This will be the new blog, on a much easier site to use, and one hosted by the MLB.
Please continue to follow us in the new Orioles season. I have already been to 3 games, and have caught 3 baseballs. These are the quick highlights:
Adam Jones received his Gold Glove from Rawlings after an amazing 2009 season.
Bailey was a ballgirl for the first time, fielding 0 baseballs and have a few sections cheer for her. She did a great job, and hopefully a baseball will come to her in the next game. We wish her the best of luck.
We got to meet Andrea Bradley, the mother of Adam Jones, who is one of the sweetest and funniest ladies I have ever met. She loved getting to talk to us in person, after our conversations on facebook, and she made time for us even in the middle of the game (Adam wasn't up to bat). We all hope to see her again and hope that she is doing well and is happy.
Got to see Joe the Waiter and Yagoub for the last time at Diamond Tavern, as they will both be leaving.
New Blog:
http://thepenat86.mlblogs.com/
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Sarasota 2010
So as the 2010 season kicks off, its time to go back and re-live the Sarasota trip that 5 of us just took. It was a weekend trip, we got down to Florida Friday morning, and left Sunday afternoon. It was the most amazing trip, jokes and memories that will last for years, and we got to see some great baseball. The trip was made fun by a lot of the jokes, but I'll leave those out of this, because if I tried writing about them, it could take me a few days. I'll get down to the bare-bones of the trip, and let some of the other people that went fill in details that they think should be in this post.
On the flight down to FL we met a man sitting across the aisle, someone that works for the Orioles, Doug Reaves. We had a nice chat with him, and he told us about what he was coming down for, how he was bringing sponsors, and on Saturday, they were going to be at a CrabFeast with the Orioles. When we got to FL, we got a car, and after checking into our very nice hotel, drove over to Sarasota to see the city and have some lunch. We ended up eating at a place across the street from Ed Smith Stadium, the place the Orioles now call Spring Home, at a place called Gus's 12th Street Cafe. Great meal, nice people, beautiful location. After lunch, we hung out at the ballpark for a little while, walking around the entire complex. There are a few minor league fields and some practice fields, which are also very nice, and still in the same area as the ballpark. We then explored the city of Sarasota, went down to the water, and got to play on rocks- no one fell in, got injured or got to wet, so all in all, it was a lot of fun being down on the water.
Game Time. The anticipation of opening the gates for the first time was killing us, and once they opened the gates, the atmosphere was really relaxed, no one was rushing, and the players were pretty cool with talking to fans. Avi, Segev and I all caught a baseball (or 3 or 4). Once the game started, and we had a few autographs from players and coaches, and we had talked to both Ronnie Deck and some other guys from the bullpen that still recognized us, it was time for the game. Our seats were right by first base, in the first row of the entire ballpark. If we had tried, and leaned over, we could have taken some of the dirt home with us. The Orioles lost the first game, but overall, it was a great time. The players were really chill about everything, and even during the game, guys would sign autographs as if it were pre-game, and there was no game going on behind them. We didn't get to talk to Ronnie post game, but we did talk to a few other players, so that was still very cool. We went back to the hotel, and after a very long day, and an early wake up call the next day, crashed for the night.
Day 2: Saturday
Saturday was going to be an afternoon game- temps in the 80's. We were also invited to a party with the Orioles after the game, the thing that we had talked to Doug about. We saw Doug a few times before the game, and we were all very excited for the meal post game. Pre-game went the same as the first game, some baseballs, talked to Ronnie, and got some more autographs. There was also a guest at the Orioles game that I got meet-- Dick Vitale, a nationally known basketball commentator for ESPN. The game also went really well. The Orioles beat the Red Sox, there were some great spelling errors on the scoreboard, and we all got a very nice tan (and a little burned). After the game, we went to this CrabFeast, and got to sit down with about 20 players, who were walking around, eat great food, and get autographs. Matt Albers, who we talked to last year, came up to us and talked to us about Ronnie, life, the bullpen, and was overall a really cool guy. We also got to talk to Luke Scott, Kevin Millwood, Kam Mickolio, among others. It was a great afternoon and something that does not happen very often. We were also told that it was ok to go play on the main minor league field, so we went and played catch in the outfield, running around like 4 year olds that had no idea what to do with themselves. We were on the same field as the Orioles and we were playing catch! It was insane and very tiring in the hot day.
After the game, we drove over to some of the islands of Sarasota, and drove around on the coast. We went to a public beach somewhere on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and got to cool down on the hot day. After playing a round of mini-golf, we went back to Tampa for a late dinner and time around the hotel. Avi and I spent some time (until about 2 a.m.) in the Orioles suite on the top floor that they had for everyone that was part of on Orioles organized trip to Sarasota, and of course, our "family". There was enough food to last us a year, so we never went hungry. We were also allowed to go to the buffet breakfast, courtesy of the Orioles, where we were offered more food than any of us could eat. We were never hungry, which was good, and always taken care of.
