Eutaw Street in Camden Yards should now be known as ‘The Oriole Way’
Eutaw Street, Oriole Park at Camden Yards, October 1, 2023 | © Andrew Sgroi
The white-knuckled Oriole Park lease negotiations have mercifully settled and, arguably more important, the Orioles laborious rebuild is officially over.
Last Thursday night, Charm City tasted victory unlike any other in recent memory.
The ‘Buckle Up O’s’ sadly—but suitably, in the sense of evolving as an organization—fade a little more into Orioles lore.
Baltimore is irrefutably back, with the glory years of Orioles baseball serving as a guide for these young Birds.
But this historic week was most punctuated by something far more relevant to our lives.
Rest in Eternal Peace, Brooks Robinson.
The stories of the man’s simple touch of humanity are limitless. That’s easily our grace as we fondly, and dutifully, remember him.
I had my own brief, but profound, interaction with the legend.
It was during a rain delay at Memorial Stadium in late April, or early May, of 1982 or ‘83. The California Angels—and Rod Carew—were in town. My father took me to the weeknight game, and we sat under cover in our perch known as the Mezzanine Level. Remarkably, our seats that night happened to be located on the third base side.
No, Brooksie wasn’t manning the hot corner. He had long since retired. Instead, he was a part of the Orioles television broadcast team during that era and—paired with legendary play-by-play man, Chuck Thompson—the duo was as much appointment TV as the team they covered.
As the steady rain became a bit more of a deluge—and it was becoming more apparent that waiting out Mother Nature was an exercise in futility—my Pop decided to manufacture some consolation for our 80-minute journey down from Delaware.
You see, the press box at Memorial Stadium was located in that Mezzanine Level, situated behind home plate. And the broadcast booths were adjacent to it.
So, since we were already up in that level, Pop told me to follow him.
Having no idea where he was taking me, I recall taking a relatively short walk into a mostly unsecured hallway. At the other end was a door and—though I don’t exactly know how Pop convinced the guard to allow us inside that door (that’s Pop, by the way…always act like you belong)—the next thing I remember, I’m standing in front of Brooks and Mr. Thompson.
After my father introduced us and told them where we were from, Brooksie looked down at me and smiled. As I shook the 16-time Gold Glove hand he stretched out to me, he asked if I played baseball. I told him I did and proudly shared that I played second base. He congratulated me and encouraged me to keep playing hard and to always enjoy myself.
I remember how incredibly warm and gracious he was to us during the brief encounter, and I’ll never forget what he said as we took leave of the booth.
“It was really nice meeting you, Andrew.”
The void that Brooksie’s passing leaves for Orioles fans is, without question, vast and full of sorrow.
But Birdland is not without hope.
Certainly, this year’s spectacular team provides us with a delirious diversion from the pain of losing Baltimore’s truest ambassador, in either baseball or human terms.
But we can also take solace from the unique culture that the great Orioles of the past created. That is, the tried-and-true triad of pitching, defense, and the 3-run home run—also known as ‘The Oriole Way.’
Brooks Robinson was indisputably the very embodiment of that second merit for greatness, while also showcasing his opportunistic bat to provide ample occasions for the third. So, as he joins both Earl Weaver (The Oriole Way architect) and Frank Robinson as baseball immortal-Orioles, now would be the appropriate moment for the Orioles organization to show appreciation to those winning pioneers.
Rename Eutaw Street, within the confines of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, to ‘The Oriole Way.’
So that now, when Anthony Santander cranks a moonshot towards the B&O Warehouse—with scores of fans scrambling underneath it—it will land thunderously along The Oriole Way.
And, perhaps fittingly, it will plate three runs to bolster a dominating pitching performance from Grayson Rodriguez, highlighted by suffocating defense by the likes of Gunnar, Cedric, and Adley.
Despite my one glorious opportunity meeting him, I obviously didn’t know Brooks Robinson.
However, we all knew for what he stood: Integrity, humility, brilliance.
With that in mind, it’s fair to suggest that Brooks Robinson would never expect to have something named for him at Camden Yards. But clearly, something should be named for him. Just name it in a manner befitting of the man’s real legacy.
The way I remember him, Mr. Oriole would probably love ‘The Oriole Way.’
It was really nice meeting you, Brooksie.