BALTIMORE – I’ve lived in Baltimore for 35 years, and have seen the Orioles win the World Series, the Ravens win the Super Bowl twice. I’ve seen disasters, too, incredible snowstorms, a train accident near Camden Yards that prevented games from being played, but never rioting.
When Oriole Park opened in 1992, I rejoiced. It was about 1 ½ miles from my house. It’s a short drive, perhaps 10 minutes, and usually it’s uneventful.
Monday was anything but uneventful.
I left for the ballpark around 2:45 p.m., and it took 25 minutes to get there. There was tension in the air, and when I went to the Orioles clubhouse, players watched coverage of the riots.