Camden

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis could feel the energy back at Camden Yards. As the Orioles rallied from a six-run deficit Sunday against Tampa Bay in Baltimore's eventual 9-8 loss, Markakis - the most veteran player currently on the team's 25-man roster - took notice of more fans in the the stands. "It's awesome,” Markakis said. “A packed house, going into the ninth inning down by two runs. It's just momentum. Crowd is in it. That's all you can ask for. “It's all about the fans.

Baltimore gets lots of face time in “VEEP,” the Maryland-made HBO political satire starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus. But so far, all of it has been as a stand-in for Washington, the setting of this fictional series about the vice president of the United States. Last week, the Ottobar and the New Wyman Park restaurant doubled as D.C. settings for a rock concert and a breakfast meeting between two political aides. This week, however, in an episode titled “Baseball,” Baltimore gets to play itself in a story line that finds Vice President Selina Meyer (Louis-Dreyfus)

Even a gem needs polishing every once in a while. All winter, crews swarmed Camden Yards, ripping out aging seats, pouring concrete, digging trenches and replacing water-damaged walkways in a $10 million maintenance blitz. Working against the clock and snowstorms that came one after another, workers and ballpark officials nevertheless expect to have the last piece in place before the gates swing wide on Opening Day Friday. "Nothing that we're doing is a radical change to the aesthetics of the ballpark.

The 911 call came in like so many do, a frantic voice that cuts through the night like the wail of a siren. "My granddaughter has drowned! She's not responding! Please help me!" Dave McGowan took the call. Last year at this time, he was the veteran public address announcer at Orioles games at Camden Yards. But now, less than five months on the job at the Prince George's County Emergency Communications Center, he faced this: a frenzied Laurel woman on the line and a 2-year-old with the life ebbing from her after a backyard pool accident.

No matter how bad the Orioles are going, Camden Yards is still the greatest place to watch a ballgame. Yet even in this baseball nirvana, there are fans who need to be schooled on ballpark etiquette. After attending a recent game and sitting with the teeming masses, here are a few observations: • I realize that railing against cell phone use at the ballpark is like trying to hold back the ocean. But I spent two innings listening to the guy behind me blab about all the cool features on his iPhone.

The Orioles announced their plans to renovate Camden Yards for the stadium's 20th anniversary this upcoming season and, as I am sure you all know by now, that includes six bronze statues of the club's current Hall of Famers. I've been lucky enough to visit nearly every Major League Baseball stadium. And Camden Yards, 20 years in, is still one of the best if not the best (I love the parks in San Francisco and Pittsburgh, too). Having the statues - of Frank and Brooks Robinson, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. - will make Camden Yards even cooler.

Imagine my surprise this morning when I pulled up Deadspin.com and saw that the sports website's main image was a fan climbing the left-field foul pole at Camden Yards. Now that's something you don't see every day. Apparently, two Orioles fans emailed Deadspin claiming they somehow got locked inside Camden Yards during a rain-out and romped around the beautiful ballpark as if it was their personal playground. They climbed the foul pole, slid across the infield tarp like it was a Slip 'n Slide, made grilled cheese sandwiches at Boog's and drank themselves silly with stolen Bud Light.

Right-hander Brad Bergesen's arbitration hearing was scheduled for this morning at 9:30. He was looking for $1.2 million, the Oriolescountered with $800,000. I have received no information otherwise -- and I've checked -- so it's assumed the private hearing commenced today. They usually run for several hours, and the three-member panel usually doesn't offer its opinion until the following day. This is the first time the Orioles have gone to a hearing with a player since 2006 with pitcher Rodrigo Lopez.

Former Orioles pitcher Rick Sutcliffe had every intention of heading home for the 1992 season, and why not? His roots - and his family - were in the Kansas City area, where he grew up within a short drive of Royals Stadium. He had already accomplished quite a lot during the first 13 years of his major league career, and he figured the time was right to spend the rest of that career sleeping in his own bed after home games. Maybe it's true that life is what happens while you're making other plans, because Sutcliffe's lifeplan changed with one phone call from an old friend and a brief visit to an unfinished stadium in a place he had never heard of called Camden Yards.

When Miguel Tejada made his Orioles debut at Camden Yards in 2004, he homered and drove in five runs as his new club beat the Boston Red Sox, 7-2. Six years later, Tejada is no longer the superstar who took over this town and raised expectations for a struggling franchise, but he still thrives in the spotlight. In "Miggi Mania: The Sequel," playing Friday at Camden Yards, Tejada made a triumphant return, collecting three hits, including a two-run home run, and driving in four runs in the club's 7-6 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays.

