Meet the Orioles I n many parts of the United States the return of the oriole signals e signals the start of spring In Baltimore Maryland the return of the of the Orioles means it is time for a new baseball season to begin The he team has been an important part of life in this region of the country going back generations The Orioles have played in the city longer than any other sports team Many baseball fans are surprised to learn about the twists and turns in the Orioles history Indeed the team played under other names and in other cities before arriving in town during the 1950s But ever since they have been what Baltimore sports is all about This book tells the story of the Orioles There is something ng about the orange and black of the Baltimore uniform that brings out gs out the fight in a baseball player The Orioles play hard and never let up They are loud and proud and full of energy Adam Jones heads for the dugout after scoring a run The Orioles cheer for one another at all times 5
Glory Days T he history of baseball in Baltimore stretches back into the 1800s A team called the Orioles has played in Baltimore for almost all of that time The New York Yankees were called the Baltimore Orioles once Today’s Orioles actually got their start in Milwaukee Wisconsin The year was 1901 and the American League AL was playing its first season One of the eight teams in the AL was the Milwaukee Brewers After one year the Brewers moved to St Louis and were renamed the Browns They signed some of the best players from the crosstown Cardinals including Jack Powell Bobby Wallace and Jesse Burkett The Browns played in St Louis for more than 50 years During that time they had several good players including George Sisler Ken Williams Del Pratt Harlond Clift and Jack Tobin In 1922 the Browns nearly won the pennant 6
LEFT George Sisler was the Browns greatest player RIGHT Mike Cuellar and Brooks Robinson celebrate a World Series victory In 1944 they finally captured their first league championship Unfortunately the World Series was a disappointment The Browns were beaten by their St Louis neighbors the Cardinals By the early 1950s there simply was not enough room in St Louis for two teams The Browns moved to Baltimore in 1954 and took the name Orioles They have been there ever since The Orioles lost 100 games in their first season in Baltimore but the losing would not last long The team spent a lot of money and time developing new players Baltimore’s first big star was Brooks Robinson He was the best defensive third baseman anyone had ever seen Robinson could hit too In 1964 Robinson led the AL in runs batted in RBIs and was named the league’s Most Valuable Player MVP 7
