Non Tex related: Orioles/celebrity sightings/encounters

[OregonBird]

OK guys, I haven't lived in Baltimore since 7/03. One of the things I miss was the random Orioles encounter. You know, seeing some scrub bench player scamming ugly young chicks at a bar, etc.

Can any of you share any sightings or encounters? Perhaps you bumped into Sidney Ponson dancing at the Baja Beach club or something like that. I'm interesting in learning more about our current/former players colorful personalities.

Sorry, this thread isn't Tex related. I needed a break.

[Boy Howdy]

Two times I recall randomly running into Orioles away from the ballpark (not counting scheduled appearances and such):

Seeing 1988 RHP Oswald Peraza strolling in that little shopping center across the street from Calvert Hall. I was young and had been bothering him at the ballpark about a trading me a hat for some pictures I'd taken of him. He told "tomorrow" for at least the 20th time, but eventually came through.

Pumped gas next to Scott McGregor on Loch Raven Boulevard some years after his retirement. Just wished him the best and thanked him for all the great memories and he was cool about it like he always is.

[OregonBird]

Somebody must have some good Ponson or Scott Erickson stories.

No Freddie "Boom Boom" Bynum stories?

[hendu]

Where do I begin?

-Since DCab is fresh in our minds, I'll start with him. My girlfriend and I saw him standing in the middle of the Canton square two years ago, randomly doing nothing at about midnight. He had one of those huge wallet chains hanging out of his pocket. I told her who it was, and she went to try to talk to him. She told him to win some games, and he had absolutely no clue what she was saying. It was about 1 week before he almost threw the no-hitter at Yankee Stadium

-The absolute funniest group was with Nick Markakis, Aubrey Huff, and Jay Gibbons after an afternoon game. We ran into them at Claddagh's Pub in Canton. Let's put it this way, Huff was trying to get laid. This also came two months before his horsesh#t comments, which seemed a little ironic.

He and Gibbons were sitting at a table with these two younger chicks. Huff was just laying it on them. He literally smoked an entire pack of cigarettes, which he was lighting with the candle on the table. He came up to the bar, and said to me, "Indians fan, huh?" (I was wearing a youth large Travis Hafner jersey since I'm from North Dakota, so he's the only other non-orioles player that I follow). I told him, "surprisingly, I actually eat, drink and sleep Orioles". I was actually at the game that afternoon, and he had an amazing defensive game with a couple of ridiculous diving plays. I told him that if he keeps it up that Mora wasn't gonna have a job when he came of the DL. He said, "He ain't comin back, he's f!#ked up." (I think Mora was back in about a week).

My girlfriend went up to Gibby and told him how her little brother just loved him, and Huff asked, "Why would he like this guy, he sucks". Gibby was takin pictures with us and signed a cocktail napkin for her brother.

Markakis wasn't even anywhere near those other two which was kind of weird. He had his hat pulled over his eyes and was wearing an "Orange Crush" t-shirt, and he was surrounded by a posse of 350 black dudes. He basicially just stood against the wall and didn't say anything.

-The exact night before Gibbons was released, we saw he and Millar out at the Lodge Bar. Millar is a family guy, but it looked like they were trying to go out in a blaze of glory that night. They were decked out in the button downs and Millar had on a bottle and a half of cologne. A fight broke out at the bar, and they left shortly thereafter. Gibbons seriously, for good reason, looked like someone had run over his dog, and Millar just basically looked like he was forcing him to have a good time.

I've seen O's all over the place, but I think the funniest time is to see them trashed. Huff was just crazy.

[OrioleBird79]

OK guys, I haven't lived in Baltimore since 7/03. One of the things I miss was the random Orioles encounter. You know, seeing some scrub bench player scamming ugly young chicks at a bar, etc.

Can any of you share any sightings or encounters? Perhaps you bumped into Sidney Ponson dancing at the Baja Beach club or something like that. I'm interesting in learning more about our current/former players colorful personalities.

Sorry, this thread isn't Tex related. I needed a break.

Go to the club which took the place of Ricks Cafe in Canton. Markakis used to hangout at Ricks Cafe all the time. I saw him there twice a month. The club brings Orioles and other players in too. I have see Ramon Hernandez and a few other Orioles there numerous times. Go there on a Saturday night when the Orioles are playing at home.

[OregonBird]

Those are some awesome stories Hendu....

[L.D.Blair]

Grew up in Bel Air. Played Little League Ball against Havre de Grace. We were playing at Bel Air High School, where the field had no fences. They had this really big kid. Really tall player. First at bat, he knocked a home run over the head of our left fielder. Next at bat, our coach backed him up about 15 feet and he did it again. Next at bat, coach backed him up about 15 feet more and he did it again. But to right field.

He wasn't bald, then, by the way.

[JohnnyK27]

Ponson ... Ricks American cafe ...Around the time he was DWI'd...He was apparently a regular

[Enjoy Terror]

-Was walking from the subway to my friends apartment in Chicago with my luggage. I had just taken the orange line from Midway to the Magnificent Mile, we were going to see the Orioles play game two of the Cubs series last summer. Bumped right into Jeremy Guthrie. He was wearing jeans and plaid button down shirt. I just said "Great game last night Jeremy" and he smiled, said thanks and kept walking. Pretty much on cloud 9 the rest of the day.

-Was taking my routine evening jog around the Inner Harbor, saw Garrett Olson sitting on the steps in front of Barnes and Noble, yakkin on a cell phone.

[Night Owl]

For the old timers used to see John Orsino and Curt Blefary at Brook's Lounge on Reisterstown Rd. They were both regulars.

[dan-O]

Only Oriole I've seen in "real life" was Chris Gomez at the Columbia Mall. He looked pretty unasuming, save for the blinged out wrist watch. T-shirt and shorts. I think he was checking into a salon to get a haircut. I wasn't sure it was him so I kept staring at him, and he looked at me like "is that guy staring at me?"

[gold21030]

Last Year I saw Adam Jones at the airport, apparently he was coming for some physical? I don't know.

[Avsfan]

I used to work at Ledo Pizza in Hunt Valley....a lot of the players live(d) in the cockeysville/hunt valley/ MD line area....so it was always a place to come. Encounters w/ Flanny, BJ Surhoff (was a regular), Cal brought his whole basketball team one day, Mussina, and Albert Belle. Also got a fair amount of Ravens players in there as well.

[glorydays]

I saw Scott Erickson and his girlfriend at the time (she was a sideline reporter for MNF - can't remember her name) at Mickey Mantle's restaurant in NYC. He didn't appear to want to be bothered...

[Trinidad]

NON -Oriole run-in, but still

I ran into Shannon Sharpe at a Ruby Tuesday's in Marietta, GA. This as about a week and a half after the Ravens won the Super Bowl. I was sitting at the bar waiting for a friend to get off work and he came up next to me to pay a bar tab and I just said...."Hey Congratulations" and he turned to me and said "Thanks alot, man." End of story.