Eutaw Street

David Ortiz smashed a homer to right on Monday that was part of Boston's three-run sixth to tie the score at 5-5. It has a little more significance than that, though. The blast traveled past the flag court and landed on Eutaw Street - the 62nd time that has happened in Camden Yards' 20-year history and 37th time by an opponent. It was Ortiz's second shot there, the first coming on Sept. 9, 2003 against Damian Moss. What's most interesting is that there have been five homers hit onto Eutaw (four by an opponent; one by Chris Davis)

Orioles manager Buck Showalter had confidence that Nolan Reimold's bat would eventually come around. Even though Reimold's batting average dipped below .200 just two days ago as he struggled to find a comfort zone splitting time between designated hitter and left field, Showalter remained patient. And it was patience at the plate that led Reimold to the game-winning hit in the Orioles' 7-5 interleague win Saturday afternoon in Game 1 of their day-night doubleheader against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Chris Davis' second-inning solo homer on Friday night was record-setting. It was the 66th homer to land onto Eutaw Street - behind the right-field flag court - in Camden Yards history. And it was also the ninth this year - the most Eutaw Street homers hit in any one season. The previous record was eight, set in 2008. Davis has hit three there this year. He homered again in the fourth and again in the sixth  - neither onto Eutaw Street - giving him 23 on the season. That surpasses his career-high of 21 set in 2009.

The Baltimore sports scene is blessed with a bunch of talented bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. Each week, I hope to chat with one of them in a regular feature called Blogger on Blogger. This week, I exchanged emails with Joe Polek, who blogs about the Orioles for Eutaw Street Report . MV: How important do you think it is that the Orioles get off to a good start like they did a year ago? JP: It's Opening Day and the Orioles need a big win. They have won their last two Opening Days, 10 of their last 12 and overall are 64-42 when Opening Day is in April.

Eutaw Street homers are always a fun little novelty at Camden Yards. This year, they are almost the norm. On Friday, two homers - Asdrubal Cabrera's in the third and Matt Wieters' in the sixth - landed on the street beyond the right-field scoreboard and flag court. It was just the second time two have reached Eutaw in one game in the stadium's history. Rafael Palmeiro did it twice on April 11, 1997 against the Texas Rangers. So there was a little history on Eutaw Street on Friday and there will be more the next time one lands there this year.

There's a lot of history behind Baltimore's newest Irish restaurant. Maggie Moore's Irish Pub & Restaurant is set to open next week in the old Baltimore Equitable Society Building on Eutaw Street. Owner John Moore says the building was constructed in 1847 as the Eutaw Savings Bank and became headquarters in 1887 for the Equitable Society, a fire insurance company. He says he and partner Bill Carr have spent the last year renovating the 9,000-square-foot place, trying to keep as much of the building's original elements in it as they could.

A dispute over a stolen jacket sparked a shooting early yesterday outside a downtown Baltimore convenience store that left a teen-ager and a young man critically wounded, city police said.Michael Jason Wedington, 17, of the 400 block of Westhills Road in West Baltimore and Marcus Jefferson Waters, 20, of the 3600 block of Harlem Ave. in Baltimore were in critical condition yesterday afternoon at Maryland Shock Trauma Center, a hospital spokeswoman said.Police said the shooting occurred about 2: 40 a.m. outside a 7-Eleven store in the 200 block of N. Eutaw St., near Saratoga Street.

IS IT A good idea to spend millions in taxpayers' money to turn Baltimore's old Hippodrome Theater into a 2,200-seat cultural center?Members of the House Appropriations Committee, touring the abandoned Eutaw Street vaudeville house recently, voiced reservations. They worry that the projected $35 million in renovation costs might go much higher. They also wonder whether the rundown neighborhood would scare away potential theater-goers.Their concerns are justified. Yet legislators ought to give free rein to their imagination and examine the Hippodrome project in a wider context.

Rafael Palmeiro wasn't seeing the ball well against Texas Rangers starter John Burkett last night. And because of it, he wasn't seeing the desired results.Palmeiro, the Orioles first baseman, hit into a double play in his first at-bat. He struck out to lead off the third inning, and stranded two runners in the fourth by grounding out.It could have been a lost night, but wound up being something totally different after Burkett was knocked out in the sixth.Facing left-hander Eric Gunderson to open the seventh, Palmeiro jumped on the first pitch and sent it an estimated 411 feet to right, the 13th home run hit onto Eutaw Street.

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation today announced that portions of Eutaw and Baltimore streets will be closed Wednesday in preparation for the Miss USA pageant. Fifty-one contestants arrived in Baltimore last week. The first round of judging begins Wednesday when contestants stage a presentation show featuring swimwear and evening gown competitions at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw Street. Event organizers requested the closures as they anticipate greater activity in the area with production and setup crews.