Day 3: Sunday
On Sunday, we spent the day in the Orioles suite, since we had to be at the airport in the early afternoon, and there was no Orioles game. It rained the entire day, so we spent the day talking and joking with other Orioles fans and spending some time together not in the car or in the ballpark. The plane ride back was through a lot of turbulence, which was not at all fun, and boy, was the plane shaky. We got through it alright, and that was the trip.
An amazing weekend, that we're all really glad we got to have, and we all take away some great memories. Now it's time for the new Orioles season....Go O's!
On the flight down to FL we met a man sitting across the aisle, someone that works for the Orioles, Doug Reaves. We had a nice chat with him, and he told us about what he was coming down for, how he was bringing sponsors, and on Saturday, they were going to be at a CrabFeast with the Orioles. When we got to FL, we got a car, and after checking into our very nice hotel, drove over to Sarasota to see the city and have some lunch. We ended up eating at a place across the street from Ed Smith Stadium, the place the Orioles now call Spring Home, at a place called Gus's 12th Street Cafe. Great meal, nice people, beautiful location. After lunch, we hung out at the ballpark for a little while, walking around the entire complex. There are a few minor league fields and some practice fields, which are also very nice, and still in the same area as the ballpark. We then explored the city of Sarasota, went down to the water, and got to play on rocks- no one fell in, got injured or got to wet, so all in all, it was a lot of fun being down on the water.
Game Time. The anticipation of opening the gates for the first time was killing us, and once they opened the gates, the atmosphere was really relaxed, no one was rushing, and the players were pretty cool with talking to fans. Avi, Segev and I all caught a baseball (or 3 or 4). Once the game started, and we had a few autographs from players and coaches, and we had talked to both Ronnie Deck and some other guys from the bullpen that still recognized us, it was time for the game. Our seats were right by first base, in the first row of the entire ballpark. If we had tried, and leaned over, we could have taken some of the dirt home with us. The Orioles lost the first game, but overall, it was a great time. The players were really chill about everything, and even during the game, guys would sign autographs as if it were pre-game, and there was no game going on behind them. We didn't get to talk to Ronnie post game, but we did talk to a few other players, so that was still very cool. We went back to the hotel, and after a very long day, and an early wake up call the next day, crashed for the night.
Day 2: Saturday
Saturday was going to be an afternoon game- temps in the 80's. We were also invited to a party with the Orioles after the game, the thing that we had talked to Doug about. We saw Doug a few times before the game, and we were all very excited for the meal post game. Pre-game went the same as the first game, some baseballs, talked to Ronnie, and got some more autographs. There was also a guest at the Orioles game that I got meet-- Dick Vitale, a nationally known basketball commentator for ESPN. The game also went really well. The Orioles beat the Red Sox, there were some great spelling errors on the scoreboard, and we all got a very nice tan (and a little burned). After the game, we went to this CrabFeast, and got to sit down with about 20 players, who were walking around, eat great food, and get autographs. Matt Albers, who we talked to last year, came up to us and talked to us about Ronnie, life, the bullpen, and was overall a really cool guy. We also got to talk to Luke Scott, Kevin Millwood, Kam Mickolio, among others. It was a great afternoon and something that does not happen very often. We were also told that it was ok to go play on the main minor league field, so we went and played catch in the outfield, running around like 4 year olds that had no idea what to do with themselves. We were on the same field as the Orioles and we were playing catch! It was insane and very tiring in the hot day.
After the game, we drove over to some of the islands of Sarasota, and drove around on the coast. We went to a public beach somewhere on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and got to cool down on the hot day. After playing a round of mini-golf, we went back to Tampa for a late dinner and time around the hotel. Avi and I spent some time (until about 2 a.m.) in the Orioles suite on the top floor that they had for everyone that was part of on Orioles organized trip to Sarasota, and of course, our "family". There was enough food to last us a year, so we never went hungry. We were also allowed to go to the buffet breakfast, courtesy of the Orioles, where we were offered more food than any of us could eat. We were never hungry, which was good, and always taken care of.
Day 3: Sunday
On Sunday, we spent the day in the Orioles suite, since we had to be at the airport in the early afternoon, and there was no Orioles game. It rained the entire day, so we spent the day talking and joking with other Orioles fans and spending some time together not in the car or in the ballpark. The plane ride back was through a lot of turbulence, which was not at all fun, and boy, was the plane shaky. We got through it alright, and that was the trip.
