioles may not have been the best team on the field in the last decade, but they at least play in the best stadium.

Throughout the city of Baltimore, you can see the passion on all the fans of the Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore Ravens, and all the other sports in Baltimore. Every step you make through the city when the Ravens are playing you hear screaming and yelling. It’s been a long time since you could hear the Baltimore sports fans yell about the Orioles, but soon you will. This is very good town when it comes to the passion of the sports fans.

Let’s start with the passion of the fans of the Baltimore Orioles. First of all the Orioles have not had a winning season in a really long time. If you are an Orioles fan you have to be a diehard fan, because of the losing in the past years. When the Orioles were playing winning baseball in the “Orioles Magic” era, all you could hear is about when the Orioles were playing and how they are doing. Even though there is not much to cheer about for the Orioles, in the coming years the Orioles should get back to their winning ways and bring back that passion of baseball to the city of  Baltimore.

Now for the Baltimore Ravens. Through the years since 1996 there has been a lot of passion for football in the Charm City. Each and every Sunday you know that the Ravens are playing, cause you can hear people yelling and screaming about the Ravens game, you can see all the Ravens jerseys and shirts on all the fans of the Ravens. The fans get so passionate that they take it hard when the Ravens lose, they treat the Ravens like they are part of their family. When you think about a home field advantage, you think of M & T Bank Stadium that is always sold out for every Ravens home game.

Through out the city of Baltimore there is a lot of passion on the faces of the fans.

We welcome Ryan Heller as a writer for Baltimore Sports Then and Now. You can also follow his work at Ryan’s Sports World.

Many consider Johnny Unitas to be the greatest athlete in Baltimore sports history.

Measuring greatness is always a tough challenge. While athletes grow in size, stature and athletic ability, does it mean the athletes of today are greater than those of 30 years ago and were those athletes better than the stars of the 1940s and 1950s?

Through the years, Baltimore has been blessed with many great stars.

From the 1950s through the 1980s, Memorial Stadium was home to some of the greatest athletes in Baltimore sports history. Then since the Orioles moved to Camden Yards and the ravens came to town, there have been more superstars to call the city home

But who is the greatest of the greats?

We want to know who you believe is the greatest athlete in the history of Baltimore sports. Vote in the poll accompanying this article and then share with us your thoughts and memories on the athlete you believe is the most deserving.

Out of the dozens of athletes who could have easily been considered, we have narrowed the field to seven finalists. Brief profiles are below.

Ray Lewis has been a defensive star for 13 seasons with the Ravens.

Ray Lewis: The only active player on this list, Lewis is an original Raven having been picked by the team with one of their two first round picks in the 1996 NFL Draft. Amazingly, 25 teams passed on Lewis in the draft and he has been making everyone in the league pay for 13 seasons. One of the hardest hitting linebackers of his generation, Lewis has been the prototype linebacker since he joined the league. A 10 time Pro Bowl selection, Lewis has been a first team All-NFL selection six times. In 2000, the Baltimore defense emerged as the best in the league and Lewis was the leader of the charge. He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and again in 2003. The Ravens went 12-4 in the 2000 regular season and then allowed a total of 23 points in four playoff games to earn their only Super Bowl title. He was honored as the Super Bowl MVP. Lewis has recorded more than 1,200 career tackles with 33.5 sacks, 28 interceptions and 15 fumble recoveries. He remains the inspirational leader of the defense and a perennial All-Pro.

Gino Marchetti was a first team All-Pro seven times.

Gino Marchetti: Four decades before Ray Lewis, Gino Marchetti evoked the same kind of fear and frustration in offensive players as a defensive end for the Baltimore Colts. A dominating run stuffer and relentless pass rusher, Marchetti was an 11-time Pro Bowl selection and seven-time first team All-Pro. After spending one season as an offensive lineman, he became a Pro Bowl defensive end in 1954 and served as the anchor of the Baltimore defense for 13 seasons. In the 1958 NFL Championship Game, Marchetti broke his leg early in the contest, but the captain refused to leave the field until after the Colts won in overtime. Marchetti was a member of the NFL All-Decade team for the 1950s and in 1969 was named the top defensive end of the first 50 years of the NFL. He was also a member of the NFL’s 75th Anniversary team.

