Clem's Baseball home

Fans' impressions of
Memorial Stadium



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Andrew Clem, Staunton, VA -- Aug 29, 2006 14:32 PM
3 visit(s). My rating: 5
This was only the second baseball stadium I had ever been to, so it was hard to make any meaningful comparisons. It was definitely hot sitting way up in the roofless upper deck, but at least we had decent seats behind home plate. In a game against the Royals in mid-1986, I was lucky to see two superstars Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken play; the high-spirited Baltimore fans would chant Ed-die! Ed-die! every time the Hall of Fame first baseman came up to bat. Finding a place to park was very difficult each time I went, and the traffic in midtown Baltimore on the way back to Virginia was very frustrating. Still, the open view of the residential neighborhood beyond center field gave this ballpark somewhat of a homey feel.

James Sutton, St. Louis, MO -- Oct 09, 2006 15:31 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 6
I don't remember much about visiting this ballpark as a kid in the late 1980's. We sat in the upper deck in the infield, but we didn't feel too high up. Attendance was small but it was a nice place to watch a ballgame.


Tom DISQUE, HARPERS FERRY, WV -- Nov 17, 2007 09:49 AM
10 visit(s). My rating: 5
I loved this place! Growing up in Frederick, Md., I went to my first game in 1972. Vida Blue of the A's was pitching and the Orioles were the perrenial champs of the American League, but the A's were up and coming. As I walked up the seating ramps and saw the bright green grass and manicured infield for the first time, I was in awe and was hooked immediatly. In the early 80's, as a 20-year old, I remember vividly, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken running pre-game sprints in the outfield together. Eddie seemed to be mentoring Cal in a way. The mid 80's brought us Freddie Lynn who still had pop in his bat, as I remember him connecting on home runs, in I believe, (3) consecutive nights, that resulted in wins. I continually hope the Orioles will return to prominence and renew the "Oriole Way" back to a storied franchise.


Randy M, Louisville, KY -- Aug 14, 2008 14:09 PM
1 visit(s). My rating: 8
Saw the Orioles play the Oakland A's on July 2, 1971, only game I saw at Memorial Stadium. Brooks Robinson made 3 errors, 2 in one inning, both of which I think were career highs. During batting practice Vida Blue threw me a baseball over the visitor's dugout; I had been to a lot of games but never had experienced that. We left in the top of the 9th to "beat the traffic" and heard Frank Robinson's walk-off 3-run homer win it in the bottom of the 9th on the car radio. I have never left a game early since then. It did seem like the grass was more green here than any other stadium I have been in, especially when you first walked through the entry into the stands.


Russ Letra, Baltimore, MD -- Apr 21, 2010 17:24 PM
10 visit(s). My rating: 9
Memorial Stadium was located on 33rd street, not 34th. I was an usher there for 8 years. This stadium was my second home. I must have attended, either as a worker or a paying customer, close to 1,000 games there. It was a great place to work and a great place to watch a ballgame. As late as the early 1980's fans could buy an inexpensive general admission seat in the lower deck in foul territory. That's a far cry from the premium charges for so-called "outfield boxes". But my favorite spot to watch a night game was behind first base. In the summer time, fans could enjoy colorful sunsets behind left field as the first five innings of the games progressed. That was one of the benefits of having the upper deck extend only out to the foul lines. Camden Yards is great, but I sure miss Memorial Stadium.


Gary Borror, York, PA -- Dec 15, 2010 06:39 AM
10 visit(s). My rating: 9
Back in the Oriole "Glory Days" Baltimore was widely considered as a "big small town" despite being the 6th largest city in the U.S. at the time. Memorial Stadium fit that mold perfectly as it was nestled in the middle of a nice, well kept residential area. For years we paid $5.00 to park in the back yard of an elderly woman that we had befriended two blocks from the stadium. Memorial Stadium did not have all of the amenities that modern stadia are now equipped with but it was a very pleasant place to see a game probably because of the people. From the players in that era like Brooks and Frank Robinson to Jim Palmer, Earl Weaver and a host of others as well as the fans, all made the experience like being with family and friends. One on the field experience stands out. We were at a game in May of 1966 (May 12th?) when Frank Robinson hit the only ball ever hit out of the stadium over the left field wall.


Ed Katzman, Chicago, IL -- Aug 01, 2014 12:18 PM
5 visit(s). My rating: 7
My first game here was the first game of the '83 AL Championship. Lamar Hoyt was pitching for my White Sox. He had been almost unbeatable down the stretch. I sat in the uncovered upper deck right behind home plate. It rained in about the 7th and we all had to move to seek cover. Hoyt shut them down and all was great. Next night Mike Boddiker won for the O's. Sat behind the Sox dugout. Great views from both seats. In later years sat in a skybox behind home plate. My brother in law was a member of what was called the DH Club. It was a group of local businessmen who had helped keep the O's in town when they threatened to move to DC. They had this special skybox; plus, the team sponsored a trip for them to Miami for spring training. The park was in a residential neighborhood. I recall parking on the street a number of blocks away and walking to the park. I've enjoyed Camden Yards but I miss this place.



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