Naming of ballpark frees the 'goof' from Steeltown roof

Alvin "Buster" Earll was in an exuberant mood yesterday afternoon as he climbed down from the roof of Steeltown, the Dundalk nightclub he has lived on top of for the past 24 days.

"I'm loving it, I'm loving life," he said. "I'm ready to get down and get a decent shower."

Impatient with how long the naming process of Baltimore's new stadium was taking, Mr. Earll, 25, climbed to the Steeltown roof on Sept. 10 and vowed not to come down until the stadium was named.

He kept his promise -- almost. A week into his protest, he was served with a warrant because of an unpaid fine for a traffic violation and his vigil was interrupted with a 90-minute trip to court.

When Mr. Earll -- who became known as the "goof on the roof" -- heard the governor announce that the stadium would be named Oriole Park at Camden Yard on the radio yesterday afternoon, he immediately began packing up the belongings he had accumulated on the roof. He timed his descent so that TV cameras could record the moment.

Sweetening yesterday's news was the fact that the name chosen was exactly the one Mr. Earll favored for the new ballpark. "The governor and Eli Jacobs must have heard what I had to say," he suggested.