Jim Palmer is the only player to be on all three Baltimore Orioles World Series Champions.

Jim Palmer: The best pitcher in Baltimore Orioles history, Jim Palmer holds the distinction of being the only player to be on the active roster for all three Baltimore World Series titles, in 1966, 1970 and 1983. He actually recorded a victory in each of those World Series and had a 4-2 overall record in nine World Series games. As a 20-year old in 1966, Palmer had a 15-10 record and in game two tossed a four hit shutout to hand Sandy Koufax a loss in his final pitching appearance. Between 1970 and 1978, Palmer won at least 20 games eight out of nine years and claimed the Cy Young Award three times. He was a four-time Gold Glove winner and was named to six All-Star Games. In 1973 he went 22-9 with a 2.40 ERA to win his first Cy Young Award and finish second in the American League MVP voting. Palmer finished his career with a 268-152 record with a 2.86 ERA. He was inducted into the baseball Hall of Fame in 1990.

Cal Ripken Jr. played in a record 2,632 consecutive games for the Orioles.

Cal Ripken, Jr.: For nearly 20 years, Cal Ripken Jr. represented the city of Baltimore and the Orioles with grace and class. The ultimate lunch pale player, Ripken played in a major league record 2,632 consecutive games and played in 3,001 total games in his career. He was in his second year when the Orioles won the World Series in 1983. Ripken, who brought power to the shortstop position, was named the American League MVP after hitting .318 with 27 home runs and 102 RBI. He hit more than 20 home runs in 10 straight seasons between 1982 and 1991. In 1991, Ripken claimed his second AL MVP Award while hitting .323 while establishing career-highs with 34 home runs and 114 RBI. He made 19 consecutive All-Star appearances and eight times claimed the Silver Slugger Award as the top hitting shortstop. Ripken retired following the 2001 season with 3,184 hits, 431 home runs and 1,695 RBI. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

Brooks Robinson won 16 straight Gold Glove awards.

Brooks Robinson: No one ever fielded their position better than Brooks Robinson patrolled the area around baseball’s hot corner. Robinson claimed 16 consecutive Gold Glove awards between 1960 and 1975. He was the American League MVP in 1964 and finished third in 1965 and second in 1966. In 1966 the Orioles claimed their first World Series title with a sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Robinson is best remembered for using both his glove and bat to completely dominate the 1970 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. Robinson hit .429 with two home runs and six RBI. He also robbed the Reds of countless base hits with his amazing fielding. It was no surprise when he was named the Series MVP. In 23 major league seasons, Robinson hit .267 with 268 home runs and 1,357 RBI. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1983.

Frank Robinson won the American League MVP Award and Triple Crown in 1966.

Frank Robinson: Frank Robinson spent only six seasons with the Baltimore Orioles, but it was an amazing six year stretch. Already an established superstar after a decade with the Cincinnati Reds, Robinson was just the player needed to put the Orioles over the top. He made an immediate splash in 1966 as he claimed the Triple Crown with 49 home runs, 122 RBI and a .316 batting average. Ironically, it was the only time in his career that Robinson led the league in any of those three categories. The Orioles reached the World Series for the first time in team history and swept the Los Angeles Dodgers as Robinson hit two home runs and drove home three runs. Between 1969 and 1971, the Orioles reached three straight World Series and claimed the title in 1970. Robinson was traded following the 1971 season despite leading the Orioles to four World Series appearances in six years. He hit .300 with 179 home runs and 545 RBI in six seasons with the Birds. For his career, Robinson hit .294 with 586 home runs and 1,812 RBI. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Johnny Unitas was the NFL MVP three-times.

Johnny Unitas: After being cut by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Johnny Unitas was playing semi-pro football for the Bloomfield Rams when the former quarterback at Louisville received a tryout with the Baltimore Colts. As they say, the rest is history as Unitas eventually emerged as the greatest quarterback of his generation. After entering the lineup when starter George Shaw broke his leg in the fourth game of the 1956 season, Unitas quickly established himself as one of the elite quarterbacks in football. In 1957, his first full season as the starter, Unitas led the league passing yards and touchdown passes to earn his first Pro Bowl selection. The following season, Unitas led the Colts to the playoffs for the first time in team history. In the dramatic NFL Championship Game, Unitas led the Colts on a last minute drive to send the game into overtime. Then, in the first overtime game in NFL history Unitas led the Colts down the field to the winning score. The Colts repeated as champions in 1959. By the 1960s, Unitas was rewriting the NFL record books. He finished his career with then records of 290 touchdown passes and 40,239 career passing yards. A 10-time Pro Bowl selection and five time first team All-Pro, Unitas was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.

