When the Orioles held their inaugural LGBT Pride Night on a drizzly Wednesday evening at Camden Yards, the only thing missing was a real rainbow.
The O’s became the 24th major league team to create an official event celebrating the LGBT community, even creating a ticket package that included a VIP pregame party and a special ball cap featuring a rainbow Oriole Bird logo.
If such an outreach would have been controversial not so long ago in a sport long known for its conservative tilt, the event was applauded from the clubhouse to the Center Field Roof Deck, where former major league player Billy Bean and former major league umpire Dale Scott stopped by to join the party.