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

[OFFNY]

On 12/25/2016 at 8:14 AM, thezeroes said:

 

In the "Golden Age Of Radio", Baltimore had one of the few stations in WTOP that was a Super Station, and could be received on the old tube radio that we had in the barn when finishing up chores at night. This was around 1965.

 

 

 

On 12/25/2016 at 9:57 AM, Number5 said:

 

WTOP is and was a Washington, DC station. I think that perhaps you are thinking of WBAL.

 

o

 

In the summer of 1976, my brother Mark I were thrilled when we discovered that we could get Orioles games on WBAL on our radio all the way up here in Brewster, NY after 7 PM when all of the local radio stations went down ........ and often followed the games up by listening to The Nitecaps, with Herb Jepko.

 

Sing along, everybody ...... "We're the Nitecaps ...... nighty Nitecaps ...... and we hail from everywhere."

 

http://www.nitecaps.net/Audio/The%20Official%20Nitecap%20Song.MP3

 

o

[thezeroes]

2 hours ago, Number5 said:

WTOP is and was a Washington, DC station.  I think that perhaps you are thinking of WBAL.

1100 on the AM Dial was WBAL, 1500 on the AM Dial was WTOP,  WBAL would fade in in out if the wind was from the west because Cleveland Indians were on a station that was 1290 and Detroit Tigers was on a station that was 1310 and Chicago White Sox were at 1100 AM.  Give me the South East wind and it was WBAL but the West wind prevails in summer so it was WTOP. WTOP was the Super Station that used Group Westinghouse phone lines as antenna enhancers for rural Pennsylvania.

[Number5]

8 minutes ago, thezeroes said:

1100 on the AM Dial was WBAL, 1500 on the AM Dial was WTOP,  WBAL would fade in in out if the wind was from the west because Cleveland Indians were on a station that was 1290 and Detroit Tigers was on a station that was 1310 and Chicago White Sox were at 1100 AM.  Give me the South East wind and it was WBAL but the West wind prevails in summer so it was WTOP. WTOP was the Super Station that used Group Westinghouse phone lines as antenna enhancers for rural Pennsylvania.

The Orioles were not on WTOP in 1965.  The Senators were still in Washington.  WTOP joined the Orioles' network later, after the Senators moved to Texas.

[thezeroes]

51 minutes ago, Number5 said:

The Orioles were not on WTOP in 1965.  The Senators were still in Washington.  WTOP joined the Orioles' network later, after the Senators moved to Texas.

I listened to more games on WTOP over the years then I did WBAL.  If you want to argue the timing of how, when and where , you win but that was not what the OP asked.  I became and remained an Oriole fan because of an old ZENITH tube style radio that was affixed to a shelf in a dairy farm in NE Penna.  The three presets I had were 1100AM (1090), 1300AM (WFBR) and 1500AM.  Of the three stations the only one that was a Super Station was WTOP as I mentioned before.  I had listened to WBAL in the early years but got frustrated with the bleed over from other stations so I choose to have the selective memory of listening to WTOP over WBAL.

[Number5]

8 minutes ago, thezeroes said:

I listened to more games on WTOP over the years then I did WBAL.  If you want to argue the timing of how, when and where , you win but that was not what the OP asked.  I became and remained an Oriole fan because of an old ZENITH tube style radio that was affixed to a shelf in a dairy farm in NE Penna.  The three presets I had were 1100AM (1090), 1300AM (WFBR) and 1500AM.  Of the three stations the only one that was a Super Station was WTOP as I mentioned before.  I had listened to WBAL in the early years but got frustrated with the bleed over from other stations so I choose to have the selective memory of listening to WTOP over WBAL.

  I really don't care one way or the other.  I was just stating the fact that WTOP wasn't broadcasting Orioles games in 1965 and that, if you became an Oriole fan while listening to radio broadcasts in your barn in 1965, it would have been on WBAL.  I'm sorry if I have somehow offended you and I assure you that was not my intent.  Again, not a big deal, and by all means you should remember things any way you wish.

[KylOriole Ren]

This will be my first year giving baseball a go.  I've never been into the sport until now but for some reason I got bit by the BB bug and want to get into the it.

 

I went with The Orioles because they're one of the hometown teams and all of my friends boost them.

[thezeroes]

3 hours ago, Number5 said:

  I really don't care one way or the other.  I was just stating the fact that WTOP wasn't broadcasting Orioles games in 1965 and that, if you became an Oriole fan while listening to radio broadcasts in your barn in 1965, it would have been on WBAL.  I'm sorry if I have somehow offended you and I assure you that was not my intent.  Again, not a big deal, and by all means you should remember things any way you wish.

Was not offended in any manner.  No harm, no foul.  All is good.

[billw76]

I can always remember being a baseball fan, but became an Orioles fan around 1985-86. What made me a fan was the first time my family made the trip from Cumberland to Memorial Stadium to see my first game. Before that I was a Dale Murphy/Braves fan because superstation TBS was the only channel I remember seeing games on, and back then they only played braves games.

[OFFNY]

o

 

Baseball Fandom is Difficult

(By Andrew Stetka)

http://www.masnsports.com/orioles-buzz/2017/05/andrew-stetka-baseball-fandom-is-difficult.html

 

o

[ORIOLE33]

Been an O's fan since probably the late 70's. The reason I became a fan was most likely because I liked the orange jerseys they wore.

Orange was/is my favorite color.

 

[Tx Oriole]

On 12/23/2016 at 4:34 PM, Legend_Of_Joey said:

Just kind of happened. I always liked baseball as a kid and one of the first games I was taken to (that I can actually remember) was a Texas Rangers vs. Baltimore Orioles game. Nolan Ryan was pitching for Texas...

So, yes. I am a Rangers fan. But, the hometown team is the Orioles, so...I'll root for the Orioles when I go to the games. However, when Texas comes to town...

I was a Colt fan in 1958. Thought I had to be an Oriole fan too. 1959 was when I became an Orioles fan. Will always be a fan of the O's. Even though Angelos and DD makes it very difficult. 

 

 

f

[Luke-OH]

I went to my first O’s game a few days before Cal’s 2131 (I was 9 years old) and I’ve been a fan ever since.

[gtman55]

I went to my first game at Memorial Stadium with my dad around 1961. As a 6 year old, the one player that stood out to me was 1st baseman Jim Gentile.

Check this out:

Cool old commercial featuring Jim Gentile

[OFFNY]

On 3/16/2011 at 11:10 AM, 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

 

Bump, on the heels of the 2nd worst season in franchise history (1901-Present), and the worst season in club history (1954-Present.)

 

o

[El Gordo]