That happened about a month ago when I saw an Instagram post highlighting the rather unusual “Star-Spangled Banner” performance prior to a Baltimore Orioles’ game at Camden Yards.
There before me was a fella named Chris Ullman who whistled – yes, you’re reading that correctly – whistled the United States’ National Anthem.
Two things to note before I move on:
My children pointed out to me several years ago that I am a whistler. Not a good whistler, necessarily, but as I yutz about the house doing whatever it is that I’m doing, there’s a better-than-average chance that I’ll be whistling something.
I’ve always wanted to have an anthem singer join me as a guest on Conversations. I was close, a year or so ago, to landing a notable one but our dialogue fizzled when it came time to schedule the call☹
Chris, I figured, seemed quirky enough (in a good way!) that he might want to join the Conversation. Of course, I had no idea if he was even a sports fan, but I did discover he was a competitor, having won the international whistling championship four times over enroute to earning a sport in the Whistling Hall of Fame.
You can imagine my delight when I discovered Chris had a website (link here) that included a way to contact him.
A brief back-and-forth ensued which resulted in you about to learn what it takes to become a championship whistler, how one gets ushered into an Oval Office command performance for President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney that included a “Dueling Banjos” duet with his then-boss and future Indiana Governor and Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, and how to find your whistle … which also happens to be the title of Chris’ 2017 memoir (linked here).
Find the TEDx MidAtlantic talk Chris references here and follow him on Instagram here.
My Conversation with champion whistler, Chris Ullman.
With Major League Baseball’s Spring Training in full swing, we thought it’d be fun to take a trip down memory lane with a few variations on a theme of campy group MLB photos. Let’s see how you do figuring out who’s in each of the following three images that have a similar appearance.
Image 1
Who are these four Bums from Brooklyn and, as a bonus, who’s the tennis star egging them on?
This fun group was photographed in Vero Beach, FL, circa 1955 or so. At far right is professional tennis player, Gussie Moran, who did some work as a sportscaster at New York’s WMGM radio station. This undated photo may have been while she was there. Moran’s highest U.S. ranking was fourth and she advanced to the U.S. Open singles semifinals in 1948 and the Wimbledon singles quarterfinals in 1950.
The Brooklyn Dodgers leaping skyward with their tennis rackets are, from left, Don Zimmer, Duke Snider, Carl Erskine, Walt Moryn. Erskine was the last surviving member of this photo, dying at the age of 97 on April 16, 2024.
From left, Don Zimmer, Duke Snider, Carl Erskine, Walt Moryn, and Gussie Moran. (Brooklyn Dodgers Photo)
Image 2
There are 27 Gold Gloves, 24 All-Star appearances, two MVP winners, and one World Series-winning manager in this photo.
The Baltimore Orioles of the late 1960s and early 1970s were a talented team that’s for sure. Most of the notoriety went to the pitching staff that featured the likes of Mike Cuellar, Dave McNally, and Jim Palmer. It’s infield wasn’t too shabby, either. In this undated spring training photo is Baltimore’s starting infield of Brooks Robinson, Mark Belanger, Davey Johnson, and Boog Powell.
Of those Gold Gloves referenced in the clue, 24 of them were on the left side of the infield. Robinson won 16 and Belanger eight!
From left, Brooks Robinson, Mark Belanger, Davey Johnson, and Boog Powell flash some leather during spring training. (Baltimore Orioles Photo)
Image 3
There are nearly 10,000 career base hits, 42 All-Star appearances, four MVP winners, and two Rookies of the Year in this photo.
What a star-studded quartet this was in the middle of the California Angels’ lineup during the 1982 season! Sure, each of them was beginning to play the proverbial back nine by the time they gathered in Anaheim, but Don Baylor, Rod Carew, Reggie Jackson, and Fred Lynn posed a formidable heart of the batting order.
Carew and Jackson both have plaques hanging in Cooperstown, Lynn was the first league Rookie of the Year and MVP in the same season (1975 Boston Red Sox), and Baylor was as professional a hitter as they came.
