The crowd shout-out of "O!"seared the brand on Ed Smith Stadium March 3 as the Baltimore Orioles took the field for their debut spring training game. Nearly all the seats were full, as the rain held off and the sun peeked through.
The boys of summer braved the coldest spring of Florida in more than 30 years to "play ball!" after Sarasota County Commissioners Joe Barbetta, Nora Patterson, Shannon Staub (pictured above) and Jon Thaxton offered opening day pitches.The O’s scored a grand finale to the festivities, marking a 12-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. It was a little bit of Sarasota history, too, as hovering over the stadium were baseball giants of yore who had played in the Sarasota springtime since the 1920s. Though the tradition endures, it wasn’t cheap. The total for a hot dog and a beer: $10.25.
Photos by Norman Schimmel.