"VEEP" keeps getting better week by week. And the last couple of weeks, it feels as if the HBO comedy has really found its feet. Baltimore viewers will be especially interested in the ending of Sunday's episode as it sets the wheels in motion for a trip next week that will bring Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to Camden Yards. The episode includes appearances by Baltimore Orioles pitchers Jake Arrieta and Tommy Hunter, as well as former Orioles pitcher Jim Palmer.

The Orioles might still be above the New York Yankees in the American League East standings, but they can't seem to solve the Bronx Bombers head-to-head at Camden Yards. The Orioles dropped an 8-5 decision to the Yankees on Monday night under dreary skies and steady showers, their fourth loss to New York this year at Camden Yards. In a game riddled with costly walks and an untimely fielding error, the battle-tested Yankees made the Orioles pay for their miscues. “If you make defensive mistakes against any club at this level, it challenges you if you do it consistently,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said.

Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis could feel the energy back at Camden Yards. As the Orioles rallied from a six-run deficit Sunday against Tampa Bay in Baltimore's eventual 9-8 loss, Markakis - the most veteran player currently on the team's 25-man roster - took notice of more fans in the the stands. "It's awesome,” Markakis said. “A packed house, going into the ninth inning down by two runs. It's just momentum. Crowd is in it. That's all you can ask for. “It's all about the fans.

Earlier this year, I did two top-10 lists in connection with the 20 th anniversary of Oriole Park at Camden Yards. The first was rank the top 10 games in stadium history. The second was to rank the top 10 moments in stadium history. Yes, there was some overlap -- Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,131 st consecutive game was the top in that category, and his victory lap was the top moment -- but I tried to separate them a little. For the moments list, I tried to winnow the game into one moment we'll never forget.

In 59 seasons in Baltimore, the Orioles have started with 19 wins or more in their first 28 games only six times -- 1969, 1970, 1992, 1997, 2005 and, now, 2012. The Orioles ran their current winning streak to five games following Sunday's 17-inning victory over the Boston Red Sox. Now, they face a tough nine-game homestand with the two-time defending American League champion Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees coming to Camden Yards. Twice in history -- in back-to-back years in 1969 and 1970, in fact -- the Orioles were 20-8 through 28 games.

Twenty years ago, I was thrilled to stand in a line that wrapped around the B&O warehouse in the hope that I'd be able to purchase a standing room only ticket to see the Baltimore Orioles play at Camden Yards. That seemed much longer ago the other night when I was put in a position to defend the empty seats around me at Camden Yards and defend the integrity of the home of the Orioles. Do opposing teams' fans have a right to visit Camden Yards? Absolutely. Do they have a right to cheer for their team?

CAMDEN, N.J. -- Nicole Mamula (Laurel) scored 25 and Ashanta Sellers (Largo) added 18 to help Frederick Community College defeat Camden County CC, 97-52, yesterday in women's college basketball.Frederick (5-1) built a 50-27 halftime lead en route to the win.Krista Przybylski led Camden (5-3) with 12. Frederick's Carmen George had 13. Frederick plays host to Union today.

The state of Maryland is planning to spend up to $18.5 million to add a 128,000-square-foot office building to the south end of the B&O warehouse in Camden Yards to keep its prospective projected tenant, the State Highway Administration, from moving outside the city.Bruce Hoffman, Maryland Stadium Authority executive director, showed Baltimore's Architectural Review Board preliminary plans yesterday that call for an eight-story addition to be constructed on the western side of the warehouse, which serves as a backdrop for the $104 million baseball stadium that is scheduled to open in the spring of 1992.

Players for both Gilman and Mount St. Joseph will be trying to control their emotions Saturday when they meet in a rematch of the inaugural President's Cup final Saturday at Camden Yards. The two long-time Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference rivals will be trying to take in the scene and dwell on the moment at the second-annual event. But the teams will be approaching the game differently. A year ago, Gilman won the President's Cup title but turned around a week later and lost to the Gaels in an MIAA A Conference game.

The choice was not between Batman and Superman. It wasn't even between the Caped Crusader and an X-person. No, it wasn't a superhero-superhero fight. Bruce Wayne's alterego just barely beat out a daytime TV talkshow host. It was either Batman undies or Ellen Degeneres-themed briefs, said Mark Harvey, the truck driver who ran out onto the field during the Orioles' opening home game. The 26-year-old Severn man originally planned to wear "ellen" undershorts for the diamond dash, Harvey said Thursday afternoon.