‘Best year ever’: Fans gear up for Orioles playoff game; concert could snarl traffic
The Saturday afternoon game is against the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards — but it’s not the only excitement in town.
“Just hours after the baseball game, it’s Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks in another stadium that shares the same parking,” says WBAL reporter Scott Wykoff.
Orioles Park at Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium share the same parking lots. The Orioles game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
“The hope is to open up those parking lots to the concert goers around 5:30 or so, hoping that all the Orioles fans will already be be gone,” Wykoff said. “Who knows — with weather and maybe even extra innings that could throw a wrench into the plans.”
Wykoff said with both a playoff game and major concert, “This is one of the biggest days the City of Baltimore has had in a long time.”
“Though it may be a little bit of a hassle to find a parking spot, folks are excited it’s going on, and they like to have problems like this,” Wykoff said.
An alternative to parking would be to take light rail right to Orioles Park at Camden Yards: “You could just walk right into the ballpark, there by the warehouse,” he said.
Friday morning, the team hosted an Orioles car stencil drive-thru, where fans could show their spirit with an orange chalk stencil of the team logo.
“We’re obsessed with the Orioles,” enthused fan. “We love them. We’ve been to over 20 games this year. It’s just the best year ever.”
“They’re bringing a lot of excitement to the city, another fan said.
“It’s been a long time — 1983 — since the Birds brought home a World Championship,” said Wykoff. “A lot of fans are thinking about that — Orioles fan of old, and Orioles fans of new.”