Here’s a look at their career totals:
Baylor – 2,292 Games/2,135 Hits/338 HRs/1,276 RBIs/.260 BA/1979 AL MVP
From left, Fred Lynn, Don Baylor, Reggie Jackson, and Rod Carew. (California Angels Photo)
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
You’d think it’d be exhausting shaking all those hands. Not for this fella, apparently.
If it seemed to baseball fans of the 1980s and 1990s that Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. was always in the lineup … well, that’s because he was!
For 16 consecutive seasons Ripken was either at shortstop or third base for the Orioles. On September 6, 1995, he surpassed the consecutive games played mark established 56 seasons earlier by Lou Gehrig (2,130) when the Iron Horse was famously sidelined due to his physical struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) now more commonly known as Lou Gehrig Disease. Like he did the previous two games against the visiting California Angels, Ripken homered; this time following his achievement’s celebration. The streak began on May 30, 1992 in Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Baltimore Orioles fans congratulate shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. shortly after he broke Lou Gehrig’s consecutive games played record at Camden Yards in Baltimore on September 6, 1995. Ripken would end his own streak at 2,632 games in 1998, surpassing Gehrig’s record by 502 games. (Photo by Walter Iooss Jr./Sports Illustrated)
Ripken’s streak came to an end at 2,632 consecutive games just over three seasons later when he took himself out of the lineup on September 20, 1998 during the Orioles’ home finale against the New York Yankees. He was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007; his first year of eligibility.
This video captures the final outs before the September 6, 1995 game became official and the subsequent ovation and lap that Ripken took around Camden Yards to acknowledge the fans.
Here’s the moment Ripken’s streak ended on September 20, 1998.
Just to review, The Fan Teaser was the creation of former Ann Arbor News Sports Editor Geoff Larcom. Longtime friend and fellow Ann Arbor News alum, Pat Schutte, took it to heights previously unknown. We aim to keep it alive here at The Sports Fan Project. The cropped photo and the accompanying clue give you an idea as to who or what the image is of. We invite you to use the Comment option to take a crack at solving the Teaser and, if you’re so inclined, participate in some good-spirited banter with your fellow sports fans. The Fan Teaser will appear each Friday morning with the reveal coming to you Sunday.
The main entrance and scoreboard at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
For some baseball chasers, you just can’t get enough travel.
That seems to be the case with Dave, who I first met on last year’s tour with Diamond Baseball Tours. This year, he was on the Hall of Fame Tour with Coast 2 Coast Sports Tours. It was one of four tours he went on this year.
In fact, Dave, who is a retired Cleveland Guardian fan, was taking another tour as the Coast 2 Coast one ended. He was doing the West Coast Swing with Diamond, but Dave doesn’t like to fly. So, about a week after returning home from the Hall of Fame tour, he hopped on a train cross country, ending up in Las Vegas, where the Diamond tour started.
While some chasers will just go to each stadium once, others will revisit sometimes two or three times.
That’s how it was with me and Oriole Park at Camden Yards (that’s the official name, but most people just call it Camden Yards or OPACY). The final game of the Hall of Fame tour was my second visit to Camden and I wouldn’t hesitate to go back again. It is one of my favorite parks.
It helps that the Orioles are fielding a very good team now, but it’s also just a great atmosphere to watch a game. And a great view with the old B&O Warehouse overlooking the field. It also holds a special place in my heart, because it was one of the parks I got to see with my brother. If you remember, he passed away unexpectedly six years ago.
The Baltimore & Ohio Warehouse looms beyond the outfield wall at Camden Yards.
On to the stadium, which was opened in April 6, 1992.
The most striking feature is that warehouse, which is located on Eutaw Street and runs directly through the ballpark. Obviously, it is closed to vehicles now. During game days, the street is closed to the public, but on non-game days, you can stroll from one side to the other, but there is no access to the stadium.
