Monday, August 18, 2008

The Sox' "home away from home"

The Red Sox play 81 of their regular season games in Boston's Fenway Park. While that only computes to 50% of the schedule being "home games," the Sox play nine additional games in front of a crowd that heavily favors the visiting Bostonians. Baltimore's Camden Yards, the magnificent ballpark which opened in 1992, is home to the Baltimore Orioles. However, after watching tonight's 6-3 Red Sox win in "Birdland," it seemed like the Red Sox were the home team, judging by the crowd.

The "home away from home" aspect of Camden Yards has been played up for years by Boston media. But it takes on an extra special significance during Tuesday's matchup between the wild card-leading Red Sox and cellar-dwelling Orioles. The 2,861st fan to walk through the turnstiles in Baltimore will be the 50 millionth fan in Camden Yards history, an event that Orioles executives have put a lot of time and money into. That lucky fan will receive a $50,000 cash prize, plus Orioles season tickets for 5 years.

After seeing the Red Sox well-represented in tonight's crowd, what are the odds that Camden Yards' 50 millionth fan is a Red Sox fan? Pretty good. It should make for an interesting night in Baltimore.

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