Johnny Unitas was the best quarterback to ever play in Baltimore.

In a new Baltimore Sports Then and Now regular feature, we are going to periodically scan YouTube and share some of the best videos and slideshows that highlight the best players and moments from the present and past in Baltimore sports.

Fittingly, our first featured athlete is the greatest quarterback in Baltimore sports history and arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time: Johnny Unitas.

So, kick back and enjoy some great memories of the special career of Johnny U.

Remembering Johnny Unitas

1958 NFL Championship Game, The Greatest Game Ever Played

Johnny Unitas Through The Years

Baltimore Colts Victory Song

Talk about coincidence. Mike Mussina pitched 4-0 complete game shutouts against Detroit in the first and last games the author saw at Camden Yards.

You will notice from the “On This Date” section of Baltimore Sports Then and Now that 17 years ago today, August 5, 1992, Mike Mussina tossed a five-hit shutout as the Orioles defeated Detroit 4-0. I especially know it to be true because I was there making my first trip to the new Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

For more than a decade I was lucky enough to make the trek from where I grew up in Southern Virginia to Baltimore at least once just about every year to see a game at old Memorial Stadium.

It was there that I watched my first major league game on July 4, 1980 and then the next day watched Jim Palmer suffer one of his famous 1-0 defeats (this one to the Red Sox). Over the years I got to see Eddie and Cal along with some great rivals including Don Mattingly and the Yankees, Wade Boggs and the Red Sox and the A’s with Canseco and McGwire.

But the Orioles said goodbye to Memorial Stadium in 1991 and in 1992 I was excited to see the new stadium.

My first visit to Camden Yards was particularly special because I got to go with my uncle, Don Nelson, my Aunt Lois, her Dad (everybody called him Pop) and my cousins Sarah, Amy and Jenell.

August 5th is Jenell’s birthday, a fact she would never let me forget growing up, as she always liked reminding me that she was my older cousin (by four days).

So, for her birthday, Jenell wanted the family to go to Baltimore for the Orioles game and I was lucky enough to get to tag along for the day. I believe there were some other friends who went as well, but after 17 years there are only so many things I can remember.

Whether it was going to Memorial Stadium (where my Mom and I once got lost and rode around lost for nearly an hour on the back streets of Baltimore) or Camden Yards, getting to Orioles games always seemed to be an adventure.

There is no better place to watch a baseball game than Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

The cool thing about going to the new park was that the train took you right into the stadium. We drove from their home in Spring Grove, PA to a stop outside Baltimore and then took the train to within a couple blocks of the stadium.

Having only seen Camden Yards through pictures, I was blown away when I actually got to see it for myself. It was even more beautiful than I had imagined with a perfectly manicured field, the majestic backdrop of the warehouse and lots of action on the street in front of the stadium.

Because he had been my favorite player growing up, my first visit was to Boog’s Barbecue. It was awesome. I remember just walking around the entire stadium with my head looking up and out to see all the new things.

Now, by this point in my life I had been to nearly a dozen major league baseball stadiums and seen many great football stadiums while interning with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1989, but nothing topped Camden Yards. It brought together the old and the new like no other stadium.

We had great seats in the lower deck of leftfield and could see perfectly as the young Baltimore pitcher kept mowing down the Tigers.

In 1992, Mike Mussina was a young hurler just two years removed from pitching college baseball at Stanford. He entered that game with a 10-4 record and would go on to finish 18-5 with a 2.54 ERA in his first major league season.

While watching him masterfully frustrate a lineup that included Lou Whitaker, Travis Fryman, Cecil Fielder and Mickey Tettelton, there was little doubt that he was going to be a star.

It was a neat time to be an Orioles fan as the team was really playing well and were in the playoff hunt. Mike Deveraux had three hits and the brother tandem of Cal and Billy Ripken were still playing together in the middle of the Baltimore infield.

