Game At Memorial

Robert A. Roesner, a former Baltimore County public school educator and coach who went on to become a replacement Major League Baseball umpire during two strikes in 1978 and 1979 strike, died Monday of heart failure at Imperial Gardens nursing home in Naples, Fla. The longtime Joppatowne resident was 85. Mr. Roesner made his major league umpiring debut at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 25, 1978, before a crowd of 10,538 who had gathered to watch...

"Did you ever notice Mike when he came off the mound after a good inning?" asks Alex Flanagan, widow of the Orioles Hall-of-Famer who committed suicide a year ago. "He always had his head down. " That provokes a vivid memory of No. 46, the smart pitcher who studied all and fooled many of the 11,684 batters he faced over 18 major league seasons. He was the long-haired lefty with a mustache who won the American League Cy Young Award in the Orioles' 1979 World Series season. He was all business on the mound, and Alex is correct about Mike's demeanor during his walk to the dugout after most of his 2,770 innings: head down, serious, pondering what he had just done well or not so well.

Here comes the windup and what a -- um, change of pitch. OK, now he's ready. Oops, well, he didn't like that signal, either. Now the catcher and the pitcher will have a little talk. The catcher walks slowly back to the plate. Here goes the windup and what a -- throw to the first baseman.Now the catcher will join the pitcher on the mound and he's followed by the first baseman and here comes the manager out '' of the dugout. And it looks like there will be a pitching change. Stay tuned, we'll return after this commercial break.

The Maryland Stadium Authority has announced a new address for those wishing to request tickets to the Dolphins-Saints preseason game at Memorial Stadium on Aug. 28, 1992. The ticket request should include name, address, telephone number and the number of tickets desired. No money should be sent. The address: NFL Preseason Football Game, P.O. Box 1957, Baltimore, Md., 21203-1957.

Ticket manager Paul Blaber said the CFLs sold 1,000 tickets yesterday as sales began for the Nov. 12 playoff game at Memorial Stadium.Blaber said season-ticket holders will be able to purchase playoff tickets at their regular-season price.They also will have the opportunity to purchase an equal number of seats at that price and will be able to prepay for parking.Blaber said ticket applications are in the mail.

Before the Texas Rangers' Josh Hamilton did it Tuesday night, the Cleveland Indians' Rocky Colavito was the only player to hit four home runs in a game against the Orioles. Colavito went deep four times at Memorial Stadium on June 10, 1959. Here's a story The Sun ran 30 years later, reflecting on the slugger's feat.   June 18, 1989 ROCKY IV 30 years ago, Rocky Colavito ended a slump by becoming only the third player to hit four homers in four consecutive at-bats in a nine-inning game Rocky Colavito clicked his way down the tunnel from the visitors clubhouse and emerged in the Cleveland Indians dugout carrying his K-55 bats -- 33-ounce models that most hitters would consider light when compared with the weight of a 3-for-28 batting skid.

Two Orioles farm clubs, the Double-A Bowie Baysox and Single-A Frederick Keys, played to a 1-1 tie in a six-inning exhibition game at Memorial Stadium yesterday.A double by Feliciano Mercedes and single by Curtis Goodwin gave the Keys a 1-0 lead in the third, but the Baysox tied it an inning later on a run-scoring double by infielder Edgar Alfonzo.Seven pitchers worked in the game, which was a tuneup for the teams' openers tonight. The workout was closed to fans because of stadium construction and cleanup work.

Though yesterday's drenching rains had stopped long before the scheduled start of last night's Bowie Baysox-Reading Phillies game at Memorial Stadium, the outfield was too soggy for play.As a result, Baysox officials postponed last night's game and rescheduled it for 6:05 tonight as Game 1 of a doubleheader with the Phillies. Tickets for last night's game will be honored tonight.In addition, outfielder Chito Martinez, who was reassigned to the Double-A team from the Orioles to make room for pitcher Fernando Valenzuela, is expected to play tonight for the Baysox.

The solitary orange banner waved over the left field wall at old Memorial Stadium for years. “HERE” is all it said in blocky black lettering. No other words were necessary. Everyone knew what it meant: here's where Frank hit it out. Wednesday marks the 47th anniversary of that historic home run, when Orioles outfielder and future Hall of Famer Frank Robinson became the only player to hit a baseball completely out of the old ballpark on 33rd Street during a game. It happened on May 8, 1966, in the second game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Indians, when Robinson hit a mammoth two-run shot off Indians starter Luis Tiant in the first inning.

Some tips this week for fantasy football players:Players to keepWR Jerry Rice, 49ers: Has 171 catches for 2,843 yards and 28 TDs in 30 games on Monday night.RB Jerome Bettis, Steelers: Ravens give up 104 rushing yards per game at Memorial Stadium.QB Boomer Esiason, Cardinals: Is 77 of 128 for 1,149 yards and eight TDs in past three games.Players to sit downRB Bam Morris, Ravens: Steelers haven't allowed 100-yard rusher in past 13 games -- second-longest active streak in the NFL.RB Errict Rhett, Buccaneers: Panthers hold opponents to an average of 78 yards rushing in Charlotte.