Rick Dempsey

Tribute to Memorial Stadium

by Rick Dempsey

Since things aren't going so well for the O's right now, I thought we might take a step back to an era that a lot of you will happily remember.

Yes, there was a time when Baltimore was one of the most feared organizations in baseball. I became an Oriole in 1976 and played almost 12 years here. On the last day at Memorial, a day I will never forget, I wrote about all the great people I played with and recalled some of the Orioles' most miraculous memories.

What started out as a scripted "thank you" to Orioles fans became a poem. I hope you like it.

She was the Lady in Red , she's Baltimore's best
And many a great one have come from her nest
She gave birth to a thousand, adopted a few
By the way that she loved them, nobody knew

There was Brooksie and Frank and Booger by name
There was Palmer, McNally, Paulie and Blade
Eddie and Flanny and Tippy and Scott
Dobber and Cuellar, Stanhouse and Stod.

There was Moby and Kell and Gary and Low
Richie and Singie, Gus and the Crow
The Dipper and Doug, another named Dal
And the last one to grace her, the "IronMan Cal"

She made Earl her general, Rip Senior the Sarge
And they led her children on a perilous charge
When the battles had ended on October's subside
There stood the Lady in all of her pride.

She's grey now and tired and goes to lay down
With the pennants God gave her to wear as her crown
Glory and Honor will sleep at her feet
For the Miracles she gave us on 33rd street.

I really dont know how all of that came together, but it reflected a time few people in this game have the privelege of experiencing.

I wouldn't trade it for all the money in the game. I thank God for letting it be here in Baltimore with the greatest people on earth.

If you have any interest in seeing it in picture form and reading my explaination, click here to visit my website at www.RickDempsey24.com.