The victory lifted the Orioles to 62-46 and they were just two games behind Toronto in the division standings. Unfortunately, the Orioles played even .500 baseball for the rest of the season and finished in third place in the division at 89-73.

I was fortunate to see Mussina pitch in person several more times during his tenure with the Orioles, including a three-hitter against Cleveland in 1995. I also had the chance to see several other games at Camden Yards over the next few years with friends and family.

When my then fiancé (now wife), Suzy, and I went to Camden Yards for the final game of the 1995 season little did I know it would be my last trip to the stadium for quite some time.

As fate would have it, Mussina was back on the mound for the Orioles facing Detroit and this time was even better than when I had seen him pitch the first time or even earlier that season. In the final game as a manager for Sparky Anderson and the final game of his career for Alan Trammell, Mussina allowed only two hits (one to Trammell) in another 4-0 victory over the Tigers.

The following summer Suzy and I were married and I soon accepted a new job in Florida. I have seen the Orioles play since in Tampa, but have not been able to make it back to Baltimore.

Much else has changed since the first time I saw Camden Yards.

My Uncle Don passed away following a decade long battle with cancer less than a year after our fun August evening. Pop has also since passed away. My three cousins, Amy, Sarah and Jenell are now all married and have kids of their own. Because of the distance between Florida and Pennsylvania we don’t get to see each other often, but it is fun to trade pictures each year to see how the families are growing. Today I am thinking of them and wishing Jenell a Happy Birthday.

A lot is also different for the Orioles. There was a sense of hope and expectation in 1992 as the Orioles were building a young team that would eventually make back-to-back appearances in the American League Championship Game.

In 1992 and for the next several years, tickets to games at Camden Yards were the hottest things going. Every game, no matter the night of the week, was a sellout or close to it.

As I watch the Orioles play on a regular basis now (MLB Extra Innings is a wonderful invention), it breaks my heart when I see all the empty seats down the baselines in the lower deck. It saddens me to know that glorious Camden Yards is home to a team with a decade-long losing streak.

However, as I watch the young position players and pitchers making their debuts at Camden Yards this season I can’t help but feel a sense of hope that maybe there will be another Mussina and another run at greatness at the best park in baseball.

If you have a special sports memory that you would like to share, please contact Dean at dean@sportsthenandnow.com.

The new documentary, The Forgotten Birds, will premier in October at the Baseball Film Festival in Cooperstown.

The history of baseball in Baltimore since the St. Louis Browns moved to the city in 1954 has been well chronicled. However, until now, the great history of baseball in Baltimore prior to the return of Major League Baseball has gone largely unrecognized.

That is about to change with the release this fall of the documentary The Forgotten Birds.

The culmination of five years worth of research and interviews by director Paul Sekulich and writer Jimmy Keenan, the film will be premiered in Cooperstown at the Fourth Annual Baseball Film Festival from October 2-4.

Once upon a time, in 1884, the city of Baltimore actually had three professional baseball teams.

However, the most successful team of the era was the Baltimore Orioles, which won three straight National League championships from 1894-1896. The team included seven future Hall of Famers, including John McGraw, Hughie Jennings and Willie Keeler.

Following the 1899 season, Baltimore was one of three teams dropped from the National League. The city was without a team in 1900, but by 1901 had a squad in the new American League.

Unfortunately, manager John McGraw was constantly feuding with league president Ban Johnson and the situation caused headaches for the franchise.

During the 1902 season, McGraw left the franchise and became manager of the New York Giants. The day-to-day operations of the Orioles soon were taken over by Johnson and the league.

Following the season, the Orioles were moved to New York City and eventually evolved into the current New York Yankees.

This set the stage for an amazing 50-year stretch of baseball in Baltimore in which the International League Baltimore Orioles captured the interest of the city and fielded some outstanding baseball teams.

The stories of the franchise, set within the context of world events during the first half of the 20th Century, are chronicled in The Forgotten Birds.

This story was very nearly lost to a fire at Oriole Park on July 4, 1944. However, the memories were pieced back together through interviews with living players, sportscasters and players’ relatives as well as from books, scorecards and records, photographs and news clippings.

You can reserve a copy of the full-length DVD at http://www.forgottenbirds.com/.

Be sure to check back to Baltimore Sports Then and Now for more stories and details about The Forgotten Birds.

