2005 Baltimore Orioles

The Baltimore Orioles have been a mainstay of the American League postseason since division play began in 1969. With scores of Hall of Fame players in their lineups over the years, legendary manager Earl Weaver and his successors have provided the fans of Baltimore with good reason to buy tickets. While the last couple of years have had the Orioles in a downturn, the recent addition of Sammy Sosa to the lineup, as well as an appealing stadium and prospects for the future, make watching a game at Camden Yards a memorable event.

The Saint Louis Browns became the Orioles when they relocated to Baltimore in 1953. They held their home games in Memorial Stadium until 1991, and since April 6, 1992, the Baltimore Orioles have hosted opponents in Oriole Park in Camden Yards, located in Baltimore, Maryland. Approximately 2.45 million tickets were sold for 81 home games in the 2003 season. The amazing baseball-only facility has natural grass turf and a sunroof over the upper deck.

The Orioles have many accomplishments to brag about since their debut in Major League Baseball, including three World Series championships (1966, 1970, 1983). They also have won numerous American League and Eastern Division championships. Loyal fans help make the Oriole club so strong. They average 30,302 ticket sales per game, placing them at number eleven of thirty teams in Major League Baseball.

The presence of big-name ballplayers has always been prevalent in Baltimore. The most notable player in the history of the Orioles franchise is Cal Ripken, Jr. He holds the all-time record for consecutive games played by a Major League player, has a grocery list of awards, and has led the Orioles to many championships. Many other key players besides Sammy Sosa have committed to playing baseball in 2005 for the Orioles squad, including Javy Lopez, Rafael Palmeiro, and Miguel Tejada.

The 2004 season was an improvement, but not what the Orioles had hoped for. They had 78 wins and 84 losses, finishing up a notch from 2003 to third in the American League East. They finished the year 23 games behind the New York Yankees and 20 games behind the Boston Red Sox.

The ball club has a great coaching staff consisting of manager Lee Mazzilli, who took over in 2003 for Mike Hargrove, hitting coach Terry Crowley, and pitching coach Mark Wiley. Mazzilli has recently coached in the minor leagues and was a player on the 1989 American League East champion Toronto Blue Jays team.

There are other exciting sports teams in the Baltimore area. Such teams include the collegiate Maryland Terrapins (the Terps) and the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, who made the playoffs in the 2003 season and are expected to do so again next season under the leadership of the incredibly strong yet light-footed running back Jamal Lewis and hard-hitting defensive linebacker Ray Lewis.