An amazing weekend, that we're all really glad we got to have, and we all take away some great memories. Now it's time for the new Orioles season....Go O's!
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Very Exciting News
It has been a while since the last time I posted anything new about our Orioles adventures, yet so much has happened. I promise to get better about posting things when they happen, rather than waiting. So here goes, in a nut shell, (there may be a longer post with pictures about many of these things and more later on); Avi, Segev, Bailey and I are all going to SARASOTA, FLORIDA for the Orioles Spring Training. We won the trip with MASN and now we're headed down for a weekend to spend some time under the sun with baseball. We're very excited, been planning this for weeks now, and now all we need is for time to pass so we can hop on that plane!!!
In other news, Bailey will be a ballgirl for the Orioles this year, which is extremely cool and something that most fans would love to do, but never get the chance. We all hope she has a great experience, stays healthy (she's a softball player, so hopefully she won't get hit) and has a summer that she won't soon forget.
Thats it for the very exciting news, more later on a weekend with the Baltimore Blast and Baltimore Lacrosse at M&T Bank Stadium.
Until then, less than 3 weeks until Opening Day, Go O's!
In other news, Bailey will be a ballgirl for the Orioles this year, which is extremely cool and something that most fans would love to do, but never get the chance. We all hope she has a great experience, stays healthy (she's a softball player, so hopefully she won't get hit) and has a summer that she won't soon forget.
Thats it for the very exciting news, more later on a weekend with the Baltimore Blast and Baltimore Lacrosse at M&T Bank Stadium.
Until then, less than 3 weeks until Opening Day, Go O's!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
FanFest 2010!
It's finally here, and it was one of the best days we've had in a while. It was a jam packed day, and even though I'm not going to put any pictures up until later, we have a lot to write about. The day started out around 8 in the morning with Bailey and Beverly, who would be joining us for the day. We then made a long drive down to the park (only got lost a little bit) and got in line about 20 minutes before gates opened.
The entire thing was going to be at the Convention Center, and by the time we went in, the line wrapped around almost the entire way. By the end of the day, they announced that there were close to 12,000 people there, which is great because that means people are excited about the season. But enough general--lets go into what happened. There were autograph tables set up all day, and we started out with Matt Weiters, Nolan Reimold, and of course, Jim Palmer. Palmer is a great guy and was very nice to all of us. There were forums and activities all day, and we did get to participate in a lot of those. When we weren't standing in line for autographs, we did get to walk around, shopping, talking to other fans and of course players.
At the MASN station, Segev, Bailey, Beverly, and I were chosen (extremely exciting) to play a game of Family Fued (as the Goldberg family). The game was hosted by Amber Theoharis, and after 3 rounds, we were the winners (in dramatic fashion) and now have tickets to one game in the MASN Suite, where we will be joined by broadcasters and MASN personalities. People started to recognize us all around FanFest which was cool, and we're all very excited to go to the game. We are also now entered to win a trip to Orioles Spring Training. We'll have to see if that works out.
Later on, after more walking around and more autographs, I went back with Bailey to play Skee-Ball, with a prize that if I could sink it in the corner hole, I would win the 900 page Orioles Encyclopedia. I've always wanted the book so it would be cool to win. On my second shot, with supporters behind me, I sank the shot, won the book (which I won again later-- they wouldn't give it to me because I'd already won) and then got to meet the editor/compiler/author, where he signed by book.
At this point, we had gotten lots of free stuff from pretty much everywhere-- Matt Albers and Alan Dunn recognized us and said hello, which was cool, and Bailey and I got to meet and take pictures with our new pitcher Mike Gonzalez. Some of us got to meet Scott McGregor who pitched, and won, the last game of the 1983 World Series. Avi and Segev will have more stories, and I will post them, but overall, we have the same idea-- FanFest was amazing, and the upcoming season will be so much fun.
Go O's!!!!
The entire thing was going to be at the Convention Center, and by the time we went in, the line wrapped around almost the entire way. By the end of the day, they announced that there were close to 12,000 people there, which is great because that means people are excited about the season. But enough general--lets go into what happened. There were autograph tables set up all day, and we started out with Matt Weiters, Nolan Reimold, and of course, Jim Palmer. Palmer is a great guy and was very nice to all of us. There were forums and activities all day, and we did get to participate in a lot of those. When we weren't standing in line for autographs, we did get to walk around, shopping, talking to other fans and of course players.
At the MASN station, Segev, Bailey, Beverly, and I were chosen (extremely exciting) to play a game of Family Fued (as the Goldberg family). The game was hosted by Amber Theoharis, and after 3 rounds, we were the winners (in dramatic fashion) and now have tickets to one game in the MASN Suite, where we will be joined by broadcasters and MASN personalities. People started to recognize us all around FanFest which was cool, and we're all very excited to go to the game. We are also now entered to win a trip to Orioles Spring Training. We'll have to see if that works out.