Historical information for this story comes from forgottenbirds.com.

The author and family enjoying Cal Ripken Jr.'s last home game with the Orioles.

I was fortunate to have so many great memories and experiences during my 10 years with the Ravens Band (official name is Baltimore’s Marching Ravens) that it is hard to single out one or one group of memories.

However, I think the memory that stands out the most was a Baltimore weekend with my Dad that occurred less than a month after 9/11 in 2001.

I had purchased Orioles tickets early in the year once it became known that Cal Ripken Jr. was going to retire.  Of course the last Orioles game of the season sold out immediately.  The best I could do was the weekend before the last game.  It didn’t really matter to me because I was still going to see Cal one last time.

Then the tragedies of 9/11 occurred and the sports world stopped.

Baseball was suspended and the remainder of the season was in question. The fact that I might not get to see the game really didn’t matter.

Then MLB rearranged the end of the season.  Suddenly my ticket to the next to last weekend turned into the last game of the season.

As you can imagine, fans that had spent incredible amounts of money to see what they thought was going to be the last game were furious.

I smiled on my fortune.  I had 6 tickets for my wife Joan and her brother John, a friend of mine from Lock Haven University (Shawn), my Dad, my Dad’s brother Jim and myself.

The Orioles lost to the Red Sox but it really didn’t matter.  It was the first and only baseball game I had ever been to with my Dad.

The next day I brought my Dad & Uncle to the first home Ravens game following 9/11 against Tennessee.

Baltimore's Marching Ravens performing in the first Ravens home game following 9/11.

I had to work at the game as usual.  Dad & Uncle Jim met me in the stadium parking lot before the game where the band practices.  I got them into the stadium with the band and had a great time introducing them to the band and showing them around under the stadium where few fans get to see.  For pre-game I brought them on the sideline.

Dad was in heaven.  He had in a manila envelope a picture of Johnny Unitas.  Many of the old Colts used to hang around on the sideline and I had met Johnny several times.

Once during a game against Indianapolis I was walking with Johnny after the National Anthem.  A fan in the first row began yelling his name.  Johnny went over and shook her hand.  As we walked away I looked back and the woman was crying.  I looked at Johnny and said, “You know she’s crying now.”  He smiled and said, “Yeah I tend to do that sometimes.”

So my Dad was anxious to meet Johnny.  Johnny wasn’t there for pre-game that day but I knew where Johnny used to stand on the sidelines at halftime so I was going to have my Dad meet him.

Dad and my Uncle got to sit with the band while I put on my headset and went to work.  During the game I worked with the audio for the stadium coordinating the video boards with music, announcements, promotions, etc.   Usually during the game the band would get one or two time outs plus playing after each Ravens’ score.  I was pretty good during unexpected timeouts of working the band in.

In the second quarter a few minutes before we were going to pull the band from the stands for the halftime show I got a call that the field was going to be evacuated at the end of the half.  No one was allowed on the field.

No reason was given but considering all that the country had been through everyone was nervous.  I passed on the news to the band staff and admittedly I was very depressed.  I knew the opportunity for my Dad to meet Johnny Unitas wasn’t going to happen.  I went over to Dad and explained what was happening and he understood.

At halftime on the video screens President Bush announced bombing had begun in Afghanistan.  I’ve been to many games and heard fans cheer and boo for their team.

When President Bush made the announcement the stadium erupted in cheers.  I tingled and got goosebumps.  I took off my headset just to look around.  The sensation was overwhelming.

Cheering for a team is one thing.  Cheering for America, cheering for pain, cheering for retaliation, cheering for revenge, cheering for justice.  Whatever everyone was cheering for was surreal.  I quickly heard a voice on my headset and went back to work.

Bill Welch spent 10 years as a Drill Instructor for Baltimore's Marching Ravens

After the game I again apologized to my Dad about not meeting Johnny.  Dad thanked me.  I said it was great to have him come to the games.  He said it wasn’t that.  It was the fact I introduced him to everyone as my Dad.  See my Dad adopted me and had always thought I thought of him as my Step Dad.  I’ve always considered him my only Dad and spending that memorable weekend with him was something special.

Bill Welch spent 10 seasons as a Drill Instructor for Baltimore’s Marching Ravens