Opening Day

Timonium Race Course lives on, and no one was more excited yesterday than vice president and general manager Max Mosner.Mosner was even in a joking mood as opening day of the often troubled 10-day meet went off without any major hitches."

WIMBLEDON, England -- There was one bomb scare, no tennis and only a few cryptic answers to the continuing mystery surrounding the pullout of top women's seed Monica Seles.Other than that, it was just your average opening-day rain out at Wimbledon yesterday.Neither a serve nor a volley was seen at the All England Club as a steady drizzle prevented officials from even lifting the covers off the grass courts. Play was finally suspended at 6:50 p.m. local time, some 10 minutes after a bomb scare cleared the Centre Court stadium and adjoining press building.

CLARIFICATION An article Monday said that the Orioles were to "officially launch their season someplace other than Baltimore for the first time since April 7, 1978." The team did open its season on the road in 1980, 1990, and 1995, but in each case it was because labor disruptions had delayed the start of the Major League schedule. Tony Coliano is a "warm-weather guy," a lifelong Orioles fan and an eternal optimist when it comes to Baltimore sports, all of which usually adds up to a single, irrepressible feeling this time of year.

The ratings are back from Monday's Orioles season opener, and let's just say that they aren't as rosy as the on-the-field result.The Orioles-Tampa Bay game on Channel 13 did a 13.2 Nielsen household rating and garnered a 29 share of the available audience, a goodly number to be sure, but the lowest Opening Day rating in five years, and the second-lowest in the past seven seasons.Monday's game was off 5 percent from last year's 13.9/35, and continued a general trend of sliding ratings for Opening Day telecasts over the last seven years, from a high of 18.7/40 in 1994 to Monday's number.

Rangers: The standing-room-only crowd of 46,650 was the largest on Opening Day in team history. Luis Alicea started at second base while Mark McLemore rested his strained left hamstring.Red Sox: Jose Offerman had the first four-hit Opening Day by a Boston player since Mike Greenwell in 1995. Closer Tom Gordon pitched a perfect ninth for his 47th save in his past 48 opportunities. He has converted 44 straight saves since his last blown save on April 14 of last season.Royals: The crowd was the fifth-largest for Opening Day in team history.

As she has for the past 31 years, Peggy Andes studied the Orioles' roster yesterday like a schoolteacher looking over her new roll of pupils.Under crystal blue skies and brilliant sunshine, Andes sat along the third base side of Oriole Park, her insides fluttering with all the emotions that Opening Day brings: trepidation, hope, anxiety and joy. Gone were familiar names like Alomar, Palmeiro and Davis, replaced by the likes of Belle, Clark and Garcia."

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- For a utility infielder who often jokes about his limited playing time, Jeff Reboulet sure has a knack for finding his way into the Opening Day lineup.If happened in 1997 when second baseman Roberto Alomar was slapped with a five-game suspension to begin the season. And it could happen again next month, at the same position but for a different player and reason.With Delino DeShields out five to seven weeks with a broken thumb, Reboulet will be the starting second baseman today in the Orioles' exhibition opener against Minnesota in Fort Myers.

Mayor William T. Malster hurled the first pitch.A sparse but spirited crowd of 3,900 paid as little as 25 cents for seats in Union Park. And the Baltimore Orioles -- three-time National League champions in the 1890s -- began their 1899 campaign with a 5-3 win over the New York Giants.Even 100 years ago -- as the last baseball season of the 19th century began -- Opening Day in Baltimore was about more than the game. It was a harbinger of spring and a marker of renewal, the time to mothball the wool coats and break out the straw boaters.

Here's a quick list of some of the most memorable aspects of Opening Day 1998:The anthem: Entertainer John Davidson, currently performing in "State Fair" at the Lyric Opera House, gave an overblown rendition of the national anthem in which he coaxed the sellout crowd to repeat the traditional Baltimore "Ohhhh!" in the final stanza several times. Talk about milking a moment.The Moose: Opening Day starter Mike Mussina struck out the first two batters in the first inning and went on to strike out 11, but again was abandoned by the Orioles' offense.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.- Brady Anderson didn't fight to be in yesterday's lineup, contrary to what manager Ray Miller had anticipated, and didn't give his usual assurances about his status for Opening Day. But the Orioles' renter fielder still is expected to start Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals.Anderson had his left hand wrapped in ice and was receiving electrical stimulation to aid a small bone chip in the fourth metacarpal, which he suffered when hit by a throw from Florida catcher Charles Johnson during a steal in Thursday's game in Viera.