The floors of the warehouse contain offices, service spaces, and a private club.
Many home runs land on Eutaw Street; 122 and counting, to be exact. And each one is given a special circular plaque, with the players name and date. Lasers and cameras are used to pinpoint exact placement. Former Detroit Tiger catcher Mickey Tettleton was the first one to hit the street on April 20, 1992.
No one has hit the warehouse on the fly during an actual game yet. Seattle’s Ken Griffey Jr. did it once during batting practice of 1993 Home Run Derby during the All-Star Game festivities. There is a plaque on the wall, marking the moment.
The Ken Griffey Jr. plaque commemorates his hitting the Warehouse on the fly.
Eutaw Street is the place to be in Camden Yards. The Orioles team store is located inside the warehouse on the ground floor. Boog’s Barbecue outdoor stand is out in center field. Boog Powell was an Orioles’ first baseman from 1961 to 1974. You can also see the Orioles Hall of Fame.
Inside the stadium, you will find Legends Park, with six statues of former Oriole greats. They included Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson, outfielder Frank Robinson, pitcher Jim Palmer, first baseman Eddie Murray, shortstop Cal Ripken Jr., and manager Earl Weaver in a picnic grove in left field.
Statues of Baltimore Orioles’ Hall of Famers, clockwise from upper left, Brooks Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., Earl Weaver, Eddie Murray, Jim Palmer, and Frank Robinson.
There is also a statue dedicated to Babe Ruth, called Babe’s Dream, located just outside the park on Eutaw Street. Ruth was born in Baltimore, raised in an orphanage there and played for the Orioles, who were a minor league team at the time. His birthplace is within walking distance of Camden Yards and can be visited as the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum. It’s about a block or two from the left field stands. Ruth’s parents’ home was located about where second base is.
Back inside the stadium, there are two orange seats, marking the home runs by Ripken Jr. and Murray. The one in right center field marks Murray’s 500th home run. The one in left field marks Ripken’s 278th home run, which broke Chicago Cubs’ Ernie Banks record for home runs by a shortstop.
When Camden was built in 1992, it inspired the retro-classic trend for new construction, instead of the cookie cutter, multi-purpose stadiums that had been popular.
Renovations made in 2022 raised the left field wall from seven feet to about 13 feet. It was also moved back 26 ½ feet, which eliminated the first 10 rows of outfield bleacher seats. That first major renovation lowered the capacity to 44,970.
The area where the fences were moved back in leftfield following the 2022 renovations.
Current dimensions are as follows: left field line (333 feet), straight away left (384 feet), left-center field (398 feet), deep left center (410 feet), center field (400 feet), right-center (373 feet), and right field line (318 feet).
Food options are plentiful in Camden. Baltimore is known for its crab and crab cakes, so of course that is prevalent in the menu. Some of the highlights include the Yard Dog, which is three hot dogs stacked in a footlong bun, topped with creamy crab dip, and Old Bay-seasoned potato sticks. The crab pretzel boule is a soft-baked pretzel boule, dipped in garlic butter and stuffed with Maryland-style crab dip, cheddar cheese, and Old Bay seasoning.
One of the more popular concession stands is Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. There are several locations throughout the city, but the Camden Yards location features crab cake egg rolls, crab cake sandwich, and crabby fries.
GAME RESULT: Seattle scored early and often off Baltimore starter Kyle Gibson, who gave up five runs on seven hits in just three innings. The Mariners got home runs from Tom Murphy and Teoscar Hernandez. Seattle tacked on seven runs in the eighth inning to slam the door shut and win, 13-1. Mariner pitcher Logan Gilbert threw seven strong innings, allowing just one run on two hits with five strikeouts. Anthony Santander had the lone run for the Orioles with a home run in the seventh. The game started with an hour and 40-minute rain delay, which I suppose is fitting since the tour started with a rain out in Boston. There was also rain in Washington, D.C., but it did not delay the game.
Previous Installments of the Great Ballpark Chase by Tim Russell
