Why (and When) did You Become an Oriole Fan ???

[Number5]

Summer of 1958. We moved to Baltimore because my Dad got transferred at work. I fell in love with baseball and the Orioles that summer.

[jpdjoe]

I was born in Mets country - Borough of Queens, NYC. Don't remember any of it though; my family moved to New Jersey when I was young. Dad was a O's fan but the clincher was spending summers at Grandma's house on the Eastern Shore. Plenty of O's games on the TV there. We moved to Rochester, NY in the '90s when Rochester was still the AAA affiliate of the Orioles. Watching future Orioles (and current Orioles sent down for rehab, etc.) at the old Silver Stadium in Rochester was a hoot.

[duffaphonic]

I went with Uncle Jim to see Jackie Brandt, Jim Gentile and Luis Aparicio at Memorial Stadium when I was ten. And, of course, being a third baseman, I got to see my hero Brooks. I still have the newspaper from the WS sweep of the LA Dodgers.

This year has been the greatest.

[Orange_Crush]

I became an O's fan at birth(1988)

I'm from where the O's housed their AA team for many years. My old man grew up in the late 50's/60's and 70's. The O's had their AA team in town and guys like Earl Weaver and Cal Sr. were around. Thats my short story

And I HATE NY State teams so it worked.

[Orange_Crush]

I was born in Mets country - Borough of Queens, NYC. Don't remember any of it though; my family moved to New Jersey when I was young. Dad was a O's fan but the clincher was spending summers at Grandma's house on the Eastern Shore. Plenty of O's games on the TV there. We moved to Rochester, NY in the '90s when Rochester was still the AAA affiliate of the Orioles. Watching future Orioles (and current Orioles sent down for rehab, etc.) at the old Silver Stadium in Rochester was a hoot.

OT but I recall when the big club used to play the AAA team in an exhibition. I went to Rochester for that one year.

[OFFNY]

OFFNY said:

o

 

OK, the why for many posters is the obvious ......... some of you grew up in Maryland/Northern Virginia/etc, so you chose the home team. For some of us others, we have different reasons. But for all Oriole fans, at least share with us when you became an Oriole fan. Here is my story. I'd love to hear some more (I'm sure that many are quite interesting.) ) 

I have lived my whole life in Brewster, NY, and I love the Orioles (and I hate the Yankees.) I started rooting for the Orioles in October of 1971, when I was a six year-old boy in 1st grade. My whole family was rooting for the Pirates in the World Series because they liked Roberto Clemente ......... so naturally, I rooted for the Orioles. )  )I remember that we won Game 6 when an Orioles runner slid home underneath the Pirates' catcher who had leaped in the air for the throw (I later learned that it was Frank Robinson sliding underneath Manny Sanguillen.) I remember all of the Orioles hugging each other at home plate. The next day was a different story. It was a close game. My family was really excited with the Pirates having a 2-1 lead with only one out to go. I still remember the final out of the ninth inning. It was a groundout. My family whooped it up in the living room, while I went outside and pouted on the swing-set in our back yard in Brewster Heights. I've been bleeding orange and back ever since, and I haven't regretted my decision for one minute of my life. ) 

 

O

o
 

3 and-a-half years later ........

Are there any new members and/or people that would like to share the origins of the Orioles fandom ???

 

o

[MTOsFan]

I was born in 1970 on the Eastern Shore. It never even crossed my mind to root for another team. We'd head into Baltimore in my father's baby blue ford van and get to the stadium early for autographs and batting practice. My first ball came from Jim Palmer in the left field stands as he was shagging fly balls. My second from Al Bumbry on the same day. I was 7, and I still remember every sight and smell. One of my fondest memories. I remember crying in 1979 and developing a lifelong hatred for Willie Stargell and Sister Sledge. I moved to Montana in 1981 and struggled to follow the team from half the world away. My Dad bought us one of those old school giant satellite dishes just to get HTS so we could watch the O's. Ever since then I've watched religiously. I made my inaugural trip to OPACY for my 40th birthday and spent part of Opening Day with some of you at an event Tony put together. It's been a lifelong passion for me. I wouldn't trade any of it, 1988, the consecutive losing seasons, any of it. It's been an integral part of who I am.

