Luke was at Camden Yards in Baltimore last night. He brought this sign.
O Yeah! Luke & his Orioles Beast of the East sign.
Between every inning and half-inning, Luke stood up and held up his sign trying to get the attention of the camera people so that they would show his sign on the Jumbotron in Center Field.
Luke is awesome. He never faltered and he never lost hope.
Never faltering and never losing hope are incredibly important qualities for any true baseball fan.
Luke told me that his mother actually made the sign – not him. “I slept in,” he admitted.
This is another important quality for a true baseball fan: pacing. The understanding that night games can often run into the wee hours requires the ability to catch a few extra snooze minutes whenever possible.
Luke cheered and clapped, and every time the public address system yelled “Charge!”, Luke yelled “Charge!” Absolute joy for baseball and the Orioles.
Luke’s favorite player? Orioles third baseman Manny Machado. Manny didn’t play last night – he’s out after season-ending knee surgery last month. But, Luke didn’t dwell on that disappointment.
The only thing that mattered was the game at hand.
And, don’t think that Luke’s cheers weren’t heard.
Last season, Baltimore Style Magazine asked Machado if he was aware of the crowd when playing. He said:
“Totally. … [Y]ou can always feel the energy. You hear people in the background. It’s gotten really loud in Baltimore lately. I love it.”
It was loud last night.
Even when the Red Sox got off to a fast 2-0 start.
But, did Luke give up hope? What do you think?
Final Score: Baltimore Orioles 7. Boston Red Sox 2.
Fan of the Game: Luke.
Photos: Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Baltimore, Maryland. September 20, 2014
The Baseball Bloggess 
Oh, yeah! I lived in Baltimore from 1986-90, and successfully put the season of “will they win their first game tonight?” out of my mind until now :-)
Those were the tough Oriole years you lived through. I became an Oriole fan in 1988 in the midst of their 0-21 season start. It’s sure nice to have a little Oriole Magic back! :)
There were 3 Ripkens tho . . . :-)
OMG! Baltimore has a professional baseball team? Well I’ll be damned…Lol.
Yes. We stole it from St. Louis. Go Browns! :)
Die-hard fan since 1969 when I fell in love with Jim Palmer (probably before Baseball Bloggess was born)! And, then, 1970 was a GOOD year – go, Brooks! :) We almost won it all the next year, too. Since then, we’ve had a lot of ups and downs…”never faltering and never losing hope” indeed should be team motto. We are ON again in 2014! Go, Os!!
I was on the field for batting practice on Saturday night and Jim Palmer walked right by me! Tippy Martinez was out there too … which was quite fun. It was great to see BP and everyone up close! :)
I love that kid! Adore his enthusiasm and the thought that another generation gets to enjoy and grow with baseball!
Isn’t he awesome? It’s always good to jump up and cheer … and Luke’s the role model for how to be a good fan!
Lots of happy kids in Baltimore this summer. That should make us happy, too.
Any baseball makes me happy … but the post-season should be fun. Get your Giants ready! :)
Jackie,
Thanks so much for including Luke! He’s having a great summer with the Orioles and this just made it even better for him. I can’t wait to see him waving his sign during the World Series!
Luke is awesome! And, a great reminder of how much joy baseball can bring us. If you send me your email address, I will send the photos I have to you directly in high resolution … so you can print or share with your family and friends. Please tell Luke “hi” for me. I hope that I’m at the World Series, too and I’ll look for his sign! My email address is: jackie@thebaseballbloggess.com