A number of downtown city streets will be temporarily closed mid-day Wednesday to accommodate the circus elephant walk from 1st Mariner Arena to Lexington Market. The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus elephants will leave 1st Mariner Arena at 11:45 a.m. and lumber north along Hopkins Plaza, west on Fayette Street and north on Eutaw Street to the Lexington Market parking lot. At 12:30 p.m., the procession will follow the same route back to the arena. In addition to temporary closures, Eutaw Street will be closed to through traffic from Fayette Street to Saratoga Street between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with detours and parking restrictions in effect.

In the end, these Orioles reduced the milestone to something small, almost insignificant. That's how weird, wonderful and exciting they have turned out to be in 2012. For years, any big-picture assessment of the franchise has included a reminder of its growing streak of losing seasons. The number was 14 going into this year, a run of futility stretching all the way back to 1997. It won't hit 15. The Orioles guaranteed that Thursday with a spine-tingling, 14-inning victory over the Tampa Bay Rays that brought their season win total to 81. On Opening Day, many Orioles fans said they'd be thrilled if the club finally broke even - 81-81.

Joe Saunders, who was acquired Sunday in a trade with the Arizona Diamondbacks, was in the Orioles' clubhouse today and will make his O's debut against the Chicago White Sox tomorrow at Camden Yards. The Northern Virginia native said there will probably be 20 to 25 people coming to Wednesday's game to see him. Here's part of his interview before Tuesday's game.     What was your initial reaction to the trade? “I was excited, excited to come to a contending team. They have a good thing going over here, so I'm just looking to contribute the most I can.” Will there be an adjustment coming back to the AL?

In their continuing pursuit to bolster an upstart club heading into a September pennant push, the Orioles are prepared to sign veteran left-hander Randy Wolf , who was released last week by the Milwaukee Brewers. Wolf is flying to Baltimore on Wednesday and likely will be added to the roster before Saturday, which will allow the 36-year-old to be eligible to play for the Orioles if they make the postseason. The signing wasn't official, a team source said, but it almost certainly will happen.

Chris Davis' second-inning solo homer on Friday night was record-setting. It was the 66th homer to land onto Eutaw Street - behind the right-field flag court - in Camden Yards history. And it was also the ninth this year - the most Eutaw Street homers hit in any one season. The previous record was eight, set in 2008. Davis has hit three there this year. He homered again in the fourth and again in the sixth  - neither onto Eutaw Street - giving him 23 on the season. That surpasses his career-high of 21 set in 2009.

Chris Davis is a streaky hitter. We all know that. When he's seeing the ball well, he can take over a game with his bat. When he's slumping, he leaves you wondering how many holes he has in his bat. Then there are nights like Friday, when Davis made Camden Yards into his own personal launching pad, becoming the 19 th player in franchise history to hit three homers in a game. He peppered the Oriole Park stands with baseballs, one pulled to right onto Eutaw Street, his second into the right-center field stands and his last sliced the opposite way to left field.

City transportation officials announced yesterday several street closings for Monday's parade to honor the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The approximately three-hour parade will begin at noon at the State Office Complex at Eutaw and Preston streets, and proceed south along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Baltimore Street. Parking will be prohibited along all streets on the route. These streets will be closed to traffic Monday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., for parade staging: Eutaw Street from Dolphin Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

On January 6, 2008, ETHEL SCRIBER, loving mother of Clarice Scriber Phillips, Beverly Scriber Wright and Elizabeth Scriber Case. She is also survived by six grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may call at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Friday after 9 A.M., where family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday at the Mt. Calvary Episcopal Church at 10 A.M., 816 N. Eutaw Street. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Joseph Ritchie House, 828 Eutaw Street.

Eutaw Street homers are always a fun little novelty at Camden Yards. This year, they are almost the norm. On Friday, two homers - Asdrubal Cabrera's in the third and Matt Wieters' in the sixth - landed on the street beyond the right-field scoreboard and flag court. It was just the second time two have reached Eutaw in one game in the stadium's history. Rafael Palmeiro did it twice on April 11, 1997 against the Texas Rangers. So there was a little history on Eutaw Street on Friday and there will be more the next time one lands there this year.

David Ortiz smashed a homer to right on Monday that was part of Boston's three-run sixth to tie the score at 5-5. It has a little more significance than that, though. The blast traveled past the flag court and landed on Eutaw Street - the 62nd time that has happened in Camden Yards' 20-year history and 37th time by an opponent. It was Ortiz's second shot there, the first coming on Sept. 9, 2003 against Damian Moss. What's most interesting is that there have been five homers hit onto Eutaw (four by an opponent; one by Chris Davis)