[AngelicaPoe]

I remember that we won Game 6 when an Oriole runner slid home underneath the Pirates' catcher who had leaped in the air for the throw (I later learned that it was Frank Robinson sliding under Manny Sanguillen). I remember all of the Orioles hugging each other at home plate. The next day was a different story. It was a close game. My family was really excited with the Pirates having a 2-1 lead with only one out to go. I still remember the final out of the ninth inning. It was a groundout. My family whooped it up in the living room while I went outside and pouted on the swing-set in our back yard. I've been bleeding orange and back ever since, and I haven't regretted my decision for one minute of my life.

O

I was at Game 6 and what I remembered most about it was that Frank Robinson almost willed himself to manufacture that run.

Yes, game seven was quite a different story, i watched that from my grandmother's house on 29th Street, across from old Oriole Park that had burnt down, I think, in 1944. That was infamous Boog Powell cut off game, in which Boog cut off the throw from Paul Blair that some falsely claim could have prevented the eventual winning run from scoring had Boog not cut it off. I asked Boog about that when I met him last year and that accusation still haunts him. "I was right to cut that ball off, you can ask Paul Blair, he will back me up on it!"

I have been following the Orioles since 1954 but I will talk more about later on another thread.

[atomic]

I rooted for the Orioles because we moved to Maryland when I was a child. If I moved permanently to a new city I would eventually root for that team. If I moved to Europe soccer would become my favorite sport.

But I was a Redskins fan as a child as we lived in the DC suburbs for one year when we first came to Maryland. It was not until the Ravens had been here a few years that I converted to Ravens so maybe it won't be as quickly as I make it out but eventually my support would change.

[Malike]

I rooted for the Orioles because we moved to Maryland when I was a child. If I moved permanently to a new city I would eventually root for that team. If I moved to Europe soccer would become my favorite sport.

But I was a Redskins fan as a child as we lived in the DC suburbs for one year when we first came to Maryland. It was not until the Ravens had been here a few years that I converted to Ravens so maybe it won't be as quickly as I make it out but eventually my support would change.

So if you moved to NY you'd become a Yankee fan? I'm glad I didn't when we moved to NY.

[atomic]

So if you moved to NY you'd become a Yankee fan? I'm glad I didn't when we moved to NY.

Not a Yankees fan but I could see myself becoming a Mets fan. Plus I would never move to New York as it is too crowded. I went up their a lot for business at my first job out of college and it is a little bit overwhelming.

[TiredofLosing20]

1983. I was 11. World Series Cal Ripken, Eddie Murray, Mike Flanagan.

Oh, and I would remain an Orioles fan regardless of where I moved.

[Malike]

Not a Yankees fan but I could see myself becoming a Mets fan.

You might be the first person I've seen able to change their allegiance like they change their underwear. If I moved to Europe, I might like soccer just fine, but I'd still have MLB.TV so I could watch my Orioles.

[OFFNY]

MTOsFan said:

 

I was born in 1970 on the Eastern Shore. It never even crossed my mind to root for another team. We'd head into Baltimore in my father's baby blue ford van and get to the stadium early for autographs and batting practice. My first ball came from Jim Palmer in the left field stands as he was shagging fly balls. My second from Al Bumbry on the same day. I was 7, and I still remember every sight and smell. One of my fondest memories. I remember crying in 1979 and developing a lifelong hatred for Willie Stargell and Sister Sledge. I moved to Montana in 1981 and struggled to follow the team from half the world away. My Dad bought us one of those old school giant satellite dishes just to get HTS so we could watch the O's. Ever since then I've watched religiously. I made my inaugural trip to OPACY for my 40th birthday and spent part of Opening Day with some of you at an event Tony put together. It's been a lifelong passion for me. I wouldn't trade any of it, 1988, the consecutive losing seasons, any of it. It's been an integral part of who I am.

 

o

 

Billings, Montana ???

You were neighbors with Dave McNally. ) 

 

o

[atomic]

You might be the first person I've seen able to change their allegiance like they change their underwear. If I moved to Europe, I might like soccer just fine, but I'd still have MLB.TV so I could watch my Orioles.

I move all over the world when I was a child. What fun would it be to be an Orioles fan in San Francisco. I am sure I would follow the O's until most of the current left but at that point why would I care? I mean how many people on here are still Colt's fans?