Later on, after more walking around and more autographs, I went back with Bailey to play Skee-Ball, with a prize that if I could sink it in the corner hole, I would win the 900 page Orioles Encyclopedia. I've always wanted the book so it would be cool to win. On my second shot, with supporters behind me, I sank the shot, won the book (which I won again later-- they wouldn't give it to me because I'd already won) and then got to meet the editor/compiler/author, where he signed by book.
At this point, we had gotten lots of free stuff from pretty much everywhere-- Matt Albers and Alan Dunn recognized us and said hello, which was cool, and Bailey and I got to meet and take pictures with our new pitcher Mike Gonzalez. Some of us got to meet Scott McGregor who pitched, and won, the last game of the 1983 World Series. Avi and Segev will have more stories, and I will post them, but overall, we have the same idea-- FanFest was amazing, and the upcoming season will be so much fun.
Go O's!!!!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
HOF 2010
This isn't Orioles related, but Andre Dawson will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year-- he joins an elite club of the greatest MLB players of all time.
Bert Blyleven just missed out, along with a few other players making next years race even more exciting.
But again, congrats to Andre Dawson!
Bert Blyleven just missed out, along with a few other players making next years race even more exciting.
But again, congrats to Andre Dawson!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Updates
So Avi and I are now Season ticket holders, and Segev will be within the week, which is exciting. Avi and I got, as a reward for buying the plan, a signed picture of Matt Wieters hitting his first MLB hit, a triple, at home. It looks great, in a nice card, glossy picture, something to be proud of. I love it, and it'll sit on my shelf with some other signed baseballs. Avi also got really nice Orioles shoes, so now from head to toe we can show our support of the Orioles. FanFest is in 19 days, so that's going to be a thrill, and Ronnie Deck finally got back to us which was great. We love hearing from the players, and hopefully at FanFest we'll be able to catch up with a few of them.
Also, for those who don't follow, Danys Baez was signed by the Phillies for 2 years. I'm so happy for him, and in the long run, that works out pretty well for us. We'll be able to see him when he comes down to DC and since we can go up to Philly and to Pittsburgh, we may be able to see him a few times during the year.
That's all the news I have for right now, but there will be more soon, and absolutely a big post right after FanFest, with contributions from the 3 of us.
And finally,
Go O's!
Also, for those who don't follow, Danys Baez was signed by the Phillies for 2 years. I'm so happy for him, and in the long run, that works out pretty well for us. We'll be able to see him when he comes down to DC and since we can go up to Philly and to Pittsburgh, we may be able to see him a few times during the year.
That's all the news I have for right now, but there will be more soon, and absolutely a big post right after FanFest, with contributions from the 3 of us.
And finally,
Go O's!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Sports Legends Museum
Last weekend, we all went downtown to celebrate and enjoy the dollar days that all area museums were providing. The admission to the museum was one dollar for each of us. So we went down around 2, and spent a few hours in the museum. Over the past year, we have each become bigger O's fans, appreciating the rich history and of course all the great players and moments we have been involved in. We also love the rest of the sports in Maryland, so this is the perfect museum. Before we went into the museum we went over to the ballpark to see the place we spent so much time and this is what we saw: 
Yes- some of the seats had been pulled out. They are replacing the concrete, and this is how they were doing it. It looked very odd, but it'll be nice to have new concrete and a good base.
Yes- some of the seats had been pulled out. They are replacing the concrete, and this is how they were doing it. It looked very odd, but it'll be nice to have new concrete and a good base.
The museum part of the day was amazing. There are so many pictures and since I can't share all of them, I'll show all the trophy's they have--(in order of the pictures) 1983 World Series Trophy, 1970 WS Trophy, Mens and Womens National Championship Trophy ( UMD basketball), and the Super Bowl V Trophy (Baltimore Colts). 
This of course was only a small portion of the day, (we got to put on different jerseys, including a UMD and Navy Football jersey, we got to see the 2131 banner, and lots of different Orioles and Ravens/Colts memorabilia. It was a great day, and it was worth going out in the rain to see this. More on the offseason later and also keep checking with Avi's blog. Go O's!!
This of course was only a small portion of the day, (we got to put on different jerseys, including a UMD and Navy Football jersey, we got to see the 2131 banner, and lots of different Orioles and Ravens/Colts memorabilia. It was a great day, and it was worth going out in the rain to see this. More on the offseason later and also keep checking with Avi's blog. Go O's!!
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