June 19, 2007: Trembley's debut as interim manager The Orioles suffer their ninth consecutive defeat, a 12-6 loss to the San Diego Padres, a day after naming Trembley interim manager when Sam Perlozzo is fired. "For me, I'm very aware of who I am, what I am and where I've come from, managing in the minor leagues a long time," Trembley said at the time. "In my wildest dreams, I could never imagine getting the opportunity to manage the Baltimore Orioles." Aug. 22, 2007 : O's remove the interim tag, and get crushed Before a doubleheader with the Texas Rangers at Camden Yards, the Orioles remove the interim label from Trembley's title and officially announce that he will return as manager in 2008.

With the chills of winter slipping away, the thrills of spring (and summer) are just beginning. That includes the openings of theme parks across the Mid-Atlantic region beginning in early May. Several parks have new rides, new shows and new attractions for all ages. Here's a look at some nearby amusement parks. Six Flags America, Bowie Distance from Baltimore:: About 40 minutes by car Opening day: : Open weekends now; daily hours begin May 22 What's new: : Six shows, most of them musical, have been added to the lineup.

It went as well as even the most optimistic Orioles fan could hope, from the pounding of the New York Yankees' new $161 million ace, to the booing of the former savior turned archenemy, to the debut of their all-glove shortstop who proved adept with his bat. Opening Day in Baltimore had a little of everything, but most important to the largest Opening Day crowd in Camden Yards history was the Orioles' 10-5 throttling of the hated Yankees before an...

Opening Day was like a holiday in my house. My parents didn't think twice about taking us out of school with a note that said: "Please excuse the Connolly children for their absence. They got Opening Day tickets." (For more, go to baltimoresun.com/cornersportsbar)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -The Orioles' Opening Day roster competition got a little clearer Tuesday with the demotions of outfielder Lou Montanez, third baseman Scott Moore, and pitchers David Pauley and Radhames Liz. Liz and Montanez were optioned to Triple-A Norfolk, and they'll be joined there by Pauley, who cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Tides. Moore was reassigned to minor league camp, along with reliever Alberto Castillo, catcher Guillermo Rodriguez and infielder Oscar Salazar.

For die-hard Orioles fans, Opening Day is the place to be - no matter what. Despite a cold drizzle and not-so-warm predictions for the Baltimore team, a crowd gathered to watch the 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays last Monday. They donned their baseball attire and marched to Camden Yards, hoping for a win. Despite the loss, true believers remained unshaken. "You've got to love your hometown team," said Tito Aracia of Lanham. "It's one of the few things you can rely on in this world, coming out to see your team on Opening Day."

I came to The Sun in 1983 and being a baseball fan who had long suffered with his Minnesota Twins in the '60s and '70s, I thought I was in heaven. World Series champs, who could ask for more? The next few years were exciting and then came a downturn, but wait, there was Cal's consecutive-games streak and two years when the Orioles made the playoffs in the late '90s, so it was OK. Then came the last 10 years -- and 10 straight losing records -- when games were at times painful to watch.

The Orioles announced a sellout for their regular-season opener yesterday at Camden Yards, which probably evoked a measure of skepticism from anyone looking for companionship in the upper deck above left field. To be fair, the team is entitled to count all those empty seats if they can persuade someone to buy them, even if that someone - whoever that someone might be - bought the tickets only to make sure the Orioles did not have to suffer the indignity of failing to sell out Opening Day at Oriole Park for the first time.

Some came because they believe Andy MacPhail is a man with a plan. Some came hoping to see Adam Jones' first step to greatness. Some came because they love baseball and Opening Day is just a habit. For those and many other reasons, an announced crowd of 46,807 ignored a chilly drizzle and even chillier predictions for the Orioles' season to watch yesterday's opening 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Though few fans predicted even a .500 season, they arrived at Camden Yards in Nick Markakis jerseys with baseballs painted on their faces and hope in their hearts.

Opening Day 2008 in Baltimore started so well. The persistent rain let up in time for the fans to give an enthusiastic welcome to the new-look Orioles, saving one of their loudest pre-game greetings for new center fielder Adam Jones, who described his reception and run down the orange carpet as bone-chilling. Then, three of the most prominent holdovers got the home team off to a promising start, with Kevin Millar smacking a first-inning double through the damp air, driving in Brian Roberts and Nick Markakis.